Katrina, show him to an empty room in the guild. Help him get a meal and some rest. We start in the morning. " He said, taking the shackles with him.

"Wait." I started. I saw Katrina in the corner of my eye, get a nervous look.

"C-can I keep those?" I asked a little concerned as Sir Lance slowly turned back to me.

"You want to keep the shackles?" He asked in confusion.

"I-I think that I might need them. Something could happen. I don't want to take a chance. Sir." I said, preparing myself for anything.

"Here then" He said, holding the shackles out for me to take and the key to go along with it.

I grabbed them and watched him leave with the rest of the council people. I turned to Katrina who was just staring at me.

"What?"

"Master Lance has never acted like this. I haven't seen this before." She said as she left through the way we entered. I quickly followed. I almost forgot to follow. It was different being free.

Katrina was walking fast. I mean faster than when we were coming in. We never made it back to the ladder that we used. Instead we went snaking through different corridors and hallways that looked the same. The torch lit path didn't show any differences between each door. It was confusing to me.

We eventually stopped at a door, that of course looked like the rest, and she opened the door. She grabbed one of the torches and walked into the dark musty room.

"This will be your room. It was one of the late soldier's room, but he won't be in need of it now." There was an awkward pause left in the room.

"It's not much for now, but this is yours to decorate." She said, motioning towards the dust filled room. I think she was trying to make it feel homey here. Was she trying to be nice?

" I have some berries for you and you are going to need your sleep for tomorrow." She said while ruffing through her side bag to get the berries.

A scarf fell on the floor, but something was in it. A bright orange stone sparkled from the red scarf.

She quickly grabbed the scarf and the stone and stuffed it back into her bag. She held out some berries for me. I took them and looked back to the room. She stood there for a while and looked at me, as if I was supposed to eat the berries right away. I began to eat one of the blue berries that she gave me.

" I should go. I will see you tomorrow for training." She said lighting the only torch in the room and heading for the door.

"H-hey, Katrina" She paused at the door, but she didn't look at me. "Thank you for your help." I said.

She didn't answer for a while until, "I- your welcome." She left me in the room and again I was left with the thought of what should I do? The dark room didn't make me feel better. I looked at the dust filled room. The torch light only leaving an ominous feeling in the room. I felt a different kind of scared here. I looked down to see a pile of hay. I guess this was supposed to be my bed or something. I set the shackles down and sat on the hay.

A sharp pain hit my chest and head at the same time. What was this? Wait, I know this feeling. I could feel the darkness creeping in. Memories of what had happened in Grandon Village flooded into my head. Their screams and the images of their lifeless eyes. No, no I can't handle this.

I looked at the shackles and slapped my wrists back into them. The clicking noise, helping to turn my darkness away. My heart began to calm and the pain went away. I laid down in the hay pile and cried, the memories still present in my mind. It was like a cage was opened and I saw what the monster had done. I wanted the memories to end.

—————

A cold sensation startled my system. Woke up with my heart racing, looking up to see the shadow towering over me. He held an empty bucket next to himself.

"Get up! Training starts NOW!" THe figure bellowed.

I shuffled to my feet, sleep still blurring my vision. I raised my paws to clean them, but hit my head with the shackles that I had slept in. I looked around for the key and found it on the other side of the room. The torch light was almost gone. I think I left it lit almost all night.

I struggled with getting the key into the shackles and dropped the keys multiple times. I saw someone else grab the key and unlock the shackles for me. I looked and saw Katrina taking the iron off of me. She wore the scarf from yesterday.

I looked over and saw Sir Lance still standing over my bed or pile of hay. He wasn't happy. I could feel it or was that just the look in his grayed eyes.

"We are late for training. Let's go. NOW!!" He yelled. He softly turned away and left through the door.

I stood rubbing my head and eyes, trying to wake up. I didn't really get a lot of sleep. I could still hear the faint sound of Patricia's scream in my head. That was what I would see if I closed my eyes to sleep.

Katrina stood and followed Sir Lance out the door, her scarf brushing across my nose and giving me a whiff of her scent. I was left in the dimly lit room. I rose and looked back at the pile of hay. I could see the claw marks in the stone wall and floor. That wasn't me that had done those, but it was.

I left the room and quickly ran after the two lucarios as they walked through the dark hallways. I tried to get rid of the memory of Patricia that was plastered in my mind as we exited the tunnels. We left through a ramp that led to a small courtyard. Sir Lance stood in the middle of the yard. He stood with a cane in his hands. He stared at me with such intensity. Katrina went to the edge of the courtyard where trees lined the edge. She sat down and meditated I think.

I looked back to the center of the courtyard to see Sir Lance charging at me. He swung his cane left and right at me. I didn't know what to do, but felt something come over me like a familiar feeling. It led me through strong movements that helped me dodge a lot of Sir Lance's attacks. Then he decided to come at me with more energy. His movements changed and I began to lose the familiar feeling that led me. At every turn I would feel the cane against my face or head.

I became dazed at how many hits I received. I tried to raise my hands, but my energy was almost gone. He still had the same glare on his face. What was he trying to do?

I felt my energy leave me completely. I couldn't defend myself anymore. If Sir Lance was going to kill he had nothing stopping him. He came in again swinging his cane. Every hit made the world seem darker and darker. Then the real pain came. My heart began to raise and my head felt like a rock was being smashed against it with every heartbeat.

Sir Lance had stopped his assault on me and was watching me in my pain. I could feel it. It wanted out. It was strong. Maybe I could use it. No. I had to be careful. Maybe just a little power.

I felt a wave of energy wash over me. It felt good. I charged forward and swiped left and right with claws at the ready. Sir Lance dodged all of my attacks. Come on, I have to hit him! I swung more and more and let the monster out a little more to try and get more power.

I could see Sir Lance was beginning to have a hard time with my attacks. He was slowing down or was I speeding up? Nothing else mattered now. I need to hit him and stop him from killing me.

I finally landed a hit. It knocked him into a tree and I saw him cough up some blood as he held himself off the ground. I quickly appeared above him and stared at his blood. So red and so thick. I can, I can remember what it tasted like. It was good. NO, NO, NO! I felt the monster free itself from my mental grip. I fell to the ground and felt my body shifting like it did in Patricia's house. Her screams ringing in my ears. I can't. I made a promise to Nora.

I felt something hard hit me in the head. I looked and saw Katrina standing over me with Sir Lance. They stared at me with anger and rage. Sir Lance brought a paw up to my head and I felt a powerful blast emit from his paw that sent me flying into the trees. I felt my body break through a tree or two before stopping at the base of one. I could barely hear the crashing of the trees as I fell to the ground. My body felt weak and the monster inside had decided to turn away. My blood seeped from my wounds and I could feel the world fading from my view.

I saw Sir Lance one more time standing above me and I waited for him to finish it. Maybe the council had changed their minds and I was meant to die. The charizard would be happy about that. I am sorry Nora. I think I broke my promise.

I dreamt of Nora. She just looked at me. The silence was more of a punishment than her yelling at me. I looked down at the ground and felt terrible. I looked down and tried to say something.

"Don't even start." She said,

She went into a ramble about how I messed up and that I ruined the memories of those that have died. That I shamed them even more.

I looked at her and she swung her arm to strike me across the face. I tried to prepare myself, but I opened my eyes to see starlys and pidoves flying through the trees. I tried to get up, but my muscles screamed with pain and refused to let me up. I rolled onto my side and saw Katrina wrapping up Sir Lance's torso with bandages.

I looked down and saw bandages covering my left leg and arm. I slowly lifted myself from the ground and shuffled over to Katrina. Sir Lance stared at me as I came over.

"Kneel." He commanded and I followed.

Katrina knelt beside me and tucked the scarf around her neck adding another fold to her scarf. She looked down at the ground. I could see a wet trail in her fur underneath her eyes. Has she been crying?

"I saw it." Sir Lance said in a low stern voice.

The destruction in Grandon village was only a glimpse of the power that thing contains. Maybe I should have let Korook end you where you stood. It didn't take much to get it out of you. I saw the speed and strength you received from it once you began to let it go."

I bowed my head in shame. He was right.

"I will teach you the methods to gain control over the beast inside you. You will be better and we begin at once. " He stated as he rose from the ground. What came next was different then what happened before.

We began with meditation. Strengthening the mind to strengthen the soul, but I felt terrible doing it. I tried to clear my mind for hours, but every time I got close to being relaxed I saw Patricia there. This time the image of her death. I know how she died.