"I heard about the talk about that talk you had with Lord Death." Brennan broke out the silence.

Both were set out into a special mission assigned by Lord Death himself. Questionable occurrences have been spotted high in the Himalaya mountains. Death was fairly common in the area with adventure climbers. Only this time it wasn't from the elements, signs have shown foul play for many recent deaths. A team of meisters was sent earlier for any signs of kishin like activity. Now they were sent to finish the mission.

"It's just cold lad, never wore this many layers before. And I'm still frozen. Where the hell is this cave anyway?"

"By the maps I'd, say we're close by. The dense snowfall is impairing my vision."

"Where's even the guide? We're lost without him no matter what!"

"Stop complaining! Look over there." Brennan point due west from their position.

It was small and barely fit two people. Brennan grabbed Desmond's hand and dragged him over to the barely visible cave. The entire time Desmond argued against him, with every step Brennan took forward Desmond fought harder. Desmond went for a last-ditch effort and grabbed Brennan's neck and wrapped his body around him. He was still able to take a few steps forward before he fell into the near foot high snow.

"What are you doing?" Brennan shouted.

"You were going to drop us into an abyss." Desmond grabbed Brennan's head and shoved it down into the hole. "You almost killed us you fool!"

"Wha- no no no that's impossible! I saw the cave, it was right in front of me! It's the cold, I can feel it mess with my mind. No."

"No what?"

"I'm not wrong. Desmond turns into your Weapon form, without the connection."

"I'll freeze to death, you idiot!"

"Unless I am fast enough. There's a reason why nobody can find this guy. I feel it."

"You better be right, lad." Desmond transformed into his Weapon form and landed in Brennan's hand.

In Brennan's eyes, he could see a clear and safe passage down the abyss. While Desmond could only see the dangers ahead. Brennan quickly mesmerized the pathway and tossed Desmond in the air. He transformed back into his normal form and huddled right back to Brennan.

"So I'm guessing you got what you wanted, lad?" Desmond asked with a frozen shutter.

"I did. Just stick close to me."

His first step into the abyss was hesitant and slow. The heel gently placed against the invisible platform. Brennan smoothly blew out the air in his mouth. The steps that followed were still slow but were more confident with each one. It wasn't the fastest way down the stairs but they made it down. Darkness now filled their eyes to make them blind to the area around them.

"Well, now you got us down here. What is part two?" Desmond asked. He pulled his glove off and felt the air around him. "Hmm, I don't feel the cold anymore."

"Because we're in a place that holds temperature stable to the perfect limit. Perfect to hold a dying man."

"A dying man?" A deep laugh emerged from the shadows of the abyss. Two people came to a full view of the partnership. A giant man with long black hair walked beside a much smaller woman with just as long blonde hair. The two dressed similarly, both in tight and sleeveless clothes. Only her arms showed off a snake on each arm. "I don't appear to be in any bad shape do I?"

"Brother?" Brennan's voice raised. He pulled his hood off and removed his goggles. "I thought you died."

The man slicked back his bangs to the rest of his silky hair. His fancy golden eyes widened out for a moment to focus on Brennan. And the next closed down for a large laugh. "I can't believe you are also a Meister. To make it better you're also the second generation Manipulation Weapon Meister."

"Second generation?"

"Yeah, second gen brother! You just have to feel it."

"But you weren't a Meister, you were a Weapon."

He sighed. "You could be a Weapon too for all we know. It's the amazing ability of Manipulation Weapons. You're able to swap roles when need be. I'm guessing that your partner hasn't been able to let your soul wavelength take over."

"Enough." The woman caressed his chizled cheek. "He'll learn everything eventually. If they desire to of course." She elegantly walked over to them. "They'll do my bidding by the end of this."

"We won't do anything, you witch." Brennan snapped.

She walked behind Brennan and dragged her pinky down his nose. "Your brother joined me, why wouldn't you? I'm not the bad one here. I'm just another side of the story. And I know." She twirled to Desmond and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You want to know about your Weapon counterpart."

"Not really, I want to surpass him. Not learn from him." Desmond responded. He pulled off his own hood and grabbed the woman's hands to pry them off of him. She immediately grabbed his head and whispered in his ear. Desmond winced from the pain and sidestepped away from her. "What the hell was that!" Desmond shouted while he dug in his ear.

"You won't get it out. Call it the truth if you want. With or without Brennan you will eventually figure out the truth."

"I'm sick of this." Desmond turned his arm into his connection.

He whipped it around the witch's arm. She laughed at the attempt. With no signs of pain or struggle, she easily accepted the connection. Desmond released his connection and sent it over to Brennan's brother. He laughed at the attempt and yanked on the bone chain. He caught Desmond's neck mid-air and lifted him off his feet.

"You really are an impulsive idiot. Just like the last Weapon I used. That's how he got caught." He pressed on the pressure around Desmond's neck and tossed him at Brennan's feet. "You don't want to fight me on this kid." He laughed as Desmond coughed for breath. "Find that partner kid."

"Screw you." Brennan rolled up his sleeve and grabbed Desmond's connection. He snapped it around his wrist. "Come on Desmond."

"You got it." Desmond turned into his full scythe mode and landed in Brennan's hand.

"I did my part. Take care of the rest." The woman summoned an arrow to her feet and dashed her way up the abyss with a dozen more arrows.

Brennan turned his focus back at his brother. His brother rolled his eyes and turned his lower arm into a thick gunsmoke silver blade. He lifted his other arm and taunted for Brennan's charge. Brennan's lip rose as he placed ln his glove.

"I'm gonna come after you bastard. Father made me the sole inheritor to my fortune. I'm going to kill you and report this to Lord Death."

Brennan's brother continued to laugh. "You don't stand a chance against me. I'm not going to kill you, I just have to wait for you to drop unconscious and forget all of this."

Brennan screamed at him. He followed up and ran to his brother. Brennan continued to scream and swung across his chest. His attack was effortlessly deflected and kicked away. Brennan clenched his gut but went back in for a follow-up attack. His multi-directional cuts were blocked way before they could land. Brennan drifted to the side right after his last attack and tossed the scythe into the ice behind his brother. His brother sighed and tug the chain which pried the scythe out. Brenna ran back in and swung his fist into a cheap jaw strike. He ducked under his brother's retaliation strike and jabbed his elbow. His own Weapon form arm sliced into the ice.

Brennan grasped the scythe again and sliced down his back. His brother groaned and dropped down to one knee. "Wow." He chuckled. "You actually landed a strike on me. Medusa isn't going to like that."

Brennan held his blade up to his brother's neck. "Nathaniel." Brennan pushed up his neck. "You should've stayed dead."

Nathaniel smirked and transformed his arms into each other. And Brennan saw that perfectly happen. He took in part of Desmond's and his own soul and directed the force into his hand. He smashed down the blade strike into the ground and parried his secondary punch. Nathaniel's battle knowledge overpowered Brennan and brought his knee up into Brennan's abdomen. He was stunned by the hit, his open body was taken advantage of. Nathaniel grabbed Brennan's neck and tossed him hard into the ice. His back crashed and cracked a foot radius of the ice. Nathaniel again attacked Brennan's open body and dropped kicked Brennan deep into the ice.

Desmond immediately turned back to normal and stood over Brennan. "Enough! You can't kill us, we both know it."

"Doesn't mean I can't hurt you until you drop. I just can't rip open your body."

"We both just sit here until we drop. You're better than me and Brennan together. I get that. Just, just don't hurt him anymore." Desmond looked back at Brennan, he gasped for any air he could get. The broken huffs sounded like a few broken ribs or the wind was knocked out of him. "I don't know what will happen after it but I don't want to see it."

Nathaniel turned his arm back to normal. "Alright kid. You stay there and I won't hurt you anymore." He walked to the opposite wall and leaned on it. "You have my word."

"You're going to be fine," Desmond whispered. "just don't move, lad."

The two parties stayed on their side of the wall. Neither one showed any signs of a secret or prepped assault. In the time Desmond felt the effect that the witch put on start to kick in. Both of their vision became drowsy, a similar feeling to a lack of sleep. Nathaniel looked up into the sky and back down at the wavey Desmond.

"I'm going to give your soul one of the souls I've taken. You won't know it but it will set Lord Death's mind more concerned. Brennan won't feel or remember anything and neither will you. But nobody else will detect it. You're going to find my Weapon and give that soul to him."

"Why." Desmond yawned. "Why are you telling me this? I don't care."

"I'm conditioning your mind into it. You cant physically or mentally remember this consciously. But subconsciously you will remember it. He will take it directly from his connection to you. You'll be fine." Nathaniel rose his hand and connected his middle finger and thumb. "It will just be a snap." He snapped his fingers. At the same time, Desmond's mind and vision went blank. "And you'll remember everything."

Desmond's eyes shot wide open. He felt like he was forced awake after only an hour of desperate sleep. Desmond sat up in his bed and rolled to the floor. He landed on his feet and walked out of his room. A small series of knocks came from the front door.

"Guess that woke me up." Desmond groaned. He walked through the halls and to the door. He swung it open and jumped to wide awake. "Tsubaki, who-what's going on?"

Tsubaki was nervous, her eyes were faced down to the twindle feet of hers. "I just wanted to know if maybe, you want to."

"Tsubaki, lass. I like you. I told Brennan to push for the girl of dreams and now I must do the same." Desmond turned his head to the wall. "Can't let that lass be ahead of me." He mumbled and turned back to her. "Let's do something sometime."

"I actually wanted to see if you'd put on some clothes to help me train with Black Star." Her face turned deep red.

Desmond looked down at his nearly naked body except for briefs. "Oh, yeah I can do that. Just give me a minute."

Desmond slowly closed the door gap to just a crack. "But I do wish to do that sometime."