Faris and Alanna entered the forest easily, as they walked towards the north-eastern edge of the forest Faris began singing a tune.

"That is a beautiful song."

"My mother used to sing it to me."

"Oh? It sounds so sad though."

"She said her people had to go through an extreme struggle…" He paused, he wasn't humming his mother's lullaby, he was humming Damien's mother's lullaby. He stopped singing.

"Are you alright Faris?"

"I'm good. I just, sometimes I fear losing sight of who I am."

"You remind me of a human boy I met a long time ago."

Faris turned his head in confusion.

"Yes, he was always curious, but when we first met him, he held a somber pained reserve, on account of an injury he received."

She's talking about Eragon. Faris looked at her now, even as they walked forward.

"He was bonded to someone, and expressed that very same fear you just mentioned now. Faris, if that is what plagues you, whatever is part of you is yourself, don't run away from it."

"Thank you for the inspiring words, but it isn't that easy."

They walked on in silence for a bit until they began to spot the white and black trees, they reminded Faris of Birch trees, and as he looked around, he noticed most of the roots were covered in short red plants.

"Fire weed, but it's not mature, we need to find a mature batch if I want to be able to synthesize the nectar."

Alanna looked ahead. "One of the trees was cut down, and the weeds taken." They rush over, allowing Faris to see that the damage was recently done. Alanna pointed ahead. "Whoever it was is continuing on ahead, the birds say that it was a group of them, wearing dark purple robes. One had a tattoo resembling a gnarled hand on his forehead. She looked at Faris, then back ahead. "Did I make you angry?" Alanna asked concerned.

"No, but whatever we do, those men cannot escape." They leapt from their covering, bearing down on the men quickly. Alanna stopped him once they reached within a few dozen feet, hiding in brush Faris motioned that they listen in for a bit.

"…I'm telling you, we should just leave now, I don't like being this close to that blasted city."

"We have to wait, or else Meior will be left behind otherwise."

"Ah who cares! She's got that terrible habit of hers!"

"We wait." The men quieted as the last one spoke, he was taller than the rest of them, shaven completely, and sported a hand shaped black tattoo on his forehead.

"But…sir."

"We… wait."

"Hmmm, so, when will we know when she kills the red head?"

Faris and Alanna watched them. "These must be the Black Hand Vanir warned us of, what should we do? I believe they may have been referring to Venka…" She turned to look for Faris but saw him charge into the area, his satchel on the ground, two gauntlets equipped. She widened her eyes as she punched the first cultist with superhuman speed, it was still slower than her, but faster than any human. By the time she leapt from her hiding spot and dispatched two cultists Faris had already struck the cultist who had mentioned a red-head. She could only watch the ferocity in his face as he broke the man's arm in a crushing grip. He charged the group of remaining cultists, only to leap back as the area in front of him exploded in a huge combination of fire and ice and electricity. He continued to dodge these explosions, breaking trees like a lumberman, letting them fall towards his quarry. Eventually they formed a large clearing.

"Who are you!" One of the cultists spat in anger, in front of him stood two children, yet their mental dueling was facing down his group's like a group of elite mages.

Faris tried to charge forward but Alanna held him back. "Faris, this is madness! We need at least one alive for questioning!"

Faris brushed her arm off. "I'll tear it from his mind." He growled.

Arrows flew towards them, at least a dozen, as the arrows flew Alanna raised her hand, stopping them. Leaping from the forest 12 archers and another dozen men and women comprised of spearmen, sword users, and a few axe and dagger users charged towards the duo. Faris growled as he snapped a spear in half, punching the offending user in the face as Alanna leapt over the group, striking down 2 archers as she landed. Three swordsmen charged him, and Faris had no choice but to retreat, but not before pushing another into their way and grabbing the broken spear, launching it at an archer, knocking him down. Alanna danced with her exposed blade, striking down her foes quickly, she meant to spare them, if only so that there would be others after Faris was finished, perhaps this was the secret he hid. Vanir had told her that during the war he had witnessed human children numbed by atrocities, perhaps that was it. She did not have much time to dwell on it as a blast of pure force shot her into a tree, her wards held but as she fell the soldiers swarmed around her. She struggled, kicking and punching away as they swarmed her, blades brought down to wear at her wards. As she continued this struggle, Faris charged towards to try and help her, but he was held down by magic. He turned to the mages, who were now winning their mental assault, Alanna was too distracted as she struggled, eventually he began to hear her scream in terror as her wards began to slowly fail. Panic reached out to him as he struggled against the wards. But he didn't have the magical ability to hold back five mages, he tried to attack the soldiers but they were shielded by the mages. He began to panic, he wasn't strong enough, they were going to die, and his friends would be working all for naught.

Now you're being the coward! Faris flinched

No I'm not! You know why I do this! You understand! He screamed in his mental walls.

So you're going to let her die?! Let your friends down? Let them get away?

NO! Faris redoubled his efforts, but he didn't have the resources to defend himself and connect himself to nature.

We do have the resources Faris, you know we do.

Faris continued to struggle.

Faris! You are acting just like I did, don't be like this, don't be like me, hate me, resent me, despise me, but don't reject yourself and blame things outside your power, that's what made me the way I am, the way I was, if you blame me for your strife…

"What if I don't want to be better!?" Faris screamed. This caused everyone to pause for a bit, freeing Alanna to redouble their efforts, one of the mages split off to force her back down, Faris could do nothing about it. If I rejoin you…

You'll go away? Damien's voice did not sound for a bit, before continuing, in a softer tone, I may be the one with starting knowledge, but who's charm did Venka fall for? Whose charisma charmed and inspired not only Bergan, but the rest of these First-Years. Bergan and Haya Ser are your parents Faris, if not for you, my connection to them would be as strained and weak as my connection to my original parents. And even then, we hummed my mother's song. Do you think that things will change if we connect again? You already know we are one and the same! Nothing will change.

Of course, it will! For one you're cowardly, and too arrogant for your own good. Faris railed on uselessly in his head.

And you are too hotheaded, too childish, and as equally arrogant. You think either of us got were we were today without the other.

Faris scowled visibly. The mages locked in mental battle looked at his display in confusion, his mind seemed, fractured, like two entities shared the same spot, neither were complete minds, but added together was more than a single whole. This made it hard to get a grasp on and entangle the boy's mind. A mage took out a blade, coated in Seithr oil, and approached Faris now, ready to end the fight. Alanna was mostly spent, and Faris seemed almost unresponsive as he slumped in his hold.

Faris we are the same person! Whether we like it or not, we are the same person, I am responsible for my life until now, I choose to let my mistakes be part of who I am, please… for Venka… I am sorry…

Faris was silent as the mages broke the last lines of his defense. He didn't utter a word as the mage with the dagger grabbed him by the neck.

"Good bye child, and good riddance." The mage brought his blade down to stab the boy's heart, but something stopped it. He looked to see a vine had entangled it. As he struggled to remove it, he felt the boy strike him, but it was different from before, the boy was stronger as he struck him mentally, his form of disjointed attacks was there again, but with more rapid of a pace, his allies tried to band together but they were distracted by all the creeping vines. In horror one of the mages gasped as the fallen trees began to whither and rot away, as if all their nutrients had been drained by some sort of tree Vampire. Faris opened his eyes, which were now a darker shade of blue.

"Let us go." He blew through the mage's wards. The mage began to panic as Faris flitted through his memories like one flipped through the books of a page, collapsing as Faris used the stamina he absorbed from the surrounding area to put the mage to sleep and strike the others.

They banded together now, striking him as one.

"You're the straight forward types huh, let's see." He batted aside their mental assault with ease. "A 25, a 45, and a 35, you work well enough together to make the equivalent of a 150, no wonder all five of you were beating us, too bad, I'm a 140 myself, and I've never lost to anyone less than twice as strong."

His wards took a massive dip as several trees surrounding him died, he held back his puke as he saw a mage had joined the fray. A woman with wild green eyes and black hair. Her mouth was twisted into a sadistic smile as red lightning burst out, striking at Faris's wards. Another batch of trees and the grass in the clearing died as they provided the energy for his wards. He looked at her, and struck with his full mental ability. She yelped in panic as even the combined efforts of her and the three could not hold him back.

"Stop!" Faris paused, he had been halfway from killing the three mages, who he had gathered were named Slean, Fumor, and Isak, he turned to the voice, and their leader, the tattooed head man named Vaun stood, Alanna in his hands, a dagger to her neck. "Surrender or she dies."

Faris blinked, several more trees died as Vaun was blown back, he screamed as he looked at the stumps were his hands used to be, in Faris's arms lay Alanna, who had been teleported into his, he turned towards the soldiers, they had been protected by Vaun, who's concentration was now broken, he took enough of their energy to derive them unable to move out of sheer exhaustion, using it to hold the 5 mages still alive. The woman, who was undoubtedly Meior smiled at him.

"So, you must be Faris."

"That is our name yes. And you are Meior the berserker."

She widened her eyes in bemusement. "Oh, so what spy do I have to thank for you knowing that information."

"Well actually we know more than that, such as the fact you have a mole on your-" His next sentence was cut off as he flicked his head out of the way of a rushing dagger.

Meior had an inflamed face. "Shut up!" she hissed.

Faris smiled. "Sorry, we tend to be a prick when I'm fucking pissed." The three mages finally succumbed to his mental strikes, their mana being drained and entering the large quartz crystal on his gauntlet. Meior flinched and Faris winked at her before running. "Left butt cheek!"

No sooner had he said that as a red flash filled the air, a few dozen soldiers and ten more magicians ran into the area.

"Lady Meior!" One of them yelled. "Are you unharmed?!"

"Yes," she replied, "but see to Vaun and the others" She sighed, this was a headache, first one pair of children now the next, at least they had the cultured weed. She reached into the satchel Fumor had been holding. Inside of it was not Fire Weed, but a single piece of parchment with a hand crudely drawn on hand, the fist was clenched all except for the middle finger, which was stuck up. Below it in neat cursive read:

MY REGARDS TO YOU AND YOUR MEN, I HOPE THIS MIDDLE FINGER FINDS YOU IN GOOD HEALTH

She had no idea what this meant, but she could understand it was a slight of some sort. But that didn't matter, they failed to get the fire weed. She rushed her soldiers back to the grove the trees grew in, it was too quiet as she looked around.

"Fuck they took it all! Even the saplings?!" A solder stabbed the ground with his spear. Meior stepped forward, the ground crunched oddly below her, looking down the floor was covered in a green powder she had not observed before.

"Moss? A soldier asked."

Before she could respond a paper crane gently wafted down from a tree, it flew around her a bit, before surrounding her soldier before it landed on the floor. Another stabbed it with his sword.

"What could it_"

The paper set on fire, and the explosion drowned out whatever he had meant to say.

Faris ran on foot, Alanna clutched in his hands princess style as he ran towards the castle. His Satchel was stuffed to the brim with Fire Weed. As he continued to run, he heard a massive explosion and saw the smoke cloud. Turning around he remarked, "You know, we always though it was weird that the powder was green." He turned back to the castle, and looked at Alanna, "when did you wake up?"

"When you completed yourself, I began to awaken as you quickly siphoned energy into me."

"I didn't want to use the trees."

"I know… you can let me down."

As Faris let her down she looked at him before bowing.

"Faris-finiarel, I did not mean to pry but I heard your inner thoughts, we had still been connected, I had not known that your issue was a malady of the mind. Thank you for saving my life."

Faris grinned. "Hey it's the least I could do, though I wish I had captured one, but I had my hands full with you and the fire weed."

"I noticed, you could have pressed on, you were victorious. Why did you leave?"

Faris stuck out three fingers. "One: you were compromised at the moment, I wished to keep their attention on me, if they weren't paying attention to me, they might have attacked you. Two: I siphoned the majority of energy into you, my wards wouldn't have held up against a panicked suicide attack. Three: "He paused and sighed, "The trees were weighing on my conscious, too many were dying."

"That didn't stop you at first."

"No, it didn't, but I wasn't myself."

Alanna smiled sadly, "Should I call you something different?"

He shook his head, "Like I told Dusan, I'm me, and no one else." He quickened his pace, "Now I didn't like what that bastard said about that bitch killing a red-head. We need to get back quickly."

Alanna nodded, putting on her hood as they rushed back towards the castle. The sun beginning to set…

"Hmm? Not here? Where is he then?" Morgan asked, the sun was still high in the sky, he had immediately gone to his guild to find his friend Surmon, the gold initiate would have been a great help in finding his items quickly.

"I'm sorry sir Morgan, he's been promoted to Topaz and assigned down in Surda."

Morgan widened his eyes in surprise and elation. "Oh! Congrats to him! Then can you help me find these items…"

The gathering of the items went smoothly, Morgan got his satchel and began to leave the school. He quickly made his way towards the slums, eventually he ran into the middle area. As he walked, he suddenly stopped, leaping to the side as a hail of arrows nearly pin cushioned him. He turned in alarm to see a beautiful woman with black hair and wild green eyes, she was accompanied by several dozen men and women.

"Hello lovely miss." Morgan bowed. "I would ask if I could help you but I fear part of that includes my death."

"Smart boy…" The woman said, "Cute too, but I won't kill you if you can answer a simple question."

"Oh?" Morgan prepared his defenses. "And pray tell what would it be?"

"I am looking for a girl with fiery red hair and eyes an almost prettier shade than mine."

Morgan felt a chill as he thought of Venka, "That sounds familiar yes,"

"Oh? Then perhaps you could tell us?" The woman smiled. "My soldiers and I would rather not riddle you with holes."

"Oh, thank goodness, then let me point the way."

A gigantic blast of lightning arced out of his hand and blew up a group of soldiers, they fell to the ground, spasming as the pure energy tore through their minor wards.

"Oops!" Morgan yelled as he ran.

The soldiers quickly surrounded him, forming a circle. The woman entered the circle.

"You know boy, that was some serious power, why don't you join me?"

"No thank you, I'm not so easy to throw my heart into the hands of every beautiful woman who crosses my path."

Morgan charged her, combining a physical fight with a mental assault, she blocked his metal attack almost as easily as she smacked him in the face. Luckily, he was already fit, that mixed with the extra training let him withstand the shock of her punch.

"Pity…" She charged forward, preparing to stomp his head in, he rolled out of the way, scrambling backwards to avoid her kick. He tripped her up before scrambling up and kicking the way he had been taught by Faris. She blocked his fist, only for him to hear an audible crack as her face twisted.

"That's the power of a proper kick." He doubled his efforts, physical and mental assault in tandem, she barely held against his attacks. As he went for a round house kick, she slipped into inside his guard.

"Your technique is interesting, but it lacks both refinement and a proper way to deal with close up brawling." She said, cocking her fist back for a massive punch, her smile was replaced with angry screaming as the ground around her exploded in a bust of electricity.

"Now that I'm thinking about it… her eyes are way prettier than yours!" He threw his fist for a punch, but stopped as he felt a spear go through his sides. He coughed, lungs deflated and beginning to fill with blood as he collapsed. The woman raised her fist in anger, her body slowly healing from the burns.

"Kill him then men." She said, almost sounding disappointed.

The spear men gathered around Morgan, prepared to kill him. Morgan shut his eyes tightly.

A shinking sound was heard, causing Morgan to open his eyes, the heads of the soldiers lay on the floor, and the woman was away from him, nursing a shoulder wound, standing in front of him was a girl in dark blue cloak. He recognized her as Lord Jaya's daughter.

"You know, I just hate the fact someone would have hair and eyes like mine." She said, "Well I'll be happy with just being prettier than you."

The woman snarled, charging at the First-Year, who handled her flailing attacks with ease. Dodging with the grace of a dancer.

"You know, this is actually kind of boring." She kicked the woman hard, knocking her into the wall in a feat of superhuman strength. "Hey Morgan, your kick was sort of like that right?" She smiled when he nodded absentmindedly.

"Stay still, we don't want you croaking." Morgan turned to see Bartholomew, one knee down healing him. "Us kids with similar names need to stick together you know?" He winks at Morgan. The soldiers begin to charge them, only for Bartholomew to whistle, crashing into the ground is what looks like a metal statue of a man with the face a bull. The metal muscles were knotted and detailed, the massive metal man stood at over 14 feet tall, and was equipped with large and heavy looking axes. It made quick work at the majority of soldiers, who's weapons could not even scratch the golem. "State of the art attack model, its biggest weakness is just how much mana it costs, but I procured a bit from Venka after trading for her favorite desert, you better pay me back."

The remaining soldiers fled alongside the woman. Seya made no attempt to follow, merely opening a hand mirror and closing it.

"Don't forget to pay me." Bartholomew said, helping Morgan up.

Morgan laughed, "Fine then old friend, put it on my tab…"

Nya and Dusan had no trouble taking on the thugs, Nya had been apprehensive at first, but she had immediately calmed when the men proved to be incompetent fighters.

Dodge left, counter punch, haymaker, dodge right, counter punch, haymaker, eye, groin, groin, groin, groin.

4 men lay collapsed at her feet as she charged into the next group. Dusan for his part handled his opponents with the ease of a seasoned warrior pushing back a troop of tantruming toddlers. Humans were a dichotomous people, he reasoned, capable of great greed, evil, and injustice. But they were also capable of good and kindness, he was happy to have made the friends that he had made.

Nya raised her fist, punching another thug in the face in an uppercut, as another thug grabbed for her, she twisted his wrist. She then kneed him in the face.

"How are you handling Dusan?" She asked, breathing hard.

"I am well, do you need help?"

"Me?" She laughed breathlessly, her lungs burned and her muscles shook from using the temporary strengthening technique from her guild, it drained her stamina quite a bit. "No I'm fine!" It was nothing compared to yesterday's grueling bootcamp. She looked at the men who charged towards her, then, struck by a miracle of inspiration whispered some words in the ancient language, sighing as countless thugs fell, tripping each other over the now extremely slippery floor. Nya extended her hand to clothesline the thug who slipped forward, pushing him back into the fray. After resting a bit, she got back up, removed the spell, and charged forward.

Eventually the fight dragged into the hour mark. Nya recovered exhausted as the men hesitated to approach, terrified of the monster of a boy who stood before him, who broke a man's hand just by clutching it.

"We just want the woman to pay her debts." A man in the middle screamed.

"How much!" Nya screamed back.

The men looked at each other, then back at Nya, "Interest accrues daily, she owes 50 gold."

Nya sighed, they knew no one here could afford something that high. She opened her pack and tossed out two small bags.

The man scrambled to pick it up, looking inside, he looked up and smiled. "Well… see, interest doubled again."

His smile twisted into a scream of pain as Faris kicked him in the nuts hard enough to make him foam in the mouth. Faris deftly picked up the money bags and looked at the thugs.

"Hey, we are in a pretty bad mood, the next person to say or do anything stupid is going to die."

He started counting to ten. Barely reaching five he could only shake his head as three thugs reached forward to grab him, pulling them close he used their momentum against them, dragging them unto the ground, and stabbing each of them in the hand once.

The men began to scream as their hands began to bubble. The rest of the thugs scrambled backwards. Seithr Oil poisoning was known, and its victims were many in these slums. After a few seconds Faris took a lit torch and burned their stump hands, using it to distract from his magical treating of the acid.

The men looked dumbfounded as they weren't piles of slag on the ground. Faris hunched down and looked at them, contempt heavy on his face. "If you return here Norman…."

The middle thug's face blanched as the boy said his name.

"This message is for Nog and Jaspen as well, tell Uglauw that I will find his wife and daughter if he even thinks about bringing a single one of you goons near here, and that I already know where their safe house is. Tell him that if he wants to see his son come back from school, he calls off the debt he claims Martha owes." He opens Nya's satchel, and tosses a handful of coins. "Not included your insane interest, this is how much is owed. So, let this be the end. Oh, and if you don't actually do it? Well, Veronica may experience trouble at the bar." He observed their faces with a macabre smile. "Good luck."

As they sprinted away Nya approached him, "How do you know all of them?"

"I don't, I observed their minds as we approached. But now I know where they all live, I plan of giving each of them a special little visit as some point." He turned to Alanna, who was holding his satchel full of fire weed. "So, where's Morgan?"

"He's inside, they're waiting for you, he was pretty under the weather, some woman with black hair and green eyes hurt him, but he's fine." Faris's mind drifted to Meior, and he clenched his fists, "We'll have to tell the school. But right now, we have to save Martha."

.

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Afterword:

Thank you to Sullenwhitedevil for your review on chapter28 (I am me, no one else). You sort of hit the chords I was trying to get at that the way Faris and Damien treated each other as different could either be from Angela or from the fact they could be separate minds. As for the real truth, that won't be confirmed either way until later. Also yeah, Faris is sort of dark like Ansem Seeker of Darkness as opposed to actually black.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I sure kinda did. I hoped I was able to shed some more light into Faris's psyche. I also hope you enjoyed the action and moments of comedic breakage interspersed throughout!