Heya friends! Welcome to chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it! Have a nice day y'all!

I opened my eyes and immediately closed them again once I felt a massive pain on the back of my head. I rubbed that spot a little while until it felt better and then opened my eyes once more.

"...Where?" I looked around, but didn't recognize the room I was in. It was... pretty sad looking actually. It was pretty dark in here. Only a small lamp was giving off light. There was a bed and a shelf. Nothing else really. But why was I here anyway? Did I get... kidnapped? Who would do that to me? And more importantly: Why?

Well... I guess that doesn't matter right now... I slowly stood up and stepped towards the door. I didn't expect it to open, but it was worth a try I guess. I quietly pushed the door handle, trying not to make any sounds. And to my surprise the door actually opened. I carefully looked outside to see if anyone was there. And I indeed saw a silhouette. It must be the person that brought me here, right?

I looked at him a little longer. He seemed to be busy or something. At least it didn't look like he's looking away from the table he's sitting at anytime soon. I probably could sneak by him if I was really quiet. But that stupid natural Yordle curiosity got the better of me. I just had to know why I was kidnapped. Even though it was probably a bad idea. I took a deep breath and started talking with a shaky voice.

"Uhm... hey?" Probably not the best way to greet your kidnapper, eh? But it got his attention at least.

"Oh, you're awake... Hello." He stepped forward and now I could get a good look on him. It was another male Yordle with dark green fur. He was slightly taller than me. But what really caught my attention was his face. He looked REALLY tired. Maybe he couldn't sleep because he felt guilty or something? Either way, now I felt kinda sorry for him.

"I'm really sorry that I knocked you unconscious... And I'm even more sorry that I brought you here... I just... Didn't know what to do..." Wow, that has to be the nicest kidnapper ever.

"You didn't know what to do? What do you mean?"

"It's easier to just show you... Please follow me..." He started to go into another room, clearly exhausted. I followed him and looked around some more. I wasn't just the room I woke up in that looked kinda sad. The whole house was furnished rather sparse. We then entered a room that was looking a little nicer. At least the furniture was. There was someone lying in the bed. The closer we got to this other person, the sadder my kidnapper looked. And then we stood before the bed. Now I could see the similarities between the two. The Yordle that was lying before me also had dark green fur. And it looked like they were roughly the same height as well.

"Is that..."

"That's my brother..."

"I see. So what's wrong with him?" He did look rather underfed. And it also didn't look like he's simply sleeping.

"I dunno! He got really sick all off a sudden, and for like five days now he's asleep! I tried everything to help him get better, but it was no use! He got worse and worse and now I don't know what I should do! I can't sleep at all when he is in that state! I worry too much!"

"... So that's why you brought me here. But couldn't you have brought him to the hospital? I think they would have been able to take good care of him, right?"

"I guess so. But when he was awake he told me that he would get better alone. That it would not be necessary. And now that he's in a coma I can't do it anymore."

"You can't? But you brought me here, right? I think if you were able to do that, then carrying your brother to the hospital wouldn't be hard at all!"

"That's not the issue... It's just..." He didn't continue. I looked at him and saw that he was staring at the ground. Whatever troubles him must be quite hard for him.

"Uhm... You don't have to tell me if you don't want to! That's fine!" For a small moment he had a smile on his face.

"You are way too kind to a filthy kidnapper like me... But no. You deserve to know everything. I'll start with my name. Maybe that'll say something to you already. My name is Ezyo."

"Ezyo? I... do know that name, yes. But I really don't know when and in which context I heard it..."

"That's understandable. It's been many years since the day my name was relevant in Bandle. I was a teenager back then. A teenager with a gift. Or a curse, depending on how you look at it..."

There I was. Kneeling before my parents. Tears running down my cheeks. I did that, didn't I? Why did I do that? How did I do that? Why can I do that? Why can't I control it? I wanted to scream, but I couldn't make a sound. I was just too shocked. Too shocked about the fact that I'm such a monster. I heard someone coming down the stairs. It had to be Leno. He'll hate me. He'll despise me. He should probably kill me before I do it again.

"Mum? Dad? Is everything alright? I heard you screa-" And then he saw them. Now he was the one screaming. I can't blame him. Who wouldn't do that? Yes, who wouldn't do that except the monster that caused this. It felt like an eternity until he calmed down. And I can't blame him for that, either. And then he looked at me. I looked back, expecting hatred. Maybe it were the tears that were blurring my vision, but it didn't look like hate. More like... pity.

"You... did that, right?" I simply nodded. Yes, it had to be me. There was no other possibility. I am the one who has this power! And I am the one who can't control this power. It happened before! Of course it was never as bad as this time, but it happened...

I saw Leno slowly getting closer to me. I thought he would punch me. Spit on me. Kick me. Yes, I would deserve all of that. But he didn't do any of these things. He... hugged me. Of all the things he could do to me, he chose to hug me!

"It's not your fault. Don't blame yourself." ...Is that it? Is that his way to make me suffer? Maybe that really was a better method than punching me. It certainly made me angrier. So I pushed him away from me, stood up and began shouting at him.

"Not my fault? I shouldn't blame myself? I killed our parents! I KILLED them! They are gone forever! And it's my fault! I'm a terrible murderer! Why aren't you yelling? Why aren't you angry? Tell me why!"

"Because... It really isn't your fault... You didn't choose that power, right? You didn't mean to hurt or kill anybody, right? Those things just happened... I know that you must hate yourself so much right now... But you have to see that you couldn't do anything against it!" I couldn't believe my ears. He really means those things, right? He's a fool...

"I... should've killed myself." I mumbled that, but he must've heard me.

"That's ridiculous! How would you have known that your power is that strong? And don't forget that mum and dad always supported you, even when your powers caused trouble again! If they wanted you gone, they wouldn't have done that!" Once again I began crying. I ran to Leno, hugged him and cried on his shoulder.

"I'm a monster! Please forgive me!"

"But of course he had already forgiven me... He wasn't angry in the first place. Sad about our parents, yes. But he didn't blame me at all..." I saw Ezyo smiling and looking to Leno. After a brief pause he continued with his story.

"It didn't take long for others to find our parents. All the screaming must have alarmed them I guess. Anyway, the mayor deemed me too dangerous and so I was exiled into the forbidden woods next to Bandle. I was scared. Scared because of all the creatures that were rumored to live here... But even more scared to be alone in here."

"... Because of the things that happen to a Yordle when he is alone for too long, right?"

"Correct..." That's what I thought. Yordles often go insane when they are isolated for a long time. Veigar is a prime example for this.

"But I never was alone. Leno decided to come with me. He gave up his normal life in Bandle and joined me into the forest. And life really wasn't that bad here once I got over my self-loathing phase. We even trained and now I can control my powers! "

"I see... And the reason why you couldn't bring him to the hospital is because you were exiled from Bandle! And you also kidnapped me just to help him!"

"Yes, but there was one more thing that I did... I... was the cause for the weird pain that many of the citizens in Bandle felt..."

"Well, that explains that weird phenomenon at least... But why did you do that as well? And more importantly: How?"

"It was the only way I could think of to lure you back to Bandle. Leno often talked about you, you know? He was fascinated by you and your work and whenever he went to Bandle to get food and stuff he always talked to some of the other Yordles there. He loved to learn more about you and the heroic things you've done. And one day he heard that you got accepted into the League. Of course he was happy for you. The same goes for me. It was always fun when Leno got home and began talking about you. But once Leno got sick and eventually fell into coma, I knew that I'd need your help. But how should I ask you when you are so far away? And that's when I thought about using my powers to make some of the Yordles feel pain. I knew they wouldn't be able to treat it by themselves, so I hoped that they would ask you to help them. And I guess it worked, so hooray...?" He laughed awkwardly for a moment, but then sighed and shook his head.

"Look, I know this whole plan was just one big mess, and I certainly wouldn't blame you if you just go away and tell all the others in Bandle about it. But I just had to do it. Leno saved my life multiple times. So now it's my turn to try everything in my might to help him. If that means that I'll become a criminal and get thrown into prison, so be it. But in the end it's your decision. I won't force you to help me. Just do what you think is right."

"No... I'll help you. I understand why you did all of this. It probably wasn't the best way to do it, but I don't think that I would have acted much differently if I were in your situation." No, actually I know that I wouldn't have acted differently.

"Really? Even after all the bad things I've done to you and the others? You really are way too kind..." He came to me and gave me a hug. It was an awkward hug, but I returned it. He probably needed it right now.

"Oh, and you don't have to worry about the others in Bandle! I stopped the pain by now, so everything should be fine there!"

"You can just simply do that? That's pretty cool! But how does it work exactly? It's not like an illness, right?"

"No, it's nothing like that! It's kinda hard to explain... Think of it as a placebo! I can make them think that they experience pain, even though there isn't really any pain. But because they think it's there, it becomes real. At least for them."

"Wow... That's... kinda scary. And you can kill with that as well?"

"Well... I really dislike doing that because of that day... But yes, in case of need I can use that power to kill as well."

"That's..."

"Hard to believe, eh? Well, I don't blame you. I probably also wouldn't believe it if I couldn't do it. But manipulating the mind of someone and making them think something is happening really is quite powerful. I've read about an experiment that was once carried out on a prisoner. Said prisoner was blindfolded, strapped to a bed, and had small wounds applied to his toes to drain his blood. That prisoner was left alone in the experiment room, as the sound of dripping blood echoed throughout the room. But in fact, his blood was not being drained. He was just forced to listen to the sound of dripping water. But he believed he was bleeding to death. However, in spite of that, the prisoner still died. It's... At least kind off similar to my power..." That's... pretty cruel... But I guess it does make sense...

"Oh, sorry for being such a mood killer! I just like to talk about my power! I can get pretty talkative when someone asks me about it!"

"Haha, no worries! It's the same for me and my potions, really! So, before I start I need a few more information. Did something happen before Leno became sick?"

"I... don't think so, no... He suddenly became sick, ate much less and didn't feel well... And after a few days he... fell into coma..."

"I see..." Not much information, but I think that I have the right potion for this occasion.

"Okay, we'll have to go and get my brewing set before I can start!"

"Gotcha! Then we'll..." We suddenly heard a loud knock on the door.

"Are you... expecting somebody or...?"

"Ha, literally never!"

"Then... Who is it?" We went downstairs and Ezyo opened the door. My eyes widened once I saw who was the one knocking.

"Z-ziggs?"