I'm including a trigger warning for this chapter due to dark emotional content.

Part Three

The rain had turned into a soft drizzle by the time Daunte and his group reached Farna. He had never visited the town in his whole life but his heart was pounding in his throat as he approached the town gates. There were no guards on duty to check for their identification books. Daunte could see from the gates that the streets were deserted. Several of the white and gray buildings looked abandoned.

"Whole families died during the Plague," Felicity said quietly. "And many of the families that got out never returned. Nobody wants to claim the houses."

"We…shouldn't have any problems walking around here," Daunte said. "But perhaps we shouldn't spend a lot of time here."

"I agree," Roen said.

Yuber stood at the gate, staring into Farna with emotionless eyes. "The scent of death lingers in the air," he said. His nose wrinkled. "And…I smell a lingering foulness. Disease does not have an appealing smell no matter how powerful it is."

Daunte was deeply disturbed that Yuber could not only smell death, but he could smell the Plague that caused the death and the Plague smelled repugnant to him. But Yuber did not look pleased at the suffering and death he could sense in the air, and Daunte took minor comfort from that. "You can smell the Plague," he said. "Then does that mean we are still in danger of catching it?"

"No," Yuber said. "The power of the disease has faded. But it was an incredibly powerful plague. The stink of it is stuck to the buildings."

"The Plague smells foul to you because it was unnatural," Leknaat said. Her complexion was pale.

"No, disease just has a foul odor," Yuber said sharply.

"Let's just stick together and see if we can find the recruits Oboro told us to look for," Daunte said.

"Can we stop by my house?" Felicity asked suddenly.

"A-Absolutely," Daunte stammered. "Lead the way."

Felicity walked ahead of the group down the deserted main street. Because of the lack of people and the dreary weather, Farna looked gray and colorless. Daunte heard soft conversations to the northwest and saw a small group of people standing in front of a building holding large backpacks. "That's the inn," Felicity said, casually pointing to the group. "Those are probably travelers looking to transverse the Red Tundra. After the Plague those were the only type of tourists that would come here."

"They are going to die," Yuber said bluntly.

"What?" Roen asked.

"I…don't not see weapons amongst their things," Silvano said warily. He wore a hat to cover his ears. "If they are intending on going south without arms, then they will most surely die."

Daunte watched the hapless group for a long moment. The battles in the Tundra were not nearly as difficult for us as in the East Forest, but we struggled. And if we struggled, then those people…

"I'll be right back," Daunte said, quickly crossing the street towards them.

"Daunte?" Roen called after him.

"Excuse me," Daunte said when he reached the group. "Are you intending to travel through the Red Tundra?"

"Oh absolutely," the man before him said with a cheerful smile. "We've never seen the L'enfer Sea before beyond the Tundra. I mean, we don't even know if it exists because no maps exists that show a complete southern Nagarea!"

"The L'enfer Sea," Daunte said, nodding. "The Nagarist Scriptures say that it's a sea of solid ice."

"We want to see if it is as the Scriptures say, and if it is then we intend to cross L'enfer to see what's on the other side."

"Or if there is even another side," another added. "Or if Nagarea opens to the edge of the world."

"And you are bringing no weapons?" Daunte asked, gesturing to them.

"Bring weapons?" one of the women asked incredulously. "And disrupt the ecosystem by killing the animals that live there naturally? We are the invading species. We cannot kill animals that act upon natural instinct."

Daunte stared at them stunned for a moment before he spoke, "So what do you think will happen to you if you get attacked?"

"Well we're not going to get attacked," another quipped. "If we leave the animals alone, they will leave us alone."

"Here's 5,000 bits," Daunte said harshly, pulling out a bag and shoving it into the first man's hands. "Go and get yourself some weapons. If you enter the Red Tundra without weapons, you will die."

"We are traveling through, we are not there to fight," another shot back.

"I just came from the Red Tundra, and it doesn't matter that you mean no harm!" Daunte snapped. "The beasts freely roam the Tundra and attack without provocation! You are going to be attacked if you go there, and if you don't defend yourselves then you will die! You will never see the L'enfer Sea, o-or the edge of the world! You will be dead before you even come close to getting there!"

The group stared at him stunned. One of the women looked to be on the verge of tears. Ultimately they accepted his money and went on their way in significantly lower spirits.

"That is so confusing," Felicity said, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. "Per the Nagarist faith, invasion is a form of spreading our faith. So why are they so concerned about "invading" an area with monsters?"

"The thought process of humans can be peculiar," Leknaat said.

"I have another word for it," Yuber muttered.

"Are they going to go buy weapons at least?" Silvano asked.

"Yes, but they weren't happy about it," Daunte said.

"Oh thank Nagar," Roen said when Daunte told them what happened. "Now at least they'll stand a chance!"

"No, they will still die," Yuber said.

"Oh hey Felicity, where did you say your house was again?" Daunte quickly interjected.

"This way," Felicity said, pointing down a right street. "Farna's tavern will be before my house, so we can take a look in there once we're done at my house."

It was easy to spot the tavern because there was where most of the commotion was occurring in the city. "Please! I quite assure you that this will turn your frowns upside down!"

Daunte looked into the windows of the tavern and saw several sullen-looking patrons quietly conversing and drinking the little ale they were permitted to drink. Towards the back of the tavern, near what looked like a small stage was a woman who looked to be 100 centimeters tall. Her back was to the door but Daunte saw that she was wearing a silver boina hat over lavender colored hair that was a straight bob cut. Her dress was the same color as her hat, and when she waved her hands Daunte saw that she wore silver gloves. She was clearly addressing the patrons around her. "It's all right, don't be shy! I want to make you all happy!"

"That's a Dwarf."

Daunte looked to his left and saw Silvano standing at his side. "She is?"

"Yes," Silvano said, looking at Daunte. "I'm acquainted with the Dwarves of Toran and Falena, but I wasn't aware that there were Dwarves in Nagarea."

"There aren't," Daunte said thoughtfully. "There are humans, Elves, and Wingers."

"Then she must have traveled to here from either Falena or the Northern Continent. That's very brave of her to do."

Daunte nodded, but saw that the others had gone on ahead. "We'll speak to her when we come back," he said, and Silvano nodded.

Daunte hurried after his friends to a two-story house at the end of the road. Felicity had reached the house ahead of them and was standing in front of her old front door. Daunte could not read her expression, but he saw that her eyes were fixed on her old front door. He saw that the house was boarded up, but he recoiled when he saw the writing on one of the boards across the front door.

'HEATHEN'

Daunte quickly looked around the house. Religious symbols of the Nagarist faith were also written on the outer walls or hanging from the house. The windows were boarded up but many of them had broken glass. There was further writing on other boards, and even on the outer walls themselves. 'TRAITOR'. 'ADULTERER'. 'PIG'. 'DIVINE PUNISHMENT'. 'YOU DESERVED THIS'.

Felicity reached out and yanked the board that had 'HEATHEN' written on it straight off the door. Then she turned and began slamming the board against the ground rapidly until it snapped in half. Then she picked up the two boards and with a scream flung them down the street as hard as she could.

The group stared at Felicity in silence as she stood hunched over, her breathing ragged and pained. Daunte reached out for her, resting his left hand on her shoulder. "…I'm so sorry."

Felicity shook her head and straightened her posture. Tears were visible in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away with her fingers. "Here. Let's go inside." She sniffled loudly as she turned back towards her house. There were only two more boards against the door, but Daunte and Roen helped her remove them. The front door was locked, but when the three friends nudged the door with their shoulders they were able to push it open.

The house was shrouded in darkness but Daunte saw thick sheets of dust on the untouched furniture and broken glass on the floor from the windows. Rocks and bricks were strewn across the floor. Daunte kept his right hand tucked into his pocket because he didn't want to risk touching anything and triggering a memory from Felicity's past. Felicity walked into the living room and up to a bookshelf. She rummaged through the bookshelf and scoffed as she withdrew her hands. "It's not here."

"What are you looking for?" Roen asked her.

"My favorite book, 'The Looking Moon'. Mom read to me all the time before she got sick and it's not here." she shook her head and looked at the books on the shelf for a long moment of silence. She suddenly frowned. "You know what?" she reached for the bookshelf and collected all of the books on it into her arms. "This is my house and these books belong to me. I'm taking them all."

"You may as well as these are your things," Daunte said.

"What's The Looking Moon about?" Silvano asked.

"Oh, it's a popular kids novel," Roen said. "It's about a cat named Naga who thinks he's the reincarnation of Nagar, and he decides to invade the Moon. He recruits a whole army of cats for this, and at one point that make a tower of cats trying to reach the Moon!" he laughed. "It was banned a few years ago for being 'blasphemous', so it's hard to find a copy of it."

"That sounds like a fun book," Leknaat said.

"It sounds stupid," Yuber said.

"Is there anything else you would like from here?" Daunte asked while she arranged the book on the couch. Felicity nodded. "I'm going to go up to my parents room and see if there's any mementos left behind. Would you mind waiting down here?"

"Sure."

"It must be surreal for Felicity to be back here," Roen said to Daunte quietly after she ran upstairs. "I means her mother died in this house, right? And they condemned this house for her father's "crime"."

"We'll be here for her," Daunte said. He looked towards Leknaat. "Lady Leknaat, would you like to sit down?"

"I am fine," she responded, though she was frowning. "I…do not like this place though. I realize that you must return here in the future, but I must ask that you not bring me here again."

"Of course. I completely understand."

"I will not be coming back here either," Yuber said stiffly. "I cannot enjoy the misery and death that linger here with the smell of that artificial Plague."

Silvano quickly moved away from him. Daunte looked at Yuber for a long moment before he spoke. "I may not understand fully what you are or where you come from Yuber, but I understand that you are…not like us."

"I am nothing like you," Yuber confirmed coldly.

"But while you are here," Daunte said. "Do not talk about how this town "smells". It's not appropriate for you to talk about how much you enjoy the scent of death when we are surrounded by people who lost loved ones to this Plague. When one of my best friends lost her mother here. Do you understand?"

Yuber scoffed but Daunte raised his hand sharply. "I'm putting you in a time-out. Don't say another word until we go back to HQ. Got it?"

Rage flickered across Yuber's face and Daunte watched him lock his jaw. But Yuber did not say anything more. It felt strange to Daunte to scold a demonic figure like Yuber like he was a petulant child, but he didn't know how else to deal with the Dark Knight. But I summoned him. He's my responsibility and I have to keep him in line.

"Damn it!" Felicity shrieked from upstairs. "Damn them all!"

"I'll be right back," Daunte said, but Roen was right behind him as they ran up the stairs. He saw one of the doors was opened and went inside to see a large bedroom. Felicity was sitting on the bed with her back to the door. "Felicity—" Roen siad.

"It's gone! Everything is gone!" Felicity punched the mattress with both fists. "They took everything that belonged to my parents! Dad's journal! Mom's brooch! They even took their clothes!" She pressed both hands to her hands. "They left nothing behind! Why would they do that?!"

Daunte and Roen looked at each other helplessly for a moment. It was Daunte who spoke. "I stopped trying to understand years ago why the Theocracy does what it does. Why they have to crush the believers of Nagar. In accordance with the faith we are naturally part of Nagar's army and thus we should look out for each other. But the High Clerics…" he gritted his teeth. "We—know that they are former assassins of Nether Gate. Oboro told me unpleasant things about that organization. How they thrived on suffering. Maybe this is why they have done everything they've done. They make us suffer to force us into submission, and they make us suffer because they like it."

"Yeah…" Felicity's voice was tear-filled but she was still faced away from them. She looked towards the ceiling. "Do you know why I ended up in the Dark Chasm?"

Daunte knew because of Oboro's investigation, but he said nothing. "Dad…he was devastated when Mom died. She died in this bed, y'know? It got to the point that he couldn't stand to be at home. N-Neither could I. I thought he would never be happy again, but then he…"

She ducked her head forward. "He loved her. That married woman he committed adultery with. He truly loved her. I-I remember how his eyes used to shine when he talked about her. I w-was so excited to meet her because of how happy Dad was, and h-how wonderful she sounded. He used to—talk about how awful her cleric husband was. I t-thought we were saviors who could save her, but…"

Daunte was shocked that Felicity was privy to such information when she was younger. He had to guess that Felicity's father talked about his lover like that to justify his relationship with her, since they were breaking the law.

"They were caught. Dad was careless. But we were the only ones punished. They did not even refer to his girlfriend by name in the trial. Dad was—burned alive, and I was forced to watch to "bear witness" to his cleansing. Dad was punished, I was punished, and his girlfriend went back to her "awful husband" like nothing had happened." Felicity sniffled loudly and wiped at her face.

Daunte moved to her side and offered her a handkerchief. She accepted it and took a moment to clean her face. "I'm sorry," he said. "For what you have suffered."

Felicity laughed sadly and stood up from the bed. "Oh Daunte. Why do you have to apologize for my suffering when you did nothing to cause it? When you suffered as well?"

Daune shrugged stiffly. "I'm still sorry."

"Daunte apologizes because he's a good person," Roen said, coming to stand at his side.

"That's true," Felicity said. She turned around to face them. Her eyes were still red but she was no longer crying. She reached for them and hugged both Daunte and Roen at the same time. Daunte felt a sharp pain in his chest as he held his two best friends. Their bodies were no longer bruised and malnourished, but they carried the scars of their time in the Dark Chasm. Felicity had always been amazingly strong; positive in the face of adversity in the Chasm. She would always try to smile and laugh, even when there was nothing that could bring them joy. Daunte was grateful for the times she had tried to make him laugh, or Roen, or Kass. She had helped to make their lives easier.

We made it. We destroyed the Dark Chasm and freed our friends. But it's still painful sometimes. I wish Kass was here with us.

Felicity let them go and pulled away. "This Theocracy took everything from me," she said bitterly, her eyes downcast. "Their Plague took my mother. Their adultery laws took my father. And their Original Sin tried to break me." She shook her head and looked at Daunte and Roen. "You guys are all the family that I left, along with Arin. I will do everything in my power to ensure the success of this Army. The High Clerics needs to pay for what they did to me. For what they did to us and what they continue to do to this country. I will never forgive them for what they've done, and I will never stop fighting until all of them are gone."

Daunte nodded. "Thank you, Felicity. I will do everything I can to ensure that we succeed."

Felicity and Roen lost their families. I lost my parents. Kass lost his family and then lost his life. I have to work harder. Yuber was right, I'm not strong enough right now to take on the Theocracy in full force. But I will get stronger.

The rain had stopped when they left the house. Daunte wished they could lock Felicity's house up but they didn't have the key. But as the house looked largely untouched since Felicity's arrest he guessed that the remaining residents of Farna did not want to go near the house. He saw people looking at them from their windows when they left her house holding books and any little trinkets they could find that belonged to Felicity's family. Yuber looked quite displeased to be holding books and an oddly-shaped pot (I'll show that to Gizli later, Daunte thought) but he did as was ordered and did not say a word. Daunt then saw a man and woman whispering at their window and pointing before they closed the curtains, but Daunte wasn't concerned. I can use the Blinking Mirror to get us back to HQ.

"There's a trading post back up on the main street," Felicity said over her shoulder as they headed back the way they came. "Would you like to stop there before we go?"

"Sure," Daunte said. "But first, I'm going to stop in at the tavern."

"I'll go in there with you," Silvano offered.

Inside the tavern, the dwarf woman was still trying to talk to the patrons. "Please do not look so sad! I am here to bring you joy!"

"Excuse me," Daunte said. The woman jumped slightly and turned around to see him. Daunte was taken aback because he could not see her face. Her entire face from forehead to chin was covered by a white wide-smiling theatre mask.

"Oh, this is such a shame!" the woman complained, her voice slightly muffled by the mask. "No one wants to participate with me!"

"Participate with you?"

"Here!" She reached into her bag and pulled out a script. "I'm trying to bring joy to this town with this play, but no one wants to work with me!"

Daunte read the title of the play. "…'The Emperor's New Clothes'?"

"It's a very, very funny play!" she responded. "I just know that this will make people laugh, but everyone has turned me down!"

"So you put on plays?"

"Ah, allow me to introduce myself." She gestured to herself dramatically. "My name is Nāṭaka. I was once part of a trio of traveling entertainers, but then our troupe broke up and we went our separate ways."

"Are you from Toran or Falena?" Silvano asked her.

"Ah, Toran," Nāṭaka responded. "But I haven't been back there for many years. I've been busy producing my own plays across the world in the hope of spreading joy with theatre."

Daunte remembered all of the scripts he had acquired and his heart began slamming. "W-Would you consider joining us?"

"Joining you?" Nāṭaka asked, tilting her head slightly. "Ah—perhaps. If you help me perform this play and help spread joy, then I would gladly consider it."

"Done," Daunte answered a little too quickly.

"Excellent," Nāṭaka said cheerfully. "Now, return with a proper party and we can get started."

"'Proper party'?"

"In order for me to put on a successful play, I need you to bring back three men, two women, and one child," Nāṭaka said. "Bring me this party and we can put on a successful play together."

"…All right," Daunte said slowly. "I'll come back with three men, two women, and one child."

Nāṭaka nodded enthusiastically. "Thank you."

Daunte told the rest of the group about their conversation, and Felicity burst into laughter. "Well, now you can put all of those plays you have to use now!"

"I've never acted in a play before," Roen said excitedly. "It'll be great to have a theatre at our headquarters!"

"It will have a positive impact on morale," Leknaat said sagely.

Yuber continued to remain silent, but judging from his epxression Daunte was certain that he did not want to participate in the plays. Well, if I tell him to he may do it. Although I wonder how…bad the play would turn out.

They went to the trade post, and the trader was in surprisingly high spirits. "Now is the time to buy rice!" he said encouragingly.

Kin mentioned rice the most out of all of the goods he wanted to trade, Daunte realized. He reached into his pocket and purchased several bags of rice. When he finished his purchase the trader said, "The market has shifted for rice!"

I'll go and speak to Kin when I have the next opportunity, Daunte thought. He turned to the group. "Now—"

"It's amazing how well-kept the house still is."

"I agree. Lord Adalgiso is such a generous man."

Daunte stiffened and turned. He saw two citizens across the street from them walking in the opposite direction. "…They said Adalgiso," he said.

"Oh!" Felicity gasped, covering her mouth. "I completely forgot! This is Adalgiso's hometown too! The town held a celebration when he was promoted to be second-in-command to a Sheikh!"

"Then we need to go," Roen said quickly. "Adalgiso is second-in-command to Sloan Faakhir! I-If he finds out we're here, he'll turn us over to the Sheikh! He might even kill us!"

"But doesn't the Sheikh he serve live in a separate province?" Silvano asked, though he looked wary. "It wouldn't make sense for Adalgiso to live here when he Sheikh governs on the other side of the country."

"That is a good point," Leknaat said, though she turned her head towards Daunte. "What shall we do, my Lord? Should we return to our headquarters, or should we look at the house those individuals referred to?"

Daunte couldn't help but be curious about Adalgiso's house, but he also knew that it was an unnecessary risk to go to the house when Adalgiso could be there. He thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Let's go to the house."

"I'll show you guys where it is," Felicity said, guiding them towards the northwest of town. It was difficult to walk whilst carrying so much stuff but they continued to move. He was thankful that it had stopped raining, though the ground was still slippery. After a few minutes of walking they found a large rust-colored house. It wasn't a mansion per se, but it was larger than the houses around it and it had high walls. "That must be it," Daunte said.

The gate was open, and when they passed the gate Daunte saw that the front door to the house was propped open. He felt a spike of alarm briefly before an older woman appeared in the doorway. Her smile was so serene that Daunte felt at ease. "Welcome, welcome. This is the home of Lord Adalgiso, the second-in-command to Sheikh Sloan Faakhir."

"I-Is Lord Adalgiso home?" Daunte asked, trying not to sound concerned.

The woman shook her head. "Lord Adalgiso has not been home for many years. I am his housekeeper and I tend to his family home. Lord Adalgiso graciously opened his home to the public, so feel free to come inside."

"Oh, thank you," Daunte said. He started climbing the steps to the front door, but noticed that Yuber remained at the bottom step. Ah. He doesn't want to come inside.

"There is no fee for entry," the housekeeper said, though she eyed Yuber. "However, the house is as his lordship left it. Please do not disturb anything and do not remove any objects from the house."

"I shall wait in the entryway," Leknaat said after they passed the threshold. "But take your time."

"Okay," Daunte said, nodding to Roen, Felicity, and Silvano. The house looked even larger on the inside. To his left he saw a living room with three couches surrounding a fireplace. To his left he saw a dining room with a long table and several chairs. Roen went into the living room, Felicity into the dining room, and Silvano went north where undoubtedly the kitchen was.

Daunte however had his eyes on the large staircase northeast of the front door. He gestured to the stairs and looked at the housekeeper, and she nodded her head. "Yes, go ahead. However I must again warn you to not disturb anything."

Daunte nodded. "Thank you, ma'am." She smiled in reply.

Daunte tucked his right hand to his chest as he ascended the stairs to the second floor. The hallway wrapped around the stairwell was open, and Daunte saw four rooms on the left and three doors on the right all wide open. To his right he saw that one of the rooms had double doors instead of single doors and he went inside.

The room was easily the master suite and was quite large. Shelves full of books, two armoires, a tea table with two chairs. A thick, comfortable chair with an ottoman on the far side of the room. A large bed that was meticulously made directly in front of the door. Daunte looked around in amazement. Adalgiso lived in such a large house. But he left this house behind and moved to serve a Sheikh who was not the Sheikh of his province.

Daunte then saw a framed photograph on the bedside table closest to the door. Unable to help himself, Daunte picked up the photograph with his left hand to examine it. He recognized Adalgiso's smiling face in the center, and to his left he clasped hands with a lovely woman who had a maternal smile. That must be his wife.

Surrounding Adalgiso and his wife from left, back, and right was ten adults, five men and five women. One of the women was holding a baby. And sitting directly in front of Adalgiso and his wife were three small children, two boys and one girl.

This—This is his family, is it not? That explains this large house…

Daunte rubbed at his forehead with his free hand, but then he felt the familiar tremble in his fingers. The frame then slipped out of his fingers, and acting on instinct he grabbed for the frame before it hit the floor and caught it in both hands. The Rune of Restoration then glowed, and Daunte yelped as light surrounded him. Oh no! This triggered a memory! He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. No! I don't want to see it! Quick Daunte, dispel the memory like you did before!

Daunte held his breath for a long moment before he exhaled and opened his eyes. He jumped slightly as his heart sank. He was still in Adalgiso's bedroom, but the man himself was sitting before him on the floor, legs stretched out and his back against the bed. Adalgiso was in uniform sans his hood, but physically he looked largely the same as he did in the present. The bedroom was a mess around him. His face was clean-shaven and his messy hair was charcoal gray. Daunte couldn't guess when this memory took place.

A hard lump quickly formed in his throat as he realized Adalgiso's face was wet with tears. Tears continued to pour from swollen eyes as he wept in silence. He was looking downwards, and Daunte followed his gaze. In his left hand he held the photo frame that had triggered the memory. Adalgiso shifted, and with his right hand he held a half-empty bottle of whiskey. Daunte watched him drink from the bottle briefly, but then he set it aside. He traced his fingers over the faces in the photograph.

Daunte felt tears sting his eyes as he watched Adalgiso curl his arms around the picture, clinging to it as awful noises erupted from his throat. It felt horrible watching him in a moment of pure emotional agony. He wanted to help Adalgiso, but he knew there was nothing he could do because this was a memory.

That photo. That family. Daunte's eyes widened as horror filled his body. The Plague. His mourning. Adalgiso…did he—

He didn't finish the thought. Adalgiso arched back, gasping for breath as though he were running out of air. He pressed his right hand over his waistband, and Daunte lurched when he pulled a dagger out of its sheath. He held the weapon up, staring at the shining blade with glazed eyes and a slackened mouth. He looked back at the photo and raised it to press it to his face. "I'm sorry."

Daunte's breathing quickened as his panic rose. "I'm so sorry," Adalgiso mumbled against he glass of the frame. "Please forgive me…for not being here." he pressed a kiss to the frame and then propped the photograph up on the floor beside him.

No, no, please no—

"I kept you waiting," Adalgiso said to the picture. He reached out and ran his knuckle over the face of the woman who sat at his side. The woman Daunte had thought was his wife. "Priya…my darling. I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. I'll be with you shortly, I promise. Now, it will be forever."

"Adalgiso, NO!" Daunte screamed as he gripped the dagger with both hands and closed his eyes. "PLEASE DON'T!" he forgot that he was watching a memory as tried to grab Adalgiso, but his hands passed through the other man. Daunte screamed as Adalgiso turned the blade and pressed it to his neck—

A large hand darted out from thin air, startling Daunte as it wrapped around the dagger before it could cut Adalgiso's skin. "No!" Adalgiso grunted, eyes flying open as he tried to pull the dagger free from his savior. Daunte quickly looked up as the two began to violently struggle for the dagger. He recoiled when he saw the sleeves of the uniform, and he jumped back when he saw the face of the hoodless man who had just saved Adalgiso's life.

It was Sloan Faakhir.

Adalgiso screamed incoherently, the words unintelligible to Daunte as he pulled violently on Sloan to try to free himself. Sloan's face was hard and he said nothing and made no sounds as he easily overpowered the other man and successfully yanked the dagger free from Adalgiso's hands, causing the older man to sprawl across the floorboards. Adalgiso panted harshly and loudly as Sloan slowly stood up over him. His right hand was bleeding from having grabbed the blade, and he calmly wrapped it in a handkerchief as he placed the dagger high on a nearby shelf out of Adalgiso's reach.

Then Sloan turned to face Adalgiso. His features were calm. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked. His tone was also surprisingly calm. Uncharacteristically calm.

Adalgiso looked up at him front his position on the floor. The anguish in his expression was painful to look at. "Wh…" he scrambled towards Sloan and grabbed his sleeve. "You bastard!" He shouted, his voice hoarse. "You had NO RIGHT to do that!"

"I just witnessed my subordinate attempt to take his own life," Sloan responded. He did not react to being insulted by Adalgiso. "Stopping you was the appropriate thing for me to do."

"But why?!" Adalgiso wheezed, fresh tears falling as let Sloan go and slumped in a sitting position on the floor. "Why did you stop me?" he sounded as though he had lost the strength to speak.

"Because I don't want you to die," Sloan responded. He slowly knelt down so that he was eye-level with Adalgiso. "Because taking your own life is not what Priya would have wanted."

Adalgiso stammered, looking towards the floor as his mournful sputtering filled the floor. "Y…You don't understand. You don't understand!" He screamed the last three words and snatched up the photo. He shoved it in Sloan's face. "My family is gone! Priya! My children! My grandchildren! They ALL DIED from this accursed Plague and I wasn't there! I WASN'T THERE!" He sounded almost inhuman as he continued. "I served Nagar faithfully and He took my family away! They're gone and I'm here! Why?! Why am I here and they're not?!" He hugged the photo to his chest once. He began rocking back and forth. "I—I have nothing left! Nothing to anchor me to this world any longer! W…What is there left for me here?! E-Everyone I that I love is dead! There is nothing left for an old man like me…"

Adalgiso continued to rock and sob and Daunte looked between Sloan and him. He didn't know how Sloan would react to being screamed at, or Adalgiso's act of violence when he practically slapped Sloan in the face with his photo. He squeezed his eyes shut because he didn't want to see what pain Sloan would inflict upon this poor man. Please, please get me out of this!

"I'm here."

Daunte's eyes snapped open. Sloan had reached out with his uninjured hand and rested it on Adalgiso's shoulder. Adalgiso was staring at him with wide eyes. W-What?

"I'm here," Sloan repeated himself. "You say you have nothing, but you have me. You have the men and women who see you as their mentor and their father-figure. We all care about you, Adalgiso. And we would all grieve if you died. We cannot replace your family, but you are not alone. You are alive, and while you are alive you need to live and not seek death." he smiled. "Your family exists within you, and you need to live for their sake so that their memory remains alive. I knew Priya and I knew your children and grandchildren. They would want you to live, just as I want you to live and our soldiers want you to live. Never forget that your life never solely belongs to you. It belongs also to the people who care and love you. That is why they grieve when you are gone. You cannot allow yourself to sink into darkness and think that committing suicide is the right thing to do. The poison that you carry will not go away with your death, but it will simply spread to the people you leave behind."

Sloan let his shoulder go and raised a finger. "While you have breath in your body, you should spend it by living. Shed your tears and mourn your loved ones, but never forget what you still have. So long as you remember the people alive who love and care about you, you will not be alone."

Daunte puffed out a breath, and he realized he'd been holding his breath again. He watched Adalgiso's face crumble and he began to cry again, but the sound was different than before. He sobbed loudly and painfully, leaning forward and resting his forehead on Sloan's shoulder. Sloan reached up with his uninjured hand and hugged him, closing his eyes as his subordinate cried for the loss of his family.

"Daunte?"

Daunte blinked, and his vision blurred. Sloan and Adalgiso were gone, and he was standing in Adalgiso's bedroom again still holding the photograph. He looked down at the photo and saw tears splash upon the glass. He was crying.

"Daunte, are you okay?" Felicity quickly entered the room to stand at his side.

Daunte scrubbed his face and sniffled loudly in embarrassment. "I'm fine," he said a little too quickly.

"What are you holding?" Roen asked, joining them in the room.

"This…" Daunte felt sick looking down at the happy faces in the picture and quickly looked up at his friends. "Adalgiso's family. They all died in the Plague."

Both Roen and Felicity gasped in horror. "Yes, that's correct." Adalgiso's former housekeeper quickly entered the room. She thankfully did not look upset that Daunte had picked up the photo. "Lord Adalgiso tragically lost his entire family in the Plague," she said sadly. "His wife Priya, his five children and their spouses, and his four grandchildren. Lord Adalgiso was not in Farna when the Plague hit and he initially wasn't permitted to return here during quarantine. The Sheikh had to personally intervene on his behalf to get him permission to come back, but…" tears formed in her eyes and she looked away.

"That's awful," Roen breathed, but Daunte was staring down at the picture again. His mind went back to the memory he had just witnessed. Adalgiso, he…he tried to kill himself when he lost his family. And Sloan—he stopped him. Not only did he stop him, but he encouraged Adalgiso to continue living…

"So long as you remember the people alive who love and care about you, you will not be alone."

Daunte swallowed hard. Sloan Faakhir is a murderer. He's killed countless innocent people. He abused his family. He abuses the soldiers who serve under him. He even tried to kill me. I've seen three memories that involve him, and in two of those memories he acted selflessly. He saved Tidur from an unwanted marriage, and he prevented Adalgiso's suicide attempt. And people have said he was a good husband and a good father before everything suddenly changed.

Daunte closed his eyes. I…don't understand. I know that something must have happened to him. Luca Blight committed genocide because he witnessed horrible acts be committed against his mother. That of course doesn't excuse his atrocities but he was driven mad from that. Then what happened to Sloan Faakhir? Did he witness a horrible act that drove him to madness? Or is there something else going on? Was he mad all along and was just better at hiding it until he snapped one day? Who is the real Sloan Faakhir?