Xephos had no clue whether it was night or day anymore. He slept when he wanted; he was awake when he didn't. Most of the time he would talk to Rythian, seeing as there was nothing else to do. They'd make up stories or ideas about random things, or just have a laugh together. That was until Rythian was taken. It was sudden. They had been talking, like normal, when Rythian suddenly stopped.

"Rythian?" Xephos asked cautiously, sitting up in his cell accompanied by the clink of his chains. No reply. Rythian never stopped so suddenly. "Rythian, are you ok?"

They're here.

He blinked, clenching his hands into fists. What did they want with Rythian? He hadn't done anything. Had they found out? No, that's impossible. There's no way. The Mage hadn't mastered telepathy, Rythian explained, and neither did the others in their cells. So there was no way. What other reason could they want him though?

"R-Rythian, talk to me." His voice was becoming quick, but he soon calmed himself. Being anxious wouldn't help the situation in the slightest. "Why are they there? What do they want with you?" He asked slowly. Xephos would have seemed like a madman if someone was watching him, but he didn't care right now.

I'm sorry, Xephos. I...I think this is the last time we will speak. That stutter. He was never nervous. Did he think he was going to die? No...Rythian couldn't die. Xephos wouldn't allow it. He stood up, the glow in his eyes burning bright.

"No! I won't let you die!" He shouted, being sure they would hear him. Xephos felt a tingling feeling in his hands, ignoring it as he clenched them tight around the bars of his cells. It was only when they began MELTING did he take notice of the tingling. His HANDS were glowing, just like his eyes. Xephos spent a few moments staring at his hands, before the glow faded. They were bruised and mostly numb. He felt the chains suddenly drop off his wrists. He tested the door, which fell to the floor with ease; not without creating a lot of noise. Xephos was finally able to reach what had been glinting, teasing him for the days, maybe longer, he had spent in the cell. His trusty diamond sword. "I'm surprised. Why did they leave you here?" He murmured, almost like he was talking to the sword. With a bit of effort, due to the numbness, he eventually slotted the sword across his back. Xephos kept shaking his hands, or pressing them against himself, trying to get rid of the numbness. He wasn't exactly sure why they were numb and bruised, but he assumed it was due to them suddenly glowing and the bars melting under them. 'What was that?' He asked himself as he slowly made his way down the black corridor. The only source of light was his eyes, which dimly lit the way. This was unreal. Xephos had gotten out of his cell and was now just walking around. He didn't even hear any shouts or footsteps. Did they really not care about him? Would he actually get out?

"Interesting. Now why are you wandering around?" Xephos stopped when the Mage's voice came from behind him. At first he was confused; he hadn't heard any noise. It slowly dawned on him that the Mage could probably use magic to cover his sounds up. Why didn't he think of that sooner? It was stupid he thought he could just leave.

"What have you done with Rythian?"

"Rythian...? Oh, that idiot who challenged me? Nothing. At least, we haven't." Xephos growled, the pain growing in his hands. The Mage blinked, watching Xephos. Well, specifically his hands. "This IS interesting..." He took Xephos' hands, seeming unaffected by their power to melt things. "I've only seen magic like this one other time..." Within a second handcuffs were around Xephos' wrists, preventing the glow. The pain didn't cease, but they were powerless now. "We can't just leave you locked up now." The green man smirked, dragging Xephos through the darkness.

The raven-haired man was thrown against the wall as the Mage shut the door. Xephos couldn't even rub his arm better, which was now throbbing from the force. The Mage picked Xephos up again, moving him closer to his research. He sat him down, but didn't put any more restraints on him. Xephos watched him as he began to work, a little confused. They hadn't gone to the Knight, or even the King, and told them about this. Why was the Mage being secretive like this?

"A-Aren't you going to tell the King?" He asked hesitantly.

"No need. They'll come to me when they've figured out you've gone." The Mage replied simply. And that was the end of the conversation. Xephos decided to take the time to look around the room. Instead of the usual royal blue that adorned everywhere else in the castle, or the shades of reds that decked the Knight's room, this room primarily used greens of many shades; most likely to fit with the Mage's curse. That or he just liked green. Across the floor lay several knocked over stacks of books. They were based around all different kinds of magic; Thaumcraft, Blood Magic, Witchery... anything you could think of. It seems like he specialized in Thaumcraft, however, as at least two of the stacks contain solely books based around it. Blood Magic seemed...lacking. There was only one book he could see of it, and it was surrounded by more Thaumcraft books. Currently he was standing by his research table, which had a cauldron to it's right. In the centre of the room was the infusion altar, which was the most prominent thing in the room. Across the room were his arcane alembics. Basically, it was a room that revolved around magic and alchemy, predominantly Thaumcraft. Xephos looked at his pained hands that rest in his lap. They were numb, yet he could still feel the pain. It was a...strange feeling. He flinched when he felt a sudden sharp point in his skin. "Just need some blood." The Mage smiled, but Xephos just growled.

"Could've asked." He muttered.

"Not my style, mate." The smile changed into his iconic smirk, showing the evil side to him. "Anyway, would you have really said yes?"

"..."

"Exactly." The Mage started mixing Xephos blood with various magical substances, watching as the reacted...or not, in most cases. Xephos listened as he muttered things to himself, hearing words like 'rare' or 'unnatural'. He pressed his needle wound against his leg, stopping the blood from escaping. He pondered over the Mage's words. Unnatural? What exactly was he? What was this...'power' he possessed?

"What am I?" He let the words slip from his mouth before he realised. The Mage glanced at Xephos, a look of curiosity in his eyes.

"...An anomaly." Xephos blinked, replaying the word in his mind. Anomaly?

"What do you mean, 'an anomaly'?" He asked, becoming more persistent. Was something wrong with him? Was it to do with his eyes, his hands? He needed answers. The Mage chuckled darkly, standing in front of the man. Xephos was beginning to panic, and he couldn't calm himself.

"Just as I said – you're an anomaly. You're not normal." He whispered slowly, letting each word sink into Xephos' mind. He ENJOYED this; watching someone break down. "Something is different with you. Whether it's good or bad, I don't know. But something is different. I am going to find out what." Xephos began to hyperventilate, becoming scared.

"R-Rythian? Rythian...Rythian!" The man in red began to repeat the man's name over and over. Something about him comforted him; it was getting no reply that made it worse. Now he knew he must be dead. He wouldn't just be silent. Could he not be heard? Xephos curled up tightly, his hands over his head. The dark laughter invaded his mind, surrounding him. "No...No...No..." Xephos' voice became breathless as he started losing consciousness.

Anomaly.

Anomaly.

Anomaly.

ANOMALY.

Xephos' eyes shot open. He was...alone in a wasteland. Debris of houses and other buildings littered the ground. The dusty, dead ground. He slowly stood up, clenching his hand around his arm. There were no longer restraints around his wrists which he was thankful for. Turning this way and that, he saw nothing. No other people, no building standing, no animals or creatures. Nothing. His eyes drifted up to the sky, seeing the moon in a dark red sky. The colour was similar to blood. Xephos felt exhausted and hurt. Looking at his hands, he noticed bruises and grazes lining them and they continued up his arms; his sleeves were torn from who knows what. The pounding had returned, but that was probably the least of his worries. His legs were sluggish to respond, but eventually they began to cooperate. He almost didn't WANT to walk, though; he was scared of what he might find. Xephos' eyes seemed to provide no light now, the moon being more powerful. He looked across the landscape, and saw a dip in the land. He rushed over, and saw a figure on the ground. They were split into two, jagged ripping marks across their torso. Xephos had to keep himself from gagging, clenching his own arm tighter even if it hurt. The figure looked like they were female; the long blonde hair was a good sign for that. Wait...long, blonde hair? Xephos' heart rate quickened as he ran over, skidding on his knees when he got close. He hesitated, his hands hovering over the body. Quickly he turned it over, and a sigh left him. It wasn't Lomadia. He strangely felt relieved, even though he was holding a dead body in his arms. He stood up, pressing his palm into his temple as he began to hear things.

Unstable.

Unconscious.

Insane?

"Such a shame, isn't it?" Smith sighed, leaning back against the wall as he watched the unconscious figure. "He's gone and trapped himself in a fantasy. It'll be over when he wakes up." He explained, glancing at Ross. "How're you feeling, mate?" Ross blinked once, his eyes just as piercing as they would be with anyone else. They did not have the same friendly expression he would usually give his friend.

"Fine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just concerned about you, my lord." Smith replied, moving back over to his research table. Maybe he was just having a bad day, or something.

"..." Ross looked at Xephos, watching him sleep soundly. His eyes no longer held the emotion he used to feel about him. "...What do you plan on doing with him?"

"Nothing much. Just some experiments. His potential...it's incredible. He has...some kind of magic." The Mage explained, holding up a vial of Xephos' blood. While he was unconscious, he decided he might as well take some more. "His blood reacts so differently to what you would expect. It's almost like..." He turned to face Ross. "...I couldn't be sure, though. With him acting so unstable recently..." He shrugged.

"If he becomes of no use to us, then bring him to me. I want to end him myself." The words struck the green man hard. He merely nodded, as his gaze dared to meet his friend's. No emotion, no pity. Whatever Trott had done, it had worked a little TOO well, in Smith's opinion. Ross walked to the door, not even turning around as he spoke. "Maybe you should see Trott. You seem to be becoming attached to this boy." Then the two were left alone; one lost in a fantasy and the other worried about his friend.