Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 5

Chapter 4: Memories in the Dark

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)

It had been three days since the giant food debacle as I was in my office getting looking into the possible sightings of Ailnoth so far. Even with the rest of the Order on high alert, the hunt for Ailnoth was on both sides of the spectrum in which Cain was also hunting after him. By the time I was on my way to bed, I heard the sound of chains rattling as I put them off as a hallucination in my head. I couldn't let it bother me until I saw a chain spring from the ceiling with a meathook attached to it. I was trying to shut it away from my mind until I noticed something piercing my entire back and stringing me upwards from the floor. The pain of the meathooks caused me to scream as I return to reality the moment I fell to my knees. The sheer terror frightened me as I felt worried about the future that was slowly being stripped away from me. In that moment, I remembered the harsh words that Reinhardt told me during our duel as they were a cluster of mortal reminders about the childhood that I left behind before going to Gehenna in my youth.

"I know all about your raw power, Sam. You may use it to protect the people around you, but can you even bring yourself to terms with the lost childhood that was taken away from you? You had all that time to keep everything you had in you, only for Sylvanus to have it ripped away from you just to sit in the dark over the years! It's the bitter truth, but you won't come to terms with the past things you had before the funeral of John Winchester! In the end, you'll always be the same broken man that is often preoccupied with burdens and misery, only to make you more bitter than happy!"

The scathing words unnerved me as I remembered all the harsh memories of being on Gehenna over the years. At that time, my childhood ended at age eight and my time as an obedient servant began until adulthood. Still, there were times that I was alone, but I had one saving grace in the form of Dean, who was there with me as he stood up for me during our years in the fort on Gehenna. I never had anything else other than a room with a bathroom that had a clawfoot tub in it. I never had anything else but books to read just to keep me sane all the live long. Still, the banishment from the fort not only put me out into the bitter cold of the planet, but it set me free from Sylvanus' cruelty in which I tasted freedom for the first time in a while.

At that moment, I went outside to think as I saw the presence of fireflies buzzing in the trees. I was calm, but the memories of enduring Sylvanus' anger and wrath were a double-edged sword that refused to go away. In the end, I would never forgive the man who caused me such suffering during my youth as I wasn't about to show respect for him in the afterlife, either. I was free from him and that was all that mattered as I had my own course to pilot in the form of both Ippei and Colchuvar, who taught me so much to stand my ground, but both of them were in Heaven after their passings. I praised them for that as I was ready to go back inside to catch some sleep. Just as I was about to do so, I stopped briefly as I heard the sound of a hellhound approaching. The sound of its growls and terror unnerved me as I noticed Mara appearing out of nowhere while standing in front of me. She was not too happy with what I was thinking about as she was ready to do her worst on me.

"What's going on, Mara?" I asked. "Why do you bring your hellhound here?"

"You know why, Sam," she said. "Your anger and resentment towards Sylvanus is too much in which you refuse to foster forgiveness towards him."

"Isn't Sylvanus in Heaven?"

"No…, he's in Hell, but you'll soon take his place if you don't swallow your pride and offer forgiveness to him."

"No matter what you try to tell me, Sylvanus will never be forgiven. Ever since my father was killed, Dean and I were forced to go to Gehenna just to face the full brunt of what the bastard doled out and I got the worst of it. The only thing that kept me from going insane was the knowledge of books I had with me. I know that I would go back in time to reverse the damage by running away long ago, but that ship has sailed."

"If you don't even try to foster an effort to forgive Sylvanus, then you leave me no choice..." Mara goes forth into allowing the invisible hellhound to charge towards me. "Sic him, boy!"

The invisible hellhound was going towards me as it ripped my legs to shreds. By the time I felt it attempting to finish me off, it was stopped by a bullet from a shotgun as Sybil stood in front of me. The old woman knew Mara very well as she was no stranger to dealing with bad behavior like that, for she wasn't about to let me die here with my legs in shreds from the hellhound's attack. I was in pain as I got up on my feet, but the presence of the hellhound made it difficult for me to remain sane after such a brutal attack.

"Back away, Sybil," said Mara. "This business is between me and Sam."

"So, you're forcing him to endure the terrors of Hell even when he refuses to forgive Sylvanus for his cruelty towards him?" she said. "You're no different than your new master, Milverton, who has been cementing his status as the new King of Hell."

"Sam must swallow his pride and hurt if he is to move forward to becoming the Destiny of Worlds that everyone asks for. And if he doesn't do so, his soul will be going towards Hell…, or perhaps Lucifer's cage and we all know how the Prince of Darkness gets lonely when being in there..."

"You better watch your mouth, Mara. You can't just force it on him by sending him to Hell for not forgiving his aggressor. And another thing, his past self was no stranger by staying in your Dark Father's cage for a year and six months that left him scarred after the wall in his mind fell down."

"And what about Sylvanus? Every day, his soul is decaying in his cell and some of the demons in charge are getting fed up with the stench that's been in there. Still, everyone must forgive their aggressors and abusers or else they won't be able to go to Heaven, but to Hell and swift judgment will be put upon those who have past resentment towards them. It's not my way of doing things, it's also the will of God Himself who decides the fate of those who refuse to foster forgiveness in their hearts and Sam's the primal example for not forgiving Sylvanus for his abuse over the years."

"And you say that Sam deserves to take the express bus to Hell? That's a load of warg piss and you know it. Still, I'll deal with the matters about Sam not forgiving Sylvanus for the abuse he endured, but if you even try to take him towards Hell, then I'll have no other choice but to get the Demon Killer from Cletus just to gut you with."

"Have it your way, then; but you have until the next dusk to delve into the memories that Sam had."

"Agreed, but if you even try to take him away to Hell, then the deal's off, is that understood?"

Mara took off in a plume of red smoke as her invisible hellhound got away with only a bullet wound in its shoulder. The determination in Sybil was sharp as she wasn't about to let anyone take me towards Hell too soon. Still, I was fearing the worst as I felt the pain in my legs giving me discomfort after the hellhound attack, but Mara's warning about me going to Hell was a serious one indeed. It wasn't long until Kukiel appeared out of nowhere and saw me in bad shape, for he sensed that Mara meant business in her words so far.

"Looks like Fido didn't run over and play dead," he said as he looked at the wounds on my legs.

"I have to go towards Hell," I said as I was shaking with fear.

"Not with Sybil around..." Kukiel uses his powers to heal my wounds on my legs. "Still, she's pressuring you to forgive the bastard who put you through the ringer, isn't she?"

"If I don't comply, then I'll be sent towards the pit and be strung up with meathooks and chains and I won't be the same, either."

"What a pity…," said Sybil. "Still, you need to go towards a spirit pool to tap into the entry towards Sylvanus and his reasons why he abuses you so, but we gotta do it until dusk. If that time is up, then Mara will rush in and sic Scooby-Doo after your ass, so I suggest that you get the lead out and find an entry to the memories that kept you strained for years on end. It's no joke or debate, but there's no way in hell that you're gonna be stuck in Lucifer's cage all the live long while your body runs around soulless, is there?" I nodded shakily. "Atta boy… Well, let's put this crap on ice before it all hits the fan."

I was ready to face my darkest memories as I couldn't back down on what would be thrown at me this time. Sooner or later, I had to go forth and forgive my aggressor before I end up getting sent to Hell's fiery pit in all its glory. I never wanted to do this, but I had no say in the matter as I had to comply before it was too late…

The next morning, I was up as I noticed Sybil waiting for me to go near something that I never went to before. The determination in her eyes proved to be something to give focus as we only had a few hours before the sun sets towards dusk. Even though I was dressed and ready to go, I was dreading the concept of going towards Hell as I had to delve into the worst of all memories that I had before leaving the fort on Gehenna two years ago. By the time we got to the station, we saw a train bound for the Winterlands approaching as I got into it with Sybil in tow. When it took off, we noticed Kukiel here in the passenger car with us as we were going to where we needed to get to first.

"Sybil's temple in the Kurosawa Mountains will be the stop to get to," he said. "Besides, her place is one of many spirit gateways that ever existed on Alecrast."

"I've never been to Sybil's temple before, but if I'm about to see the memories that were the worst in mind, then I would be prepared to do so," I said.

"You're tensing up, Sam," she said as she saw me filled with fear. "Very soon, you'll pass through Heinlein and then to my humble abode where the town of Mifune will be. Also, we'll be through the town of Le Guin, which is named after the mountains in Chugoku's capital of Chekiang, so we can relax and enjoy the train ride for a brief moment."

"I just hope that you're right on this one..."

I stared out the window as I was seeing the Winterlands with the snow it mustered over the months that came and went. At that moment, we passed through Le Guin as Sybil predicted as we later went towards Heinlein in which we once escorted the White Lady over there a year ago. By the time we got to the town of Mifune, we stopped at a station as we got off the train and stretched our legs. At that notion, we were welcomed by a young Orcress as she was dressed as a shrine maiden for the temple that was there. As usual, she was one of Sybil's grandchildren as she was most likely to be hard at work with the spiritual methods where the Kurosawa Mountains are at.

"Gran, it's good to see you," she said.

"I bet that oaf of a father hasn't come back yet from another monster hunt again," said Sybil.

"And that man's ready to tap into the spiritual realm, isn't he?"

"Young lady, I'm here on business," I said.

"You're not only here on business, but you're afraid that the waif in the tattered dress will haul you towards the lower depths of Hell, aren't you?"

"You know so well about my fears, don't you?"

"Sam, this is Solaria Bonnefoy, she's one of seven children from my son, Sterling and his wife, Kalindra. You already know about Selwyn, but you don't know the rest of the future kin that sprang from me to restore my family name."

"Did... you lose someone precious?"

"Sam, Sybil's family died in one of the most brutal massacres that ever occurred around here many years ago," said Kukiel. "All the same, she saw her family being killed by a familiar Knight of Hell that you know so well, but she also killed three of the four Orc bandits who were a quartet of Robin Hoods all tending to the needy back in the day."

"Yes, and the one responsible for my entire family's demise was Abaddon in which I was the sole survivor of the attack," she said. "Still, I wasn't the only one in which a surviving Orc bandit took me in which we not only survived in the wilderness and mountains, but I had a little surprise that I sensed a potential to restore my family to its former glory. As for your predicament, Sam, you only got till the sun goes down before Mara comes here to take you into Hell."

Sybil's warning made me worry a lot as I couldn't shake off the notion that Mara would make her move to lure me towards Hell if I didn't forgive Sylvanus for his abuse and cruelty towards me. Sooner or later, I had to own up to my responsibility to go towards the bad memories that I had so far. Even though the memories were painful, I had to go through with it as the clock was ticking and I was on a strict time limit that I couldn't back out of...

After a long trek up above the steps of the main mountain near Mifune, we all made our way towards the Kurosawa Mountains as we were finally at the temple that Sybil had up there. The place was near a volcano as it also had soil to grow vegetables and other things as well as the many livestock that thrived up here. It was like in the Tensho Mountains where Wall Keep was at as I even found the entrance to the temple where it had a strange pool to wade in. The very feel of Sybil's temple was a feast for the eyes as the aura of it was something that couldn't be taken lightly after all.

"Well, Sam, what do you think?" she asked.

"It's a very beautiful temple," I said.

"First and foremost, if you wanna delve into the bad memories that you had over the years, I suggest that you march your ass to the bathhouse to get cleaned up. The body must always be cleansed at all times before delving into the pool of the spirits first. If a dirty body enters into it, then the aura comes to life and kills those within the pool itself, is that clear?"

"I'll make it clear so far..."

And so, I was being escorted towards a bathhouse as I had my clothes stripped while going towards the wash basin to get cleaned up. Still, I had to follow protocol as I had to get things done before sunset as I had to do it quickly. By the time I rinsed myself off, I was clean, but I didn't have time to relax in the tub right now. When I dried off with a towel, I was dressed in a white robe as I was being escorted out of the bathhouse by some of the attendants of the temple. By the time Sybil noticed me all ready to go, she was ready to perform an incantation on me as I was fully prepared to face the bad memories that I had over the years.

"Breath of life, beat of the drum, movement of bones, voice of hum," she said as the pool of the spirits began to glow. "Sam, you're gonna have to lay down in there if you wanna go towards your goal to resolve what you dealt with over the years."

"I understand it very well," I said as I obeyed and laid down into the lukewarm pool that glowed.

"Spirit of the past, guide this gateway well. Protect his life, protect him well."

With my eyes closed, I began to drift into a deep sleep as I was about to go forth to find the lost memories that I shut out over the years. As for the bad ones, I also had to deal with them as well, for they were not very pleasant to begin with so far...

"Where's Sam?"

Dean was searching everywhere as he needed to see me about the further matter at hand. By the time he got to my office, he noticed that I wasn't there at all as he saw Bobby coming out from underneath the rocking chair while stretching his hind legs. The old furry housecat had a feeling that something was wrong as the danger that loomed was not about to loosen its grip anytime soon now.

"You look nervous, don't you?" he said.

"Nervous?! I've been trying to find Sam and he's gone after Reiko told me about his trip!" cried Dean. "From the looks of it, Sammy's gonna be going towards Sybil's temple just to delve into the bad memories he had on Gehenna and this isn't good!"

"Of course it ain't good, ya idjit! Sam can't back out on seeing the bad memories that he had when the two of you were hauled off to Gehenna against your daddy's wishes after his death, but you can't just turn back the clock and just run away from it. Last night, that demon, Mara, issued an ultimatum to him in which he either forgives that idjit, Sylvanus, or go straight to Hell. Right now, he's on a time limit in which if he doesn't come to terms into forgiving Sylvanus for the abuse he endured, then he'll be strung up with meathooks and chains for the rest of his days."

"Are you telling me that Sam has to forgive him of all people?! We all know what Sylvanus did to Sam, but he didn't attack me 'cause he knew I was soldier material. As for Sam, he took the full brunt of the punishments from that asshat until he got booted out of the fort two years ago. No, even if he was killed by Severin and Sylvana, Sylvanus will never be forgiven for the abuse that he inflicted on Sam 'cause he'll rot in his own piss for all I care!"

"Dean, I know that there are times that we forgive those who wrong us, but if we foster such actions without forgiveness in our hearts, then we're no different than the monsters that we hunt. Hell, I almost bit it in the Elder Days until I kept saying to my attacker that you deserve forgiveness over and over again until he finally gets it. Still, Sam's gonna have to own up to the responsibility of what's been put in front of him or else he'll never fully heal. Hell, he can't get the words that Reinhardt told him out of his head in which he had all that joy in childhood stripped away from him the moment Sylvanus dogged him over the years. It's harsh, but he has to deal with it before he becomes consumed with bitterness and aggression and that could also harm those around him if that ever happened."

Bobby's warning to Dean made him realize that I had to face up to the lost childhood that I missed as it was vital to endure what was being thrown at me. Still, the bad memories would soon come to light as they would also haunt me if I didn't face them head on in the end...

I found myself in the void of memories as I was walking towards the fort on Gehenna. The atmosphere was cold as I was shivering from what was on this frozen wasteland of a planet. When I found myself sitting in the snow building a snowman, I was young and content as I didn't have any problems at all with what I had so far. Even though I had that memory of me building a snowman, I noticed Sylvanus standing in front of my youthful self as he destroyed it without shame. He was someone that I had loathed the most as he didn't tolerate my every moves so far.

"This isn't playtime, boy!" I heard him yell. "We all have to pull our weight around the fort, so I suggest that you do your part and get started on the kitchen inside."

"Get a grip, Sylvanus, he's just a kid," said Chomaru as he came out of the main house. "Besides, he's done nothing wrong to you or anyone else here."

"That boy's a waste of space that should've died in the womb instead of living!" I noticed Sylvanus glare at my young self as fear took over the small child. "You're nothing! You'll always get in the way and all you'll ever have is that older brother of yours here, but not anymore because you're sleeping in a different room than in the barracks!"

At that moment, I watched him storm off as my younger self was crying his eyes out after seeing the snowman he made get destroyed by such a cold and cruel man like him. The sight of Sylvanus enacting his cruelty upon me at an early age made me hate him even more until I realized the near miss from the hellhound that Mara had with her last night. Still, the bad memory of me suffering the full brunt of Sylvanus' cruelty against me was something that I can't get rid of, for I had to deal with it nonetheless.

By the time I noticed another memory appear, I was thirteen years old at the time as I was in my room with a cupcake that had a candle in it. That was the same thing on my birthday as I always blew out the candle and ate the cupcake before I would go straight to either work or bed. It was all the same in my room as I had nothing to play with nor did I had Dean with me so far. All I had were books that I read just to keep me from going insane for a while. By the time I heard a knock on the door, I heard Dean's voice as I felt despondent for all the years I endured such trouble in the fort on Gehenna.

"Sam, I'm sorry that I forgot about your birthday," I heard him say. "I honestly didn't mean it this time. Can you at least forgive me for it?"

"Don't worry about it...," I heard myself say. "It's fine, but I'm used to it by now..."

"You can't just forget about your birthday forever, you know. Besides, if you forget about it now, then you'll end up being a cranky sourpuss for the rest of your life... C'mon, Lawrence Tang is here and he's got his Jewish food on display, so are you coming with me?"

"I'll be right with you..."

The image of me curling up in the warm blankets in my room while ignoring Dean's request to come out of my room made me cry as I had tears in my eyes. It was like before with the birthday I had as the bad memories were all over me while cutting me up like a set of knives. I sensed the feelings of the past discretions that I went through as I noticed Sylvanus being stuck in a cell with his body plastered on a wall like a grotesque trophy. He was a mess as he was also in bad shape due to his treatment in Hell. At this time, I only had pity for him as he was suffering from the torment that he was branded with for the rest of his days. He even suffered from the worst predicament that put him there in the first place, for I found myself in his office in the times that he was still alive.

The atmosphere of him getting a call was highly unlikely as he was suffering from the fear that kept him from speaking out about his forbidden union with his late sister, Senna, from long ago. At that moment, I noticed him answering his phone as he was hearing a familiar voice that was long put away in prison for the rest of his days so far. I even sensed the familiar presence over the phone as it was someone that I loathed after what I went through long ago.

"Who is this?!" he yelled over the phone.

"You know who this is, Sylvanus," said the familiar voice on the receiving end.

"Sawney Masbath..." I saw him shake with fear as he didn't want him to terrorize him all the live long. "Why the hell are you doing this to me?! I already put that boy through the ringer for you already, didn't I?!"

"Sam Winchester is a threat, Sylvanus, and he's also someone that can cause fear in those that delve into further darker details just to stay afloat. As I recall, you hadn't forgotten about our little arrangement, did you?"

"Is it about what happened to Senna?"

"It's more about what happened to Senna because if you don't do further damage to Sam, then I'll expose your forbidden affair to the higher-ups of the Order and other dignitaries that come and go. We all know that the brat's part of the Destiny of Worlds, but the higher-ups might also know how perverted you truly are by simply going for a quick fuck for your sister before she died."

"Damn you!"

"Uh-uh-uh; I wouldn't hang up if I were you because you still have to pay for your discretions and keep Sam on a painful short leash for the rest of his days. The first step was stripping away his happiness while the next one was to make him forget about his birthday. As for the final step, he'll be ushered into the bitter cold without no help to save him in the end. It's like before when John took away Mary from me, only to see her suffer in death. As for you, you don't wanna suffer the same, do you?"

"And if I refuse you?"

"Then your reputation as a member of the Order and one of the finest soldiers who hunted down the big bads of today will be dragged down by the very incestuous affair with your sister that spawned the twins you sowed with your seed. You see, a blackmailer like me doesn't like to see his victims back down on an offer just like a pimp, gangster, or drug dealer stalking their deadbeat clients if they didn't pay up. That's the weight of the world, so I suggest that you abide by the rules or else I'll literally make you suffer in the afterlife."

I watched Sylvanus hang up the phone as I noticed him with tears in his eyes. All along, his cruelty towards me had been staged the whole time by Sawney Masbath as he also felt ashamed into taking me and Dean to this frozen wasteland in the first place. He wanted to take us back home to Alecrast, but it was too late as he had to abide by the rules of Sawney's methods of blackmail or else his entire affair with his sister would soon be exposed by those who weren't part of the Order of Letters. Even though it was too late to change the past, I simply knew of the truth about why Sylvanus became so bitter towards me over the years, for he was feeling the guilt of his actions creeping up on him one slow step at a time.

"Sam..., please forgive me, I beg of you...," he sobbed. "This was never my doing to begin with..."

At that moment, I saw the image of him revert back to the terrible one in his cell in Hell's prison. The sight of him made me realize that he needed to be forgiven for his actions after all in which he was in dire need of it in this darkest hour. The threats of Sawney Masbath exposing his dirty secrets brought him to the edge as he was paying for his mistakes and cruelty towards me after his demise at the hands of Severin and Sylvana two years ago.

"I see you now in the cell of your own making," I said. "Ever since our father died, Dean and I were taken with you all the way to Gehenna just to suffer there over the years, but I took the full brunt of your anger so far. You stripped me of my happy childhood, you made me forget about my birthday, you beat me, made me suffer from the cold, and even banished me, but still, I refused to forgive you for your actions against me. It was hell for me until I heard about how Sawney kept threatening you with the thought of having your reputation damaged by your forbidden affair with your sister. Even when she died, she gave her last breath that spawned your two children who killed you on Harkonnen, only to have you suffering in the depths of Hell in the end."

"You have such bitter anger towards me, for I don't deserve forgiveness from anyone..., even you of all people," I heard Sylvanus say to me. "I did you wrong and now I'm paying for it. I even did wrong when I kept the Thrippe bloodline pure with inbred children just to see their mother die in childbirth. If only I kept you there so that the Wendigo wouldn't have attacked the fort at that time... If only I backed away from begetting Severin and Sylvana..."

"Sylvanus..., it may be too late to change the past, but I can change the future for the better. In the end, I forgive you because you were suffering from the man who is now rotting in Belbe Citadel for the rest of his days. You deserve to be set free and I'll see you up there in Heaven. I know now why you had such cruelty towards me. It was because Sawney viewed me as a threat that needed to be kept silent in which you were forced to do what he told you. There's no need to allow you to suffer anymore, for I will free you from your private hell you have been suffering from."

A glowing form of light caused Sylvanus to be torn away from the wall as blood dripped from where he was plastered onto. By the time he was freed, he was reduced to nothing but a bloody mess until he became a beacon of light that was ready to go towards Heaven at last. With my task fulfilled, I was ready to go until I was stopped by Mara, who had her hellhound with her after being shot earlier. She was meaning business as she was awaiting my answer to set Sylvanus free from the torment he was under.

"Well, did you swallow your pride and forgive him yet or do I have to lure you down to the pit for all eternity?" she asked.

"I know why Sylvanus did those things to me now," I said. "He was being used by Sawney Masbath the whole time and I didn't realize it until now. The forbidden affair with his sister was more than enough to push him to the edge in which he had to do what that blackmailer said or else his private life would soon be exposed to everyone who didn't think highly of inbred results."

"We all know what happened to Severin when you killed him, but he's in the pit of Hell suffering for his crimes for the rest of his days."

"And I remembered those words that he said to Reiko last year in that factory on Earendil: 'You and your husband are a threat and I am going to weed it out.' That was when she was still heavy with child at the time, but at least the twins are alive and safe for the time being."

"Sawney Masbath and those who fear your rising abouve the galaxy see you to become more powerful than God Himself, but the Destiny of Worlds is also something that will happen the moment you reach the central part of the Ashizoka System. And what about the Draaza who keep painting pictures of you and Reiko over the centuries? They have been waiting for you to shine longer before you were born, for this fate can't be undone by just a simple time travel."

"And I'll see it through till the end, but I'm no god nor a perceived threat. After all, I'm just a simple Man of Letters."

I was transported back to reality as I woke up the sleep I had earlier in the pool of the spirits. Sitting up, I was on my feet as I saw Sybil standing in front of me. She was concerned about my health and well-being as she saw me beginning to lose my balance. It wasn't long until I was being dragged from the pool of the spirits as I felt drained from seeing the bad memories in front of me so far.

"You know about the truth now, don't you?" said Sybil.

"Sylvanus was used this whole time by Sawney Masbath," I said. "When I saw a different side of him, he was feeling guilty for inflicting such pain and cruelty towards me over the years."

"So, you forgave him in the end, even after he broke free from his wall of gore in his prison cell in Hell."

"When I saw him like that, he was a mess in which it was terrible for me to bear. In the end, I had to make peace with Sylvanus or else I would've been put through the same things as him."

"What? By becoming the human wall with nothing but blood and bone etched into stone, wood, and mortar? I know what you've seen 'cause I sensed it in the pool you were in. As for my oafish son of mine, he came back just in time to call Reiko and tell her that you are fine for now, so there's no need to worry too much."

"Well, that's a relief..."

"And another thing..., Dean still harbors ill will towards Sylvanus, but it'll all change when he hears the truth you saw in your memories."

At that moment, I fainted into the pool as the strain of being into the world of the spirits drained my body to the point of exhaustion. It was all too much for me as I now came to terms to the bad memories that I went through in order to move on for the rest of my life...

I woke up in a warm bed as I was in a room that had a warm fire going. Even though the Winterlands weather had an arctic feel, I was warm and toasty in the blankets in the bed as I felt comfortable into forgiving Sylvanus for his abuse after enduring it for so long. Just as I was about to sit up, I noticed a furry black and white cat with extra toes on its paws as it was sitting there at the foot of my bed. I never seen it before as it was walking towards me for some odd reason. By the time I sat up, I petted at the black and white cat as it purred until it was ready to talk to me.

"You sure had the gall to forgive the bastard who caused you so much pain during your years on Gehenna," I heard the cat say. "It's a fleeting gesture, but at least you're not at Mara's mercy when she takes those who don't forgive towards Hell."

"Are you Sybil's familiar?" I asked.

"You may not know me, but I know a lot about your past self before I got killed in the Elder Days."

"I see what you mean now..." I notice the silver name tag on the cat's collar as it had the name, "Pamela" etched onto it. "You had it rough, didn't you?"

"It was rough, but when I was reborn, I was just as cat who never aged a day until Sybil noticed me wandering on the streets one day. I've been with that old woman ever since the Orc who became her lover was killed at the hands of Abaddon years ago before Sterling was born. Still, I'm not the only familiar who runs around here, for Missouri is another one in the form of a rottweiler dog."

"As long as it's not a rubbery sock puppet and smokes a cigar, then it's safe..."

"Your sense of humor is improving, but you still lack the imagination that was taken away from you all those years ago. Luckily, Reuben had a change of heart after seeing you in such a shocking state during the trip home from Shiganshina two months ago. You may have all those hidden talents bottled up after having them ripped away from you at an early age, but in due time, they'll be put into play whether you like it or not. It's a terrible reality that you should've never been subjected to at the hands of Sawney Masbath's machinations, but Sylvanus being used like a puppet is the lowest that I've heard so far."

"Sam!"

I heard Dean's voice coming towards the room as he burst into it with a worried look on his face. He was worried to death about me as he also didn't want me to go towards Hell like that at the hands of Mara and her hellhound like that. With the sky becoming dusk, I was safe after forgiving Sylvanus as I was ready to come home after enduring the bad memories I swept under the rug so far.

"I thought you would be in Lucifer's cage!" cried Dean as he hugged me so swiftly. "It's a godsend that those hellhounds didn't drag you off into the pit!"

"I'm fine, Dean," I said as I was too exhausted to get angry. "In the end, I saw Sylvanus in Hell, but his predicament was a gruesome one."

"Well, he had it coming after what he did to you..."

"Actually, the real puppet wrangler behind my abuse was Sawney Masbath himself in which he made us go with Sylvanus all the way to Gehenna. After that, I forgot my birthday over the years..."

"And after that, you got kicked out when the Wendigo busted up the fort..."

"When I went into the pool of the spirits, I saw him talking to Sawney on the phone about being exposed to the other dignitaries who weren't in the Order of Letters. He even viewed me to be a threat in which he allowed Sylvanus to abuse me over the years, but when I saw him in his prison cell in Hell, he was a mess in which he felt pity for his actions towards me. I know that you find it hard to believe that Sylvanus doesn't deserve a shred of forgiveness, but we would be no different than those who do a lot worse."

"It's like Bobby said to me that if we foster such actions with no forgiveness in our hearts, then we're no different than the monsters that we hunt. I guess that your kind heart saved you in the end after all in which you had the guts to forgive an asshat like Sylvanus. In the end...," I feel Dean hug me even more. "I'm proud of us... Always have, always will..."

And Dean meant what he said as he knew that I had plenty of courage that was put away over the years. In such a gradual measure, we were more than grateful to be out into the open as we were also members of the Order of Letters as well. It was something that we had so far as we also had the presence of the rest of our family that was there, for it would never fade away anytime soon...

Ginryu was in his office as he was busy looking into matters all over the galaxy. It was business as usual as he was on the prowl with such things in mind. With the sightings of Ailnoth getting out of hand, he had a feeling that finding the Knight of Hell wouldn't be an easy task to muster as the factor of his presence has alarmed those who travelled through the outskirts. Just as he was about to get ready for a meeting, he noticed a presence that was supposed to be dead during the Elder Days as he was wanting to get revenge against Ailnoth. It was Cain as he wasn't about to let his former subordinate's activities get out of hand, for he had an agenda against him that was all about revenge in mind.

"I see that you're busy with tracking Ailnoth, aren't you?" he said.

"I've been expecting you…, Cain…," said Ginryu.

"Ailnoth is mine! He had the gall to resurrect Abaddon a hundred years ago, only for her to cause slaughter to innocents who did nothing wrong. She already killed the Bonnefoy family here and the Mirchaias Clan on Trost. Both extinct families have one sole female survivor in each in which they were once the strongest in their abilities. Now, they're teetering on the edge in which Sybil thrived with her Orc bastard who honors her surname in reviving her family while Irylla has no mate to call her own."

"She already has, but it will be one of the acolytes that serve alongside Sam Winchester."

"Let's see that she does because if she doesn't, then Ailnoth will win out in the end. Sooner or later, I will find Abaddon and track down her lover who now bears the Mark and wields the First Blade and when I do, I will find and kill Ailnoth for inciting the betrayal of me in which my beloved Cordelia was taken away from me. I should've killed him when I had the chance, but I made the mistake into letting him live in which he was given a message to send to higher-ups in Hell, including those who served Lucifer. One day, I'll get my vengeance for his part into causing such misery all over the galaxy, but he has blood on his hands that connects directly with Abaddon herself."

"I hate to put a damper on your crusade, but you should also be careful of what Ailnoth poses to those in the galaxy. Even if you end up stopping him, he'll find a bigger hole to hide in just to see you chase your own tail."

"I will have my revenge against him, make no mistake about that one."

And so, Cain vanished without a trace as Ginryu was left with one goal to quell the Father of Murder's uprising against his former subordinate. Still, the tracking and keeping tabs on Ailnoth was something that kept the Order of Letters on high alert as this wasn't the end of what was yet to come so far…

To be continued...