Hello everyone and welcome back to HellFall!

So last week's chapter was extremely late. Sorry about that, I actually edited and saved the chapter on my account, but I forgot to post it. Then I tried to edit the chapter explaining that but for some reason it didn't go through. Unless it did (although I checked last week), in which case this is just repetition.

IMPORTANT: Hope that got your attention. If you haven't already read The Candidates, the side story of HellFall, but would like to, then I suggest you do it now. In this chapter they play a somewhat important role, and you'd be better off reading it first, if you haven't already. But otherwise, enjoy the chapter!

"Oh, Gazini." Thunder said, looking up from the newspaper as he walked by, "Just the man I wanted to see"

I blinked awake. I'd been napping in one of the chairs in the military base on our floor. "Hmm?" I asked.

"I looked into the Freeze and Stars families." He started, "They line up"

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked.

"Don't you remember?" He asked, "Maud Freeze and Hawksbill Stars. The trials? Any of this ringing a bell?"

I paused to think, then remembered, "Oh, right." I replied, "That"

"So did you look into the Witch and Simms families yet?"

"…No" I replied.

Thunder sighed, "Gazini, you need to do your job. You know that"

"Sorry," I replied, "Been a little busy"

"With what?" Thunder asked, "Napping in my chair?"

"I'll get on it right away" I said, not moving.

"Alright, get going then" He said.

He walked off, and after a few moments I stood and started looking. It wasn't hard to find their contact information, or where they'd lived. It's not like they live in secrecy or anything.

I went to the Simms family residence first. They lived closest to the military base. Turns out, Mr. Alien Simms is a police officer locally.

I knocked on his door, and a young man answered. He had pale blue hair and equally pale, only white, skin. His face was covered in freckles, and he had deep green eyes. He was rather thin too.

"What is it?" He asked impatiently.

"Hi," I said, "I'm looking for Alien Simms"

The boy sighed a little, "'Kay, hold on." He turned to the inside of his house and yelled, "Dad! The door's for you!"

"I'm coming Dodger!" A voice called back.

"You're Dodger Simms?" I asked.

The boy turned back to me, "Yeah," He replied, "and you are?"

"Gazini Void." I replied, reaching out and shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure"

Dodger nodded hesitantly, "Okay, so what? You're another cop or something?"

Just then a man appeared at the door. He had a muscular build and pale skin. His hair was pale green, and his eyes were deep green, just like Dodger's. On the other hand, he didn't have the freckles that his son did.

"Hello, what can I help you with?" The man asked upon seeing me.

"Alien Simms?" I asked.

"Just Al is fine" He said.

"Okay," I said, "I need to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind"

"Not at all," Al replied, "Would you like to come in?"

"Uh, yes" I replied, stepping inside. I shuffled out of my shoes and left them by the front door.

"Here, come with me." Al said, walking past the staircase facing the front door. "Dodger, head upstairs"

"Actually I think that your son should sit in on this" I said.

Al hesitated, "What's this about?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"It's…" I hesitated, hoping that it wasn't a sensitive topic, "…about Aero"

Al didn't speak for a second, then nodded and gestured for me to follow him, "Well, come on in then. Don't be shy. Dodger, you too"

I walked past the staircase and into his kitchen. Before me was a table, with a kitchen to the right and a living room to the left.

"You can sit down wherever." He said, "Do you want anything to drink?"

"I'm fine" I replied, taking a seat at the table. Dodger took a seat across from me. He didn't say anything. Al joined us shortly after, carrying three glasses of water that sat in the middle of the table the entire time.

"So what's this about?" Al asked, "You know something about my ex-wife?"

"Yes." I replied, "I understand that Aero died multiple years ago. Is that correct?"

"Yes" He replied.

"Do you know where she was going that day?"

"Well," he started, "she said there was a contest for… something big, and she was a contestant. So she went"

"Is that everything?" I asked.

He nodded, "The note she received was rather vague"

"A note?" I asked.

"Yes"

"Do you still have it?"

"I believe so"

"May I see it?"

"Of course." He turned to Dodger, "Go check the filing cabinet"

The boy stood and walked out of the room.

After a brief pause Al asked, "Are you investigating her death?"

"In a way." I replied, "I just need some info on her"

Dodger returned a moment later, an envelope in hand. He handed it to me and sat down.

"Thank you Dodger" I said, pulling the letter out and reading it over. It was a simple, but vague, letter. When I reached the end I saw that it was from Rocco Trask.

"Well?" Al asked, "Does it help?"

"Yes." I replied, "Do you know what happened to your wife after she left?"

"She was found dead the next day." Al replied, "That's all they ever found"

"The cause of death is unknown?" I asked.

"A bullet" He replied simply.

I nodded, trying to think about what to do with this information.

"I know where she went that day." I said, "She went to participate in trials for Rocco Trask. It was for him to be able to find the perfect solider and clone them to make the perfect army. Where was she found?"

Al didn't reply.

"Al?" I asked.

"On Steel Cliff, overlooking it" Dodger replied.

"Thank you Dodger"

"How do you know this?" Al asked.

"I'm working with the military on a particularly big case." I replied, "As it turns out, your wife was connected to Rocco Trask, whom we believe was involved in our case"

"Well where is he, then?" He asked, "We should get the police on this"

"He's dead." I replied, "I made sure of that"

Al looked down at the table, distraught. "What's this army?" He asked suddenly, looking back up.

"The army?" I asked, "I'm sorry, but I can't reveal anything more at this time"

"Is it a cause for concern?"

"For now, no." I replied, "We're working to make sure that it doesn't get worse"

"Should I be leaving Atlas?"

"I don't think that that will be necessary"

He didn't reply. "Could I be of help?" He asked. "I'm a cop"

"I know." I replied, "I'll contact you if-" and then the idea hit me. "Actually, do you have any hunting experience?"

"I attended Atlas academy." He replied, "Why? Could it help?"

"I think you could. Do you have a team?"

He nodded.

"Could you connect with them? We're assembling a team of hunters just in case. If you've kept up your hunting you could be helpful"

"I'll contact them." He said, "Thank you"

"No, thank you" I said, pulling my scroll out of my pocket.

"No, I mean, thank you for the info." He replied, "And for this opportunity"

"It's not a problem." I said, "You guys deserve to know. Here, get out your scroll"

We connected our scrolls and I stood to leave. "We'll keep in touch, alright?"

"Sounds like a plan" Al said.

"Thanks again" I said, heading to the front door and slipping into my shoes, then leaving.

Next up was the Witch family. They lived quite a ways away, so I'd brought my moped.

I knocked on the door, and a rather plump woman answered. "Hello?" She asked, "May I help you?"

"Yes," I said, "Mrs. Witch? I'm Gazini Void, I'm wondering if I could ask you a few questions"

"Okay," the woman replied, "What about?"

"Do you know what happened before your son, Cerberus, disappeared?"

"Disappeared?" She asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, where he was going before he died" I replied.

"Died? When?" She was obviously worried.

"Quite a few years ago." I replied, "Was it for a contest?"

"A contest?" She asked, "Well, yes, I remember that. But Cerberus came home a few days later. He didn't disappear"

"I'm sorry?" I asked, somewhat surprised, "He didn't die?"

"Well no," she replied, "in fact, I just talked to him yesterday"

"He was here?" I asked.

"Oh, sure." She said, "He came by to visit. He's been travelling a lot, you see"

"Do you know where he is now?" I asked.

"Oh," she sighed, "um, I think he said that he was going to be staying in town a while. He'll probably be back tonight, if you'd like to meet him"

"I'd appreciate that." I said, "When should I come by?"

"Any time after seven I'd say. I don't know when exactly. He's an unpredictable fella, my boy"

"Alright, thank you ma'am"

"Don't mention it." She said, "Is he in trouble?"

"I thought he was" I replied simply.

"Oh, okay" she said.

"I'll see you later then" I said, backing down her front stairs.

"Okay, bye" She closed the door as I turned around and started down the street.

Thunder definitely needs to hear this, I thought as I rode down the road to the military base.

So there you have it. Not a whole lot of info, but Cerberus Witch lives. That's kinda important, right?

Fun fact: When I created all the characters for The Candidates I had the full intention of killing them all off, save for Dennis of course. But I liked Cerberus so much that I wanted to keep him alive. So I had to come up with a way in which he'd go about doing that, as well as what purpose he'd serve. Of course, I figured that out pretty quick and now here he is...in next week's chapter. Sorry folks, you'll have to wait another week for the Witch.

I haven't written in so long, which probably isn't a good thing. I'm hoping to finish up an old chapter tonight and maybe do another one, but I'm not entirely sure. Fingers crossed, I guess.

Anyways, that's about it. As usual, favorite, follow, review, tell your friends, tell your enemies, or don't if you don't want to, and I'll see you all in the next chapter!