"How are the men in the infirmary?" Salvatore asked
"They say that have a hard time remembering basic things," Marcello responded
"What?" Salvatore let out
"They remember stopping at the lab but after that nothing," Marcello says
Salvatore stood up and walked towards Marcello, he looked up at Salvatore with his hands turned into fists,
"It's back from some reason and I believe that it won't be the last we see of him," Marcello told him,
"I don't either, Marcello," Salvatore told him,
He walks back to his chair while saying, "Is there a vision block in any way?"
Marcello remembered the description of a black mist covering the vision while a deep voice talked to them. Threatening his men,
"Yes, the shadow blocked their vision with a fog before threatening them in all sorts of manners," Marcello said
"And that would be..."
His voice starts to muffle from the other side of the door, Avalon lifts her head away from the door with a light sigh, She walks away from the door and moves slowly through the hallway, She looks out at the window and sees that a light fog creeps around the building, she walked into the lobby finding it dark,
"Med bay," Avalon muttered
She walked to Jane's desk and placed her hand on the computer, Avalon hummed remembering her past hacking before letting go of it, however, something stopped her.
"You know master will find you,"
The man in the hallway is covered by a shadow and Avalon stared at him bewildered as she looked over at the hallway. She felt her hands burn as the man spoke to her again,
"They talk to you as well? Interesting. That just gives master more reason to kill you,"
The man walked out of the shadow showing a man with green glowing eyes with black mist coming off his eyes, Avalon glared at them man knowing who was talking through the man, She steps towards the man,
"I have no tolerance for you. Leave that man be and flee the building," Avalon threatened
"Our what?"
A woman walks up to the man with her hand now resting on her shoulder, She has the same eyes the man does but with a sickening smirk on her face,
"You can't do anything to me, Avalon, You will just have to deal with my puppets."
Another woman walked with the other two, They walked toward Avalon who stood there with her hand burning brighter.
"Who said that it would hurt them," Avalon said
The man grabbed her arm, only for the shadow to rip away from her and lean back, Avalon moved closer to them and one of the women went at her, Avalon lifted her hand to protect herself. A gunshot went through the room, stopping the woman in her tracks, having the bullet logged into her leg,
"Avalon,"
She glanced behind her and saw Marcello behind her, He walked toward her having his gum aimed at them and the shadow laughed through the three.
"Marcello how he will be so pleased that you still live"
Marcello went in front of Avalon,
"Get out of my men and leave the premises," Marcello said
The shadow laughed at him again before more voices came from behind the other three, "I will not leave,"
They stalked closer to them both while Avalon stood beside Marcello, he glanced at her before looking ahead at the men he went with to the lab, One of them lunged at Marcello, but Avalon went in front of him her hands burning grabbing the woman, the shadow screamed at her while a thought came to it.
"How is she still able to burn me?"
He went out of the woman, making her faint, A black fog gathered above them while the people it controlled screamed out, as the remnant of the shadow went out of them, merging above Avalon and Marcello with voices screaming out of it until a voice is called out of it.
"Shadow,"
Avalon felt her heart stop... he was alive as well. Avalon snarled at the shadow while Blake's voice went through it once more,
"Why waste your time mocking the enemy when you could have brought me more time,"
Marcello glares up at the shadow while it swirles above them, glowing in the shine of the moon. Before the shadow can respond, Marcello shouts,
"Blake!"
The shadow stopped with an angered voice went through it.
"I see that you live, Marcello... what a shame. I hoped that you would have fallen with the rest of them... no matter,"
The shadow moves away from the wall, heading towards the door, with Avalon and Marcello watching it, but Blake's voice calls out to them again,
"Avalon, the next time we meet I will not let you leave alive,"
"Good luck with that Blake," Avalon scoffed
He laughed before the shadow went to the lobby doors, seeping through the door, and leaving them both in the lobby, Avalon let out a breath before walking to one of the knocked-out women while Marcello followed her saying, "Avalon what could..."
Avalon bent down to the woman and placed her hand over her eyes, lifting the lid. Her eyes are brown, she nods letting go of the woman, and stands up,
"I'm not sure Marcello," Avalon said
"But that shadow is gone from them," She continued
Footsteps from behind them stopped behind Marcello,
"Marcello, what is the noise you..."
Salvatore stopped, seeing the man and woman knocked out on the ground with Avalon looking back at him, She turned to him while Salvatore walked up to the both of them shocked at the scene until a thought accrued to him,
"It was his shadow?"
"Yes that it was," Avalon answered
"That damn shadow,"
Blake seethed before looking down at the piece of wood, he remembered how his mother would train him in the backyard, holding her staff with grace and humility while having strength and confidence. He twirled the wood in his hand, having a memory of his mother twirling the staff.
"Blake dear move your wrist with the wood,"
He looked up at Rhina watching them twist the staff in front of her, She kept turning the wood making it a shield in front of her and Blake saw this. He moves his wrist with the motion of his hand and turns the wood with his momentum, Rhina smiles as a young Blake uses the word to help his effort,
"Keep going Blake," Rhina encouraged
He moved the wood around him while closing his eyes. However, Blake didn't notice Rhina looking at him alarmed.
"What could this be?" She thought
A dark shadow lays around him while the wooden staff has her aura around it, Blake stops stepping toward her hoping his eyes, he stood up noticing his mothers staring at him disturbed.
"Mom?" Blake asked
Rhina stopped and gave him a small smile. She walks to him explaining,
"It's nothing Blake I just saw what couldn't be,"
She stands in front of him and is now in a stance, Blake smiles wildly before following her lead.
"I should have known that she saw it," Blake muttered
He glanced at the wood in his hand, he twirled it on his finger while thinking.
"Why would she leave me this price of wood?"
He looked at it with a snare.
"It not going to be useful in my aid against Shepherd or Avalon, "
He placed the wood on the table beside him still in deep thought,
"With that damn shadow doing what it wants, I will have to find a way to rebuild what was stolen from me,"
Blake got out of his chair and felt a pain rip through him. He scoffed holding his side.
"Avalon why must you still wound me,"
He continued to walk away from the price of wood to the window wanting to watch for the shadow.
"I wonder why it would want to antagonize them... We should have built something before and then struck. But,"
He lifts his hand from his side, noticing that the bruise from before only got worse. He grunted at the pain before looking out the window where the moon shone down on him, casting a light on his body showing the scares of the past and present,
"It won't matter at the end. I will rebuild what was mine before they know of it, "
Blake smiled at the thought of placing his on the window, starting at the moon,
"It's just like her,"
"Shining above everyone not mockingly but glowing with intelligence,"
The moon was covered in clouds until a large gust of wind went by, and the light shined on him once more until a dark cloud covered the window. The dark cloud opened the window and spoke to Blake,
"Master, did you see?"
The shadow closed the window and moved around its master, It laughed while Blake moved away from the window, walking to his chair,
"Yes, that I did shadow,"
"It was so riveting seeing them both cower at what m… we could do,"
Blake's eyes snapped at the shadow. He figured it was trying to use him and this gave him another reason to stay alert. Blake sat back down, glaring at his shadow.
"What was that shadow?" Blake seethed
The shadow lies on his shoulder before it feels a dangerous force coming from Blake, growing stronger around him.
"M...Master I don't know what you mean?"
"What I mean shadow is what did you mumble?" Blake snarled
"I didn't mean anything wrong by it my master, I just wanted to please you,"
"Fine," Blake muttered
"I will let it slide for now, however, I will watch that fog," Blake thought
"But master, did you see what I did to them?"
"Yes, that I did. Why did you decide to bug them?" Blake asked
The shadow giggled at this floating away from his master, showing the past.
the shadow showed Avalon glaring up at it with Marcello behind her, Blake scanned over it and saw a hand grab, Avalon. Blake seethed inwardly, remembering Marcello trying to protect her,
"Look how scared they have got my master, they can't even imagine how powerful you are..." It stopped
It observes Blake move his hand aside, dashing away the vision, and now stares at it with no chine to be had in his eyes. He stood up from his chair his shadow squirming with apologies,
"Master, what is it that upset you?"
Blake took a step towards him, making the shadow shiver and quack.
"Did you do this to mock me, shadow?"
"No... No matter I just wanted to,"
"Wanted to what shadow? Bringing up an old scare burning with a past want that would never be realized," Blake yelled
Blake now stands in the middle of the shadow holding out his hand for it, Shadow let out a shout, "Master didn't mean from this, I just wanted to make you enjoy,"
Blake glared at the shadow that now lay in his palm, the shadow's voice still went through his head whimpering and yelling.
"I just want you to enjoy there,"
"There what shadow? what could have possibly come out of this, fear? No, that woman will not fear me," Blake said
"No matter but to have the boy know of you,"
"What do you mean by that?" Blake inquired
The shadow knew it had to trick him to keep it in control,
"That boy behind her, you know of him don't you?"
"Once yes," He answered
"Who says he won't betray her like you have done,"
Blake didn't believe this fog, it had had enough of his patients.
"Shadow I've had enough of your tricks,"
He starts to close his hand having the shadow scream out, "Didn't Morrigan control him once,"
Blake didn't stop his hand from crushing the shadow until a voice came from out of the shadows,
"Blake!"
He remembers that voice. he turned to it and saw a woman covered with a shadow of her own,