Loki approached Icarus who was tied up and said, "You were supposed to stay home until morning, but you didn't. Now you're useless to me." Though Loki had a plan, Icarus' ability to wield Nova had complicated things. Instead of stealing the clan's barrier and sealing techniques, Loki would have to take Icarus' body and use it as a temporary vessel. Afterward, Icarus' body would be disposed of when a proper host was found, leaving his soul restless forever. Icarus couldn't respond because his mouth was gagged, and his arms and legs were tied.
"Oh dear me!" Loki exclaimed in a feigned tone of shock. He quickly leaned down to free the boy's limbs and remove his gag. "How do you feel now? I can't have a chat with my student in such a state. I'm sure you have questions, and as your teacher, I must answer them." The man smiled and stood expectantly as if they were back in the classroom and this absurd situation hadn't occurred.
It had become clear to Icarus that Loki was planning to unleash the Great Evil. He needed a member of the Silo Clan to teach him the techniques, and Icarus was that person. Loki had disguised his intentions as training, and Icarus would have willingly shared all the knowledge of the techniques and their workings. But the question that troubled Icarus was, why? What was Loki's motive and how would he benefit from it?
"Who are you and what connection do you have with the Great Evil?" He asked
"I am Loki, Chief of the Wildling Troop and Archbishop of the Mad God Cult" Loki answered.
"That doesn't answer what your connection to the Great Evil is, Teacher," Icarus responded sarcastically to his former mentor.
"Jabberwock is the God that the cult worships and generation after generation of our members have been seeking out this place to release him. I am one of the few remaining members, but not for long. The world will remember us and the terror of the Mad God once again." Loki told the child, no trace of a smile on his face. "Now get up we are going to the shrine, don't make me use my technique I would prefer not to harm the vessel."
Icarus rose from his chair in the tavern, his movements sluggish and laborious. He followed Loki outside, the cool night air hitting him like a wave. As soon as they stepped out, Icarus took off, and Loki wasted no time in pursuing him. He drew on the tiny amount of Nova he had in his center, and it flowed through him like a current, giving him the speed he needed to escape Loki. As they ran, Icarus became a blur, his feet pounding the pavement as he pushed himself to the limit. Loki, on the other hand, was growing increasingly impatient. He loved games more than anything, but even he had his limits.
"Deadman Circus"
As Icarus ran, he suddenly felt a familiar touch on his hand from behind a tree. He stopped in his tracks and tried to reach out for the hand, only to freeze when he saw who it was. It was his mother, who had passed away. The woman standing behind the tree was the spitting image of her, with the same smile, the same eyes, and the same hair. He knew it wasn't possible, but he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with emotion. As he approached her, she opened her arms wide and embraced the boy. Icarus felt a wave of comfort and love as he hugged his mother. He started crying uncontrollably, completely overjoyed that he could reunite with his mother. He couldn't form a sentence through his sobs and felt like nothing else mattered. It was as if time had stopped, and all that existed was the love he shared with his mother.
"It wasn't your fault," the woman whispered. "I regret giving birth to such a disappointment." Hearing this, Icarus's eyes widened. He tried to push away from the woman and respond, but the face looking back at him shocked him. Blood poured from all the orifices in her face and her body began to wither and become skeletal, despite this her grip on the boy got tighter.
"Why!' She wailed "Why!"
Icarus was unable to shake free from the grip and began to panic. He could feel his heart rate begin to rise rapidly and breath begin to shorten, he did not know what to do. The more the woman wailed the more grotesque her figure became, and in turn, caused Icarus to become more frantic. His heart was thudding in his throat and the rest of his body began to convulse uncontrollably from the stress of the situation, and Icarus began to go unconscious.
"Release," Loki said.
The illusion now dispelled Icarus was able to regain his composure slightly, but his spirit was shaken. Loki's technique if successful trapped its victim's mind in a hallucination that became more vivid and powerful the more one affected by it. And the whole time while under the hallucination the victim would be vulnerable to Loki as the technique did not restrict his freedom of movement.
"Look, I gave you a shot now come peacefully, my patience is running thin."
Icarus could not escape and no longer had the will to fight, his opponent was too far out of his league. Resigned to his fate he stood up again, giving up on any idea of retaliation or resistance. Hell, why should he care what happens to the Clan, or the World, or some stupid seal, nobody ever cared about him. 'Screw them all!' he thought to himself as anger began to well up inside once again.
"I can sense you gathering Nova, stop it," Loki told the boy, sensing a change in his energy.
"I'm not doing it on purpose, it gathers when I'm mad" Icarus replied
"HAHAHAHAHA, so anger was your trigger? Don't tell me you were never able to gather Nova because you have never been angry before." Loki laughed at the absurd notion.
"Never. Anger isn't an emotion that the weak have the privilege of being able to express."
"My goodness, I almost feel bad for you. Almost." Loki smiled, "Now up the steps, hurry!" Loki ordered as they reached the stairway that led to the shrine. The two headed up the steps and passed through the gate leading to the main area of the shrine they felt an oppressive crush down on them. Due to his low Grade and Level, Icarus fell to his knees and struggled to breathe, whereas Loki only showed signs of mild discomfort.
"What is it today? Nothing seems to be moving as I planned!" Loki shouted his frustrations. distressed. He raised his voice in anger and frustration, "I can't believe this! What is it today? Nothing seems to go as planned!". The cause of his anger stemmed from the fact someone was ruining his fun, not the fact that no other parties were aiming for the same goal. If anything he was happy that there were more players as it made the proceedings more interesting, but to join like this with no introduction was in poor spirit, and this enraged Loki. "Whoever else is in this Shrine show yourselves now and explain your reason for being here!" Loki shouted out in the open courtyard of the Shrine to no response. "Look here genius we know you're here, your energy is leaking out all over the place, not very stealthy if I might add." Icarus craned his neck and stared in shock at his former teacher, the man was antagonizing something that powerful, how strong must he be the boy thought to himself.
Emerging from the hall in front of the courtyard, a slender young man with vibrant red hair around the age of 19, spoke up about the importance of proper etiquette when entering a person's home. "It is a guest that should announce themselves upon entering someone's home, not the owner" His voice echoed through the space, filling it with authority and conviction. The oppressive energy that had hung heavily in the air suddenly dissipated, returning to its source. Icarus, the person who had been affected by the energy, was able to steady himself and regain his composure. Loki, who was also present, remained curious about the young man's presence. Icarus also recognized him, though he couldn't fathom how Lapyx could produce such an aura.
"That is true, where have my manners gone."I must admit, I have been rude," said Loki as he examined the situation and evaluated the new addition to the board. "I am part of the Mad God Cult, and I am here to break the seal and unleash Jabberwock. If you understand my intentions, please step aside. Your brother and I need to handle something." Loki added with insincere politeness.
"Oh your too late for that then" Lapyx responded to the man with genuine sympathy. "An why is that?" Loki asked the young man, now confused.
"Because I freed him of course."