Sing with me all yee who are to blame!

Shout your complaint but do not whisper.

This is the story you all know too well.

The earth was made for you to dwell,

As men and woman of the dark.

Amentet's Sorrow

Dread Lady and Nikobo had simply watched the boy in confusion. Just then the two head leaders of the Council joined them. Rauni and Sirus came walking up together. Dread felt uncomfortable that Sirus was there and was sure that he was staring at the back of her neck despite the spectacle Swwigy made.

"Excuse me, but are you the one called Swwigy?" Sirus said and everyone looked over at the man surprised.

"Yes. Have you heard of me?" Swwigy asked with glee.

"Only just now." Sirus admitted. "You have come here seeking answers as to why your masters and his comrades have been cut off from the Dark Realm."

"Yes!" Swwigy cried. "Throughout my training, he always spoke of the riches and greatness of the dark realm but the stubbornness of it's people!"

"You do not understand the circumstances." Sirus explained. "The child of Darkness had just been born and there were many disturbances in the realm. It was a time to continue on the customs of the council, and those who wished not so, left on their own accord knowing that once gone, they may never return. They were the five of which we have never spoken of since their departure. These five chose to unite with the assassin clans outside our realm. They wished to unite all the dark order, but it could not be done. We cannot change our ways and neither can those that chose to leave.

The people here have lived with a governing body for many generations. Only warriors against the enemies of darkness and enemies of the powers of hell stay here. We do not get mixed up in outside affairs like the assassins do. It is true that most here think of themselves as higher than the dark assassin clans that reside outside the dark realm and yes, it is true that we follow basically the same code. But life here would not bode well for those who cast themselves out." He looked over at Dread as he finished his speech.

Swwigy looked at the master, but did not argue. "You say that only because you are a council member. Someday there will be no council. Someday there will be no dark realm."

Darksin swung out his sword and held it towards Swwigy. "There will be as long as I live." He stated.

"Then perhaps you should die." Swwigy said haughtily.

Both the young boy's eyes penetrated into the others as if willing the hand of death to smite the other.

"Darksin?" Dread Lady asked hesitantly. She had never seen him in such a temper before. Her voice seemed to have a startling effect on both the young men who in turn both looked at her and then back at the other as if jinxed.

Sirus stepped forward. "Darksin, please allow this boy to leave in peace." He said putting his hand on Darksin's head. "Have you found what you are looking for?" He asked Swwigy. Swwigy thought for a moment then nodded.

"I suppose I've found as much as I'll be able to in this blasted place." He said bitterly never taking his eyes off Darksin.

"Dread Lady?" Sirus said and she jumped upon hearing her name.

"Yes, Master?" She said turning towards him with wide eyes.

"Please escort this assassin to the edge of the dark realm." He requested and then turned with Ruani not waiting for an answer. Nikobo followed the two Council Members looking back hesitantly.

"I'll come with you." Darksin decided.

"I'm afraid not." Swwigy said. "I don't need the likes of you following me anyway!"

"I could take you out in a coffin if you'd like." Darksin said snidely, but then left anyway.

"Why do you hang out with that dark muffin?" Swwigy insulted the disappearing figure of Darksin.

"He is the one who brought me here." She said simply. "Shall we uh... go?" She hesitated.

"Yeah, why not?" Swwigy drawled.

"You're not like the others." He stated after they traveled in silence.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You're not an over confident wind cloud, that's what I mean." He said darkly.

"Well DarkSin is the one who believes I belong here..."

"Whose your Master? Is it that Council Member? It better not be that 12th apostle..."

"What? Uh... no. Nikobo isn't my master... but he is... Everyone is my master."

He laughed. "And they talk about tradition." He mocked. "It's tradition to only have one master."

"Well yes but Darksin..."

"Enough about him!" The boy said angrily. "You probably don't really belong here do you? I've seen how they treat you."

"What?"

"You haven't felt their stares? I can't say for sure but I have a feeling that they think you are weird."

Dread Lady stopped angrily. "How dare you... insult me!" She stuttered.

"I'm not insulting you." Swwigy rolled his eyes. "But I can feel these things sometimes. It's a part of my mysterious side." He smiled.

"Well whatever... just go!" Dread Lady pointed forward.

"Dread Lady..." Swwigy hesitated. "Come with me."

"What?"

"You could be treated better than this! Everyone already knows who you are, so why not benefit from it in the real world away from all this... all this... garbage!"

"I will not. I'm not an assassin." She argued. "I kill demons. Not people."

Swwigy looked at her skeptically. "I could argue a different story, but that's not the point." He paused and looked her over one more time. "Eh... nevermind. Go live your little fantasy of being Darksin's maid! See if I care!" And with that he walked off.

Dread Lady watched him leave his strange words ringing in her ears. A shadow seemed to form above her and she turned quickly making her way back to the heart of the Darkness. She felt as if someone was watching her, so she ran. Once, she turned to look behind her and thought she saw the outline of a blue ghastly ghost, but when she looked again, it was gone.

She made it to the tents on the outskirts of the temple out of breath. "Dread Lady, what's wrong?" Darksin said alarmed. "Did he do something stupid?" He asked angrily about to go after the one called Swwigy.

"No." She assured. "I just ran back, that's all." She shrugged as if it were no big deal. Darksin looked at her skeptically but went back to his tent for the night.

Swwigy walked away from the Dark Realm throwing his ball up and down angrily. "Stupid people..." He mumbled annoyed. "I hate Realms of Darkness and councils... Now communism..." He muttered. "There's something I admire. But Councils think they're all good and majestic!"

"Indeed." A figure said stepping in Swwigy's path. Swwigy caught his ball unafraid.

"Why hello, cloaked stranger." Swwigy stated bluntly. "I don't suppose you seek the dark realm too?"

"I'm not allowed into the Dark Realm." The blue cloaked stranger stated. "You would think even children of masters would be allowed to stay but if they are missing the dark mark then they are abandoned... much like your master."

"How do you know about my master?" Swwigy said with interest.

"I know everything about you since you don't exactly hide your feelings like most assassins do. I read your mind." He chuckled darkly.

"Hah!" Swwigy stated. "You liar. Who are you and what do you want?"

"There are those who call me Dubium and usually it is the mind I destroy... but then you are much like me so I can't destroy you in this way."

"You are mad sir. Now get out of my way." Swwigy demanded.

"So young..." Dubium commented. "It is ashamed you aren't older, then maybe I could use you as an ally."

Swwigy walked past Dubium without answering at first. "I work alone." He stated.

"How many sides of yourself live inside you?" Dubium asked. With that Swwigy stopped short and turned.

"What do you mean?" He asked suspiciously.

"There is one of you who is like any normal being but then again you are human... Then there is an insane face that laughs within your soul. Your mysterious side helps you see into another person's thoughts... but then..." He searched deeper into the mind of the boy called Swwigy. Swwigy looked at him with shock realizing the sorcerers probing, but too curious to get him to stop. Dubium continued after a dark chuckle. "Then you have an evil side. An evil fire that yearns to destroy the world and it shall never be extinguished... Let's see that makes up four Swwigy's inside of one... that could be used as a weapon you know."

"What do you mean?" Swwigy said skeptically loosing interest.

"If you could live as four separate parts, your powers could be immense. But then the strain may destroy you. Having four different thoughts at the same time usually destroys a man." He looked at Swwigy smiling maliciously.

"Hah! You can't hurt me!" Swwigy swore.

Dubium continued to smile. "Oh but I can... and I will. Blessed be the day when I take my revenge out on assassins. Today is that day."

"What was Swwigy talking about?" Dread asked Rauni the next day at lessons.

"It's as Sirus said. Times were different then and the five members were lost to us."

"Who were they?"

"Once a person leaves the dark realm, their acquired name of Darkness cannot be spoken again." She said with eyes raised. "It is true that they are still a part of our order since one can never loose the dark mark and the skills acquired from it, but most of them chose to be assassins and that class itself is outside our traditions."

"I don't understand. What does Swwigy have to do with the order?"

"He was most likely trained by one of the five that left the dark realm. And now he carries on his masters ideas and skills."

"So there are assassins who are part of the order of darkness?"

"Yes, they follow most of the same codes as us yet they tend to be a little less civilized than the warriors who reside here."

"What do you mean?"

"Assassins live outside the dark realm and have no governing body. You are on your own for the most part if you choose the life of an assassin."

"Why were they cast out of the dark realm and forgotten?"

"That usually happens when you disrupt our ways..."

"Do I disrupt the ways?" Dread asked meekly.

Rauni looked at her surprised. "Yes." She agreed. "Yes, you do, but Darksin would like to keep you here."

"What does the council think?" Dread dared to ask. Rauni looked at the girl with no emotion showing in her face. It looked as if she was gonna say something, but she didn't. Finally she choose her words carefully.

"It does not matter what any of us think." She muttered. "My boy Darksin has become our new leader. And even if one of the council disagrees with his judgment we must trust him."

"But why?" Dread prodded.

"No more questions." Rauni said and Dread knew that it was the end of their lesson as Rauni always said the same thing each time.

"Thank you, Master." Dread bowed and ran from the Council member who watched her go shaking her head.

Rauni walked back to her quarters and was surprised to find a woman in her room. "Amentet?" Rauni questioned her relative. The older council woman Rauni and the younger council woman Amentet, had traced their ancestry back to a man who lived in the dark realm over five generations ago. Even though they were not sisters or even cousins they still treated each other as family.

"I had dreams about him again." Amentet mentioned. She was a wavy haired woman with a set face like Rauni. Even though there aged differed by ten years, Amentet could have passed as being the same age as the elder council woman because of the lines and wrinkles that had lined her face. Worry and distress filled her face despite her practice as being a highly esteemed member of the council.

Rauni sat down besides her. "Sirus came by, but I told him I wanted to talk to you." She continued.

"Amen..." Rauni started. "We have both lost children."

"But you have the prodigy!" Amentet argued.

"I can not even face my son because he hates me and everything I stand for so much."

"It is true that the dark mark is a mysterious thing." Rauni stated rubbing the woman's back.

"But what if it had been different!" Amentet said sorrowfully.

"We've been through this before..."

"I can't help it. It's like I sense him somehow. And I know what he's done. And they're horrible things! I wonder if only he had had the mark, would he still have done bad things?"

"We can never tell the future or contemplate what it would be like to change the past." Rauni said solemnly.

"I know. It's just sometimes I think of it. It pains my heart." She put her head in her hands. "Sometimes I look at his name in Bia's book."

"What?" Rauni gasped.

"I can't help it. It's as if reading his name over and over has some sort of comfort."

"You must forget him."

"You know I can't do that. Just as you can't forget your son."

"My son..." Rauni stumbled. "My son doesn't know me."

"My son hates me."

"Then perhaps it is time for us to accept..."

"I know... It's hard."

"Indeed."

"I..."

"Hush."

"Thanks Rauni."

"Hush."