The wind howled around the mysterious man as he walked towards the two young boys with the deadly gracefulness of a huntress stalking a deer. He locked his menacing red eyes on one of the boys, a skinny kid with blue hair and silver eyes that showed a look of pure fear. Lightning struck, and the man's face disappeared behind his black cloak in the white light.

Meanwhile, the little girl behind the man tripped, falling and scraping her knees. The muddy water stained her pale blue dress as she quickly stood up. No one wanted to make a fool of themselves in front of Royce Hunter. Despite the elegant dress and the quick, nervous leap of her heartbeat, she was actually very rebellious. Cassidy Blaze, preferring Cassie, had the personality of a snake and the aggressiveness of a tiger.

Despite her fearless attitude, her stomach somersaulted when Royce spoke, barely audibly, "Come along, Cassie. This weather is perfect for your magic. I don't understand why you're tripping like this."

"I'm so sorry," she murmured nervously.

Instead of the scolding she normally received, Royce merely smiled and walked on. Someone was in a good mood.

They walked on, barely fazed by the rain and deadly lightning, until Cassie crashed into Royce's back as he abruptly stopped. His eyes were transfixed to the boy as a demon's smile appeared on his face.

Cassie frowned at the weak demeanor of the two boys. "Why do we need these two?"

Royce pulled back his hood, revealing a young face with slanted red eyes, long silver hair, two black lines on the bridge of his nose, and a long, arrow shaped scar running down his right eye. Smiling, he corrected, " It's not 'two', Cassidy, it's only one. I need him." He pointed down at the boy with blue hair.

The young boy looked in horror and shrunk back, just as his brother stood up, trembling, "I won't let you take Wyatt." Though he was probably an inch shorter than Cassie, she couldn't help but feel an aura of authority around him. "Stupid. He's human," she muttered.

Meanwhile, Royce's smile only widened. "A great attempt, Chase Clark, but futile." With a flick of his hand, the boy crumpled up and fell asleep, his ratty brown hair hanging into his eyes.

"Chase?" The blue haired boy looked at Royce in horror and anger. "What did you do to him?"

Royce laughed. He knelt down in front of the boy and forced him to look into his eyes. "I just merely set him aside, Wyatt."

"How do you know my name?" Wyatt shivered.

"I know everything about you, Wyatt. Everything from your favorite dish to what brand of shoes you like best."

Royce flicked his hand once more, and Wyatt whispered, "No," before shutting his eyes. His breathing slowed. Royce made another motion with his hand. A symbol, like a cross with four needles in the middle of them, almost like a quadratic anchor burned into his skin. The Mark of Royce. He straightened up. "Come along, Cassidy. Mission complete."

"What about his brother?"

Royce pondered in the rain before saying, "Take him. He'll be useful as a bribe."

Cassie slung Chase over her shoulder and dragged him away as Royce studied Wyatt before laughing as he ran with Cassie, removing Wyatt and Chase from civilization as they disappeared into the shadows, never to be seen again.