For the first time in a long time; the elven Enforcer almost seemed human.

Hawkims remembered when Mantis had first burst into Grimmordials, brash and overconfident with little care for life. Even her own safety didn't matter as long as she got what she wanted but he knew that was only a false bravado matched by every member in the Swarm. 

It was the same for other gangs too. The Gearloose gang was known for gathering oddities and crackpots to their cause yet when it came to face something like the Overtaken he had fought, it paled in comparison. That was truly a being devoid of humanity. 

"How do you-" Hack asked, but not before Mantis could interrupt him.

"I just know, OK?" 

Mantis snapped, her reaction no different to anything beforehand. But her body language was like a dog afraid of its master. Angry and scared that answered everything with hostility no matter what was said in what tone. 

The elven stayed put on the half broken couch, too afraid to pay attention to the quiet rumbling of the annoyed Sand Wraith. Hawkins' mouth tweaked upwards, comparing Hack's reaction to an insulted Fleetfoot dragon at a debate. 

Hack tried to wordlessly communicate with Hawkins by glaring at him to give the go ahead to use his Trait. The Smoke Traited however, could see the hurt and fear in Mantis' eyes and he shook his head at the outraged Sand Wraith. 

Rin stayed silent, giving the Air Traited concerned glances but attempted to concentrate on her notes. Cull however, let out a heavy sigh and folded his arms before starting to explain, his voice suddenly sincere and calm.

"Our old boss before Hornet took over…." He began, faltering at the sight of Mantis' harsh glare but he closed his eyes and kept going.

"He used to use these to force us not to reveal anything about the Swarm. He killed half of our group in an instant with one Lockbind curse and imprisoned the rest just for the fun of it."

Hawkins was stunned, not just because of the confession but the rapid change in mood from arrogance to vulnerability. His vision blurred while Cull paused his story to slowly eat the last of the Insta Puff rolls. 

Quietly he offered half to his sister and the scene overlapped with a younger version of the two, dirty and chained to each other while they coddled closer for warmth. Cull conjured a matchstick sized flame to heat up the soiled, moldy dough before anyone could snatch it away.

"Cricket arrived soon after that to turn the tables but our current boss Hornet was never the same after that. She used to be part of a clan, after all so it's no wonder she took it badly. Rin, all of us took it badly."

Hawkins winced as the Scale Shrieker gasped, Hack staying silent but his eyes were wide with horror. The thought of undergoing such an ordeal at such a young age was harrowing, unable to speak of the hardships they were undergoing. 

Even if their abuse was clearly visible, there was no way for them to admit the crimes against them because they would only suffer and eventually die in agony from the curse. Hornet and Cricket were not part of the Swarm at that time but as soon as the unruly Lightning Traited arrived with the young Tarragon they took over and thrust the twins with a new responsibility. Babysitting Cricket.

"Cull!" Rin hissed loudly, still wary of the idea of anyone arriving to reprimanding them. 

Hawkins could tell how scared the young Fire Traited was, terrified at the thought of anyone or anything moving unnaturally in case of any eavesdroppers or imaginary assassins. 

"What? He's dead now. It doesn't matter anymore. He got what he deserved." Cull reminded her, his tone blunt and cold.

"He could still have people after us."

Hawkins could see Cull's jaw tightening at the sight of Rin's timid and submissive posture. His eyes were pure cold, hard revenge and suddenly another vision washed over him as Cull warped into his younger self with the identical expression.

Hawkins blinked suddenly as his vision came back into focus, Cull's younger self warped into Hawkins own build, unruly hair and gaunt expression at the new, unfamiliar visitor stalked in with its large, scaly frame, terrifying fangs and cunning smile. 

But despite his terrifying entrance, his actions were kind and his voice far gentler than he seemed. He allowed the young Traited to ask all the questions he wanted, grab at the shiny Mediator badge and even attempt to create his own by drawing it. 

Hawkins barely noticed how young he was in the memory, only eight or nine years old yet he had never realised this visit had happened. He was happy, smiling and playing with the greyscale dragon as he tossed him various colours to draw with. 

The lizardman politely explained all the different symbols on the gilded badge, even receiving a goodbye hug from his younger self making his own heart swell. His parents were nowhere to be found.

 Hawkins looked down at his jacket in sorrow, pulling out his own Mediator badge and Hack's, noting the coloured smudges on the Sand Wraith's leather bound cover and his breath hitched. He ran his finger against the metal grooves and realised how old it truly was. Hack had kept the memory of their day together all this time and somehow he had forgotten.

 Rubbing his eyes despite the sting of grit between them, he felt for the black grimoire nestled in his pocket. It grew hot once more but it wasn't a scalding heat that could burn through steel. It was a gentle warmth, a loving reminder rising throughout his chest to lift the fog away from his mind.

Scouring his brain for the information he remembered his countless hours in the Halls of Mediation studying and training alone long after Blistrfall when the hour of sunlight dwindled below the reach of his home. He couldn't understand his own mental block, the reason for seeing such an old memory or what he was supposed to gleam from his younger self. 

The only thing he understood was...wait. Understanding. The Fifth Principle. It made sense. Memoriam wanted him to not just understand but to understand other Traited. The more empathetic he was when getting to know someone, the stronger the memories became.

 The black grimoire will was strengthened on the understanding he shared with others not on his Smoke Trait alone. That's why it latched on to Wisp, to Hack's memories and now to Cull's. It showed him his younger self not to patronise but to realise how similar they were with the strong bonds they made with others. They had found their own family in those closest to them. 

 Hawkins was willing to listen to Cull and now they were starting to open up more. He chose to connect with others not because he was forced to but because he genuinely wanted to. It understood how important it was to keep those ties alive long after they had perished. This is what Memoriam was. It wanted to remember.

A laugh bubbled up from within his chest but Mantis' scoff drowned out Hawkins' happiness at the sudden discovery. Her body language still proclaimed the false confidence of a leader despite a prominent sneer remained on her face. Getting through to Mantis...would be difficult.

"Yeah, well we can handle Domino."

Hawkins struggled to recognise the name despite the niggling feeling of where he might've heard the name before. A vague memory flashed across his vision at the thought of an accusing glare paired with blazing red hair with grey roots peaking through.

 He blinked harshly, attempting to banish the reminder from his memory and tried not to dwell on the close bonds between the two Fire Traited. Cull remained near his sister, watching his leader through narrowed eyes still keen to ward away any sly words that came his way.

 Rin had attempted to return to her notebook for a second time, pausing every so often to peek a glance at the smoky horizon obscured in dust and smog. The smoke churned into two young kids giggling as they played together in the vast garden, chasing one another in a game of tag.

"Who?" Hack asked, still grumpy from being denied to ridicule Mantis.

His eyes kept shifting towards the Scale Shrieker, still wary of her over eagerness as her tail twitched constantly. The Sand Wraith struggled to avoid flinching as Odi moved a little too much for his liking and even though Thea's sympathetic smile helped somewhat, Hack's stony glare never faltered.

Hawkins resisted the urge to chuckle, understanding the Thyraxians hesitation and the Sand Wraiths stubbornness towards protecting the injured dragon. Thea had a duty to provide her patient the essential needs but Hack had an obvious history he didn't feel like sharing and even without it his overprotectiveness would still be justified. That's just how he was, even if he didn't want to admit it.

Odi was a little more restless at the prospect of being boxed in, desperate to stretch her wings and claw her way up towards the Land Above. The arkalite country of Opalis. Hawkins could see the longing in her eyes, her neck craning to stretch towards the horizon and fly up over to the shining Land Above. 

Hawkins breathed in and out slowly, the feeling of uncertainty washing over him as he recognised the feeling as not his own but Odi's. He could feel the heat surrounding him as a much younger Odi led the ragtag group wading through the scorching sands. 

A Traited, A Sand Wraith, A Tinker Mole and a Scale Shrieker made quite the unlikely group but as they made their way towards an unfamiliar border Hawkins knew why Hack was so loyal to her.

 He watched helplessly as the lone Traited was dragged away from the group in chains, surrounded by red clad Fire Traited threatening to take her to 'Hellgrind' and forced Odi to flee along with the others. But Hack didn't flee. He stayed. 

He fought off every single Fire Traited and allowed himself to be taken away and sentenced to become a Sentry on the nobles orders or Odi would be hunted down and killed. He had protected her for all these years. Silent under the watchful eye of a Lockbind. Long after the Traited that sentenced him had died.

"Noble kid. She comes round with her crazy friends just to burn our place to the ground. Damn snooty bitch. No wonder she scared her Agar to pieces. She's insane." 

Mantis' angry voice drifted back into focus but Hawkins' gaze was transfixed on his mentor, too afraid to say anything but to commit to his earlier theory. Memoriam wanted him to understand and so he would wait to finally do so. Until Hack told Odi his story for himself.

"Sorry, Rin. I didn't mean to…" the Air Traited suddenly apologised, the Mediator only just noting Rin's expression. 

It was a mix of anguish and guilt as she struggled to make eye contact with anyone, only looking down and fidgeting only for a gentle hand to grab hers. Mantis looked up at her awkwardly, smiling sadly as she tried to comfort her the only way she could think of. 

"It doesn't matter. Dommy- I mean, Domino doesn't know anything about this anyways. Her family will always hate us for who we are and what we had to do to survive. That won't change." Rin reminded them unsteadily, taking a deep breath as if she had just run a marathon. 

Hawkins blinked as his smoke began to shift into a memory he didn't recognise just beyond the horizon where it kept watch. Outlined in opaque forms of grey and translucent shapes showing the minute details of the expressions it was unmistakable what his Trait had created. 

It was a Memory Weave; depicted as if he had walked through time itself. 

Two young girls kicked muddy puddles together, pushing and tussling as the youngest tried to spin around the elder in an attempt to get her dress muddy. The older girl giggled, swinging her arm back and forth, dust scattering against the cobbled streets of Brinehearth.

The eldest tried to drag them away from the puddles and from their chaperones glares but the young girl was entranced by the Blistrfall festival. The glowing lanterns danced underneath the soft glow of the moonlight. 

The dappled raindrops skimming off the edge of the Brinehearth roofs, the air still tinged with sulfur and alcohol. The sights and smells slowly faded into a far drearier day than the weather could provide. 

The courtroom. 

Deep in the Halls of Mediation, the very same moon waned above as Rin stood before her family, attempting to be impassive towards such withering scowls. Her only family had abandoned her, cast her out to the person they had once respected and now feared. 

All to favour a younger prodigy hardened by only a few years of brutal training. The very same girl, mesmerised by such a small festival in Brinehearth was now echoing her mother's uncaring sneer and gave the order and sold her to the highest bidder. Her father.

Hawkins broke into a cold sweat, his smoke disappearing instantly as a cool breeze washed over him. Rin was nestled up with Mantis, attempting to stay awake and positive as the Air Traited attempted to entertain her Agar.

Thea was being lifted up by spurts of wind and was laughing, Mantis unable to stop the small smile from forming on her face. Hawkins looked towards the abandoned notebook, the pencil completely whittled down to a small stub of a thing.

"Do you want to take a look at the black grimoire, Rin?" Hawkins asked awkwardly, unsure of how to help her.

The Fire Traited tried to smile politely and refuse but Mantis' annoyed glare told him enough. She still held Rin's shaking hand, quietly seething but decided to focus on calming her down instead and gently hummed a familiar song. 

Hawkins' eyes went wide as he recognised the same tune Cricket had hummed before she had changed and tortured them. Rin began to tear up, hiding her face with her hair as Mantis gently held her close. She tried to continue the muffled singing but her expression told them she didn't know the rest and just repeated the parts she knew. 

Suddenly, Odi carried the tune expertly as Mantis faltered with the last verse but the Scale Shrieker continued to sing. Slowly Rin settled down into the crook of Mantis' neck and joined in as the song ended with a quiet lull and a small smile.

"I didn't know you knew that song." Mantis said, her judging tone softening a little.

Odi's initially shocked expression hardened into something unrecognisable and then returned a kinder look in her eyes. She blinked as if clearing a bad memory from her thoughts and Hack's solemn expression confirmed what Hawkins already knew.

"It's...been a while since I sang it. I can't remember all of it but...I remember the stories behind it."

Hawkins couldn't help but smile. Of course she did with all the books there were in Grimmordials. No wonder she had spent all her time revelling over different Trait techniques and history.

Rin wiped her eyes, snuggled into her seat with Mantis and let Thea gently sit on her lap and rest her wings. The fire slowly dimmed as it reacted to her mood and settled into a low glow and flickered shadows against the stones.

"I'd like to hear that." Rin asked, sniffing finally before waiting patiently.

Odi nodded, closing her eyes as she began to remember the tale, wincing painfully as Hawkins noted how bad her injury truly was. The black grimoire burned against his pocket but the feeling wasn't of anger though. It was...concerned.

"Well, it's about a pair of dragons who once lived together by the light of the sun. There's a few different endings of the Dragon's Lament but it's sad all the same." 

Hawkins listened to the story, catching a twinge of sadness from Odi's voice as she talked about the song. It was as if she had been there when it was first heard, the melancholic notes of the sorrowful tune Cricket had hummed over and over again.

"It's based around the Eternal Death that partnering with a dragon causes. The dragon singing the song gets left behind, either forced to stay within the night sky or to be abandoned by it's partner."

The smoke flickered and danced along with the lull of Odi's conversation, blurring into a haze of figures and memories. Once again it latched onto the sombre emotions of the dragon, feeding it through to Hawkins Trait and vision.

The smoke swirled into the forms of unfamiliar dragons, changing their sizes and fighting with a variety of other dragons. Novawraiths, Scale Shriekers, Talonslash dragons and eventually a dark haired Traited with a cheeky grin joined in the banter.

Hawkins heart ached as the Traited phased into his own memory, his own face staring back at him as he played with an eerily familiar dragon. He was being chased around by his father and a dragon, a grey scaled gentle giant lolloping about outside in a large, dusty clearing. 

He was very young, only five or six at best but still giggling and squealing as he was swooped up on top of his father's shoulders as they ran away from the playful dragon. Colossus was just as Hawkin's remembered, his kind but inquisitive eyes filled with mischief yet his large frame betrayed how gentle he truly was. 

Hammerhead dragons used to be very common in Shuriken but ever since the creation of the Divide and the destruction of their home the Opalians drove the refugees out of the Land Above. Eventually a small cluster of dragons settled in the Undercity but the rest went to Nocturus before they closed their borders for good.

"It wasn't a nice song but people still connected with it because of the times." Odi said gloomily, the happier times with Colossus blurring into a far darker scene.

He was a little older, about ten or twelve cowering in a corner and surrounded by a wall of smoke. Completely trapped on all sides he was crying alone in a wardrobe, terrified of the small space and the scent of overpowering smoke. But he was still alive and somehow still able to breathe. 

Hawkins could barely watch as the collapsing building began to give way, a blur of hazy silver barrelling into the single story room just as it came crashing down. His heart wrenched as he watched his father's Agar and for a time his own, gave his life to protect him until the very end.

Hawkins fought back the urge to cry, knowing full well that only he could see the memories the black grimoire had morbidly tormented him with his smoke. He knew the young child would still be traumatised by his own Trait. But there he was safely within the dragon's claws and out of harm until Colossus breathed his last. Alone in the ashes and the scalding heat, his mother was still nowhere to be found.

"Cricket hums it when she's in her Lullaby state. It soothes her for some reason so we all learnt at least the first verse. It's a nice song to listen to. At least...I like it." 

Rin's slightly more cheerful voice forced him to concentrate but Hawkins didn't want to see anymore. His tired eyes caked in dust and sleep but still the memories warped into the eerily familiar fields of Shuriken. It was an old memory, one far older than he could remember and the flock of unusual dragons told him it was long before his time. Long before even the Divide was created.

A polaroid of dragons played together in a blur of black, white and silver. Siblings and friends enjoyed wrestling and chatting together under the midnight shade. Eventually, the dragons began to stop coming and their dwindling numbers left only three or four to band together until they too eventually left a single dragon alone. Invisible against the night but still singing the same song Cricket had connected so much with.

"If you say so." Odi replied, kind but a blunt edge hidden beneath it. 

Hawkins was mentally drained by the continuous memories, desperate to ignore the looming feeling of being watched just to lie down. Rin was visibly hurt by Odi's curt response but Mantis quietly huffed and didn't complain once. 

Hawkins could see Hack's visible surprise at the lack of response but he decided to chew mechanically on one of his last Insta Puff rolls he had hoarded earlier. All to stop himself from snorting with laughter and commenting on something that would definitely annoy Mantis. Hawkins shook his head, ignoring his mentor and tried not to grin.

"Anyways, enough singing and stories. What about this multiple Lockbind you were on about, Odi?" Hack asked, attempting to get the inquisitive dragon out of her slump and avoid his own.

Odi's reaction was suddenly indifferent, like she had just been rudely awakened only to be treated like a dictionary. It startled Hawkins, considering Odi was normally twitching with excitement at the thought of new stories and information. But now she was deadly silent, almost sulking at the thought of more discussion. 

"I've never heard of anyone other than Memoriam being able to use it." Odi said coldly but it followed with a guilty expression.

Hawkins blinked his weary eyes, attempting to process what he just blatantly saw multiple times already. Odi was in pain, yes. But she was also lying. Every time she did she ended up with the same look of regret that Rin did when she apologized for her past. He knew it was none of his business but damn it didn't make it hurt any less.

He avoided the dragon's gaze, knowing that any moment his mentor would swoop in to save her with another well placed explanation. Sand Wraiths were known for being deceitful so no wonder he felt no remorse every time Odi had suppressed a wince. He'd do it again in a heartbeat.

"That's not true."

Odi's silence was deafening against Rin's accusation, unable to answer without confirming her deceit. Her hands were balled into fists, still shaking but her steely glare staring straight at Odi.

 Despite her harsh past Rin had enough courage to disagree, despite the fear of a Lockbind and a dragon still looming over her.

"As far as I know...it's only one chain per person. When anyone makes a contract it only disappears once the person is dead or both sides of the deal have been met. But seeing so many must've been very difficult for you. I'm sorry you had to…" 

"What're you apologising for? You didn't help make it, did you?" Cull said, far less hostile than anyone expected.

He smiled sympathetically at the Scale Shrieker which stunned Hawkins to no end. Odi struggled to explain herself, her voice faltering as she avoided the Enforcer's stares. Her head was down as if ashamed and Cull decided to reiterate his point.

"Of course not. No dragon could take credit for something a Traited did."

"Cullian…" Rin said, wary of her twin brother's anger.

The Fire Traited had been silently stewing for almost the entire conversation which was certainly something considered his earlier outburst. Noting his patience and sudden temper, Mantis sighed before sliding onto the floor with her itchy blanket beneath her. With a grateful nod, Cull took her seat beside his sister and exchanged roles to support her.

"You know he's dead, sis. He deserved it. He would never have let us go even if we did what he asked and he got all our family. That damn black grimoire is the same with all those bloody chains."

Hawkins felt a jolt of guilt, looking down at his jacket with many pockets and his intrigue turned to disgust at the grimoire nestled close by. The reminder of it's stubbornness in staying closed and the false hope of actually connecting to it died within his annoyance.

"Surely a Lockbind can't affect blood ties? One person makes the contract…"

Hawkins' voice trailed away at the sight of the elven Air Traited shaking her head in reply. His gaze fell onto the curled up dragon, defeated by her own words still paralysed in shock by her own whirring mind.

Mantis sighed, shifting her weight against the uncomfortable ground as Cull absentmindedly dropped his sister's notebook as they chatted about other things. Hawkins knew the discussion of the Lockbind had fizzled away but the niggling feeling of unanswered questions aggravated the Mediator to no end. 

He knew he had gone overboard but there was no turning back now. Accepting his decision Hawkins began to internalise his questions but Mantis had already snatched...borrowed Rin's notebook and began drawing out a diagram he recognised. A Trait tree.

"It involves people who have made contracts with information about them too. Friends, family; even distant relatives. Seven chains, seven contracts, fourteen individuals who are forced to keep the secret. Could be more since the whole Agar and Oathed thing but who knows with such an old book." 

It took several seconds for Hawkins to register what just happened. Mantis had propped the book open on her lap like she was reading a picture book to a young child. Normally the Trait tree was used to explain the six main Traits and the branches of combinations that can happen with different people's mindsets. 

In this case, Mantis had used the very same diagram to explain the different facets of the Lockbind. The ties it made between multiple people not just one worked very well with the tree drawing. If Mantis wasn't so hostile and opened up a little more she would make an excellent teacher.

"How do you...know so much about it?" Odi asked, her mood perking up a little but still hesitant over asking questions. 

Mantis' reaction was a little put out but visibly startled as if she was terrified of the repercussions but Odi's awkward tone made her calm down a little more. Hawkins was just as curious as Odi but remembered his own advice that she had to want to talk about her family. Mantis folded her arms and prepared to cut down her response with a sneer and a snarky comment but for a moment she looked...vulnerable.

"My father.  He was a Bindsmith."

"Really? I might know him if he was part of the Order-"

"He wasn't." Mantis finished abruptly, ending the conversation with the dragon instantly. 

Whatever Hawkins was expecting he hadn't expected that. A Bindsmith was a rare and controversial job but it used to be a very dangerous but respected profession. The Traited could understand different grimoires by using their Trait and normally forge grimoires just a few days after being summoned. 

They helped with irregular grimoires and Traited who struggled to use their new power and was once a vital part of Trait culture. Until the war. 

The Bindsmiths had no choice to abandon their profession and to turn against their teachings and create an illegal, binding agreement. It was unbreakable except through torture and death and eventually every Bindsmith was forced into a contract of their own. This was the first secret keeper contract: the Lockbind.

"Mantis…"

 Rin looked on sympathetically but made no indication to move and comfort her. Not like the support she had received. Mantis looked on, infuriated and stood up, her Trait spiraling in a great windstorm as a faint snape of a grimoire came into view.

"What? I'm not like you, OK? I can't just share my feelings to some strangers about what happened, Rin. It was a long time ago, far longer than I can remember and it doesn't matter anymore!" Mantis snapped, her Trait dying down as her sudden burst of anger dissipated. 

She slumped back down in a huff, ignoring her Agar as Thea zoomed over to her immediately. Nestled in the crook of her neck, Mantis sighed and allowed the Thyraxian to remain in her collar. Hawkins could see the hurt in Rin's eyes but she shrank away from the frustrated Air Traited and folded her arms eerily similar to the way Mantis usually did. Stubbornly.

"You're right. It doesn't matter. None of it matters anymore. Not him, not your family, not the clans and certainly not...Chimera." Rin said defiantly, clutching her arm before revealing an ugly brand on her arm. 

It was like she had been branded with a slavers mark. The coils of gold and scarlet infected by the ugly stain of black coating the bottom half of the intricate design like it had been forcibly burned off. Half a sigil. Half a Chimera. Disowned by nobility until the end of her days.

In Rin's case she had the head and back of a Firestep wolf with coiling flames around its midsection until it faded into stripes of black and white. Above the towering flames the head of a Havalog was proudly protruding out of its back. 

But Hawkins wasn't concerned about the missing half. The name of the clan that had ruined his life, accused him of coercion and almost tried to arrest him was the very same sigil Rin had on her arm.

They suspended his licence and in an attempt to force him back into the home he had grown up in. But then his mother did the first decent thing she had done in her life. She punched the Captain in the face. 

Hawkins had noted his mentor's impassive expression, his eyes betraying his true feelings of anger and fear. Hawkins struggled to hide his concern but Hack shook his head and gave him a sympathetic smile.

"When did you turn into such a badass?" Cull interrupted, grinning like an idiot just to tease his sister.

Rin's nervousness evaporated as she snorted, struggling to hold in her laughter. Cull's eyes scanned the group only to roll his eyes at their reactions and nudge his sister jokingly with his shoulder. In a flash, Cull pulled up his sleeve and revealed his own charred half of the sigil. 

At the end of the Chimera was a gruesome head of a Vipereye dragon, a poisonous six eyed beast known for its venomous bite of both jaw strength and wit in kind. 

The three races of Vipereye, Havalog and the Firestep wolves were the three original races Chimera had contracted with to survive. The most notable detail was the crown clamped in the jaws of the Firestep wolf marking the individual as noble. 

Despite Hawkins' shock doubling at the thought of not one but two scorned nobles sitting right across from him it was short lived as the twins were laughing together.

 Rin and Cull were shoving each other and play fighting just like Blaize and Hazard had done but it had escalated into tickle fights like they were five years old. The laughter eventually petered out as they both stopped to breathe and remained shoulder to shoulder, their grimoires now side by side. 

Grinning the same grin they rested against the back of the couch and their two grimoires merged into one. A soft, dull light began enveloping the two grimoires as it merged into a blazing tome of power and unity. It had merged not through sacrifice or love but happiness and laughter. 

It acted as a silent contract, a faint hue of interjoining covers and shining letters merging into a single entity. It signified all Seven Principles with the bond they shared as family and as Enforcers. The two twins was already enamoured by their own conversation, bursting into laughter until Cull directed her sister's attention towards her grimoire. Now, their grimoire.

Rin blinked several times, staring at the gold trimmed pages and bright scarlet cover as if she had never seen anything like it. It was twice as big as both of their threadbare pairing of the rusted red and coal tinged grimoire. 

It was like they had discovered coal and unearthed a ruby. Then, seeing Cull's infectious smile his sister began to laugh, whacking him on the shoulder and hugged him tightly. Mantis turned away from them both as Hawkins felt a jolt of sympathy only for her jealousy to be clear as day on her face. She loved Rin but didn't want to come between her and her brother.

"What was that about a Super Flamey Ball of Death, Mantis?" Hack joked, his attempt to lighten the mood falling flat under his harsh tone.

Mantis merely rolled her eyes and remained sulking in the corner but gave the Sand Wraith a small smile in reply. Hawkins suppressed a chuckle but was grateful to see Mantis loosening up a little with her hostility. 

Despite the Cullverin twins illegitimate noble status he could see how instead of begging to return to their own family they had managed to make their own family all forged in an eternal bond. 

It seemed they weren't so different after all if they pissed off the same corrupt people. Chimera had ruined both their lives like the vicious creatures in stories long ago yet here they were still fighting until the end.

"Looks like we won't have to choose after all." Odi said, smiling for the first time in a while.

Hawkins was glad to see the Scale Shrieker back to her usual self but he was still worried about her injuries. But his thoughts still lingered on Rin's situation and couldn't help compare it to his own. How she was scared of her own Trait and eventually shunned by his family.

Mantis' guilt was almost audible despite her sitting silently and began scuffing her feet against the gravel. Then, she sighed and pulled out a ratty piece of string from her Swarm jacket pocket and tied her silver hair upwards.

It was like a rite of passage, tying up her hair away from her face to reveal her elven heritage. But she also revealed far more than the 'angry ears' comment had originally perceived. Thin, white scars were littered against her neck like someone had taken a white hot blade to her throat.

"I'm glad you two have each other. I really am...but I'm half elf. I don't belong anywhere. Not here, not Thundreign and certainly not Neridia."

Hawkins knew the stories of Neridia and the shunning of everything except Forecasting, the gift that the Laia had given them. Casters mainly followed the moon and sun cycles religiously in the Nichise Temple. But the rumours of the elven torture ring punishing Traited and those who strayed into their borders were imprisioned, abused and sold as slaves to the highest bidder.

Mantis drew her knees upwards and took a deep breath before allowing her partial Casting to glow for the first time in a long time. It was a soft blue glow as a quiet breeze surrounded her calmly. It was like being reunited with a part of herself, welcoming her back to the power she had all along. 

"You're a Caster. A Windspell elf." Odi exclaimed incredulously, as if she should've known all along.

Mantis smiled awkwardly, fidgeting in her lap as Thea flitted around her to feel better before landing on her shoulder.

"No. Not exactly." She said, surprisingly vulnerable.

Hawkins was stunned by her sudden honesty and admission of her history. Her Trait or Casting, whichever it was began slowly clearing away his smoke but as it worked it merged into a mirage of two elements not colliding but merging.

Coils of wind formed into humanoid shapes and fleeting memories just like before. Hawkins could tell his empathy towards the half Traited was slowly bringing down her walls but it's unclear features proved she wasn't fully ready to share just yet.

"But my mother is a Caster. She was actually the High Sunstress for a short time...but she fell in love with a Traited. My father."

Mantis laughed vindictively as if to break the tension she felt but Hawkins could see the pain and hurt in her eyes. She genuinely loved her family but the restrictions due to prejudice with her bloodline and the rift between elven and Traited. 

They may have had more land and influence but Neridia had more control over their abilities and better healthcare and housing. But despite that the shock on Rin and Cull's faces were more than enough to show that Mantis had never shared this. Not to anyone.

This is why she acted so over confident with her Trait so no one could ever try to doubt it or try to hurt her ever again. Hawkins was ashamed he never thought about that before. It was common with insecure Traited, heck he had been like that himself at one point. It hurt to think of the pain and suffering she had witnessed and even undergone herself. But that didn't excuse her actions as an Enforcer, just as a fellow Traited who was trying to survive.

"The elves enslaved my father and forced him to become a Bindsmith for their army. They created the Lockbind for Hell's sake and when they were done they enslaved my mother too!"

Hawkins watched helplessly as Rin tried to reach for her but in her grief she had reflexively stood up to block her ears and emotions. The tips of her eleven heratige cut into her fingers but Mantis didn't care. She was at breaking point, desperate to let out her anguish and grief the only way she knew how. By summoning her grimoire.

"They tried to cut off her ears, tortured her until she was mute and exiled her. I haven't seen either of them since...my home banished me as a Wildspell mage, an outcast. I'm not even that. I'm not Traited, not Forecaster not...anything!"

Her grimoire emerged from the gales, their strength doubled every second as the sky blue grimoire hovered erratically. It opened with a flurry of pages, summoning a haze of memories that surrounded the group like a seance of ghosts. 

The incredulous expressions on the others' faces made Hawkins do a double take as he tried to replicate that shock. For the first time, it was more than just him seeing these memories but he could feel the black grimoire's heat working overtime in tandem with Mantis' instability.

Taking a chance he took a peek at the grimoire within his pocket, alarmed by the bright, cobalt glow which was being mirrored by Mantis' Windswept grimoire. The pages were faded and cracked as if electrocuted while the cover was flitting from a light blue to a stormy grey devoid of life. It was like a sunny sky interchanging with a murky, rainy day.

Hack's reaction was a little less startled and instead ignored the entire situation and looked down at his cursed leg. Odi however was far more erratic with her actions and attempted to reach Mantis from within her Trait but she was struggling to move against the harsh winds and her grievous injuries.

"Mantis, I'm-"

Hack was cut off by a venomous glare, the force of her Trait even overwhelming the stubborn Sand Wraith.

"Don't. I have no doubt your kind did the same to you, Hackerby. So don't tell me you're sorry and confess your own sob story when you know damn well that this is how the world works."

Surprisingly, Hack wasn't angry but quiet, as if contemplative over a discussion that wasn't surrounded by harrowing winds. Perhaps it was the fact he was an Earth Traited and remained steadfast in his seat regardless of the situation but Hawkins wasn't sure.

"That may be the case but that doesn't mean I won't stop fighting every time it pummels me back." Hack exclaimed, clenching his fist as if fighting off an invisible enemy. 

Mantis had a retort on the tip of her tongue but her eerie silence made even her wind stop suddenly and her grimoire gave a hasty retreat into the void. It caused everyone to stop in their tracks, the coiling smoke turning a familiar tinge of green.

The deafening sound of scuttling sent chills down Hawkins spine as he forced himself to turn around and stare at the abandoned streets of Axis. The light haze of emerald lingered around the foggy backdrop of the already ominous evening glow, the entrance still clamped shut by the tightly packed buildings. 

It was only until Mantis pointed a shaky hand upwards did Hawkins realise she was no longer standing up due to anger, but fear. That fear latched onto the others, making them rise to their feet in terror as Rin latched onto the half elf for dear life.

There was a swarm of locusts, no crickets the size of a Scale Shrieker clambering over the broken roofs and blocked in houses. They were making their way towards them like a horde of demons. But oh no, demons would have been kinder and killed far more quickly than the steadily advancing army of Trait creatures. 

Somehow, someway a certain Traited had made these monstrosities and once they arrived things would be far harder than dealing with a single Overtaken. Hawkins gulped, Hack's words still ringing in his ears and stood shakily to his feet. He had to lead.

With a click of his fingers he summoned his grey grimoire for the first time since Wisp ran and stood head on against the beasts of green. Without complaint, the others stood behind him; Rin, Cull, Odi, Hack and Mantis, once enemies and now allies ready to fight against a common goal.

Cricket had come for her revenge.