Sebastian was lost. In more ways than one.

It was Imogen's fault. With her psychoanalyst nonsense. She always talked to him as if she were some brilliant therapist and he was some little boy she needed to take care of. Just thinking about made his jaw lock up and his face burn. Had it not been for her, he wouldn't have stormed off into the forest.

Now he was lost.

He hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. He didn't leave a trail of cookie crumbs or golden yarn behind him. Most of the forest looked the same as well. While he wanted to get back to his group's makeshift camp, he didn't even know which direction to head in.

Looking around, he tried to figure out which way would take him back to the water. He knew it was south, but he had never been any good with his cardinal directions. Sighing, he decided to just take in the scenery for now. Small cliffs loomed beyond the trees, forming an opened half-circle around this section of the forest.

He had wandered into a cove. At the end of the closed-off beach was a dark cave guarded by craggy rocks that looked more like monster teeth than stone. Vines and shrubbery scaled up the walls and soft sounds emanated from the darkness.

Sebastian's footsteps faltered. A nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him to turn around and walk away. He wanted to listen to it. Really, he did. But he couldn't.

The sound of a woman, or multiple women, singing reached his ears. His gaze lingered on the cave ahead of him, his dark eyes fixating upon the unknown. The voices were the most beautiful he had ever heard. He couldn't make out the words they were singing but that didn't matter. Their voices burrowed into his soul and planted seeds of content and happiness within him.

Without even thinking, he found himself walking through the shallow water separating him from the cave. He ignored the water seeping into his shoes. The only thing on his mind was finding the source of the singing.

The water was up to his waist now. He paddled himself forward, occasionally splashing his face with the cool liquid. He didn't mind, though. The voices were all he cared about. They were the only things that existed in the world.

The cave swallowed him whole, enveloping him in darkness. Glittering crystals lined the rocky ceiling, sparkling with blue light from the water below. The serene voices echoed off the walls. Sebastian whipped his head around, desperately trying to find the source.

He had traveled so deep into the cave that he couldn't see where he came from. The water was up to his chin now. He was struggling to keep his head out of it.

"Come to us," an eerie, feminine voice called out.

He moved faster toward the sound. His eyes glazed over as his mind focused on the voice.

"You're almost there..."

His arms burned as he pushed himself through the water. The cave gave way into an even larger one. The ceiling was domed and littered with more sparkling crystals. Jagged spikes of colorful rock hung down like chandeliers. Lights of various hues hid within the marvelous gems.

In the center of the water, a wide plateau of rock rose. Three figures laid on the stone, their bright eyes piercing through the dark. Sebastian's eyes widened. The singing was coming from them.

As he got closer, he received a closer look at them. They were all naked from the waist up, their breasts covered partially by their long tresses of hair. Bright, green eyes watched him curiously as approached them. Sebastian's stare moved passed their bare torsos.

He realized they didn't have any legs.

They all possessed lengthy, human-sized fishtails with shimmering scales of varying colors, ranging from orange to purple. Their membranous fins swished around in the water below them.

Even with the fishtails, they were the most beautiful creatures Sebastian had ever seen. Their faces looked as if they had been crafted expertly by gods; their lips were full and welcoming, their eyes bright and attentive, and their cheekbones raised and defined. He barely even noticed they were naked.

The three women smiled at him, flashing their slightly sharpened teeth at him. He wasn't deterred, though. He had to get to them. He climbed onto their platform and stood before them, water dripping from his soaking clothes. His black hair was plastered to his face. Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes, listening to their voices hitting notes he hadn't heard before. It felt like he was on a cloud, floating away from all of his problems.

He felt a hand slide from his chest down to his stomach. Another caressed his face.

"My, my," one of them cooed. "What a handsome young man he is."

"Much better looking than our previous visitors," another added.

"Indeed. What a pleasure it is to meet you."

Sebastian nodded, his eyes still half-lidded.

"What is your name?"

"Sebastian," he answered, his words almost inaudible. "Sebastian Thauvin."

Opening his eyes, he saw the women edge away from him, their eyes darkening. One even hissed at him, prompting him to take a step backward. His feet slipped against the slick rock, nearly sending him back into the water.

He frowned at them. "What'd I do?"

"Murderer!"

"Traitor!"

"Criminal!"

He screwed his face at their accusations. "No, no...you've got it all wrong. I'm not like my housemates. They've disowned me. I'm barely a Tenebrian anymore.''

"Your house and family have caused nothing but pain and suffering for others," one of them said.

"We despise them," another concluded.

The one closest to him edged closer with her teeth bared. He backed away slowly. As he did so, the other two began singing again. He froze, his vision clouding. A smile surfaced on his lips as his eyes glossed over again.

So beautiful...

The woman continued to advance, her face shrouded with shadows. He did nothing to stop her. He couldn't. They had him trapped in their lullaby. The siren pushed him. He toppled into the water and didn't even bother trying to stay afloat. His body sank into the dark depths, the cool water passing over his skin.

Sebastian's eyes slowly closed, his mouth beginning to open. Water seeped in and infiltrated his lungs. It suffocated him, robbing him of his air and life. Soon, he would drown and die at the bottom of the cave.

His body went limp. He could no longer hear the singing above him.

He never thought this would be the way he would die. He always thought he would have died in a much more heroic way, like dying in a duel or meeting his end fighting for something. He hadn't anticipated his death would have come at the hands of three murderous sirens.

But there he was, slowly sinking to his death in their wretched cove.

Just as the last slivers of consciousness left him, someone wrapped their arms around him. They brought him up and out of the water. Through his hazy sight, he caught a glimpse of a shock of orange. He hoped it wasn't the sirens. They were known to devour the flesh of their victims after they drowned.

Whoever had grabbed him wasn't planning on eating him. At least, no in the cave. They were pulling him through the water. The sirens screeched behind them.

Sebastian closed his eyes again and slipped away into obscurity.

A strange sensation rippled throughout Sebastian's chest and throat as water spouted from his mouth. He coughed violently a few times before blinking his eyes open. Searching around, his expression frantic, he tried to get a grasp on his new setting.

He was no longer in the cove, thank the gods. He had been brought back to his group's beachside base.

Standing above him was Ajax. He was shirtless and his muscular arms were folded across his chest. A stern look was plastered across his battle-scorned face.

To his side was Remy, who sat cross-legged on the ground. His right hand, which held his golden mark, was placed on Sebastian's chest. His palm pulsed with a faint, yellow glow.

Imogen kneeled opposite of Remy, Sebastian's hand clutched tightly in her own. Worry filled her face as she stared at him. She pushed the sixteen-year-old boy out the way and wrapped the black-haired magician in a hug, muttering apologies into his wet shirt.

Thoroughly confused, he simply patted her on the back. He glanced at Remy, who shrugged at him. He stood up, dusted the sand off his pants, and joined Ajax. The two whispered to each other, prompting Sebastian to ask what they were talking about.

"Oh, nothing," Ajax replied with a sly grin.

Remy sniggered under his breath.

Scowling, Sebastian gently moved Imogen off of him. She apologized again. Then she started yelling.

"What were you thinking?!" Imogen blurted out, her flushed with anger. She punched him in the arm and repeated her question, even louder this time. "Are you crazy? You almost drowned!"

"You're the only crazy one here," he retorted while rubbing his arm. ''Why'd you just hit me?"

"Why did you go almost get killed by some crazy mermaids?!"

Remy fake a cough as he inserted himself into their conversation. "Actually, Immy, those were sirens. Mermaids don't have sharpened teeth and they live underwater. It's a common misconception, especially among you Ordinaires—"

"Shut the hell up or I'll give you to them," Imogen shot back. "You can explain the difference to them if you want."

Remy zipped his lips.

Imogen turned her attention back to the boy laying in the sand. "Why would you go inside that cave?" The look in her eyes begged him for an answer.

Sighing, Sebastian sat up and hung his head. "I don't know. I found the cave when I walked off into the forest. They sirens...they were singing. I don't know what happened. Something was pulling me inside. I couldn't even control myself."

Remy scratched the top of his head. "Well, sirens do have the ability of persuasion. They can make any man do anything they want." He rubbed his arm. "I'd consider yourself lucky, Sebby." He smiled, pleased with himself. "Hey, that rhymed."

Sebastian nodded. He looked to Ajax. "Thanks for saving my life...again. I guess I owe you twice now."

"I guess you do."

Frankly, he was starting to get tired of almost dying. He wondered if he had set a new world record for the amount of near-death experiences in the shortest amount of time.

He let out a shaky breath. The cool, ocean breeze flitted over his wet face. His clothes stuck to his skin, making him feel heavier than usual. He would have peeled off his shirt if the air around him wasn't so cold. His teeth began to chatter, and his body shook.

"H-How'd you guys find me?" He rubbed his arms, hoping to warm them up a bit. It didn't work.

"Well, after Imogen ran off to find you," Remy started, "we went after her and found her standing outside of the cave you went in. Luka found us and told us about what was inside. He told us we should probably get you out before you died. Ajax went inside and saved you."

Sebastian nodded slowly. He hadn't been expecting Luka to help them save him. Not at all.

"Where is Luka anyways?" The man wasn't sitting or standing around him like the others. Neither was Olivier.

"He went to go catch some more fish while Olivier went to get us some wood for a fire," Ajax answered. "They'll be back soon."

The prospect of a fire made Sebastian realize just how cold he was. His skin was tinged blue and his lips quivered. The water dripping down his body wasn't helping in the slightest. Wrapping his arms around himself, he laid down on his side in the cool sand.

"He's cold." Imogen cursed before running off for her leather jacket. She returned and draped it around the shivering boy.

He mumbled a "thank you" and clutched onto the jacket.

"That's not gonna help," Remy pointed out.

Sebastian ignored him. While he might've been right, it was better than nothing.

Minutes later, Olivier emerged from the jungle with bundles of wood in his hands. Upon seeing Sebastian, he let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank, Lumi. You found him." He walked over and dropped the wood onto the ground. "Quick, let's start the fire before he freezes to death."

Ajax and Olivier placed some dry wood in a circle and stacked the remaining pieces on top of each other. They stepped away from their creation, the latter rubbing the side of his face.

"I've never been good at fire magic," the older man revealed. "I don't want to risk setting anyone on fire."

"Me neither," Ajax said. He turned to Remy. "Can you cast fire spells?''

The boy shook his head. "I'm just as bad as you two are."

Sebastian arched an eyebrow at Imogen. She was rifling through the many pockets of the jacket he had on top of him. After a few seconds of searching, she retrieved a small, rectangular piece of metal from inside.

"What's that?" Remy asked.

Imogen rolled her eyes at his question. "It's a lighter, dummy." She walked over to the stack of firewood, clicked the top off of the fire starter, and held it against one of the pieces of timber.

A flame flickered from the tip of the tiny device. In a few seconds, the flame caught onto one of the logs. It began to burn, black smoke rising into the air as the fire caught onto the other pieces. Sebastian gravitated towards it, the heat warming his bones. The warmth elicited a pleased sigh from him.

The fire crackled in his ears. He closed his eyes and listened to the erratic popping next to him. The smoke infiltrated his nostrils, but he didn't care. All he cared about was getting warm.

Within minutes, he found himself fast asleep underneath Imogen's leather jacket with the campfire burning beside him.

Sebastian shot up from the sand with his chest heaving. His eyes were wide with terror and red from sleep.

Another nightmare had plagued his blissful slumber.

This time, he was floating in a chasm of purple fire and shadows. Terror bled onto his face as he looked down, seeing the disfigured monsters below clawing up at him. He had shut his eyes to stop himself from looking, but the sounds were still there. The roars, screams, shrieks, and growls pierced his ears, sending his mind into a frenzy.

He wanted out.

"Sebastian Ordius Lazarus Thauvin," a warped voice bellowed.

He had opened his eyes to find the speaker but couldn't find them. In fact, the voice sounded as if it was coming from every direction. He knew who it was. They spoke about the spirit in the history books he read for school. They told of how he ruled over the hellish landscape that was Nordor and how he tormented the lost souls of the dead.

It was the god of death, destruction, and chaos.

It was Mauvorin.

"Such potential hides within you," Mauvorin had told him. "Yet you hold back. You restrain yourself. Don't you feel that power within you? Think of the things you could do if you let it free."

He hadn't replied. Along with being the deity of the dark, Mauvorin had a reputation for being a trickster. The boy knew not to engage in his twisted games.

"Why don't you pay me a little visit, boy?" Mauvorin chuckled, the sound rattling Sebastian's bones. "I can unlock your potential. Come down here so I can help you. You can help me as well."

"I don't need your help."

The shadows around him pressed against his body until he couldn't breathe. His throat constricted and his eyes bulged. Suddenly, the vague shape of a grotesque face materialized in front of his.

The features were barely human. They were ghoulish and abnormal. Jagged teeth that looked more like black rocks stuck out from the area he assumed was the mouth. Red eyes that glowed like rubies shined through the black cloud that formed the entities head.

"You will visit me eventually," Mauvorin had predicted. "It is only a matter of time."

Sebastian hadn't said anything, though, that mainly because he could barely breathe.

"You want to know what happened to your mother, don't you?"

"My mother? What are you—"

Before Sebastian could question any further, his vision went black and he woke up.

And so, he sat, surrounded by the gloom of the night and his confused thoughts. He looked around and noticed all his friends were fast asleep. The campfire had dwindled to just a few licks of fire. A mound of ash stood where most of the dry wood had been.

To his right, Imogen had her head resting atop her arm, which was draped across one of the logs in the sand. She snored lightly, her petite chest rising and falling rhythmically. Next to her laid Remy, whose brown locks were splayed around his face. His lips were parted slightly, and his arms laid out on either side of him as if he were waiting for a hug.

Sebastian chuckled quietly. He stood up and ran a hand through his tangled hair. He frowned, realizing just how much he missed home. Even though it hadn't been the best of places, it was still home. He had everything he needed there; a bed, his own bathroom, and even servants who did anything he asked them to.

That life no longer belonged to him. He had given it up for the path of justice. And what did he have to show for it? A few scars and clothes caked with sand.

He was living the life.

Already knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep, he decided to stare at the ocean. Something that beautiful deserved to be looked at. Trotting along the sand close to the shoreline, he noticed a figure standing near the water. Rubbing his eyes as he approached them, he realized it was Olivier.

The man stood barefoot, the tide touching the tips of his toes every few seconds. He stood silently, staring at the navy-blue water before him.

"Didn't expect you to wake up until the morning," Olivier said without even looking in Sebastian's direction.

He shrugged. ''I've taken like two naps today. I think my sleep schedule may have gotten screwed up.''

Olivier chuckled. Sebastian stood next to him and the two of them watched the calm ocean together.

"What's on your mind?"

"Huh?"

"You can't fool me," the man said with a wry smile. "There's something bothering you and keeping it inside isn't going to help. Believe me. I know."

He rolled his eyes. "What do you know?"

Olivier's expression shifted. "More than you ever will."

Arching an eyebrow at him, Sebastian slipped his hands into the pockets of his partially dried pants. He sighed, eventually caving.

"This whole situation is stressing me out," he said.

"I'd imagine it would." He glanced at the boy. "This wouldn't have anything to do with my niece now, would it?"

Sebastian snorted and pretended as if that was the most absurd thing he'd ever heard. After seeing the unimpressed look on Olivier's face, he nodded.

"I just can't wrap my head around what she did and why she did it. None of it makes sense to me. And it's not just her that's messing with me." He took a deep breath. "I've been having these strange dreams. Tonight, I was in Nordor. A few days ago, I was back in the night before The Marking.''

Olivier nodded and urged him to continue.

"My parents had an argument about something that night," Sebastian said. "I don't know what it was about, but I know it had something to do with why she vanished. I know she wouldn't just leave us. I just know she wouldn't. My father had something to do with it.'' His eyes went dark. ''I know he does."

"You sound pretty sure about this."

"I am," Sebastian replied quickly. "I just need to figure out what happened that night.''

Mauvorin's voice rang through his head again.

''Don't you want to know what happened to your mother?''

Perhaps he should pay the evil god a visit. After all, it was his best chance of learning what happened to his mother. But that would have to wait until this was all over and his father had been defeated.

And he would be defeated. That much he was sure of.

Olivier patted Sebastian's shoulder. "You'll find out soon enough. The truth always comes to light. Eventually." He smiled at him one last time before retreating to the sand to sleep for the night.

Sebastian mulled over the man's words and the contents of his dreams. His expression stoic and unmoving, he gazed upon the still waters, accompanied only by his thoughts.