Heading to the dining room, I bumped into 4758. The smile on his face made me wary. Guess it was just a small thing he picked up from Sage.

"635202! The dungeon's that way, isn't it? Aren't you interrogating prisoners today?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I've got to show a newbie around."

"Dusk?" he asked.

"Zolona's nephew." I sighed.

4758's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Sage's taking over Dusk's interrogations. I have to babysit Echo," I crossed my arms in disapproval. I was no babysitter.

"Babysit? Cruel word."

"He doesn't even know how to fight, 4758!"

He snorted. "You wouldn't expect that from one of the twins. Need any help?"

"Zolona will back me up. Sage might need your help."

"Alright, I'll check over there. Let me know if you need anythin'."

4758 ran ahead of me, passing the corner to assist Sage in the dungeon.

I headed to the dining room, slamming the door open. Zolona and Echo eating without me.

"So, you painted on a wall in the dead of night with people shooting at you?" Zolona asked.

Echo nodded. "I drew, my friend defended."

"Fascinating story," Zolona smiled.

Echo's face lit up. "It was. I barely noticed the people behind us. I just focused on getting done."

"Any pictures of this artwork?" I asked.

"Sure, it's on my phone, if it's still okay in that bag the guards took off me when I got here," Echo said.

Zolona nodded. "Of course."

"So, Raven, you and Zolona are taking me around the castle?" Echo asked.

"I guess so," My face became a scowl, "Stop calling me Raven!"

"It fits you, 635202," Zolona began.

"Don't encourage him," I said, clenching my teeth.

Echo's smile widened. "She's right though. It fits you."

"This way." I pointed outside the dining room.

"Let's start with the east and west corridors," Zolona said to Echo.

I opened the door in the dining room so we could leave. "Sounds like a plan."

We walked down the west hallway, and I got bored out of my wits. I had to resist strangling Echo and Zolona as they went into every room explaining what happened in there.

It wasn't like I needed the tour! Why the heck did Zolona invite me? I respected Zolona like a mother, really I did, but sometimes, just like a mother, she got on my nerves. I looked to the watch on my right hand at every stop, watching seconds tick away like minutes.

In the fifth room, our tour was interrupted. We reached the Clothing Fabrication Room. This room was filled with sewing machines, fabrics, and other materials necessary for making clothes. We had our own kind of sheep here-- The Bellwether-- that Zolona said made better clothing materials than the other world's sheep. The animal's fur came in many different colors, making dye unnecessary, and made a much sturdier fabric than cotton or wool. Less work on designing clothes gave more time for training. Guess I was grateful to The Bellwether.

Other than that, The Clothing Fabrication Room was bland. The walls were a dark gray color, and the stone archway on the back wall gave the room one glass window. Two people who went through the portal with Sage came to greet us. One was a girl-- a midget compared to me; the other a boy who slouched behind her.

"This is the Clothing Fabrication Room. Here we..." Zolona began.

She was quickly interrupted by the girl. She analyzed Echo's clothes before a smile came across her face. "Sugarcakes and candy! Look at your clothes! Jordan, do you know who this reminds me of?" She looked towards the boy, who I assumed was Jordan.

Jordan slightly tilted his head and came to the girl's side. "Cora, this can't possibly be her designs! Our sister wouldn't..."

"Did you know our sister? Eight years old. Looks a whole lot like us!" the girl, Cora, asked.

Their blue eyes reminded me of someone I met before, but I couldn't remember who. Shit, I couldn't remember those fancy letter names.

Cora eyes were doll-like and she wore light makeup. She wore a pink headband with a white bow angling off it and wearing a jade green dress. Delicately placed ivy lingered in the design. The thing that struck out the most about her was the slightly pointed ears mostly cover by her blond bob.

I'll admit she was slightly attractive-- probably from a lack of fighting. More attractive than me? You're asking the wrong person. I liked the way I look more than anyone could possibly say. It's probably my eyes or the way my face angled like a diamond. Besides, I looked good in my black jumpsuit, making my average build slightly slimmer. We weren't restricted on colors. Zolona wasn't that strict. Black hid blood stains better than anything else.

Turning to the girl's brother, his hair was cut in a military style, but his features weren't as masculine. His face was oval shape and he had almond shaped eyes. He was just a couple inches taller than his sister, and unlike her, didn't wear a wide smile on his face. He's right to be cautious of me.

"Are you Laila's siblings?" Echo asked.

Cora's face lit up with excitement. "He does know her. I knew it."

There was no way they knew what happened. I swallowed a lump in my throat. "You're Laila's siblings?"

Jordan chuckled. "The three of us come from a long line of tailors."

"Oh be quiet," Cora elbowed her brother, "You're more into hiding than sewing."

"Laila said you three were close," Echo said.

"We are close," Cora laughed.

There was a moment of silence.

"Laila was killed," Echo said, ripping the bandaid off the wound.

"What?" Cora's eyes watered.

They silenced, almost in respect for Laila.

Echo lowered his head. "You deserve to know what happened. She tried to protect me."

Cora's face frowned. "Why you?"

"He's my nephew," Zolona introduced.

Jordan slammed Echo against the wall, elbow against Echo's neck. "You're one of the twins!"

"I want to ask you for forgiveness." Echo's words choked, "Your sister tried to protect me, and now she's dead. I came here anyways. She died for with her beliefs in mind."

Cora sighed. "We'll forgive you, if you let us make you another outfit."

Echo smiled. "Thank you."

"But Cora," Jordan said.

"Knock it off Jordan. You're a scaredy cat, not a jerk," Cora wiped tears from her cheeks.

"What's one of the twins doing with Zolona anyway?" Jordan asked.

"I wanted to get to know my family, and discover more about myself," Echo said.

Jordan released his grip on Echo, and they followed Cora to a sewing station.

I turned to Zolona.

"Why did he do that? He didn't need to," I said.

Zolona sighed. "He didn't want to keep the truth from them. It's better for him to tell them than for them to find out later. That way, they won't search for a way to avenge their sister."

"What happened isn't his fault."

"Laila got in Sage's way to protect him," Zolona smiled, "The girl was courageous. She was only eight after all, and Sage rarely misses."

"Was she the only one lost in the rebellion?"

"Sage's report said she wasn't the only one, but she was the closest to the twins."

Echo came back from measuring.

"Was your sister as close to Laila as you were?" I asked.

Echo shook his head. "Not like Melinda and me."

"Dusk?" I asked.

"Only knew her for two weeks at most," Echo said.

Zolona sighed. "That's isn't a long time."

"Where to next?" Echo asked.

"We're going to show you outside the castle," Zolona said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Is there a problem with that, Raven?" Echo asked.

I cursed the name Raven under my breath so Echo couldn't hear it. "He'll have a perfect escape route."

"I'm trusting him. Besides, you're keeping an eye on him," Zolona said like placing me in detention.

We headed to the castle gates, and strolled under the blood moon and gray sky.

We got near a group of trees and Zolona stopped. I had to stop Echo from continuing further.

The landscape in front of me was covered in an eerie fog. Thorns branched off trees, their barks sharp and jagged. A crow cawed in the distance. Chills ran up my spine. A gust of wind came from the forest bringing dead leaves with it, whipping my hair behind me. The leaves blew around us before heading back into the forest.

"This is The Forest of Unknown Darkness. Never go in there. It's filled with deadly creatures-- including The Three Oracles of Wrathful Vengeance," Zolona warned.

"What's so bad about The Three Oracles of Wrathful Vengeance?" Echo paused, "That's a mouthful."

"Have you met an oracle before?" I asked.

Echo smiled. "I know two. One is Princess Melinda, and the other just goes by The Oracle."

"Did you like The Oracle?" Zolona asked.

Echo shook his head. "Her prophecies creeped me out."

Zolona sighed. "She's one of your mother's good friends."

"Did you ever have a best friend?" Echo asked.

"Once. A long time ago," Zolona said.

"What happened?" Echo asked.

There was a moment of silence as Zolona ground her teeth together. "Never bring up the subject of my best friend again, or your life won't be a pleasant one."

"Back to The Three Oracles of Wrathful Vengeance?" I asked.

"To answer your question, Echo, The Three Oracles of Wrathful Vengeance are keepers of all human fate. They guard Fate Scrolls which state the destinies for all humans. No supernaturals like vampires, werewolves, nymphs, angels, demons..." Zolona began.

I interrupted. "We're not watching Supernatural, Zolona."

"Is Raven included in that? She has magic, right?" Echo asked.

"Enchantresses, mages, witches, and oracles get Fate Scrolls-- as they're still human, just with special abilities," Zolona said.

I cleared my throat. "Back to why they're dangerous?"

Zolona nodded. "Yes. Those three oracles have the power to change anyone's fate written on those scrolls, using them like bargain chips. In order to leave this realm without a blood moon in the real world aligning to the blood moon here, you can go to them and offer a portion of your fate. They might take anything, and if you request something, they'll twist it into a way you never planned. If you're lucky, they give free passage."

"Sounds dangerous." Echo's lip quivered and his gaze lingered to The Forest of Unknown Darkness.

Zolona placed her hand on her nephew's shoulder and forced him to look her in the eye. "They're very dangerous. If I could leave this place, I'd rather wait than talk to those three."

"But you can't leave," I reminded.

Zolona smiled. "At least not yet."

"Are there any friendly animals here?" Echo asked.

"In the other forest, The Glorious Grove, there are all kinds of good animals there," Zolona said.

Echo smiled.

We walked across to the other side of the castle.

There, we were met by a portion of the woods with trees curved at the base. The branches were covered in fruits and flowers and it was beautiful to look at. Different animals were there including wolves, horses, Dark Demented Strays, Bellwethers, unique different kinds of butterflies, cats, and birds. They had different unique names either interesting or scary to describe.

These animals were the friendly ones, unlike the animals living in The Forest of Unknown Darkness. Each of the animals were colored with bright colors as well. There were no words to describe the beauty they held-- the magic. Magic was the only thing I had in common with those creatures.

Zolona gestured to the land around us. "Here we are."

"They're wonderful." Echo face lit up.

"As you can see, there are lots of creatures that live here," I said.

Zolona smiled. "The animals from this portion are friendly towards us, unlike the animals from the Forest of Unknown Darkness. They tend to make bonds with humans especially."

"I can see that. You have a cat right next to you." Echo gestured at a black cat with green eyes.

"This is not just any cat. This is my dear Valentine! Don't insult him. He bites," Zolona said as Valentine meowed.

Valentine was a cat with a black coat of fur, with one stripe of red on his cheek. He had green cat eyes, watchful and great at finding ways to get me in trouble. He wore a silver bracelet around his paw with a bell to let people know who he was. He always got what he wanted after meowing, mainly because of the way Zolona babied him. I wasn't a cat person. I wasn't even an animal person.

"Wow, that meow's so majestic," Echo said.

Zolona chuckled. "Yes, I see Valentine as my watchguard. He looks after everyone here."

"He's just a stupid old cat. Don't take its words seriously. I'm not letting a cat boss me around," I said.

The cat hissed at me. He held his paw in the air, claws ready to attack.

"It's okay, Valentine, she didn't mean it," Echo said waving his arms to the cat frantically. Like I needed him to stop that cat. I'd rather shoot it.

The cat stopped its growling before it watched me intensely.

"Now, who's a good kitty?" Zolona asked as Valentine meowed angelically before giving me a fierce stare with his green eyes.

Echo smiled. "I can tell Valentine's... special."

"That cat never liked me," I moaned.

It was true. Valentine never liked me like Sage and Zolona. He attacked me every chance he got. For a valentine, he was stubborn. Sometimes I considered him downright evil. That's saying something considering I was stone-cold, Zolona would do anything to get what she wants, Sage had a serious problem with causing others pain, and I can't even count how many psychotics laid within our ranks. None of them, not even me, matched the mischievous nature within that tiny cat. It was a demon spawned straight from the abyss.

"Why is his name Valentine again? I swore you wanted to name it Birsha," I asked.

"Because he's an angel, not a demon," Zolona said firmly.

Another cat stroked herself against Echo's leg, much to Valentine's jealousy, "Of course he's an angel!" Echo said, "But so is this one!"

He picked up a cat with silver and white fur and turquoise eyes.

"Oh look. The cat likes you," I said, bored with my job.

Zolona sighed. "A lot of these animals make an attachment to one person and stay by them."

"She looks like a Misty," Echo said.

I crossed my arms. "You're going with Misty? Not Slayer, Silent Death..."

"Says the girl no animal has gotten attached to," Zolona argued.

"I'm not cut out to be an animal person. When I think animal, I think food," I said.

"That's too bad. I love animals. Maybe if you opened yourself up to them, they'll like you better. Right, Misty?" Echo asked as the cat meowed.

Misty's meow was prettier than Valentine's. It was as if the cat's meow was like a little bell you would ring for people to bring you something. Her fluffy coat made her a lot more attractive than Valentine as well.

"That cat is kind of cute," I said as Misty purred with delight.

"So, cats are your favorite animals?" Zolona asked.

Echo smiled. "I love all animals. If I had to pick a favorite, it'd be Misty."

'Of course...'

Valentine's eyes turned red as I pulled Echo and Misty aside.

"Don't get Valentine angry, stupid!" I said.

Echo looked to the cat and sighed. "I'm trying not to, but what I said is true."

"This is the end of the tour! You and Misty can leave, Echo," Zolona smiled.

Echo, carrying Misty, left.

"635202, not you," Zolona ordered.

I turned back to Zolona. "Yes, Mistress?"

"Alert the person I picked to train Echo. They need to prepare themselves," Zolona commanded.

"Who gets stuck with him?" I asked, eager to leave and get away from Valentine.

"She's resourceful, loyal, brave, talented, good at keeping things under control, stone hard... sure she failed high school and wasn't the best with grades, even burning a copy of 'Opponent of the Dagger', but I know she's able to handle something strategic," Zolona began.

I knew exactly who she wanted to train him, and she wouldn't stand for it. Besides, what kind of delusional idiot would read a novel about opposing a magic cult in the fantasy world and going on a quest to save love? Was Zolona trying to poison me? That book was over fifty years old!

"No! I can't stand him! I'd rather burn him in the fireplace with 'Opponents of the Dagger' than spend more time with him!" I crossed my arms in defiance.

Zolona glanced at me like a mother. "635202, you're the only person I can trust. Sage is busy interrogating Ember, Dusk, and Arvin. You can train him."

"What good will he be anyways? It's not like he'll save lives when he doesn't fight! He lacks value."

"Well, you're the only person who's able to do it. Besides, you can change him."

"I can?"

"If you do your job. Sage won't get the results I want."

"You're certain?"

"Bloody--" Zolona paused, "Of course."

"...I'll do it."

"Good. I'll look forward to seeing your success."

"What do I need to do?"

"Shape his talents first; let him feel like one of us, and turn him against his friends. The rest is plain to see."

"I understand."

Valentine hissed at me.

Zolona walked away from me, leaving me to question how I'd accomplish my goal. I didn't know where to begin. I wasn't good at making allies. If I had a middle name, it'd be 'anti-social'. I never got close to anyone. Crap, I never wanted to!

'Let's see how far I'll get my buttons pushed...'