Takeshi Bin

“Fucking Jeremiah,”

Emery allowed himself to grin in an exasperated way, his head shaking and his hand going to the mess of black atop his head. Of course. Of course! And just like that everything began to make sense, at least the specific parts of Jeremiah’s warnings and the need for Babanel’s blood. For a phantom, Jeremiah was more pirate than he realized, so making a deal with one did not seem entirely out of character. Emery stared off into the sea, his eyes watching the skies as if expecting for the phantom to be hovering nearby, listening, watching. 

“It’s been months since he last made an appearance…since before Rose was set free. Last I saw of him he took Babanel’s blood during the raids in Night Haven…said something about me not listening to him, that I was being careless. I never know what the fuck he is talking about. Jeremiah has his own agenda, his own plan. Whatever idea he had about this whole thing is probably the product of something a hell of a lot bigger than we realize, trust me,”

After Rose escaped from purgatory, Emery assumed that Jeremiah would continue to terrorize him; leave him notes, hide in the shadows…but none of that had occurred. For a while, Emery thought that Babanel’s blood was just that important to him, that whatever he needed it for would overcome the need to interfere with Emery’s new life. It was the only explanation he had for Jeremiah’s absence. Of course, he wasn’t complaining about the phantom being vacant. But it did leave a distasteful energy in the pit of his stomach; the not knowing was almost just as worse.

Thinking about his enemy left Emery fidgeting with his fingernails, his foot beginning to tap in nervousness. “No one understands him…he is the most powerful being I’ve ever seen. And not just in strength, you know? He plays these mind games, manipulates people, fucks with your dreams and haunts you until you think you’re going crazy. He takes everything you love, everything you care about, and puts it in jeopardy, to the point where you don’t have a choice but to submit. The fear he can elicit is just…overbearing,” Emery sighed, embarrassed and ashamed to be admitting such weak emotions, but knowing that Takeshi was the right person to understand. “I’ve never been able to stand up to him,”

So the demon had a name. Takeshi had never wanted to hunt such a creature in all his life. The fact he could only step foot on the very edge of the plank positioned precariously over the ocean was sign enough that Tak hated phantoms with a passion. Takeshi took a deep drink at the continued talk, a defined wrinkle of concern etching across his usual pleased face. 

“Aye ye honestly believe he be doin’ that to everyone and anyone? or just ye?” it was a dark question, Tak wondered on motive above all else. He picked at an emerald in the flask, running a dirtied, partially cracked nail along the edge of it. The pirate didn’t appreciate being apart of something beyond his understanding. If players were using him for their own gain, they would be in for a horrific surprise. Takeshi couldn’t be tamed, just as the entire ocean couldn’t bend to his will. Maybe in time it could. But though the thought was suddenly distracting to the pirate, he turned to Emery to keep focused.

“Listen-- thar be more,” he sighed, taking another generous sip of his rum until it’s honeyed scent waft to mesh with the ocean. There actually was a lot more Tak knew, and it furthered proved he had been a pawn in all this. Not putting together the pieces of his importance. Maybe if they still thought the pirate unaware of his place they would instill a trust in him enough he could get the upper hand. 

“I knew Emerald,” he said sadly, pursing his lips into a tight line in the only visual indication that he still mourned her death. “Jeremiah gave me te blood as payment. Ye see, I was goin’ te find her maker for her. Use a locatin’ spell that be from te Book o’ Shadows that requires te blood o’ te person. She thought her maker be with tis Babanel.” He tugged on the wire around his neck, the vile resting among the tangled mess of various jewels and riches. Hiding in plain sight. Still not willing to part with it. 

Emery sat on a hefty pile of rocks outlining a particular part of the Western Beaches. In his hand he broke apart a stick, stripping the bark with his dirty nails and letting the pieces fall into a precarious pile at his feet. He had been running for hours and it felt nice to finally sit down, relax. Though the night would come to an end soon, Emery had a very important date with a crazy pirate that he promised to be present for. At the beaches, time was irrelevant, or so it seemed. With the sound of the waves and the crashing of water against the shoreline, it was hard to imagine that there was a whole world right behind him in the Hallowed Oak. 

Docile. It was calm. And quiet.

Out in the ocean Emery gazed upon Takeshi’s magnificent ship, anchored and still while moonlight danced on its surface and allowed the magic to be vibrant. 

And coming towards him from the boat was the warlock.

Emery raised his hand in a wave, motioning to Takeshi where he was along the beach. Perfect timing.

The sight of Takeshi Bin was always a shock. One could never really get accustomed to the amount of gems he traveled with, or the growing strands of necklaces and rings that littered his chest and fingers. His sway was an odd swag, definite and wobbly, and to Emery it was more amusing to watch Takeshi try and walk a straight line then to actually see him use his magic for anything. Within himself, Tak was the most interesting character Emery had ever crossed paths with. He was proud to call him his friend.

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Emery teased with a boyish grin. It might have been months since they last saw one another but once they were together it seemed like only yesterday. Emery patted the rock next to him. “Take a seat before you fall over,”

Takeshi stroked Samir’s head gently once he landed on shore, the soild state of the ground causing him to nearly topple over. Hearing Emery’s laugh made the pirate bark one in return, letting Samir flutter up and into his hat. The poor bird was tired of late, and he knew of the celebration he need to have in the little familiars name soon. Tak would miss his loyal friend, but Maya was a strong companion now. Showing the change in his personality. More, Samir deserved rest, Tak having kept him magically alive longer than necessary. It was of his old life, and the lazy dove would find it’s resting place in his hat until the time came. 

“Aye that be te best idea,” he humored with a loud clashing collision of metals to settle haphazardly upon the rock. He crossed his legs, resting the muddied soil of his boot across his knee while his blue leather jacket fanned out around him. His face sparked in amusement, pulling out a flask to hand it to Emery. 

“Not entirely rum-- take a whiff, aye made a man drink himself into a passed out stupor with me famous rum then took his blood! HAHAHA! Aye not know if it be good, but good manners in drinkin’ together than alone--” he said with a cheers of his own rum flask, the item elaborate as he in encrusted emeralds and golden designs fit for a king. Tak took a generous sip. 

“Aye destroyed an island not but a few passin' nights ago, watch it devoured by a storm!” he laughed once more, kicking his feet out to rest them better against the sands. Starting the conversation in a story wasn’t out of character for the warlock, but that really wasn’t why they were here. “What be troublin’ me not be ‘bout adventure little one... aye believe te Captain can fix a many things, ‘nd this might be one o’ them. But ye need te know somethin’-- ” He looked upon his beautiful ship out at sea.

Tanner jumped at the shock of explosion, unafraid at the lights now flickering manically in the sky around them but still feeling somewhat apprehensive about Takeshi being so sad. It was almost as though Tanner could not believe it, expecting the captain to simply jump up and swing his hat around, claim that it was all some stupid and heartless joke…that he really was just fine, and he was just pretending that this sadness was vast and deeper than anything he’d ever felt before. 

But Tanner knew better. Those were not tears of laughter nor tears of jest; they leaked with a realness that was visually expressed through the fireflies now dead in the water around them. Tanner scooped one up in his palm and sighed.

“I don’t know many vampires, just one…his name is Rowan. He lives in Monir City, have you ever met him? He hates being a vampire. It’s strange. I don’t think that all vampires are bad. I think they are just wrongfully guided,” Tanner set the dead bug in the water and watched it float away. “I’m so sorry that you had to experience that…I don’t know what I would do if anything ever happened to one of my pack mates, or even just a close friend. Like you,”

Tanner placed a gentle hand on his arm, hoping to give some sort of comfort. “You need to grieve. It’s okay to feel this way for now. How about this…how about you tell me something wonderful about your friend; a funny joke, a memorable moment. Anything to keep their memory alive,”

“Aye don’t,” Takeshi said about Rowan, actually having met the vampire but was entirely too drunk on powerful magic and rum to remember they had. He walked out of the water, pressing his damp palms right over Tanners where the dead magical firefly laid and brought it back to life. The flickering blue light larger than the others, almost appearing like a small fairy orb to hover around the young wolf’s head. Tak smiled.

“Aye, that I did, I be done now though,” Takeshi released a rum scented breath of air. Wandering back to shore to plop childishly on his back in the sands. His gaze held to the stars and thought about Emerald and those happy memories, but then sat up suddenly. Pressing his fingers through the mess of chains and gems littering his scar laden chest to grasp a small vile of Babanel’s blood with tightened reminder he had it.

“A good memory? Argg,” he complained in a deep, gruff tone with that one word. Looking over to the wolf who was allowing him to act this way without judgement. He sighed. “Thar be this one time I created an illusion for her, stole te moon right out of te sky to appear te have crashed into a mountain.” He fingered the vile, lifting his one hand to summon a soft fog. Bringing the tips of his fingers to his head to pluck the memory out so it subtly reflected the moment like a captured mirage for Tanner to see. 

The threat of water was not a comforting thing to Valafar, a fire lion, who would, in his truer form, be doused and consumed within the water should it touch his valuable surface. Again, he reminded himself that his human vessel could handle such things and could even manage being trapped underwater for a short amount of time if need be. If the ship crashed and Valafar was sent out to sea, he was sure that he would perish without knowing how to swim. And of course, the grand whirlpool that was sucking into the earth from the mountain he had collapsed wasn’t exactly helping matters.

The lion gripped a line of rope and held on for dear life, not amused at the chaotic motions excreting from Takeshi and his crew, as though they enjoyed this. The movements made him feel sick to his stomach, flipping his insides over a few times and threatening to escape from his throat at any given time. His hands burned from the heat of the rope yet still he held on, desperate for the entire voyage to be over as soon as possible. Jezebeth owed him a great amount for this.

“Just take us back!” he hollered in a gruff and pant, unable to release the comfort of the rope just yet. He wondered what effects destroying that island would have on the rest of the ocean. “I feel sick you crazy pirate! Stupid human body, stupid demon brother, just taking me for granted he is…” he was grumbling to himself in a low murmur, angry now that the boat was still riding a massive wave and didn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

Takeshi might have started singing a pirates shanty while the rushing waters rose the magical ship up against the peaked height of the tidal wave. His crew knew how to handle such a phenomenon, the many gears, and advanced engineering keeping the ship on course skillfully in a way he didn’t have to worry they would mess up. He gripped the rope tightly, his song belting out only to be consumed by the rushing sounds of water. Tak felt no empathy for Valafar, not out of malice, but simple because this was so damn fun. 

He jumped on to the upper dock, running on strong sea worn legs to the helm to press a glowing palm upon it. Bull powerfully turned the wheel then, Tak sending a golden hued light up to consume all the sails, a sparkling sensation tickling all on board as they rose up entirely off the water. The ship actually flying for a moment and landed behind the tidal wave with a great splash against the underbelly of the ship. 

Tak continued singing his song, a few of the crew laughing and singing with him as he shifted up higher on a box, pointing his wand at the racing wave now ahead of them to tether himself to it. The ship lurched forward, and Tak summoned all the magic he had. Drawling a rippling energy left over from the sacrificed souls on the island to mesh it with the water. Commanding an energy connection on this scale contorted his body. His chest heaving forward, hands dropping down to his sides. A burst of blue light raced across the water all around them until it smoothed out entirely. The ocean calm in its gently lapping.

He laughed beautifully, then fell over. Bull managing to catch the captain’s arm before he toppled into the water and dragged him onto the upper dock. Tak couldn’t stand so he just laid there flat to the wood, all his jewels spread out around him, Maya fluttering to hand on his heaving chest. 

Everyone had a past, and Tak’s seemed to be so full of magic and delight that it was hard to imagine him knowing true pain or emotion. But that was a foolish thing to think; of course, he was human and no destiny great or small could shield him from the torture of loss and heartache. Tanner assumed it must be one or the other to have brought such a rawness out from the otherwise jolly Captain.

“Vampires laddie, they horrible creatures. Aye put up with em but I am beginnin’ te regret even that decision,” he nearly growled, fingers moving through the waters. “But aye... was too late Tanner. Aye tried te get me ship there in time, flew across te very waters to put out her flames-- but there she burned. There... she... burned to ash right in me arms.” Takeshi glared out at the open ocean once more. 

He committed the scene to memory, vowing never to forget such an enchanting dance.

At Takeshi’s words, Valafar released his control of the water spouts, allowing them to flourish in their own way around the island. The large mountain in the center was connected to an even large plate of rock underneath of the ocean. In order to collapse it, Valafar would need to dig even deeper.

“Once this succumbs to the sea, a whirl pool will ensue. I suggest preparing your wind magic…we will need a hefty escape,”

Valafar brought one hand up, his palm facing down to his other. He closed his eyes and concentrated, moving all of his energy to the massive piece of rock on the island and finding a connection to something within. As his fingers and wrist began to shake, the top of the mountain rumbled in defiance. Rocks broke apart from its peak and began to slide down the slope; any life that was left on the mountain fell apart, as though it had been plucked away. The center of the mountain began to cave inward as Valafar’s hand slowly pressed downward. Appearing as though he were crushing the mountain itself, Valafar’s hands shook with fury, sweat dripped from his brown and he audibly groaned in displeasure. 

While the center began to press itself into the earth, the water from around the shores reacted accordingly. Still he pressed on, collapsing the mountain from within and singed it into the ocean below. Rock and boulders flew in all directions, sinking into the water or falling straight into the collapsed mountain. 

Finally, Valafar let out a roar, reflected that of his more truer form and collided his hands together. An explosion tore through the air, dust and debris from the mountain raising above the island, coating it in a sandstorm of rubble. And as the mountain pushed itself into the earth below, water from the ocean poured into the opening at rapid and deadly speeds.

“Everyone hold on!” he shouted, drawing his wand up fiercely to release a series of mechanisms dropping the correct sails. “Knot te lines!” he ordered while moving swiftly to the helm, spinning the large wheel manually just as the ocean drew the ship towards the sinking island. The current was a threat, and Tak knew what was coming-- he had to time this perfectly. Taking a peak at all his crew members, his gaze was intense in reminder to the precious cargo upon his vessel. All the treasures in the world couldn’t replace his men, and he pushed Brun to the wheel. The massive man holding it steady as Tak took a generous sip from a hip flask.

“Be on te ready!” he pulled himself up on the edge of the railing, wrapping his arm around a rope as he watched with a manic gleam when the tidal wave summoned out of the water. Tak’s eye rolled into his head, the rune painted on his rune glowing in a black mist. He muttered the water spell, lifting his wand towards the coming water that looked as if it would easily devour the ship. Tak blasted the blue lighted spell to collide with the wave, the ship riding up on the top of it, and the wood and mechanics of his girl groaning in protest. But he pushed them up against the wave for a second before the entire ship shot forward. The wind gathering into the sails and they nearly flew ahead of the wave. 

Tak gripped the rope, half hanging over the edge of the ship as he cackled in excitement. All his crew shifting the sails to accommodate the wind magics. 

His companion gave the demon leave to enter first, though soon as Tak and Wylla stepped inside, a shadow sprung from the lance. Faster than he could even react, the gifted humans were floored and the creature with his face burrowed into them. Markus could only watch in horror as his comrades stabbed themselves over and over until blood painted the stones. “No. NO.” There was a noise akin to wind roaring in his ears, but the demon soon realized the sound came from his own lips. “No—You will not have the final laugh. I did not come this far to be bested by you in the end.” 

The darkness around him writhed, attacking anything in sight. Clawing at the ruins like rabid beasts, threatening to envelope the entire castle in pitch. Air sawed in and out of his nose, the rational part of him fighting for control. This place may have been a little slice of Hell, but the blood of Fairies flowed in Tak and Wylla’s veins. A demon or any hellspawn could not so easily overcome them, let alone possess them without any repercussions. This had to another illusion. Raum was a demon of deceit, a weaver of lies just like his sire, Lucifer. Tzalmov’s Lance is created from the molten stone of your bottomless pit. Hell’s King once told him. Dipped in the Phlegethon River and tempered in the purest darkness. It can shroud worlds in shadow and unveil them as well. 

“I will be the victor and this Angel you deem lesser will preside over you just as I always have.” Markus turned away from the grim scene, the darkness around him calming. Fearlessly, he advanced toward the lance, running a nail along his wrist to draw blood. The guttural tongue of Hell flowed past his lips as the sanguine liquid dripped onto the weapon. Abaddon’s sigil shone bright red on the lance’s blade as proof of their rightful bond. Now, no one could so much as touch the weapon without his leave and stealing it would cost the thief their life and soul. 

He fell to the floor on his hands and knees when Markus released them, blood oozing from his left nostril and ear. His glare wasn’t directed at his friend but more all he was suddenly weighed with and Tak pushed up off the ground. Leaping immediately out the crumbling window, catching the wind to project him across the valley fast enough to land in an explosion of now raw sands by Varro’s side. The monstrous worm was screaming again, and Tak felt his heart want to give out at the noise. 

With a slam of his palm to the ground, a rune instantly appeared pulsing vividly in shades of teal. 

“Help me encase it--” he yelled, the ground breaking open as water exploded from the soils. Meshing around the giant Earthen creature in created quicksand. The creature tried to get out of the position, caught in the shifting collision of water and soil to the point it was sinking without an exit. Tak wasn’t sure if it could drown, but it was only to entrap it so Markus could get them out. 

The hurricane impressed him and Valafar did not hesitate to comply with his part. His hands opened and stretched to the sides, mimicking having the island in the center of his arms, his limbs being the hurricane, and within the circle he could feel the power that Takeshi’s magic brought to the game. His blood rumbled with control inside his veins, ecstatic that he was able to use these abilities to cause some damage. 

His fingers flexed and and clawed its way into the makeshift circle in front of his chest, and as it happened the rain from the hurricane exploded from the darkened clouds overhead. The wind whistled and twirled within the storm, and Valafar grabbed onto it in a spinning motion, his hands circling to cause the clouds to spin. The clouds themselves were heavy, filled with ran and sleet from the becoming storm, and although manipulating the clouds was a possibility he did not know if the storm was strong enough to cause a funnel.

The pirate released his hold on the storm, feeling a snap of his magical interference to let Valafar take full control if it. He instead dipped his fingers in a bronze goblet of blood, drawing a rune upon his right wrist as he muttered a spell that sheered it black to his flesh. The souls screamed in his ears. He could hear them, or thought he did. Maybe his mind was slipping a bit with his brand of purgatory linked profoundly to the other side. His smirk was riveting, stretching wide and near manic as he lifted his wand hand and blasted a burst of energy that struck the water causing an explosion against the surface. A fine mist filled around the ship, but Tak was focused on the black void of space floating in the water, like the hit had caused a physical bruise. 

It sunk, the blackness in shadows consuming the water to create an actual hole, forcing a negative charge to the water that attracted clouds over it. A funnel formed then, it wasn’t much, the clouds spinning and reaching down towards the black spot until Tak willed it to connect. Tak actually grunted from the draw of magic, a water spout forming instantly when he sent wind and water spirally in the sky. Spinning violently enough that he took three unwilling steps forward before he whipped his wand in obvious demand of control--

“Balem!” he shouted, sending a powerful blast of wind to carry it towards the shores, the winds and water devouring the sands along the edge of the island in massive erosion. Tak pressed his thumb into the rune on his wrist, muttering in fierce, demanding Latin that drew additional power from the fading souls before turning to Valafar. The water spouts breaking into two.

“I was there. I will look for you next month, if that’s okay,”

The wolf knew that Takeshi was only distracting himself from whatever problems he was facing. The lights in the sky were fun to watch, and maybe any other night Tanner would be dancing among them in some sort of rhythmic mantra. But tonight was different, he could feel it in the air and sense that Tak was troubled. Knowing that the pirate carried such an emotion was a new experience in its own, and Tanner wanted him to talk to him, or somehow deal with whatever he was going through. Then again, he wasn’t sure what sort of help he could be…Tanner was not wise and was never good at counseling. He left that to the elders and when he was scolded for being immature he usually blamed it on Rocky. 

Tanner walked to the edge of the water and dug his toes inside the wet sand. There was always something riveting about being on the edge of the world, gazing out into the endless ocean and knowing that there were lifetimes out there, somewhere, just over the horizon. 

“Wrong? Hmm,” he looked up to follow Tanner’s gaze, the abyss of the ocean blue that could be daunting to the non adventurous person. It was pitch in its darkness, endless in its collision to the horizon line of the world. Takeshi knew most people assumed the world flat, but he knew different. Having traveled around and back to prove the existence of spherical shapes to the earth below his feet. 

“Ye know thar be this curse upon me family, at least that be te only word I’ve been able to come up with to explain it. Once upon a time thar be a water faerie who use to ride the waves of the newly created Earth. She be happy. Free to travel everywhere! As water on te Earth be plentiful. Than one night during a powerful storm thar be another fae much like her. But she be of wind, riding the currents not of the ocean, but in te very sky. How the water Fae wanted to fly so she sang a song to lure te other to her side. They became friends over te countless years of te young planet. Shapin’ both current in sky and water, making storms to travel together. And upon the finality of te great wars it was the both of them that looked upon me family and gifted us magic. It was the friendship of their elements that coarse through me veins--”

Tak peered over te Tanner, obvious in not answer his question yet. Tak always one to make a story more riveting than it might actually be. Though his crew knew of the story of his family, not another did. Usually he accompanied his tales with magic but the waters continued to remain calm, lapping gently against his lower abs.

What if the lance is tainted or tampered with? His doubts said. No. He rebutted. Nothing, can contaminate what Lucifer has created. Tak and Varro racing ahead of him, snapped the demon from his thoughts and he could hear the anxious ticking of his Bazaleel. Something was definitely wrong and the barrier that the warlock revealed was the least of them. “We have to find a way to break this barrier.” He said, skidding to a stop just as the ground began to rumble. 

Rock and sand split apart to reveal another hellish beast. It was large, far larger than the Hydra and it severely dwarfed each opponent. Markus grit his teeth in pain upon hearing the worm’s cry, but the sensation only fed his anger. “No, we fight.” He said, answering Tak’s question. Though, for the first time in all of their years together, Varro spoke against his order. 

“No, sir. You, Takeshi, and Wylla go. This is an Earthen creature, I can slow it down, keep it busy. If I can’t get it to submit, perhaps destroying it from the inside will work. I’m stronger here, sir,  there’s earth everywhere. I will do it or be cast from my vessel in the attempt.” Without even waiting for a response Varro rushed towards the great worm. A terrible, almost deafening roar of challenge left the demon as he leaped into the air. Soil wrapped around his build, churning into a cyclone that was as large as the worm itself. 

All the while, Wylla was working on the barrier, an incantation bubbling past her lips exceedingly fast. The tip of her wand emitted a ominous yellow color and power that he never experienced before radiated from her. Every bit of the energy was being adsorbed by the strange spell. “Baak-sai-ga!” She yelled, concluding the incantation and proceeded to jam her wand into the barrier as if were a knife. The yellow light seemed to liquefy, seeping into the force field and bubbling like an acidic substance. A web of cracks spread from the the incision, reminding Markus of a broken mirror. And just when Wylla removed her want the entire barrier shattered, giving leave for their party to advance. 

He crouched low on the wall, testing the Castle quickly for any further enchantments but he felt nothing. Not even a shield or barrier and his expression twisted in mild confusion and wonder where the trick was. Everything here had been test after test, and he was starting to wonder where the black magic was being drawn from. There would have to be a talisman or artifact tethering the Hell dimension here, and he had a sinking feeling it was the Lance it’s self. If the was the case the place could risk crumbling apart to trap them before they able to escape. Tak peered up into the sky, piecing together that the very mountain could be whats containing the walls of this illusion and he hoped he could tether a link to the world above with the help with Wylla. If he was right, they could blast a hole though the top and pull themselves right up through the crumbling enchantments. It was that or risk running for the door... he guessed that could work as well but Tak was skeptic of their survival rate with that route. 

With a twist of his wand he sent the large wave up and under the Bezaleel to physically lift Markus and Wylla up to the wall, from there they could run across the edge and leap onto the highest tower without stepping foot inside the castle. 

“Thar be nothing blockin’ te way,” he yelled out, “te castle be only stone. At least it feel that way--” Takeshi ran across the top wall, his jewels clinking in a series of metallic sounds as he nearly fell off on more than one instance simply because running straight was terribly hard for the pirate. At the edge of the tower he leaped to the windows edge and blasted one of the window panel inside in a shattering of glass and metal. From this view he could see the lance, and Tak grinned in a way that made treasure hunting all the worth while. 

“Oy! Thar it be, Markus--” he peered over to his friend, something akin to pure excitement for the Prince that Markus would be able to feel come off the pirate. “Te time is here friend! We did it!” 

He moved out of the way to let them all in, and leaped into the room after, but the second him and Wylla entered the room something not originally felt triggered a pause of time that froze the pair of humans in a static position around Markus. To Tak it felt like nothingness. Until they were both firmly blasted into the walls, Tak’s head cracked harshly into stone but it was something dark that slithered from the Lance’s alter. A shadow mocking that of Markus’ true form reaching out to burrow into the pair of humans chests as a pulsing leech. Lifting them easily into the air as Tak gasped for a second as shadows seemed to sink into their bodies before landing on the floor.