The Blade Wielders: The Provectus Wielder

Chapter 4: Unchecked Power

The whole time he was at the hospital with his brother, Castor Burwell could not get one thought out of his head: that Nycto March, Lani Robuck and Gunnolf Hellstrider had something to do with the earthquake that has caused so many problems.

It's true that his Uncle Nycto is in custody and waiting for his verdict - imprisonment, memory wipe or execution. There's probably no way Nycto could have been involved, realistically. But if Castor has learnt anything over the past few weeks from being brainwashed by L, tricked into pledging allegiance to Hellstrider and betrayed by his uncle, it is that the people who stand against them are always one step ahead.

After Amara told Cas and his parents that Lewis would have to stay overnight in the hospital as he showed no signs of waking up, they left, promising to be back to check on Lewis the next day. Castor bid his parents goodbye and told them he'd head back to the Tergaron Woods immediately and send them a text when he got back safely. Ever since Castor moved out to live with his own kind in the woods, he has been getting on with his parents more and more by the day. Something in them has changed. In moments where they once used to criticise or scold him, now they offer reassurance and gentle compliments.

It seems that the events of the last few weeks have changed them all. His parents have gone from being cold and unsympathetic to caring and understanding. That fact alone almost makes Castor feel bad for lying to them when he said he would head straight back to the Tergaron Woods. In truth, he has a job to do. A job that involves his uncle, some interrogating, and maybe a few punches depending on how long it takes Nycto to cooperate.

Castor enters the Tenebris Guild slickly and silently, a nice side effect of being a werewolf. It has not yet been locked up, as the Deans are still inside somewhere, probably trying to clean up the debris of the afternoon and trying to figure out what measures of protection need to be taken. Castor moves quickly through the corridors of the Guild anyway, just in case he runs into one of them. They can never know he was here. Things might get ugly when he is down in those cells with Nycto.

He takes the stairs leading down to the prison. His uncle is not the only criminal down here at the moment, but he is one of the worst.

Castor advances towards Nycto's cell. He can see him huddled up against the wall, eyes closed.  Castor cannot tell whether he is simply thinking or if he is sleeping. His uncle's blonde hair is messy and greasy. His green and red prison uniform is filthy from the floor. The bed had to be removed due to Nycto showing suicidal tendencies, as he would rather die than give up the location of the Blade.

In the days after he was arrested by Castor and Lewis and brought here, he managed to tie his sheets together and hook it to the security camera in the cell, creating a noose. If it hadn't been for the Wielder on guard that day having rapid reflexes and putting a stop to it, Nycto would have succeded. The sheets and blankets were taken away from him to stop it from happening again, but the bed stayed. Until the next day, the day before Lewis' Halony, when he managed to snap off a sharp, thin piece of wood from his bed.

Castor raps on the glass of the cell. Nycto lifts his head slowly and turns to see Castor looking in on him. Castor wishes he could forget the smile Nycto gives him, but he has a feeling it will be etched into his brain for a long time. It is the smile of an insane man.

"Castor." His uncle's voice echoes off the cell walls. It is thin and raspy from the cold. "So good of you to come and see me."

Castor hits the cell wall, hard, making Nycto jump and shrink back against the wall. "I hate you," Castor growls. "I hope you know that."

Nycto nods sadly, but then he begins to cackle. He jerks his head towards the cell door. "Don't worry, nephew. You won't have to carry that hatred around with you for much longer. Look for yourself."