Grisha outpaces Stabby by multiple feet. He seems drained in every way but pushes through as a prince fulfilling his duties should. Stabby would ask him to slow down, both for Grisha's sake and his own, but he can't get a word out. It seems without the rush of combat his stamina has room for improvement.

He's still unclear on what Grisha needs to do, something about reporting on what happened during the journey. Do they have to update the people every time they discover the slightest thing? That seems like it would get tedious. It's something Grisha didn't want Stabby to do, but that doesn't narrow it down. He doesn't want Stabby to do anything. His mother said it would be best for Stabby to get it over with as soon as they can. What is he supposed to get over?

It seems the only way to discover what the task is to watch it happen.

Forgoing the thought of figuring out their task, Stabby takes in the sights of unexplored areas of the city. Shades wander the town, ones who seem close to having form, their shadowy bodies almost surpassing the see-through nature of their kin. A few of their crystals are visible, popping out from their skulls and shoulders. A higher class variant of his people. As they progress further from the castle, the houses become smaller, the surrounding shades less detailed and the crystals more hidden.

They stop at a humble house with a beautiful violet garden, the middle circle of the town. A shade woman waters the flowers with the same care as one treating a wound. She raises her head, the darkened area where her mouth should be curving up at the sight of the princes.

Grisha greets her, complimenting the flowers and asking her to talk inside. She obliges, leading them through the door. Her son, recently formed, holds a ball with a carving of a face. If not for the poor job of the carving Stabby's sure he could recognize it.

The mother dismisses the son to his room and invites Grisha to sit at their dinner table, a collection of vegetables from her garden laid out. She sits at the end, speaking pleasantries with Grisha about her progress in gardening.

Stabby dazes off, looking behind her at a family portrait. It shows the lady, her son, and...

A piercing pain enters his side.

The shade that reported to them before they entered the forest.

Grisha sighs, "I should get to why I came here."

"Oh yes. Why is that?" The shade asks.

"In our last mission, your husband was in charge of our defensive measures."

"He mentioned that before he left..." She leans forward. "Did something happen?"

"Assassins ambushed the guards. We entered a cluttered area and didn't notice until later that we separated." He pauses. "It pains me to say it, but... he didn't return."

She keeps her posture straight. "He knew what the risks were with his job, we all did." Her voice becomes strained. "It was always a possibility..." A spike shoots out from her arm, but she covers it, holding her arm tight. "But why'd it have to happen so soon?" Her shadowy form distorts more. She tries to hold it back, slouching forward, but her attempts fail. The spikes protrude and retract, rapid and violent, the mother shrieking in agony. The ground seems to tremble as her face falls into her hands.

The piercing pain reaches Stabby's core, his throat drying out, and arms trembling. His core throbs worse and worse the longer he stares, but he can't bring himself to look away.

Grisha mutters, "they're getting worse..." He turns to Stabby, his voice gentle, "you've seen enough, you can go if you need." He walks to the widow, kneeling next to her and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Part of Stabby wants to stay, to be strong like his brother, but his body fights against it. His shadow pulls away, clawing at the door, its weightless form creating a tension that feels like it'll kill him.

He can't take it.

-

He crawls out onto the floor of the castle, shaking as he desperately tries to avert his mind. All around him shade servants walk to their next task, bowing as they pass. With each bow his pain grows, the thought of the shade who died protecting him resurfacing in his mind. He speed walks past the servants, dead-set on his destination.

The library. He needs to find Kir. He could distract him.

Stabby arrives, throwing the doors open and shouting for his brother. The response doesn't come.

He looks for a sign of where Kir could be. He returned most of the books in order, only a few tables on the sides are still covered by the piles. At the center of the room, near Keiken's statue, a table that wasn't there before stands. On it lies a note that reads, "gathering supplies, will return soon. Please do not touch the books until I return."

The two distractions he can think of are out of the picture. Well, he could talk to his mother... no, she's busy, and he's not ready.

The thoughts threaten to return.

He'll try exploration.

He chooses a path he hasn't traveled and searches for anything interesting enough to hold his attention for however long. His smile returns upon seeing a mirror on the other side of the room. He dashes to it, its previous effect fresh in his mind. He stares for a while, it's clear, speckless reflection soothing his chaotic mind. If nothing else, his appearance is still pleasant.

Though longer than most, the calming effect dies, being replaced by the faint image of the family picture.

What scares him the most is that he couldn't have cared less about the shade officer this morning. He didn't even view him as a person. The shades that serve his family diligently were just that, servants. But this throbbing in his core shows him they're not only fully developed people, they're something more, something... important.

He sees a wave of shades coming his way and takes the stairs to avoid them, passing floor after floor, hoping the higher he is the fewer people will be. He reaches the top and pushes the door, finding himself on one of the castle's five towers.

A shade gargoyle he saw before his previous journey stands ever-watchful on the edge. He examines it closer, sliding his finger against its wide torso. The gargoyle's upper body seems almost double his lower, a glowing eye protruding from his chest, and crystals from his shoulders, neck, and back. A metal plate states "fifth general, crusher of light."

He teleports in a rush to see what the next guard looks like. He has two pairs of crystal-adorned wings, the scrunched nose of a bat, and a curved mouth. His plate reading, "fourth general, hunter of the hidden."

The next is hunched, eight-armed, with pupilless eyes and crystals piercing out from her collarbone. Her title, "third general, catcher of beams."

The fourth looks see-through despite being made of stone, cloaked head to toe beside the hole in his chest that gives a foreboding invitation. Named, "second general, the guide of the night."

He teleports to the last tower, discovering the fifth guardian is something he can't help but recognize. He's tall and lean, his long arms ending with long clawed hands, and a mouth opened far too wide, littered with sharp teeth. The shade he fought in the cave. His title reads, "first general, the avatar of darkness."

Before he can further examine the shade, dark mist rises around him. He swipes it away, jumping back and summoning a dagger to his hand. "Who's there?"

A cloaked form stands at the center of the mist, gazing down with pure white eyes.

"Oh... Kazimir. I'm sorry, I didn't..." The words get stuck in Stabby's throat, his eyes glued to the masked face of his terrifying brother. He takes a step back, tripping over himself.

Kazimir grunts, moving closer and reaching down to him.

"I didn't mean to bother you," Stabby says, crawling back further.

He fails to evade his brother's grasp, and tenses for impact. But Kazimir's touch seems gentle, and his expression, that which is visible anyway, looks almost apologetic. Kazimir grunts again, raising Stabby to his feet.

"I can't understand what you're saying. Am I bothering you?"

Kazimir nods no, waving to the forest in view from the tower.

So he's here for the view… Grisha may be right about him not being too bad.

"Why don't you just go out into the forest if you want to see it."

Kazimir pauses, his grunts not being the most effective communication between the two. He waves his hand and the mist around them swirls, mixing and blending into the form of a word.

"Fight?" Stabby asks.

Is he afraid to fight, he doesn't seem like he needs to be.

Kazimir waves his hand again and a line crosses through the word. He points to himself.

"You can't fight?"

He nods, the little visible of his face glowing at Stabby's understanding.

"Why's that?"

Kazimir twirls the mist again, forming "mission".

"Oh, so your mission won't let you. That seems kinda boring."

He shakes his head, crossing out the word fight again.

"So you don't enjoy fighting?"

He agrees.

"That's weird, I kinda like it, well besides the possibility of dying. But once I get stronger, I won't have to worry about that. I'll protect me, Grisha, mom, and you and the rest of the family, of course. And..." Stabby's head drops. "Our people."

Kazimir kneels next to him, closing the distance between their heights. It feels as if he stares into his soul, though not in the negative sense you would assume. His eyes show a deep understanding that could almost parallel Kir's or that of an old sage and a pure kindness that comforts and enriches you, and he smiles.

Stabby can't help but smile back. "You seem a lot less scary in conversation."

Kazimir coughs out what Stabby can only assume to be a laugh, then turns back to the forests, staying close to the younger prince, but keeping his hands at a distance.

The gentleness in the giant's face as he gazes at the scenery melts any remaining fear in Stabby's mind.

"Hey…" Stabby looks to the floor. "I just want to apologize for moving away when I saw you…" He looks up to Kazimir. "I hope you're not offended."

Kazimir waves the apology away, remaining relaxed with the view. The two grow silent in the serenity, the sound of the breeze putting all at ease.

Stabby glimpses the massive body of his brother. Wait. Didn't Grisha mention something about Kazimir being the strongest of the siblings? Maybe he can help Stabby get stronger.

Disrupting the quiet, Stabby asks, "could you train me?"

Kazimir respectfully refuses, crossing out violence in the mist.

"But I have to go on another mission soon, and wouldn't it be best if I was as strong as possible?"

Kazimir hesitates, looking to his palm, then to his brother. He rises to his full height, staring down at his sibling, and gives in with a grunt.

Stabby leaps to his feet. "Yay! I knew you were nice! What are you going to teach me?"

Kazimir chuckles and waves another word into existence.

The younger prince's previous excitement fades. "Stealth. But that sounds boring."

Kazimir writes "small" in the mist and points to Stabby.

"Yeah, I'm tactically advantageous, but so what. I've won multiple fights. I don't need to hide."

"Dangerous".

Thinking back, he realizes he only beat the masked demon when the feline held himself back. "That may be true... but how would Stealth help me."

The words stealth and small smash together, creating two forms of Stabby.

"You know about my clone?"

Kazimir grunts, writing "mother."

He's unsure if he'll use this training, but it may be useful to have, and it would be an excellent distraction, so he might as well.

Stabby jumps to his feet. "Well then, Kaz, show me what you got."

Kazimir nods, grabbing Stabby and jumping from the tower.

The castle flies past him as he soars to a blurry surface. Birds and windows look as if they're being sucked into the sky. Kazimir's cloak covers his face, and they land without a sound. Taking a moment to gather himself, Stabby finds they landed on an open area hidden in the castle roof. Kazimir pulls his arms up through the mist, a dozen forms of differing sizes rising around him.

So that's what he got.

-

Stabby waves goodbye to Kazimir with heavy breaths.

For something that's supposed to avoid combat, stealth has a lot of physical exertion. But Stabby feels it's worth it. He has more skills under his belt, and he got to learn about another of his siblings. With each member of his family he meets, his drive to get stronger grows. He'll do whatever he can to protect his family and his people. Kazimir has helped him see the individuality each shade shows with nothing but the kindness of his pure white eyes.

He won't let the murder of his people continue.

He reaches the base of the castle, opening the door to find Grisha on the other side.

"There you are," Grisha says.

He seems energized again. Did he get sleep? How long did Stabby train?

A glance outside reveals his training lasted through the night. "I was with Kazimir," he mumbles.

"You sure changed your tune," Grisha smirks as he steps by. "Told you he's nice."

"You did. But more importantly, guess what. He taught me another way to fight."

Grisha's smile fades. "He did? That's unusual for him, I'd think he try to persuade you to stop fighting altogether."

"I think he did. I can't actually understand most of what he's saying. But I persuaded him to teach me."

"You are good at that."

They reach a storage closet, which Grisha scavenges through, tearing the lids from tagged boxes and digging through the items inside. "Do you know if we need to replace any of our supplies? Like lights or anything."

Stabby remembers the crystals he used to illuminate Stomper's guest room, but unsure if he should've used it without asking and unwilling to sour his brother's good mood, he shakes his head no. "Not that I know of. Maybe more clothes."

"Mother's got that covered. Since we'll be meeting with the royalty of a kingdom that doesn't want us dead, she'll make sure we get proper attire."

"Oh. Did you get the books from Kir?"

"He said he'll meet us as we head out."

Stabby feels a twinge of excitement.

-

With the supplies gathered, the brothers exit the castle.

Their mother waits with two containers flanking her and Kir to the side, diligently listening to her commands.

"We can't let the Flame-kins reach the beachside borders. We must prolong their fight with Aito's servants as long as we can. Tell Damien to spread rumors that his father gave shelter to the demons of sunlight."

"A dishonorable act such as that would surely sway more to the side of the rebellion and prevent king Damon's departure." Kir's head twists to the side. "But mother, we don't have solid proof of that, no matter how likely it is."

"We'll find proof soon enough. And besides, there are few smart enough to check the accuracy of the rumors they spread."

"Very well, mother." Kir turns his attention to his brothers as he sees them approach. "Grisha. Pasha. I have collected all the books I think you'll find useful for your journey, along with some to further educate our newest sibling. I'd show them to you personally, but I have a task I must accomplish with haste." He gives his farewell and turns, exiting the gate.

Stabby's excitement dies.

The shadow mother stands straight, arms tucked behind her. "Are you rested and prepared, my children?"

"We are," Grisha says.

"Good. Your mission will kill two harpies with one stone if successful, bringing both the gorgons and the shaman to our side. And there is no better time than the present. While the light is distracted, we'll create a powerful army, and Kazimir will soon discover knowledge that will reveal what Ambrosio hides. With his secrets brought to the public, strife with rain and his armies will crumble to ruin."

She continues, focusing on Grisha, "you know the importance of this mission. Failure is not an option, no matter what will try to end it. The first danger you must be wary of is the god of death." She removes a necklace with the emblem of a crashing wave from her robes, handing it to Grisha. "This will prevent him from approaching you. Never take it off. No matter what he may say, his only desire is an endless war."

"The second is that vile ability of Fudo's you should have never learned. Spread out your energy to avoid subconsciously activating it and use it only if death seems certain. And third, those who seek to harm your brother. They know of his importance, though they know not why, keep him out of their hands." She turns to Stabby. "And you. Watch your brother's back."

Stabby takes the request with a grin, his heart soaring at receiving a task of his own.

"Now then, go find your sister."