I walked up to the entrance to the stronghold. An intricate carving a crow was carved into the stone overhead. I could feel rage boil up inside of me as I looked at the familiar image. Even after all these years, I still could not forgive them.

I was shaken from my dark thoughts by a scuffle beside me. Sylvie had returned and decided that the best place to land was on Nox’s head. As a proud little kitten, Nox would never allow that. Fur and feathers collided as Nox chased Sylvie into the stronghold.

“You two behave.” I spoke. Despite my verbal objection, I was happy for the distraction. I did not want to revisit those dark thoughts.

“Everything ok?” my mother asked.

“Yes, just a few bad memories.” I walked over to a wall near the entrance and waved my dad over. “Put your hand here and follow the inscriptions, just like when you use your glyphs.”

My father nodded. He placed his hand on a purple crystal that I had pointed out to him on the wall and closed his eyes. “Amazing.” He gasped. “This inscription… It is more advanced than anything I have ever seen, and yet even easier to use than the simplest of my glyphs.”

As my father spoke, the crystal began to glow with a warm golden light. Throughout the room hundreds of other golden lights began to shine simultaneously.

“It didn’t disintegrate when I used it?” my father said, taking a step back to look at all the lights. “If I could study this for even just a week, my glyphs could easily double in strength.”

“Dad, focus it was just a light switch.” I said rolling my eyes. “I need you and Charly to use anything in this place.”

“Dad, look at this!” Charly shouted as he began to examine a few other similar crystals. “This glyph makes the door open and close automatically. This on here makes air flow through the base.”

I felt a headache begin to form as the two boys completely ignored me in favor of the crystals.

“Just give them a minute honey.” My mom said, as she looked at the various inscriptions carved into the walls. “This place… it is unlike anything we have ever seen.”

I sighed as the lights overhead began to flicker on and off at my father’s command. “I guess I was the same the first time I saw something similar as well.”

I paused. Struck by the sight of a painting prominently displayed against the back wall. A painting of a man wearing a jewel incrusted crown.

I walked over to the painting as rage flared within me. That face… I hate it more than anything. I pulled out the dagger I kept in my boot. In a moment of fury, I sliced the painting with my dagger a dozen times.

“Killing you once wasn’t good enough!” I fumed.

He is gone. You do not have to hate him anymore.

Silence filled the room. I turned to see my family all watching me with concern.

“Wren…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I said, interrupting my mother. I turned without waiting for a reply, and walked deeper into the stronghold.

My mother and father looked at each other for a moment, before following behind me. We passed dozens of bunk rooms. The mattresses and wooden bunk frames had disintegrated with the passage of time. A few rusted pieces of metal were all that remained.

The building itself was in surprisingly good shape. Closed off from the outside world, many of the stronghold’s functions remained in working condition. We only came across one door that had to be pried open. Ninth division technology was made to last.

We came to a stop at a door larger than any other so far. Nine giant statues lined either side of the door, acting as its guards. The statues depicted nine armored knights, each armed with a different weapon. I turned to my father and brother. “It takes two people to open. One on each side acting simultaneously. See if you can use the glyphs to open it. If not, we will have to pry the door open.”

The two of them took positions on either side of the door. Minutes passed. “Simply incredible. This glyph, it is like a never-ending maze. It is always changing, but its function still remains the same. I never knew you could do something like this.” My father gasped.

“Can you open it?” I asked.

My father shook his head. “If it was just one of us maybe, but timing two together is impossible if you do not know the correct path for the energy to follow.”

“Hard way it is then.” I said, ushering everyone away from the door and into a nearby room. I had Dad close and lock the door tight as he could. What I was about to do was risky.

Sitting patiently in front the large doors, and far away from my family, was Nox. Once I was sure we were safe in case the worst happened, I gave him the command.

Flames began to leak from the green patch of fur around his neck. Nox grew in size as the fur ignited. He roared with a might that shook the stronghold. He stood proudly, the flames around his neck like a lion’s mane.

With one swing of his mighty paws, the thick stone doors crumbled into dust. The moment the door was destroyed, the statues on either side of the door roared to life. Their eyes lit up with a purple light. After centuries of silence, the golems had begun to move.

Nox leapt to the side as a massive halberd slammed into the ground. He roared at the new enemies in indignation. Green flames ignited on his claws as he leapt towards the nearest golem. One swipe of his claws, and four deep scratches appeared in the golem.

The golem did not react to this injury. It raised its sword high and swung with enough force to shake our room on the other side of the stronghold.

The flames were of no use here. There was nothing to burn, no flesh, no soul. Luckily, even though Nox was outnumbered, he was fast. He was able to dash through the legs of the many golems as weapons fell around him.

Every time he passed by one of the legs, Nox’ claws left deep gouges. Individually, these attacks were nothing more than an annoyance to the golems, but as time passed that began to change.

Nox was injured. One of the blades had clipped his side, but his speed was unaffected. Instead of blood flowing from the wound, green flames leaked out of his side like an open furnace. The golems were not the only ones who would not be influenced by pain.

Nox leaped from golem to golem until finally something gave way. The golems leg was no longer able to support its weight. It collapsed into a pitiful heap on the floor. It tried to crawl towards Nox, still waiving its weapon, but it was pointless. A few moments later, another golem fell, and then another.

With all the golems collapsed to the ground, Nox was able to pick them off one by one. He roared triumphantly as he smashed the last of the golems to rubble.

Victory was not without a cost. Nox had been hit more than once. flames seeped from a large gouge in his side and many other places on his body. Thanks to my power, they would heal, but not quickly. It would take days.