It was midday in Dan Kat. The sky was cloudless, well, except for the black cloud hanging directly above the harbor tower. A black line of smoke led down from the cloud to the roof and Hewin shivered when he thought of what might be at the end of it.

Hewin sent Ash to scout ahead and the little bundle of tentacles jumped from roof to roof across the port. The streets of the small city were completely empty and lifeless as if even birds and mice were scared to wander around the place.

Hewin's second companion, the stone shard of Patience, was just hovering next to him, following him silently. The stone told him that when it drops down, the time for patience is over. But Hewin doubted that such a thing might occur. After all, among the last words the stone had spoken was the message that Hewin lacks patience. There is no place for patience in times like these, Hewin thought.

The clear sky obstructed the puppets from any activity outdoors and Hewin felt comfort in that. But, at the same time, he knew that the local puppeteer attached to the dark cloud was very much alive in the shadows inside the tower. He felt him as he walked closer and closer to the stone building on the rocky shore.

The...the things from trees...floating...fire ate them, Ash thought to Hewin from ahead. Then Hewin saw it too. The boats in the harbor were burned, the sails in tatters. Some of the planks had dark red stains on them and a hand cut at the elbow was stuck among the rubble under the pier. They never had a chance, Hewin felt anger rising within him.

He turned to the tower. He approached the heavy wooden door and saw it wasn't locked. Hewin carefully opened them. There was no light inside and Hewin was able to see only the beginning of the narrow spiral stairs leading up. He looked and looked until his Lynxarian eyes adjusted to the darkness. Then he gasped and almost fell down from the entrance. There were puppets inside. But that was not the thing that shocked Hewin. It was the fact that they were somehow embedded in the wall, the bodies growing from the stone like a tree that finds enough dirt among cobblestones. It was a whole crowd of these dark creatures lining the stairs, they extended their hands and rusty weapons toward him, inviting him inside. Hewin hesitated, he felt the shadow inside and found it tempting to enter and embrace it. He shook his head and snapped out of the strange sensation.

Hewin slammed the door shut and leaned against it as he expected the crowd to run outside. When nothing happened for minutes, Hewin sat down and pulled his furry ears down in frustration. Breathe, just breathe normally, I've done this before, just need to find some other way to the puppeteer, Hewin tried to think.

Hewin looked at the stonework of the tower. If only I had a rope, he mused. But then he looked at the wrecks of ships in the harbor and saw there were a lot of ropes at his disposal. Ash, you have some lifting to do, he smirked.

After Hewin had tied together two ropes of adequate length he gave one end to Ash. The shadowy companion heaved and started to climb. The rope was quite heavy for Ash bud he held it tight with his tentacle limbs and was stuck to the wall like a spider. Slowly, Ash was climbing up until he reached the roof. There, he tied the rope to the flag pole on the top of the pointy roof. Ash only did it after some effort since he did not have any experience with tying knots and Hewin was not so good at explaining it mentally. Eventually, after Ash had assured him he made many knots, Hewin pulled at the rope and was very surprised when it didn't fall down at him. Thank you, Ash, we are not such a bad team together, right? He thought to his companion. We...are...the best, I think? Ash responded.

Hewin cut his paw with the Voidsword and was mesmerized, as always, by the shadow emerging from the wound. He took a couple of deep breaths and started to climb the rope.

The window shutters at the top floor where Hewin felt the presence of the puppeteer were closed. The black cloud was right above him, thick and heavy with darkness. While he was climbing, Ash told him the line from the cloud went inside the tower through a gap in the roof where a roof tile was missing.

I...believe...in you...but...please...don't...go, Ash pleaded. I must, Ash. He looked from the top of the tower and saw other such clouds along the coast, and then a whole tempest of blackness somewhere near the monastery of Glorious Atnos. Otherwise, this will be a land of puppets and everyone will be a slave... and dead, Hewin replied mentally.

Hewin took another deep breath and swung on the rope. When he was closing to the window shutters he extended his paw and touched the shutters. He pulled with the shadow inside his wound and the window exploded toward him. Hewin covered his face and landed inside the tower.

He raised his head immediately, narrowed his eyes, and drew the Voidsword prepared to fight. But the sight of the puppeteer gave him a pause. It was Ver Shaet, the overseer that bullied him so many times at the mine. The only difference was that he had pitch black eyes and a black shadowy line coming from the back of his neck.

The bald overseer laughed like he always did at the mine when the two of them met. Hewin was surprised but when the shock passed he continued in his expression and played it as a role while he thought to Ash to climb into the room.

"What is this?" Hewin asked, trying to gain time for his move.

Ver Shaet laughed some more and then he spoke: "Ah, I love that my favorite cat paid me a visit. I miss the old times too! But I must say, I stepped up in the world. What about you, my fury pet friend?"

Hewin felt chills down his spine, as was always the case after the overseer opened his mouth. He saw Ash enter the room from the roof in the corner of his eye and decided to provoke Ver Shaet.

"Last time I saw you, you ran scared for your life from the mine. You weren't so snarky then," Hewin spat on the floor.

The eye of the overseer twitched slightly. "I understand, you also miss the good old whipping. I still have the whip here, you know," Ver Shaet replied calmly and took the whip from a hook.

Hewin felt the scars on his back pulsate when he saw the whip. I will end him, he thought. Now Ash, he urged his companion mentally. Ash jumped from the ceiling and Hewin rammed the Voidsword inside the wound in his paw to repeat the trick he used to kill the first puppeteer in Varnutum.

But Ver Shaet waved with his hand and a wave of shadow hurled Ash directly at Hewin. It all happened too fast for Hewin to do anything. Ash only managed to scream No!!! mentally before the blade emerged from him and pierced Hewin through.

Hewin coughed and stumbled towards the shattered window.

Ver Shaet came to him and whispered in his ear: "You shouldn't use the same trick twice. We can learn, you know. And so will you, you stupid cat."

The overseer forcefully opened Hewin's mouth and spat black goo inside. Hewin began to choke and trash about but the overseer lifted him from the ground effortlessly.

"Thak you, Hewin. He will reward me for this and I'll get to keep my mind a while longer," Ver Shaet smiled a genuine smile and tossed Hewin out of the window.

Hewin was falling down, his mind hazy, he saw only flashing images of Enyar during the fire in the mine. And finally, the darkness took him.