Oh boy ya'll are gonna kill me after this chapter, lol.

BTW- The interview is complete! Just a reminder, it is on @bubblekissed AAD fan book! Go read it for some juicy deets :) Please check it out, bubble kissed worked very hard on it and their effort should be read! If you can't see it now, wait a little while. They may have not updated it quite yet. But by 24 after posting this, the interview should be posted.

Now, on with the chapter!

Super unedited.

~

Fitz ran down the black stairs, cursing words he knew his little sister shouldn't be hearing.

"Fitz, what happened?!" Sofia asked.

"Keep your head down. Down and don't look up." Sofia, taking after her namesake, didn't listen. It was a dark room full of twisting paths. There were left, rights, ups, downs. He pulled his imparter out, dialing anyone in his contacts. But the service went dead no matter who he called.

"You know you want to, Fitzroy! All you have to do is agree!" The voice called from one of the alleys beside them, sending Fitz down another turn away from the sound. He had no idea where he was going; Sofia knew that much. He just knew to get away.

Sofia thought he would agree with their proposition. I mean, it seemed like all he wanted. But he simply turned heel and ran as soon as he truly heard the offer through.

"There has to be an exit. A door. Anything!" Fitz panted, his arms sore and shaking from holding his sister while still running at top speeds.

"Fitz, I'm scared-"

"Don't be. We'll get out of this soon. At any second. I just need to- " Fitz stumbled as a black hooded woman slid in front of them, holding a large bo staff.

"I'm not helping you! The Morrettis put their trust in me and I'm not going to break it!" Fitz spat at her. She groaned, twirling the bo staff between her fingers.

"I think we are done asking at this point, boy." Fitz dropped Sofia, pushing her behind him as the woman took another step. Then another. Fitz's melder was snapped in half the minute he pulled it out of his waistband, rendering it useless. Sofia whimpered as another black hood, this time a man, slid behind them.

"Back off. I'm warning you-"

"Aw, what will the little Vacker do? Tell on me to the Council?" The woman laughed. The dizzying turns and twists made the Vacker siblings more than lost. The hopelessness at their situation truly made Fitz consider the offer. Fitz held his sister tight, trying to contact anyone with his telepathy. But everything dropped to a dead end.

"I-I can't." Fitz begged.

"We should really rephrase. We weren't asking." The man scoffed behind them. Fitz squared his shoulders. He could do this; he knew how to fight. Not as well as the Assassins, maybe, but there were only two of them. He just had to get Sofia out of the way-

"Duck!" Sofia screamed, yanking her brother to the floor by his cape. Fitz's head smacked the cold black stone as blasts of ice shot above him and Sofia.

The woman's scream echoed throughout the black maze, the man spinning on his heel and cursing at the assailant.

"Leave them alone!" Fitz knew that voice. He pushed himself up, groggy and his head pounding something awful.

Squall leashed another blast of pure ice into the woman's chest, sliding to the side as Granite launched two goblin throwing stars towards the man.

"Up, Sofia, get up! Run!" Fitz got onto his feet, yanking his sister by her wrist as they sped into another one of the maze's walkways. Sofia was crying at this point but kept up with her brother as they listened to Granite and Squall defend their escape. But they still had no idea where they were. How the hell did the Black Swan Collective figure out what happened to him?

Two more hooded figures emerged from the other sections of the maze. Sofia and Fitz swung around and strafed right, running straight into a body of smudged color. Blur straightened Fitz and stepped in front of the two Vackers as the two hooded figures caught up.

"Stand down." Blur snarled.

The Neverseen members didn't respond, merely launched for Fitz and Sofia. Blur ducked beneath their hands, swinging his leg and knocking them over.

"Don't let him escape!" But they weren't pointing to Fitz anymore. No, they were pointing to Blur. Blur faltered, noting they changed their target.

"The exit is this way." Blur said, his answer clipped as he pulled a small marble from his belt. He waited for just a moment before launching the marble to their feet, turning away as a curtain of smoke separated them and him.

"Move!" Blur barked at them, picking up Sofia to give Fitz a break.

"What do they want?!" Blur asked, constantly checking over his shoulder. Fitz swallowed, answering between panting breaths, "They wanted me to break Maria Morretti's mind."

Blur screeched to a stop, Sofia whimpering in his arms as the blurry smudged face turned to the Vacker.

"W-What?"

Fitz blinked, glancing over his shoulder. The Black Swan was a secret branch of the Cyevan Assassins, but only Leto knew that. How did Blur know about Maria Morretti?

"I-I said-"

"I know what you said, I'm trying to understand why?"

"I don't know! They wouldn't tell me anything." Blur clearly wanted to press the conversation more but shook his head.

"Come on." They slowed their pace, careful to remain hidden. Soon, they approached a ramp leading seemingly nowhere. Now that they were out of the maze, Fitz watched it continue for miles and miles. It floated on seemingly nothing on a black plane. There was nothing but this maze.

Blur rummaged around in his bag, glancing behind him to the fighting from the rest of the collective.

"I can't believe they would go that low." Blur hissed, pulling random objects out of his bag. A big fluffy feather duster, at least that is what Fitz thought it was, a cowry shell belt, a jade teapot, and more as he continued to rummage in his bag.

"Uh, Blur? Why have they gone this low? Why is this lower than they normally go?"

"They want more than just you to get into Madame's mind." Fitz's eyes widened. He used Maria's title. Madame.

Fitz opened his mouth to continue the interrogate, but the shadows shifting behind Blur made it instead of a cry of warning.

But warning too late.

Blood spurted as a blade shot through Blur's knee, his scream echoing throughout the chamber. Fitz caught the Collective member, the other miscellaneous items tumbling out of Blur's hands.

"Oh shit, no, no, no-" The smudging of Blur's face began to fade away. A tall man with skin as dark as moonlight and perfect ringlet curls cascading around his head was behind the blurry mask. His eyes were dark blueish green, like the swamps when fireflies alight them with muted color.

(This is a Sibylline original drawing. Please don't use it without credit plz)

He gripped Fitz's forearm, struggling to get back up. He grabbed the last of his dropped items, wrapping them in a red swath of fabric he pulled from his bag. He shoved them into Fitz's hands, blood spurting all the way down his leg now.

Vespera emerged from the darkness, holding another blade.

"You hid so well. I'm surprised you didn't return from the field after Inalia fell." She stated, lining up her blade for another shot. Blur shielded Fitz and Sofia behind him, snarling at Vespera.

"The traitor herself. I should've known you were after me." Blur growled.

"Yes, you really should've. Now, give me the goblet."

"I don't have it."

"I know you have it."

"I don't have it you stupid witch!" Blur roared. Fitz glanced at the large archway behind them, matching the various objects to places around the arch. Blur gave them the keys, and now he was stalling for time. Fitz handed his little sister half of the objects, the more simple ones. He pointed in the direction of the imprints, and surprisingly, she nodded her head. Fitz shuffled back from Blur, carefully placing the fluffy flyswatter into a small hole carved in the rock. Then the jade teapot. And then a small piece of black and red pottery that seemed vaguely familiar. He glanced as Sofia fit her pieces into the puzzle of stone, the last one making the archway hum. Vespera looked up from her seething whispers with Blur, her eyes widening as the archway glowed with a gentle light. She lifted her blade.

"I can't let you go through there-" Blur launched up, his skull meeting Vespera's nose with a sickening crunch. He spun on his heel, limping with the blade still impeded so deeply in his thigh it protruded out the other side, "Run!"

Fitz's feet already ached from all the running, but he followed the order, as did Sofia. They sprinted into the veil of white light, the youngest Vacker going first and immersing herself fully onto the other side. She smiled as Fitz shimmered through the portal right behind her. But the smile fell to a scream as he was yanked back into the black labrinth behind them. Fitz fought his attacker, an ogre according to the pure strength holding him back from his little sister. Fitz slammed his elbow into his assailant's gut, a trick Grizel had taught him, and turned to help Blur into the portal.

But the light from Blur's eye had already faded as Vespera twisted the second knife she embedded into his ribs with a nauseating squish and crunch. Her eyes were solely on Fitz as she ripped the blade out and let his body fall haphazardly onto the ground. He was going to be sick, the pool pooling out from Blur's body already beginning to taint the air with metal. But the sound of footsteps pulled him as hard into reality as he could go.

He slid the red swath of fabric out of his back pocket, wrapping Blur's gift around his knuckles the same way Sophie had taught him. A Neverseen goon launched from the mist of the labrinth, only to meet Fitz's fist. Then another, and another. Sofia was screaming for her brother, but it seemed the portal was a one-way trip. She banged on the portal as if it were a pane of glass, screaming for him to simply make a run for it. The way she squinted through her side of the portal made it clear she couldn't see her brother fighting or Blur's body sitting merely five feet away from her.

There were too many men for him to sprint for her; they were on all sides. He was nauseous, tired, and took more than a few hits himself. He was slowing down.

He clamped his hands over his years, his telepathy ringing through his head. He leaned his head back and screamed, waves of telekinetic energy launching out of him. The Neverseen flung back, Vespera nearly falling over the edge into the black abyss below. Fitz was groggy, but he began to sprint back to the sound of his little sister's screams.

He kept Blur's fabric tightly wrapped around his fist as he launched it through the portal the same time arms wrapped around him, pulling him back. Sofia jumped at seeing her brother's hand, but the portal was closing, even she knew that. She grabbed his hand, pulling with all of her strength. But a young elven child stood no chance against hordes of Neverseen men. She sobbed as her hand slipped, instead pulling the red fabric of Fitz's hand and losing his extended hand in the mist.

"Sofia!" Her brother cried just as the portal slammed shut. Sofia whimpered and held the red fabric close, glancing as the white light around her began to glow a soft pink, then blue, then green. Each light began to shine faster and faster before blinding her with one final beam of light that forced her eyes shut.

When she opened them, she was standing in a fairy garden overlooking a mass of intertwined trees. Black Swan tapestries hung from the branches. Her lip quivered as she looked at the torn fabric in her hand, falling onto the grass beneath her as she began to wail.

"Who is that?"

"How did a kid get in here?"

"Not just any kid- that's the Vacker kid!"

Black Swan initiated ran up to her, but she could only cry and hold her ripped fabric. Blur gave this to her brother, and now it was all she had of him. They took him!

"Little Sofia?" A gentle voice asked.

The little girl looked up through her mop of hair to a gnome standing in front of her. She asked the typical questions- are you okay, what happened.

"What is that you have there?" The gnome asked.

Sofia held up her red sash of fabric, only then realizing the golden arrowhead sewn on the end. Blur was trying to relay a message when he wrapped those random objects in the cloth before handing them to Fitz.

Blur was a Cyevan Assassin.

Sophie slammed her head on the table, groaning with boredom.

"I love books, but this is ridiculous!" She glanced over her shoulder when her brother didn't reply. Alexios was knocked out of the couch, the sacred book draped over his face to block out the light as he took a nap on the chaise. By the deep snoring, Sophie knew he hasn't been scouring any book in at least the last 20 minutes.

She balled up one of her scratched notes, aiming for only a moment before launching it at his head. The Morretti yelped, the book tumbling from his face.

"Wha- who? What?"

"Quit being a peripuo and help me!"

"I have been! For the past three hours, Lia! We haven't found shit!" Alexios snatched his ancient tome from off the imported rug, sticking his tongue at his scowling older sister before placing back upon his face and laying back down.

"This is the Library of Alexandria, you would think to show some respect." Sophie hissed.

Alexios simply waved her away. Sophie groaned again, slamming her book shut and plucking her brother's eyeshade off his face. She paced as she skimmed it, biting her lip for the information she knew wasn't there. But there was nothing, absolutely gods damned nothing. Sophie's nail cut into the leather cover, and she roared as she threw the book across the room.

Alexios jumped from the chaise, staring at the book, then his sister, "What the hell happened to respecting the ancient library nonsense?" He chuckled.

Sophie didn't reply, simply raking her hands through her hair as she paced again.

"There is nothing-nothing! No books, scrolls, nothing! Not on Mephala, not on Egil's children or Kassandra, not even anything on the artifacts!" Sophie slumped on the floor, screaming into a pillow she nabbed from the chaise. Alexios peeked over the cushions, puckering his lip as he said, "Now, I'm no girl doctor, but I have a feeling there is something more than the godly quest stuff going on."

Sophie paused her screaming, peeking at her brother from her face pillow. Her voice was muffled through the stuffing as she growled, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Well, you're second in command is still deep in enemy territory, you have to interogate Gethen today with your crazy siren followers, and you still have to deliver the neice of the Pythia at sunset." Alexios glanced at his sister, "Are you going to be okay?"

Sophie had chewed down to her nail beds on almost all of her fingernails, and her eyelids held a considerably less amount of eyelashes. So much for quitting her habit.

Alexios swore her right eye twitched whenever she looked at the books.

"I'm fine I have no idea why you would say that."

"Yeahhhh, okay crazy. Maybe go take a break?"

"No way in hell. I've already been slacking off too much."

"Slacking off? Amalia, you have literally raised an army and an armada in a little over a week. You are also searching for a way to solve a godly apocalypse. Take. A. Break."

"And do what? Take a bubble bath? Go on a ride with Ricin, where I can enjoy the beauty of the world at a gentle trot and take deep breaths?! What the hell do I look like to you?!" Sophie got in her brother's face, "I'm going to find each and every one of those artifacts and rip them apart with my bare hands."

Alexios's back was smushed far against the chaise, his eyes blown wide, "This is going to be a problem. I'm gonna call my mom." He muttered, pulling out his minyama.

"Good idea! She can be in charge of figuring out the rations that should go to the soldiers on Kephalonia." Sophie snatched the long list of chores from Maha, "I'm almost done with the checklist. I need to find an Admiral over my fleet."

Sophie grabbed her bag, shoving the books, scrolls, and other important do-dads before slinging it over her shoulder. She grabbed her wide-brimmed hat, stuffing her knotted and untamed hair into it.

"I'm gonna check the docks and marina for a lead on an admiral. I want you to form a complete list on our known artifacts along with creating defense system to keep them safe."

"Amalia, I barely know what the artifacts are! We haven't found any trace of them in any texts or from the priests-"

"Thanks brother, I'm counting on you!" Sophie announced as she sprinted out of the library. Sophie ducked and spun around priests and priestesses lugging around books and carts, jogging out the massive opal and onyx front doors and beginning the descent down the massive marble staircase. Cutting her time in half, she picked up her skirt and flung herself onto the railing. With a quick scooch, she was flying down the railing, one hand keeping her steady while the other clamped her hat upon her head.