The first time I found the courage to look for the door was six months ago— it wasn’t a particularly day— both my mother and Millie’s parents were gone on what they called a “trip”, which was just when they ventured into the Sherwood with Remi to trade for essential items and food.

  Since my father was here, I knew I didn’t have much to worry about. And with Remi there, neither Cuswoth nor Aldeous would touch a hair on their bodies.

  That time, I found both my father and Millie passed out on the sofa, covers strewn about, Millie snoring in my father’s arms, and an open book on top of his head. It made me feel warm inside…

  But I had a plan.

  A plan to finally settle things— I was going to go through the painting, around the corridor, down to the basement, and into that locked door. How I was going to get through… I didn’t know.

  Yet with a smug grin painted on my face, I began my journey.

  As I stepped onto the hallway flooring, I had felt a presence like none other, clawing at my throat, gripping my limbs and tying them down to the ground like I was full of lead. My body fought, exploding in pain like I was drowning and being stabbed hundreds of times from every angle.

  Dizzy with pain, I keeled backwards, falling onto the floor with a

  And that was the end of that.

  Because it didn’t take me long to realize that the “presence” I felt wasn’t actually amazing in comparison to the presences of the "gods" I’d felt before (the only difference was the contrast of the and the ).

  It also didn’t take me much time to feel the connection of that presence to

  So, my experience with control stemmed from there.

  I believed that if I trained long enough, I would be able to make it further. And after that… there was obviously the difficulty in finding the actual key!

  Damnit Sara, why did you do all this?

  Are your secrets really so dark?

  So dangerous, that they must be hidden away from all eyes?

  It made me hungry for answers.

  Curious…

  My bare feet slapped against the spiraling staircase as I took in a large breath of air, trying not to make any sound as I tip-toed towards my mother’s room. Taking a peek inside, I felt her familiar snoring enter my ears as my head filled with relief.

  Next, it was time for father!

  Hush… I can’t be too loud…

  Sneaking along the wooden left wall, I felt my back scrape against bits of gravel and stone stuck in the grooves. An ashy smell filled my nose as I almost sneezed— shit!

  Good thing I’d walked along this pathway almost a thousand times before. While I was playing with Millie, and even sometimes on my own. I could probably put on a blindfold and achieve what I was trying to do.

  For I had done it before already.

  My father’s door wasn’t ajar, so I had to twist the knob and push it open slightly. I felt the energy in the air slightly as I held my breath, looking into the room. My father was splayed over the bed, arms and legs limp like spaghetti. His glasses were askew on his head, and piles of books lay near his desk.

  What was my father’s obsession with reading?

  It was strange… but then again, a lot of things about him were strange.

  Hah… everything was fine, right?

  The coast was clear!

  A slight cherry scent filled my lungs as I took my next breath. Shit… was this her? I vaguely remembered Sara’s scent being something similar… no, damnit! Was she awake? Instantly retracting my head, I felt my heart thump loud and fast against my chest as I ran down the steps, ran up to Millie who lay napping peacefully on the couch, and yelled in her ear.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “ARGHHH!!” I shouted.

  I could have I saw chills run through her skin as she burst out screaming, a high-pitched shrill that made me instantly cover my ears. Her eyes blinked once…

  Twice…

  And then… damnit. Were they looking straight at me?

  My face became tense as she threw her tiny covers off of her body, lifting herself up to face me. Her eyes said it all— if I didn’t get out of there, I was absolutely fucked. As she balled her fists up, I gulped while walking backwards.

  Seconds felt like eternities while she stared at me.

  The air was still.

  Then, she took a step—

  “Millie! How come you’re awake? You should have been napping!” I heard Sara’s stern, scolding voice echo down the stairwell as I secretly thanked Serynth for her blessing. Trying to hide the fit of laughter I was about to burst into with a poker face, I waddled up the stairs as Millie pointed at me, frantically trying to explain that it was me who woke her up.

  “No! No, mommy! It wasn’t me! NOT ME! AM-AM! IT WAS—”

  “Oh but see, you already have a toy in your hand! Don’t lie to me, Millie Venbudd-Alpin! You’re going to be sleeping with me for the rest of this week, whether you like it or not!” I chuckled as I looked down at Sara’s fuming red face for a second, along with Millie’s death stare.

  No… no! I couldn’t get distracted!

  Quickly removing myself from the scene, I breathed a sigh of relief as I heard the familiar pattern of my feet against the steps. Scurrying up into the usual corridor, I took a deep breath, cracking my fingers while painting a calm look on my face. Slapping my cheeks, I walked forward confidently.

  “Oh. Amir?”

  .

  Shit.

  “Where are you going?”

  No, no, fuck! It wasn’t going to end like this!

  “The bathroom is the other way, you know.”

  … It was Cidris.

  Although he was smiling, I could tell it was nothing but a . was the unknown variable here. My father was mysterious, but Cidris was… how do I put it?

  He didn’t seem like a real person.

  The dark black horns slicing the air, attached to his head, his sleek, near-perfect look that seemed impossible to achieve, the strength I knew he hid in his body, and now, as I focused all the I could into my eyes…

  His

  It was My vision clouded as I felt the musings of sleep calling out to me, but I stood strong. Stumbling backwards, I watched as he brushed his hair back, shadow growing larger and more imposing as he came around the corner.

  Cidris’ footsteps seemed to shake my brain. I went dizzy trying to look at the sheer amount of Am he was controlling right now, foaming at the mouth, falling on my back. Scraping the floor, I suppressed cries as the shadow which loomed over me quickly swallowed the entire room in its wrath, leaving only…

  There was no exit.

  And no entrance.

  So similar to…

  Gulping, I picked myself back onto my feet as he looked down at me with a thin smile and narrowed eyes, reminding me of Cuswoth. Fixing his tie and robes, his eyes blinked slowly as he removed his hands from his pockets.

  Everything in this space was his

  Which meant everything here was controlled by him.

  And him alone.

  How… didn’t I recognize this? I could sense the Am on my father’s body after his daily monster hunting runs, but I couldn’t figure out that a damned powerhouse was living beside me all along?! Hell!

  “... So you can use as well. Your father must have taught you… hmm. But it looks like he hasn’t taught you much.” Smiling, Cidris cracked his neck with his right and as he adjusted his thin-rimmed glasses with the other. Staring at me languidly, he scratched the back of his head while waiting for me to speak.

  I felt the shadows beginning to crush me as we waited.

  Left with no other choice, I started to talk.

  “Yes, he taught me. Now would you please let me go? I’m trying to get somewhere, if you don’t mind…” I frantically thought of what to say, but nothing came to mind. Gritting my teeth, I fought off stress as I walked forward.

  And… falling to his command,

  Raising his finger, he used it to cover the right side of his forehead. While chewing on a toothpick, he closed his eyes, sighed, and slipped the finger left.

  Although it had just gone left to right, I felt like his finger had broken through layers and layers of compressed water. Floods of Am bashed against me as I was repeatedly thrown backwards, wind knocked out of me.

  Damnit! I didn’t get this…

  Why?! Why would this always happen?!

  “Th-thats…” I looked at Cidris’ forehead, horrified at the bulging, twisting mess of flesh that was left there. Unmistakable lines of bright crimson ink seeped through his skin like blood, making a clear pattern.

  A thin, cracking spiral of charred flesh in the form of an eye, sprouting tiny brambles from the edges. The eye was barely open, but it brimmed with astounding amounts of… , causing my teeth to chatter loudly. The problem was, I couldn’t exactly whether what I was looking at was Am or not.

  It felt… different.

  But nonetheless…

  “A M-mark?” I asked, out of breath.

  Nodding, Cidris smiled.

  Taking his finger, he swiped it across his forehead back to the right, and all the energy I just saw vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. Taking a deep breath, I felt his steps calm as the shadows of the corridor returned to normal, and I no longer felt that deep claustrophobia.

  “I know you want to go through that door. The thing is… ”

  Sneering, he picked me up by the collar, staring me dead in the eyes.

  I couldn’t even find the space to much less

  A cold, creeping feeling of eeriness trickled down my back as my voice caught in my throat, resulting in me choking and falling over. As he set me down, he patted my back, replacing his cold smile with warm laughter.

  “Ah, it’s nothing much! Let’s go have some fun with Millie! I know you have a for her, you know!” Winking, Cidris slapped me on the back playfully as his entire demeanor changed.

  Picking me up, he ran to my father’s room, smacking him awake with a cheerful look on his face.