Chapter 26: Caden

　　Caden sat on the edge of a low stone wall surrounding a few lonesome trees. Once the duel had ended, he escaped the celebration and went to a secluded area. He tapped his foot impatiently on the floor and could not sit still. He held his father`s journal close to his chest and glanced around at his surroundings.

　　Darian can compel me. . . and so can Elena. I saw those red lines. He thought. I need to stay vigilant. I can`t for a second let myself forget anything.

　　What could he possibly do to protect himself? Solaris can`t help, Luna has no way to fight back, and his father was still injured. The knights couldn`t even help him because Darian was practically running the place.

　　He opened the journal and sifted through the pages. He recalled the last entry, and relief washed over him as he realized he`d not forgotten anything yet. He wrote down some basic things for him to remember just in case all his memories were taken from him.

　　I may one day forget who I am, but remember, you want to be a good person.

　　He closed the book. He couldn`t stay in a single spot forever. He decided to wander into quadrant four and attempt to reach the barracks. If he could seek shelter, perhaps he could lay low and make a rash attempt to leave the city.

　　I could take Luna with me, and we could escape together. He thought. However, the idea of Elena hunting them to the end of Elutia haunted him. It could have been worse. Darian could come after him.

　　He got up and began to walk briskly between alleyways, holding his hand over the pommel of his sword and clutching the journal tightly to his chest. He opened the book to check for notes once every few minutes.

　　How long was I a puppet? Caden thought. It all made sense now why he could not let go of his revenge despite the fact that he wanted to be better. Darian had compelled him all those years ago, giving him motivation he didn`t even want.

　　Or did he want it? Caden didn`t know anymore. . . he had no idea who he was. All he had was a vague glimpse. What did being better even entail? What had he done wrong, and how could he improve from it? What were his sins?

　　He opened the journal once more and wrote a note about Isabel. He couldn`t forget her; she was the reason he did all this. Perhaps it would be best to follow her dream - if he held no identity, the only choice was to become who Isabel wanted him to be.

　　He turned the page, and horror struck him. A chill ran down his spine, and he stopped walking altogether. He flung his head around at his surroundings. It had grown dark. When had the clouds stopped producing light? He glanced back down at the page, and a single word scared him more than anything else in the world.

　　Run.

　　He did not remember writing that. So, he ran. He listened to himself. Elena or Darian must be nearby. They must have removed a memory from him. How could he not remember writing that?

　　He turned corners, sprinting through alleyways and leaping over boxes. The Defiant Flame roared in his mind as he once more burned with a deep fear. Panic settled in, and the adrenaline felt normal. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins, and his heart ripped to shreds.

　　He glanced down at the book once more.

　　She`s following you.

　　He picked up the pace. It must be Elena. He didn`t remember writing that message either. How could she rip out his memories like this? How exactly did Emberward abilities work? He looked down at his journal once more and wrote another note.

　　One line. Every time I see her. I`ll draw a line on my skin.

　　He blinked, and he was in a completely new location. He was about four buildings away. Time seemed to stretch into small segments. One moment, he would turn and then be thrust halfway across a quadrant. Elena was ripping through his memories as he made them. She was stealing seconds or minutes of time.

　　He looked down at his hands. They were covered in marks from his writing utensils. His journal was placed back in his pocket.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it`s taken without the author`s consent. Report it.

　　The next moment, his coat was gone - and he was in quadrant one.

　　His arms were full of lines.

　　How much time had passed?

　　"What do you want from me?" he shouted and then teleported across the city. He blinked again, and he was at the barracks. He sprinted forward, shouting at the guards by the gate.

　　"Help me! Please!"

　　The next moment, he was in the tavern, sitting across from Elena at the bar. A drink was in his hand, and he remembered nothing of how he got here. The place looked disheveled as if someone had torn it apart.

　　He immediately dropped his drink, stammered to his feet, and searched for his sword. His hand felt the familiar pommel, and he got into a combat stance. He dared not attack her right now; she could wipe him completely - turn him into a slave. Better to speak to her, find out what she wants.

　　"Are you finally with us? So sorry about bringing you all the way here, but I had to assert my power over you somehow," Elena said, flicking her bangs with her hand.

　　Caden didn`t respond. He just waited.

　　"Now then, back to the job. I have a task for you." She got up from her seat and began to pace around the tavern. She placed chairs back in their spots, swept up shards of glass, and . . . she was cleaning? Why?

　　"Before that, though," she said with a laugh, "congratulations on replacing Luna."

　　"What?"

　　"She left this morning for Rehysh. I set her free. I helped you kill Vance, and this is your payment. I didn`t take that memory from you - even though I could."

　　"Liar," Caden said.

　　Luna wouldn`t leave without saying goodbye, right? His chest suddenly ached, and the corners of his vision bled crimson.

　　She doesn`t love you, Pyromancer. You`re too selfish, his Defiant Flame spoke to him.

　　"Well, you see through me quite easily. I guess that`s something you have in common with her," Elena said, lifting a table and placing it upright. "Now then, your first task is to see that Luna leaves town tomorrow at the south wall. She thinks she`s going to fight me, but I`ll have you there to make sure she leaves. Can you handle that?"

　　"What?"

　　"Right. That wasn`t a question. You will do as I say."

　　Caden felt it. He felt the Heat ripple across the red line that he could see manifest outward from Elena. It traveled into him and filled him with desire. Elena had pulled harshly on his emotions. All he wanted to do was obey.

　　"How are you able to compel me now? When you couldn`t earlier."

　　"Oh, that`s a secret. But let`s just say I paid your father a visit."

　　Caden felt a lump in the back of his throat as his heart sank to his stomach. It all made sense now. Elena had been the one to torture him. All for the ability to compel?

　　"Why did you have to hurt him? Why do you need to compel me? I already agreed to help you."

　　Caden`s entire body shook. Sweat beat down his face, and he ran a hand through his hair. He was horrified.

　　"Insurance," she said. "You`d disagree with me on one step or another and mess up the whole job. If I control everything, we win. If I leave anything up to chance, we struggle and fail. That`s what happened with Isabel." Elena dipped behind the bar, pulled out a few glasses, and poured herself a drink. She pulled out a rag and began to wipe the table. Everything she did was so . . . casual.

　　"What about Darian? How can he compel me?"

　　Elena raised an eyebrow and then shrugged. "Oh, not sure. Who knows? I heard he made Vance into a puppet for your promotion, though it seems you didn`t earn that either."

　　No wonder that felt so easy. Caden thought.

　　"But he did give me a phenomenal meeting with Hector. He`s been quite the ally. Now, you`re mine, Luna is free, and the Sun is all but guaranteed to be put back in the sky."

　　"If you had a deal with him. . . why the heist? Why bother going through with all this?"

　　"Oh, no, no. You have it all wrong. Darian`s deal was that I would be able to raid the vaults. He is allowing me safe access into the palace, but he doesn`t know we plan to break the curse. This deal was new. . . it was a change of plan after I hurt Luna. I did this, all of this, even hurting your father, just so that I could finally let her go," Elena looked so genuine that it was disgusting. She actually believed she was sacrificing things for the greater good.

　　She`s a good person in her mind. . . Caden thought. There are no good guys or bad guys. . . just people. Isabel`s words echoed in his thoughts. If Elena truly believed she was good, then Caden had no idea what to think of the world anymore.

　　He swallowed his rage. He was going to find a way to break Emberward spells, and then he would kill Elena.

　　Is revenge the only thing that defines you? said the Flame.

　　Caden sighed. He realized that if Darian had compelled him since Isabel died, he was lost for nearly half his life. He had promised his father he was going to be better. . .

　　"Anyways, moving on with the job. I`m afraid I couldn`t touch Luna`s memories. Being the Tigress and all, she`s unable to forget. However, with you, dear Caden, well, there are a few things I will make you forget."

　　No. NO! Caden tapped his foot on the ground and nervously clutched the pommel of his sword. "I`ll obey," he said. "Please. Don`t."

　　"Oh, don`t grovel, it`s unappealing. I`m not going to take anything I didn`t give to you. So, I won`t destroy Isabel from your mind. . . I`m not that cruel," she spat out a laugh. "But why should that matter? You`ve already lost memories. Darian has taken them from you once before."

　　"What?"

　　"You don`t even remember? You, Caden. . . you were there. In the top room of the palace, with me and Isabel. The day she died." Elena strode over to Caden. "Sit, let`s talk."

　　He sat.

　　"You saw the Sun. Darian stole that memory for one reason or another. I assume he was grooming you into the perfect little Crusader. His plan happened to correlate with my own."

　　"What are you talking about? Why should I believe a word you`re saying?" Caden clenched the armrests of his chair.

　　"I guess. . . before I take what I have given you. . ." She placed her drink down and leaned over him. She put her hands on the armrests of his chair and got very close to his face. "I will tell you the truth for once in my life."