[color=lightgray][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Gjbmibi.png[/img]
[i][color=LightSteelBlue]Time: The Morning of Sola 24th[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Location: Damien Estate, Cas’s bedroom[/color] 
[color=LightSteelBlue]Mentions/Interactions:[/color][@JJ Doe] Fritz [@princess] Liliane[/i][/center]
[h3][center][color=IndianRed]***TRIGGER WARNING***
This post includes graphic content including the depiction of torture, be advised.[/color][/center][/h3]

Cassius reclined against a fallen log, his gaze fixed on the stars above while Kamal sat opposite him, nursing a mug of watered-down ale that he held in shackled hands. Despite their current roles as captor and captive, there was an unspoken understanding between them, a mutual respect that had blossomed amidst the quiet of the open road.

[color=lightsteelblue]"So, Kamal…"[/color] Cassius broke the quiet, his voice laced with the smooth cadence of a practiced charmer. [color=lightsteelblue]"You mentioned a daughter…tell me about her."[/color]

[color=tomato]"She's the light of my life…"[/color] Kamal glanced up, surprise flickering in his eyes before a soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips. [color=tomato]"Her name is Aisha, and there’s nothing more precious in this world to me."[/color]

[color=lightsteelblue]"Do you think she misses you?"[/color] Cassius nodded, a genuine warmth infusing his features.

[color=tomato]"I do..."[/color] Kamal stated somberly. [color=tomato]"And I miss her, every moment of every day. I promised her I would return…Seems you’ve made a liar out of me."[/color]

Cassius’s eyes broke away from Kamal’s as he let the man’s words process in his mind for a moment before responding. [color=lightsteelblue]"No..."[/color] He said with a calm smile. [color=lightsteelblue]"If anything, I’ve helped you be an honest man, Kamal. One who faces the consequences of his actions. One that perhaps she can be proud of."[/color]

[color=tomato]"Bold of you to think she could be proud of a criminal like me."[/color] Kamal responded bluntly, raising his shackled hands to add weight to his words. [color=tomato]"I will never be the world’s best father…I just wish for the opportunity to try, to leave all of this behind."[/color]

Standing, Cassius walked over and rested a hand on the man’s shoulder. [color=lightsteelblue]"Then I suggest once all of this unpleasantness is over…you go home and begin again. Do not let your yesterdays define your tomorrow. There may be hope for you yet, but you look exhausted…get what rest you can, we’re heading out early."[/color]

With an acknowledging nod from Kamal, the night soon fell silent. After some time, under the dim and eerie majesty of flickering starlight, the two eventually drifted off to sleep.

As morning came they continued their journey, and Cassius found himself drawn into Kamal's world, his tales of fatherhood and love painting a picture of humanity amidst the harsh reality of their circumstances. It was in those moments, that he glimpsed even more of the man behind the bounty. Yet, as they drew closer and closer to their destination, a palpable tension hung in the air like a storm moving in over the horizon. Kamal's eyes darted nervously, his breaths coming in shallow gasps as the weight of their impending encounter bore down upon him.

[color=tomato]"Cassius, please…"[/color] Kamal implored, his voice trembling with a growing panic. [color=tomato]"You have to let me go. I beg of you."[/color]

Cassius met the man’s eyes with a steady gaze, his expression softened by understanding. However, the truth planted a pit of guilt inside of him. [color=lightsteelblue]"I can't, Kamal…you know that. Iron Wolves always finish the contract."[/color] His words were stern but gentle. [color=lightsteelblue]"But I promise you, as long as you cooperate with Lord Jamari, you'll see your daughter again. If he wanted you dead, he would have asked me to bring you in much less intact than you currently are."[/color]

Though Kamal's fear lingered like a shadow, there was a small ember of hope in his eyes, a glimmer of trust in Cassius’s promise. [color=tomato]"Thank you..."[/color] He whispered, gratitude suffusing his voice. There was a long sigh from Kamal before he spoke again. [color=tomato]"My father used to tell me that every man must one day face the music that they compose. Perhaps you’re right, Cassius. Perhaps now I will have the chance to be half the father to my little girl that he was to me."[/color]

As they finally reached the outskirts of Lord Jamari's camp, Cassius was greeted by the imposing figure of his mentor Silas, one of the captains of the Iron Wolves. The man’s keen gaze met him with both pride and concern.

[color=limegreen]"Good work, Vael."[/color] Silas remarked, his voice carrying a note of admiration. [color=limegreen]"The Lord will be pleased with your efforts."[/color]

Cassius offered a tight-lipped smile in response, though his eyes betrayed his curiosity at the veteran’s obvious worry. As Kamal was escorted away by the guards, Cassius bid the man good luck. He and Silas then lingered in the fading light. First they caught up on the happenings since Cassius had been away, and then Cassius gave a recounting of how he captured his quarry as well as their eventful journey back to the Yola outskirts. Eventually, Silas voiced the concerns that were so clearly haunting him.

[color=limegreen]"Something's not right…"[/color] The captain murmured, his voice a low rumble in the scarcely lit camp. He cast a wary glance around, ensuring that they were alone before pressing on with his thoughts. [color=limegreen]"Lord Jamari's demeanor has shifted, Cassius. The man has always been a warlord, but lately…it's as if there's a darkness consuming him. A madness."[/color]

Cassius’s brow furrowed, his mind racing with the implications of Silas's words, but before Cassius could respond, a guard approached with urgent haste…his breaths ragged with the urgency of his message. [color=FAFAD2]"The Lord requests your presence."[/color] He announced, his words strained with tension. [color=FAFAD2]"He awaits you in the royal tent."[/color]

Silas exchanged a meaningful glance with Cassius, a silent understanding passing between them. The guard escorted the men to their destination, and as they stepped into the much more significantly lit interior of the Lord’s massive tent, the sight that greeted them sent a shockwave of horror coursing through Cassius's veins.

Kamal hung suspended by his ankles over an open bonfire, his bloodied form contorted in agony as he gasped for breath…his eyes pleading for mercy as they found Cassius. Lord Jamari's voice echoed through the chamber as he welcomed his guests with a sadistic smile.

[color=RosyBrown]"Ah, it brings me such joy to see that the young Wolf has returned...and with such a phenomenal gift,"[/color] He greeted them, his voice dripping with jubilation as he motioned towards Kamal. He stepped forward and waved the two mercenaries over to the table that had been set up with a gratuitous feast. [color=RosyBrown]"Join us, won't you? We're just getting started."[/color]

Cassius’s heart hammered in his chest as the air within Lord Jamari's tent hung heavy with the scent of roasted meat and the sickly-sweet tang of burning flesh. Cassius forced himself to swallow back the bile rising in his throat as he watched the grotesque spectacle unfolding before him.

Lord Jamari sat at the head of the table; his face twisted into a mask of sadistic glee as he delighted in the agony of his captive. The man's screams and pleas for mercy echoed through the chamber, sending shivers down Cassius's spine. He tried to maintain a facade of composure, though every fiber of his being screamed for him to intervene…to do something, anything to put an end to this barbaric display. 

However, Silas's silent urging kept him at bay, the reminder of his mentor's hand on his arm acting like an anchor to keep him rooted in place.

As the feast progressed, Lord Jamari's cruelty only grew in severity. He reveled in the torment of his prisoner…his laughter a chilling exhibition of the man’s growing madness that Silas had mentioned. Cassius felt a profound sense of helplessness and guilt wash over him, gnawing at his conscience as he watched Kamal's flesh blacken, blister, and melt away bit by bit in the searing heat of the flames. Eventually, the man’s screams fell silent, replaced by the sickening sizzle of burning skin as his body was completely consumed by the inferno.

As Kamal's charred remains crumbled to ash, Cassius felt a wave of numbness wash over him, a hollow emptiness that threatened to engulf him entirely as all he could think about was the way Kamal had spoken about his daughter, Aisha. He looked to Silas, seeking comfort in the familiar presence of his mentor…only to find a stoic expression staring back at him, a quiet display of the toll that years of mercenary life had taken on his very soul.

In that moment Cassius understood, for the first time, the true cost of their profession…the very price of survival paid in blood, anguish, and gold. As he gazed upon the smoldering ruins of Kamal's life one final time, he knew that he could never truly reclaim the piece of himself that burned away that night along with a man whose daughter would never see her father again.
  
Slowly, as his eyes lingered on what was left of Kamal…a pulsating glow of green light began to blink from the center of the bonfire. Suddenly, Cassius was not in Lord Jamari’s tent at all, but rather on the balcony of the Damien Estate where he and Fritz had spoken.

The bonfire shifted into the cityscape of Sorian yet that blinking green light…the beacon…remained. He turned to say his goodbyes to Fritz, but the figure next to him was not the dashing enigmatic man he had been speaking to, but rather the smoldering and melting form of Kamal. Lunging backwards, Cassius tripped on the furniture behind him and turned to brace against the balcony only to find the Sorian cityscape in a blaze as every structure and civilian burned to ash before his very eyes.

It was not the first time he had witnessed such horrors…

Smoke filled the open air around him, consuming his senses and filling his lungs as he began to choke.

[center]__________________________________________[/center]
With a desperate breath, Cassius woke in a panic. A cold sweat drenched his trembling body causing the sheets to cling to him as he sat up. His heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to shake off the remnants of the nightmare that still haunted his thoughts. 

Images flashed before his mind's eye, distorted and surreal as he pieced together his reality. He was in his room at the Damien estate. There was no smoke to fill his lungs…no fire to char his flesh…and no ghosts from his past here to collect for his sins.


Cassius let the weight of the dream wash over him as he focused on steadying his breaths. Eventually, he reached for the water next to his bed and took a long sip from the pitcher. Memories of the night before…and the beacon, flashed through his mind. He remembered leaving the masquerade in route to the distress signal, only to be interrupted by his father. Calbert informed him of Violet’s disappearance, the unease in his eyes clear to Cassius despite the man’s attempt at his usual, controlled demeanor.


Something within him burned with concern about the beacon…warning him that it could be a trap. It MUST be a trap. Combining that with the news of Violet gave Cassius pause. Despite his own curiosities, Cas decided to heed Calbert’s plea to remain at the estate. 

He spent the rest of his night helping however he could, and sat with Crystal in the dining room offering what comfort he could to her. Throughout it all, he felt as though in some ways his assistance was appreciated, but he could not shake the gut feeling of being an interloper.

Cas rubbed the sleep from his eyes, only to find his senses greeted by a welcome yet distant melody; the soft vocals of a song, muffled by the walls of his room yet unmistakably enchanting. He made his way to his feet and walked over to the window, drawing back the velvet curtains and opening it so that he could hear it better. The cool morning breeze greeted his skin, carrying with it the sweet harmonies of the woman’s song.

Closing his eyes, Cassius listened, the melody washing over him in nostalgic fashion. Though this voice was its own kind of comforting beauty, he heard echoes of the songs his mother would sing to him in moments of comfort and solace during his childhood. He focused on the words intently.

[color=D0B4EC]“...So close your eyes now dear, my little angel,
I found you here today,
Under the leaves of the willow, 
As the morning embraces us,
I'm right here with you.
And right here in my heart, you'll always be.”[/color]

Just as he was getting lost in the song, it came to an end. He wondered who the mystery girl with the beautiful voice could be, but his thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. The sound of Liliane’s voice followed.

[color=teal]“Cassius? … Sorry to wake you, but I need your help.”[/color][/color]