"[color=ed1c24]What do you want to do, lad?[/color]" 

Kal stood, frozen, watching the Faded twitch and murmur to itself. 

Kal had been trained to rush into battle without barely the thought of fear- he had led men into combat, leading the charge into the fray.

But he had never seen anything like this before. 

There was a long moment of relative silence- the Faded stayed hiding in the shadows, it's cracked and worn mask trembling, a constant susurrus of muttered reassurances making overheard beneath Drevala's focused chanting- her hands held in front of her chest- clasped in a way that reminded Kal of both a traditional Spaldi prayer and a boxers stance.

Reindolus had already drawn his sword, and held it uncertainly in front of him- he wasn't sure what he was supposed to stab.

Kal hadn't even thought about his sword- he had left his on the chair in his fathers room. 

"[color=ed1c24]Kal?[/color]"

Reindolus whispered again to Kal,

"[color=ed1c24]Dammit, lad! Snap out of it[/color]!"

Kal closed his mouth, trying to focus once more on the Faded in front of him. 

But try as he might, Kal was just flooded with a sense of overwhelming apathy. He knew, objectively, that he should try and stop the Faded, but his mind was clouded over with this sense of inaction. He could barely begin to focus his gaze on the Faded, because after he did, his vision would blur, and he ended up once again struggling to remember what he was doing. 

"[color=f26522]Reindolus? Wha... Whats going on?[/color]"

It was now apparent that the old soldier was also being impacted by the strange affliction overcoming Kal. 

"[color=ed1c24]I'm not all that sure, lad.. I.. I think I'm going to sit down for a second.. Yes.. I.. I'll stand up in just a moment now..[/color]"

Reindolus slumped against the doorframe, his sword clattering jarringly to the ground. 

The sound startled Kal once more into a focused awareness; when had he started leaning so heavily on the wall behind him? 

Pushing heavily off of the wall, Kal stumbled forwards, heavy lidded eyes darting around, slowly taking in the tableau before him. 

Serell was slumped numbly underneath the table, the servant was sitting curled up, a small paring knife loosely clutched in one of his softening fists.

Drevala, it seemed, was the only one of them who was still cognizant- she was staring down the Faded, who was starting to emerge from the shadows.

"[color=00a651]Tell me, vile servant of the Half-lit Path, what do you intend to do? It's unlike your kind to be this daring[/color]."

The Faded had now once again fully emerged from the shadows- though now it carried a brutal looking curved dagger. 

"[color=662d91]My Brothers and Sisters will support my actions, once I am done with my task. Then your paltry god will be forgotten and the sun will set and the moon will never rise![/color]"

What happened next was so quick that Kal barely recognized what happened, and had to piece it together afterwards to get a clearer picture.

The Faded broke out into a shambling run, it's nearly translucent shadowy form a hard to see blur, with only the unadorned ceramic mask and the curved dagger visible. 

Drevala began to back up, first with startled fear on her face, but then a look of determined focus as she stood her ground.

"[color=00a651]Invorincai oazhstar yeh Spaldi, oazhstar rulutien![/color]"

The young priestess incanted arcane words that bent at Kal's sense of sound, the words slipping past Kal's comprehension and resonating in something deeper.

As Drevala said the words, the Faded slowed to a halt, trembling and frightened. 

Kal slowly became more aware of his surroundings, and felt the clouded confusion begin to burn away from his eyes. Reindolus jerked himself out of his stupor, and Serell lifted his head to further watch the unfolding conflict between the two.

Drevala repeated the words again, and began to walk slowly towards the Faded, who now stood in the middle of the kitchen, stopping when she was just out of arms reach of the Faded.

"[color=00a651]Leave. Now.[/color]"

"[color=662d91]Ohhoh, I intend to, princess. But, of course... You can't deny me taking some of you with me![/color]"

Snarling, the Faded lashed out with it's knife, slicing upwards into Drevala's cheek, knocking her to the floor, blooding bursting out of the wound.

With a final twisted giggle, the Faded began to sink into the floor, with the bobbing mask slowly descending to the ground, until it to had vanished into the earth, leaving behind only the knife.

Kal stood mutely, staring at where the Faded had been, unaware or uncaring of the long, drawn out sobs coming from Drevala, or of Reindolous and Serell coming to clean the princess's wounds, or of the guards bursting into the kitchens, or of the demanding voice of his lord and king, his father, booming in the suddenly cramped space.

Kal could only look at the space, and wonder, and fear.