Gordan sat in his own room at a desk covered in open books and scattered papers. He silently wrote on a piece of parchment after reading from the book closest to him.

The book itself was old; its hard cover and spine withered with use and years passing. Normally, a book of its size would be held open on the desk with an available hand. But with Gordan's only hand already occupied with writing, the book's cover and pages were held open with a small rock that had been smoothed down to perform as a paper weight.

Gordan was well dressed for the day. He wore his normal apparel, but he had it cleaned and touched up by the tailors in a nearby shop. His hair had also been combed and styled. The jacket he wore was cleaned as well. Even though the jacket still held the Swords of Chaos' symbol on each shoulder, Gordan wouldn't get rid of the jacket. It was a good and warm enough jacket to keep and he didn't want to waste a perfectly good jacket.

Gordan appeared calm as he studied, he had been these couple of days. Ever since Murdoc took off, to be exact. It was always uneasy around the inn with Murdoc around. Gordan will never completely trust him and now that Murdoc left, he felt a bit more comfortable.

He didn't exactly know why Murdoc left, nor did he care. All Gordan knew of what was happening was that Aidan was being rescued and was being brought back to the inn. There wasn't much more that was told to him by the others. Gordan never insisted on getting more information anyway. He was glad that Aidan was coming back, though. Ever since he was sent away, everyone was walking on glass with each other. Everyone was always in a horrible mood, no wonder Gordan barely talked to anyone. And Gordan liked Aidan. He was nice to him and helped him after Voltrick attacked.

Brandon was really the only one who talked to him. Even after a rough start with Brandon, Gordan felt more comfortable with him. More than the others. They had more in common and could relate to one another. Not to mention they were the same age. Gordan felt it was a friendship, whether or not Brandon felt the same was another story.

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Voltrick stood alone at the beginning of the hallway. A look of desperation was apparent as he stared down the hallway. There was only one door that was cracked open throughout the entire hallway, and Voltrick knew that had to be the room Gordan was in.

Every emotion within Voltrick told him to turn back. To go back into the room in the other hall and seclude himself from everybody and especially Gordan. How could he face him? How could he even allow Gordan to even know he was within 50 miles of him? But he had to press forward, Voltrick had to bring himself to Gordan. He had to see him, he had to say something to him. He was his son.

The son Voltrick had thought was dead for so many years. His only son, that Voltrick thought had died in that fire. Along with his mother, Voltrick's wife, Isabelle. The son Voltrick nearly killed as he tried to protect Brandon. The son that had his own father rip his arm off because of his rage.

Voltrick couldn't face that. How could a monster like Voltrick face Gordan after hurting him so much? After forgetting about him over Aidan. After what had just happened with Aidan and Antonis, he didn't know if he could handle Gordan and what may follow after Voltrick finally reveals himself.

After, what seemed like hours, of staring at that door, Voltrick finally stepped forward down the hall. He was still hesitant, but Voltrick's need, if not curiosity, to see Gordan overwhelmed him to go forward.

Gordan heard footsteps in the hall, but didn't think too much on it. It could have been a resident of the inn going to their room or one of the others checking up on him. He honestly preferred Brandon or Debalora over the others. Brandon was the person he was the most comfortable with, while Debalora.. well... Just because she's Brandon's mother doesn't mean she's not attractive. Plus, she was really nice.

The light coming into the room from the open door became shadowed, obviously by someone standing in the door. Gordan, again, didn't put too much concern into it. If someone was there to talk to him they'll say something, plus he wanted to concentrate on his studies.

The figure stood there for quite a while; as if deciding what to say or do. It annoyed Gordan a bit, but he held himself back from looking over. "Need something?" Gordan asked while attempting to read another section in the old book.

"Gordan?" The voice was low, rumbled, and raspy as if the person speaking had some kind of throat problem or injury. The voice didn't belong to anybody in the group, but there was something to it that reminded him of... Gordan turned toward the door, an eyebrow arched.

Voltrick, his FATHER, stood in the doorway to his room!

Out of sheer terror, Gordan shouted and fell from his seat. He fell onto his rump and right side. The pain to his arm was virtually ignored as he desperately attempted to scoot away; kicking and pulling himself backwards across the floor.

"Gordan, stop." Voltrick pleaded as he stepped inside the room. His desperate look never left as he watched his son scurry away from him in fear. It made Voltrick sick to his stomach. He remembered Gordan to be so brave, more than his peers. But even Gordan couldn't brave the sight of his father.

Gordan quickly struggled to get to his feet; his own fear taking control of his body. He continued to back up until his back met the back wall while his hand felt around the nearby table for some kind of weapon. "Get away!"

"I'm not going to hurt you!" Voltrick raised his voice as his frustration grew. A situation like this required patience. Unfortunately, Voltrick ran out of patience back in the other room. "I came here with Aidan!"

Gordan refused to believe it. Anytime Voltrick showed himself it was to kill or kidnap somebody. "Is he dead?" Gordan paused; quickly trying to think of something to do while still feeling around the table for something to protect himself with. Once he found a pair of scissors, he grabbed them and pointed it toward Voltrick defensively. "And what about the others?! Did you attack them too?!"

Voltrick sneered defensively. But after realizing he shouldn't be hostile, he tried to be as patient as possible. "No." he said harshly, although not trying to be. "I came back with him after being rescued." Both hands raised toward himself to show he meant no kind of offensive harm as Gordan pointed the scissors toward him. He knew he actually couldn't get killed, but he didn't want Gordan to attack him. "The others know I'm here, they're all with Aidan... eating dinner." There was a hint of spite as he finished. Maybe it was the jealousy mentioned earlier or just plain spite against Antonis gaining Aidan's trust back so easily.

"How do I know if you're lying and everyone else is dead?" Gordan questioned, his footing adjusted as he continued to be riled up. It was a mixture of fear and anger now. Fear of the monster infront of him and the anger caused from the possiblity of Voltrick hurting the others.

"If that were true, you know I wouldn't come to you like this." Voltrick said lowly, his voice lowered to his normal tone; trying to be as calm as possible. But his features still appeared in an impatient scowl. "I haven't hurt anyone. I just wanted to see you."

Gordan lowered the scissors slightly as he panted heavily; his own scowl never leaving Voltrick. Voltrick had to be right. About how he came. He would have at least heard a roar or some other beastly attack if he was attacking. He had heard some yells earlier and a crash or two, but those were heard all of the time with how often the others fought with one another. Not to mention all of the drunks who come and go from the inn. But Gordan just couldn't trust him. Not after everything that has happened.

"Wanted to see me?" Gordan lowered his brow. "After all this time... after all you've done, you want to see me now?" Gordan retaliated; raising the edge of the scissors again.

"Things.. I'm...." Voltrick struggled to find the right wording. "Things have changed. I no longer serve the ministry. There's no reason to hurt any of you now. And you're my son. I had to see you. After so long,.. I.."

Bad choice of words. "No reason?" Gordan quickly interrupted. "No reason to hurt any of us?! What was your reason before? Because you were TOLD to hurt us? There is no reason for that!"

Even though Voltrick was already arguing with Gordan, he wasn't prepared for Gordan's retaliation. "I had no choice! I was ordered.."

"These people were your family! I was your family!" Gordan shouted to interrupt. Gordan's fear had already faded completely into anger. Voltrick was trying to defend his past actions, that was insulting enough. There is no excuse for what he did and for him to try to defend himself with another excuse just makes him that much worse. "...You had a choice. And you choose to hurt the ones who cared about you."

Voltrick growled. "You have no idea what I have been through." Voltrick spoke through a growl. "..the tortures that I have suffered without end. I had no choice but to do as they said!"

Gordan aggressivly slammed the tip of the scissors into the table; looking toward it only momentarily to do so. After he successfully interrupted Voltrick again, Gordan pointed an accusing finger towards him; his features snarling. "Did they tell you to kill everyone?! To truly become that beast inside you and use it to destroy everything you once protected?!" Gordan only paused to take a deep breath. "I know how your life was. YOU would do anything to protect them. Now all you've done is destroy everything about them!"

Voltrick gave a vicious snarl as his entire body tensed up. "They... abandoned.. me!" Voltrick finally roared out. "They came and saved Aidan, but they left me to rot!"

Gordan seemed more offended by that one comment than anything Voltrick had said before. All of Gordan's fear was completely gone. His anger gave him the courage to step forward aggressively and shout even louder than before. "Just like you abandoned us?! ...Remember the fire?! The night you left and never came back? ..When we needed you the most?!"

Voltrick became instantly dumbstruck. Gordan spoke of the night he thought Gordan and his wife had died. That fire.. caused by the mob of villagers. They dragged Voltrick out his own bed and out of his home while Isabelle and Gordan were locked inside. Voltrick desperately tried to fight back, but there were too many of them. ..And they forced him to watch his home burn with his family inside.

Voltrick turned his gaze around the room aimlessly. He wanted to be defensive and fight back, but he couldn't. "I... I couldn't stop them. I thought you both..."

"You... didn't even come back to see if we were alive." Gordan announced spitefully.

"I couldn't...." Voltrick's tone had lost all of its defense. The memories of that night, alone, shocked him enough to leave him at the mercy of Gordan. "I couldn't go back and see you like..."

"We were both alive." Gordan's aggression began to grow again. "We both survived. We both waited for you to come back." Gordan snarled. "And you never did. You never came back!"

Voltrick became quiet. A silent snarl erupted as he lowered his gaze to the scissors that had been stabbed into the table.

"And when I'm finally old enough to go looking for you.. to bring you back home..." Gordan paused; waiting for Voltrick to finally look back up at him. "All I find is a monster. A monstrous beast who would rather destroy everything than protect those he cared about. You even tried taking Vincent's son to the one place that made you even more of a monster." Gordan paused briefly. "No.. you made yourself that way. You turned yourself into that beast.. but you tried killing Vincent's son while you made yourself worse." Gordan ended in a growl.

Voltrick's anger rose again. What does Gordan know? How can he know all of this and talk to Voltrick like this?! Voltrick knows what he did, he didn't need to be reminded of it!

"And what did you do to me while I tried helping him?" Gordan demanded impatiently. Voltrick's silence forced Gordan to shout out as loudly as he could. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?!"

Voltrick briefly glanced toward Gordan's right sleeve hesitantly before turning away with a fierce sneer. Voltrick wasn't going to say it. He knows what happened, he's regretted it since the moment he found out it was Gordan. But Voltrick should have known. The boy called out to him in his pain, he should have known.

Gordan's infuriated impatience forced him forward. "Do you need reminding?! HMM?! ..Of what you DID?!" Gordan offensively pushed against Voltrick's left shoulder as if threatening him to act. Voltrick's silence, to Gordan, was just a way for him to deny what he's done. He has to be accountable for what he's done!

Voltrick would only snarl and narrow his eyes as Gordan shoved his shoulder. His anger was growing, but he wouldn't attack him. Even if Gordan had stabbed him with the scissors. Voltrick's anger was hard enough to control as it is, so keeping his head turned away from Gordan helped.

"Here!" Gordan announced as he forced the jacket he wore off from his shoulders. After the jacket was thrown to the ground with a smack against the wood flooring, Gordan quickly scrunched up the sleeve at his right arm and aggressively angled the stub into Voltrick's direction. "Look at it..." Gordan demanded in a low tone. But since Voltrick refused to turn, Gordan quickly forced out another yell. "Look at it!!"

Voltrick took a heavy breath before slightly turning his head back to Gordan. He didn't fully turn, but his eyes clearly saw what remained of Gordan's arm.

The arm ended just above where the elbow should have been. The skin around the end of the stub was tightened and deformed at the end and center of the arm. There was no fur around the end either, only dark, bare skin with harsh scars trailing up the arm.

The sight riled Voltrick up further; making him sick to his stomach again. Voltrick has seen numerous amounts of ripped flesh, amputated limps, and blood, but nothing made him more ill to see his son force this sight upon him. Because Voltrick was the one who did it... to his own son.

"This is what you did." Gordan said after giving Voltrick a good chance to see the damage done. "This cannot be ignored or forgotten." he continued as he pulled the sleeve down over his right arm. "You come here because you wanted to see me. Because I'm your son and you felt you needed to." Gordan continued as his infuriated glare returned. "The same cant be said about me. I don't want to see you.." Gordan slowly shook his head. "I don't want anything to do with you."

Voltrick's eyes widened as he fully turned back to Gordan. The desperate look on his face made him appear as if he didn't know to be fully enraged or full of unimaginable sorrow. He remained silent; fearing any word from him will turn Gordan away further. But it was too late for that..
Gordan wasn't finished.

"You have hurt me. You have hurt them.." Gordan motioned toward the door as if pointing to all of the others. "You have turned yourself into this monster..." Gordan's breaths became heavier as he continued. "I don't want anything from you, ESPECIALLY that curse that you hold so dear to yourself. That same curse that would fuel your uncontrollable rage that has grown to destroy everything you once loved. I would rather see you rot in a cell for all eternity than to wait for you to die. Your sins will not be mine!"

Voltrick's entire form tensed up uncontrollably with a ferocious snarl appearing on his face. Gordan would rather him be caged up!? Caged up like some animal to rot! To rot?! "Shut up!" Voltrick snapped; refusing to hear any more. "SHUT.. UP!!" Voltrick yelled louder.

"NO!!" Gordan forced an aggressive finger forward. "You cant tell me what to do anymore, you're not my father!"

Voltrick's fists clenched and stepped right up to Gordan; hoving over him. "I am your father and you know it!" Voltrick shouted. "And there is nothing in this world that can stop it! Now SHUT UP!"

Gordan wasn't the least bit intimidated. Just because Voltrick was bigger, doesn't mean he would have an effect. "My father is dead! He died when he decided to allowed himself to be controlled by his beast, by his own anger!" Gordan shouted back. But shouting back wasn't enough. Gordan had to say something that would truly hurt Voltrick more than anything; to make him feel lower than he already is. "Antonis has been more of a father to me than you can EVER be! He protected me when you would rather tear your own son's arm off. He stayed to help, while you ran off to the ministry." Gordan's features lowered, along with his tone. "And he isn't you."

Voltrick's panting increased while his blood boiled. If Voltrick had any patience at that moment, it was instantly gone as he became blinded by rage. "Antonis?! ..."ANTONIS?!" Voltrick roared out before an uncontrollable, beastly roar forced its way out directly at Gordan. Voltrick could have very well changed at that moment by the amount of rage flowed through him, his roar sounded as if he had.

Gordan was taken by surprise and fell back onto the floor. Whatever courage he had instantly left him with only fear as Voltrick roared. A shakey hand raised and guarded his face while his heart pounded. Gordan wanted Voltrick to feel what he felt, ...but he didn't expect this. The monster that attacked him before may have just been summoned by Gordan going to far. All Gordan could do was cringe in the fear that he may have riled his father enough to attack him.

Voltrick's long roar finally ended and left Voltrick panting heavily; glaring down at Gordan spitefully. Gordan wouldn't have talked to him this way. Not without someone else saying something else to make him think this way. Voltrick has done horrible things, but he doesn't need to be reminded of it like this. He doesn't need to be insulted by being compared to Antonis. Antonis.. Voltrick's features scrunched up with continued anger.

Antonis

Voltrick shouted through a growl and quickly turned to leave the room.