Soren’s father never wore his heart on his sleeve, even so, he would still be kind to him and his siblings. There aren’t many men who would adopt children from the slums and raise them as his own. He had only been three when he was taken into the Grimshade family, so he had always seen Killian as his real father. Sure, there were occasions when he’d have them power some of his sequences, but that was their way of repaying his kindness. Even though he felt scared of this lab, his father would always calm him… But this was different, it wasn't the room that scared him, even the idea of giving up more of his lifespan wasn’t what made him scared. No. The most terrifying thing was his father.

  His demeanor was unsettling, his once kind eyes now seemed to house something that he couldn’t identify. Anger, disappointment… madness? Whatever it was he didn’t want to know. Currently the only thing plaguing his mind was what was about to happen.

  ‘Let’s begin? Begin What!? Aren’t I here to supply soul? What the hell is going on?’

  Looking behind him, his sister still had her hands on his shoulders. Her tired expression couldn’t hide her own fear. He had never seen Alicia like this before, she had always hid her worries and concerns. He always knew this, but seeing her like this only made him worry more.

  ‘Even she’s scared. Did we do something wrong? No! Father has been off ever since he returned from outside the veil…’

  His mind raced with different answers, yet he had a strong feeling none of them would be correct. Whatever was going on with his father and his sister, it didn’t sit right with him. Gesturing to Soren his father seemed to want him to follow. Hesitantly he did as instructed. Following his father closely, yet keeping a fair distance, his sister kept behind him. Her protective hold on him did not falter.

  Soon they stopped at the edge of the runic pattern. His fathers voice was callous and lacked any real emotion.

  “Today you will be helping me one last time, Soren.”

  …

  ‘What!? One last time! I don’t understand what the hell is happening.’

  Looking up to his father his voice came out timid and concerned.

  “Father, I don’t understand. What’s happening?”

  His father did not meet his gaze, instead his eyes were solely transfixed on the array of sequences.

  “Tell me what you see in this array.”

  Having his question brushed off like that only deepened his concerns, even still he shifted his gaze to the pattern. What sat before him was a complex layering of runes, none of which stood out to him. Honestly this was far to advance for even normal scholars… What exactly was this? How did he make it, sure father was an incredible scholar, but something like this seemed impossible to actually work.

  “I’m not sure…”

  There was a moment of silence, then without a word his father’s firm hand grasped his hair. He pulled him away from his sister, and pulled him into the array. His sister let out a terrified yelp!

  “Father please! He doesn’t know, none of us do.”

  Alicia’s desperate pleas fell on deaf ears, as his father grabbed Soren’s chin forcing him to look closer at the array.

  “Tell me what you see!”

  The once lifeless voice of his father was now filled with rage and madness. Soren struggled against his grasp, yet his tiny frame could do nothing against him. His sister stood behind them petrified with fear, tears had already formed in her eyes.

  “Look I said!”

  Soren could hear his heart beating in his ears, fear and panic set in fully. His eyes frantically glanced over every detail of the Sequences. He had never seen some of these runes before. Nothing stood out, except. There was one particular sequence that seemed off to him. Unlike the others, this one he knew. Mimicry.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “The mimicry sequence!”

  His father paused, then after a moment released his grasp from Soren’s hair. Falling down onto the cold floor, he did his best to crawl away. His sister had already wrapped her arms around him protectively, shielding him from his father. Looking down at him the man who had raised him spoke no words, there was however, a twisted smile on his face.

  “You always were the smartest of your siblings… I just needed to know you had potential…”

  There was a long pause at the end of his sentence, as if he wanted to say something else but couldn’t. Turning away from the two his father kneeled down to the array. His voice had returned to its once calm nature.

  “Leave me.”

  Without hesitation, Alicia dragged Soren by his wrist out of the room. He was barely able to keep up with her as they left their father behind. Following quickly behind her, they ascended the stairs. The portraits he’d often stop and admire passed by in a blur. Soon the two reached his bedroom. Grabbing onto the handle she nearly took the door off its hinges, still dragging him along. She pulled him into the room, then letting go of his wrist she grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

  “Stay here, and don’t come out till either Vincent or I come and get you!”

  Her eyes were full of fear and building panic, this had been the first time he had seen her so worried. Still dealing with his own terror, he simply nodded. Seeing this she let go of him, then without any more words she left him, closing the door behind her.

  Soren had been left alone with his thoughts, there was much he needed to think about, to try and make sense of. What happened to his father? What was with that array of runes? And what was the purpose of all this?

  ‘Why is this happening? Did something happen on his expedition? He did seem different when he came back… He shut himself away in his lab, we had just assumed he found something important… maybe he did.’

  A thought crossed Soren’s mind. Perhaps his father saw something that made him go mad. Maybe he was sick. There were many possibilities, after all no one could be sure of the dangers outside the veil. Soren knew his father… He was not the kind of person who would do something like that.

  ‘He’s a kind man! Sure… he’s strange, I mean who isn’t a little off, but he is a good person. He raised us, no one made him! He took us in when the world cast us aside, gave us clothes, housed us, and fed us. He even taught us sorcery.’

  In his mind he was so sure of this, but… There was some doubt. Even though none of them had been related, they all were weavers. This fact could not have been ignored. Then a dreadful thought crossed his mind. The fact they all could weave spells was no coincidence. Flashes of the grandiose sequence appeared in his mind.

  ‘Could whatever is going on be because of that array? Whatever it did, it seemed to be important… Could it be a…’

  “No!”

  Soren shook his head chasing the heinous thought away.

  ‘How could I even think of something like that? He would never!’

  …

  Though, he couldn’t help but feel like a lamb being offered up as some sacrifice. It was an awful thought, but whatever had been going on seemed like some kind of ritual.

  The hours passed by slowly. Agonizingly slow to be honest, he wasn’t allowed to leave his room, not that he wanted to anyways. He spent most of the day reading his books, trying his hardest to distract himself. Eventually the orange light of the setting sun disappeared, leaving him in total darkness.

  Letting out a shaky breath, he closed his book, and changed into his nightwear. Pulling the covers tight to his body, Soren closed his eyes, hoping sleep would find him soon, but it never came. What did come was a knock at his door. This surprise initially startled him, however the voice of his brother broke the silence he had surrounded himself in.

  “Soren, It’s Vincent. Open up.”

  He quickly climbed out of bed, running to unlock his door. Swinging it open, Soren’s heart sank. In front of him was not his brother, no, before him was the visage of his father. He was covered in blood, his white shirt had been stained crimson. His long grey hair draped down to his chest, the ends soaked in blood. His face was obscured by what seemed to be a deer skull, with various charms and runes adorning the large branching horns. His mouth was twisted into a ghoulish grin.

  He had no time to react before his father grabbed him by his hair, dragging him down the hall. Soren was kicking and screaming, trying his best to free himself, but it was no use, his father was too strong. Being dragged down the stairs, his body slammed against each step, causing him to wince. Eventually they reached the open laboratory door, where his father threw him in.

  Soren’s body rolled a bit, until he came to a stop in the center of the room. It felt like he landed in a pool of warm water. Looking up, Soren's eyes widened, it felt like his stomach was going to release its confines. Piled on top of each other were the blood soaked bodies of his siblings, the doll his sister carried everywhere sat next to her. Her hand was still placed on it, now stained red.

  Pulling himself up, he stumbled back. Making no distance, he was stopped by a large figure. Looking back he saw the horrid grin of his father. Wrapping a blood soaked hand around his neck, his father leaned down. His eyes could not be seen from behind the skull, but he could feel their gaze. He felt like a rabbit who had just been caught by a wolf. Petrified by fear, his father spoke with sickenly sweet words.

  “Happy birthday… Soren!”