Since their return, Cinder had been carefully keeping an eye on Gwyn. Something had definitely felt …off about him. That, combined with Cinder’s natural curiosity, had led to Cinder quietly sneaking up on Gwyn, who was heading towards an unknown location in the middle of the night. He seemed to be talking to someone through a wrist-gram with a determined look on his face.

“Master, it’s me. It looks like I have hit a wall,” Gwyn said to the hand-sized holographic projection coming from the device on his wrist.

“…” it responded, too quiet for Cinder to hear.

“No, I haven’t given up. In fact, it has only given me more resolve… to do the unthinkable.”

“…”

“Yes, I do mean that. I will perform that forbidden ritual.”

“…” Gwyn smirked at the response and tapped the wrist-gram.

After the image faded, Gwyn looked up at the moon, a manic gleam appearing in his eyes. “I wonder what you would think of me right now, Kai?” He reached into his bag and pulled out a map. “Let me see… hmm… there, that should do.” Gwyn closed the map and looked in Cinder’s direction with a sinister smile. Cinder’s heart sped up a little and things went silent for a second as Gwyn pointed past Cinder at nothing. “The Flying Dragon Village would seem to be the one.” Then, quietly to himself, “I guess I’d better hurry if I want to finish before the night ends.” Gwyn stood still for a moment, eyes off in the distance, and said, “Well, I’ll just be glad you’re not here to stop me,” and headed off into the night.

***

The Flying Dragon village was a small village located west of Coatlicue. It was a simple village, quiet and peaceful, but that night would turn out to be anything but for the villagers.

Throughout the history of this universe there have been powerful rituals discovered by certain Elementors that are both brutal and lifesaving. Some of these rituals were used for evincing. Gwyn was about to perform one such; one of languages. One which required a sacrifice; the taking of language from a group of people.

Cinder quietly followed Gwyn from a distance and hid behind a rock overlooking the village, waiting a moment as Gwyn approached the gates. Upon arriving at the Flying Dragon village, Cinder felt a vague familiarity, though he didn’t know what for. A Koa stepped forward from the gates and greeted Gwyn.

“Gwyn? Is that you, Gwyn?” Koa Enos said, waving at Gwyn.

“Oh. Enos. It has been a long time, hasn’t it?” Gwyn said, feigning interest to hide his frustration at being stopped as he glanced at the village.

“Yeah it has! Hey, how’s Kai?”

“Right… him…” Gwyn hesitated, his ability to maintain his demeanor fading as his face changed from light-hearted to feral. “I’m sorry, Enos, but I have to go,” Gwyn said curtly, forcing an end to their conversation as he turned back to the gate and started to go through.

Enos, sensing something was off with Gwyn, quickly made the symbols for fire and for earth. “Compound! Firebind!” Enos then quickly pressed the palm of his hand onto Gwyn’s chest and fiery chains shot out of it, wrapping around Gwyn and binding him in place. “Stop right there, Gwyn! I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m not letting you into the village! For God’s sake, my parents live here!”

Gwyn smirked. “Is that a fact?” He looked at Enos and tilted his head, all attempts at pretense gone. “You won’t LET me?” His smile faded as he looked down at Enos’ hand on his chest.

Fear began to creep into Enos’ voice and stance. “Don’t make me do this! I really don’t want to hurt you, Gwyn!”

Gwyn locked eyes with Enos, his smile creeping back onto his face. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to kill the villagers. I’m just here to take away their ability to speak.”

Enos stared into Gwyn’s eyes with disbelief. “What did you say?”

“Oh. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to save your family for last. I’ll let them watch, helplessly, as I cut out their friends’ tongues.” Gwyn stuck out his tongue and gently grabbed it, acting like he was ripping it out. “If you get my point.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Gwyn?!” Enos shouted, enraged by Gwyn’s action, and quickly made the symbol for air. “Like hell I’m going to let you do that, Gwyn! Re! Wind Blades!” Air began to form in the palm of Enos’ hand, but disappeared shortly thereafter. “Huh?” Enos looked down and found a blue-flaming claymore sticking out of his stomach leading back to the bound hand of Gwyn.

“I’m sorry, Enos… I wasn’t giving you a choice. Though, now that you pissed me off, hmm… let me think. Oh! I know! How about I let you watch the whole thing?”

Blood erupted from Enos’ lips as he spasmed into a sudden cough. Despite the pain, Enos’ mind focused on his surprise that Gwyn’s technique had been so instantaneous. Looking back, he realized that Gwyn had whispered something as he raised his hand to strike Gwyn down. Enos’ hand relaxed from its offensive sign and dropped. As it alighted on the flaming sword, his mind finally caught up, the wave of pain hitting him in full force now. Coursing through his entire body, nerve endings screaming out in pain; the skin on his arm and stomach became blackened and burned away, and the fiery chains disappeared. Enos grabbed the sword with his skinless hand in an effort to keep his feet.

“Come. I have a forgotten language to revive,” Gwyn said and made the sword disappear. Enos, wracked by pain, having been only held up by Gwyn’s sword, fell to the ground. Gwyn glanced down at Enos and said, “Let’s go,” then quickly grabbed him by the hair and dragged him along. Regaining his composure, Gwyn began to whistle.

Petrified by what he had seen, Cinder refrained from approaching Gwyn, but still watched from a distance. “Master Gwyn…” Cinder had never had trouble seeing through people, thus it had never bothered Cinder that Gwyn was hiding his true intentions. They say time and perception are forever changing, for some more than for others, but this was something different. Gwyn had become something different, and Cinder couldn’t take his eyes off him. He watched as Gwyn created a dome around the village. Translucent, to leave some sense of hope as he enjoyed the chase, but cutting off escape all the same. Gwyn collected each villager, bringing them to where Enos lay on the ground, helpless and besieged with pain.

Gwyn began the ritual of cutting off each villager’s tongue using his Gen. Careful and precise to make sure he didn’t kill them so they could all watch the ritual, Gwyn saved Enos’ parents for last, relishing in their dread. “As promised,” Gwyn said as he made a mock bow to Enos and quietly walked behind Enos’ parents to whisper in their ears, his eyes locked on Enos’. “If you must blame someone,” he smirked, “blame your foolish son for getting in my way.” Enos watched the final act of Gwyn’s blade entering into his parents’ flesh as they screamed out in pain, and realized he had no tears left. He lay there, a dried-out husk of his former self.

“Ki… kill me.”

Gwyn knelt by their bodies and cut out their tongues as they lay lifeless on the ground. “I’m sorry, I didn’t quite hear you.”

“K… Kill me.”

Gwyn walked up to Enos and placed his bloody hands on Enos’ cheeks, smiling. “And why would I do that?”

“I…”

Gwyn closed his eyes as he inhaled, then exhaled. “Look, killing you would be too easy. No… I’m leaving you alive so you can always look back and remember your failures.” Gwyn opened his eyes and smiled. “Now. Open your mouth.”

Enos screamed out in horror and pain.

As Gwyn walked away, he opened a book. His eyes began to glow blue and he read, his smile turning victorious. “This is it, finally. One step closer.”

***

Horrified by what he had seen, and fearing what might be if Gwyn got back to find him gone from the place he had told him to train, Cinder rushed on only to find a meditating Gwyn awaiting him. To Cinder, Gwyn seemed peaceful; at odds with how he looked when Cinder had last seen him. Cinder watched Gwyn’s face with trepidation as he quietly approached him.

“Is there something you need, Cinder?”

Cinder paused for a second. “No, Master. I just went for a jog.”

“I see. You have something you need to ask me?” Gwyn stopped meditating and opened his eyes, smiling gently at Cinder.

“Where were you tonight?” Cinder asked, his face a carefully calm mask.

“Looking for answers.” Gwyn walked over to the cliff-edge overlooking Coatlicue, seemingly deep in thought. “Cinder, it looks like we are at a crossroads. I’ve been given a great opportunity.”

“What do you mean, Master?”

Gwyn paused for a second, still smiling. “I’ve decided to teach at Coatlicue Academy. Being there will give me the chance to teach the young ones who will one day become Koa Warriors. And who knows, maybe I’ll learn some things myself.”

“I…”

Gwyn approached Cinder, placing his hand on Cinder’s shoulder. “I do have to say, Cinder, you are very bright. I want you to come with me. I think we both share the same dreams, don’t we?” Gwyn faced Cinder, eagerly awaiting his answer.

“I…” Cinder began to hesitate as he reflected back on all he had witnessed or heard. From what happened in his own village, relayed to him by Rebecca, to the first time he had met Gwyn. From when she died, to his reunion with Gwyn. On all the things that led up to this night and its bloody culmination. Was it just a coincidence that they happened to meet in that dark, back-alley all those years ago or was it fate. As Cinder started to connect the dots, he realized that from another perspective it might all seem very calculated. From Cinder’s perspective, life had given him a bad hand. “Hmmm…” Cinder thought about Gwyn’s perspective, wondering how he viewed it all. An idea came to Cinder, a very disturbing one. For someone to have put that much time and effort into the long game, it would require a lot more time and effort to put that person down for good. “I think we do share the same dreams, Master. I’ll follow you wherever you go.”

It would be easy for someone to run from this situation. But Cinder, by circumstance or design, was left with an opportunity to run from or to sink his teeth deeper into the beast known as Gwyn.

1 Year Later: 5 Years Ago.

On an early morning in The Deep Jungle, Gwyn and Cinder gathered around a stone tablet with ancient writings on it. “Ee Pa Nu Vi Ora Teh Nu… Hmmm…” Gwyn read, his eyes glowing blue.

“What’s the matter, Master?” Cinder asked as he wrote down the lettering on the tablet.

“I’m not sure, but I think it reads, ‘where journeys end.’ Hmm, but what does that mean?” Gwyn, unsure of himself, closed his eyes to focus. “It almost feels like something is blocking me.”

“Master, I-”

“Maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way. If only I had more-”

“Master, it’s time to go!” Cinder shouted as he began to pack his things. “Class starts in thirty minutes. I’m sure you don’t want to be late.”

“Right. Right. I guess I will have to come back later,” Gwyn said as he walked away from the stone tablet, the blue glow fading from his eyes..

***

“Was that right, master?” Cinder said, a little curious about how his master would respond.

Gwyn, never being one to answer right away, thought about it for a moment. “Hmmm… yes, I believe that this was the saying my master taught me. It’s been so long I almost forgot. Why do you ask?”

Cinder stared curiously at the book and then closed it. Smiling at Gwyn, he said, “I was curious as to why he would use these words… what do you think he was talking about, Master?”

Gwyn smiled at Cinder with deep sincerity while placing a book back on the shelf. “You know, I haven’t the slightest idea as to what he was referring to, but perhaps we may very well learn the Truth…” Gwyn looked away from Cinder, almost unable to disguise his true intentions. Gwyn smirked as he whispered under his breath, “At the Journey’s End. That’s how the Truth will be revealed.” Turning to look at Cinder, Gwyn changed his smirk to a smile as he began to make his way towards the door. “Listen, Cinder, I want you to focus on the research that we found today.”

“Are you going somewhere, Master?”

“Yes, to visit an old friend.” Gwyn stopped at the door and placed his hand upon it at shoulder height. “Time sure does fly by.” He moved his hand down, seeming to pat an imaginary head. “I heard he has a kid now.”

“Ok… I’ll be here if you need me.” Cinder pulled out a book and began to read.

As Gwyn walked out the door, Cinder continued to work diligently on a way to defeat Gwyn.

Gwyn closed the door and began to laugh. “I can’t believe it. It’s been hiding underneath my nose this entire time! The Temple of Ember… Kai, it has been far too long.”