The man stood in the middle of his study, his books and papers spread across the floor and the desk. Where are those entries? he wondered. All of his previous journal entries concerning the "Locked Door" were gone, neatly torn out of the notebook. Whoever stole these didn't want me to know. Pretty clumsy job they did.

There was a knock on the door. "Enter," Catastrophe barked without looking at the door.

A pimple-faced young woman stepped in. "Admiral Vidtinok is here to witness the experiment, sir."

"Excellent. Send for Yearwood." Catastrophe was still looking at the papers. Pages of calculations, several large books on interdimensional travel, and the leather-bound notebook that he kept track of the attempts to open the Portal in lay on the floor. Catastrophe hadn't left Bleak Peak for a month. His life was just the Portal now - the Portal and the Artifacts. It was all worth it, though. The Powers had created the world and then lost control of it. Their pride had got in the way, and their petty arguments had wreaked havoc on the land. They left death and destruction wherever they went, never noticing, always thinking only of their own survival or of triumphing over their siblings. They had gone on like this for too long. He was very close - he could feel it. Soon it would all be over.

"Sir." Catastrophe turned around to find that Yearwood had entered the room silently. He wasn't particularly surprised - she had always been light on her feet. "You sent for me."

"Yearwood. Any news on the man?"

"No sir. We've got eyes in every city and there's been no sign of him."

"And..."

"No sign of him either, sir." Yearwood knew who Catastrophe was talking about. Catastrophe had been searching for his son for months; not even the Resistance knew where Ronan was. As much as Catastrophe despised the Powers and the Resistance, Yearwood could tell that he longed to see his son. 

"Right. You are dismissed."

"Yes sir." Yearwood left as silently as she had entered.

Catastrophe stood, staring off into the middle distance for some time before picking up the papers and books and dropping them on the table with a dull thunk. He took his cloak off his chair, put it on, and strode down the hallway. The twenty-fifth attempt to open the Portal was about to start, and Catastrophe wasn't about to miss it.

Top! 

The courtyard was packed, as was usual with the experiments. Sorcerers were making sure that the thunderstorm had enough power to open the Portal, several young men were making to the ring of stones at the center of the courtyard at the command of one of the Homo Avians, guards were standing at all the entrances, shifting from one foot to the other. Admiral Vidtinok stood on the sidelines, watching the scene with some interest. Everyone quieted as Catastrophe entered the courtyard. The young man flipped up the hood of his water-resistant cloak as he walked into the rain. Catastrophe looked around. One of the sorcerers - Anderton, Catastrophe thought it was - stepped forward.

"When you're ready, sir."

Catastrophe gave the sorcerer a small nod. "Right, then. Go."

The sorcerer bustled off. Everyone tensed a little as the courtyard, which had been quiet, was now silent except for the pounding rain and crackling thunder. Catastrophe could hear Anderton explaining to Vidtinok how the Portal worked. He always did this - last time it was Yearwood, who had seen the first few attempts, but had then left to take care of other business, the time before that it was to one of the guards...

"The portal is a very mysterious thing. It appears to be powered by some kind of magic that no wizard, witch, or warlock alive has ever seen. If you'll look over there, you'll see the Sword. That's integral to the whole process - there's some very powerful destructive energy in the Sword that seems to be the same type of energy that powers the portal. It's not quite enough energy to open the portal all the way, so we use lightning as a kind of boost. It isn't ideal - mixing energies like this is dangerous, and the portal is unstable as it is - but until we can get another energy source, it'll have to do."

The other sorcerers stood on the other side of the courtyard, some furiously taking notes while others manipulated the lightning. Vidtinok was too absorbed in the experiment to shut Anderton up, so he kept blathering.

"Recently, we've discovered a quarry in lands far to the west that mines crystals very much like the crystal you see at the center of the portal. We're trying to get a new crystal at the moment - we think the strange and immense energy that powers this portal comes from this crystal - but in the meantime it serves as a good conductor."

Stormclouds swirled round the courtyard, forming the eye of a large storm.

"The twelve stones that make up the ring are of unknown origin. Thankfully, it seems that whoever destroyed the Portal the first time simply buried these stones, so all we had to do was dig them out."

Catastrophe desperately wished Anderton would shut up. There was a spy on Bleak Peak, which in itself wasn't unprecedented - there had been plenty of other spies from the Resistance, FAFA, BIG, and various foreign governments during his campaign to vanquish the Powers - but there was no need for the sorcerer to go spilling about the quarry, how long the Portal had been around, or the Portal's instability. The spy could be in the courtyard right now, listening to Anderton run his mouth. I'll take care of it later, Catastrophe thought. 

"You see those channels running from the dais the crystal is on to each stone? Those transport the energy from the crystal to the stones, which then opens the portal. Don't step in one while there's energy running through it - a scribe did that and exploded into fine matter!"

"Ready the Sword!" called a sorcerer.

Catastrophe took the Sword off his belt and held it, pointing it at the crystal. The eye of the storm disappeared. Clouds crowded the patch of sky Catastrophe could see. Lighting curled down. A blast of energy from the Sword. They met at the Crystal and fused into a flash of blue. A shock rippled through the courtyard and then Catastrophe's body, starting at his legs and ending at his head. Light crept through the channels. The stones glowed. A faint humming. Anderton was still talking, but he could no longer be heard. The humming grew more and more silent. The cobblestones pulsed with energy. The Portal started to open. It was the same as usual - the parched, cracked earth, the dark black sky, the eclipsed sun. The silence was growing with the Portal. The Portal was large enough to fit a Dolor Felis, then a dwarf, than a small child. There was a change in the throbbing cobblestones. Catastrophe knew what that meant. "Shut it off!" screamed Anderton. The silence was so loud that his scream could barely be heard. Catastrophe dropped the Sword, his hands shaking. The cobblestones stopped dancing - the Portal closed - the light in the channels receded back into the crystal. Catastrophe tried to stop his hands from shaking and slow down his breath. Vidtinok looked disappointed; Anderton was talking a mile a minute again.

The sorcerers convened, talking in hushed tones. A few of the guards escorted Vidtinok out of the courtyard. Yearwood walked silently up next to Catastrophe. She looked uneasy, which was unusual for her.

"Sir. I have urgent news. There's reports of a new sinkhole. This one's in the Grasplands, in a sheep pasture. I've already sent troops to secure the area."

Catastrophe brushed Yearwood off and somehow made it back to his study. He sat heavily in his chair and opened one of the ancient, enormous books. He started reading even though the knew the book by heart. Next time the Portal would be opened. Next time would be a success. Next time would be different.

Celesti stood, shaking so hard that her knees knocked together. Her face contorted - her cheeks were bright red - there were tears in her eyes.

"What did I do wrong? Why did you do this - all of this?"

"I-it was very hard. But it was necessary. I had to-"

"You didn't have to do anything. You were - you are - destroying Kyngdom."

"My love-" Catastrophe paused uncomfortably, looking to see if she was offended. Her face remained a mixture of anger and incredible sadness. The young man began again. "It was your choice. You could've stayed with me and left your manipulative, hateful charges behind. I am so close to my goal - a goal I've been working on for centuries."

"A goal that destroyed your family and cast your son away from you."

"That also was his-"

"You don't understand!" Celesti's voice had reached a feverish pitch. "Your need for retribution will lead to nothingness. At this moment, things are falling into place. Please, stop this before it destroys everything! Ronan-he-"

A horn blew. Catastrophe awoke to find his face resting on the book he'd been reading. What time it was, he wasn't sure- it was pitch black outside the window. There was pain - a headache - a pounding headache. What a horrible dream. The sound of the horn died out. Catastrophe put his head in his hands and tried to remember what Celesti had said in the dream. Try as he might, only one word really stood out.

Ronan. 

Vidtinok examined the young Tenebri, her eyes passing over each and every one. They were in two small dormitories, one for the girl and one for the boys. One-way mirrors let her see into their rooms.

Each and every single one looked fit and powerful, despite being young children. "Where did you say you gathered the subjects from?" Vidtinok asked the scientist next to her. A SOCS badge was on their uniform, bright and shiny and pure silver.

"Most are survivors from the bombed cities up North. We take the adults prisoners and brainwash them into soldiers or servants, while the children go on to become the greatest weapons we have ever devised." The scientist seemed proud of himself, and his organization's accomplishments. Vidtinok didn't blame him, the things SOCS had managed to invent were truly marvels of scientific, magical and technological advancement.  

"Say," the scientist said, "There was a Homo Tenebris who went rogue down in the Grasplands, correct?"

Vidtinok nodded, her loathing of traitors reawakening itself. "Yes. His name was Eniyan Okunkun. Why?"

"Well, we've taken it upon ourselves to make sure no more Tenebri ever become disloyal. We've begun to alter their minds with dark magic, so that they love to fight, but have lost any morals. They'll avoid light magic at all costs, and will forever remain loyal to us," the scientist explained.

"How wonderful," Vidtinok purred.

---

The sound of a horn echoed across the mountains. It was still dark outside, though Vidtinok knew this meant there was a rotation of guards. 

She made her way through the impeccably clean and polished white hallways, heading towards Catastrophe's office so she could discuss the spies and traitors problem. Few others passed her, this late at night, only guards were still awake. The sound of her boots clicking on the tiles seemed much louder than usual, as there wasn't the usual bustle of the hallways to partially drain it out.

She finally reached the door leading to his office. It was down a side hall, where it could be more private. Vidtinok raised her hand to knock on the door, "My lord?"

A bird, one of Catastrophe's black doves, flew up to the base. It flew in through a window, leading to Catastrophe's study, where it waited for him.

It had a letter tied to its ankle, which was sealed shut with a stamp depicting a skull. The bird cooed impatiently.

Within the envelope, the letter was written in a fine, beautiful handwriting. It read:

We found the old man. He's being held in the Grasplands, in one of the werewolf's mansion. Specifically, the one with dahlias out front. 

It didn't say who it was from, or who it was to-- all that was there was a stamp, in black ink, of a skull. 

"Come in," Catastrophe called. Vidtinok did so, bowing at the threshold.

"I've made some changes to the security systems that I wanted to inform you of," she said.

"Mhm." Catastrophe did not look up from his book.

"From now on, only those approved by either you or I are allowed into the courtyard."

"Mhm."

"Do you approve?" Vidtinok seemed put off by Catastrophe's quietness.

"Yes."

"Good." Vidtinok shifted from one foot to the other.

"Is that all?" 

"Yes."

"You are excused."

"Thank you, my lord." She bowed again and left the room.

*************

Days passed. There was another unsuccessful attempt at opening the Portal. Catastrophe studied and took extra measures to make sure spies were kept out of the most sensitive areas. He visited the Goo Breweries, located in the basements, and the Labs, to visit the Homo Tenebris. He didn't sleep much, and when he did sleep, he dreamt of Ronan. One morning, a black dove arrived at the window to Catastrophe's study. It was soon flying above the Falls, carrying a reply.

We'll be sending a carriage to collect him and bring him back here. Many thanks for your cooperation. 

Have we moved from Catastrophe Strikes!... to here? Should I bring Karthicha here?

Vidtinok~

"Admiral, there is something I'd like to share with you," The scientist said.

"What is it?" Vidtinok growled, lounging on her chair. Her room that she was staying in was large, though not as large as Catastrophe's. The scientist in front of her seemed puny in comparison, his frame small and wilted.

"There's a way to bring the deviant Tenebris back under control," he explained. "It will work especially well with the Eniyan one."

"And how is that?" the Admiral sat up, suddenly interested.

"Well, as you know, much of the genetic tampering with Tenebris is done with dark magic. And we also add in something called a niyantrana. It's similar to a gem, though its physical form has the capability to keep cha--"

"Get to the point, Sano," Vidtinok snapped.

"Oh. Right. Of course. Well, the niyantrana is like...it's like a control switch. If we're able to tap into its power, we can essentially control the Tenebris' body. Basically, what I'm saying, is that we can mind-control him. And the niyantrana can only be removed by magically replacing it with something with equal volatility and unpredictability."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's mind control the stupid rebel now."

~~~ 

Bringing Karthicha here for a short while, then maybe he can go try to assasinate some of the Resistance members somewhere. How can he be useful while he's here?