"Darkness... When everything that you know and love... is taken from you so harshly... all you can think about is anger, hatred, and even revenge... and no one can save you."
― Orochimaru

Tommy follows behind Thermoculus like a faithful hound. They are walking through the grid-like alleyways in Empires. Thermoculus is holding a camera, taking pictures of anything that seems vaguely related to the Red Army. If Thermoculus sees something that is higher than he can reach, Tommy will use his powers to lift the man up. Although the task seems uniquely tailored to him, Tommy knows that Thermoculus would be able to get the pictures regardless if Tommy was there or not. It would take a little more skill and effort, but it wouldn't be a worthless endeavor if it got more information for the analysts in the Syndicate. Tommy is only there because Phil ordered it to be so, and Thermoculus didn't seem like he was willing to argue. Sneeg did mention that it was probably because of Tommy's mental state, but Tommy can think of a million other things he could be doing to preoccupy himself other than trekking through Empires with the silent Thermoculus.

Fortunately, a city can never be silent. It will always be bustling with life, both from the people and the electronics. The wind, too, whistles as it flies through the narrow corridors. Empires specifically is constantly consumed by the voices of foreign languages and the clashing of weaponry. Tommy can even hear the calls of bird whistles, a system devised by the four most prominent gangs in Empires, each one named after a bird. Although he doesn't know where they are, he remembers Tempestarius mentioning that the Guardians would be wrangling in Empires. He wonders if he will encounter them. He has to visit Monarch later, so he might see them there.

Thermoculus' camera clicks. Tommy looks at him, stopping when he notices Thermoculus looking at the camera's screen to verify the image. Most of the pictures have been of the graffiti on the walls. The Red Army is either trying to rile the gangs up, or they're trying to recruit them. Tommy doesn't know which is objectively worse. If the Red Army riles up the gangs, they could blame each other and perpetuate the turf wars, and war is an accurate term with how much blood is split. If the gangs realize they are being duped, they might individually try to fight the Red Army. Nothing would be solved if they kept getting in each other's ways. If they did manage to unite against a common enemy, they would recklessly dive into conflict without thinking about the lives of the other boroughs. Empires protects itself, after all.

On the other hand, if the Red Army is recruiting, they would be getting what amounts to an additional army on their side. The gangs are uncoordinated, but they will follow the words of their leader to the exact letter. If the Red Army can convince the leaders to join their cause, a lot of bad things will happen: to Empires, to the gangs, and to anyone else caught in the crossfire. If the Red Army is unlucky, they'll also be hurt, but Tommy has a sinking suspicion that the mastermind of all of this has ensured that the Cult of Erythr will survive. The Red Army is dangerous because of sheer numbers. The Cult of Erythr is terrifying because it is filled with highly skilled operatives.

Thermoculus' eyes glance to the side, staring directly at Tommy for a moment. The blonde startles. He almost takes a step back, but he keeps himself steady as he looks away. Thermoculus turns his back to Tommy, taking his camera with him as he continues walking. Tommy tries to forget the apathy in Thermoculus' eyes. He breathes in deeply. The city will never be silent, but the lack of noise between Thermoculus and Tommy is making him antsy. He cannot stand it. He is made from sound. If he didn't get gravity manipulation, he would have gotten some esper ability involving sound. He knows that, so he knows that he cannot stand by idly while Thermoculus quietly hates him and Tommy has not even attempted to make amends.

Tommy swallows his pride, ignoring the way it burns all the way down. He stares ahead with all the intensity he can conjure, focusing on Thermoculus' back as the villain starts walking away. Tommy calls out, "I'm sorry."

Thermoculus stops. He remains frozen for a good minute. Tommy keeps watching his back, waiting for movement. He almost fears that Thermoculus will continue walking without acknowledging Tommy's apology in any way. He doesn't expect to be forgiven, of course, but he needs Thermoculus to know how sorry he is. He would rather suffer Thermoculus' angry outburst than continue in this tense silence. "What for?"

Tommy blinks. He sucks in a deep breath. His hands fly up like he's going to talk with them instead of his words. Once his thoughts circle back into his mind, he shakes his head. He's floundering with his words, but he can't help it. He doesn't understand why Thermoculus is pretending like he doesn't know what Tommy is talking about. "F-for what happened to Dyscardia! I let her get hurt!"

"Are you sorry for what happened to Ravager?" Thermoculus asks, tilting his head over his shoulder. He stares at Tommy from the corner of his eye. His gaze is completely neutral.

"Of course I'm fucking sorry about that!" Tommy hisses, growing upset that Thermoculus would ever consider for a moment that Tommy wasn't sorry about that, either. When he writes another letter to Ravager, he's going to make sure it is mainly an apology. He's too much of a coward to actually face Ravager right now. "I don't know why the hell I froze up like that. It's been fucking years since since I've been around Reverie... and I didn't want Dyscardia and Ravager to get hurt! I still don't. I should have been able to act quicker, but I didn't, and I'm sorry for that."

Thermoculus places the camera down on a nearby dumpster covered in the red vines signature to the Red Army. He turns around to face Tommy, marching all the way there. Tommy sucks in a tight breath, preparing himself for an act of violence. He'll preserve his life, but he won't stop Thermoculus from hurting him in any non-lethal way. Thermoculus places his bandaged hands on Tommy's shoulders, squeezing lightly. Tommy flinches despite telling himself he would accept whatever punishment Thermoculus would levy against him. Tommy closes his eyes, waiting for a hit. Instead, he feels a warm pressure against his forehead. He opens his eyes, startling when he notices how close Thermoculus is. He's pressed their foreheads together in a gesture that is more comforting than it has any right to be.

"I'm not mad at you. I was never mad at you. All I have been is worried. I thought I was going to lose Dyscardia. I thought I was going to lose Ravager. But I also thought I was going to lose you. Dyscardia and Ravager could have died, and you could have been gone, too," Thermoculus whispers. The voice modifier stifles the emotions in his voice, but enough of it leaks through that Tommy feels the closest to crying that he has in a long time.

"Why?" Tommy replies, unsure what he is referring to. Why was Thermoculus worried about him, too? Why wasn't he angry? Why is he telling Tommy all of this? Why does he think Tommy could have been gone, and what does that mean exactly?

Thermoculus sighs, exhausted with what Tommy hopes isn't fondness. "I have some idea what occurred between you and the Hunters. That's enough for me to know that your reaction was expected. They created a darkness inside you, and we could have lost you to it. I don't blame you, Vendetta. I can't when even the smallest scraps of what I know Reverie did to you make me terrified that you could lose yourself at any moment."

Tommy doesn't know what Thermoculus means. The darkness inside of him was not created by the Hunters. He thinks it has been there since his birth. He was able to fill it with familial love, but without that, he has nothing to run off except revenge.

And what would Thermoculus know about what the Hunters did to Tommy? No one knows except for the Hunters, and even then, only Reverie knows every excruciating detail. Tommy doesn't talk about the Hunters to anyone. He got by with giving the bare minimum to the guildmaster, and he made sure to write in his and Croupier's contract that the topic couldn't be breached. No one else cares enough about him to ask. Even if they did, Tommy has no idea what he would tell them. There are some secrets that weigh heavily on his heart, and he fears he will float away if he releases them.

A scream punctures through the air. Tommy's eyes widen. He takes a step back, looking behind him to find the source of the noise. He frowns, frantically searching for where it could have come from. It seems far too close for his liking. He knows that he isn't the poster child for the Hero's Guild, but if he can save a life, he will.

"Vendetta, wait-" Thermoculus calls, reaching for Tommy's wrist. The blonde darts away before contact can be made. He rushes out of the alleyway. He hears Thermoculus curse, but he doesn't pay attention to it as he pulls his weapon out. The metal baton extends into a staff. He searches the empty sidestreet for the person who screamed. Instead of a single person, he finds himself standing in front of a townhouse. He stalls when an energy ripples through his body. He doesn't believe in auras, but something is off about this house. It is enough that the warning bells start ringing in his mind like the golden bell at the top of Church Prime. This house is wrong, and the scream must have come from here.

Tommy rushes up the steps to the front door. He doesn't even hesitate to slam his shoulder against the door and his staff against the doorknob. After two hits, the door swings open. Tommy hesitates at the threshold. He stands in a narrow mudroom with dark wood walls and a golden overhead light. The interior of the house is as grim as the exterior, and Tommy is intent on finding out what is going on here. He wonders if it's an esper ability... or maybe it's his esper ability that is reacting to the energy this house exudes.

"Vendetta," Thermoculus chides, stepping into the house behind him. Tommy frowns. He's allowed to break into the house because he's an A-rank hero with reason to believe something is wrong here. Thermoculus will be charged with trespassing- maybe breaking and entering if the house owners want to pin that on someone. Tommy shakes his head. Thermoculus has done far worse than these crimes. In fact, he's probably trespassed at much more guarded locations. Tommy is worried about a speck of dirt falling to a mud puddle. "What are you doing?"

"What am I doing? What the fuck does it look like? That scream obviously came from here. This place has some bad shit around it," Tommy explains, climbing up the stairs at the end of the mudroom. He steps onto the landing of the second floor. He looks around, sniffing the air. He doesn't see anything suspicious nor does he smell any blood. All he can smell is something floral and the smoky scent surrounding Thermoculus.

"We have a mission to do," Thermoculus tries telling Tommy. The blonde walks down the hallway of the second floor. He pushes the doors open with his staff, peeking inside each one for something amiss. All he finds are furniture covered in white sheets and dust. Tommy assumed this was a residential home, but it appears to be inactive at the moment.

"No, you have a mission to do. I wasn't doing shit. I was just following you around because you and Phil believe there's some darkness bullshit in my heart that I would retreat to when things got bad. It is bullshit, mind you. The fresh air wasn't even that fresh. The only place worse than Empires in air quality is the Sandlands. Maybe the Nether City... I wouldn't fucking know," Tommy argues, finishing his sweep of the last room. It's a bedroom, probably for a younger child considering the bright floral colors adorning the walls and the covered dollhouse. Tommy frowns. There are homeless people all over the city, and yet there are abandoned houses like this one. It sickens him.

"You've checked the entire house. Are you happy now? Can we go?" Thermoculus says from the doorway, crossing his arms. Tommy shakes his head. He was so certain the scream came from this house. It could have come from the basement or the attic, but Tommy would need to convince Thermoculus to let him check those areas. Tommy has the upperhand since it appears like Thermoculus isn't leaving Tommy alone, but Tommy isn't ready to test the limits of Thermoculus' patience.

"I didn't check the basement, dipshit," Tommy tells him, going to the stairs again. When he's on the final step, he realizes what the source of his initial discomfort was.

Reaper stands at the doorway, blocking the small window on the upper part of the door that would have let light in. Ominous shadows crawl across his clothes, stretching longer and thicker than they realistically should. Light blue-white bubbles ripple across the hardwood around his feet. Souls. All of those bubbles with sorrowful expressions glowing with an otherworldly light are souls of the deceased given form by Reaper's esper ability.

"What the hell are you doing here, you creepy bastard?" Tommy demands, shifting his weight to put himself in a defensive position. Reaper tilts his head at Tommy, his glowing eyes going between Tommy and Thermoculus from beneath the cowl of his cloak. Reaper does not answer as he raises his palm towards the two intruders. The souls at Reaper's feet fly into the air towards Tommy like bullets from a gun. The blonde raises his staff up, trying to whack the first spirits away. Instead, his staff goes right through the spirits. Tommy's eyes widen as one of them reaches out their claws.

"Damnit," Thermoculus mutters, pivoting on his feet to punch the spirit's face. Instead of phasing through like Tommy's weapon, the spirit feels the punch and flies through the neighboring wall. An iridescent purple sheen appears across the red and blue bandages Thermoculus wraps around his hands. Thermoculus continues sliding, standing in front of Tommy. He keeps light on his feet as he punches the spirits. He looks like a real boxer with his blue-and-black striped boxing robe complimenting his fighting style.

"I assumed the Syndicate would have netherite, but I never imagined they would put it into your gloves," Reaper muses. Tommy takes a step back, keeping his staff up. Netherite is a very special ore exclusive to the Nether, hence the name. It is one of the reasons Essempei trades with the Nether City. Tommy has seen netherite a few times in his life. Reverie keeps a stash of it. Any black market netherite passes through Croupier's doors. The Hero's Guild even has some reserved for rainy days. He has visual proof the Syndicate has some. He has never seen it up close, though, and he never imagined it could be used to fight off spirits that could otherwise be incorporeal.

"You must not know much then," Thermoculus notes. When he catches a break between spirits, he reaches a hand up to his face. Tommy barely gets a moment to close his eyes before Thermoculus is removing his glasses. Tommy hears Reaper howling with pain, and he flinches back. Thermoculus' esper ability is to ignite any inorganic material he looks at. If it is organic, however, like a person, he causes them to feel immeasurable pain. It is often described as being burned alive, but the few victims Tommy has spoken to that have been burned say it is so much worse than that. Fortunately, it requires eye contact. Tommy is safe as long as he keeps his eyes closed.

With his eyes closed, Tommy is unable to see a spirit sneak up on him. He feels the pain across his cheek. A warm liquid slides down his cheek. Tommy grits his teeth. Even though it won't do anything, Tommy raises his staff to bat the spirit away. Tommy opens his eyes to see if he was able to do anything.

Tommy is not in the townhouse when he opens his eyes. He's staring up at a metal rooftop and catwalks that are about a dozen yards above him. Familiarity strikes his heart. He blinks, lifting his body up. He doesn't know when he started lying down, but the dirty mattress underneath his clothes would not have been at that pristine townhouse. No, this mattress covered in stains shoved against other mattresses belongs in Tommy's memories. He lifts his hands up. They are much smaller than they should be, and they aren't covered in nearly as many scars. In fact, his wrists don't have a single scar. They're uncovered and dirty, though.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

Tommy stops breathing, tears rushing to his eyes. He slowly turns around. He's terrified. He finds that he has the right to be when he sees Wilbur pushed up on his elbows. Wilbur, with his wavy brown hair and rich brown eyes shimmering with concern right now, looks at Tommy tiredly. Wilbur hums, waiting for Tommy to speak. Tommy is unable to, so he just dives forward. He knocks Wilbur back down on the mattress. Wilbur makes a startled noise, but he never hesitates in returning Tommy's hug. He feels solid and cold underneath Tommy's grasp. It makes Tommy cry harder.

A hand is suddenly in his hair. Tommy looks up from Wilbur's chest to look at Niki. She smiles at him when they make eye contact. The smile makes the skin around her brown eyes crinkle. The blonde curtain bangs sway as she tilts her head at him, revealing the darker brown hair behind it.

"It must have been a pretty bad dream," Jack notes, sitting up from the mattress at the foot of the one Tommy and Wilbur are on. His dual-colored eyes peer up at Tommy, the red fading into the blue in a way that tugs at Tommy's memories. Tommy pushes it away as he gazes upon Jack's half-smile.

"Are you okay?" Eret asks, sitting down on the opposite of Niki. They push back their dark hair. Fundy lays sleepily in Eret's arms, barely awake, with a thin layer of bright orange hair starting to grow around his twitching fox ears. Even half-asleep, Fundy is staring at Tommy with concern.

"What can we do to make it better?" Tubbo asks, flopping down on the bed between Niki and Tommy. Tubbo grabs Tommy's hand as he curls up in a ball. He holds Tommy's hand against his chest. He keeps his eyes closed as he runs a thumb across Tommy's fingers. It is a kind gesture that Tommy does every time Tubbo wakes up from a nightmare. Tommy has never been on the receiving end of it... and he never will.

Tommy's tears don't stop as he pushes against Wilbur. He yanks his hand away from Tubbo's chest, and Niki's hand slips from his hair. Tommy takes a few steps back, almost tripping as he gets off the mattress. His family continues to stare at him. They seem confused, and Tommy is just as confused as they are. Everything feels so distant right now. He doesn't know where he is, but he knows that it isn't here. It can't be because the warehouse was destroyed... he can't remember why but it was. And his family is dead. They have been for awhile even if he can't figure out for how long. He just knows that they are, so all of this must be a trap.

"Go away," Tommy whispers, his voice breaking. It hurts him. This hurts him. He wants to stay with his family. He wants to enjoy these quiet moments more than anything else. If his family is dead, he could have them here...

But they are dead. This is an illusion. It wouldn't be right to stay trapped in the fantasy, no matter how tempting it would be. Plus, he thinks someone is waiting for him to save them. Someone important.

"Tommy?" Wilbur asks, confused, and Tommy's resolve nearly breaks. No one has called him by his name in so long. He almost forgets it. He has lost so much of himself to Vendetta. Tommy only exists in these memories.

"Go away," Tommy repeats, stronger, surer, though he doesn't feel that way. His family startles. Wilbur begins crawling off the mattress, reaching a hand towards his brother. Tommy closes his eyes, bracing for the pain. He clasps his hands around his heart, and a shout breaks loose from his lips. "Leave me alone!"

Tommy opens his eyes. He is no longer in the warehouse. He is staring at the hallway of the townhouse. Tears continue streaming down his eyes. His memories return to him in soft waves, and the grief only becomes heavier. Part of him longs to return to the blissful recreation of what he ultimately wants, but he knows that it would all be fake. It would never be satisfying. It would never make him feel better because his family is dead. Those hollow shells forged from his memories would have no substance. Tommy tells himself he made the right choice as he stumbles onto his feet. He glares at Reaper, raising his staff up even as his vision blurs with tears.

"That should be impossible," Reaper mutters. Tommy grits his teeth. He lunges at the demon. The tips of his fingers enter the shadow of Reaper's cowl before he is swatted away by a group of spirits. Tommy collides with the wall. He tumbles to the floor, his staff clattering out of his hand. He begins crawling, keeping his eyes on Reaper. He doesn't miss the moment when Reaper falls back. Instead of hitting the ground, he phases through the spirits. Like water down a drain, the souls disappear through the same spot Reaper did until no one is left. Tommy falls back to the ground, realizing Reaper is gone.

"Are you okay, Thermoculus?" Tommy calls out. When he doesn't receive a response, he tilts his head to see Thermoculus on the ground. Tommy crawls over to him. He notices after a moment that the ceiling is on fire. He looks down at Thermoculus, and he makes eye contact for a brief second. That is enough to send pain rushing through his system. He spasms, crumpling to the floor as he tries to figure out where the pain ends and where he begins. He places a hand over his heart, feeling the beating, as he scrambles to put a hand over Thermoculus' eyes. The darkness negates his ability, so Tommy is able to sit up again. He shakes, the last dredges of pain shooting through his body. He nudges Thermoculus' body with his other hand, waiting for the villain to wake up. Tommy winces when he notices blood on Thermoculus' face, but he soon discovers that's from a wound on Tommy, not an injury on Thermoculus'.

After a few moments, Thermoculus groans. He places his hands around Tommy's wrist. He slowly pulls the wrist up, his eyes firmly shut. With both of his hands, Tommy grabs onto Thermoculus' glasses. He places them on. When they are firmly in place, Thermoculus opens his eyes. They widen when they see Tommy. He reaches a hand up immediately. He hesitates next to Tommy's cheek. Tommy wonders if Thermoculus would touch him if his metal mask wasn't firmly in place. Or maybe Thermoculus has finally realized he's no longer in the illusion.

"What was that?" Thermoculus asks, letting his hand drop against his chest.

Tommy shakes his head. "I don't know. Reaper has never been able to give hallucinations before... the Red Army is fucking stronger."