When they got back to Possibility, the town gates were full. Luckily, Kiara had gotten a pass so they were able to go straight through the gate. When Arefe got to his house, he said bye to Raven and walked in the door. He walked passed his older brother’s empty room and before flying up to his room, he paused at his parent’s door.

“Why did you help him? He could have killed you, not that I care! It would just mean another killer for us to track down!” His father growled

“Well, no one else would help him.” His mother replied. She sounded calm, but Arefe knew she must be upset.

“You’re weak! Incompetent! I bet your weakling tag-along son would have been able to make a better decision than that!” Arefe stumbled backwards. He knew his father didn’t like his way of life, but he didn’t know his father hated him! He was continuing past the room when he heard the last thing his father said.

“If I see him, I’m going to kill him!” His mother screamed and blood drooled out from under the door as a stony tail smashed thru the wall and Arefe fled. He didn’t think to go to the jail house to tell them of the crime. He didn’t imagine his dragon friends would accept a wanted Griffith, so Arefe left. He excited the city and flew to the first place he met Raven. Arefe often went here because he loved being around the stones, which seemed to give him peace and answers. When he reached the cave, he looked out towards the setting sun, away from his home town. In the distance, he could see a battalion of Grous and Arefe knew he should warn the city. Arefe looked away, letting the possibility of the town surviving flee. He walked into the cave and flew to towards the ceiling. He squeezed himself into the cave and popped out on the other end into the spectacular room of crystals. He readied himself for the peaceful wave that usually came, but there was none

“Join us…” The crystals seem to whisper to him, specifically the one Raven told him not to touch. They whispered to him of great power, awesome strength, amazing abilities. All of this, but only if he joined them. How he could join a rock, he did not know. Curious, he stretched out his tail and touched the forbidden crystal, as he had come to call it. Searing pain jolted through him and, briefly, he wondered if his father had found him before he blacked out.

About an hour later, he woke up to the sound of voices and feet. Groggily, he got to his feet and peered down the hole leading to the main cave, and immediately jumped back. The cave below him was filled with the Grous army he had seen earlier. As quietly as possible, he scudded away from the hole, but stopped before he touched the wall. None of the rocks were prophesying now. Must have been a dream! He thought to himself, whacking his head with his tail. Pain split through his head and it took all his energy not to cry out. Through blurry eyes he looked at his tail. Stuck to the end of it, was the rock. The rock that he had touched, the rock that made him black out. And the rock that is giving me this new strength he added to himself when he noticed how quickly the pain faded. He got to his feet and stretched his wings, noticing how large they had become. His tail was now as hard as iron and the rock on the tip resembled a sword. He found strength in his new self and courageously squeezed through the hole into the Grous encampment. His body became thinner and he shot out of the hole easily, immediately falling on top of a bunch of Grous.

“LEAVE THIS PLACE!” He roared, lashing out with his tail. Grous flew everywhere, blood fell to the ground, but none of it was his blood. The monsters regrouped and defended what looked like a tent. He killed them quickly, slicing them with his tail. When the last enemy had fallen, he looked inside the tent. He jumped back and bared his teeth

“How dare you!” Arefe screeched as a masked figure stepped out from the tent.

“It’s simple! I wanted money, but not my family. Your brother was easy to dispose of, your mum is dead and soon you will be too.” His father’s wings snapped out and Arefe could see that the armor on the wings was not simply for protection. His monster of a father charged him, pinning him to the wall with the blades sticking out of his armor. Arefe’s father was no match for him, though. He counted on the power of his new ally and it didn’t fail him. He jabbed at his father with his tail, flinging him onto the ground.

“NO” His father bellowed as blood fell from his chest. Arefe’s feathers dragged through the blood as he got up to leave. His blood-stained wings opened, pointing him towards Possibility. The town had wronged him, wait, it hadn’t wronged him. It had wronged the parasite living in him. As if he had lived it, he remembered what the town had done to his new friend, the parasite. They had shunned it, throwing it out. They had killed the rest of his kind, only he had escaped. Arefe shared it’s anger as if it were his own. Seething, he flew down to the city. He smashed the guards and entered the gates. Everyone he saw he killed, women, children, men. All of them. He soon wiped out all of the guards on duty with less than a scratch. He approached the first house, when he saw Raven and Kiara. Raven stood there, horrified. Kiara on the other hand was furious.

“Why did you come back? You little monster!” It took Arefe a moment to realize she was talking to his parasite. “First, you control my mother, then kill my father. And now, look what you have done! You are the one who created the Grous, YOU started this war! Don’t take our friend away too!” Arefe stood there, terrified. What have I done? You have done what is right! She is simply a block, trying to lead you to death and destruction, but with me you are truly invincible! Nothing will ever pierce your hide! the voice in his head whispered. Arefe roared, doubling in size, and charged Kiara.