"Your move, Galgarrath," he muttered.

The Grarrl looked down at the game board in front of him. Four-in-a-row. He had lost. Sure, he may be good at Cellblock, but Master Vex was something else completely.

"I resign," Galgarrath said, holding out his hand in defeat.

"Let's see, that makes seven for me and... oh yes, zero for you. Would you like a rematch?" Master Vex said, barely concealing his smirk.

Galgarrath cleared the board. "I'll beat you yet," he muttered. As he spoke, the door flew open and a Skeith strode proudly into the dungeon.

"Ha ha, foolish Galgarrath, thinking he can win with his pea-sized brain," he laughed. "Will he ever learn?"

Galgarrath glared at the Skeith. "What do you want, General Malcius?"

"Just dropping in to say hi to my new comrades. It is ever-so-nice working here now," he snickered. "Good-bye now." The Skeith turned to walk away.

After the door shut, Galgarrath sighed. "I don't trust him, Master Vex. There's just... something suspicious about him."

Master Vex stared at him, the same look of boredom on his face. "I don't trust him either, but what can we do? Lord Darigan seems to like him... why else would he appoint him as a general? Personally," he turned to look at Barallus, "I'm much more interested in why he keeps that guy under such high security."

Galgarrath looked uneasy. "I don't know. He just popped up here last week and already I feel like he's plotting something against us. Did you hear about the missing weapons from the armoury?"

"Yes, I did, but I'm not too worried about it. Haskol has stolen weapons numerous times. It's probably just him again. He can get a bit..." Master Vex paused as he searched for the right word, "cantankerous at times. Anyway, do you want to play now?" he asked, his eyes turning to the board.

"Ah, no, sorry. I have an urgent meeting with Lord Darigan now. He seems to be concerned about the weapons." Galgarrath got up to leave.

"Fine. Do as you must. I'll just stay here and play against Number Five then," Master Vex muttered unexcitedly. He did not look forward to the prospect of listening to the incoherent Lupe's endless prattle.

The Grarrl grinned as he left the dungeon and turned into the hall. He walked toward a flight of stairs. Lord Darigan's chambers were not far off, but he quickened is pace anyway, as he was running slightly late...

Galgarrath reached the staircase. Before he could a climb, however, he heard a cold voice behind him.

"Where are you going, Galgarrath?"

"What..." he muttered to himself, almost positive that he had heard someone behind him. Maybe losing to Master Vex for so long was starting to get to him. He knew he'd beat him at his own game one day, though.

Galgarrath shook his head. He had much more important things to worry about than that. He turned to head back to the stairs, but then he had to stop in shock.

The stairs weren't there anymore. Instead, all he saw was a black wall. Suddenly, what few torches had been lighting the way in the Citadel suddenly went out and the room went dark.

"You deserve so much better, Galgarrath," the cold voice repeated, hidden in the dark.

Galgarrath braced himself, drawing his sword out of his sheath. Someone was messing with him, and one did not do that to one of the guards of Darigan. Maybe those lazy guards in Meridell would put up with this sort of thing, but not him!

"Show yourself!" the Grarrl demanded.

There was no reply. His eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness, though. He now saw that he was in a large room made completely out of stone. There was a strange, green glow in the center of the room, however.

Still on guard, Galgarrath slowly made his way toward the light. As he grew closer, he could see exactly what it was, and as a result his eyes grew wide.

It was Lord Kass's charm. The charm was thought to have vanished after Kass's defeat, and rumored to be the source of all his power... the power that led him to seize control of the Citadel, and the power that possibly would've driven him to take control over all of Neopia had Lord Darigan not returned.

Why was it here, though, and where was "here," anyway? Galgarrath almost seemed like he was in a trance as he got closer to it.

"Yes... accept your destiny..."

As he grew closer, though, Galgarrath saw that he wasn't alone. There were three cloaked spectral figures in the room with him. A Skeith, a Gelert, and a faerie.

"Who are you," the Grarrl demanded, keeping his weapon brandished, "and what do you want with me?"

"We want you to accept your destiny..."

The Gelert spoke. "But you... you are stronger than Lord Kass -- stronger than he could ever dream of being -- strong enough to withstand the charm's potent effects."

"Nothing in Neopia would persuade me to touch that... thing!" Galgarrath's voice became tinted with sadness. "I've seen its power. Lord Kass was a noble Neopian, it was an honor to serve under him. With that charm, though, something changed inside of him -- he did things, things that he never would have even dreamed of without it. I would never let that happen to me."

"See?" the Gelert continued, "You are stronger than him."

Galgarrath became enraged with his tempters; he desperately wanted to touch that charm and overcome the effects, proving his superiority to Lord Kass, but knew that he couldn't due to the consequences of that choice.

He lashed out his sword in a fury toward the Gelert, but only found himself attacking the air.

"Fool!" the Skeith sneered. "Do you really think your flimsy metal toy could do anything against us? Siding against us is a poor choice."

Enraged, Galgarrath pointlessly began to attack the Skeith as well.

"Calm down..." the Faerie said. Her voice was soft and soothing. Galgarrath found himself unable to carry on his pointless pursuit, and instead found himself listening intently. "Galgarrath, this is your destiny. It would be an unwise choice to try and fight us."

The faerie brought the charm within arm's reach of Galgarrath, clearly seeing his hidden desires. "Go on, touch it. The charm is a source of knowledge, power, and wisdom. From it you can find your destiny."

Galgarrath reached his hand toward it, but then pulled back. "I must not give in!"

"Someone needs a bit more persuasion..." the Skeith said, then removed the hood of his cloak, revealing his face: General Malcius! "If you refuse this charm, it may fall into the wrong hands."

"What do you mean?" Galgarrath asked.

"When Lord Kass was defeated, we took this charm and hid it away, so that no Neopian would be able to get their hands on it. However, General Malcius has been searching incessantly for this charm to use for his own gain, and we fear he is close to locating it." The Gelert looked solemnly at Galgarrath, then continued. "We need you to protect it; you're the last place Malcius would think to look. He thinks you're puny, weak, and insignificant."

After a moment of thought, Galgarrath placed his hand on the charm. "I can't let Malcius find this!"...

The stairs reappeared out of the darkness, as did the familiar hallway. A clock nearby started to chime the hour, and Galgarrath stared at the small, hard object in his hand. It still radiated a bit of green light.

The Grarrl then started suddenly. Darigan! Darigan was still waiting for him! He put the charm in his pocket and rushed up the stairs, flying through the familiar corridors of the castle and skidding to a stop in front of the great metal doors to Darigan’s personal chamber. He stopped, taking a few deep breaths and composing himself. The final chime of the clock coincided perfectly with his knock on the door.

He had made it in time, but barely.

"Come in, Galgarrath," Darigan called. The Grarrl heaved open the great doors, stepped into the chamber, and pulled them closed behind him. It was dim, as Darigan liked it, and shadows played in the corners of the room. Servants, maybe, or experimental magic. "Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"You mentioned the missing weapons. Master Vex pointed out, yet again, that Haskol was responsible for the last ones to go missing, and--" Galgarrath heard a sound, like a shushed whisper, in the corner by the door.

He turned quickly, and thought that he once again saw those same, haunting violet eyes. When he blinked, though, they vanished.

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh..." Galgarrath uttered, turning back to Lord Darigan. "No, my lord. No, I just thought... it's nothing."

The charm grew warm in his pocket, and it took all of Galgarrath's self-control not to glance down to see if it had started glowing again. He had to protect the charm from Malcius, but he didn't have to suffer its effects.

"Haskol has already been ruled out."

"He is an expert--"

"I said," Darigan boomed, his voice then quieting to a whisper, "that Haskol has been ruled out. I expect that you will trust my word on the matter."

The Grarrl nodded eagerly.

"Good. Here is an inventory of everything that should be in the armory, and here is the key." Lord Darigan lifted a silver chain from around his neck and, with a flick of his wrist, released a small silver rod. It glided through the air toward Galgarrath, who caught it. "You are the only person, apart from me, who has had permission to enter the armory in the last two weeks. Start with a full inventory. Make me a list of what's missing, and we'll go from there."

"I trust you on this, Galgarrath," Darigan continued. "We must get to the bottom of it, and quickly."

"Yes, my lord."

"Now, leave me."

Galgarrath stepped back out into the hall before he scanning the list. It was a parchment scroll, a meter long, with two columns of neat, small print. Most of the objects he was familiar with -- swords, spears, halberds, suits of chainmail, all standard issue. Halfway down the second column, however, Galgarrath saw a line that struck fear in the Grarrl:

"Kass Charm" it said...

Still, as he made his way to the armory, he couldn't help but feel a nagging feeling of suspicion tugging at his mind.

The thought refused to leave his mind, even as he checked off his list. He spotted several swords missing and a few sets of armor gone, but nothing all that significant. Down the list he went, checking off the items... until he reached the midway point of the second column, where the words "Kass Charm" still managed to unnerve him.

He looked through the cabinets, double-checking to be sure, but they were void of any charms.

How did Lord Darigan have the Kass Charm, anyway? It had to be a fake, Galgarrath told himself. Yes, it must be a fake. And, just to be sure, he reached into his pocket and felt around for the real one. His fingers brushed against the cool green gem, the feathers tickling his palm.

He left the spot next to "Kass Charm" blank.

Finishing the job quickly, Galgarrath walked back to Lord Darigan's chamber, prepared to deliver his report on the armory inventory. He handed the list to the Korbat and stepped back to wait for his next orders.

"Interesting..." Darigan said, scanning the list with a solemn expression on his face. "Would you, by any chance, have an idea of who has taken these items?"

"Haskol--"

"Haskol has been ruled out," Darigan interrupted.

The next words slipped out of his mouth effortlessly, almost as though he wasn't the one saying them...

"Malcius," Galgarrath said. "It was him."

Lord Darigan hardly looked surprised at this accusation. "I see. Thank you, Galgarrath. You are dismissed."

Giving a bow, the Grarrl backed out of the room. He wasn't sure what had prompted him to say such a thing, or what would happen now that he had, but the one thing he did know was that he was doing his job -- he was protecting the charm... but was this his destiny, though? The faerie had said that the charm would help him find his destiny.

He reached back into his pocket for the charm and lifted it high in the air, saying...

"We know what you desire..."

"Invoke you true power..."

"Destroy Malcius..."

Galgarrath found himself slowly clutching the charm more tightly, cherishing its green glow, its lustrous sheen. He peered deeper into the ghostly eyes.

"You know your destiny..."

"My destiny?" Galgarrath whispered. The charm steadily began glowing more and more brightly, its radiance flooding the hall.

"Yes... you know what you must do."

The eyes vanished as Galgarrath broke his gaze, freeing himself from the trance. His hand remained in a tight grip around the charm, which still burned brilliantly. His eyes were transfixed. The charm was drawing closer to his face.

Just drop it, he thought. Drop it. Now. His hand would not respond.

A wave of anger rushed over him. Drop it! NOW! His hand snapped open, letting the charm fall. It hit the floor with a loud clang and the light dissipated. The charm was now its familiar faint green glow.

"You are a fool, Galgarrath..."

A roll of mist began materialising around him, and gradually he could he make out the outline of a figure. A Gelert. "Yes, a fool. Indeed, Galgarrath, that is what you are."

A faerie stepped beside the Gelert. "You know Malcius is the enemy."

"Destroy him," a grave voice murmured behind Galgarrath.

"Fulfill your destiny... let us help you," smiled the Gelert coaxingly. "We want to help you."

"Get away from me, fiends!" Galgarrath declared, backing up against the wall and drawing his sword.

The Gelert laughed. "Did you not learn your lesson last time? Your toy will serve you in no way whatsoever."

Galgarrath snarled. "GET BACK!"

The laughter continued. "Whatever you say, Galgarrath," the faerie cooed. "We'll leave you for now. You'll come back to us eventually."

The figures dissolved into the mist, which slowly dispersed, again revealing the castle's familiar hall. The charm lay on the cold stone floor, slightly shaking. It gradually came to a standstill.

Galgarrath trembled as he slowly picked up the charm. It was cool. He quickly shoved it back into his pocket. He had to tell Lord Darigan! Galgarrath sprang to the chamber doors.

"Do not confide anything in him..." a voice whispered in his head.

Galgarrath inched away from the doors. Why not? There was no response. Quivering, he could hear the patter of footsteps approaching him.

"Galgarrath, quickly, I need to speak to you..."

"Come quickly, this is urgent."

You must destroy him, said the faerie's voice inside Galgarrath's skull. He shook his head wildly.

"Excuse me?" Malcius was astonished that someone could disobey him so easily. "Look, Galgarrath. I know I haven't been here as long as you have, and I've been promoted quickly, and no one trusts me, but I need an ally on this. We can't discuss it here. I've been... poking around where I shouldn't have to find what I know."

"Of course you have."

"Come with me. I'll tell you everything. We have to stop them. The entire citadel is in danger."

The charm grew hot in the Grarrl's pocket, and he could hear the faerie's voice starting to form in his head again. His destiny? Nothing the charm wanted him to do would come without consequences, he knew that. The madness was already beginning. He could break free of its power by destroying Malcius, but then what? Would his sanity belong to The Three?

He decided to follow General Malcius to his office.

"I know what you told Darigan. Fortunately, I think he believes you just have it out for me. I hope."

"What is this about, and how do you know that?"

"No general is without his spymaster, but that's not the point. The point is that I know what else is missing from the armory, which is what has Darigan worried."

"It could never have been there!"

"Do you think anyone would have gone bragging about it if it was? Have some sense, Galgarrath."

"You said the citadel was in danger. How can one object endanger everyone here?"

"It's not the object that has me worried, it's who took it, and why. There have been whispers. I think they're back, Galgarrath. The Three."

"That's insane."

"Is it? They have the kind of power to steal it. Haskol doesn't. He might have taken the rest, but he couldn't touch this. No one else here who knew about it would."

He's lying. He's just trying to get it from you. You have to protect the charm. Use it! Use its power to destroy him!

The charm started to glow vibrantly in Galgarrath's pocket, and he hoped Malcius wouldn't notice, nut not much escaped the general's gaze. The light spilled out into the room.

"No," Malcius breathed. "I'm too late."

Words welled up in Galgarrath's throat, but he struggled to hold them back, struggled to hold the power of the charm in check...

The Grarrl tensed up. Power surged through his body and spread as if it were poison. The more he struggled, the less control he had.

"Galgarrath!" Malcius shouted, eyes widening. "You have to fight them! You can't let them control you, or who knows what horrible things could happen to me--I mean, the citizens! I do not know what they have told you, but I am not your enemy!"

The Grarrl gritted his teeth. Between breaths he rasped, "This was never supposed to happen! They, they told me you wanted to steal the charm -- to use it for yourself! Malcius, I will destroy you... argh!" He flailed his head wildly as he felt their influence slipping into his mind once more. Each time he let just a little of his concentration slide, his mind regressed to one thought: destroy Malcius.

"But why me?" Malcius spat, drawing his sword. "What in Lord Darigan's name did I ever do to get you to hate me that much? How easily you were convinced to turn on your citadel, your fellow citizens, and all over fear that I would do it first..."

Galgarrath tried to open his mouth, but no words came. He could feel his right hand inching its way toward his weapon. For a few moments, his hand hovered above the hilt before finally grasping hold. Light spiked in all directions before coalescing on the Grarrl's sword. It was glowing.

Malcius quickly scanned the floor, snatching the nearest shield he could find.

"I-I can't hold out much longer," Galgarrath stammered, marching toward Malcius as if a doll being moved in slow motion. "Get Lord Darigan. Only he has the power to stop the charm."

Malcius remained silent, his gaze fixed upon the charm's eerie light.

"No," he responded, tightening his grip on the shield. "If defeating you will prove once and for all to Lord Darigan that I'm worthy of being his adviser, then so be it. I admit it, Galgarrath." His voice dropped to a low grumble, between what seemed to be a slight cackle. "I've always been jealous of the admiration Lord Darigan feels toward you.”

Galgarrath's mouth dropped slightly, eyes widening. "Malcius..." he started, but suddenly, all emotions drained from his face except for one: hate.

"I will destroy you!" he roared, teeth bared as he charged toward the Skeith.

CLANG! The sound of the metal weapons reverberated throughout the room. Galgarrath attempted to make a clean slice toward the Skeith's armor, but it was deflected. Each opening Malcius could get, he aimed for the charm, but Galgarrath quickly blocked and returned with a volley of quick, precise jabs. In his rage, almost everything that stood in his path was knocked the to ground. This lasted for many minutes, neither of them giving more than a centimeter of room to the other. Malcius began to pant, sweat dripping down his brow and a stitch forming in his side. They may have been evenly matched under normal circumstances, perhaps, but for some reason, Galgarrath didn't even seem tired. The Skeith felt himself nearing the stone wall, his desk facing the door. There would be nowhere to escape.

With one final slash, Malcius stumbled over, back facing against the wall. He quickly crept along, attempting to deflect the endless barrage of blows before, finally, the shield snapped from his wrist and slammed against the wall, crashing into a variety of different adornments. Throbbing in pain, Malcius dropped his weapon to the ground.

"This ends now," Galgarrath bellowed, holding his glistening sword above Malcius's head...

Gradually, though, he began to realize that the seconds weren't actually stretched inside the confines of his own skull, and were, in fact, elapsing at a normal rate -- many of them, many more than he should have had. Cracking his eyes open, his field of vision was dominated by Galgarrath's sword – and it was shaking, quivering as if it were desperate to leap and finish the job. The Grarrl's arms were shaking -- he was fighting it, Malcius realized.

"I can't... fight it... much... longer... get... Darigan!" Galgarrath panted, sweating with the effort of fighting himself.

Not wasting a moment, the nimble Skeith slipped out from beneath the hanging sword and darted off. Galgarrath watched as he did, shaking with the effort to stop the sword from felling his foe; as soon as Malcius was gone, the sword crashed to the floor, leaving the Grarrl gasping for breath. Muscles quivering in reaction, he fell to the cold floor beside his weapon. He knew what was coming, and as the darkness began to swirl around him, he wasn't disappointed. Baring his teeth in a defiant grin, he waited for The Three to appear.

"Fool!" raged the Gelert. "You had him! You could have struck back!"

"Why do you fight your destiny so hard? You are ours! The charm calls you -- you're only delaying the inevitable," purred the faerie with her honey voice. "And with him out of the way..." Her violet eyes seemed to bore straight into the very core of his being.

"It's not my destiny!" he growled fiercely, raging in the blackness.

"Do you think we chose you in error?" the Skeith asked, his voice cold. "Like calls to like, Galgarrath... if the charm hadn't recognized the potential for greatness in you, it would never have responded so strongly to you. It responds to you, even better than it did to Kass."

"It did not!" he denied, but the charm seemed to throb with life of its own, in counterpoint to his claim. He found himself clutching it tighter despite his heated denial. Oh, how he could imagine life if Malcius hadn't been promoted over him... the power he could have. Taking it from that greedy Skeith would be so, so sweet...

Though he couldn't see her face, those electric violet eyes seemed to soften with a smile. "The charm could make you the most powerful Grarrl who has ever walked the land, more powerful than Kass could have ever dreamt, more powerful than even Darigan himself..." she purred, her voice silky. Galgarrath could so easily imagine it... could feel the seductive power the charm offered as he clutched it to his chest.

"Perhaps that is true," he murmured, struggling to get the words out. "But there is one thing that does not measure alongside Greed, Revenge, and Ambition..."

"And what is that?" the faerie demanded. Was that the faintest bit of a screech in her voice? The Grarrl could only smile, because he could hear something that The Three, apparently so wrapped up in their taunting and cajoling, had failed to notice...

Bravery and boldness are qualities sought after by many. Neopets travel 'round the world to be recognized as such, and each member of The Three certainly possessed those characteristics. But, oh, how often one is betrayed when their audacity reaches limits beyond their control, and they begin to think of themselves as invincible.

Compared to The Three, Galgarrath was timid. He may have been their chosen one, but he attempted to resist his newfound power. He was noble, in a sense, for not wishing it... not wishing to end up like Kass. "Blatant disregard," he eventually answered, the words slipping almost effortlessly off his tongue. "A disregard for me, for the citizens, and for yourselves. You allowed yourselves to believe, with certainty, that I was your weapon, that I would belong to you. You've convinced yourselves of it, convinced yourselves so drastically that you can't see any other future but the deluded one you've imagined."

"But, that future will be your future," the faerie said, her eyes still vibrant, yet menacing. "Think, Galgarrath... we will teach you -- guide you -- to becoming the most powerful being in Neopia."

"Accept it," the Skeith interjected. "It is your destiny. Destiny can be cruel at times, but it ultimately leads you down a better, more desired, path." He smiled. It seemed he was trying to express comfort, though it just made the Grarrl even more anxious toward the situation.

Galgarrath roared, a loud, menacing roar from deep within him; from his ancient Tyrannian ancestry, it seemed. He was attempting to ward off The Three, to express danger toward them, but he somehow found it dissatisfying -- as though a deeper part of him knew that all of the efforts he could make would be in vain.

He sighed and, summoning all of his strength, accepted. "Fine," Galgarrath started, "make me an object of your--"

That's when the door to Malcius's office burst open, revealing the Skeith himself alongside a rather furious-looking Darigan. "Stop this, you vile Three," the Korbat uttered contemptuously.

"Ah, Darigan," the faerie began, "we meet again. At odds, again."

"Yes," Darigan replied. "Now, be gone."

"Do you think your petty words are any match for our limitless power?" the Gelert said with a smirk. "You were weak, Darigan... we thought of you so highly, and you let us down. You were never fit for us to approach you."

"Yet, you came to me anyway," Darigan said, his eyes burning almost as intensely as the faerie's. "You revered me, yet I let you down. I was your mistake. To an extent, even Kass was your mistake."

"Kass was not a mistake--"

"Yes he was. You let his power reach limits beyond what even he could control. He became audacious and reckless, guided under those equally so."

The Three remained silent. Perhaps they weren't as invincible and all-powerful as they'd always imagined they were.

"Even spectral beings err," Darigan continued. "Now go, release my right hand man from your control. I failed you; I guided him; logic implies he'll fail you, too."

A pause. "Alright," the faerie said, her once honey voice now thick and vile, like sludge. "I suppose it's true... maybe our ideal future for the Grarrl was created without absolute thought on the matter." She sighed. "Fine. We leave you two in peace."

Two? Galgarrath thought.

There was then a flash of ephemeral light and The Three were gone, leaving only Darigan and Galgarrath in the room. The charm had been removed from the Grarrl's chest, its absence both a relief and a terror concerning its whereabouts now.

"Where's Malcius?" Darigan asked.

"I think, like the charm, The Three took him..." Galgarrath trailed. "But who knows what for."

Darigan sighed. "I'd form a search party, but I don't believe that would do him any good. Obviously the Three wanted him for something, and until the point when they deem him undesirable, they're going to keep him around."

"Yes," Galgarrath agreed. "I think I am going to return to Master Vex in the dungeons. Perhaps he wants another game of Cellblock."

"You do that. You deserve some, er, time off due to the recent situation," Darigan said. "I'm going to investigate the armory some more."

The two then parted ways.

Somewhere off in the farthest reaches of the Citadel, a Gelert, a Skeith, and a faerie sat.

"Yes, soon he will have all the authority he desires," the Gelert commented, much to the laughter of the others...

The End