Threat Level!

Water ran down Adams forehead. He opened his eyes to see Ako sitting by his side.

"What are you doing here?"

Ako ignored him, she got up and poured from a pot on an indoor fire. She helped him sit up right and handed him the cup. He suddenly remembered he wasn't at Urg after sitting up.

"Where am I?"

"We are still in Pawase."

Ako said then walked out, Adam got out of bed and put on his clothes.

"So you are just going to leave again."

Ako said as he was leaving.

"I thought I returned the exact time I went."

Adam said to himself. He tried to remember what happened before he left but he couldn't. He knew Ako was angry but he couldn't remember why.

"I'm sorry for leaving."

"It's fine."

As soon a Adam left Ako unfolded a poster with a likeness of Adam on it. She went into a bar, she was directed to a back room immediately she showed the bartender the poster.

"He is on his way to Starase."

A man dropped a bag of coins on the table, Ako was about to grab it but the man caught her hand.

"If your information is far from the truth, I'll send someone for that."

The man let go of her hand and she grabbed the bag of coins and quickly walked out of there. She peaked and saw it was silver, she smiled as she walked away.

Back in Patria, Yadia and the other Pages had given an account on what they saw.

"Why didn't you tell me Hanis is the source of your power?"

"You didn't ask."

"How can I get my hands on the elixir?"

"You don't, it's not something in a bottle sitting somewhere. Hanis is literally the elixir."

Sirge sighed.

Back in Pawase, Adam was in an inn when a group of people barged into Adam room. He charged at one trying to spear him but he stopped him by grabbing his head.

"We meet again."

The two others grabbed each arm, immobilizing him. Adam did not recognize them, he didn't know what was going on.

"Don't tell me you, don't remember me. We just met two days ago. It's me Bonchaka."

Bonchaka noticed the color of his hair.

"Where is it, what did you do?"

"What?"

"The hand, who did you give it to?"

"Oh, nobody; I got rid of it."

"Let's see if you can hold on to your truth."

Bonchaka and the others took Adam back with them. At the Blomen residence Adam was tied to a chair. They ripped his clothes off him and stuck him with Ada mosquito proboscis. He wondered why they were using proboscis. When there was enough all over his body, they poured boiling water on him.

"Who has the hand?"

Bonchaka asked and when Adam didn't answer he took out a proboscis. Adam hissed and closed his eyes.

"The amazing thing about the Ada proboscis is ease your pain but it doesn't mean the pain is no more. The saliva num the pain, what if the saliva is only concentrated on the needle? The pain returns but this time it intensifies with time. So you can't get use to the pain, the pain you feel now won't be the one you feel in twenty seconds."

Bonchaka took out a needle with every question he asked. When all were out he put in new ones and poured powdered salt over his burns and started again. Adam screamed as each one was pulled out. After hours of Adam not telling Bonchaka what he wanted to hear; he nodded at one of the men.

The man came back with a Soole goat. A short goat covered in hair, with long horns growing to the back. Bonchaka kicked the chair and Adam fell on his side. The man let go of the goat and it started licking the salt off Adam's back.After a while it started to lick the skin off Adams back. Adam continued to scream in agony until Debleck walked in. The goat was pulled back and Debleck lifted him off the ground.

"The hands can't just be gotten raid of. It's either you gave it away willingly or unwillingly. Since you are here I'll say you did it willingly, just tell us who you gave it to."

Adam looked at Debleck panting.

"I went to a place and learnt how to get rid of it."

"Okay draw us a map to this place."

"I can't, it's not …. it not there anymore."

"What do you mean 'it not there anymore?'"

"I mean it is a magical world, it was just at the edge of the mountain. Not far from her but I didn't see it on the way here."

Bonchaka was about to hit him when Debleck grabbed his hand.

"I think he might be telling the truth."

"Really, a disappearing place?"

"I've heard of a place called Urg. I've heard stories of the Lashers coming from there. If there is a place where the Lasher can be gotten rid of it's Urg."

"What do we do with him now?"

"He is of no use now, let him go."

"Sir, what about the Auriga?"

"The Auriga are loyal to the Hands, and he no longer has it. By rite they serve me now."

Adam was let go and decided to go home. He set out immediately he left the Blomen's. His shirt he was wearing stick to his sore back and slight movement hurt. After awhile he peeled the shirt of his back groaning. Parts of him was stuck on his shirt. He put back on his shirt and continued his journey.

On his way he heard a river and decided to go for a swim.

Back in Patria, Hanis was doing sit ups when three women in black robes walked in.

"Lord Hanis, he lost the Hands. Our sources say he has been to Urg."

"Impossible, no one has been to Urg in over ten years. Bring him to me, I need to know how he got there."

Two men carried a barrel to the room and a group of ladies filled it with water. The three women in black robes stood around the barrel and started chanting.

As Adam was swimming he felt something grabbed him. He was pulled out of the water only to see he was in a barrel in a hall. The two muscular men lifted him out of the barrel, each grabbing an arm. One of the ladies who helped filled the barrel handed him a robe.

"So I heard you have been to Urg."

"Who are you and where am I?"

Adam asked as here looked around for an exit strategy.

"Who am I, we met just weeks ago."

"Well I don't remember you."

Hanis grind his teeth and clenched his fists. The water girls took a step back. One of the women in the hooded robe shooed them away.

Hanis took a deep breath and breathe out.

"It's fine, please take him to the guest quarters."

The two men escorted Adam out of the hall.

"Lord Hanis, it's not my place to ask but why are we entertaining a nobody. I understood when he had the hands but now I'm lost."

One of the women asked.

"The Hand was an asset for Patria but when he got raid of it he became a threat. I've met someone who could counter any power and he was a big problem. Imagine one who can get rid of powers all together. We need to get him on our side or eliminate him."

"Sorry I asked, I should have known. All you do is for the prosperity of Patria."