Shrouded in darkness, the goose-feather quill nervously skittered across the sheet of paper. Guided by a hand that moved in jerks, yet without hesitation or pause. In a ceaseless, silent, almost furious motion that seemed to scratch the page with claws of ink.

“Bastardsbastardsbastards!!! ...those damned bastards shall pay... they shall pay... they shall pay for all the harm they've done to me... in this life and beyond... they deserve it... they deserve it!!!... I shall bestow upon them a punishment that shall make their deepest wishes come true... my gift to them... yes... yesss!!!... my gift to them!!!”

The hand halted for a moment as a satisfied smile blossomed in the darkness. A smile already savoring what was about to unfold. Then, the quill resumed its restless movement, driven now by a hatred slightly more controlled.

“...the moment is near... everything is ready... down to the smallest detail... I just have to wait... wait and then strike...”

But then, there was another pause.

The hand suddenly gripped the quill tighter, making it creak between long fingers, trembling with an uncontrollable rage that once again surged, before more letters and words were scratched onto the page.

“...those foreigners... those meddling fools... damneddamneddamned!!!... they could be a problem... their unexpected presence might force me to be more cautious... compel me to alter my design... maybe... maybe I should first find out who they are... to avoid unpleasant surprises... butIdon’twantIdon’twantIdon’twant!!!... I don’t want to be influenced... nor waste time... the opportunity is perfect... the time is ripe... and not even they shall stop me... whoever they are... whatever they want... in the end I shall have my revenge... revengerevengerevenge... yesss yessss!!!”

The rage, once again, subsided, suddenly morphing into something else. Something entirely different.

Pleasure.

Pleasure in savoring a sweet revenge that already seemed to materialize.

Two eyes lifted from the page to gaze at a small, elongated, prism-shaped bluish stone resting on the nearby table. A stone that emitted its own radiance, the sole illumination in that place.

With a ghostly indigo hue, it barely lit the page, yet when it struck the ink, through some strange game of light, it made the letters seem to flicker and writhe, as if they had a life of their own.

Another smile unfolded in the darkness before the hand resumed tracing more words with ecstatic frenzy.

“...thanks to this... I have nothing to fear... no...nothingnothingnothing... absolutely nothing!!!... with this in my grasp I shall achieve what I want... and no one shall stop me... noonenoonenoone!!! yesss yesss yessss!!!”

The quill slid across the page one last time.

Swift.

Seething.

Sharp.

Then, the hand seized the stone.

And the darkness swallowed everything once again.