Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

146 - Ar's Story

It was as he described: the first time we met was indeed at that place.

"I and a few of my men tailed you as you all begun your journey to Fenix City... by foot no less," Nero continued, "And when we next spoke, I met you in one of those small towns just for you to tell me you guys were splitting up! Talk about luck! You guys were breaking up AND footing it! That just screamed opportunity. And so, we hatched our plans. Divide and conquer! Ah, and that time you sat alone all pissy because your sister wanted to wander off alone. You so stupidly told me that yourself and what better chance to beat someone than when they're alone? We directed three ambush teams after each of Zephyr's three groups. Evelynn's capture was guaranteed... but who would have expected you to show up and save her. I lost good men there. BUT, there was still a victory! We managed to capture four of your members from the other two groups. Our mission was complete!"

Nero lifted me to my feet and began to hammer a flaming fist into my mid-section repeatedly, forcing me to sputter and cough blood while my abdominals suffered mild burns, another unusual occurrence, considering that I had natural resistance as a Fire Vessel as well. He abruptly grabbed onto my face and, with a grin, blasted my head with a funnel of flames at point-blank range. My knees buckled and I held onto him to keep myself up, panting heavily as I did. He continued to hold onto my face and looked down at me in contempt.

"We wouldn't settle for just 'enough' however. That wasn't Blaze's way," Nero explained, "Duran had long been looking into the origin of the Elemental Vessels. This is what led him to Zephyrus in the first place. But one thing was a recurring factor throughout various paths of research he had taken. It often came to refer to the Elemental Deities and, everytime the Elemental Deities were mentioned, digging deeper always led to one being whose prowess was incomparable. This was the man known as the Wolven Devil. Duran was interested in this Devil, believing him to be the key to unlocking every secret of the world and the Vessels. This led Blaze to a small, abandoned town south of here which contained an arcane library of untold information. A bit over a year ago Blaze had been dispatched there to see what we could uncover. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that this town still had one family living within it! The Ailani household! We largely ignored them and they left us in turn. When nothing came of it, we left that town empty handed as well. However, when I received the call that Evelynn had been saved by you, Xyder, I was intrigued by your destination: that very town. I personally watched your movements from that moment forth and imagine my shock when you entered the hidden passage and opened the seal on the Devil's room to reveal his holy text. The original intentions were to take our chances and assault you as you left for Fenix City so that we could seize the book but like a fool you left it behind, taking the beastkin's belongings instead. Everything had fallen into place for us! With you and Evelynn out of the picture, Incendio Zephyr laid waste to that land as per the orders of Seraphim Zephyr the Third. They ruined a family for the sake of keeping their secret... the heartless men... but their folly gave us the ideal cover. As that poor family scrambled for their livlihood, I took it upon myself to seize the book myself and I left them in the care of our ally, the self-proclaimed Regulus Eclipse Zegarth. Commanding an army of demon dogs and powers over darkness that even Duran knew little of, Regulus Zegarth was a force to be reckoned with. As he reported to us later, he slaughtered the three members of Zephyr along with the Ailani family, leaving no witness or trail.... but as we came to know, the bastard lied to us. You had returned and you helped the Ailani children escape while he left with his tail between his legs."

The boy released me, allowing my body to flop to the dirt helplessly. We walked around me, eventually stopping as he stooped over me. He lifted my face towards the crowds gathered on the stands.

"Look. So many came to show their support and you're disappointing so many of them," he whispered as his cohorts began to chortle.

"What is this?"