The Six Guns

Chapter Thirty: What Has Passed

After a little while of talking, they get on a plane to head back to Seeira. While there, Mikoto asks "So you guys mentioned you all like don't have a family when we first met... so what's your story? How'd you get into your disposition in life?".
  "I moved out from a foster home" Finn begins to explain. "I didn't like my foster family, and I can't even remember what my real family was like. However, living alone was tough. Especially since the taxes increased so much. I lost my home and lived homeless for a while. Found a bunch of other families that also lost their homes and we took refuge in an abandoned house".
"I remember that tax increase" Alex says. "It was about 27 years ago, before you were born, Finn. I ran away from home and went from job to job around town to make a living about 14 years ago but it was never enough. After nearly losing my home, I chose my last resort. Joining the military, and regretted it".
"27 years ago?" Zia asks. "But that's when my clan finally were granted independence from Omnia and lived in Pilloa as an independent state. The old guild would've granted it quicker and easier because they were generally nicer people, but the new Mages Guild electives didn't want to let go of us and keep us as a personal task force that they didn't have to pay. When I was 17, they started trying to force us into military service".
"The new Mages?" Siran asks. "So it wasn't the same old coots, there's new Mages that were elected?".
"Yeah" Alex says, "now that you mention it, it kind of seems like they increased the weight onto our shoulders since they couldn't get money out of The Mahina clan or free labor".
  "And the war against The Mahina clan" Zia says, "lasted a year. Most of which, I was fighting alone, while searching for the remnants of my clan mates".
  "When were the new guild members selected?" Siran asks.
  "30 years ago" Alex says.
  "So most of your stories are connected then?" Mikoto asks.
  "Seems like it" Zia says.
  "As for me" Holly says, "I grew up poor, and mostly on the streets. I did dirty things like blackmail people to get by in life. Big people, corrupt people. All I wanted in life though was to learn. I was always fascinated by learning new things, so I set out to learn more, helping other unfortunate people along the way, blackmailing others".
  "You're kinda scary, you know that?" Satomi asks Holly.
  "Anyways" Holly continues, "that's when I ran into Rose. I went to Cairo at some point, I don't even remember how long ago. I know it wasn't that long ago though. Anyways, I met her when she was losing her mind because her rebel friends in Cairo kept returning from missions, but after each mission, some of the rebels wouldn't return. One by one, the rebels were dying off. Rose wanted to join on a mission to make sure no one else died, but I went in her stead. However, I didn't have enough magic back then to shield everybody. There was constant fire and I could only put up enough shields to resist the firing in a 5 meter wide span. I saved a few of them, but they told me to go back to Rose and that this was their fight to begin with. They didn't want me dying in a war that I didn't belong in. I returned to Rose after that, but none of the other rebels ever came back. I stayed with Rose for about a month or so to console her, but then left to America to learn about the high concentration of Endo in the area. That's when I ran into the rest of them... and sure enough, Rose came with them".
  "Yeah, that about sums it up" Rose says.
  "So, all of you have some sort of connection to begin with?" Mikoto asks.
  "Except Siran, I guess" Alex says.
  Siran responds with lightly saying "Hm..." to himself as he thinks.
  "Well" Zia says, "he's the one who brought all of us together".
  "That's true!" Finn says. "He's weird and crazy, but he's still our captain".
  "What about Siran's backstory?" Satomi asks.
  "He doesn't talk about his past for some odd reason" Alex says.
  "That's so disappointing though" Satomi remarks.
  "You're telling me" Zia says, "I kind of want to know also".
  "No thanks" Siran says, "I don't like digging up the past".

  Eventually, the crew arrives at Balphor and begins to travel to Seeira. As they're walking through a large, wide open urban area with no towns nearby and trees sparingly spread out, they're suddenly stopped by an unfamiliar voice.
  "What a pleasant turn of luck" a man's voice calls out. A man approaches from behind a nearby tree. "If it isn't The Six Guns". As the man walks closer, the shadows from the tree no longer covering his face, the harsh rays from the sun on this cold winter day exposing his face, Alex, Zia and Siran get into a fighting position.
  "James Markwood" Alex scoffs.
  "Wait, who?" Mikoto asks.
  "James Markwood" Zia says, "the current head of The Mages Guild".
  James slightly bows his head and says "The pleasure is all mine".
  "Trust me" Siran says, "there's no pleasure in meeting you".
  "I must say, I'm pleased to have met you before your inevitable death" James says. "Can't believe I got the chance to meet the man who ended the world".
  "Ended the... what?" Finn asks.
  "It's the truth" James says. "Wait, don't tell me you still haven't figured it out".
  A silence fell over the crew. Siran steps forward towards James and stretches his arms out as if to protect the rest of the crew. "What are you talking about?" Siran asks.
  "That you're the war criminal from that old legend" James says. "And I do not mean that figuratively".
  "What?" Alex asks.
  "You don't know what you're talking about" Siran says.
  "Oh" James says, "but of course I do. That horrible story about the hero that crossed into our reality, allowed Naris to destroy most of the world, then finally took Naris down but causing mayhem in the process. That was all your doing. That's why you were labeled a war criminal".
  "N-no! I-I..." Siran stutters, "that's not true!".
  "Wait" Zia says, starting to get really nervous, "how would you even know any of this?".
  "I'm guessing you're not familiar with the Markwood name then?" James asks. Zia shakes her head no, then James continues. "Not really surprised about that. Well, several generations ago, there was a family in The Mahina Clan that left the clan. Their last name was Markwood. We still kept our traditions the same... well, most of them anyways. Like the idea of passing on that terrible story of a hero who was really just a war criminal. The way most people hear the story, the hero reaches a tragic conflict with humanity after defeating Naris. He's labeled a war criminal, but runs back to his home world where he and Naris are from. However, he never went home. He stayed in this world all along. All this time, without any friends or family, plotting against the world ever since".
  "This IS my family!" Siran shouts, "and I don't plot to destroy the world like you!".
  "So you're not denying that you're that 'hero' anymore then?" James says with a laugh. "Anyone who knows the full story, much like anyone from The Mahina Clan, would recognize you simply from your name".
  Zia starts walking up to James, but is stopped from getting close by Siran. "You used to be one of us" Zia says with tears in her eyes, "but you killed our clan!? It was you, wasn't it?... Answer me!".
  "I'm flattered" James says. "Yes. It was me who gave that order. It was me who saw to it that it was completed too. The only thing I didn't expect was for Siran to find the last of you".
  "So I really am... the last one alive?" Zia says as she drops to her knees
  "Don't feel too bitter" James says, "I never killed my clan... because I was never one of you to begin with".
  "Why'd you do it?" Zia asks through tears.
  "Simple" James says, "They didn't provide money anymore, nor did they provide service. They were useless. So I got rid of them. That story needs to stop being passed down anyways".
  "How could you-" Siran begins to say before he's interrupted.
  "How could I do it?" James asks. "Quite easily, believe it or not. The better question is, how could you cause so much damage to the world and still pretend to be the good guy?".
  "Shut it" Siran says as he clenches his fists. "I'm just trying to do the right thing".
  "It's a bit too late for that, don't you think?" James asks.
  "I said shut it" Siran says.
  "Make me" James says with a smirk. "Go ahead, prove me right, I know you want to".
  Siran looks down at Zia, who's still sitting on her knees and crying, then looks back up at James. "Well, you asked for it" he says. Siran reaches one arm back, and when he throws his arm forward, a dragon shaped flame fires at James like a spear. James lifted up his right hand and quickly moves it to the right, controlling the spell and moving it around him. Siran immediately pulls out his gun and shoots at James, but he deflects that too.
  "He can control magic with that same trick that Siran does" Alex says.
  James throws the blast from Siran's pistol back, but this time he aimed it at Zia. Just as Siran was getting ready to deflect the spell again, James used distortion magic. Cracks briefly appeared in the air, as if the air itself was cracking, and the blast disappeared inside the cracks. Siran immediately turns around, and puts up a digital shield behind Zia. The blast seems to appear out of thin air behind Zia and hits the shield, instantly shattering it. Some of the impact hits Siran, who was trying to shield Zia with his body as well. By the time Siran looks back up, his other spell was already flying back at him and Zia. Siran picks up Zia and dives out of the way. Zia and Siran hit the ground together, but before Siran could get back up, James shot Siran in the back. Siran's sunglasses fell to the ground, but Siran still stood on his hands and knees. Siran looks over his shoulder at James, his eyes glowing a bright red color, with his sclera (the whites of his eyes) a dark black color.
  "Syr?" Zia asks, picking up his sunglasses with both of the lenses now cracked. Siran stands up and faces James again. "Siran! Are you okay?" She asks.
  What looked like pure Endo, that same familiar black smoke-like substance was now surrounding Siran's feet. Something about Siran was changing. From his feet, up to his head, Siran's appearance was changing. His skin was turning several shades darker, an ash gray color. As his appearance changed, what looked like pure black ash fell from his skin and dissipated. It was like he was shedding his skin. His nails grew longer and sharper, his hair turned white, and two small bumps on is forehead appeared, which looked like very small devil horns. "Don't hurt my family" Siran says through a very rough voice.
  "Ah, finally" James says, "it's about time you-".
  James got interrupted by the ground underneath him shooting up into his chest at an incredibly fast speed, like a piston. James flew far and his body plopped right in the middle of a field.
  "Well, he's dead..." Finn says.
  "Syr?..." Zia asks as she slowly approaches Siran. Alex gets in her way and stops her from getting close.
  "Who and what are you really?" Alex asks Siran, shielding the rest of the crew from Siran as if he were protecting them from him.
  Siran raises one hand out as if he were reaching towards them, but retreats his hand. Siran's eyes start to fill with tears as he slowly turns away from the crew.
  "Siran?" Zia calls again.
  Siran runs off in a flash, leaving only a gust of wind behind.
  "Wait!" Zia shouts, but it was too late.
  "What... happened?" Rose asks, her voice shaking in sadness from losing yet another friend suddenly.
  "I don't know anymore" Finn says.
  "This went south fast" Holly says.
  "I mean" Alex says, "you saw that, didn't you? He's a monster, isn't he?". Zia's head hangs low as she starts crying again. "Right?" Alex asks the rest. The rest of the crew couldn't find a proper answer. "At least, out of all of this, Markwood is dead" Alex continues as he points to the field. However, when he looks, Markwood's body was nowhere to be found. There was a visible trail of someone fleeing the area, and it became obvious to them that James Markwood was still alive. "Well" Alex says, "... this is a shitty day".