Chapter 62 - The Rise Of Blaze
Xyder Zephyr - POV;
"So you're saying that after all of the drama, you had to run back here to avoid being arrested?" Evie enquired.
"That pretty much sums it up," I confirmed.
"Hmm...." Evie seemed deep in thought, "That still doesn't explain why the two of you snuck out together in the middle of the night. Wait..... Don't tell me! Public Exhibiti-"
"Nooooo!" Satella and I screamed in unison.
"Hmph. You two are no fun," she pouted, "Anyway, why did you bring the suspicious bloody guy in the corner again?"
She pointed to Nero whom stood leaned against the wall behind her with arms crossed.
"Well, we did go to save him.... although he ended up saving us in the end but that's beside the point. Either way, we would have gotten lost and certainly caught if he wasn't there to guide us through the back roads of this damned city," I explained.
"But he is the murderer right?" she whispered as she leaned closer, "What if he comes after us next?"
"I have no interest in killing you," Nero muttered, still holding his position.
"Kyaa! He's onto me!" Evie squealed, diving behind my back. He continued his staring contest with the floor, seemingly unwilling to lose against it. The air around us seemed to grow more and more tense as the seconds passed.
Finally, I broke the ice, "Nero, I brought you here but I must know. What the hell is going on?!"
He raised his head slowly, our eyes locking momentarily.
"Nero?" Evie pondered aloud, "Come to think of it...... you're the representative for the tournament's biggest sponsor! Nero Mendax was it?"
Nero's grim face broke into a smile as he shook his head, "Yeah.... the one and only."
"Riiiight..... except that businessman sponsors don't have badass fighting skill and go around killing people," I stated sarcastically.
"Well that's clearly wrong. Here I am," Nero announced jokingly spreading his arms open.
"Alright! That's enough! Stop playing games!" Satella abrubtly burst out, bringing the room to dead silence. Nero adopted his stern tone once more, leaning back against the wall in an almost saddened manner.
"I wasn't lying about the business aspect. It's all true," Nero sighed, "What I may have done was withhold some additional information that I frankly had no need to share with anyone. Now however, you are all involved so I might as well let you know. The situation has changed."
We stood in bated breath awaiting the news that the boy was about to share. After a brief period of hesitation, he continued, "I am an assassin; a warrior bred and raised for the purpose of eliminating life; a murderer. However, this isn't my only trait as I have been reinforced with extensive knowledge on espionage making me a bona fidé spy. Blaze and I have not been on the greatest terms as of recent and this is wholly due to my investigation and discovery of some of their Clan's secrets including both their history and future ambitions. Do you not find it curious that when the highest powers of the World Heirarchy were prepared to hand over a certain piece of land, a sudden interest blossomed in the hearts of Blaze? To comprehend their train of thought, we need to go back to a tale long gone. This is the truth of how the Blaze Clan came to be."
***
*21 years ago*
"Duran! Duran! You must see this!" a young girl shouted as she burst into the tent. Duran remained glued to the manuscripts and books sprawled out before him, his archeologist blood forcing him to be engrossed in his research.
"Duran!!!"
"God damn it. What is it Rachel?!" he roared, annoyed by her sudden pestering.
"Hmm? What's with your attitude Mister?" she asked as she placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Uh. Grr. Sorry... I'm a bit stressed," he sighed in an almost frightened tone. Despite Being four years older than the twenty one year old girl, he knew the extent of her wrath when provoked was not something he could deal with.
"I just spoke to some of the others and it seems that Rex and the guys down at the dig site have found something extraordinary. They believe that it has something to do with your research! This could be it!" Rachel announced.
"W-what?!" Duran squealed excitedly, "No way!" With those words he dashed out of the makeshift base and with no hesitation he dove into the massive half kilometer wide pit left in wake of the excavations that they had been undertaking. He entered a free fall for a long four or so hundred metres before assuming his flaming form and entering a controlled state of flight. He carefully but quickly navigated the smaller, narrow tunnels which had been created from digging into various points of the central pit and which led even deeper into the Earth.
"What is it?!" he questioned his accomplices excitedly.
"You should see for yourself," Rex grinned wiping the sweat off of his slightly tanned face as he spun a pickaxe in his other hand.
"Don't tell me. Is it the book?" Duran gasped.
"Not quite. Although it may be of interest nonetheless," Rex pointed to the shimmering golden door. I took a second to examine its splendour. Engraved on its face were symbols representing the elements, each with its own distinct shape and colour.
"Look at this Rex! Here and here! Darkness and the Taijitu of Yin and Yang! Surely this proves their existance! My work was pointing to this all along and yet they called me a fool," Duran laughed. He grabbed the handle with shivering arms and pulled it open to step inside the room built deep within the Earth. Pebbles and small rocks tumbled down in a shower as it opened, covering Duran's arm but in his excitement he shrugged it off.
"Woah!" Rachel exclaimed stepping alongside her superior as her body shifted from a flaming silhouette back to her original form. The room inside consisted of embossed Golden walls and a striking Platinum floor. In the centre lay a large silver chest neatly positioned atop a short diamond pedestal. Duran rushed towards it and with bated breath, he cracked it open. He paused suddenly as he stared at the contents, piquing the interests of the others.
"A vial of blood?" Rachel pondered as she peered around Duran's shoulder, "Wait.... what's that note stuck on the underside of the cover?"
"Perhaps the words of a thief," Duran grunted angrily as he peeled it off and began to recite the message, "*You have done well to find this place. I am impressed. Unfortunately the text you undoubtedly seek now sleeps where this room's twin has been erected. If you seek my knowledge, then accept the challenge to find it. In the meantime, I hope you find the blood of the Deities' first Scion to be useful.* No..... this couldn't be."
"Huh? What's that?" Rex inquired curiously.
"Y-you don't know?!!" Rachel screamed unintentionally.
"Hey, I'm just the muscle here. You two are the brains Mr. Genius and Ms. Prodigy," Rex barked.
"The Deities' first scion; the child birthed by Wind Deity Ventus and his human companion, then blessed with the power of the Elemental Gods; a demon born habouring the hatred and prowess initially owned by the Elemental Deities and who sought to finish his parents' work by bringing this world to its knees; Zephyrus, the Primordial Vessel," Rachel explained, "If this is his blood, then we can be brought so much closer to learning the truth of this era's birth by studying it!! This is the greatest discovery of the past few centuries!"
***
"I can't believe it! It's been ten years and finally I've had a major breakthrough!" Duran shouted, throwing his fists into the air, "They will sing praises of us all both within our Fenix Clan and amongst the other Clans of the world!"
Night had fallen and everyone had returned to their personal tents in a heightened mood. As per Rachel's request, Duran allowed her into his own tent so they could begin examing the recovered artifact.
"I'm so happy you agreed to take me along with you on this expedition even though I am so young and inexperienced. Thank you!" Rachel smiled.
"No, thank you! It was your brilliance that helped me figure out the final mysteries plaguing myself and the other archeologists for years. I couldn't have done it without you," he admitted. Without a thought he rushed to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. Immediately, Rachel's face became a bright pink as she was unable to hide her embarrassment.
"Oh! S-sorry. I got ahead of myself," Duran apologised, pushing himself away. Before he could escape, he was stopped by a gentle but firm grip of the girl's fingers on his t-shirt.
"I'm fine if it's you," she murmered, spitefully looking away, unable to stare him in the face.
"Are you sure?" he asked leaning in closer, "I'm a couple years older than you, your co-worker and superior on top of that."
"That doesn't matter. It doesn't change how I feel," she whispered.
"Then you've asked for it," he snickered, raising her head by her chin and locking his lips against hers.
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Chapter 63 - Exile
Duran Fenix - POV;
*21 years ago*
"The biggest problem is the fact that this is not ordinary blood. For some reason or the other I can only find Red Blood Cells which are anucleate and the traces of circulating cell-free DNA in the plasma are inexistant. Had all of his white blood cells been deceased there should be something there As for his RBC's... it's almost as if they simply can't die. I can't harvest genetic data or much of anything for our cause from those," Rachel explained.
"Even so, other body cells should be present somewhere inside of this sample, especially one so large. If we can just find them, we could salvage far more than we ever could have anticipated," I continued.
"Uh... yeah. Got it......" Rex mumbled. He looked at us with widened eyes and it was evident that he was now far more lost that he was before.
"Archeologists, scientists, doctors.... You two are some real over-achievers you know that? You're really meant for each other," he sighed.
"Huh? W-what do you mean by that?" Rachel stuttered.
"Ah, so you're ignorant," Rex shook his head grinning, "Anyway, you guys should take it easy at night. Just remember we're all sleeping in paper thin tents packed alongside each other. We can hear everything from our neighbour five tents away and back and it's hard to rest with the suggestive voices blaring from here."
Rachel's face became completely flushed in an instant. She swiveled to face her desk silently causing a deathly aura to fill the makeshift room. A dark shadow seemed to have fallen over her face as her body appeared to scream a killer intent with her shivering hands and the tight grip on her pen serving only to add to this effect.
"Um..... Ray? You alright?" I questioned more worried for my own sake than hers frankly for when she snapped, hell might be a better fate.
"I suggest that you not talk to me if you want to keep your identity as a man," she growled menacingly without ever looking up from the page she was scribbling angrily upon. I didn't even bother to ask what she meant by her threat either since I had a good feeling that I didn't want to know.
"On another note," Rex cleared his throat, "what exactly are you guys supposed to find from the cells or whatever that you're looking for?"
"Well, we're not sure nor even have an idea of what we'll find but it should shed some light on the way in which our abilities work. Zephyrus was the first Vessel after all, assuming that my research is accurate that is. With knowledge like this, we will be on the fringes of finding the truth of our history at this era's birth and prior. The great war against the Deities had destroyed every script relating to our ancient ancestors before the advent of these elemental powers. This is the closest we have ever come to regaining it!" I ranted.
"I.... I see. As long as whatever you just said can get us the recognition we all deserve, especially you two, then I'm glad," Rex stated proudly though clearly unsure of what I was saying to him.
"Oh? All of my stars of the moment are gathered in one place. This is perfect!" a deep voice bellowed at the tent's entrance. We all spun frantically to look in that direction, filled with disbelief and confusion.
Rachel was the first to shatter the silence, "R-R-R-Regulus Fenix?!!!...... Sir?"
"The one and only!" he laughed, "Let me start by saying I am extremely proud of everyone here for this remarkable discovery."
He closed the curtains behind him and stepped towards us slowly.
"Let's take a moment to go over what we have here thus far," he smiled as he took a seat beside us.
***
*19 years ago*
I stood haunched over my microscope, my focus unwavering as I made the final adjustments in my DNA splicing.
"Hey, are you still stressing?" Rachel sighed as she hugged me from behind and ran her fingers across my chest and down my abdominals.
"No, I'm just making sure that everything's perfect. I don't want any unnecessary risks, especially since it's you who's........" I trailed off.
"Don't worry! It'll be fine. You and I are pretty much the greatest medical professionals in all of Fenix. There's nothing that could come up that we can't fix, especially since we have the financial power of our clan to back us up!" Rachel consoled me to the best of her ability but the uneasiness I felt was not something I could shake easily.
"Well, it's about time for the operation," I muttered worriedly as I stared at the clock mounted upon the smooth walls, "Are you ready?"
"I've been for quite some time now."
***
Regulus Horus Fenix;
"Ah, welcome to Fenix City's Fenix Residential District young sir. I expect that it's been a long and tiresome journey. Please, have a seat and make yourself at home," I welcomed my foreign visitor. He made an acknowledging nod and lowered himself opposite to me.
"Would you like some tea?" I inquired as I stared at him.
"Enough of the small talk. I came here to settle business," he stated angrily, "I left my pregnant wives at home to deal with this and I'd like to return to them as soon as possible."
"Oh yes. Of course. You have come all the way from Zephyr City after all. That must have been quite the journey. But tell me, why hasn't Seraphim come himself but instead he sends you, even considering the current situation, Kristæl?" I interrogated.
"My father's choices and ways are not mine to know unless he so pleases. Even if I did know, it's none of your business," he barked.
"How uncharacteristically cold of you," I remarked.
"I don't know what you expected after you dared to lay a hand on one of my clansmen!" he roared, slamming his fist against the table.
"Now, now. Let's not forget the facts. *I* did not touch any of your people," I stated defiantly.
"But your people did! And you're hiding them!" he spat, "That is an act akin to being the perpetrator yourself!"
"Let's not forget that the Zephyr woman in question assaulted one of my men first!" I growled.
"That's because he was an asshole and a thief! He stole jewellery from an old woman of all people! Ferra was merely trying to reacquire the items that weren't rightfully his and he put her in the hospital for it!" Kristæl argued.
"That's her fault for getting involved! She's not a member of the police now is she?!" I roared shooting to my feet.
"Even if she isn't, the crime occurred in OUR Zephyr City! We hold jurisdiction over this case and his fate!" the Zephyr's heir scowled launching upwards as well.
"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the room and the very walls around us seemed to shiver in fright. Both of us fell into a period of prolonged silence and slowly but surely, Kristæl's gaze shifted to the door at the far back of the room through which the voice originated. His eyes were narrowed in caution but his pupils held a surprised and perhaps even frightened look.
"Daru. I'm sending Kristæl Zephyr to my front entrance. Take him to Cil from there. We're handing the thief over to Zephyr's care," I instucted my subordinate through a cellular call. Kristæl gave me a prolonged suspicious look before eventually turning to take his leave.
'What a boy,' I thought as he reached the doorway, 'I could see it in his eyes. Fear. But to not be afraid for oneself but rather for a complete stranger whom he has not even seen....... Kristæl is dangerous. We'll be in trouble of he takes the throne as Regulus of Zephyr.'
"Tap! Tap! Tap!"
The loud thumping of feet could be distinctly heard before the rear door slammed open causing me to jolt.
"Regulus Horus sir! It's terrible! I need to move her to a major facility with better equipment. She can't handle this much longer! She need to be put into the hospital! Now!" a man shouted as he emerged from said doorway.
"Why did you even put her here in the first place? Shouldn't you have put her in the hospital to begin with?" Kristæl asked as he paused his departure, taking me by complete surprise.
"Wait! Don't answer his questions!" I demanded as I instantly caught on to the Zephyr boy's game. He was fishing for information and I wasn't intending to give him anything, whether it be minute or on a larger scale. Without warning, Kristæl dashed forward, arms lit ablaze, with a certain glint in his eyes which I could not mistake; the eyes of a fighter and a warrior. He spun around and over me, encircling me in his own flames.
"Do you think you can fight against the Regulus of Fenix with fire?! Fool! Our family is blessed by Ignis with Fire!" I boomed as I dispersed the barrier surrounding me. Kristæl was already rushing me again by this time but I was prepared. I stretched out my palm, fingers held tightly together and pulled my entire arm backwards. As soon as he was within range I shot my arm forward at breakneck speeds in a jab which was aimed directly at his throat; a powerful move I had developed which always ended in fatality. I broke into a wide grin as my fingers touched the boy's trachea and began to sink in.
"You may be blessed with the flames but I....... I AM THE FLAMES!"
I stared in wide eyed disbelief as Kristæl's neck morphed into flames, allowing my arms to pass through and leaving the boy unscathed.
"Impossible," I murmered, "only the Gods should have a body made from their own element..... Don't tell me! You! Are you Ignis?!"
With a single fluid motion, Kristæl delivered a solid roundhouse kick to my jaw, launching me across the air and through my antique table.
"I am no Deity but a humble servant of Ignis I am. If your belief is strong enough then nothing is impossible," he stated nonchalantly before turning to the third male in the room, "Now answer my question."
"Tch. I don't have time for this! If we don't take her now, she will surely die!" the man shouted, "She can't handle the power of Zephyrus growing inside her any longer!"
Kristæl was instantly taken aback and I could see an immense fear and concern wash across his entire being.
"What is your name? What do you mean by that proclamation?!" Kristæl demanded.
"I am Duran Fenix, top archaeologist in this Clan and head researcher in our plan to resurrect The Primordial Vessel, Zephyrus. Now please! Take my fiancée to our top medical facility! She won't survive here! I couldn't take her before because the questions would have been impossible to answer without revealing the truth. The situation has become critical now however so please!" Duran begged.
"Hold it right there Zephyr!"
Abruptly, a group of around a dozen of my men barged into my room brandishing weapons and fists.
"You attacked the Regulus! This action is tantamount to war!" they cried out.
"But if word of what I just heard was to reach the World Heirarchy then Fenix would be annihilated and remove the prospect of death...... for Zephyr at least," Kristæl snickered.
"DURAN!" I roared, "You were doing what?! I told you to find out everything you could about the beginning of this era and now I hear that this is what you were doing behind my back?! An action like this would put our entire clan at the executioner's axe! For such a crime you might as well be all labelled as traitors. You are a disgrace! Take all of your men and leave this city! From this day forth, you have all lost the right to call yourselves people of Fenix!"
"What? Regulus Horus sir, you can't do this! If she doesn't have the financial aid of Fenix, Rachel will die!" Duran cried out.
"So what?! A woman harbouring such a disgusting power shouldn't be allowed to exist! It's good if she perishes sooner rather than later!" I spat.
***
Duran Fenix - POV;
*Several Hours Later*
"Don't worry Duran, Rachel.... everything will be alright," Rex assured us.
"Yes, of course," I murmered kissing Rachel on the forehead. She gave me a weak but joyful smile in response.
"Your people await you my Lord," she whispered in a childish tone. I nodded in acknowledgement and rose to my feet, facing the others whom had been sent along with me.
"My loyal friends," I addressed them, "forgive me for bringing this fate upon you for it is because of your drive, priend and allegiance to me that you have been thrown out and decieved by that wretched man who calls himself Regulus of Fenix. Today we travel as one body united in misfortune but we shall superceed this and look upon this as an opportunity to rise up stonger and build our bonds as true clansmen. Today, we shed the name of Fenix, not because of Horus' demand but because of a desire to disassociate ourselves with those who turn against their own family and allies. From this day forth we shall become a clan of adamant allies who will stand for our friends to any end and avenge the wrongs while promoting rights. We are Blaze, the true flame, and the one who shall lead us to justice will be none other than the child growing in my dearest Rachel's womb; the child who possesses the DNA of the unbeatable Zephyrus!"
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Chapter 64 - A New Ally
Xyder Zephyr - POV;
*Present Day*
"After the new members of Blaze had been left to fend for themselves," Nero continued, "you would think their struggles would have brought them to their senses but instead they were driven to madness. Their distaste for Fenix quickly grew into an eternal hatred and eventually a bloodlust. Their ambitions never wavered nor did their end goal change. Rather, their drive for success was exacerbated into something impossible to contain. After years of research, they had come across a single truth that would change the pace of their progress. This is what led to them instigating the World Heirarchy to offer up a certain piece of land up as a prize for the aforementioned tournament; a battle they will stop at nothing to come out of victorious for in this place lies a secret hidden for centuries from this world and the one to solve its riddles would gain the means to resurrect the greatest threat this world has ever seen; Zephyrus!"
Nero ended with a growl followed by a submissive sigh, after which he let his body drop on a nearby chair. Unsure of how to proceed, I pressed him further, "Why exactly are you telling us all of this?"
He raised his head in his seated position and smiled, "That's because I need you all to win this tournament! Blaze must not succeed!"
"But why us?!" Satella enquired somewhat aggressively.
"That's simple," he explained, "Sure if anyone else but Blaze gets this land, their plan would have been foiled but Blaze has been quite extensive in ensuring that they have as much advantage in their favour over the ignorant teams as possible making a loss for Blaze highly unlikely. They have rigged this tournament thoroughly and their stores of knowledge are without flaw. They know the strengths and weaknesses of every participant in these games and have gone so far as to incapacitate certain key opponents before the matches can even begin. It is my understandimg that you all have already fallen victim to this."
I clenched my fist and grit my teeth in frustration as I recalled the terrible fate of my allies. I could tell that Evie and Satella had also been put off by the memories.
"How do you know about that?!" Evie cried out.
"I told you all. I am skilled in the arts of information acquirement. I know many 'secrets'," he answered defiantly.
"Things are different now for you all however," Nero grinned, "With me keeping you all in the light, you are no longer susceptible to Blaze's tricks and you stand a fighting chance against them."
"So why not give the same help to another team? Won't they have the same chance then?!" Satella interrogated.
"You really shouldn't underestimate yourselves," Nero sighed, "The whole world has been placing bets on the children of the Zephyr Clan. Have faith in your superior strength. Well, that remains to be seen of course. Anyway, there is another reason why it MUST be you. Think about it. Such a large expanse of land has been in Zephyr's care for centuries or more and yet they have never sought to inhabit or develop it. Why? It seems that they have been trying to hide it's existance from the world and even their clansmen. I believe that Zephyr knows something that neither I nor Blaze does about containing the means of reviving that demon. Certainly if another Clan gained control, they would not know the methods of your Clan and this could unleash Hell on Earth. You and I would both like to see this world live on so for that end and more I would gladly ally myself with you my friend."
"I.... I see," I muttered as I tried to process all that i had been told. I turned and strolled towards the exit slowly.
"Where are you going?" Satella asked.
"For a walk to calm myself. I can't shake the thought of the girls at Blaze's mercy," I responded.
"W-wait up! I'm going too!" she shouted.
I paused at the doorway and without looking back I stated, "Welcome aboard Nero," before continuing on my way.
Evelynn - POV;
"Hey! Me too!" I exclaimed as they disappeared out of the room.
"Make sure you're careful out there. Be alert," Nero warned, "If something happens to you, who will bring back Xyder's parents?"
I stopped dead in my tracks, eyes widened in surprise. "You. How do you know about that?"
"We wouldn't want you to get kidnapped again. Especially not by Blaze this time," he snickered.
"How much do you know?!" I roared.
His smile faded away quickly as he muttered, "Not much. I heard just a small part of one thing. It seems Xyder's parents didn't simply go through an "accidental" death now, did they?"
I simply ground my teeth, unable to speak about the topic no matter how much I wished to.
"Well, just be careful. It's certain that the coming events will formulate and revolve around you and Xyder. After all, you both carry the blood of that man in your veins. You are now their target, children of Zephyrus!"
***
??? - POV;
"Knock! Knock!"
I pushed open the wooden doors and gingerly stepped into the dark room. Inside, a horrible scene played out before me. A large muscular male wearing nothing but a pair of black jeans stood bent over and strangling a nude female with his large hands. She held onto his forearms in a desperate attempt to loosen his grip. As her face began to turn a slight shade of blue she beat her legs around wildly and tried crying out but the sounds came out as pained gargles.
"Stop resisting you dirty whore!" he spat as he began jerking her violently and slamming her head against the wall. Finally, he raised his foot and slammed it against her face continously despite her attempts to shield herself with her arms. Finally, after a futile struggle, her hands fell to her sides, and he allowed her lifeless body to flop to the ground.
"S-sir! I have a report!" I stated shakily.
"Is that so?" he jeered as he lit the cigarette he held between his lips.
"It seems that Scar and Tiny have been found dead. Killed. We believe the culprit to be Nero," I explained.
"Hmm. Seems that the dog needs a bit of training. We can't have him attacking us like that," he snickered, "Tell the others to come in here now. Oh and get rid of that disgusting Fenix thing's corpse. It's unsightly."
"Yes, of course Regulus Duran Blaze, sir!"