Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

54 - We Won't Fight

Xyder Zephyr - POV;

"We can't take part in the tournament," Dagan sighed. Both my sister and I looked at the boy wide eyed.

"What are you saying?! No one was injured heavily right?" I questioned.

"No one in here, sure. All of the others in here got minor injuries that should be fine after a bit of treatment and rest," he answered.

"Then what do you mean? Don't tell me that all of you are so weak and coward to back down after a little push around like this!" I growled.

"A little push around?! You have no idea what we've been through! Maybe if the two of you weren't off prancing around things would have turned out differently!" Dagan roared.

By this time my blood was boiling and I unleashed that rage at once, "You haven't felt half of what we did! Because you know what? We just watched a family be torn apart while looking at their mother mauled by a fricking demon dog! All this while heir god damned home, town and lives were destroyed! You know what else? We watched Incendio get his heart ripped out after burning said town but we couldn't do anything. Did I forget to mention that I turned into a fricking demon while Evelynn almost died from a fatal venom from when we fought off assassins ourselves?! What the heck could you have gone through that was worse?!"

Dagan bit his lip as he backed down but Evie held onto my arm warning me, "Xyder, calm down. We've all been shaken up a little. We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves. Dagan, I noticed that you said everyone in here was okay. Why the specificity?"

"Good of you to catch that Evie," he sighed, "In the scuffle, some of us we injured more than the others. From what you just said, it seems all three groups were targeted separately and the members who were most injured and hence the easiest targets were captured. Alva was taken when her group was attacked. When we were however, we lost Fira, Rydia and.............."

"And? Who was it?" I pressed.

Dagan clenched his teeth apparently contemplating how to answer.

"Who did you lose?!" I barked.

"Xyder calm down," Evie whispered.

"Calm down? I just want a God damned answer!" I boomed.

"Xyder!" a high pitched voice called out. I turned to find myself looking directly at the red haired girl.

Satella breathed in deeply before finishing her sentence, "When they struck, they took Cheryl with them." As the words escaped her lips, I felt my heart slowly sink.

"They..... no...." I said dropping on a nearby vacant bed and rubbin my temples with my fingers in disbelief and overcome with stress.

"When we arrived in Rising Flames, a letter was waiting for us," Dagan continued handing over the parchment to Evie.

Aloud she read, "If you want to see your friends again, then we suggest you don't step foot into that tournament."

"Oh God," I muttered.

"Now do you see? We can't fight," Dagan repeated.

"But grandfather-" Evie began.

"Don't worry, I'll deal with him."

* * * *

Seraphim Zephyr - POV;

"Incendio, rest in peace my boy. You were a brave and true warrior in every aspect and you may just have shown everything it meant to be a good leader," I murmered placing a garland on the image of my son. I stared at the image depicting myself alongside both of my children which was hung above the fireplace in my abode. Despite having lost a second of my offsprings, I felt no pain or sorrow but rather the emptiness which had seemed to exist for years. I knew that it was wrong to be like this but what I did was irreversible and I had come to terms with that. I reached up removing the image and looked upon the second picture perfectly hidden beneath it. "Forgive me Kristæl," I chuckled, "I have failed you."