Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

183 - To End This

Dagan Zephyr - POV;

I stared at the group of seven intently. Five of them were shrouded in dark robes but from their figures alone, I could tell that they were undoubtedly Celes, Sorine, Winter, Disas and Cheryl. The five of them leapt off the edge without ever looking our way, leaving only Xyder and a red-haired woman I was unfamiliar with.

The others had begun to come to their senses and, together with myself, we struggled to find ourselves to our feet. Before we could say a word, the woman took a step towards us.

"So nice of you all to finally join us. I have to say, we were growing rather bored while waiting around for your arrival," she greeted.

I raised an eyebrow at her. Despite being convinced that I had no idea who she was, her voice seemed oddly familiar. When the realisation struck, I was lost for words.

"You... your voice... you were the one who left that message with that child!" I blurted out.

"Oopsie! I guess the jig is up!" she chuckled.

"Who are you?!" I snapped.

"Detective Geraldine Gina. But come on now, there's no need to get riled up. Although I do understand why. You are the children of such heinous people, cursed and marked by their tragic name after all. It's no wonder that you have been trained to be as vile as they are," she sighed, walking over to and latching onto him suggestively.

She lay her head on his shoulder and ran her fingers along his body as she whispered, "Aren't you going to deal with these runts, dear?"

"You! You're the one who's been poisoning Xyder's mind, aren't you?!" Satella shouted as she lost her patience, "Get away from him you skank! Who do you think you are to look down on us! Our Clan is the most proud of them all!"

"Tch!" Geraldine spat as she took a step away from Xyder and glared at us in contempt, "It disgusts me to see just how brainwashed you have all become... but it's not your fault. It's all because of those who came before you that you believe such fantasies. Your clan is nothing but a band of wicked and self centered people."

"And what do you know about our Clan?" Fira remarked sarcastically.

"Everything," Geraldine responded, "After all, I was also cursed by them at birth, much like you are."

"You're hiding something," I murmered, "Who are you really, Detective Gina?"

"You're sharp, like I thought," she smiled before growing serious once more, "At birth I was given one name by my loyal mother who, even though she was betrayed, still believed in your people. I was born as the agent of Vengeful Justice, Geraldine Zephyr!"

With those words, she leapt off the edge, following the others. Before I even had time to process her revelation, a sharp realisation struck me: Jacqueline wasn't with them! Could it have meant that she was safe and somewhere else entirely? Or could it mean that she was already....

"Xyder!" Satella called out. The boy turned completely, his hands buried deep in his pockets and a gust of wind fluttering his well-fitted tshirt and hair as he looked down at us. His face bore a blank expression; not a trace of sadness nor joy.

"Xyder, what's with your new hairstyle? And is that a tattoo on your arm? Have you gone emo on us?" I chuckled. An uneasy silence persevered as he didn't flinch, much less react to my joke.

"Xyder... what's going on? Why are you here? What happened since the final match of the tournament?" Alva pressed.

"So much has happened," he responded, finally opening up to us, "So much so that my eyes were opened to the truth. With the power of Darkness at hand, I had everything I needed to seek vengeance against everyone who wronged us. Zephyrus, Blaze, The World Heirarchy... all of them will have their turn but I chose to begin with those who were already in my grasp. Zacharias Fenix and his clan of assholes deserved to die. They were the scum of this Earth but no one else would raise a finger to do anything... so I gave them what they deserved. Even so, I knew the world wasn't ready to accept that I was right. They would only turn agaisnt me. Thus, I was forced to lay low until I was ready to continue my plan. We fled to Oceanica using naught but our feet and the elements we were granted. We'd intended to board the next train unnoticed but some fool had to recognize my face and I knew we couldn't let him escape. Honestly I was prepared for carnage until Cheryl stopped him. The girl has an affinity for permeating minds and she used it to spread some of his corruption to the poor soul, placing the fool in a daze and ordering him into the train with us. Of course, this wasn't the end. A few others who couldn't keep to thenselves ended up under my spell too. Before long, half of the passengers were at my beck and call. Barington wasn't our final destination but I decided that we would spend some time there before continuing. Our numbers were growing too large; I had to dispose of the dozens of mind slaves discreetly. Even so, staying at the main town was a gamble. I'd have been at a high risk of being recognized. Heck, some old witch caught sight of me then, between having a heart attack and shitting herself, she began to cry about how I was the Devil. We had to lay low and so, after executing and burying the worthless slaves behind the hills, we retreated to one of the reclusive villages, hardly visited by outsiders. We meant only to take refuge for that one night. The others had turned in but I couldn't stand still. My plan had always been to find a spot where I could prepare; a place where I could train and increase the extent of my power, but I grew impatient. While they slept, I sat in meditation, focusing my heart and soul on the flow of energy through and withing my body but at some point, the situation had gone awry. I saw flashes of war; a great conflict between military armies and forces of nature. I saw images of a child's birth; a child who symbolized an era of peace between these warring factions and then I saw the betrayal that this very child faced in his later years at the hands of the very humans he had served as an image of hope. These dream-like visions all culminated with the pure figure of Evelynn and as her fleeting life diminished, I laid my eyes on it: the embodiment of malice. Without life to balance it, death is all that can exist. My powers had exploded out of control, marring the village with darkness and calling forth my agents of destruction; the loyal hell hounds summoned from the other dimension to this one. I came to my senses quickly but by then, the damage was already enough that it couldn't just slide. The only way to sweep this under the rug for a while longer and buy me time was to kill every one of them... so that's what I did. One man escaped and rushed to The Golden Lion in Barington. He recognised me from the mess at Fenix and, like I thought, he decided that he had to run away and report to authorities. I followed him but I couldn't make a move with so many witnesses at Olde Dryad Station, so I let the train leave long enough that he thought he was safe... and then I attacked. I, along with the other six, invaded the derailed and toppled train, slaughtering hundreds and cursing the rest with the sweet corruption of darkness. We hauled the wreckage back here with us as the realisation set on me that the time I had remaining to prepare was limited. I had made too much noise and it would only be a matter of time before I was found. I could no longer find a perfect location to train. I had to work with what I had. By some luck or grace, we found an expansive cave system in these ranges and I knew it would just be good enough as a location to develop my power. Though, I'm surprised you all were amongst the first to discover me. After this long, I was certain that a number of incoming trains would have seen and questioned the broken tracks. I guess people have become far more dull than I thought."