083

 

83.  Snake Eyes

 

Within the arena chamber, Vance stared at the monochrome wall clock that sat within Eden's hands. "Hey...that looks way different from the one I found."

 

"It’s responding to me..." Eden admired the mystical object, watching the hands on its face spin. "What’s going to happen when it gets to 13?"

 

"It’ll warp you to the next clock..." Vance whispered in awe. "Just like when Mr. Caskett’s clock warped me to Despair."

 

Eden glanced up at Vance. "We must have been so close to running into each other that night..."

 

Suddenly, a violent rumble shook the chamber. The two turned and looked to each other, glanced back at Averyl and Madeleine, then listened as even louder sounds of destruction came trickling in from outside.

 

"Ah..."Averyl gasped. "This may pose a problem..."

 

Eden looked to Averyl again, but soon averted her gaze to Madeleine, who knelt to the ground beside Vance's uncle, shivering violently.

 

"What wrong with her?" Vance pointed down to the girl. "What's the..."

 

Then, he felt it. Two psynergy auras, ferocious and more powerful than anything he'd felt before.

 

"What the hell..." Vance started to move to the entrance. "What's going on out there?!"

 

"Wait." Averyl's hand shot out from his cloak and firmly stopped Vance. "Stay here."

 

"Who is that?!" Vance shouted. "They're so powerful!"

 

"I've never felt this before..." Madeleine whimpered. "He's never...unleashed himself like this before..."

 

"Vance," Averyl said hurriedly. "Do you remember the psynergy that came to you during the end of the fight with Saffron?"

 

"Yeah...what the hell was that?"

 

"It's a special type of psynergy...a level above the mundane. All Albavitreans have the power to wield it...but we aren’t the only ones."

 

"Woah," Vance gasped, remembering the voids he had made. "So you mean..."

 

"It gave you the push you needed to awaken your ability..." Averyl went on. "With enough practice and concentration, you’ll be able to enter specific dimensions simply by knowing how hard to push, where to strike, and how to cut the threads."

 

Vance held his hand up, concentrating earnestly, but produced little more than his usual purple glow. "It was amazing for the time I had it, but I guess it'll take me a while to bring it out again."

 

Averyl nodded. "For now, we need to escape..."

 

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Vance asked. "Just walk out?"

 

"No..." Averyl looked over to Eden with a warm smile. "We have the Daughter to lead us, remember?"

 

*

 

Rose swam over the puddled streets as she slid Bruce along the road behind the northern end of the tournament complex. Exhausted beyond here means, determination alone carried her forward.

 

"They'll be able to beat him..." Bruce said, as he tiredly picked his body up and lumbered toward the first crater he and Azuka had made far below the observation tower. "Roufas, Van Kaen, and Grayson...they'll kick that guy's ass before he even knows what hit him."

 

As he moved closer to the crater, he noticed a ragged, bloody body lying face down in the rubble.

 

"Ouch." Bruce crept closer to inspect the corpse. "Looks like he got chopped up pretty bad. Musta been one of those committee assholes."

 

When they turned the corpse over, Bruce and Rose were not prepared for what they saw. The Tiger collapsed to his knees as he stared into the empty eyes of Roufas Ernst. Blood trailed down from the dead man's forehead, pooling within his gored neck.

 

The body of Bruce and Rose's guardian lay at their feet, mutilated beyond any means of repair. Tears erupted from Rose's eyes and she turned her face away, unable to stare at the grisly scene any longer. Realizing that he had lost not just one, but two foster parents in the span of a few hours, Bruce felt tears well up into his eyes for the first time in what seemed like an eternity – but they were quickly interrupted by reawakening rage.

 

"Stab wounds..." Bruce growled, as he surveyed the body. "Tons of them, straight through his body. Like he was hit by a bunch of thin blades..."

 

Bruce raised a menacing glare up to the hole at the top of the tournament complex, where he and the other Zodiacs had burst through that morning.

 

"Averyl..." Bruce squeezed his fists together and attempted to control the burning anger that was filling his heart. "He did this..."

 

"What? Rose sobbed. "But how? Averyl was in the tournament! And Grayson and Van Kaen were with Roufas! There's no way..."

 

A single tear rolled down his cheek as Bruce took one last look at his deceased master. "He's dead. Murdered in cold fucking blood!"

 

Re-energized by pure rage, Bruce carried his wounded body toward the ground floor entrance to the tournament complex and punched through the door with his bare fist. His body was covered in blood, and he wheezed in pain.

 

"Wait!" Rose shouted. "Bruce! Your body can't handle any more of this. First we need to find Grayson and Van Kaen!"

 

But the fury in Bruce's heart made him deaf and blind to everything around him. He was focused on only one thing – revenge.

 

*

 

By the time Van Kaen finished destroying the remains of the security force, the Belmarcian Tournament arena stands had become completely vacant. Down in the arena, Trunculo cowered behind Edward and Frank, trying his best to look invisible as the two Earthlings stood frozen before their tormenter.

 

Grayson flinched, and his eyes flitted to the sky.

 

"Do you feel that?" Grayson called back to his underling.

 

Van Kaen nodded.

 

"An Apostle has graced us with his presence," Grayson said calmly. "Go take care of him."

 

Van Kaen looked up toward the darkened sky, then gave Grayson a hesitant glance.

 

Grayson frowned. "That was an order. Now go."

 

Obeying his superior, Van Kaen shot up into the air and disappeared over the top of the tournament complex.

 

"Now then..." Grayson turned his attention back to the Earthlings. "How did you two enjoy your little adventure?"

 

Frank and Edward paled, and then the former opened his mouth. "What do you mean?"

 

"Madeleine was more unreliable than I expected," Grayson said. "It seems as if you both bear a very dark destiny, however, for you managed to end up under the surveillance of my dear associate, Doctor Nord Phileas – also known as Mephisto, the Rat."

 

Despair sunk into the minds of the two men, but they grit their teeth and tried to stay strong. Both Frank and Edward had experienced their own periods of weakness, but after watching Vance's struggles today, they’d been energized unlike ever before.

 

Grayson took another step forward so that there was no more space between them and lightly placed his hand on Edward's shoulder. "I always knew Frank was a troublemaker, but you...you, Edward, have honestly shocked me. I always hoped that we could just put aside our differences and get along."

 

"G-get your hand off me!" Edward demanded, then swatted Grayson's away.

 

"Did it empower you to save Frank, like a hero from your world’s tales?" Grayson asked. "Were you happy to see how much your son has grown?"

 

"What about my son?!" Edward cried. "What are you planning to do with him?!"

 

Grayson laughed dryly. "That's a good question. I suppose it depends on how well he obeys his father."

 

Terror prickled Edward's neck as he stared into Grayson's eyes and listened to his words, and he was unable to formulate a response.

 

"If he doesn't..." Grayson's eyes flashed as he spoke. "Then he'll end up just like she did."

 

Frank leapt from where he stood and tackled Grayson to the ground. The Snake allowed himself to fall, and once Frank was on top, he tightened his fists around Grayson's collar. As he sat there, pinning his foe, the memories of his lonely days at Zexaron came brimming back into his mind.

 

"You killed her, didn't you?" Frank gasped. "You really did it, didn't you?! You killed Victoria!"

 

"Yes," Grayson spoke calmly. "We fought, and I obliterated her."

 

Grayson moved his feet flat to the ground and pushed up with his heels. As he yanked his neck away and rose up, Frank's body slid down.

 

"Why?!" Frank screamed. "Why did you have to kill her?!"

 

Grayson pondered the question for a moment. "Because she defied me."

 

Edward’s body quivered and shook as he joined Frank’s side. "Why? Why did you have to take her away from me? She was the most important thing I had!"

 

"You never had anything," Grayson replied. "Victoria was only using you. She had to be...what could someone that powerful have ever seen in a little maggot like you?"

 

Edward moved to punch Grayson in the face, but he never made it. Grayson caught the man's arm quickly, lifted his body, and tossed it across the ground. Vance's father screamed as he hit the grass, feeling pain ripple through his middle-aged, out-of-shape body. Overcome with pain, he struggled and failed to stand back up.

 

"Great things await us." Grayson walked over and placed a black shoe on top of Edward's head. "You and me, Edward. We'll make the perfect team. Under my influence, you will be able to achieve your true potential...and together, we shall bring the Earth to oblivion!"

 

Frank watched in desperation as Grayson's eyes turned to Edward's frozen face.

 

I can't let things end here...not after all this! We may not be able to stand up to Grayson...but what about Vance? We're so close to him...I have to let Edward get back to his son, no matter what it takes!

 

As green psynergy exploded out from Grayson's wide eyes, Frank dove forward and shoved Edward out of the way. Embraced in Grayson's crippling might, Frank's body went limp. Existential terror gripped his soul, and every last drop of willpower was instantly evaporated from his mind.

 

Grayson blinked, ending the transaction. "Frank, ever the rash one. I suppose I'll just make you both my puppets now."

 

Edward looked to the silent body of his friend, companion, and source of encouragement. Now, a blank expression grazed the man's pink face, like a mannequin frozen in time.

 

Grayson once again put Edward within his sights. "This isn't your world anymore, Edward. You have no control over what happens here, nor do you have any hope of understanding. On Earth, I was handicapped...I could not exercise the full extent of my powers. But now..." Grayson's verdant eyes flashed once more. "I can truly make you mine."

 

Edward panicked, knowing full well that Frank might have just sacrificed himself for absolutely nothing. He scooted back on the ground, trying to think of some escape, and then, a voice sounded out.

 

"Hey," Vance called out from behind Grayson. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my dad?"

 

Edward let out a gasp and scrambled to his feet, then peered over Grayson's shoulder to the entrance of the clock chamber.

 

Grayson turned to face the rejuvenated Albavitrean. "So the boy shows himself."

 

"Vance!" Edward called to his son. "Get out of here! This is–"

 

Vance squinted and studied Grayson. "Hey, haven't I seen you before?"

 

His mind flew back to the dirty streets of Pittsburgh, right after he had found the clock and went to meet Edward and Naomi in Mark's Cafe. He vaguely remembered seeing a man in a grey suit with a long blond braid...a man who had glanced at him from behind a set of strange silver glasses that housed glowing green eyes.

 

"Vance Darcouver..." Grayson enunciated slowly. "I never thought you’d come this far."

 

Averyl drifted out from the chamber behind his nephew. "Likewise..."

 

"So you finally show yourself." Grayson's face lit up as he caught sight of Averyl's unmasked, monochrome eyes. "You know, Victoria never once mentioned you to me..."

 

Averyl's face was humorless. "Victoria was wiser than you will ever know."

 

"Although, now it looks like the Albavitrean race might truly come to an end..." Grayson teased through yet another smug grin.

 

"Vance..." Averyl glanced down at his nephew nervously. "You must return to Eden and Madeleine...the portal is opening. I'll take care of him..."

 

"Yeah right!" Vance pointed to the trembling figure of his father. "My dad's here, and you expect me to just turn tail and run?!"

 

"Vance!" Edward screamed frantically. "This man...he...he..."

 

"No!" Averyl gasped, immediately realizing what was about to be revealed. "Stop talking..."

 

"He...he killed..." Edward stammered, as tears rolled down his flushed cheeks. "V–"

 

Left with no other option, Averyl shot out a barrage of silver knives toward both Grayson and Edward. The Snake weaved expertly through the oncoming blades, while one rogue blade flew at Vance's father and impaled his lower calf into the ground.

 

Edward howled in pain. "Wh-what are you doing?!"

 

Averyl waved a friendly hand to the man he had just critically injured. "You just be quiet, brother..."

 

"Averyl." Vance's eyes remained fixated on Grayson. "Cut it out."

 

"Vance, be still..." Averyl insisted. "You don't understand what's–"

 

Averyl stopped in mid-breath once he looked back to the teenager. Vance's body was pulsating, shaking, and throbbing violently as he tried to contain the sudden anger that had bubbled up from within. Regenerated and full of energy once more, Vance's blazing eyes sat locked on the crazed face of Grayson Lee.

 

"I've felt it since the moment I stepped out here. He's the one, Averyl. He's the man who killed my mother."

Next: Into the Void