91. Paradise Destroyed
"Why did we have to start so damn far away?!" Vance screamed at
Averyl. "Who knows what he’s doing to Eden right now!"
"Any closer, and someone might have noticed the disturbance caused
by the rift..." Averyl explained. "Cutting through the threads of space
and time isn't exactly something one can do incognito..."
"Who cares?!" Vance shouted. "They're going to realize
we're here sooner or later, aren't they?!"
"Even a few minutes of stealth can be beneficial..." Averyl
said. "Calm yourself, nephew."
Vance let out a sigh of frustration and stomped faster over the grey rock
that spread out over the landscape. Ahead, the crater-filled plateau rose up to
jagged spiky hills and sudden cliffs. The sky was full of clouds, and neither a
sun nor moon was visible, although a faint glow shrouded the atmosphere. As they
continued forward, Vance saw conical holes in the rock that led down into deep
black pits.
Eden...Vance had to
try very hard not to let his aura out despite the turmoil he felt inside. This
is all my fault...but it won't happen again.
"Hold on a second," Madeleine spoke up. "We're going to
be really outnumbered here, you know. At the very least, Grayson and Zhang Guo
are going to be in there, and they're both top tier."
Averyl grinned. "This is true...shall I leave one to you, Madeleine?"
"Y-yeah right!" Madeleine stammered. "I never signed up
for any of this! I'll go get Eden for you, but you guys have to take care of the
fighting."
"Huh?" Vance looked to Averyl. "I'm confused. How many
are left, anyway?"
"The four strongest Dark Zodiacs." A smarmy voice cut in from
behind the trio. "You won’t be able to take any of them alone, Vance."
Vance turned around, and his eyes widened. "You?!"
"What ho!" another voice called out. "Such a confounded visage
nary befits our gracious entrance."
"How timely..." Averyl smiled, as he watched Saffron,
Winslow, and Rose walk up side-by-side.
The Horse shot a dry glare toward Averyl and Vance, then looked up to
Saffron. "These are the people you wanted us to wait for?"
Winslow's hair was meticulously slicked to the side, and he was dressed
in a new corduroy jacket and dark pants. Saffron's hair was poofy and
immaculately styled into an imposing mane, framing a shining, gaudy suit of platinum
armor. Behind them stood Rose, in a white tank top with a black fur-collared jacket
and dark capris.
Vance let out a sigh. "Oh hey, the two psychotic murderers who
both tried to kill me. Nice to see you're both alive and well."
"You should be," Winslow replied darkly. "You’re the one
who failed to finish us both off."
"Enough fighting, children," Rose muttered, then turned to Averyl.
"Bruce took our tunneler, so we had to use an old smuggling route to get
here. Anyway...we need to clear something up."
Averyl rubbed his chin as the Zodiacs’ eyes converged on him. "Yes...?"
"According to the Seneschal," Rose said, "you were framed,
and it was really Grayson who killed Roufas. Is that true?"
Averyl looked at Rose with sharp eyes. "What do you think?"
"Bruce and I saw Roufas's body shortly after he was killed," Rose
answered. "It was filled with puncture marks that look just like your blades."
Madeleine looked warily at Averyl, and then back to Rose. "When
was Roufas killed?"
"Sometime just after the final round," Rose said. "That's
all I can conclude."
"Averyl was with me the whole time," Madeleine said quickly.
"It couldn't have been him."
"As if we'd believe you," Winslow spat. "You already betrayed
us before the tournament even began!"
"But here's the thing," Rose cut in. "I'm inclined to believe
it wasn't you, Averyl, no matter how convenient it would be if you did take the
blame. I don't even care about anyone's alibi, because I'm sure that if you truly
wished, you could have set his death up perfectly."
Averyl grinned. "You certainly know me well..."
"That's not all," Rose continued. "Roufas's body was cut
up shoddily, and on top of that, he was just thrown out the window, all alone. The
only reason a killer would have left a body there would be to show it off and
gloat. Yet when Bruce and I went to attack you, you seemed confused...and you
certainly didn’t seem proud at all the pain we felt."
"It was Grayson, then?" Winslow asked. "He killed Roufas?"
"That's the only other option I can think of," Rose said. "Had
Bruce been calmer, he would have been able to see through the ruse. But when that
man gets worked up, logic goes out the window, and his emotions run wild."
"A man's heart doth growl stronger than any diabolus..." Saffron
added.
"So he's probably going to go berserk the minute he sees you."
Vance turned to Averyl. "We should let them take care of him while we find
Eden."
"You’re after Grayson, right?" Rose asked Averyl, "For what
he did to Victoria...did you know he was planning to kill Roufas?"
"Of course not...I have no idea what goes on in that man's mind..."
Averyl replied. "And as someone who has spilled much blood, I have no
right to criticize him...but he took my sister from me, and I will have my revenge..."
Rose watched Averyl's irisless eyes glow with sadism. "Victoria really
was your sister?"
"Is..." Averyl corrected here. "And will ever be."
The conversation ended there for a bit, and the group began to move. Next
to the three Zodiacs, Vance walked awkwardly besides Averyl, not quite feeling
at ease in the company of his previous foes. Of course, Winslow had gone out of
his way to walk on the complete opposite side of the group from Vance.
Saffron suddenly placed a gloved hand on Vance's shoulder. "I long
to feel thy spirit battle twice, Vance. Let us fight again, I say, if not now,
then on the morrow!"
"Yeah...um, sure..." Vance said absently, inching away as
fast as he could.
After a few more minutes, a volcanic crater came into view. Jagged sides
rose high over a dark pit.
"Keep your aura as low as possible," Averyl reminded Vance.
"The four of them are in there, and they don’t have much to distract themselves
from our presence."
"We should use the side entrance so that we can access the inner levels
quickly," Rose explained. "The caverns are a maze, so you’ll be lost
unless you have someone with you who knows their way around."
"Alright," Vance said, "but what about traps and stuff?"
"No traps. These caverns just serve as a meeting place," Rose
said. "And besides, our goal has always been to destroy the world. We’re all
minimalists."
"This should be easy then," Vance said. "Everyone ready?"
"Don't misunderstand, Vance," Winslow said sharply. "You
don't call the shots around here. We aren’t allies now, or teaming up, or anything.
We just happen to be heading to the same place, got it?"
*
Blood dripped down Eden's body as she struggled to breathe. She couldn't
remember how many hours it had been since Grayson took her from Edgar's cabin,
or how many times she'd try to escape him. It never worked. Bright torch flames
cast shadows in the black cavern as she tried to flex her aura once more. Across
from her stood Grayson Lee, green and gold aura ever potent, staring down at
her with a sadistic smile.
No matter what happens, I have to keep fighting.
Images of Grayson's assault on Edgar's hideout flashed through Eden's mind,
and she clenched her teeth, holding back tears. Sadness racked her body,
but Eden stood strong. For every wound she suffered, her body quickly regenerated
itself, bringing her brand new flesh. It couldn't clean all the dried blood off
her, but at this point, it was the only thing that gave her hope.
"They're all dead," Grayson said with glee, as if he could
read her mind. "Vance, Edgar, Averyl...you're all alone now, Daughter. Why
not cut your losses and work with me? We could do great things together."
Tears streamed down Eden's face as she ran forward. "Fuck you!"
The cavern quaked as Eden transformed into another ball of light and
shot toward Grayson. Like he'd done so many times before, the tall blonde man tensed
up and caught her with both hands, squeezing green psynergy into her, infecting
her with his essence. Within seconds, Eden had fallen back into her human form,
collapsed against the ground, trembling.
Grayson kicked her in the side. Eden let out a shriek, and Grayson
stomped again. Soon, so much pain filled Eden's mind that she could no longer
bear to move.
"Well, you can't say I'm a monster," Grayson said with a
chuckle. "I gave you so many chances. Now...it's time to see just how potent
your powers really are."
Eden's eyes widened as she felt Grayson grab her arm. She tried to phase
back into her ethereal form, but it was no use. Citrus psyergy continued to
flow inside her, but pain and despair held her back.
I told myself I'd never become a murderer...I was so naïve.
Eden let out an inhuman wail as Grayson brought his hand down and
sliced through her shoulder, severing her right arm from the body. Within
moments, new, citrus shining flesh began to trickle out from the wound.
"Interesting," he said calmly. "Your shoulder's slowly
starting to regrow itself. Your blood can restore entire limbs...it just
takes some time."
"I'll kill you..." Eden moaned. "I’ll kill you, if it’s
the last thing I do!"
"No you won't," Grayson jeered. "For soon, I will become
unkillable. Few know what your genes actually contain...the Church has made
sure of that. You see, your blood isn't just the key to the Space-Time Continuum,
it also contains the power of miracles – regeneration."
Eden's eyes flitted back and forth, searching desperately for a way out.
The flames burned brighter and brighter beyond her, and she was completely defenseless
as Grayson brought down his hand again.
Another scream echoed through the cavern as Grayson separated Eden's
next arm from her body. Pained cries fell out from her lips as she slowly began
to realize she was going to die.
Why? The question surfaced
in her fading consciousness. Why is this happening to me? God...I thought I was
your daughter. Why are you letting him do this? Why aren't you helping me?
Pain racked Eden's consciousness two more times as Grayson sliced up
her thighs, severing her legs as well. So much horror, fear, and pain now
consumed Eden's mind that she could no longer think straight. She simply continued
to scream, over and over again, desperate to be free of her suffering. And yet,
through all of her mortification, one thought remained burned into her mind.
God...why have you forsaken me?
Grayson stared down
*************
with intrigue as the Daughter's torso slowly began to regenerate itself.
She'd stopped screaming, which made him assume that she'd already lost consciousness
due to the pain.
Grayson knelt down beside the girl and stroked the back of her neck. "Not
so special now...are you?"
With that, Grayson dug his hand deep into the girl's neck, forcing gold-and-green
psynergy through flesh, muscle and bone in order to cleave it in two. Eden
could no longer scream or resist, and in the next moment, her head rolled free
from her body.
"Well, God?" Grayson laughed, looking up to the cave ceiling.
"I just killed your precious daughter – the last vestige of your great plan.
What are you waiting for? Go on, strike me down where I stand! Punish me with your
holy might!"
Silence blanketed the caverns. Bright flames continued to flicker, and
Eden's body lay still. Her wounds had ceased to try and piece themselves back
together.
Grayson snorted. "That's what I thought."
From his pocket, the Snake produced a gilded syringe emblazed with a
red cross. Carefully, he slid it into Eden's neck wound and drew as much blood
as he could. Then, Grayson stabbed the syringe deep into his own neck and slowly
pushed Eden's essence into his bloodstream.
Citrus psynergy crackled around Grayson's body, and his eyes swam with
power. Breathing out a pleasant sigh, Grayson pulled the syringe out, then threw
it to the ground and crushed it with his feet.
"You've served your purpose," Grayson called down to the dead
girl. "And now, you will be disposed of."
Grayson held up his palm, concentrating a mixture of gold, green, and citrus psynergy
into a powerful, condensed blast. He was just about to fire it when the cavern
began to quake – and not from the Snake's might.
He stared down in shock as Eden's body began to glow with a bright citrus
light much more powerful than his own. In an instant, her body parts reverted
into bright orange psynergy, then quickly converged like magnets. An inhuman scream
rocked the tunnels of Pandemonium as Eden opened her burning white eyes.
The Daughter shot up with an ethereal, eyeless face contorted by anger
and hatred. Grayson stumbled back as a brilliant golden light enveloped the
girl, melting away all trace of his green fog. Without warning, she barreled forward
like an unstoppable beam, ripping through half of his body as well as the cave
wall behind it.
