“Kenji told you about his mother then? And he’s still alive? That’s surprising.” Devin said darkly.

  “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. I’d also be lying if I said it was a difficult decision. He’s a good kid, a good friend. Unlike some people.” Zac smirked.

  “You don’t understand Zac.”

  “Then explain, human,” Zac grumbled.

  “I am a Persequion, born and raised. I was charged with keeping an eye on the Chasers. My task evolved over the years. But I had nothing to do with what happened to Shaila. In fact, I was vehemently against them taking any action against you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re my friend-”

  “Stop… why?” Zac interrupted him.

  “Auranthos’ Threnos. We don’t know how or why they will appear, but from my own interpretation, I believed that your child could have been Auranthos’ Threnos.” Devin frowned.

  Other Persequion did not share this option, leading to the events replaying in Zac’s mind repeatedly.

  “How long have you thought about this?”

  “Since we sparred after Shaila announced her pregnancy.”

  “Why?” Zac inquired.

  “I don’t know what you are, Zac, but I’ve never felt so physically inferior to anything since I became a Chaser, and you’re only getting stronger by the day. And we also know that Shaila comes from a blessed heritage.”

  “Blessed… heh. And before that? What was I to you?” Zac scoffed

  “My friend.”

  “Shut up! If you’re going to lie to me. Then shut the hell up!” Zac shouted; his pupil turned into slits as his purple eyes began to glow.

  “You are my friend! I admit, in the beginning, you just fascinated me. I didn’t know what you were; no one did. So I opted to get close to you to satisfy my curiosity, then I wanted to own you. But I began to see you as a friend or brother.”

  “I’m so touched.” Zac's monotone voice presented his displeasure.

  “So you never figured out what I am?”

  “No… although we narrowed the choices to about a dozen possibilities. All of which are species that no longer exist or never existed. I assume only your mother could answer the question you seek.”

  Zac sighed at Devin's lack of answers but was surprised by his sudden openness. He decided to push exactly how open he would be.

  “Why now? I’ve been your little lackey for years. Why come after Shaila and me now?”

  “They are those you did not like the defilement of Shaila’s blood by a monster.”

  “You could have told me!” Zac shouted.

  “I thought we agreed to observe the child before making a decision. But our leaders lied or changed their stance without informing me.” Devin grits his teeth and tightens his fist.

  “Another Question then. Is Trigger’s mother as outstanding as she claimed herself to be?”

  “I don’t know what Ken… Trigger has told you, but. Whatever she claimed, I’m sure it didn’t do her justice. Very few before and even fewer after are equal to her abilities.”

  Zac’s head eerily tilted to the side as his silt eyes locked on Devin’s every motion as if he had an epiphany.

  “You spoke as if you had some sway within Heka,” Zac commented.

  Devin didn’t show it on his face, but his heart began to beat faster.

  “You’re too young to have any real say in such an old legacy. They sent someone as young as you on such an important mission of not only watching the Chasers but also an unknown cryptid, as well as giving you autonomy over a woman they deem to have sacred lineage?” Zac started to walk closer towards Devin.

  “Adding on to that, do they take your opinions into serious consideration? Or at least so much so that you are shocked by their sudden change of heart. Does Heka value extraordinary talents that much? No, no, no, no… otherwise they wouldn’t have been so eager to kill Trigger, the child of one of your absolute best.” Zac was standing within arm's length of Devin with a devilish grin. Devin looked slightly up at Zac. Had he grown in height since the last time they met?

  “What’s your point?” Devin stared back at Zac.

  “You’re more than just a talented soldier, aren’t you? You a fuck’in little prince.” Zac's purple eyes pierced into Devin's core, who couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

  Zac quickly grabbed Devin by the back of the head, gripping his hair as he craned Devin’s neck back. Zac began to chuckle. Devin wasn’t just part of Heka; he wasn’t just a Persequion. He was related to the ones who ran the show.

  “Who are they, a Cousin? Aunt, Uncle… Parents?... ahhhhh, your mommy and daddy are running the show.” Zac deduced, by the most minor, nearly imperceptible changes in Devin’s reactions. It made sense. Devin didn’t share much about his parents. Zac was only aware that they were alive and somewhere. He never thought much of it, considering the life that they had led.

  “I can confirm you actually did see me as a friend at some point. You didn’t fake your tells.” Zac tossed Devin to the side into the snow. Devin slowly got to his feet and then sighed.

  “Zac, I didn’t want anything to happen to you two or your kid.” Devin pleaded.

  “I believe you. Against my better judgment.” Zac responded as he placed his hands on his hips and looked up into the overcast sky. The snow gently fell around the estranged friends. The silence bore into Devin, who finally broke the tension,

  “What do you plan on doing?”

  “What you want to ask is, do I still want my pound of flesh?” Zac chuckled.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “You’ve already killed the ones responsible, have you not? Those Theronites are all dead by your hands, I assume?” Devin responded.

  “Correct. However, they were just tools.” Zac grumbled.

  “Zac…”

  Zac looked up into the falling snow again and then closed his eyes. He let out a deep breath that froze in the winter air. Without looking in Devin’s direction, he responded,

  “I’m going to kill your mother in front of your father.”

  “Zac!!”

  “Along with anyone who tries to stop me.”

  “I can’t let you do that!” Devin shouted in protest.

  Zac finally looked in Devin’s direction. His eyes were dull and devoid of all emotion.

  “I know you can’t.” Zac smiled.

  Devin’s heart shuttered at the meaning of Zac’s words.

  “Consider this my last kindness as your friend. Go warn your parents and prepare yourselves. Winter is long and harsh, and your mother will be dead by the end of it. That’s more warning than you ever gave me.” Zac turned to walk away, and Devin went to reach out to him but then stumbled to his knees in the snow.

  He looked up and only saw Zac’s burly back disappearing into the distance. Ume’s poison was flaring up again in his veins,

  “Dammit…” Devin mumbled under his breath.

  He was the only person who could stop Zac but was in no condition to do anything. By the time he recovered, Zac may have “grown” beyond his ability to handle him.

  “God Dammit!!!” Devin shouted out in frustration. He was frustrated with the inflexibility of his parents and the older Persequion; he was frustrated with his missteps in trusting completely in his parents and not enough in his friend. He was frustrated with his inability to properly communicate his emotions for want of protecting the bigger picture,

  “God dammit.” Devin whimpered silently as he tried to regain his composure.

  To Gladiolus's surprise and annoyance, Trigger and Gladiolus had found themselves in a deadlock. What was even more upsetting was Trigger was becoming more challenging to deal with by the minute. She held back in the beginning but had been fighting with the intent to kill for some time now to no avail.

  “I won’t be able to worry about collateral any longer.” Gladiolus thought to herself as she looked over at the masked Trigger, who was waiting for her to make the next move. Gladiolus cupped her hand before her face as she prepared to gather immense gravity. However, her and Trigger’s attention was drawn away from their fight as Zac's image became visible.

  “Where’s Devin?” Gladiolus asked.

  Zac gave no answer and just continued to walk towards the two of them. Gladiolus whipped her cupped hand toward Zac’s direction, and the immense gravity field she was preparing came to bear down on Zac. The snow flattened into pavement, the ground cracked, and the earth rumbled. The trees in Zac’s immediate area collapsed under their own weight. On the other hand, Zac never broke his stride.

  “What are you?!!” Gladiolus shouted and reversed gravity completely.

  The destroyed earth and trees floated into the air. Zac’s Dragon Scale Nano-armor enveloped his body and anchored his feet to the ground as he continued to stride forward.

  “Trigger, go help the others. The adults need to have a quick talk.”

  Trigger nodded his head without question and immediately teleported away. He didn’t know what Zac and Devin had talked about, but it clearly put him in a foul mode. Zac turned his attention back towards Gladiolus, who became visibly agitated and gave up controlling her gravity field. She could not unsteady him in any way; she would need to focus on a direct confrontation.

  “You think I did something unspeakable to Devin, but also think YOU can stop me?”

  “Devin isn’t all there right now, if he was I don’t care what you are; you wouldn’t get past him unscathed,” Gladiolus responded.

  “I suppose you’re right. Calm down; he’s not dead. I didn’t even harm him. Well, not physically, anyway.” Zac chuckled.

  “What did you say to him?”

  “You need to worry about yourself right now, Ms Laurent.” Zac’s cold voice shook Gladiolus.

  “What do you want?” Gladiolus asked, clenching her teeth.

  She didn’t want to admit it, but Zac scared her. She was sure she could, at the very least, defend herself in ideal circumstances, but her fight with Trigger had drained her more than she cared to admit. She had never experienced Theronites herself, but she knew they were at least as good as The Bone Collector, and Zac had killed a team of them in a rage. Whatever Zac was, she was not currently fit to handle.

  Gladiolus blinked, and Zac covered a range of five meters; before she could process what was happening, her jaw was gripped in his large hand, and she was lifted off her feet. She grabbed hold of his sturdy arm in an attempt to break his grip, but it was like she was grabbing and beating her hand against steel. Even with the added defense of the Nano-armor, she had never left anything so solid.

  “Do you love Devin? Knock twice for yes.” Zac asked.

  Gladiolus could not speak as Zac’s large hand was clasped around her jaw. Her eyes shook in panic; she had never felt more helpless before this moment. What was more insulting was that he displayed no ability, no tactic; she was just physically overwhelmed. She didn’t know what he wanted, why he needed to know.

  “Is he seeking retribution? Killing me to satisfy his petty revenge against Devin? As if Devin could stop what happened. I will not give him the satisfaction of-”

  “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s incorrect. My target is Heka, not Chasers. Just answer me honestly. I need to assess your worth.” Zac cut off Gladiolus’ train of thought.

  She closed her eyes as she got an inkling of Zac’s goal. She loosened her grip on his arm that still held her suspended and gently rapped the side of his arm twice with her knuckle.

  “See, that wasn’t so hard.” Zac tossed her to the ground, like trash, and then looked back where he had left Devin.

  “Then make sure you give him all your love. Because he will witness everything he believed in, everything that raised and molded him, his very foundation crumbled and burnt to ash. Ensure he doesn’t break before I get what I want.”

  Gladiolus shivered in the snow but quickly gathered her resolve,

  “I never expected you to be so emotional. I always thought we were rather similar in compartmentalizing.” Gladiolus rose to her feet.

  “Me too. I admit that you are better than me at separating business and personal. But let me ask you one last thing. What would you do in my situation?” Zac’s masked face turned towards Gladiolus.

  She closed her eyes as she imagined the possibility of happening to her, losing Devin and a child at the whim of some perceived higher power. She lightly chuckled and stared at Zac,

  “I’d make revenge on my business.”

  “Exactly! And we both know each other's track records. So you’d never have to worry about me putting you into such a scenario. Because if and/or when I go for Devin’s life, you'd be dead long before.”

  She could not see it, but she could feel the sinister smile on Zac’s face. That statement did not comfort her; it made her even more nervous. That was a clear warning and provocation. He saw her as a more significant threat, and simultaneously the key to Devin’s weakness. He knew if he killed Devin, there would be nothing she would not do, no line she would not cross to exact her revenge.

  Conversely, Devin had always been more emotional than she thought appropriate; however, he was so much more powerful than everyone until recently that it didn’t matter. The shock of her death and the goading of Zac would lead to a quick and easy death. They were each other's strength and weakness, at least in front of this…thing.

  “You can’t take on the world alone Zac.” Gladiolus tried to reason with him.

  “I’m not alone.”

  “For now. But I know what you’re willing to do. Does he?” Gladiolus asked mockingly. She then continued,

  “The Twins were broken when you found them and basically imprinted themselves on you. Sage, well, Sage is hard to read, although admittedly, she doesn’t seem to be attached to humanity. But those three, while capable, won’t tip the scales. But Kenji is different in multiple ways.”

  From her point of view, especially after fighting him, she felt Kenji was evolving faster than Zac was. Following Zac, he would only grow even more. The two of them together would be… problematic. However, there was a silver lining.

  “Do you think Kenji will be ok with the lengths you want to go? I’m sure he won’t mind initially; after all, Heka also came after his life, but how far do you think he will stick with you?” Gladiolus sneered.

  “Your assessment of The Twins and Sage’s ability is flawed. As far as ‘Kenji’ is concerned, maybe you're right. But ‘Trigger’… that's a whole different beast. That’s my boy, and I’ll teach him well.” Zac vanished from sight, only a cloud of dust indicating that he was heading toward the others.

  Gladiolus' sneer was replaced with concern as she raced towards Devin’s location.