Sepia was one frustrated Satyr. "This is getting ridiculous. Our contacts within G.U.N have no clue where Azure OR Sapphire is? Either they're lying...or something has happened to them."
Sepia walked down the path in the Station Square park. He was getting very frustrated at having nothing go according to his plan. All he wanted to do was inform his other family members of the trouble back home. Now it turned out that Azure and Sapphire had dropped off the face of the planet. This was not like them. Even if Sapphire was on a mission with her new job at G.U.N, she still found time for family. Something was wrong, and this agitated Sepia.
"Where could they be? This is very unnatural for both of them." Sepia continued walking in silent thought until something smashed into the ground a distance away in front of him, leaving a small crater and a cloud of dust. "Hey! What in the..."
Sepia ran over to the sight of the crash through the dust. He cleared it away easily and was startled. In the crater on her back was Azure. However, she looked different from the last time he saw her. Physically she was the same, but her outfit was drastically different. It was tight black and green with her trademark vest over the top. Glowing on her finger was a green ring. As quickly as she fell, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Sepia standing over her, his mouth gaping. "Sepia, my brother! Get back!"
Sepia followed her eyes and he saw three yellow stakes flying straight for them. Azure quickly raised her ring hand and shielded them with a green barrier. The yellow spikes disintegrated on contact. Sepia stared at Azure, who just gave him a nervous smile. He threw up his arms and exclaimed, "What in the name of our ancestors is going on, Azure?"
"Long story. Right now, I've got some yellow dude to contend with."
Sepia was now almost completely lost. "Who? What?"
"She's talking about me, you fool." Gliding down from the sky, Sinestro hovered just above the ground in front of the duo. He pointed his ring at them threateningly. Azure returned the gesture by pointing her ring right back
"The girl's power is impressive for a novice Green Lantern. But she's still no match for me. Did I hear correctly, little girl...Brother?"
Azure gave Sinestro a poisonous stare that would have cut anyone deep. "Shut up! You took my sister and brother away from me...brainwashed them Payne was a..."
Sepia heard that name and immediately interrupted his sister. "Payne? What has this man done to him?"
"He's turned our brother to his mad cause...whatever that might be. He and our sister Shamrock have been turned against us."
Sepia turned to Sinestro, his frustration turning into all out anger. He pounded his fists together. "Oh really!? You'll pay for this, whoever you are!" Sepia charged forward, one of his fists ready to deliver a solid punch to Sinestro.
"Foolish attempt," Sinestro scoffed. Sepia was suddenly stopped in his tracks as his hands and were bound in yellow energy. Sepia suddenly found himself fighting against his own strength as the yellow gloves started moving on their own. For lack of a better phrase, Sepia was punching himself somehow.
"Let him go," Azure shouted."
Sinestro could hear the concern in Azure's voice. He decided to drag this out and break Azure too. "But why should I? Does this bother you...do you want to see him safe?"
"Don't try to manipulate me like you did Shamrock and Payne." Azure caught onto his game immediately. While she did want to help her brother, she also knew how dangerous with words Sinestro could be. "Your fight is with me. Leave Sepia out of this!"
"He tried to attack me. By doing so, he entered into the fight. Now he's as much a participant as either of us."
Sepia was still finding himself helpless against this Sinestro's power. He couldn't even focus enough to control the earth around him to fight back, especially now that he was fighting himself. He looked at Sinestro between punches and shouted, "What do you want from her?"
"I want nothing from your dear sister. She attacked me. I guess that's how you repay someone for saving their family," Sinestro sneered.
Azure screamed at the Sinestro Corps leader, not bothering to contain her frustration or contempt for him. "You didn't save them! You turned them into something other than who they really are. You used your fear tactics to turn them to your cause."
Despite Azure's show of force, Sinestro just stood his ground. "Fear is the answer to all. It can destroy you or set you free. I've turned their fears into tools for them to use. Where's the harm in that?"
Now Sepia was getting fed up with Sinestro's ramblings. "Shut up! I've...heard...ENOUGH!" Sepia summoned all of his strength and clashed his hands together. The force sent a shockwave outward that knocked Sinestro off balance and shattered the yellow energy on his hands. "I don't care what you say, freak. If you've done something to my family, I will see you pay for it!"
Sinestro clenched his ring hand into a fist, ready for the Satyr's next move. "If that's the way you want it? Then come on!"
Sepia did not falter. "Let's go, you knife-ears!"
Sinestro raised his fist and his ring began to glow bright yellow. "This is the power of fear!"
"Sepia, DON'T," Azure pleaded.
Sepia didn't listen and charged Sinestro again, using his power to surround his clenched fist in solid rock gathered up from the ground around him. Sinestro charged also, flying at him like a bullet and creating a large yellow axe in the process. The two warriors charged with no signs of letting up. At the point of contact, Sepia swung his rock covered fist forward. Sinestro met his fist with his axe construct. The very force that they met with created a bright flash of light and a loud explosion. Azure shielded her eyes so as not to be blinded.
When it subsided, she saw both Sinestro and Sepia. They were both on the ground struggling to get up. She ran over to Sepia. He was not breathing well. Sinestro was just starting to right himself. Azure was at a loss. If she stayed and fought Sinestro, Sepia would surely perish. But how could she let the man who took two of her family get away with what he did? She then heard a voice coming from her ring. "Bring him to Oa."
Azure looked down at her ring, puzzled. "Oa? But..." Azure didn't know what was going on, but she was not about to ask more questions. She grabbed Sepia in her arms and flew away as fast as she could straight up.
Sinestro looked up after them and chuckled. "Not bad young ones. Perhaps I underestimated your kind. But know that next time will not be so easy."
On Oa, Azure waited impatiently while the Guardians, the senior Green Lanterns, and her brother Sepia were in council. She didn't know what they wanted, but at least they managed to heal him. Finally, she could not take it anymore. Despite the wishes of the Guardians for her to wait to be summoned, Azure flew to their spire. Taking shelter, she poked her head around a corner pillar and beheld an amazing sight.
"Your battle against the wicked Sinestro was impressive, Mobian. We saw your strength and your connection to one of our newest recruits. You possess a remarkable will and a lack of any great fears." The Guardians words seemed to be both praising and yet condescending at the same time.
"Okay...Get to the point. I see why you allowed Azure into your ranks, Guardians. But what does this have to do with me...and what of my family and people?"
Without a moment's hesitation, the Guardian answered him. "We are giving you the chance to become one of the Green Lanterns. You will assist Azure in guarding her sector and planet. The connection between you two will make you both much stronger."
Sepia was taking this all with a grain of salt. He could barely believe it and almost did not want to. "You want me...to put on one of these rings, speak your oath, and get adorned with that black and green spandex?"
The human known as Hal Jordan walked up and nudged Sepia in the shoulder. "I'd be careful what you say to the Guardians, my small friend."
Sepia responded by looking up at Hal and smirking. "Whoever said I was going to refuse?" Sepia turned his attention back to the Guardians. "Guardians, I don't know exactly what is going on or why you have gotten involved on my planet. But my family appears to be splintered and the other Mythsetians have been all but annihilated. Anyone else would take this and seek revenge. I won't. I will however, seek justice. I will see justice done to my brother and this Sinestro character for what they did to my family." Azure looked on with amused surprise. She could not recall Sepia speaking so profoundly. She remembered Sepia as a straightforward and to the point person. She guessed that age can do amazing things to people. She even noticed Hal Jordan nodding approvingly.
The Guardians exchanged glances before one of them looked down at Sepia, smiled, and nodded. "Then it is settled. Take your ring then, Sepia Mythos. Then speak the oath of the Green Lantern Corps. You are worthy."
A green ring was presented to him by Hal Jordan. He took it and inspected it for a few seconds. "Well…these mitts are going to be a problem." Sepia slipped the ring snuggly on one of his gauntlet spikes instead of his finger. The other Lanterns present raised an eyebrow at this, to which he just shrugged as he proceeded to speak the oath.
"In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight. Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power. Green Lantern's Light." Upon completion, his body was covered by a similar outfit befitting Green Lanterns everywhere. The ring did not leave his spike and in fact almost seemed to be stuck there. The steel spikes on his gloves also took on a metallic green color.
Hal Jordan bent over to Sepia's level and extended an open hand to extend congratulations. Sepia responded by accepting this gesture and shaking his now fellow Green Lantern's hand. "Welcome to the Corps."
Unable to contain her excitement, Azure sprang from hiding and tackled her brother to the ground, giving him a big hug. "This is great, Sepia! You and me...Space cops together! It's just so..." Azure's words were broken up by the silence around her. She looked around and saw everyone looking at her with puzzled or displeased faces.
The Guardian who praised Sepia looked down at her and frowned. "This was a private meeting, young Azure. You were to wait until summoned."
Azure hung her head, realizing that she had disobeyed an order from her superior. She was about to speak when Hal patted her on the shoulder and stepped forward. He looked up at the Guardians. "Aw come on. Can't a sister congratulate her brother at the time he receives such an incredible gift? Come on you two. Get up." Both Sepia and Azure stood up, with Azure standing attentively. "I think you two have some work to do. Perhaps you should get to it?"
Azure nodded respectfully, turning to her brother in afterwards. "Of course. Sorry. Come on, Sepia. Green forever?"
Sepia looked at his sister, wondering how she could be so excited over something so strange. However, he could not deny that this was neat enough, although saving his family were foremost in his mind at the time. He decided to smile for once and return Azure's gesture. "Sure, little sister...Green forever."
