Kaz does his most athletic moves ever in Raznus Returns. Seriously. He did a freaking forward flip and shot underneath the Danians! Where the heck did he learn to do that!? Since when was Kaz athletic!? Ugh, I'm not going to question it…he was pumped with adrenaline. Yeah, that was it. An adrenaline rush, that was all.
………….
UnderWorlders rule.
Testimonium Ut Vos Es Verus
-Perim, the OverWorld, Ruins of Kiru City, Chaor and Takinom's Temporary Room-
Chaor and Takinom stared at their son in shock. Cerberus looked blankly back at them. Then Chaor put a heavy hand on the Prince's shoulder and pulled him into the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. Cerberus shrugged his shoulder and ducked out from underneath his father's touch, moving to the far end of the room to sit on a small couch.
"Who told you the truth?" Chaor asked thickly, still standing by the door. Takinom had remained by the table which was still laden with a half touched meal.
"The Cothica." Cerberus responded, "It told me I was grown in Ulmar's lab, that I was a result of…of gene splicing and Mugics or something." He looked at his parents with desperate chocolate eyes, "Why did you let him do that to me!? I'm your son aren't I!? Why would you let him do that to me!?" Cerberus claws dug holes into the fabric of the couch.
Takinom's wings quivered as she pulled them tightly against her back, agitated, worried, and desperate to be with her son all at the same time.
"We did not intend for Ulmar to make you a weapon, Cerberus." Chaor said in a low voice, "In fact, we had no idea of what had happened until it was too late."
"Bull." Cerberus spat, the spines on his arms rising slightly.
"It is the truth!" Takinom cut in, "Ulmar was mind controlled by the M'arrillians!"
"That long ago!?" Cerberus cried in disbelief.
"Yes!" Chaor's shout was thunderous but splintered with pain, "The M'arrillians had planned for you to be the vessel of the Cothica for a long time…! They…they…" Chaor ran a massive hand down his face, "They poisoned Takinom."
Cerberus looked around at his mother and she looked back at him with a hard expression. She wrapped her hands around Chaor's arm.
"I'm not sure how long they had planned this," Chaor murmured, putting an arm around his Queen and drawing her close, "But they poisoned Takinom so she could not have children. Back then, we thought it was simply a…condition. We went to Ulmar. He told us he could…make us an heir."
"We thought nothing of it at the time." Takinom said softly, "We simply wanted a child. We had no idea that Ulmar was being mind controlled. We had no idea what he done to you until after you were three years old!"
Cerberus' breath caught in his throat and his hands quivered, tearing up the fabric of the couch even more.
The M'arrillians.
That whole time, it had been the M'arrillians.
The source of all the problems he and his friends had gone through, the reason behind every discomfort they had suffered, and the instigators of the whole mess had been those stupid, dastardly, fish-faced, scum-sucking, muck-kissing, water-worshipping, M'arrillians.
An explosion of emotions went off inside Cerberus like an erupting volcano; anger, pain, sorrow, and relief all mingled together in a torrent of feelings. The UnderWorld Prince jumped off the couch and threw himself into his parents' arms, chest heaving with dry sobs.
"Why're we always fighting!?" He moaned, burying his face into Chaor's massive chest, "Fighting! Always fighting! We had to leave home because there was fighting! And even then we could not escape it! There was war in the Human Realm, humans were always fighting! And when we came back there was still fighting!" Cerberus shuddered in the arms of his mother and father, "Why are we always fighting!? It never stops! It never…it never…never stops…!"
"It will stop." Chaor said, clasping his arms around his son, "The tribes are allied, Cerberus, we will no longer fight. This I swear to you as Lord of the UnderWorld."
"And our home?" Cerberus looked up Takinom.
"It can be rebuilt." The UnderWorld Queen answered.
"And…me?"
"No matter what you have done or where you have been," Takinom ran her fingers through the hair on Cerberus' back.
"You will forever be our son and the heir to the throne of the UnderWorld." Chaor finished, affectionately tracing a claw over one of Cerberus' horns. Cerberus squirmed under their touches and snickered.
"What about your companions?" Takinom asked suddenly and Cerberus withdrew, crossing his arms across his chest and gripping his upper arms tightly.
"I'll tell them everything. They deserve that, at least. To make up for letting them think I was dead." Cerberus sighed and closed his eyes, "I haven't forgiven you yet. And I won't forgive Ulmar, even if it was the fault of the M'arrillians. I'm trying to sort this out. I need to be alone."
Without another word, he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.
"He is angry with us for withholding the truth." Takinom said.
"I can hardly blame him." Chaor responded, "He grew up thinking he knew who he was. Then, suddenly, his identity is shattered by the simple revelation that he was a product of experimentation. He's trying to find out who he is, Takinom. And that is a difficult thing to do. He needs time alone."
-Perim, the OverWorld, Outside the Ruins of Kiru City-
"What're you doing out here?" Fenrir jumped and looked around. Zhade was hanging upside down on the side of a still standing part of the wall. His tail flopped down over his spiky back as he dug his claws deeper into the stone.
"What's it matter to you?" Fenrir spat back. He'd taken a dislike to the Mipedian; Zhade seemed to have a habit of being everywhere he was unwanted.
"Maybe I'm just curious." Zhade crept down the side of the wall and stood upright on the ground, "Maybe I want to be friends. Maybe I was told to keep an eye on you. Maybe I'm just doing what I do best."
"Stalking." Fenrir huffed and turned his back on the lizard-like Creature and continued practicing with his Sword of Khy'at, going through the fighting stances that Tangath Toborn had taught him years ago.
"You're holding that quite awkwardly." Zhade flashed into the visible spectrum right in front of him and Fenrir was forced to yank himself out of a swing that would have lopped off the Mipedian's head. As a result, the Battle Gear flew back over his shoulder and sent him stumbling backwards.
"I'm not practicing seriously!" Fenrir snapped back, straightening and letting the weapon dangle at his side, "Besides, I got completely right-handed in the Human Realm! I need to learn to use my left hand again!"
Zhade blinked at him slowly but said nothing. Fenrir glared at him for a while and then deflated.
"Everything's different." He muttered, looking down at the dusty earth beneath his feet, "I came homeand expected everything to be the same. But it's not. Everything's…dead."
"Not everything is dead." Zhade answered in his slithering, husky voice, "Even the death of something can grant new life." He scraped his clawed feet across the ground, sweeping aside some dust and rock, and showed the Fenrir the pathetic, dry, moss that grew in the cracks of the stone.
Fenrir said nothing to this revelation. He turned his impossibly blue eyes back on Zhade,
"Why're you here, anyway? Didn't you go back to the Oasis with Anubis and the rest of the Mipedians?"
"I'm a Stalker, OverWorlder." Zhade became invisible and Fenrir tensed. He felt a hand on his shoulder and jerked away, swatting with his hand to make the Mipedian respect his space. Zhade returned to visibility a few feet away, "I was actually sent here by Prince Anubis to see how everyone is doing."
"Oh." Fenrir suddenly felt stupid and childish, "How's he doing?"
"He is fine." Zhade said, "He still grieves for Siado and wishes he could have remained here to help with the rebuilding of Kiru and the other cities but he is doing fine."
"Thanks." The OverWorld Prince muttered, "Have you seen Seraphim or Cerberus at all?"
"I have already spoken with Lady Seraphim." Zhade crouched down and dragged his claws through the dirt, not looking at Fenrir, "She and her Danian entourage are preparing to leave for Mount Pillar and their Underground soon. She wishes to speak with you and the UnderWorlder before she departs."
"And Cerberus?"
"The UnderWorld Prince is being very withdrawn. He did not allow me to speak with him, even when I told him that I was here on my lord Anubis' behalf." Zhade stood up finally and arched his back, tail standing straight out as he stretched. Then he relaxed and grinned at Fenrir, "I was going to spy on him to discover what was his problem but that would not have been to my Prince's liking. I think he would rather tell his companions on his own time." And he vanished in the usual manner of Mipedian invisibility; a slight bending of the air and he was gone.
Fenrir glared at the spot where the Mipedian had been and growled. Who was Zhade to tell him what to do? Cerberus had already made it clear that he wanted no company from Fenrir and Chaor had only added to that by telling him off. Fenrir didn't want to leave his friend alone but, at the moment, it seemed Cerberus was dead set on being a loner.
Fenrir turned around, putting his back to the city, and started swinging his sword around again. But his heart wasn't as into it as it had been. His heart wasn't in much these days. Seeing the ruin of his home had done him no good. He stabbed the sword into the earth and sat down on a piece of rubble.
"Fenrir." The OverWorld Prince glanced over his shoulder and did a double take.
"Cerberus?" Fenrir almost smiled but then remembered how his friend had turned him away and said, "I thought you weren't feeling well."
"I changed my mind." The UnderWorlder replied, "I'm alright now." He sat down on another hunk of rock beside Fenrir, "Considering that I just found out that the M'arrillians have been ruining my life since before I was born—poisoning my mother, mind controlling Ulmar, making me a weapon of mass destruction—yeah, I think I'm okay." Cerberus turned his brown eyes to Fenrir, "How about you?"
Fenrir only laughed, "The thing about you, Cerberus," He said between his chuckles, "Is that I've never heard you lie!"
"I cannot tell a lie." Cerberus said, pulling a face and putting a hand over his chest, "I am guilty of being emo."
Fenrir snorted and nudged Cerberus' shoulder with his fist, "You, emo? Please. That's like Anubis going on a diet."
"Well, as long as we're back on friendly terms for the moment." Cerberus seemed to sober slightly and he looked out across the wasteland, "I need to go to the Human Realm."
"You what?" Fenrir wasn't sure he'd heard right, "You're kidding, right?"
"No." Cerberus didn't look at his friend, "Everyone here is too busy rebuilding Perim so I think they've forgotten that the Gate and Chaotic are left unguarded at the moment. What if a human stumbles through? What if there are still some M'arrillians out there and they get through to the Human Realm?" He finally returned his gaze to Fenrir, chocolate eyes pleading, "We need a new Gatekeeper. With Elliot gone, our world is wide open to the humans."
Fenrir stared at Cerberus for a long while and then said, "That's got to be one of the most cryptic and intelligent things I've ever heard you say." Cerberus scowled at him, "But I'll go with you, if that's what you're asking."
Cerberus grinned, "Excellent. H'earring's taking us to the Gate and I can use the Seal Release to get through Chaotic to the Human Realm. Let's go!" He stood up, tail swinging back and forth as though he was wagging it like a happy puppy.
"What? Right now?" Fenrir asked, standing up as well, "But Seraphim's leaving soon!"
"She is?" Cerberus paused, "Let's go see her!" And he dashed back towards the city ruins.
"Cerberus, wait up! Cerberus!" Fenrir ran after the UnderWorlder, "Cerberus, come on, I'm not as fast as you! Cerberus!" Fenrir put on a burst of speed and caught up with his friend, "Race you!"
"You beat me!? Ha!"
"You!? You're as athletic as a tree!"
Cerberus gave a barking laugh and leapt ahead. Fenrir moved to catch up with him. The two of them raced each other all the way to the palace remains. They headed up the stairs, all the way to the upper levels, and would have run into Seraphim had the Danian Princess been a step further out her door,
"Hey!"
"Seraphim!" Cerberus stuck his head over Fenrir's shoulder, "Are you really leaving?"
"Soon, yes." She looked between both of them and her eyes narrowed, "What're you two up to?"
"Nothing." Fenrir said quickly, pushing Cerberus' head back (the UnderWorlder protested loudly to this), "We just came to say good-bye."
"Nice of Cerberus to show his face." Seraphim said coldly. Cerberus shuffled his feet and shrank back against the wall, looking at the stone floor. Fenrir glared at Seraphim but she only returned his glare with one of her own.
"You guys have every right in the world to be mad at me. I ditched you without explaining anything." Cerberus muttered. The spikes on his tail grazed the wall and sent a high screeching noise into the air, "But I had to think about some stuff and get some answers and a bunch of crap that's not important now!" He looked up at his two friends, "Would an "I'm sorry" make things at least a little bit better?"
"A little bit." Seraphim said but she smiled, "Look, whatever you guys are planning, just be careful."
"We usually aren't?" Fenrir asked innocently.
"No, you aren't." Seraphim answered, "The next time we all get the chance to hang out together, Cerberus, you'd better spill your guts, you got that!"
"Yes ma'am!" Cerberus snapped a mocking salute, grinning. Seraphim rolled her eyes at the both of them and, with a slight wave of her hand, stepped back into her room and shut the door.
"Now what?" Cerberus asked, looking at Fenrir.
"To the lower levels!" The OverWorld Prince shouted, "Race you again!"
"Ha!"
The two of them took off running down the halls again, racing down flight of stairs after flight of stairs, shouting and laughing as they went. As they barreled down the stretch of hall to the stairs that would lead them to the basement levels of the castle, Fenrir pushed Cerberus' shoulder and the UnderWorlder slammed into the wall. Fenrir pulled ahead.
Cerberus growled playfully and jumped forward, hands outstretched. He caught Fenrir in the upper back just as the OverWorlder was turning to head down the stairs. Fenrir shouted in surprise and tumbled down the stairs. Cerberus, who had thrown his whole weight forward expecting to meet resistance from Fenrir, suddenly found himself flailing wildly, trying to follow his friend in the same manner.
He did not succeed.
Cerberus gave a wild, barking cry of alarm and flipped backwards down the stairs, heels over head, all the way to the bottom. There, he slammed right into Fenrir who was just starting to stand up again and the two boys ended up in a tangled heap, laughing breathlessly at one another.
"Having fun, boys?" Asked a deep voice and the two Prince's looked around with a start.
Translations: Testimonium Ut Vos Es Verus – Proof That You Are Real
Whoa, this chapter was not supposed to take as long as it did. My bad. Life got in the way. Sorry.
As for the ending, um, what's to say? I gave you guys a cliffie. Guess! Guess who it is! No one will guess correctly and I will grin evilly because I'm a jerk like that! XD
I don't really have much to say for myself at this point. NTBL is coming to a close but we've still got a couple of chapter to go. Thank you, everyone, who has stuck around to wait a ridiculously long amount of time for this update, I really appreciate it.
Thanks for reading and please review! I heart reviews and so does H'earring! I…don't know how he just does.
