[Nadia's P.O.V]
The first thing I felt was pain; in my head to be specific. It was as if Thor was hammering Mjolnir down on my skull, pounding my cranium into oblivion. My brain was aching, beating to the sound of what I think are footsteps. But as my body felt looser, I realized that my legs aren't moving at all. I could feel them sway against the air like a swing in a playground. My body felt lighter and relaxed, but I could feel myself moving. I then began to register the skin contact against my body or rather, my clothes. I could feel someone's tight grip around my arms and legs. I could feel their muscles struggling against me as if they're trying to lift something. My head rested against something rough and hard, but it seemed comfortable at that moment. I would've lulled myself back to sleep if it weren't for the constant pounding in my head.
"Pst, Nadia. Wake your ass up..." I hear someone whisper harshly in my ear.
My eyelids felt heavy as a boulder, but I forced them to open. However, when I did, light poured down on me and it nearly took away my vision. I slammed my eyes shut once again. My eyelids clenched down on my eyes as I could feel the light hoping to pierce through my sight. If I wasn't awake before, then I'm certainly awake now. I was about to close my eyes and remain silent throughout the entire whatever we are doing but I then heard the voice whisper again in my ear.
"Nadia, if you don't wake up right now, I'm going to drop your 150-pound of pure muscle on the ground."
This time, I recognized the voice. Who wouldn't after hearing the irritating tone in his voice? I slowly and carefully opened my eyes once again to peek through. The flash of light was still there, but it slowly faded away as time passed until I could finally open them all the way through. The big floodlight that was preventing me to see soon became a small circle in a black sheet on the sky, accompanied by a spread of silver glitter. I stared at the moon above me for a while, my mind still comprehending what is happening.
All of a sudden, a head of reddish-brown hair and a fresh pair of green eyes blocked my view of the moon and glanced down at me with furrowed eyebrows. Hayden, the man I'm journeying with, entered my vision with a serious expression on his face. I would've preferred a worried one but I guess I could work with that. That's when I realized that the arms wrapped under my body and the wall-like material my head was leaning on was actually the demon vigilante himself. My legs were just hanging off his right arm while his arm rested under my back, with his shoulder as my pillow.
My head still kept on aching. I blinked my eyes several times to clear my blurry vision. My throat felt a little dry, I wonder how long was I out. In the first place, how did I fall unconscious? I racked my brain up for my recent memories but I came up with nothing. The pain in my head wasn't helping either. It was as if it was holding those memories hostage, trying to keep me from remembering them. I only remembered talking to Hayden... about my past; about Sleipnir. But everything felt empty after that. The next thing I know, I wake up in the auburn's arms with a headache. Did we drink after that?
Hayden must've noticed my confusion. I think it was evident on my face. "You alright? Glad that you're finally awake." He said in a low voice. He would constantly glance down at me, then back at the front. "Do you remember what happened?"
I wanted to make a sarcastic remark or a witty quip but it seems that my brain is still not capable of making smartass comments. "N- No, what h- happened?" I decided to ask, my eyes falling half-way.
"Well, for starters, we got hit by something big and you hit your head... somewhere along the way." He replied, pursing his lips. I could already tell this won't be a standard normal tale, just from his awkward nods. "Good news; we reached our destination... Bad news; just not in the way you'd expect."
"Stop beating around the bush, Hayden. Spit it out." I snapped. All this bad news, good news shit is driving my, already aching mind, nuts. If he keeps avoiding the real topic, I'm going to strangle the amnesia out of him.
"Sleipnir paid a visit and decided to help us reach Iceland." He replied dully, which was the opposite of my reaction. I mean, I kinda expected something to happen along the way. We were about to enter dangerous territory so it would be obvious for us to encounter some type of conflict. However, I never expected it to be so early or so fast!
Due to my pounding headache, I could only widen my eyes to show how shocked I was, which I feel like it's unnecessary because it's to be expected. Hayden glanced back down at me and nodded regretfully. I dragged my hands across my face, letting out a groan. This is possibly one of the worst possible scenarios to happen and yet, we're so lucky that we have achieved it. If we've been caught already, then we're bound to meet... her—which is where we're probably heading for right now. If we do meet her again, then our chances of surviving, dwindle to at least one percent. But across our journey so far, luck seems to play a big part in our lives and plucked us from situations like these. I'm expecting it to happen again.
The auburn suddenly cleared his throat, "Uh, Nadia. Can you walk? I've been carrying you for about an hour now and I don't think my muscles can last another ten minutes..." He said in a strained voice. Now that I noticed, his arms do seem to be trembling quite a bit. Well, I can't really blame him. I'm probably heavier than the usual female and possibly taller. I guess my legs aren't the ones who are affected.
"Sure, man," I replied, to which he replied with a sigh of relief. He then pushed my body upright so that my feet could touch the ground. Once they did, I anchored them to the soil and forced my body to stay in that position until Hayden let go of me. Although my mind was still in shambles, I had enough balance to keep myself on the ground. But I don't think it's necessary after I saw the ones who were escorting us.
I'm not exaggerating when I say that I nearly stumbled to my feet when my eyes locked with a pair of literal lightning-blue orbs. Luckily, Hayden was there to stop me from falling on my ass by placing his hands on my shoulders. However, my focus was on the electric-filled man who was standing awkwardly in front of us. His coiled-seaweed of a hair blocked most of his face, but it was already clear to me that he's not like the rest. I could smell the saltwater off of his clothes, which resembled the ones that Hayden used to wear. The man then raised his head towards me, shooting me an emotionless gaze and lifting his hair off of his shoulder, to which I responded with a widened pair of eyes. Either it was just my pounding head or I really saw flaps of skin opening on his neck; almost like gills.
But before I could confirm, Hayden flipped me to the other side. "I know what you're thinking, but can you please hold it until we reach where we're going?" He whispered subtly into my ear, but to be perfectly honest, I wasn't really listening. The view in front of me took all of my attention, almost curing me off of my headache.
Iceland used to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world. But after the Dragon invasion, some landmasses sadly had taken some major damage along during the battle. The land itself was deformed and rocky, miniature jagged mountains and hills were sprouting from the ground and stood scattered across the entire valley like trees. Soot, ash, and igneous rocks covered the entire surface, giving it a burnt and singed look. There were pools of muddy water that were contained my craters. Plantlife was practically non-existent in this place. Dark clouds gathered above our heads but showed no signs of rain or storms. The moon shone its light down us, but not even it could brighten the entire place up.
The ground beneath my feet felt like boulders stacked upon each other. It's probably because of the hardened lava that formed and rebuilt the land. Last I remember, Iceland was reduced to a wasteland, taking so many hits that some of its lands broke off and formed new islands. But this place looks bigger than any island. And if there's something at the end of this valley, I might even suggest that this could be larger than before. After my eyes wandered across the mountain ranges and the water depressions along the charred valley, they landed on the two most noticeable details about it; the two weirdos standing in the middle, their heads faced towards us with a blank expression.
Just like the one behind me, I could tell these two are somehow connected to each other. The first one looks like a bodybuilder that eats bodybuilders for breakfast. His body was so comically large, I doubt his legs, no matter how much muscular they are, could hold that much weight in an extended period of time. Although his head is proportional to his body, that doesn't make it any less ridiculous. His muscles bulged out of his tight vest and they're emphasized by the clean cuts through his body. Even his face looks like it's been carved by a stonemason.
The second one is much more normal, but I could still feel the strange and dangerous vibe from her. Her hair is literally made from thorns and spires, grouped up together and fell down her back like a porcupine's back. Her eyes were oddly thin and lackluster, but the golden-yellow shade of her irises reminded me of an eagle's. Even her mannerisms resembled a bird, like the twitching of her neck and her folded wrist that remains in that position the entire time. Leather and metal plates covered most of her skin, but I could see obvious holes across the armor. Whether they were intentional or not, it doesn't matter. It definitely signifies something about her, especially with that many holes.
These three are obviously Sleipnir's property... and yes, I say property because once strike a deal with the devil, you're basically her tool for her plans. Sleipnir's soldiers and followers are probably the most random people. I can look across a crowd of people in Times Square and I guarantee that there's an 85 percent chance that one of Sleipnir's followers was amidst them. However, random doesn't mean special. Just because they're strange and diverse, doesn't mean they're highly noticeable. These three are... and I have my suspicious why.
"You might want to start walking now if you don't want a thorn in your forehead." Hayden suddenly came up to me from behind, causing me to wince. I don't know what the hell that means but I do know one thing, Sleipnir is right in front of our feet and if we want a chance of survival, the best way to do it is to reach... her.
I began a few steps forward, trying to ignore the gazes from the two at the front and even the one from the back. Just something about them makes me unnerved and uncomfortable. Soon, they turned their heads back to the front and kept going. Hayden didn't fall back behind and quickly caught up right next to my side. When I gave him a glance, it looked like he was about to speak but then something came up and he looked away. He then slipped his hand in his duffel coat and pulled out my sword still encased in its scabbard.
"You owe me. If it weren't for me, that thing would be in the bottom of the ocean by now." He handed it to me, to which I carefully and confusingly took it from his hands. The crease on my forehead only grew deeper when I dove deep into my thoughts.
"They didn't take our swords?" I asked, my eyes sneakily peeped underneath his coat to check if it was in there.
Hayden decided to help me by opening the flap of his coat and revealing the hilt of his katana. It was still there, blade and all; simply untouched. "They didn't even bother checking me for anything else. They just told me to come with them. I had no other choice but to follow them." He replied.
When I heard that, I immediately knew that we're fucked. I let out a throaty groan that reverberated across the entire valley, but I didn't care. My hand formed into a fist which I used to bang my forehead. Sleipnir is a very cautious and collected group that makes sure to keep themselves safe no matter the cost. They won't hesitate to use an old woman as a human shield from any projectile. So, if they captured two mercenaries or vigilantes with veteran experience and a honed set of skills, their first instinct—or anyone for that matter—is to relieve them of their weapons and anything that might turn into a weapon. They don't even have to know who we are. I could be a simple farmer that wandered into their territory and they'll still cut off my hands just so I couldn't grab anything as a weapon. This only confirmed my suspicions that they didn't bother tying us up or even chopping off a few body parts.
This could only mean one thing and it's that the ones who are guarding us right now are so confident about themselves that our existences are no threat to them. As I said, Sleipnir is very cautious. But there's a small group in the cult that I rarely encountered but had enough experience to know that they're the real deal. That group, itself, knows how dangerous and powerful they are. And if I'm right, then I won't blame them for thinking that way. Only one group could possibly be like that and they're called...
"...Dragons." Once the word left my mouth, the blood in my veins ran cold. The realization sunk in later than I expected but when it did, my whole body received an electric shock that spurred down my spine and into my legs, which nearly made my knees buckle. I have to say... ever since I went on this quest to find Sleipnir, I've done nothing but got my ass handed to me, knocked out of consciousness, made my legs turn into jelly more times than Jelly Belly. I've spent years without thinking about that cursed cult and during that time, I've been on a roll. But once that name tumbled out of my lips or anyone else's, it dug up old skeletons and resurrected dead memories I hid in the back of my mind. Even when I had forgotten, Sleipnir always has a way to crawl its slimy body back into my life.
Hayden turned to me, with a muddled expression. "Dragons? What?" He exclaimed. He must've heard me mutter it under my breath.
"Those two and the one behind us..." I gestured my head to the man behind us. "You remember that shit I told you about Sleipnir creating meta-humans that destroy anything in their path?" When he nodded, my eyes glanced at the two people walking right in front of us and then back at Hayden, just in time for his eyes to widen in realization. "Yup, those things are called Dragons and I don't think we could take one on, let alone three."
"Yeah... I kinda guessed that we can't beat them in a fight when they took down our helicopter, killed our pilot, and barged in like the Walmart version of the X-Men." Hayden replied sarcastically. On one hand, I'm glad he finally understands modern pop culture but on the other, this is no time to make movie references.
We were approaching the end of the valley and the way towards it just gradually grew narrower at each step. The mountains and hills were closing in on us. We were so deep into the valley that the moonlight could no longer reach us. Darkness took over our view and we could only rely on our instincts and hearing to navigate our way through. The ground was rocky and uneven so I'm not sure if we're stepping on the right parts. I turned my head around and I saw the seaweed guy's eyes glowing from the blackness, not enough for me to see but bright enough for him to have perfect vision.
How lucky. Why didn't I get those?
At the end of the valley, I spot a big-enough opening with light radiating out of it. I could almost describe it as the doorway to heaven or something, right after passing through purgatory. But I know for a fact that at the through that hole is something completely opposite of the abode of God. Maybe a little bit lower and closer to the fiery realm of the Devil; but I'm not in the right mood to meet either of them.
As we near the opening, the bird-like turned towards us and said, "Once we're through, don't look at anyone and just follow us." right before entering the hole and disappearing. I shot Hayden a glance, who simply shrugged reluctantly. We both went in with our mustered confidence, light blinding our vision for a couple of seconds but after it faded away, we were greeted by an abundance of chaos. I had no words on how to describe the sight before me. If this is a taste of what hell is supposed to be, then I dread for the moment I die.
I'd like to imagine a carnival. Not those small, local ones. I'm talking about the ones from Brazil and Europe. Now, the sight I saw is almost exactly like that, but multiply it by ten. Instead of the happy-go-lucky bastards that you would usually see, replace them with a completely diverse myriad of soldiers, warriors, followers from probably every part of the world. Thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of these people were simply gathered in the crater-like structure surrounding us. The carnival stalls were just normal buildings that you would find in any village, consisted of bars, inns, brothels, and maybe even stores. However, I doubt that this community would act like normal cities. Instead of floats, tanks, and other artillery vehicles roamed around the area, fully equipped with heavy-duty weapons and layered armor. Military-grade transport planes, C-5 Galaxy's, hovered above everything like kites with the same type of technology our Skywagon had accompanied by more Apache helicopters just flying around and surveying the surface. Huge warships and naval ships were stationed at the edge of the landmass, where the water meets land. The size of it could hold tens of thousands at a time. Who knows what else this country has up in its sleeves? It was a secret utopia for all the criminals and evil in this world.
We followed the bird-woman, but we couldn't help our eyes from wandering around like a kid in a candy shop. I could hear murmurs and conversations from the groups of people huddled along on the path, speaking in different kinds of languages. If this is the state of Sleipnir, then this might be worse than I thought. We passed through bars, where people came out drunk as hell and started fights. It was livelier than I expected, but not in a good way. The brothels were even tougher to walk past. Girls in the skimpiest dresses were stationed outside the building, attract both males and females in the brothel. There even some male prostitutes standing with them, sporting nothing but boxers. It was not a sight to behold. Some of the girls were just wearing lingerie and bikinis. A few were just outright naked, tits out and practically begging for sex. I noticed some of the female warriors flirting with the hookers, along with the men. One of them even winked at me and flicked her tongue through two of her fingers, as if to gesture licking my...
I couldn't help but sense a gurgling feeling in my stomach. I have to say... when it comes to catcalling, both men and women are equally disgusting and disturbing. When we finally emerged out of that hellhole, we were now facing three volcanoes molded together. I'm guessing that the lava that used to continuously pour out of volcanic craters, cooled off and welded all three together. But right at the base of it is an open doorway, leading towards inside. Neither the bird-woman nor the bodybuilder stopped to take rest. They nonchalantly walked inside, giving us no choice but to follow. It was either that or wait for the seaweed guy to push us forward.
With our feet practically dragging on the ground, we forced ourselves to enter the volcanic structure. The first thing I saw when we did go in was lava. I don't know what I was expecting... but I guess I was waiting for something more shocking. Molten lava dripped down the volcanic walls as we walked across a single bridge made out of smooth, carved obsidian, immune to the heat of lava but not completely. Just enough so that the bridge won't melt as we walk. It was hot. Crazy hot. I looked up above us and it was so high up, I could barely see the crater. Down below is... guess what? More lava!
Hayden was sweating bullets, but I don't think it was due to nervousness. I mean, it's not like we're in a volcano or something. He grabbed the flaps of his coat and waved it around to cool himself off. His eyes suddenly locked with mine and his eyebrows furrowed into a frown. "It's like more than seven-hundred degrees in here. Why the hell aren't you sweating?" He exclaimed.
I took the liberty of checking, feeling my arms and neck for at least a single drop of sweat, to no avail. While that may be shocking to others, I'm not surprised. "I guess I'm just built differently," I replied nonchalantly.
All of a sudden, the two Dragons stopped in their tracks. I was able to see it coming so I halted as soon as they did, but Hayden was less fortunate. The auburn bumped his body against the Hulk-looking guy and judging from the frown on his face, I'm guessing it feels like hitting a brick wall. The large man turned his head behind him with a sharp glare that could cut his rock-hard skin. However, Hayden didn't even flinch from his gaze and he even shot him a glare of his own. Granted, he kinda looks more confused than irritated but it was enough to counter the bodybuilder's glare.
"So, what are we doing here?" He spoke up, the irritation coming out through his tone. I mean, I don't blame him for that. I, myself, want to get out of this situation as fast as possible but from the way I look at it, the possibility is growing lower every second we spend time here.
"Why, it's because I missed you!"
The voice echoed across the cavern walls, ringing continuously in my ears. A look of puzzlement crossed Hayden's face while he whipped his head around to search where the voice was coming from. On my end, I was completely still and calm but my inner self is quite the opposite. My heart skipped a beat. My legs remained rooted to their place, stomach twists, spine tingled, the hair on my skin rose, breathing shifted, time slowed down. I knew exactly whose voice it belonged to. The voice itself didn't affect my body but it did bring up the memories I tried to bury down my mind. But just from hearing it, everything just burst out and it was too much for my body to handle.
"Hello, Nadia."
Ever so slowly, I raised my head and craned it to the side. A circular platform laid at the end of the bridge and the middle of the volcanic cavern. On it, a throne stood majestically yet horrifically. The chair was carved out of fine oak, crested with several jewels and decorative metals forming an elegant coat of arms. However, bones made up the legs of the throne and red liquid soaked beneath it. Whether or not they're real, it still gave off a terrifying image. Sitting on the throne is a woman, but not just any. Her hair was as waves of pure earth, softly reflecting the light of the lave coating the walls; each strand moving freely in an ocean-borne breeze, a compliment to her stillness. With eyes of raging fire, her aura seeped into the burning air between us. A smile graced her lips, one that radiated every emotion she was feeling... and I could curl my lips with disgust. I wanted to grab her perfect face and smash that thing onto the jagged ground. But for now, I could only spit out her name.
"How's it going, Sage?"
[Normal P.O.V]
Hayden was confused. He glanced back at Nadia's furious expression and at the woman, who is apparently named Sage, grinning from her throne. You don't have to be a genius to figure out that there's some bad blood between the two. However, Nadia and this woman live in different worlds. Hayden isn't sure if they know each other completely. But just judging from the seething glare from the blonde's end, he'd like to think that he's right. It wouldn't hurt to ask though.
"Uh, Nadia. Do you know this woman?" He asked.
Without even sparing him a glance, she replied with a silent rage, "I wish I didn't."
The grin on Sage's mouth grew even wider. "Oh, don't be like that!" She gushed in a mocking way. "Why don't you properly introduce me to him?"
Nadia gritted her teeth but she reluctantly agreed. "Hayden, allow me to introduce you to Sage, the leader of this accursed cult, the puppet master of many wars, co-creator of the Dragons, and..." The woman shot her a smirk and gestured for her to continue. "...my mother."
The auburn whipped his head towards the blonde. "What?!" He exclaimed. All the pieces started to fall in their places in Hayden's head. The reason why Nadia was so familiar with Sleipnir is because she, herself, was once apart of them. She knew so much about a secret cult that it's impossible for her to hold such knowledge and not even share it with anyone. But even with this piece of information in his palm, he still couldn't consider the blonde as his enemy no matter how much he changed his perspective. All the scenarios in his head ended with a simple argument; Nadia escaped from the cult and somehow, grew a grudge along the way.
Sage simply shrugged with her lips pressed together. "It's true. Though I'm not sure if daughters are supposed to stab their mothers with a fairly sharp sword."
"Shut up. You deserved that and I'm not apologizing for it. Don't you think that the reason why I ran away is valid?" Nadia exclaimed.
"Oh, believe me, Naddy. I'm not begging you for forgiveness. In fact, I was a bit touched that you decided to leave our ranks before I could do it myself."
The blood in Nadia's knuckles immediately left, her skin turning white as her fist balled up so tight that you could hear her bones gnash together. It's taking every muscle in her body to hold herself from lunging at the woman. "Shut up..." She hissed. It was venomous, acid almost literally dripping from her words. The amount of malice in her voice was enough to kill a grown man. Compared to her, snakes are merely child's play.
Meanwhile, Hayden was still clueless about the entire situation. He's been thinking about it for a while, trying his best to connect certain dots but to no avail. He knows that the blonde used to be a part of Sleipnir which was confirmed by their recent conversations, but he has no idea how it came to fruition and how is she here right now. "H- How did this happen?" He asked, unknowingly butting into the tense conversation.
"I'm pretty sure I taught you that already, dumbass." Nadia irritatedly rolled her eyes. Hayden's frown only deepened at her sarcastic remark. His eyes then did a whole scan down the blonde's body and features and then compared it with the woman's.
Sage's long hair fell forward to her well-endowed bosom. Such that did not fall remained inside of a dark green hood, which seemed to be attached to her double-slit skirt that tightened at her chest and then terminated at her ankles. Her right shoulder was covered with an unusually large, gray metal pauldron, with three layers, presumably to allow for a range of movement. The pauldron stopped just above her elbow, and then just below it, a metal glove began, covering her entire forearms and hands. The detail was meticulous, with the metal designed to even resemble her fingernails. Her skin seems darker than Nadia's, bearing a resemblance with a hazelnut. With one leg remained propped over the other and her cheek resting on her palm, she sat there with the pride of a queen. The only resemblance Hayden could make was the eyes, but it wasn't even the right shade. Maybe he could compare their bust sizes but he's not even going to tread past that boundary.
He faced Nadia with a hesitant look and questioned, "Are you sure you're not adopted?"
Both the cult leader and the mercenary stared blankly at Hayden at first, before Sage burst out in laughter. Her gales reverberated across the volcanic throne room, bouncing off the walls like a tennis ball. She fell to her side, clutching her stomach as she proceeds to chortle uncontrollably. It sounded like a mix between a mermaid's laugh and a witch's cackle. Either way, Hayden wasn't expecting it. Once her laughter died down, she still had a gleeful smile on her lips, and it was so innocent and charming that the auburn almost forgot she was the enemy.
"My, you still are a barrel of laughs, Hayden. I still remember the time when you tried your best to keep quiet but you couldn't and you just cursed the hell out of me. That was marvelous!" She remarked, earning her a unison of voices from both vigilantes.
"Huh?" Hayden's bottom lip fell open, perplexed.
Sage holds her expression for a second before coming to a realization. "Oh, I almost forgot. You've lost your memory, didn't you? You don't remember working for me? I guess that extra dose of venom was too much." Hayden simply stared in shock and bewilderment at the woman, unable to speak a single word. "Let me give you a brief backstory then. You see, Hayden... you used to be a very special assassin. Quite good, if I remember. You weren't as gruesome as you are now, but you certainly had a higher kill count than you think. You were infamous in the underworld. Many gave you labels and names to boost up your popularity. The embodiment of lightning and death; the Night Fury..."
The demon vigilante listened as he practically saw his past unravel in front of him. A nagging itch started crawling up from the back of his mind, but he couldn't even notice it. "N- Night Fury?" He stammered, his brain failing to process all this information.
"Yes... named after a rare dragon dated back to the Viking Age. I believe I created a Dragon just like that. But I assure you, Hayden, you are still the holder of that name and I don't think anyone can just take that away from you. After all, the blood of your enemies will never wash away from your hands."
"N- No..." The auburn whispered, his throat tightening and his heart dropping.
Sage continued, "You certainly foiled some of my planes. But I have to admit; you did a bloody good job at doing it. I mean, blowing up Grimmel's main cloning plant? That was superb! I wasn't even angry about it!" She slapped her hands together and let out a hearty laugh, which especially weird since their conversation is literally about death and destruction. "At least you took that old bastard with you. I would've killed him myself if it weren't for you."
"Shut up..." Hayden mumbled, as his hands flew to his head. Pain started to build up in his mind, both mentally and physically. A series of images started flashing in his vision; switching from picture to picture at a fast pace. He took a glance above and saw blood coating the volcanic walls, dripping down to the bottom. His frantic and panicking eyes followed the drops down to the lava below but instead of seeing molten magma, he saw bodies. Piles of dead bodies stacked over each other as the drops of blood rained down over them. Eyes widened at the gruesome scene. He wanted to look away, but something kept pulling him into it.
"You had to see my face when I found you in Colorado. I never expected to see you there. Well, you weren't quite in great shape since you had a hole in your stomach." Sage continued, oblivious to the auburn's mental state. Nadia, however, could clearly see the sheer panic in Hayden's eyes. She wanted to ask him what was wrong but he kept muttering something under his breath;
"Leave me alone... leave me alone... leave me alone..." Hayden's knees were on the brink of collapsing. Memories of his past suddenly rushed in his mind, but not the good ones. All he could see was chaos all around him. People getting shot, stabbed, and beaten to death. Flames engulfed his surroundings, burning everyone in his sight. He just stood there in shock, watching the scene unfold. Their gut-wrenching screams of agony pierced through the air. Hayden looked down and saw crimson blood pooling at the bottom of his feet, crawling up to his shoes. He couldn't move from his spot. He could only watch the liquid clumping near him as Sage's words fell deaf in his ears.
A glint of light suddenly grabbed his attention and he followed it to the pool of blood below his feet. He screwed up his eyes, trying to peer through the reflection of the blood. But instead of seeing himself, he saw a raven-haired woman locking eyes with him. Gazing into her eyes, he found himself being sucked into a forest, surrounding him with an abundance of maple trees and thick blades of grass. The cool wind tickled his skin, caressing his face as if it was real. The sun peeked through the trees like a giant lamp. At first, he thought everything was alright. But that's when Hayden knew something was wrong. He could feel the heat from the sun grow hotter. The wind started to pick up from his feet. Leaves started falling at a rapid pace until he couldn't see anything else. Once everything fell apart, he came face to face with the same raven-haired woman he initially saw in his reflection; only this time, she was smiling.
She walked over to him, her steps slowing down at each second. Hayden didn't move from his spot. He just watched the woman stop three-feet away from him, a disturbingly innocent smile on her lips. All of a sudden, an invisible hand clasps over his mouth; an equally ghostly needle of adrenaline pierces his heart, unloading in an instant. He felt his ribs heaving as if bound by ropes, straining to inflate his lungs. His head is a carousel of fears spinning out of control, each one pushing his mind into blackness. The woman just stood there as his vision began to blur. But he could see her lips moving. And with one word leaving her mouth, his vision shattered; "Boo".
Both Nadia and Sage whipped their heads around in confusion as a scream left the auburn's lips. It was so raw and disturbing, that even the Dragons winced at it. Hayden has a look in his eye Nadia hasn't seen before on him. It looks like the one she saw I've seen in the horses' eyes when they come in for schooling at the ranch, wild, not even knowing what people are. Then he proceeds to bend over double, hands on his knees, struggling to regulate his breathing. The blonde quickly rushed to her... friend. She doesn't know what he is to her but the least she could do for him after the fairly long and difficult journey they had, is help him. She placed her hands on his shoulders, slightly shaking him to take him out of whatever he is experiencing. His breaths came in gasps and he felt like he was going to blackout. His heart hammered inside his chest as it belongs to a rabbit running for its skin. The room spins around and he kept his head close to his chest, trying to make everything slow to something his brain and body can cope with.
Nadia's eyes, filled with worry and concern for the trembling man in her arms, suddenly enraged with anger. She stood to her feet, lips curled in disgust and malevolence. "What the fuck was that, Sage?" She demanded, but her wrath only grew when said woman responded with shrug. The disrespect that Nadia felt almost overwhelmed her anger but it came back with full force when a smile curved up Sage's lips.
"I didn't do anything. Well, at least intentionally." She replied calmly. "Memory triggers are a hell of a ride but nothing certain can activate them."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Nadia grabbed the hilt of her sword and in an instant, she found herself surrounded by the three Dragons. The woman had now sprouted her thorns out of her skin, with a single bone-like thorn protruding out of her knuckle which she used to hold the blonde in place. Electricity burned out of the lanky fellow, allowing streams of energy bolts to travel down his arm and focus it in his fingertips. One wrong move and he'll send a shock of 5.4 million volts down Nadia's body. If you think it can't get worse, then Muscular is about to prove you wrong. A dark and large shadow suddenly covered the blonde. She glanced up and to her surprise, the heaviest and bulkiest of them all was hovering above her with hefty hands balled up into fists.
However, Nadia remained calm and practically ignored the three Dragons. She continued to stare Sage down, who seems to be having the time of her life. "I missed our conversations, Naddy. You're the only one who has the guts to talk back to me." She gushed in a motherly voice, but it was honestly just a way to get on her nerves.
And it worked perfectly... just not in the way Sage thought.
One second ago, the Dragons had their hands ready for any type of movement from Nadia. The next, all three laid across the ground, clutching their chests as blood spilled over the single-line slash across their flesh. Nadia, still in her last position, had her sword extended across the air and the scabbard in her hand. In one quick stroke, she had miraculously sliced through the Dragons so swiftly that neither of the meta-humans was able to form a counter. A splash of blood tainted her right eye, some dripping down her cheek. However, Nadia didn't mind. In fact, it almost looks like she enjoyed it when in reality, she really just relished the shocked expression on Sage's lips. She then proceeded to sheathe her blade back in its scabbard, just in time for the Dragons to recover from their wound.
The woman, especially, was fuming. With blood still pouring down her chest, she summoned a thorn from her palm and made a move to perform the deadliest slap in the history of both mankind and dragonkind. But before her hand could connect with any part of Nadia's body. The muscular guy suddenly grabbed a hold of her wrist, completely stopping her momentum. The bird-woman turned her gaze to her fellow Dragon to ask him what his problem was when the man responded by gesturing his head towards Sage, who had her hand up the entire time. The woman's gaze softened, maybe even cowered a little, and retracted the thorns back to her body. Nadia had to admit that if she didn't notice Sage's expression, she would've fought back and started what might be a major scuffle.
"What all this about... mother?" The blonde demanded, spatting the false label out like it was taboo. "What's your plan here? Why did you bring us here? What's all the gathering outside?"
Sage stared down at her supposed daughter, "My goals never wavered, Nadia." She replied in an oddly soft voice, but the emptiness of the room caused her voice to bounce across the volcanic walls. "I'm still aiming to do what my family aims to do. You know what this is about; it's still about peace, of course."
The anger in Nadia retreated for a short while, but she continued to hold that stern expression. "By peace, you mean destroying countries and waging wars?" She mockingly said.
"Peace without chaos is useless. What will the definition of peace be if the world falls quiet? All these government agencies that's trying to kill off what they deem evil in this world, do they even understand what they're doing?"
"So, to create peace, we must destroy peace?" Nadia arched an eyebrow, before rolling her eyes. "What a load of bullshit."
Sage rose from her throne. "Chaos is what drives humans, Nadia. Not peace. We created this illusion that with peace, the world would be normal. Chaos is normal... so if they want normal, we need to create chaos to drive us to peace. It's a never-ending cycle where humanity is this close to achieving what they want, but then at the last minute, something will stop them. But because of this, the world evolved. I'm just giving humanity a little push."
Nadia couldn't wrap her head around her words. On one hand, she made some pretty good points that she agreed with. On the other, it's just a fucked-up plan that will result in many death and destruction, but that's what they want anyway. But just like always, her EDD acted up once again and all her emotions, guilt, sympathy fell down the drain along with a piece of her humanity. She found herself empty, unable to care once again. The anger within her had now completely dissipated. She even tried envisioning the future of Sage's plan, rewatching those scenarios in her head but to no avail. In fact, she's even considering agreeing to her plan, but the last pint of empathy held her back. This is why she wanted to avoid Sleipnir at all costs because deep down in her heart, she actually desires the same goal they had. But her pride won't let her admit that. Unfortunately, Sage watched her expressions shift through time and she saw that one look on her face that sealed her argument in concrete. She recognized that look...
"They're acting up again, aren't they?" She asked, but she didn't need to. The blank and inanimate expression on Nadia's face answered all her questions. "After all this time, your genes still play a big part in your survival, Nadia. No matter how much you want to deny it, you're still my little Screaming Death; a Dr—"
It was quick, even for Nadia. In just a span of one second, everything fell apart. A head suddenly plopped down the floor. The blonde turned to her side and found the thorned-woman's headless body to be standing on its own, with a sliced-off hand still gripping the wrist. The muscular man stared at the stump where his hand was supposed to be but was instead replaced by air. A knife was found in the seaweed guy's stomach, just buried there without even being noticed. Nadia whipped her head around and found his old position to be empty. She turned back around to see the same auburn that was literally having a panic attack before, stabbing his katana through the leader of Sleipnir against her throne. Rage and fury were burning through the green on his eyes. His knuckles were practically white at how tight his grip was on his hilt as he tried to push the sword down even deeper in Sage's chest. Meanwhile, the brunette was holding the blade with her gloved hand, preventing the sword from damaging any vital organs or bones.
"I remember you..." Hayden seethed out. "You controlled me... like a fucking puppet! You made me kill all those people. You made me into a fucking demon!"
Even with a sword digging deep into her chest, Sage couldn't help but let out a laugh from the bottom of her heart. "No, Hayden Haddock. You were always a demon. From the day you were born, you were destined to be controlled by your anger, pain, and depression, turning you into the perfect soldier. When I took you in, I gave you a roof over your head, food to eat, clothes to wear. Sure, I took advantage of your initial memory loss so that you could help me with my plans. But during those three years, I never taught you a single thing. Everything you've done was done to your accord. I simply aimed you but you fired the bullet. It was all you, Hayden. You were a demon before, and you're still a demon now, even if you don't want to believe it."
Hayden gnashed his teeth together and continued to push the blade into her flesh, earning him a groan of pain from Sage. But then a sadistic smile crawled up her lips. "You still won't believe it, don't you? Even before I found you, you were Night Fury! The most skilled killer from all over the world. No one can match your talent. Everyone feared you, whether it'll be the innocent or the guilty. You were the judge, jury, and executioner. That's why I thought you were perfect for the job. You still are. When I found out that you were trying to find us again, I was ecstatic. Even when we erased your memories again, you still came back to us." She leaned forward, despite the sword through her chest, and then rested her hand on Hayden's cheek. "I guess we really are meant for each other."
At that moment, something snapped inside of Hayden's head. His eyes flashed with wrath and indignance, much like lightning on a pitch-black night. Anger curled hot and unstoppable in his gut, like a blazing inferno that wanted to burn him from the inside out. He wanted to lash out, rip everything apart, piece by piece. In his head, this inner turmoil in his head that used to keep on spinning and spinning suddenly stopped. Memories from times where even he doesn't know when began coming up and adding fuel to the flames. This is no longer about his anger towards Sage. All the emotions he had stored in his heart, whether they're forgotten or buried, rose from beyond the grave and erupted like an emotional volcano, slowly molding all the emotions into one; complete and utter hate. To whom? Everyone...
He yanked the blade out of Sage's shoulder so hard, he actually ripped through the woman's sternum—the bone that protects the heart. A scream of agony echoed throughout the volcanic walls. But Hayden wasn't done yet. He pulled his sword back once again and aimed it, this time, at the cult leader's head, which will guarantee her certain death. He doesn't know what the hell she is but if there's something that can stop her, it's a blade to the skull. But before he could ultimately kill the leader of Sleipnir, someone's arms wrapped around Hayden's waist and pushed him off of Sage. His sword slid across the bridge, clattering near the edge. The auburn gasped for air as he struggled to get up, trying to push whoever stopped him. But then he immediately froze when he came face to face with a familiar pair of blood-red eyes.
"Nadia? What the..." Hayden whispered, his anger momentarily subduing. Nadia tightens her grip around his waist, forcing him down even further. However, the expression on her face betrayed her actions. She had a look of puzzlement and hesitancy in her eyes but her hands continued to restrain him. Sage emerged from her throne with a gasp. Blood was still leaking from her chest but she paid no mind to it, almost as if it wasn't there. She proceeded to walk down the bridge to where they were.
Sage had a contented smile on her face as she faced the two. "Glad to see that you still care for your dear old mum, Naddy. I hope at the end of this, we can come to terms with our relationship." Nadia simply fixated her gaze on the woman, giving her the answer she needed. She then turned to Hayden, who was still frozen in shock. "And you, thank you for proving my point. I'll leave you alone for now. But the next time you drive a sword through me, I'll rip that blade off of your hands and use that to clean your teeth. See you later, Hayden Harrison Haddock..."
And with that, she walked off. She passed by the wounded Dragons, who paved a way for her to go through. Unfortunately, the woman's headless body remained motionless on the ground with its head sitting right at the edge of the bridge, eyes still open and a permanent look of distress on her face. Sage looked down at the head with a sneer.
"Ugh, what a disappointment," She muttered under her breath before kicking the head off of the bridge and into the molten lava. "I can't believe I wasted my genes on someone so useless." Sage turned to the rest of the Dragons and motioned for them to follow out the doorway, leaving the two vigilantes alone in the burning hot room.
At first, Hayden couldn't move a muscle. It's like his mind ascended to an astral plane to try and figure out what was happening. But as time passed, his spirit returned to his body with anger beginning to build up again and this time, it was directed at Nadia.
"What the fuck was that? I had her! I could've killed her! Why the fuck did you do that?" The auburn rose to his feet, glaring down at her with so much force that it physically hurt.
Nadia, still affected by her EDD, responded with, "I'm going to ask you the same question. Why did you do that?"
"Do what?!"
"Try and kill Sage..."
Hayden let out an exasperated sigh, "To end this fucking thing! So I can go on with the rest of my life and you go on with yours!" He replied in a high-pitched voice while waving his hands in the air.
"Is it really about that? Because it seems to me that you have this personal vendetta against her." Nadia said monotonously. "In fact, everything you've done seems to be a personal thing but you don't realize that."
The auburn gritted his teeth, "What does that mean?"
"You lost your memories, right? I believe your current memories and your past memories are contradicting with themselves. Your own morals are shaken because of this. Your goals and emotions from the past are influencing your current self," Nadia explained.
"So what?! It's still me!" Hayden retorted defensively. "Whether it's me from the past or me now, I'm still the same fucking person!"
"Frankly, I don't know who the fuck you were before all of this, Hayden. From what I heard, you were apparently an assassin; hired to kill people. The only difference you have now is that no one is telling you who to kill!" The blonde stood to her feet and faced Hayden with her own hardened gaze. "You're not just the one pulling the trigger, Hayden. You're loading the fucking bullet, aiming it, and firing it. The only thing I don't know right now is why do you fire the fucking gun?"
The auburn vigilante was taken aback by her words, his anger fading away. He took a few steps backward but Nadia covered them with her own. "If I'm going to be honest, I don't give a flying shit about the world. Society and humanity could go fuck themselves for all I care. And that's not just my EDD talking. I had my problem with Sleipnir but what's yours? What has the world done for you, Hayden?!" She shouted, her words bouncing across the room. "Why are you so hellbent on taking down these criminal organizations? Is it for the world? Or is it for your own personal vengeance?"
"You just you don't know me. So mind your damn business!" Hayden retaliated, but Nadia stood firm.
"I don't need to know you to recognize that look in your eyes. You're just like me; a selfish bastard who creates their own ideals and morals. You despise being the weaker person so you overcome that just to shit on the people that used to be stronger than you." She spat out, silencing the auburn. "But let's ignore that for a while and let's focus on your problem. Who the fuck are you?" She stabbed her finger at Hayden's chest while shooting a sharp glare at him. "Are you that clueless idiot who knows nothing about the modern world or are you that merciless killer hunting for criminals in alleys? I don't know anymore."
The two glared at each other for a moment, not breaking eye-contact. The fire in their irises waged war against themselves, battling for the winning cup until Hayden spoke, "Why do you care about who I am all of a sudden. We barely know each other yet here you are concerning yourself with me. Supposedly, after this, we'd go our separate ways. I'm guessing you're done... but I'm not. That bitch took nearly my entire life away and I'm not going to let that go. So, run along to your mother and—"
The words fell out of his mouth when Nadia suddenly yanked his collar forward and nearly slammed her head against his, only stopping because she pushed him enough so that they wouldn't hit each other. The seething, venomous rage bubbling in her eyes made Hayden shut his mouth. "Listen here, dipshit. I hate that lying, conniving, heartless piece of shit as much as you do, probably even more. When I started this trip, I had a different set of goals. I didn't come here to interfere with her plans or anything. I came here to make sure that she stays the hell out of my life. Her plans for the world aren't my problem. Once all this is over, no matter the result, I'll just go back to my worthless hole I call a house and just stay there until I die." She pushed the auburn away from her and let out a heavy sigh. "And regarding you, I don't know. Maybe someone told me to take care of you. Maybe you remind me of myself and I hated that. Maybe I fucking care for you... who knows! But if you did kill her, what would happen? You'd only prove her right! You'll kill her just because you wanted to! You said you hated to be called a demon yet... it's pretty hard not to."
The two fell into an uncomfortable silence, but it everything but quiet. The lava below continued to bubble, filling the air with heat. Outside, they heard the voices of thousands of people cheering and rallying. The sounds of planes taking off and helicopter rotors spinning across the winds. Metal clashing against metal. Guns being fired. Battle cries being yelled. Hayden turned his gaze outside and saw the army moving out. The transport planes soar to the air, holding soldiers in their hulls. Helicopters swung their blades as they escorted the planes to their destination. The rest of the army rallied to the ships docked at the edge of the landmass, preparing to leave. They were throwing bombs in the air, causing explosion after explosion as if they were fireworks, all the while cheering for their upcoming battle. The light from the violent shattering reflected against Hayden's eyes as they continued to fill the sky. It reminded him of the flames he saw from his vision except this time, he didn't even react. He just watched as a fluid chain of explosions blew up across the sky, lighting up the underground utopia.
"I'll get going." Hayden turned to Nadia, who had already calmed down. She was watching Sleipnir, an international threat to the world, embark on their ships and planes to wage war against humanity. "I'm done for now. If you decided on what your next move is, join me at the bar." And with that, she walked off, leaving the auburn to himself and his thoughts. But as she reached the end of the doorway, her hands flew to her face. A tired sigh escaped through her lips and fingers; like a thousand burdens on her shoulders left with it.
"Fucking hell, Camilla. What've you got me doing?"