Chapter 21
"Why are you such in a hurry Lady Maylene?" Roark asked as they passed through the hospital wards.
"I wanna talk to Volkner." She said, brisk walking. "It's urgent. It's about Reaper."
Roark followed her closely behind. "I'm afraid Lord Volkner hasn't returned yet from his meeting in Kanto."
"What?" Maylene stopped at her tracks and looked at Roark incredulously. "Really? He should have returned this morning."
Roark pushed up his glasses. He stepped aside as a group of busy nurses hurriedly passed by. "He might have visited his sister in Blackthorn City." He cleared his throat. "By all means he should be arriving tomorrow or later tonight."
Maylene exasperated and crossed her arms. She then rubbed the adhesive bandage on her nose bridge. "I guess I'll just confirm it with Blaine myself." She continued walking and went to the elevator down to the basement with Roark where she was met with Dr. Blaine Thornton holding a tray of Petri dish.
Blaine bowed as he saw Maylene came out from the elevator doors. "Good evening Vice Pillar Maylene."
Aside from Blaine, she was greeted by the basement's alcohol and latex odor that churned her stomach in an unpleasant manner. She dismissed this and bowed her head to greet.
"Good evening too doctor Blaine Thornton." Roark bowed as well.
"How may I be of service?" Blaine replied after giving the tray to an assistant he was talking to earlier.
"Reaper." Maylene exclaimed. "I wanna see his record."
She saw how the doctor was a bit hesitant to her request. The dimly illuminated laboratory was even more obscuring the doctor's expression, as if his glasses weren't already doing enough of the job.
"This way." Blaine motioned the two to his table a few meters ahead. He opened a filing cabinet and pulled out a folder. He gave it to Maylene without any second thoughts. "Here. If you want anything else, I'll just be over the autoclave area." He straightened his white laboratory gown and went on his way.
Roark walked a little to a nearby wall and leaned, patiently waiting for Maylene to finish whatever business she had with the doctor.
Maylene took a nearby swivel chair and quickly scanned Reaper's database.
Rank SS: Reaper
Name: Paul Blackwell
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Height: 169 cm
Weight: 55 kg
Blood type: AB
Parents: Deceased
Siblings: Older brother (missing)
Relatives: NA
Hometown: Sinnoh, Veilstone City
Species: Devil
Class: NA
Ability: NA
Status: Alive
Maylene gulped noiselessly as she flipped through the stack of papers. The following pages were news headlines and clippings stapled to one another that gave her a clawing sense of fear and paranoia.
A mother died at childbirth, followed by the sudden death of doctors and nurses in Veilstone Hospital: a possible gas leak? Some evidence proved otherwise.
A family mysteriously died overnight, adopted son only left alive.
GAS investigates another family that all died: a case related to the rumored 'diablo'?
Rumored 'diablo' escalates fear and panic: Devils still exist?
Adoption rates at an all time low: Veilstone City Orphanage airs concerns with their children against violence and discrimination.
Two unnatural deaths in alley 22 Hearthome City: Autopsy reveals other forces at work.
Maylene closed back the folder, her mind still rearing from the information she just read. She recalled her conversation back with Dawn earlier this afternoon.
I'm going with Kenny, do you want to go with us?
She didn't give her a reply. She only said that she'll think about it. But now that she has confirmed it with her own eyes that Paul and Reaper are the same person, Dawn had no idea of what kind of dangerous water she was treading. Or maybe she actually does. Again, Maylene had barely any idea of what kind of relationship Dawn has with Paul.
She looked back and saw Blaine talking with some of his assistants about shipping some laboratory equipment. She gritted her teeth. "Why would he use Dawn of all people as Reaper's vessel?" She thought to herself. "There has to be something more to this than they're letting on."
She sighed and laid on her back, spinning the swivel chair in the process.
She has always been wary of Blaine, he has always been on her radar and the only reason she trusted him was because he did save her from her pancreatic cancer. The success of his operation on her also made her father happy. But nonetheless, Blaine has always that uncanny air around him that Maylene couldn't fully get a hold of. He seemed to be the guy that always has personal motives. As the only doctor across the four regions capable of reverse scourging, everyone knew him as the 'Mad Doctor of Seafoam'.
Who knows how many lives he has sacrificed in order to come up with this revolutionary weapon of fighting against devils.
Noticing Maylene's uneasiness, Roark asked. "You got what you were looking for Lady Maylene?"
"Yep." She replied dryly, biting her nails in anxiety.
Whether she'll say 'yes' or 'no' to Dawn's question won't matter she guessed.
"This Paul guy seems to be someone important to her." She stood up and shook her hands in an attempt in shaking off some anxieties currently in her bloodstream. "And as my mission to keep an eye on her, I have to learn my enlightenment soon."
She placed the folder on Blaine's table. She did not bother putting it back inside the filing cabinet.
"Roark." She called out. "Can you wait for me outside the hospital? There is something else I need to do." She breathed in deeply and relaxed her shoulders. "Alone by the way." She inserted before Roark had the chance to say anything.
"Yes, Lady Maylene." He gave her a tiny bow and went back to the elevator door.
Maylene dug her hands deep into the pockets of her sweatpants and calmly walked to Blaine.
"Doctor." She called. Blaine turned his head to her direction. "I'll be going home now but I want you to leave a note for Volkner once he returns here."
Blaine gave her a nod, motioning her to continue.
"Tell him to visit me at my home. I'm ready for my next enlightenment training session." She bowed as a sign of respect and left the laboratory.
The outside greeted her with the cold evening gust. She easily decided that it was much more comfortable being here than the claustrophobic and dull atmosphere of the laboratory. Her sandals made clacking noise against the pavement as she met Roark waiting for her leaning on the bumper of their sedan.
She smiled at the sight of him.
Seeing Roark waiting for her has always been a sight she never gets tired of. It always reminded her of the simpler times before she was cured from her cancer and joined the GAS as part of the contract.
She was about to call out to him excitedly when a memory suddenly refreshed itself in her mind.
...
"Heeeey! Ar-Ar!" Maylene broke out from the kitchen door leading outside, she called out to Roark who was watering the plants in their backyard. "Ar-Ar guess what?!" She excitedly ran over to him and playfully clung to his waist. "Father granted me permission to go outside to buy my favorite chocolate only if you go with me!"
Maylene was so happy that she almost toppled Roark with the weight of her eight year old body. Roark couldn't help but smile and laugh kindheartedly at her quirkiness.
"Okay okay Maymay." He replied, turning off the water and putting aside the water hose. "I'm done anyway."
"Yeeeeey!" Maylene let him go and twirled around in happiness, her blue one piece dress swaying along the morning breeze of summer.
Roark was stretching his back when Maylene suddenly collapse and fell to the ground.
"Maymay?!"
Roark almost tripped over himself seeing Maylene fall so suddenly. He hurriedly came to her and wrapped her tiny body in his arms. "Maymay?! Are you okay?" He asked panicky. He then carried her in his arms. She was so light and thin. "Dad?" Roark called out, trying to call attention. "Maylene has-"
"Hihihi."
Roark looked down only to be met with Maylene's mischievous smile, her tongue out.
Roark's eyes almost fell from their sockets as he rolled them over at Maylene's joke. "You've got to be kidding me Maymay!" He groaned. "I told you never to do that again!"
Maylene pouted in his arms. "How will you carry me like this if I don't faint." She stated with a smug. "I like being carried like this. Like a princess." She expressed.
"Then just say so jeez." Roark deadpanned. "Well for scaring me then I won't carry you like this at least not now." He let go of her but Maylene already had her arms around his neck as she hung on to him like a scarf.
"You ain't getting rid of me that easy Ar-Ar." Maylene haughtily laughed. "Now to the shop we go!" Her legs were rocking back and forth that the momentum almost caused Roark to lose balance, but he was still able to maintain his posture with a grimace.
"Okay okay your majesty." He grunted. "To the shop we go!" He carried her properly this time using his feet to prop open the kitchen door as they went in.
...
You should act like how you acted before when you found out that he wasn't your real older brother.
Remembering what Dawn suggested to her earlier, she composed herself and cleared her throat.
"Impossible impossible impossible." She chanted in her head as she walked closer to him, pinching her own cheeks as to stop herself from getting embarrassed. "Impossible impossible impossible."
"Lady Maylene." Roark bowed as she got closer. "I received a call from your father. He is worried and wants you home right now." He moved aside and opened the passenger seat for her.
"Okay let's go home then." Maylene got in as Roark walked around the car and sat on the driver seat. He started up the engine and drove the empty streets of Hearthome with the moon shining brightly above them following them throughout the road.
When Maylene and Roark returned home, she was surprised to see Volkner entertaining her father gaily.
It was a sight that Maylene couldn't help but clip her hips at seeing the two converse so carefree.
"Oh Maylene!" Her father noticed her by the door frame. "Volkner visited and brought some souvenirs. It's your favorite hot cocoa from Blackthorn City."
"So you already did arrive." Maylene took off her shoes and placed them on the shoe racket beside the door. "I just got back from the hospital. I was looking for you."
"Well then that's perfect!" Her father clasped his hands together. "I just prepared dinner, let's all have dinner together!"
...
Kenny turned off the big fluorescent light after setting up the heater. He walked over to a wooden table and pulled out its chair. He looked behind and witness Dawn sleeping peacefully on the sofa tugged comfortably with a blanket. Shooting her a smile, he turned on the lamp on the table illuminating Dawn's cozy little room. He laid back on the chair and stared at the ceiling. He's been noticing how the nights have gone even more silent with the ongoing lockdown. It was the kind of silence that was uncharacteristic, a silence that didn't give serenity but anxiety.
As Dawn's nightmare was starting to progressively get unbearable, Dawn had asked him if he could stay in her room, at least until she could fall asleep. He asked her before why she doesn't sleep in her room anymore and she replied that sleeping on the sofa didn't give her that much nightmares compared to sleeping in her own room.
Kenny guessed that maybe the reason is because Paul used to sleep on the sofa and that may have some kind of positive effect on her, which of course didn't help them understand the situation any better.
His muscles all relaxed witnessing the calm breathing of his bestfriend, no sign of an ongoing nightmare. He glanced at her wall clock seeing that it was already ten in the evening. He would have left when he remembered that he asked for Dawn's notes on devils that she borrowed from one of her professors in school. He wanted to learn more about devils. Remembering it, he opened the drawer of the table in front of him and took out the notes. It was a faded thick purple notebook full of writings all in cursive.
He leaned his elbow on the table as he flipped through the pages.
Base on what he have discovered so far on what he could do, he was either a faerie or an imp devil. Bane was no doubt out of the options. If he were one he would have long noticed it. He stopped on a page written about faerie devils.
"Damn this is all hand written? Very neat." He commented, honestly impressed by the amount of hardwork that has been devoted into the book.
Faerie devils are the most common type of devil. They only have the signature red eyes and extra strength granted by their devil nature.
As he continued going through the pages, there wasn't much written about faerie devils. At least not as much as what he already heard from Volkner. There wasn't anything new he read about faeries. It was just the same narratives like peace-loving, weak, and common.
Losing interest about faeries, he quickly went over to the page about imp devils.
The second class of devils are Imp devils. These devils are much more stronger than their faerie counterparts. These devils are infamous for their metamorphosis: an ability that greatly increases their combat capabilities. Needless to say, dealing with them requires a great deal of knowledge, preparation and expertise.
"It's just like what Volkner has said." Kenny read the lines that followed.
This ability gives these devils an enormous surge in their strength that includes being able to jump over two to three storey buildings, carry weights more than twice or thrice their own or even regenerate almost any fatal wound. This surge in power is manifested in the physical transformation of their bodies such as growing horns, claws, tails and other appendages, even extra body parts like legs, head and arms.
Kenny skimmed through the text knowing what was written was something he has already heard from Volkner. He went through a few more pages when his eye caught something Volkner wasn't able to discuss with him.
Imp devils exhibit two kinds of metamorphosis: Incomplete and complete metamorphosis.
Incomplete metamorphosis is the juvenile form of an imp's metamorphosis. This is the metamorphosis that they unlock in their younger years. As a juvenile form, this metamorphosis doesn't fully give imps the complete power it can originally provide and since it is incomplete, the essence released is not properly managed that it drains the imp's energy much more faster and so it doesn't give them their needed edge for a long battle.
Kenny turned over to the next page.
Complete metamorphosis gives the imp the full potential of their metamorphosis. This is a much stronger form of the incomplete metamorphosis. Having access to this level, their strength grows exponentially. Some complete metamorphosis are so dangerous that they are treated as bane level of danger. Unlike incomplete metamorphosis, this level of metamorphosis has no drawbacks, however, not all imps are able to unlock this level of metamorphosis. The reason is still being researched and studied. The hypothesis so far is that not all imps do have complete metamorphosis and imps with complete metamorphosis might be a whole different class of devil.
Kenny felt his nerves become numb. As he read through the page, the more he believed that there was no way he could be an imp devil. They seemed to be so absurd that he already lost faith that he might be one. He was about to close the note when the next page caught his attention. It was a list of imp devils that was recorded in history.
Here is a list of powerful and infamous imp devils in the course of history.
Kenny raised an eyebrow, the page obviously capturing his interest. As his eyes blazed though the set of names, a certain name resonated a wave of nostalgia and awe that almost knocked him over his chair like an avalanche. His chest suddenly ached and caved in that it felt like it created a miniature black hole. He got so dizzy that he accidentally swept the book and it fell from the table making a loud thud.
"Shit." He cursed, worried that the noise was too loud. He turned around and sighed in relief that it didn't wake up Dawn.
"Do I know that person?" He felt his temples. "That name was so familiar.."
He knelt down and picked up the notebook on the floor. He placed it back inside the drawer and decided that it was time to call it a day. He took a final glance at his sleeping bestfriend before dimming the light of the lamp and leaving Dawn's room and locking it behind him.
He walked down the stairs all the way to his apartment room below and unlocked his door. He silently closed it behind him when remembering the name again suddenly gave him vertigo.
"Marilyn McMillan..."
Here, take this. Use it to survive in the human world.
"Marilyn McMillan..."
NOW! KENNY! RUN GODDAMIT!
"Marilyn McMillan..."
Live, for me, no matter what. And I'll see you again. Definitely.
"Marilyn McMillan..."
The name kept on buzzing inside his head like fighter jets, gushing an aggressive stream of memories that played like a film. His head felt like it suddenly gained weight that he soon realized he was losing consciousness.
We can do anything as long as we're together!
Why of course. We're partners!
Partners!
And with a thud, he fell on his apartment room floor.
"Zo..Zoey.." He uttered as his consciousness finally failed on him.
...
Maylene meditated. She collected her breathing, counting each pant of air as it circulated through the veins and arteries of her body.
"Good." She heard Volkner comment somewhere behind her. "Just keep your eyes close and imagine your essence circulating in your body like water."
Maylene knowingly nodded. She breathed in. She breathed out. In and out.
"Now imagine your essence as a flowing river..." Volkner said. "As it flows through your body, try bending its flow into the first shape that you can think of."
As absurd as what it sounded, Maylene tried her best into imagining a river flowing. The first shape she could think of was easily a circle so she tried imagining a flowing water and molding its flow into a circular shape. Maylene didn't know if she was doing the right thing, but a few seconds later she could sense the diamond shape mark on her nose bridge grow hot.
"Keep going Maylene." Volkner encouraged. "You're doing fine."
With her eyes still closed, the darkness she was enshrouded with suddenly grew bright. She felt an insurmountable amount of stress and energy leak out of her body. The circular river she had in her mind started to wobble and sway out of control.
"Focus Maylene." Volkner commanded. "Don't lose it. You're almost there."
Maylene bit her tongue in an effort of controlling this new-found strength trying to break free from her body. It was like trying to suppress an inflating balloon with her hands. She evened her breathing, successful in trying to keep the circle in her imagination from spilling out of control.
"Slowly open your eyes and repeat after me." Volkner said. "Enlightenment. Then say the first thing that comes to your mind."
Maylene slowly opened her eyes, her right eye glowing blue.
"Enlightenment: Mark of Anubis."
The circle in her imagination suddenly spiraled out of control breaking free as the essence she's been controlling so well until now immediately dissipating sending a shockwave that sent her flying and rolling on the floor.
The bluish aura she emitted suddenly dimmed and her right eye turned back to normal.
Volkner shrugged his shoulders. "Almost." He chuckled. "But much better than last time."
Maylene sat up and pulled up the right strap of her white sando. It took her a couple of minutes before realizing that she almost unlocked her enlightenment.
"Waaaaaah!" She cried out in frustration while trying to uproot her hair. "I was so close toooo! Hnnnngggg..."
Roark knocked on the door of the training room and opened it. He was carrying a tray of hot cocoa. "Here's a hot cocoa for you Lady Maylene and Lord Volkner." He gestured.
"Thanks Roark." Volkner received the tray. "You shouldn't have done this though I think I have overstayed my welcome."
"Ahh it is already eleven in the evening." Roark thoughtfully replied. "What is up with Lady Maylene?" He asked when he saw her doing an egg roll on the mat while crying out in frustration childishly.
Volkner sweatdropped. "We were training in trying to unlock her enlightenment." He gently blew on the cup before taking a sip of the hot cocoa.
"So she hasn't unlocked it yet?" Roark eyed Maylene with a concerned look that Volkner couldn't help but admire.
"She is almost there." He playfully elbowed Roark's side. "You sure are a worry wart about her huh."
Roark was caught off guard at Volkner's remark, a comment he deemed unneeded. He straightened himself up, cleared his throat and pushed up his glasses. "Of course I worry about Lady Maylene. It's part of my duty to look over her well-being."
Volkner smirked.
"Are you implying something else Lord Volkner." Roark exclaimed, denying the fact that he was obviously getting embarrassed by the pillar.
"Nothing." Volkner resumed taking another sip and glancing back at Maylene still doing the egg roll of frustration. "But she sure has grown hasn't she."
Roark exhaled. Despite what Volkner has claimed, being her caretaker for twelve years Roark knew that Maylene was still the spoiled brat her father has always cherished. And in spite of it, Roark couldn't help but smile and agree. "She sure has. And as long as I'm here I will protect her with all my life."
Hearing that gaudy declaration, Volkner gave the red-head a friendly punch to the shoulder. "Be sure to never go back on that."
"Heeeeey!" Maylene came running to them. "Who let stingy Roark in? And are those hot cocoa?! Gimme! Gimme!" She hopped excitedly like a puppy.
Roark gave her the other cup which she excitedly received almost spilling the cocoa in the process.
"You know Maylene you should be a little more gentler to-" Maylene cut off Volkner sensing ahead that he was about to tease her with Roark again.
"Anyway Volkner." She said, almost stammering. "I have something to ask."
The blond raised her an eyebrow for a minute before dropping the joke. "I'll be leaving soon so go."
"You remember our promised? Back at the school?" Maylene said, hoping that even if a month has already passed Volkner hasn't forgotten the promise they made.
Remembering it made a ripping pressure in his guts. The tension building up as seconds grew into minutes. He wasn't ready yet to tell her what happened, but the reason why he was here in her house in the first place was to tell her the news.
"I broke the promise." He confessed. "I'm sorry Maylene. I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner too."
Maylene didn't understand what Volkner was saying at the moment but she knew the brewing rage inside of her was warranted.
"Broke the promise? How?"
Volkner clenched his fist and looked at her with a fierce expression. "She's the other body that Nyx stole aside from Reaper."
Maylene was shock. Realization slowly dawned on her like daybreak. How long has it been since her encounter with Nyx has passed? And all this time she didn't know that Zoey was the other body that Nyx stole that night?
Her body suddenly grew hot with anger.
"She was the other body that Nyx carried?! How come you didn't tell me any of this sooner?!" Maylene exclaimed, her voice going octaves higher. "All this time she wasn't in the laboratory?! What happened to your search for Nyx after that incident?!"
Volkner held Maylene's shoulder, trying to calm her down.
"Let me handle this. Just stick to you-" Maylene almost slapped him from the anger that boiled inside her heart. Thankfully she was able to stop herself from doing so. Volkner was still her mentor and doing such would be disrespectful. But she was so full of anger right now that she almost lost her mind. She has to get out of here or else the anger would drive her to do something that she will no doubt regret.
She angrily shook off Volkner's grip and stormed off the room dragging Roark by his wrist leaving Volkner behind them.
"The hospital." She commanded.
Roark was about to say that it was almost eleven in the evening, but he knew he couldn't do anything about it, not with Maylene's anger still erupting.
They arrived at the hospital in less than twenty minutes.
With the hospital basement finally done with its renovation from her fight with Nyx, entering was finally allowed today. Tonight was Maylene's second time back at the basement after her encounter with Nyx. She dug her hands in her sweatpants' pockets. With heavy footsteps, she walked hastily to the rightmost part of the laboratory.
Despite what Volkner has already told her, she was still shocked to see the cylinder container where Zoey was held was now empty. It took her a couple of seconds to absorb the information. She really was not there anymore. She turned around when she heard someone behind her clearing his throat, it was no other than Blaine quite surprised to see the vice pillar in the laboratory this late into the night.
"The girl." She exclaimed, the anger rising back almost made the words that came out of her incoherent. "The girl there, was she moved?" She asked, in hopes that maybe Volkner was just lying and messing with her, that Zoey was still somewhere in the laboratory. Safe. And alive.
Blaine brushed his white mustache with his finger. "You mean that girl McMillan?"
"Yes."
And just when Maylene thought she was long over the fact that Nyx was able to escape which led to an utter failure to her mission, hearing Nyx's name again lit a fire burning bright inside of her. She clenched both of her fist so tight in her pockets that she could feel her nails dug through her palms.
"Nyx had her, together with Reaper." Blaine said. "That night you encountered her. Volkner didn't tell you?"
"But.. why-" She shook her head and dropped whatever she was gonna say, it wasn't going to matter anyway. She walked past him.
Back when they raided the school. Maylene had mentioned to Volkner about Zoey, that she was a different devil from what Volkner had conceived of her. Even with his doubts he trusted Maylene's statement. Volkner told her that he promised that once the raid succeeded, they'll keep and save Zoey maybe even make her part of the GAS. But all of it was now crumbling down, falling apart like a lego house.
Now that Zoey was taken back, she almost wanted to bang her own head against the concrete walls in anger and frustration. She admitted that getting angry at Volkner was childish and irresponsible of her when in truth it was her fault why Zoey was taken back.
"Damn, damn, damn, damn." She cursed as she made her way back to the elevator door. "If only I had known she had Zoey, I wouldn't have played around like an idiot!"
She banged her fists on the elevator walls.
"I'll find you Nyx. I'll find you. I swear I'll find you."
She gritted her teeth, the diamond mark on her nose bridge glowing intense blue.
Chapter 21 End: A Blossoming Feud?