Chapter Twenty-Five: The Fall of Talpa

(Note: Later in the chapter a revelation will be made. This is revelation has NOTHING to do with any information I've read. I just thought it would be an interesting idea. You'll see what I mean when you read it.)

I watched in shock and horror as Yuli began to literally beat Talpa. The once enormous giant was now my size. Yuli then landed on the ground and a golden portal opened behind him. "Good luck, Cye!" he said, then he backflipped into the portal. It closed up.

Talpa turned his attention to me. "So, you wish to challenge me, Cye of the Torrent?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Give me your best shot," I said coldly. Talpa raised his sword, gave a battle cry, and charged at me. I instinctively side stepped and his sword was stuck in the wall behind me. I didn't hesitate to grip his helmet and unmask him. I tossed the helmet backwards. Talpa stopped short and slowly turned around.

I screamed.

Talpa's face was a yellowing skull with white wisps of hair still stuck to his cranium. Two blue eyeballs lay rotting in his eye sockets. Blood dripped from his mouth. His voice, instead of echoing and booming, was raspy and creepy. "So now you know what I look like, Torrent."

"You weren't always a demon," I concluded, stepping backwards away from him.

"Yes. I used to be known as Kamen. I had a twin brother named Kaoso. I hated him. Mother always liked him best. We were born into a clan of power. He was headed for greatness, but I didn't have that power. I wanted the world. I wanted the universe! I used my powers and tried to kill him. For that I was banished at eighteen, but not before I deflowered his fiancé. It didn't take me long to hear his new title. Do you know what that new title was!?"

"N, no," I said, using my yari to keep him as far away from me as possible.

"The Ancient Once."

I nearly dropped my yari. "What?"

"The Ancient One was my brother. I was furious! My hatred blossomed, and I sacrificed my soul to Nether Realm. Badamon's father, to be exact. My body began to rot, so I was given this armor. He renamed me Talpa. It gave me great power. I killed Badamon's father and took over the Nether Realm. Then I began to plot against the Mortal World. But my brother stopped me, stole my armor, and split into Nine Mystical Armors. You know this. You know this very well. Before I attacked I learned the witch had born a child. I naturally brought him here to be built into a superior heir if something were able to dispose of me. I killed her afterwards."

"You're sick!" I said.

"I know a lot more about your past than you think, Torrent. I know that the man who you thought was your father didn't father you," said Talpa.

This time I DID drop my yari. "Excuse me!?"

I didn't get a chance to recover it before he had me up against a wall. The stench of death was heavy on his breath. "Anubis went out into the Mortal World for one of your months. He went to a country called England that I'm sure you're familiar with."

"I was born there," I said, trying not to gag from him the stench.

"He met a widow at a bar. The former Mrs. Anthony Mouri, your mother. Her name was Erica, wasn't it? Your mother. He'd been dead for three months. They talked, had a few beers, and before anyone knew it, you were conceived," said Talpa. "I monitored his activities and I saw that. I monitored all my Dark Warlord's activities. I followed your activities and was furious when you were born a Ronin. He still doesn't realize it, either."

I stopped breathing, and I'm pretty sure my heartbeat stopped for a second, too. Anubis was my FATHER!? But now it all made sense. When I was younger my mother seemed to be almost lying to me about Anthony Mouri being my father. And she never let me visit his grave. Sae treated me like I was hardly her brother. I never actually saw my father's date of death. It all made sense. My mother had been hiding my identity from me my entire life. I was angry, shocked, confused, and several other emotions all at once. I think this was the one time in my life that my emotions were stronger then the night I fled to Tokyo with the infant Ariel.

I straightened. Talpa laughed. "You have no chance."

I held my hand out and concentrated on my yari. I could feel it shaking on the ground. Talpa turned his head as the yari flew into my hands. I started forcing HIM backwards. He looked afraid. "You give me no choice. SUPAH WAVE SMASHER!" The now weak Talpa flew into the opposite wall and screamed in pain, but it didn't have much affect. I needed a stronger attack! But my friends were still trapped.

Then, it hit me. A power inside of me. I held my yari infront of me and focused all of my powers on tip of the middle blade of the weapon. I found myself back in subarmor. "ARMOR OF THE TORRENT, RHAPSODY OF THE TORRENT!!!!"

Then, I blacked out.

"Daddy! Wake up!"

"Cye, get up!"

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Don't you dare leave us!"

I opened my eyes. "What. . . what happened?"
"Daddy!" Ariel jumped on my chest. She felt heavier on my chest. I was back in my civvies. I sat up and hugged Ariel.

"Once your gave Talpa that hit, the Nether Spirits dispelled and we were able to form the Inferno again," said Rowen. "It didn't take that much to get rid of him, though. What happened back there?"

I looked around. Mia, Ariel, the other Ronins, and Anubis stood around me. I was in my room in my apartment, lying on the couch. I told them everything, leaving out the part about Anubis being my father. The others were reasonably surprised at some of the information, especially about Talpa and the Ancient being from the same parents. Twins, at that. Then, I looked up at Anubis. "Um, Anubis? Can, can we have a word alone?"
"Of course," said Anubis. The others left, Kojiro explaining they'd go to his apartment. Anubis sat next to me on the couch. "What do you wish to talk about?"
"Do, do you remember having relations with a woman named Erica?" I asked.

Anubis' eyes got wide. "Erica in England?" I nodded. "That was a one night stand! How could you know about that!?"
"Talpa told me about it," I said. "She's my mother."

Anubis must have gone white as a ghost. "Are you saying that you're my son?"

"From what Talpa said, then, yes," I said, tears flowing from my eyes. Anubis' eyes began to well up as well and the two of us began to cry.

"I can't believe this," he kept repeating.

"Neither can I," I said. "Neither can I."

"I'm so sorry for not being there, I'm so sorry for not being there when you needed me the most," he said.

"It's okay, I forgive you," I said.

My father looked into my eyes. Then, he cocked an eyebrow. "This means I'm a grandfather, too. Thanks a lot, now I feel REALLY old."

"But you ARE really old," I said.

"Do you want to be grounded, young man?" he said jokingly. Then, he turned to me. "Does your mother know about Ariel yet?"

"Uh, no," I said. "I was too frightened to call her."

"Call her. She deserves to know," he said.

"I will, Dad."

He smiled. "It feels good to hear you say that."