Chapter Eight

Alister wandered down the corridor coldly, his gray eyes void of emotion. He encountered several guards along the way, but every one of them quickly went out of commission after the redhead found the proper place to press on the backs of their necks, rendering them senseless. He worked quietly and with the stealth of a ninja, and with any luck, none of the sentries realized what had hit them.

But a shiver went up his spine as he realized how blank he felt inside. It was almost as if the exposure to the Orichalcos had drained him of any feelings at all. The fact disturbed him highly and he wondered if that was only the next step in going absolutely insane. He supposed, on the other hand, that it could be a subconscious mental defense against the Seal's power. Once he had realized why he was being pulled into the turquoise pillar, he had braced himself for whatever evil the Orichalcos would try to unleash. Maybe not feeling anything at all was how he would have to fight it.

As he approached a room to the right, however, he had to swiftly dodge a flying high-heeled shoe when it was thrown at him. He regarded it in a blasé way before turning and looking in the doorway. "If you're Hilda Laurent, you don't have to worry," he said calmly, though he could not yet see anyone. "I'm not going to hurt you." He glanced about, finally catching sight of an eye peering at him through the crack between the open door and the hinge.

The eye blinked. "I remember you!" Hilda's unmistakable, aristocratic voice cried out. "You're the hoodlum Raphael befriended!" And, she observed, he still dressed in the same strange way that he had when she had first met him. Still, she supposed that she would rather see him than the Doom Reborn warriors. At least . . . she certainly hoped that Alister was not involved with them. But how could she truly be certain? Slowly she stepped out from where she had been concealed behind the door.

Alister studied her torn clothes and ruffled hair with his continuing blasé expression. "I wouldn't put it like that," he answered, "since I'm not a 'hoodlum,' but yes—Raphael and I are friends. He and Valon should be following me in about now." He crossed his arms. Getting into the building—once the barrier was passed—had been too easy. Undoubtedly Doom Reborn had something sinister planned. Alister was not about to assume an arrogant air and decide that the entire organization was stupid. That attitude was illogical and would only set himself and his friends up for disaster. No, Doom Reborn was cunning and cruel, its members still under the charismatic spell from the original Doom. And since they believed that the end justified the means, they were extremely dangerous, yet pitiable people.

Hilda limped out of the room, looking exasperated, and went to her shoe. Carefully and precisely she forced it onto her foot, just as the other two bikers arrived. Again she had mixed feelings about this. Surely they would get her away from here, would they not? If Raphael would befriend such "hooligans," after all, he would help his own flesh and blood.

She frowned, the memory of her rejection of him coming into her mind. She had been the one to tell Raphael that as long as he refused to accept his wealthy heritage and insisted on dressing as a punk, he was no longer welcome at their house and she would no longer consider him as being part of the family. That had been so long ago, when she only been thirteen—and Raphael, sixteen—but she had meant every word. She had not been able to understand why he had turned down her father's offer to live in their home. To her, it had been a most generous offer and Raphael had been ungrateful not to accept. When she had demanded an explanation, he had only regarded her with a melancholy expression and had said that maybe she would understand in time. Now, eight years later, she still did not.

"Hey, Alister!" Valon called, running over and interrupting Hilda's train of thought. He and Raphael had seen the hallway of unconscious sentries, but neither was certain whether to be disturbed or relieved by the sight. Valon was definitely relieved to see that Alister was safe, but he was not certain which personality his friend was currently hosting. He did take immediate notice that the Seal of Orichalcos symbol was not gracing the gray-eyed man's forehead, and his fears were somewhat alleviated by that fact, though he knew that Alister could be taken over at any given time. "What the heck did you do!"

"They're not seriously hurt," Alister responded, without even bothering to ask what Valon was referring to. "And as you can see, I found Hilda."

As Raphael caught up as well, he observed his cousin quietly. He frowned upon seeing her ripped dress and wild hair and wondered exactly what the Doom Reborn warriors had done to her. Hilda was not one of his favorite people, but they had been close once and it had badly hurt Raphael when he had first returned from the island and Hilda had rejected him. He was about to speak and ask if she was alright when he was cut off by Hans' voice from the opposite end of the corridor.

"Congratulations on actually getting in," the young man remarked. "Of course you couldn't have managed it if your friend wasn't poisoned by the Orichalcos. I left the barrier up so that you could discover that he's the only one of the three of you who could pass through it unaided." And naturally, it will do some damage to his soul, as well—but he won't realize that for a while.

Hilda gaped at Hans' words. "Raphael! What is he talking about!" she demanded. What poison? What barrier? And what was the Orichalcos! That was a complete mystery to her, but from Raphael's expression, he knew exactly what Hans was referring to. This confused Hilda all the more, and in her mind, it reinforced her distorted view of Raphael as a hoodlum.

Raphael ignored Hilda for the time being. "I came to set your hostage free," he said coldly to Hans, "but your lackey told me that she wouldn't be allowed to go unless I gave you some information in return." He regarded the other man with one of his infamous piercing gazes. The Orichalcos was glowing brightly on Hans' forehead. Raphael realized all too well that he had given in to his dark soul. It would be hard to free him from the dark force, but Raphael knew it could be done. He still felt sorry for Hans, even though he was also growing more and more angry with him as well. But because he knew that he himself had once been under the Orichalcos's influence, he did not see how he could completely blame Hans for what was happening. The Orichalcos itself was largely responsible.

"That's right," Hans confirmed. "Are you willing to comply?"

Instantly Valon took on an air of shock and disbelief. "Come on, Raph!" he yelled. "You know you can't. You know what'll happen if you do. And heck, you didn't even give out info when I was taken! Why would you do it now!" He glared so harshly at Hilda that the woman wondered if he was going to hurt her. She did not doubt that he would be capable of it. But she was determined not to show that she was concerned. She glared fiercely at the spunky Australian.

Raphael growled and pushed Valon out of the way, though he did it gently. "The situation is a lot different now," he answered. "The Seal of Orichalcos is involved. Alister's been poisoned. We don't want things to get even worse, do we?" He allowed his voice to rise as he turned to face Hans. "I don't want Hilda to get hurt, too."

Alister frowned at him. "When Valon was taken, we determined that if we gave the culprits what they wanted, the entire world would be destroyed, with all of us included," he announced, his gray eyes flashing. "The situation isn't different now, Raphael. If anything, it's worse. You know you can't give them information! There has to be another way to get Hilda out of here."

Hilda listened to all three of them with a certain confusion. Alister's and Valon's reactions were what she had expected, but Raphael's was not. Would he truly give them the information they wanted in order to free her? She did not understand what the knowledge was that they wanted from her cousin, but according to his two cronies, it was rather serious. She frowned, studying them, and wondered if the remark about the world being destroyed was a bit of an exaggeration. After all, how could any information that Raphael possessed be that dangerous? She believed Raphael to be a hoodlum, not a mad scientist.

Now Raphael grabbed Alister by the front of his shirt, pulling the younger man toward him. "There isn't another way. And maybe you don't remember, but when that other thing happened with Valon, he was beaten half to death and you were excessively shot before falling off that cliff! Valon and I thought for weeks that you were dead. I'm not gonna go through that again, Alister." He released his friend and turned back to Hans. "We made a mistake last time. I'm not gonna make the same one over again."

"You're crazy, Raph!" Valon shot back immediately.

Hans watched them all carefully, studying each reaction. It all seemed logical and in character, judging from what he knew about each of them. Raphael would naturally not want to do anything again to endanger his loved ones, especially after the heart-wrenching experience he and Valon had endured in the past—and since Raphael had lost his biological family in a shipwreck. And it was also natural that Valon and Alister would recognize what would happen if the information was given over and that they would try to talk their friend out of it. But still . . . even though it all seemed to make sense, were things truly as they seemed?

He tilted his head to the side, listening to the soft whisperings of the Orichalcos within his mind. "They are lying," it told him firmly, and it would know, of course, since part of its force was infused with Alister. "They wish to trick you. Do not listen to them!" And Hans narrowed his eyes, certain that what he was being told was the truth. The Orichalcos did not lie, after all. It always spoke the truth, revealing whether a person was pure of heart or else evil.

He looked back up, putting his full attention into what the bikers were saying. Now Valon had placed himself firmly in Raphael's way, apparently refusing to allow the older man to get past him. Raphael looked down at him, his expression both annoyed and upset. Alister stood to the side, but from his furious, flashing, gray eyes, he was willing to join Valon in attempting to hold Raphael back.

"Sorry, mate," the Australian said in a level tone, "but you're not gettin' past me so easy! If you wanna destroy the world by givin' up info that should stay buried, then you're gonna havta actually move me out of the way. And I know you don't wanna hurt me." His heart was racing wildly. How long would they be able to keep this up? And was the Doom Reborn warrior even taking stock in any of it? He had not spoken since they had began their ruse.

Raphael regarded Valon with a tormented expression. "Valon . . . I'm trying to stop anything from happening to you or Alister again," he said. "You know I'm not gonna hurt you. I can still give the information out from where I'm standing right now." He reached out, about to pretend to forcefully shove Valon out of his way. "But this is for your own good."

As Raphael's hand was in midair, and as Alister was moving forward to intercede, Hans abruptly walked forward, coming to stand in back of Valon. "There's no need for violence," he said smoothly, gripping the Australian's shoulders harshly. "It would be wasted, anyway. The Orichalcos saw through your scheme!" He felt a certain triumph when he saw Alister's and Raphael's stunned countenances. They had not expected that. But they had no concept of the Orichalcos and what it could truly do! How could they, when they, along with their brunette friend, had betrayed Dartz? They could never understand!

Hilda simply stared. The Orichalcos again? But what was it? She found herself becoming very uneasy. This was unlike any situation she had ever been involved with before. Was this organization some sort of strange cult? Oh why did I have to get into this! What's Raphael been doing with his life!

Raphael's eyes narrowed once he was over the initial shock. I should've known it wouldn't work, he snarled inwardly. But what now? They would not be set free until they gave the information that Doom Reborn was seeking. More than likely, drastic measures would have to be taken. Wait a minute. . . .

"If your Orichalcos is so all-knowing," he said coldly, while Valon shoved Hans away from him, "then how come it can't just tell you the information you need? Why do you even need us?" He motioned for Hilda to come over near them. They might simply have to make a run for it, and if they did, they would need to make sure that she was not left behind.

Hans sighed. "It just doesn't work that way," he answered. "The Orichalcos only guides and influences us on certain things, but it doesn't run our lives for us. You should know that already, Raphael. You and your cronies were familiar with the Orichalcos for years, after all." His eyes narrowed. "And now you've turned against everything you fought for! You deserve to suffer!" His feelings of betrayal were making themselves known. He had tried to keep it all locked in his own heart, but now he could not any longer. "That's why I'm doing this, you know. I want the information from you, of course, but actually that is taking a backseat right now to my desire to avenge Dartz and kill you!" Now a greenish glow was obviously able to be seen all around the man, as an aura. The Orichalcos's power was growing stronger within him. If he could not control himself, he was liable to send out another forceful blast that would harm everyone there. And this time, Raphael grimly knew, they might not simply regain consciousness and be able to leave. Hans meant it when he said he wanted to kill him.

Hilda was aghast. "What does he mean, Raphael!" she demanded. "TELL ME! What does he mean? What were you fighting for? What's caused this man to have such an intense hatred of you?" She came over to him and the others, her eyes narrowed and her voice rising in vexation. "What did you DO!"

Raphael clenched a fist. "This isn't the time, Hilda," he practically snapped.

"Yeah!" Valon added. "I mean, we're all kinda in a life threatening situation and you want Raph to start tellin' you his life story?" He could not hold his tongue any longer. "Maybe if you were closer to him, you'd already know all this stuff! But it's your fault that the two of you drifted apart from each other! You're the one who wanted him outta your life!" He, frankly, could not stand Hilda at all, especially after the way she always treated his best friends. Valon had only met her once, and very briefly at that, and he had not been impressed. High-society types generally disgusted him because of how they looked down on those who were not as wealthy. Hilda seemed to be even worse than some of them.

Immediately Hilda slapped him. "You have no right to talk about things that you have no concept of, you Australian street urchin!" she screamed, her voice echoing down the halls.

Now all three bikers were furious with her. "Valon didn't do anything to you," Alister said in a very low, dangerously calm tone. "All he did was point out the truth. Is it too much for you to accept?"

Raphael grabbed Hilda's wrist tightly. "Let's get one thing straight," he growled. "As long as you're with us, and especially when we're actually trying to help you, don't you dare insult Alister or Valon. If you want to continue berating me for what you think I did to you and your parents, that's one thing. But Alister and Valon have done nothing to you." His grip did not loosen as he forced the woman to look up at him. "It's not as if we had to come out here. We could have let them kill you. If the situation was reversed, you'd probably feel that way about me. Fortunately for you, I'm not like you, Hilda—and neither are they." This was too much to deal with. He had always been forced to put up with Hilda's constant complaining any time the two of them were together, but he was not going to allow her to insult—and even physically assault!—his friends. That was crossing the line.

Hilda glared at him, not answering, and struggled to pull herself free of his strong grip. "Let me go, Raphael!" she cried, but did not offer an apology for her actions.

Hans shook his head. "Why shouldn't she know what was happening to you through all those years, Raphael?" he said. "I doubt that you're afraid to tell her, are you, since the both of you already decided to go your separate ways? Maybe you think she wouldn't understand. But you're probably right—I don't think she would. How could she possibly understand about purifying the world, when she's part of the problem!" He jerked a finger in her direction. "She is part of what has to be eliminated in order to restore the world to its former glory! Her kind can have no part in that!" As his speech continued, his voice rang out with increasing force and the Orichalcos aura around him grew steadily stronger.

Hilda's feeling of unease only burned all the more intensely. "That man is insane, Raphael!" she burst out, obviously highly distressed. "Not even you could have been like that!" Raphael only looked at her stonily, and again she struggled to free herself. "Please, let's just get out of here!" And after that, she doubted that she wanted to see any of them again. Just the mere thought that Raphael had been involved with such a plan made her extremely alarmed and anxious to get away from him.

Raphael started at Hilda's last sentence. It was rare that she would ever say anything such as "please." For her to do so now had to mean that she was understandably uneasy and agitated. And he agreed that they needed to get away. The problem was, he was not quite certain how they were going to accomplish that. Doom Reborn was certainly not going to let them simply walk out. And Hans looked ready to unleash a blast of energy upon them any moment.

"Hey, Alister," Valon remarked quietly, tapping his red-haired friend on the shoulder, "I think we've got a big problem." He indicated Hans. "Maybe we should run now and work the rest out later." After all, if the same thing happened that had occurred when Hans had broken into their home and had let loose with his anger, fueled by the Orichalcos's power, then they were all in for it.

Alister's lip curled in frustration when he saw. "I'm not one for running," he answered, and knew that Valon was not, either, "but in this case I think we'll have to. All of you go on ahead and I'll catch up." He looked at Hans suspiciously, watching his eyes grow wild with hatred. He was so filled with anger that it would not surprise Alister if he unleashed his fury before all of them were able to get far enough away.

But Raphael would have none of it. "I'm not letting anything happen to you!" he snapped, finally letting go of Hilda in order to grip Alister's shoulder. "You're already suffering. The last thing you need is to be attacked by his blast and taken prisoner! Then we'd be right back where we started from!"

Alister did not answer, but in his mind he wondered if dying to save his friends now would be better than suffering with the Orichalcos and perhaps even killing his friends later on. But no—he could not think like that. He clenched his fists tightly. He would not let the Orichalcos corrupt him!

"That's right!" Valon agreed, grabbing Alister's arm. "And what if the blast was even stronger than last time! Then . . . then you'd probably kick the bucket for real!" He gave the older man a shake. "And we're not lettin' that happen, you got it!" Before Alister could answer, Valon was starting to drag him off, breaking into a run as Hans' anger became all the more obvious. Valon was determined not to let anything happen to one of the only friends he had. Alister and Raphael both meant everything to him, and he would not let them get hurt if he could help it.

"Those hoodlums actually care about each other, don't they," Hilda muttered to herself as she stumbled along after Raphael, tripping over her shoes. The high heels did not make for good footwear during an escape, and at last, realizing the problem, Raphael simply tossed Hilda over his shoulder and continued to run.

"None of you are going to leave here alive!" Hans burst out, the entire warehouse rumbling with the force of his hatred mixed with the Orichalcos. "Every last one of you will die and be buried here! I swear it by my own blood!" As he spoke these words, a blast of power was sent forth—and met another, equally powerful blast that canceled them both out and sent Hans stumbling backwards.

Everyone stopped and turned around in stunned shock. Alister was facing Hans, the Orichalcos energy emanating from his being and giving him his own aura. His gray eyes were dark and furious, but there was no symbol upon his forehead. In fact, as he realized what had just happened, a confused and almost worried expression came over him. He had not even tried to do that! How had it happened? Was the Orichalcos getting more of a control over him, or was he so filled with its power that it was releasing itself at will? Or . . . maybe the Orichalcos was helping him. Yes . . . . Maybe it was not always wicked.

No! What was he thinking? I'm allowing it to start influencing me! he realized in alarm. This has to stop.

Abruptly Hans let out an anguished cry, his eyes widened as he began gasping for breath and clutching at his heart. Again appalled, the quartet stared at him, wondering what on earth was happening. At last Raphael set Hilda down, convinced that this was not a trick, and started to move forward.

"He acts like he's having a heart attack!" the blonde announced, his eyes narrowed. Just as he reached Hans, the boy toppled over in his arms and lay still. His last thoughts were filled with hatred, but also sadness. I didn't want it to end this way. . . . The Orichalcos symbol faded from his forehead as the stone around his neck—a new, complete stone and not the one he had stabbed Alister with—shattered. Raphael was careful to make sure that the fragments did not cut him.

Valon gaped at the scene. "What's going on, Raph!" he cried. Raphael did not answer, as he was busy attempting to find some sign of life within the boy's form.

Alister's eyes were wide in horror. Had the force of the blast he had created caused that? Had he actually killed someone with the dark power? A wave of dizziness swept over him at that thought and he stumbled back, clutching his head. It was trying to get out again. . . . It was trying to take control of his mind and his sanity!

His eyes narrowed. I was only protecting my loved ones, he told himself firmly as he struggled for control. Even if I did cause him to die just now, I wasn't trying to. I was only trying to stop him from killing Raphael and Valon. I couldn't have allowed that. I never could have allowed that. He knew it was true, though it did not remove the certain guilt he felt. After all, the Orichalcos reacted to anger and hatred. If Alister had been unleashing hatred at that moment, he was no better than Hans himself.

Without warning a female voice cut through the air like a knife. Everyone looked to attempt discovering the source of it, but they could not. It was everywhere and nowhere all at once, but each one of them could hear it clearly—and the words sent a chill through each one of them.

"No," it announced sharply, "Alister did not cause that pathetic fool to die. I did, because he was disobeying my orders. I am the true head of Doom Reborn, but you will find that I am not like my predecessor. Failures and disobedience are not tolerated by me!"