24. Zepha


"Yurick!?"

No response.

Zael tried again.

"Mirania!? Can either of you hear me?"

"Zael!" It was Mirania's voice that tore through the air this time. "You can hear us?"

"Yeah! I can!" He paused, before looking towards Therius, who jolted at hearing the voices, while Asthar and Argaann were looking around. "And…I think the others can, too."

"Well, good." A huff left Yurick as he spoke. "As you may already know, Mirania and I are dead."

"We noticed." Arganan wryly muttered, but Yurick ignored him as he continued speaking.

"We fought a pretty hard battle against Zangurak. But someone else betrayed us in the process, too."

"What?" Zael raised a brow. "Who?"

"One of us." Mirania's voice made chills run down Zael's spine. "Dagran."

The image of Dagran stabbing a red, glowing arm came to Zael's mind.

"I wish it wasn't true." Mirania continued. She sounded sad, and Zael swallowed as he listened to her speak. "I still wish…why? I don't understand at all."

Zael decided it was best not to focus on that too much. "What about Zangurak? Is he still alive?"

"He is." Yurick sighed. "Look, I know this isn't what any of us wanted to happen. Lazulis was supposed to be safe. But we have a chance, now. Don't let it go to waste!"

A blue glow appeared in the middle of the chamber, before it faded, revealing an oddly-familiar Gurak figure. He had thick, white hair, trailing past his shoulders. His armor and twin swords reminded Zael of two Gurak twins.

Which meant that this was one of them.

"Zael?" He heard Arganan speak up, sounding wary. "Do you…know him?"

"Yeah." Zael remembered the blue glow of the Gurak figure for sure. "That's Zepha."

"Zangurak's right hand man." Mirania winced, and Zael noticed Asthar and Therius taking out their swords. "Somehow, he revived Zepha despite us defeating him a hundred years ago, but…he didn't quite come back right."

Zael didn't want to know what that last part meant. "Is it that bad?"

"Yeah." Yurick audibly groaned as Zepha faced Zael with glowing red eyes. That definitely wasn't something that Zael remembered seeing, the last time he fought him. "Whatever you do, be careful of his magic!"

Zael barely had time to give thanks before Zepha launched a fire spell at him.


He dodged the attack, but he gritted his teeth as he looked at the scorched surface where he once stood. Whatever Zangurak did to bring Zepha back, it clearly wasn't good. Additionally, it made him more powerful.

The last time Zepha casted magic like that, as far as Zael remembered, it wasn't that powerful.

"Zael!"

Zael barely blocked the next spell aimed at him, and he shivered as he felt its chill despite taking little damage from it. Zepha kept flinging spells, and some flew wildly in different directions.

"It's like he's possessed, or enchanted." Zael heard Therius comment. The white knight blocked another one of Zepha's spells with his sword, and he staggered slightly at that. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Zael gasped, before Zepha vanished. He barely turned around in time to see Zepha launch a fire spell at Asthar, who barely dodged it in time. Arganan, who was nearby, grimaced as he got hit, yelping in pain.

"Turns out being dead doesn't mean you can't feel pain!" The former Count cursed as he staggered, beating out the flames on his arms.

Asthar frowned as he looked towards him. "But we've fought plenty of Gurak before Zepha and taken attacks, have we not? What makes him different?"

"Because he's already dead?" Zael asked. Could dead people hurt other dead people? He had little time to figure that out, and as he turned to face Zepha, flinging more spells at him, he dodged them. As he did so, he noticed something glimmering on Zepha's armor, on the chest area. It wasn't there before, but it glowed with a black and red energy.

Is that the source of Zangurak's power, if he reanimated Zepha? Zael gritted his teeth. If I break it, maybe…

He decided to take a chance, running at Zepha and swinging at him with his sword. Zepha barely dodged , slashing at Zael with both of his swords, but Zael dodged. Both of them soon started clashing blades with each other, and he heard Therius shout out.

"Above!"

Zael blocked the first attack with his sword.

"Below!"

Zael sidestepped Zepha's next casting of magic.

"Above again!"

Zael barely rolled out of the way of the last attack, before he took the opportunity to lunge forwards at Zepha…

Only to stab straight into the light on Zepha's chest, and straight through the metal to his back. The light sparked, and Zael's right hand glowed a deeper blue than it usually did. Zael felt his arm prickle painfully, but he gritted his teeth, twisting the blade further.

Zepha choked and gasped, staring down at the blade embedded through his chest, and then up at Zael. His lips twisted, eyes widening in one emotion Zael could understand – terror. Fear.

He didn't want to die again, Zael realized. Not after Zangurak brought him back. Not after being alive like this for a hundred years.

But Zael knew he didn't want to die, either, and it would have to be either Zepha or him.

"I'm sorry," Zael breathed.

As Zael withdrew the sword, Zepha collapsed to his knees. Black and red light swirled around him, before it vanished. Any light left in Zepha's eyes vanished as he fell forwards, hitting the ground, swords clattering on the ground by his sides.

He did not breathe or get up again. Zael swallowed, before looking towards the others. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Arganan muttered, approaching Zael. He extended a hand towards Zael's shoulder, and the familiar warmth and light of healing magic spread over it. "You got injured a bit."

"I didn't notice." Zael looked towards the downed Zepha, and then up at Arganan. "He wasn't always like this. The last time he died, Yurick killed him."

"And now he'll be dead for good, this time." It was Asthar that spoke up, also approaching Zael. The look on his face was grim, eyes flickering down at Zepha and then up at Zael. "Probably best that he rest in peace. I can't imagine the resurrection Zangurak put him through did him much good."

"It was like he was a hollow shell." Zael admitted. He took a deep breath, looking towards Asthar, Therius, and then Arganan. "It makes me wonder how Zesha is."

"Zesha?" Arganan raised a brow, but Zael sighed.

"That's his twin. We fought him, and he…killed one of us in the process. That's all I remember."

It was one of his other friends, right?

"Zael?"

"Zael!"

Yurick and Mirania's voices suddenly sounded less echoey, and clearer. Zael turned to see the ghostly figures of both his friends, Yurick adjusting his eyepatch as he offered Zael a rare, but faint smile. Mirania looked more concerned, rushing over to Zael.

Zael wasn't sure if she could hug him, but he let her try. Unfortunately, her arms passed straight through him.

"Oh, sorry." Mirania swallowed a bit as she stepped back, but looked at Zael. "It's just…it's been a hundred years, and…"

"I understand." Zael reassured her. He offered her his own smile. "I'm just glad that you're here."

"Miss Mirania?" Asthar spoke up, and Mirania's eyes widened as she looked towards him.

"General!"

Yurick's one working eye stared at Therius, instead. "Therius…?"

Therius nodded once, approaching him. "It's been a while," He breathed, and Zael remembered seeing the two of them riding a gryphon together.

There were happy memories, for sure. Memories of fighting together, eating together, being near each other.

Almost like family.

Dagran's face came to the back of his mind, and Zael shuddered.

If he and Dagran were once so close, then..what went wrong? Why did he feel this way, thinking of him?

"Zael?" He looked towards Mirania and Yurick, both of them concerned.

"Just remembering things." He managed.

Arganan sighed. "He lost all of his memories while he was asleep for a hundred years."

"What?" Yurick's jaw almost dropped at that, and he looked visibly stunned, his good eye widening. "Really?"

"I've recovered most of my memory!" Zael quickly blurted out. "I think!"

"Do you know, then?" Mirania asked.

Zael frowned. "Know what?"

Mirania froze. Swallowed. Zael couldn't recall a time when she ever looked this disturbed. She exchanged a light glance with Yurick, who nodded, before she spoke up.

"Dagran…killed us."