Onto chapter two! Enjoy!
"I feel like we are being watched." Quinn said as they walked through a beaten path in the forest. Elizabeth had to agree. She felt very uncomfortable, like eyes were glued to her at all times.
"That's because you are." Hyperion replied calmly as he walked at the front of the group. Neptu walked beside him the others behind him, Dharen bringing up the rear.
"What do you mean by that?" Tristan asked, checking over his shoulder. Dharen met his gaze at this.
"The foxes, you are intruders to them. This is their as home as much as ours." He grumbled. "They're just keeping an eye on you, making sure you won't cause trouble. Probably don't like Gin much either, no offence."
"None taken." Gin replied, looking a little uncomfortable as well. Looking forward towards Neptu, Elizabeth found that he looked a little apprehensive. Rightfully so, the last time he and Zynna had seen each other had ended poorly.
"How much longer?" Abigail asked, sounding tired.
"Not much longer," Hyperion replied. "We're close."
"Great," Neptu muttered under his breath.
The study was quiet, which was good for her concentration. Quietly flipping through the books, the woman with black and blue streaked hair felt very content.
"M'lady, your tea is here." She looked up and noted that her studies door had opened, revealing a smiling girl with brown hair.
"Thank you Lucille," she said with a smile. "But I told you a thousand times, we are friends and guildmates, this place is your home too. You can call me by my name, not that idiotic formality." Lucille smiled weakly at this.
"Alright, Lady Zynna." She said, grin growing bigger. Zynna sighed at this. She didn't know why Lucille insisted on being so formal, but she supposed it wasn't so bad.
"Why don't you sit down?" She asked, gesturing towards the empty seat across from her desk. "I'll pour you a cup." Lucille nodded and moved towards the empty set as Zynna poured another cup of tea. "How are you, Lucille?"
"I'm good," she replied, taking the cup. "And how are you, Lady Zynna?" Zynna ignored this and shrugged.
"Good, good." She said. "Just been reading up on some old history. It's fun to read about sometimes." Zynna looked back at Lucille, who was making a weird face. "What's the matter?"
"Lady Zynna, your necklace," Lucille said. Zynna's eyes widened and looked down. The necklace handed down through her family, the foxhead, had it's eyes glowing brightly.
She didn't know how to react. The first thing that came to her mind was confusion, followed up by anger. A lot of it.
"Lady Zynna?" Lucille asked, sounding confused. "What's the matter? What's wrong?"
"It seems we're going to have a visitor," she said slowly. "Tell our master that the little black fox is coming home." Lucille nodded and ran quickly from the room, leaving Zynna by herself. She glared down at the pendant as it glowed.
After all this time, you have the guts to show up here, brother?
"I'll be damned," Quinn whistled as they stared up at the mansion from beyond the gates. "You guys weren't kidding! This place is massive!" Elizabeth agreed, the mansion from beyond the gates was beyond anything she'd expected. She could tell from her pathetic viewpoint that the mansion was massive and expanded far backwards into the woods. She could see a garden and courtyard behind it, and people walking all over.
"I told you guys, my family used to be rich." Neptu said as he approached the gates. Hyperion and Dharen watched him curiously as he raised his hand towards the gate to open it. The gate, however, swung open before he touched it. He chuckled weakly. "So they're expecting me, huh? I guess I won't make them wait." Neptu walked through the gate, and Elizabeth moved to follow him with the others. They were stopped, however, when Dharen stepped in front of them.
"Before you five go in there, I need to tell you something," Dharen said, stepping between them and the gates. "Whatever happens between Neptu and Zynna it solely between them. Don't step in."
"Shove off, wolf head." Tristan grumbled. "We'll be there if he needs us." This got him an elbow in the gut from Abigail. Dharen didn't look impressed.
"I understand that you all care from him, but this is a family matter. Let them settle it." He replied, arms crossed. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, we understand." Elizabeth said, making a face. She knew that the bad blood between Zynna and Neptu ran deep, but just how deep? How much of it had she been unaware of?
"What're you guys waiting for?" Neptu called from up ahead. "Let's go!"
As they approached the the mansion, they got a full view of a beautiful garden that sparkled in the sunlight.
"This place is gorgeous," Abigail said. "Whoever takes care of it must be a god."
"Well, thank you." grinned Dharen behind her. "See Hyperion? Someone finally recognises me as a god."
"Until they see you naked after a failed transformation..." The Clairvoyant muttered beside him, which earned him a punch to the face.
"That happened only one time you shithead..." Dharen muttered, sounding pissed. Once they reached the front doors, Elizabeth noted that the doors were flanked by two girls, one with black hair and the other with brown.
"Welcome to the Skylancer Mansion." said the brown haired girl.
"My name is Ava and she is Lucille," the black haired girl, Ava, said. "Our guildmaster and lady awaits you inside. Please follow." They turned at this and opened the doors, allowing them entry. Elizabeth was confused that these two were greeting them, and not Zynna. Although from what she remembered, maybe she shouldn't have been. As they walked throughout the mansion there were several pictures. Most of them looked singed, but slightly intact. Elizabeth smiled when she spotted a young Neptu with a man similar to him only older, a gorgeous woman, and a younger Zynna standing next to her brother.
"This is a nice family picture, Neptu." She said. Neptu stopped and walked beside her, looking at the photo.
"Yeah, it was taken when I was fourteen I think," he replied. Looking over, Elizabeth noted he looked a little sad. "That's my father Gabros Skylancer, my mother Juliet, and Zynna." he said, and his face hardened a bit. Rightfully so. She knew this wasn't easy for him.
Once they moved on, Elizabeth noted that the mansion had to have been way bigger than she'd originally thought. They passed more people than she'd expected to see in the mansion, all of them watching with curious looks. She saw more than her fair share of people giving Neptu a surprised look. They probably recognized him from the pictures around the house.
"Yo, Lizzie." Elizabeth looked beside her as Quinn called her name.
"Yeah?" She asked, watching him. Quinn looked over at her, a serious look on his face.
"You know what that family matter bull is about?" He asked. His question caught the attention of Tristan Abigail and Gin, who leaned back a bit to hear. "I knew Neptu had a sister, but not that they were estranged or something." Elizabeth made a face and looked forward, watching the back of Neptu's head. She knew what they meant, she'd witnessed the fallout that lead to where they were.
"Neptu...Was in a bad place for a few years," she replied. "Zynna used to be a hunter, but after what happened...I'm surprised she even let us in."
"What happened?" Gin asked. Elizabeth looked at her feet.
"Not for me to say," she said. "We'll see soon enough. Nobody questioned her, which she appreciated. What happened between Neptu and Zynna was, as she recalled, bad blood at the highest extent. She felt so sad thinking back to the day it happened, but she hoped Zynna would forgive her brother.
Hope was all she had.
After a few more minutes of walking, The girls led them through a huge pair of double doors. On the inside their was a big round table with seats around it.
And standing on the opposite end of the room was a man and younger woman. Elizabeth did not recognise the older man, but she knew the girl all too well. The man smiled and raised his arms up.
"Welcome, friends." He said. "I am Xeros, The Master of The Hollows." Elizabeth made a face. Master? The Hollows? Before she could voice her concerns, the man turned to the woman. "And this is Zynna, my second in command. Although from what I've been told a few of you already knew that." Elizabeth was confused. Was this a guild of some kind? That's what she guessed judging from the marks on the bodies of those around the mansion.
"Good," Neptu said. "Then maybe you can answers some questions. What the fuck is going on around here? Why're their so many people? What's going on?"
"Watch your tongue, brother." Zynna said, spitting out the familial term as if it disgusted her. She and Neptu made eye contact, casting silence across the room. Elizabeth was holding her breath as the two exchanged glares. Xeros, however, seemed much more calm.
"Lucille, Ava, could you be dears and bring us some food for ours guests?" He asked. "I'm sure their journey was long."
"Yes sir," Ava said, turning with Lucille to exit the room. Xeros looked back to them.
"Everyone, please, sit. We will be served shortly." The awkward shuffling to seats amidst the silence was making Elizabeth extremely uneasy. She just wanted someone to talk to break the silence.
"So," Neptu started. "Can I get that explanation now?"
"I think you owe us one, actually," Zynna said, arms crossed. "Care to explain why the hell you decided to come home? After everything that's happened? You just figured you'd walk up and return?" Neptu made a face at this.
"Zynna..." He started.
"Don't try to waver my resolve brother." She said. "Explain, now. What do you want? Money? Help with your murderous rampage?" Neptu didn't reply at first, and then he sighed.
"Good to see you too..." He muttered. Zynna scoffed.
"What did you expect? That I'd jump into your arms? Cry happy tears? Please. After everything you did and everything you said, you can not just walk in here casually and expect kindness. Now, explain to me why the hell you and your zealots are here."
"Zealots?" Quinn asked. Zynna's gaze barely moved. Neptu frowned.
"I came to resolve the past," he said. "I'm not here for money, or help. I'm here for forgiveness." Zynna's frown deepened.
"You're looking in the wrong place," she hissed. Xeros raised a hand up as their food arrived. Elizabeth had to admit, she was pretty hungry.
"You two may continue this spat after dinner, if you wish." He said. "The table is no place for a shouting match." Zynna made a face.
"Or we'll continue it all right," she muttered under her breath. "We'll settle it."
Dinner had been eaten in awkward silence, and afterwards Xeros had led them out into the courtyard. Neptu wasn't familiar with the new layout of the mansion, but he was pretty sure he knew where they were being taken.
Exiting the main building the into the courtyard, Neptu watched as they were led towards a wide open field.
"What exactly are we doing out here?" Tristan asked, looking around.
"Settling it," Zynna responded, moving up ahead. She moved across the field before turning and glaring right at Neptu. "Come on, brother. Surely you remember what he did out here."
"Of course I do," Neptu replied, slowly taking off his jacket.
"Neptu, what're you doing?" Quinn asked. Neptu turned to him and the others.
"She's wants to settle it." He replied bluntly. "Looks like she's more like me than she wants to be. It's about to get violent." Elizabeth made a face.
"We didn't come looking for a fight, Neptu!" she said. Neptu nodded.
"I know," he replied, looking towards his sister again. "But she did." tossing his jacket to the side, Neptu stepped forward and raised his hands, preparing to fight. As soon as he did, a wall raised between him and the others. He knew what it was, it was a rune their parents taught them for training.
"You remember what Dad taught us, don't you?" She demanded, raising her own fists. "I'm sure you do, if I recall your methods correctly." Neptu grimaced at this.
"If you can't settle it with words," he said, reciting his fathers saying. "Settle it with your fists." Zynna nodded.
"Dad was a great teacher, wasn't he?" She demanded. Before Neptu could respond Zynna attacked. She glowed silver and launched herself at Neptu, glaring at him like a wild animal. Neptu did his best to parry her blows but she hit a lot harder than he recalled. He slid back from the force she exuded, and groaned.
"Fuck this..." He hissed, raising his free hand and coating it in flames. He threw a single punch, but Zynna just took it and snarled.
"You call that a flame?" She demanded. "Fucking pathetic."
"I don't want to fight you," Neptu hissed. "I won't hit you at my full strength." Zynna's anger only seemed to intensify because of this.
"Than you're a bigger idiot than I could have ever imagined!" She screamed, light blasting Neptu away. He stood just in time to see Zynna attacking him again, but he barely moved. He felt her fists connect all over his body, but he wasn't intending on fighting her. If this would make her feel better, then that was fine. He was done looking for fights. The more hits he took, the louder Zynna was yelling.
"Fight me!" She shouted angrily, throwing him backwards. Neptu got to his feet and watched her.
"No," he replied. "I won't hit you, Zynna." Zynna grit her teeth at this.
"When did you become such a fucking pansy?!" She demanded, punching him again and again. The pain was more than Neptu had prepared for, but he had to endure. It was what he had to do.
Zynna kicked him in the midsection, and he landed hard on his back. Zynna straddled him and started punching him in the face as hard as she could, and Neptu started to see black spots swirling in his vision.
"Fight me!" She screamed. "Fight me! FIGHT ME!" She delivered the strongest punch yet, and Neptu felt something in his face break. The punching had stopped, so Neptu looked up weakly to see Zynna using her hands to keep herself upright.
Tears trailed down her face.
"Zynna..." He started.
"You're a piece of shit!" She screamed angrily, tears still falling, only quicker. "Why?! Why can't I hate you?! You left your home, and everyone here... AND I FOLLOWED YOU! You know why, Neptu?! You were all I had! We lost our everything! And you got so self absorbed in revenge it was sickening! But I followed you, because I still loved you! You're my brother! And still, after all of that, you said those things to me...You're fucking scum!" Neptu felt his lower lip quivering, though he wasn't sure if that was from the pain or his emotions leaking out.
"Zynna..." He croaked, but she didn't appear to be done with him.
"I followed you," she said, voice cracking. "I watched as you amassed a bunch of followers. They worshiped you like a savior. They all did! And you changed. The Hunt was all you cared about. I tried! I tried to help you, Neptu! But it consumed you. And you...You..."
"I'm sorry..." Neptu tried.
"Sorry?!" Zynna shouted. "You're sorry you said I was a disgrace to our parents legacy?! You're sorry that you said you were disgusted by my actions?! You're sorry that you said I wasn't even your sister?! You're SORRY?! So am I! That I tried for so long to see the good that faded years ago!" Neptu felt tears leaking from his own eyes at this.
"I never meant those things..." He whispered. "I was so caught up in what I had become that you - My own flesh and blood - tried to stop me. And I lashed out as I lost control of the situation..." Zynna remained quiet at this, "Zynna, I love you. You're my sister, you're all I had. Why do you think I became so bent on the hunt? I was trying to...To protect you! I only ever wanted the best for you!"
"I..." Zynna started. "I want to hate you. I want to hate you like you hated Drakhosz. But even still..." Zynna wiped at her face with her arm. "I prayed. I prayed everyday you'd come home. That you'd stay safe. That I wouldn't have to bury you too!"
"You won't," he replied weakly. "I'm back. I...I left it all behind Zynna. The Hunters, my mission, all of it. It's done, I don't care anymore. I came to fix the things I did and I intend to. I promise." Zynna made a face.
"How the hell can I believe you after all of this?" She asked weakly. "After all that's happened?"
"Believe me or don't, it makes no difference." Neptu replied. He raised his arm up and slowly took his sisters hand. "But hear me now. I'm not going back to that life. And I'll spend the rest of this one making it all up to you if I have too. Do you hear me?" Despite the tears still streaming down her face, Zynna smiled.
"Yeah," she replied. "I hear you." Zynna rolled of of him, and Neptu felt her prop his head up in her lap. "Are you okay?" She asked weakly.
"Uh, yeah." He replied, ignoring the broken bones in his face. "You needed that, I get it." Zynna made a face.
"You look pretty fucked up," she said, looking guilt ridden. "I should have calmed down, I'm a grown woman for God sake."
"It's fine," he reassured, even though it wasn't. He knew his face must have looked pretty bad.
"Does it feel fine?" He heard Dharen's voice from behind him. "Cause you look bad."
"Just heal him, Dharen." Zynna said. Dharen didn't reply as he knelt down, hands glowing. Neptu started to feel a little better, he just hoped his bones reforming wouldn't hurt too much.
Elizabeth followed Lucille through the mansion quietly. She'd been with the others talking with Neptu before Lucille came and said that Zynna wished to talk to her. She didn't know what for, but after the display out on the training field she really had no clue what to expect.
"We're here," Lucille said, stopping next to a door. "Her study is in here."
"Thanks," Elizabeth replied. Lucille nodded, and left Elizabeth to herself. Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth knocked on the door, but got no response. "Zynna?" She asked, creaking the door open slightly to peer in.
Zynna was staring out the window at the other end of her study. Elizabeth entered and slowly shut the door, waiting quietly. After observing Zynna for a moment, she noted that her hands were wrapped up in bandages. The brutal attack on Neptu must have hurt her too.
"Is he okay?" Zynna asked, breaking the silence. Elizabeth hummed.
"Yeah, Dharen said his face'll heal fine." she said. "Although it is gonna be sore for a while." Zynna didn't reply to her, so silence fell over them again.
"I'm glad you didn't give up on him," Elizabeth stopped looking over the mountains of books to find Zynna smiling at her weakly. "You were always so level headed, even if you followed him like the others." Elizabeth smiled weakly.
"Thank you," she said. "I've tried." Zynna motioned towards the empty seat near her desk, and Elizabeth took it. Zynna sat across from her and smiled again.
"Is... Is what my brother said true?" Zynna asked, face growing serious. "Are the Hunters really disbanded?" Elizabeth nodded.
"They are," she replied. "Any of the hunters still operating are doing so on their own. I'd tell you the full story, but I feel it'd mean more coming from Neptu." Zynna nodded, appearing to be deep in thought. "Anyway, what's been going on with you?"
"We formed a guild, as you could tell," Zynna said, flexing her hands and grimacing. "One for souls who've suffered through the darkness and came out on the other side. Everyone here has experienced the darkness humanity is capable of." Elizabeth frowned.
"It's sad that we'll fit right in," she muttered. Zynna nodded.
"Can I ask you something, Lizzie?" Zynna asked. Elizabeth nodded. She could probably answer it. "What's up with that white haired kid you're travelling him? He rubs me the wrong way. He makes me uncomfortable."
Oh.
"It...It really isn't my place to say," she said. "You'd be better off asking Neptu." This only seemed to intrigue Zynna, but she nodded slowly.
"Alright..." She said. Due to all the drama Elizabeth had forgotten about Gin being, you know, a Demon Lord. That seemed like something Neptu should talk about.
"Sorry," Elizabeth said. "It's a long story."
"It's fine," Zynna said, leaning back in her seat. "I'm just...relieved that you're here. That you're okay. Neptu was so hellbent on stopping Drakhosz when I left, I thought he'd...that he'd fall like my father did." Elizabeth felt tone in Zynna's voice become much more somber at this. "And even then, my father only managed to stall the destruction. And Neptu is nowhere close to comparing."
"It was a long road," Elizabeth said, thinking back to the utter hell of a war zone outside Magnolia's gates. "But we're here now, and that's what matters." Zynna nodded, and silence came over the pair.
"Well, uh, you're welcome to stay here." Zynna said, smiling weakly. "Even join the guild, if you want." Elizabeth smiled.
"I'd like that," she said. "We'll see what Neptu thinks. You did kind of beat his face in, maybe he's having second thoughts about coming here." This got a chuckle out of Zynna, which was what Elizabeth was aiming for.
"I'll have Ava point you all to usable rooms," Zynna said. "I'm sure you'll like it here."
"So am I," Elizabeth said, getting up to leave. She made it to the door and was about to turn the handle when Zynna spoke up.
"Tell Neptu..." She said, making Elizabeth turn around. "...Tell him his rooms in the same place as before. I'm sure he remembers how to get there." Elizabeth nodded.
"I will," she said. With this, she opened the door and left Zynna's study, walking back the way she'd come.
Despite all that had transpired, She felt much more hopeful. It was a new day, for all of them.