Chapter 7: Memories, Responsibility, & More!

Zephyren's P.O.V

Darkness. As I looked around it was all I could see. There was nothing around me but a void. Darkness. I walked forward. It didn't look like it but there was something underneath as I felt my feet hit a hard substance.

"Now wasn't that amazing?" I heard a voice. "Ahh, the taste of battle..."I heard the voice cackle "How I longed for it!"

"Who are you?!" I yelled at the voice. Something was too familiar about the voice, it frightened me. "And what do you mean?!"

"Aww, little Zephy doesn't remember the one who tried to help him nine years ago?" The voice laughed again. "Here let me....refresh your memory."

The darkness around me warped & I was in the infirmary section of Eternia, though this was an older one. My father was there, kneeling over a bed with a child in his arms, me. He was holding my shoulders as we looked at my mother. Her face was a ghostly white, her body looked so......frail. I didn't like remembering my mom like this, I missed the strong person that she used to be.

The world around me warped again & I was looking at the ceiling of my room. But something was different, this night was different. A veil appeared in front of me, it was too dark to see what it was.

"I can help her you know..." The voice was providing an opportunity, but for what? "You can save your dear mother with my power" The voice held out its hand, the sign of a pact.

"Daddy says that you're bad & I can't listen to you!" I retreated into a corner.

"He is just afraid of you being stronger than him" The voice sounded very convincing. "Just think for a second please, if you accepted my power." The veil advanced, hand still outstretched. "You could save your mother & be able to boss your Daddy around, remember how he doesn't want you going outside of the grounds? You'd be able to do that then" It took another step closer, almost touching my hand on its own.

"Really? I could do that?" My childish curiousity had peaked. "I could leave & save Mommy?"

"Why, of course!" It....no, he sounded shocked. As if I hadn't realized it sooner. "So, what do you say?"

I grabbed his hand & felt a great strength in me. I looked at myself, a new greenish-purple & black aura had surrounded my body & I bolted for the door. After I had made it down the hall a guard jumped in my way.

"Get out of my way!" I shouted, feeling another surge of power. The guard fell to the ground his body bursting into a purple flame. I continued to run regardless of what I had just done. I made it to the infirmary.

"Zephyren, please return to your room" Shadow stood blocking the way in.

"NO!" I roared. I raised my hand lifting Shadow off the ground. I threw him, hearing a loud crack as his head hit the wall.

Mommy was lying there, paler than earlier, she didn't have much longer. "Remember what I told you..." I heard the voice speaking to me softly. I raised my hands & let them hover over my mother's body. I felt the change instantly, her face flushed immediately & the colour started to return to her body.

"ZEPHYREN NO!!!!" I heard a booming voice behind me. My father. He ran towards me & pulled me away. I looked at my mommy's face for the first time since I started healing her & horror was in her face.

"Don't let them stop you!" The voice shouted to me. "You can save her & then we can be free!"

As soon as those words left his mouth I stopped resisting & let them take me away. I realized, I wasn't saving my mom. I was making her endure more of that pain for my own selfish reasons. The scene warped once more.

"Rin, Corai, Gura, Huin, Kire, Neli, Aeo, Muranis!" I felt the power leave my body as my father spoke the last word of the sealing spell.

"NOOOOOOOO!" I heard the voice scream. "I am Nexion the God of Darkness, I can't be sealed!" The image stopped.

"YOU!" I shouted to the darkness as all my memories came flooding back. "You're the one that-" I stopped as the memory of the fight with the Vampires came back.

"Dark Rendering!" I screamed as a wave of dark fire erupted from the blade shaking the ground eliminating all in front of me.

"I k-k-k-killed t-them...." I was shaking with fear.

"Ahahahahaha, yes......wasn't it magnificent?" Nexion was enjoying this. My despair.

"No, it wasn't." I composed myself quickly, I can't let him get control. "I won't let you do that again. You know that by showing me my memories & letting me see the past, you made a fatal error, Nexion." I put my hands together as my father had done nine years prior.

"Really? Hehehehe, I don't believe that there was, but what are you doing? Hehehe"

"Rin, Corai, Gura, Huin, Kire, Neli, Aeo, Muranis!" I shouted the sealing spell feeling the darkness around me dissipate.

"Zephyren?" I heard a girl's voice. "Zephyren, wake up!" I opened my eyes to see an Angel kneeling beside me.

"He seems to be fine now." She turned to Kratos. "Nexion seems to have been sealed again, at least temporarily." She shrugged. "Though, there's no telling when that could happen again." I got up at this point.

"It won't happen again, I've sealed him away till next year at least. I'll take responsibility for what I've done....Ah!" Pain exploded inside my head.

"You won't get rid of me that easily!" I grabbed my hair & screamed. "You think you can hold me?"

"I know I can." I thought to myself, feeling the now familiar power again. "All I have to do is use your power against you!" I pressed against his essence, forcing him back. "Don't come back out!"

"Zephyren?!" The Angel questioned. "What just happened?"

"He's not coming back as long as I don't let him..."I fell back on the couch exhausted, mentally & physically. "I'm just gonna sit for a sec, okay?" I blacked out.

Melissa's P.O.V

A lot had happened between Shadow & Kratos bringing Zephyren back & Zephyren waking up. First, Kratos explained what he had seen & then summoned for Cadence Steele, an Angel who could ward off the spirits of the 'Corrupted'. Second, she told us that each one of us, well, those that had spirits in us, were either called 'Corrupted' or 'Blessed' Ones. The difference? That was easy. Corrupted Ones have spirits with the ability to destroy worlds & Blessed Ones have the ability to save those same worlds. Finally, I learned that each of the "Corrupted" or "Blessed" have a special ability that only they could use. What that was were never told, isn't that frustrating? We're told we have some awesome ability & then we aren't told what it is or how to use it!

Anyways, when Zephyren passed out again Raziel took him to his room & escorted Keira also. Leaving me with Shadow, Kratos, & two other boys I didn't know.

"My name's Sora" The one boy with brown spiky hair said. "And this is Riku." He gestured to the boy with silver hair sitting next to him. He waved & I waved back happy to have more friends.

"My name's Melissa, it's nice to meet ya!" I sat down, glad that some of the tension in the room was gone.

"So you're a Werewolf?" Riku asked. "Does that mean if you bite us we'll change into Werewolves too?"

"Yes, I am a Werewolf" I nodded. "But no that isn't true, if I bite you you won't turn into a Werewolf like me. Everyone always asks me that." I laughed.

"Well then, how'd you become one then?" Sora asked.

"Same way as a Vampire"

"Which is?" Riku asked. I can't believe he lived at Eternia & didn't know this stuff already....one of the informants must be slacking off again.

"You blood them" I answered. "Or to put it into simple terms, their blood has to touch yours." I raised my arm & gave it a slight cut with my nail. "For example, if this blood were to touch an open wound on your person..." I licked the blood & let the cut heal. "Then you would become a Werewolf."

"Well then, how'd you become a Werewolf?" Sora asked.

"I was attacked..." I cringed as the memory came back full force. "Me & Raziel were celebrating our birthday, or Valentine's Day, whichever you prefer. Kind of a mixed party, bit Valentine's, bit B-Day. Anyways, we were leaving & a group attacked us. I was being chewed & drained by Werewolves & Vampires as was Raziel. Next thing I knew I had become a wolf & Raziel looked inhuman. Well to me he did with the enhanced vision & all. Then..." I took a breath trying to recall what happened next.

"Then?" Riku & Sora had moved right up close to me now. Locked in the story.

"Then we fed....for a while." They looked at me, shocked. "No! No, not like that!" I waved my hands in front of me trying not to laugh. "We fed off of animals then eventually we were brought here."

"Oh, I see." Sora put his arms behind his head. "Being a Werewolf sounds kinda cool!"

"It's got some perks" I added.

Keira's P.O.V

"Zephyren?" I shook his arm trying to wake him up. "Zephyren, wake up!"

"Hmm?" He turned over to face me rubbing his eyes. "What's wrong Keira?"

"Umm, Cadence is at the door..." I pointed over to the Angel from before standing in the doorway & Zephyren immediately sat up.

"Cadence?" He rubbed his eyes again. "Oh, what would you like?"

"I just came to inform you that there will be no charges pressed against you for breaking an Eternian law. It's been labeled as self-defence."

"Self-defence? Self-defence?! I slaughtered them & destroyed a section of Eternia! And you're labeling it as self-defence!?" He was clutching the bed covers now, his knuckles were white.

"Yes, but the laws also state that if one is possessed while they are committing a crime then the law is weakened as they aren't responsible for their actions." She made a scroll appear in her hands.

"But, I wasn't possessed till after I use Dark Rendering." Zephyren argued.

"There is no way to prove that. The influence was there regardless & you could have been remembering a version of the story that Nexion wanted you to remember. Now, I'll take my leave." She bowed & left the room.

Kratos's P.O.V

I knocked several times on the door in front of me waiting for an answer. Zephyren appeared unsurprisingly looking like he just got out of bed.

"Good morning Mr. Feral." I bowed ignoring the sigh that the Prince made. "Today's the day of the tournament. Are you still going to enter?"

"It's still being held? After all that's happened?" He looked like he was going to fall over.

"Yes, only two of the entrants are Vampires & none of them were eliminated during the 'incident'" He invited me into his room.

"Yeah, I'll compete, just lemme shower, get dressed & eat something." He started to head to the bathroom but stopped midway. "Where's Keira?"

"She's in my office. She'll be viewing the tournament with me as we discussed earlier."

"Okay thanks, I wonder. Do you believe everything Reikourin says Kratos?" He turned to me.

"What do you mean?" I had no idea what he could be asking.

"Just answer the question." He was getting impatient.

"Yes, as the creator of existence as we know it, what else can we do but believe his words?"

"I see...Thanks for the answer Kratos." He dismissed me with a wave & headed to the bathroom.

Raziel's P.O.V

The doors in front of me opened as I was led into the tournament briefing room. It looked like an ancient coliseum of sorts. People all around us were cheering.

"Greetings, everyone!" Reikourin spoke. "Today is the day of the end break tournament!" Thousands of cheers roared as he spoke these words. "We have our competitiors." He gestured to us. "From left to right we have Zephyren the Phoenix Prince!" He was walking among us the ground seeming to refresh the earthen part of his armor. "Next we have two unique competitors" He gestured to me & my sister. "Melissa the Malevolent Werewolf & Raziel the Vampiric Warrior!" He walked past us to the last two entrants. "And finally, we have the last two entrants..." He gestured to a black haired vampire. "Here we have Slate Xio, the Vampire Assassin!" Then to the next entrant, a human. "Lastly, we have Patrick Flaherty, the Element Manipulator!" The crowd cheered as the last of us were introduced.

"And now, we'll explain the rules." He moved over to the monitor gesturing for us to follow. "The tournament consists of three matches. A one-on-one fight, a puzzle, & finally the Instructor fight. The first two are obviously self explanatory. The last however is slightly different. While the first two matches are held individually, The last is different. The remaining competitors must work as a team to defeat five Instructors selected at random. Note that no one has beaten that match yet. Best of luck to you all!" He left the coliseum after those last words. Little did I know we'd need all the luck we could get.

"Now what would each of you like as a prize should you succeed?" Reikourin had a pencil & notepad in his hands.

"Personalized armor." Zephyren spoke first.

"Lots of money!" Melissa said. Later I heard her say to Zephyren when he asked why & she replied "For more hair dye colours!"

"A bigger room." I told him. Watching him snicker as he wrote it down.

"To be able to wield an Element." Slate told Reikourin, who surprisingly, wrote it down.

"Personal training from you." Patrick told Reikourin, who again to my surprise, wrote it down.

"Very well, I have the prizes..." The notepad & pencil vanished from his hands. "And now, without further ado...Let the tournament, begin!" The doors around the coliseum opened & we each headed forward to the darkness to meet our unknown opponents.

CHAPTER 7 END