The King of Fiore turned to his group of followers. He knew that the Dreyar's and Resus had left. It wasn't much of a surprise. They had soft hearts after all. He knew Ivan and Remy had no qualms with sending men to their deaths, but old man Makarov was a different story. The old man clung to his precious children and would never agree to putting innocent lives in danger. It was part of the reason that he disliked the man. Remy and Ivan understood what needed to be done and they didn't argue.
Arlinton rolled his eyes. "I thought we had a plan. What are those idiots thinking?"
Warner sighed. "They are far from idiots."
Arlinton glared at his son. "What do you know?"
Warner rolled his eyes. "Can you stop acting like a jealous pig? I swear all you do is complain."
The king wanted to laugh. The boy had a point. "Back off Arlinton, those two must be blinded. It is there son that's out there"
Carma had to hold Warner back as Victor walked in with Arma. The two looked around the room in confusion. Probably because they didn't hear the King's words. "Any news?" Vik asked.
"Well your parents have run right into the fighting." Sasha said.
Vik laughed. "What else is new?" everyone stared at him. "What? You all know that it's true."
Many facepalmed. They knew that Vik was right.
"Anyway, has Cetus made any sudden movements?" Arma asked.
"No. We don't know what he's doing." Carolta answered.
"There has to be something that will give away his plan. Cetus can't be some tactical genius." Corwall stated.
"That he isn't." Vik agreed. "His victories stem from his sheer power. Just being in his presence is terrifying. I can still feel the chill that he sent over any room he was in."
Arma's hand landed on his shoulder. "At least you're out of there now."
Vik shook his head. "No. As long as Cetus lives, there is no escaping it."
Everyone one went quiet. How could they argue against Vik? He had lived under Cetus for how long? He would know that dangers better than anyone.
"We still need to do something. Your parents ran right into that shit storm." Warner said, really wanting to go and see some action.
Corwall rolled his eyes. "I thought you were confident in their abilities. Now it seems like you're worried about them."
Warner glared at Corwall. "I really don't know why we ever agreed to help you bastards. All you've done is cause us Raven Tail members grief."
Winoona and Arlinton stared at their son. "That is no way to speak to the King of Fiore." Winoona said.
Warner glowered. "Just go ahead and kiss his ass. Remember, it's his fault that we're in this position in the first place."
Carma tried to pull him back, but failed. She could sense what was coming. Warner's anger was overriding everything else. His weapon mode was about to come through. "Get back!" She made to warn everyone, but they didn't look afraid at all. In fact, some of them looked like they would be willing to challenge Warner. She shook her head. The last thing they needed was bloodshed from their allies. Even if she agreed with her husband.
Corwall laughed and walked forward. "What is he going to do? He's just a scrub under those fools."
With that Warner's eyes shot red and he began to laugh darkly to himself. "So you would like to try me old man?" His voice had changed and he was beyond caring.
The King backed away in fear as the other's came forward to protect him. Warner's laughter filled the room as two guns appeared almost as if they were made from smoke.
"That…that should be impossible…" Arlinton said.
Winoona looked over her son. "He didn't even use requip magic…"
"Warner…" His eyes looked over at his wife. Her worry only seemed to fuel his rage.
He chuckled. "Why not show them the truth?" His eyes looked at the King, who was backed against the wall. "Show your parents, what he made you into…"
Carma stared at the King and then over at the two women that shared her DNA. The fact that they were protecting him did piss her off to no end. "I really can't believe that you're siding with him."
"Why wouldn't we?" Sasha asked.
"Sure, he killed us, but he had his reasons." Carolta said.
"So you enjoyed being burnt to death?!" Carma snapped at them, her own eyes were starting to turn red. Next to her, Corwall fell to the ground in agony. "Just so he could make me do this for him."
Both women looked at her in terror. "Stop that right now!" Sasha ordered.
Warner only laughed. "Why should we? We have no allegiance to you, nor do we have one to Fiore."
"They poisoned you!" The King shouted from the back of the room.
Carma smirked. "Why would you say that? You were the one that want to use us. We're just doing what we were programed to do."
"Arma, do something about this!" The King ordered.
Arma only began to laugh. "Why would I do anything? This is what you deserve."
The King turned pale. Arma's past self was gone, nothing but the killer that was 25 was there. The King looked over at Viktor and saw the same look on his face. "What is all of this?! I will have you tried for treason!"
Vik laughed out loud. "Do you really think that you'll last that long?" The room filled with darkness, it was almost as if they were in a different dimension. "Welcome to the void, My King." The voice of 55 was dipped with sarcasm.
The former agents tried to power up their magic, only to find that they couldn't access it here. "What have you done?!" Winoona turned on him as Corwall let out one final scream.
Carma walked over the old man. "I think he's dead. What do you think, 16?" She looked at her husband.
Warner walked forward and fired a shot into Corwall's head. "If he wasn't before, he is now."
Terror filled the darkness as the screams began to fill the halls. Arlinton dove forward only to find a gun in his chest. "I'm your father! Why aren't you listening to me?!"
Warner chuckled. "My father is dead. He's always been dead. The real question is, who are you?"
Arlinton tried to pull away, but found that he couldn't. "Wha…What are you talking about? I'm Arlinton." The man said confidently.
Carma sneered. "Don't make me laugh. We know what's really going on. We are Raven Tail trained wizards."
Vik frowned at the King. "You really thought that you could fool us so easily? If they were the real thing, why would they be focused on staying here? Why are they, so okay with the fact that you had them massacred?"
Arma walked over to Carolta and stabbed her in the back. Electricity sparked from Carolta as she slumped over. "She's nothing but a droid. They all are."
Warner smirked as he held the gun to Arlinton's chest. "As you can see, you're not my real father. You just believe that you are. You've been programmed to think that you are."
The King was sweating bullets. "I…I can explain."
A shot was fired and the droid that was in front of Warner fell the ground. "It's good to know that my father wasn't really a coward."
Vik smirked. "Any agent wouldn't be." His shadows fell down from the ceiling, covering the other droids in darkness and shattering them to pieces. Leaving the King alone with the rest of them. Vik dissipated his power. "If only Rosa could see this. Hell, if my brother could see this. Bickslow always wanted to see you fall to your knees."
The King looked at him in shock. "You planned this. All of you planned this didn't you!"
Warner chuckled. "You really think that Raven Tail would have just jointed you at the top of a hat? Ivan and Remy planned this the moment they joined up with you."
The King looked up at them in terror. "The thing is, do we want to dispose of you now…or wait until Ivan and Remy can do the honors?" Carma said.
The King looked around for any sign of weakness. There had to be one of them that was sympathetic towards him. His eyes scrambled around the room, he was in no such luck.
"So, Your Majesty, are we going to have to do this the easy way or the hard way?" Vik asked.
Ivan barely had enough time to move out of the way as Cetus's army came from one side. He had just enough time to bring up a small illusion, but the army just seemed to barrel through it.
Cetus laughed. "Your magic is no match for mine. There's nothing you can do to stop me."
Remy placed a shield up as Laxus shot lightening across the ground and sky. Only for the shield to shatter into pieces in front of them.
"I told you. There is nothing you can do. You lot are nothing but ants." Cetus said, as a couple of his zombies fell to the lightening. "Try as you might. You will become one of them."
"Not if I can help it!" Makarov grew huge and began to push back at the zombie hoard. "You three go after him. I got this."
"Do you, old man?" But Cetus was distracted as a dragon roar came his way, accompanied by something odd. Souls came from some of the zombies, making them fall to the ground. Makarov moved forward and his eyes went to Remy, but Remy still had his shield power up. "I told you to stay out of this!" Cetus yelled, but it didn't look like he was shouting at any of them.
"Like that's going to happen!" Bickslow's voice came from Cetus, but the body didn't look any different.
"This is my body!" Cetus snarled.
"No! You stole it!" Bickslow argued. "Just like you've stole everything else from me!"
"You killed my love!" Cetus growled.
"You separated me from mine!" Bickslow snapped.
Remy looked at Ivan. This was just the distraction they needed. Laxus got the hint and the army of Zombies began to fall to their attacks. Each felt second after the next, as Bickslow made it so they could get rid of the menacing army in front of them.
It was depressing in a way. Each of those bodies, had once been a person. They were still people, but they lacked the thing that made them human now. They lacked a true soul. They were puppets, not much different than the babies that Bickslow had used long ago.
An arm moved down Cetus's side and grabbed at something. "Stop!" Cetus screamed.
But Bickslow laughed as it was thrown to the ground. The sound of glass shattered and from that a small wisp escaped.
"No! You bastard!" Cetus's body became engulfed in darkness. "You let her escape!"
"That was my plan! You can't make her like yourself! Flare will only become a husk that way!" Bickslow scoffed.
"You let my Cassiopeia get away!" Cetus shook in anger.
Bickslow laughed. "Are you even sure that she was really Cassiopeia? She only looked like her. Are you really that fickle that you only checked her looks?"
Cetus stopped. "You're saying that she wasn't…"
Suddenly, Cetus and Bickslow disappeared and the army fell to the ground.
Remy looked over at Ivan. "What was that all about?"
Ivan shrugged. "I don't know, but the boy did do us a solid."
Laxus shook his head. "Please don't say that ever again."
Ivan gave Laxus a funny look. "But that's what all the hip kids are saying."
"And you're not a child." Laxus sighed.
"Are you sure about that?" Remy teased.
Ivan shot him a glare. "You think that your cute."
Remy rolled his eyes as Makarov came over to them. "So if Flare isn't Cassiopeia, then who is?" The old man asked.
Remy shrugged. "Who knows?"
"It will buy us some time though. Let's head back to the palace." Ivan said. "Something interesting is developing, I'm sure."
"You're sure?" Laxus said in confusion.
Remy chuckled. "That bastard really thought that he had us fooled."
"Fooled about what?" Laxus asked.
Makarov laughed this time. "So I wasn't the only one to notice it."
Ivan nodded. "Most of the King's followers, mainly the old spies, are nothing but fakes."
"How is that possible?" Laxus said, looking at all three of them.
"It was simple really. Arlinton would never let himself be controlled by anyone." Remy stated and Ivan nodded.
Laxus turned to his grandfather. "What about you?"
Makarov grinned. "I didn't spend all of that time looking for Sasha's letters for nothing. Her letters painted a much different person than the fake was portraying."
Laxus couldn't help but feel bashful. He fell for that entire thing. "Don't worry too much about it, Son. You didn't know anything about them. There was no way for you to truly see the fakes for what they were."
"Come on, we need to meet up with the others. Finally, we will have all of our revenge." Remy stated.
"Then we can move on to freeing Bickslow, if the boy hasn't done it already." Makarov said. "He seems to be fighting it now."
"He was fighting it before, but I think that Cetus just over powered him." Ivan said.
"Any case, let's get going." Laxus said.
They all nodded and grabbed on to Remy, going back to the council in seconds.
Ziph looked down at Xenia. It was weird. She still looked so worried about everything, but he wasn't sure why that was. She was just being very clingy to him. "It's okay if you let go."
She shook her head. "No, it's fine."
Ziph sighed. "Okay…"
They walked into the dining room and Ziph couldn't help but notice how broken everything was. Had it always been like this?
His mind flashed to a different time. The room looked nothing like this. Hell, he wasn't sure that it was even the same room. Everything looked pristine. He turned his head and Cassiopeia was beside him. Everything was fine.
But she looked so sad. "What's on your mind?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Don't worry about it."
"But how can I not?" He said, brushing hair away from her eyes. "It's unbecoming of you."
"Then I guess you're going to have to live with that." She stated.
He grinned. "You never change, do you?"
She made to smile, but turned her head away quickly. He wondered what she was looking at in horror. Blinking a couple of times at the spot she was staring at was, the room began to darken.
Ziph froze as he came face to face with his father.
To Be Continued…
Author's Note
As you can tell, we are reaching the end of our story. I wish I could have spent more time on this and gotten it out fast to all of you. It's just been hard with school. Most of my other stories are all prewritten, so they can just be posted from week to week.