Secrets, part 28
An agent of Noctis was literally in the guild's hands. Jasper gripped Wink's shoulders with oppressive strength. He demanded an answer. Where were his brothers? Yona pieced the scenario together quickly. Looking at Wink, she said, "I'd tell him if I were you. You don't wanna see him angry." Wink held Jasper's intense glare. He wasn't about to be intimidated by some monster. "Go ahead, beast. Prove Noctis is right. Kill me", he challenged. "Enough", said Puck firmly, rising to his full height. Jasper's gaze didn't falter, but Wink glanced the elf's way. "You look human, but - ...What the hell are you?", said the sniper. With a deep sigh, Puck released his minor transformation, revealing his pointed ears. Wink's eyes quickly locked onto the Avalon crest emblazoned on Puck's eye patch. "Shit", he uttered. Ignoring him, the elf set a hand on his son's arm. "Put him down, Jasper", he said softly. His fathers voice brought him back to reality. He realized he'd hauled Wink clear off his feet. He grit his teeth and dropped him abruptly.
Wink gracefully caught his balance. "Thanks", he muttered under his breath, inspecting his burns. Jasper's fist balled up tightly at his sides, a look of pure hatred in his eyes. Yona wasn't sure what to make of the change in his persona. Rani stepped up and set a soft paw on his leg. It was just enough to make him drop his fierce stare and take a deep breath. "Leave it to me to find the fucking elf", swore Wink. Puck raised an eyebrow at the sentiment. "You know me?", he inquired carefully. Wink continued to swear to himself. Finally, he sighed. "Yeah, the upper agents do. You've been around longer than we have. You're considered quite the prize", he explained. Jasper tensed visibly. As if cutting the tension, Yona stepped in. "Cut the crap! Nobody cares about your stupid shadow organization. What'd you do with our friends?", she snorted.
Wink smirked to himself. Despite everything he was ever taught about mages, he was starting to like Yona. "I didn't do anything. Dubhan did", he replied. "The shadow?", asked Ronen. "Don't let him fool you. He hides in the black because he's scared", sighed Wink. "Of what?", inquired Rani shyly. "Everything", smirked the sniper. "Where did he take my sons?", demanded Puck. Wink fought off an eye twitch. There it was again - that annoying claim to family. Blythe was his cousin, a human! He had no blood ties to these...things! Irritated, Wink sneered faintly. "What're your ties to Blythe?", he asked abruptly. Glances passed around the group. "Everyone here is family", said Puck calmly. For some reason Wink's chest hurt at that statement. His own kin never seemed so attached. He finally dropped his gaze to the sand. "In that case, you aren't gonna like my answer...", he trailed.
Elsewhere, Gajeel and Lily walked down a dark tunnel. "Are you certain he came this way?", questioned Lily. He was positive Blythe had gone the opposite way earlier. "Yeah", replied Gajeel absently. Glancing up to his partner, the exceed could see a solemn expression. "Come on. I smell blood", stated the dragon slayer. Nodding, Lily kept up the increased pace. He knew his friend put on a tough act with Blythe, but he really did care. It wasn't long until a shape in the distance started to look human. Sprinting forward, the smell of blood only got stronger. Gajeel clenched his teeth. He knew the scent of Blythe's essence well from so many injuries growing up.
Finally, the duo skid to a halt. It was very dark, but it was clear the person they'd found wasn't Blythe. Kavi was holding onto the cavern walls for support, trying to make his way back to the others. Without his magic to navigate, it made it all the harder to ignore the intense pain in his shoulder. Meeting each other's gaze, the dragon slayers stood in silence, one barely able to support himself and the other needing to know why. Kavi slid to the dirt, near exhaustion. "Forgive me", he said weakly. Coming to his side, Lily asked, "Where's Blythe?". Gajeel stood several paces away with a stoic expression. He could see how torn inside Kavi was as he fought back tears in his response. "They have him...Noctis...", stated Kavi in a shaking voice.
Without warning, Gajeel lurched forward and dragged Kavi to his feet by his collar. Ignoring the blood dripping from Kavi's lips, Gajeel stared at him fiercely. "What do you mean?", he asked coldly. "Their leader...It's Yavuz", stated Kavi. Gajeel's grip on his shirt only tightened at that name. A firm shake made Kavi meet his angry eyes. "What happened?", asked Gajeel stiffly.
Above ground, Lucy and Juvia had made their way to where the shot had come from. A massive rifle rested against a nearby tree. It looked like it weighed a ton. Lucy glanced around carefully. There was no sign of the shooter. Juvia stared in silence for a moment. Finally, Lucy softly uttered, "He missed on purpose." Turning to face her friend, she said it again. "Wink..He missed on purpose." It was fairly obviously, but what did it mean? "But why?", asked Juvia.
Somewhere several miles away, a large underground chamber lit only by candles had its silence shattered. The dim light seemed to be driven out of the center of a large stone circle as if darkness itself was emerging. A swirl of inky black opened wide and three bodies were launched out. Yavuz glared to the side as he got to his feet. "Could've had a nicer landing", he said roughly. Blythe fought his blurred vision. He could see something slinking behind a large stone altar. Behind a voice said, "Forgiveness, Master...I'm not used to spurring such distances." His eyes narrowed. It had to be Dubhan. Getting to his feet, Yavuz sighed and dusted himself off. "How long are you going to hide?", he inquired. An annoyed 'hmph' emanated from where Dubhan seemed to be lurking. "Your precious Baron has no need to see my face. When I've rested, I'll rejoin the shadows", said Dubhan.
Blythe slowly got up. He had no idea where he was, but he knew he didn't like the company. "Where's Kavi?", he asked carefully. Yavuz settled his golden eyes coldly upon his son. "Did it have to be a dragon slayer? Loving a mage is bad enough", he uttered. A chill ran down Blythe's spine. His father was alive. Not only that, but he was running Noctis, an agency sworn to wipe out magic. On top of that, for some reason, this 'blood baron' legacy seemed to be tied in. It didn't make any sense...But none of that was what grabbed his attention. The last thing Yavuz had said. It sounded...off. Blythe slowly met his father's terrifying gaze. Holding his ground, he raised his head. "You say that like you - ", he began.
A swift fist knocked back onto his back side. "Shut your filthy mouth. You don't know a damned thing" shouted Yavuz. A creepy laughter drifted out from behind the altar. "Just tell him, Master. Tell him the truth - about his mother is where he got his tainted magic blood", said the broken voice belonging to Dubhan. Blythe's eyes widened in shock. Being hit was no surprise. His father had tried to kill him countless times, but that statement. Could it be true? Yavuz sent a threatening glare Dubhan's direction. "Why don't you tell him? You're the expert here...Mage", he spat. With that, he lit a cigar and stalked into the distant darkness.
Several minutes passed in awkward silence. Blythe sat with his knees to his chest, wishing he could just go home. Finally, noise stirred from the altar. A dark figure stood on the other side. Dubhan seemed to catch his second wind. Evenly meeting the shadow's red eyes, Blythe stared resolutely. He needed answers. Dubhan smiled coldly. "You never knew Tihanna was a mage, did you? How little you know of your heritage...It's laughable, really", said the darkness, stepping closer. Grabbing Blythe by his hair, Dubhan pulled his face close. "Look at those sweet amber eyes. Nothing like the cold golden glare of my master...Still, you got your hideous blood from your mother, but at least she protected you." Dropping him unceremoniously, Dubhan turned his back. "I got my magic from my mother, too, you know...But she rejected me."
Though uncomfortable, Blythe listened closely. He was starting to notice the pain in Dubhan's voice. It wasn't off kilter from madness alone. It sounded like it had literally been broken by a thousand screams. Sensing Blythe's perception, Dubhan turned back and quickly lashed out. "Your horrid mother rotted in that well, didn't she? Or at least part of her did. What was it like in that dank stew of her blood? Did you cry?" Grabbing Blythe by his shirt, he shook him violently. "Did you?!", he hissed. Memories of that awful experience flooded Blythe's mind. He was only a child and he'd been discarded down a well with his mother's disembodied head. It was nearly a week before he was able to climb out. The awful sights and horrid smells flashed in his mind so brightly, his stomach turned. Fighting the reflex to vomit, he gently grasped Dubhan's wrists and removed his grip. Staring those at those red eyes adrift in a sea of blackness, he tensely asked, "How do you know all this?".
Dubhan shook Blythe's grip easily. With an eerie smile, he replied, "Master has told me much of you as have the priests." Blythe repeated the last word in question. "Priests?" The shadow being laughed roughly. "You really know nothing...It should have been me, you know. I was groomed to be the baron, but you...", he trailed. "You ruined everything!", he screamed with intense hatred. Without warning, the darkness pounced, tearing and clawing at Blythe's face. Wildly lashing and tearing off bits of skin, he just kept yelling, "It was supposed to me!". After his rage subsided, he sat over the blood mage, straddling his body and gasping for air as he tried to calm down. Blythe stared up at him as his skin sealed over. If that weren't enough to enrage Dubhan further, the pity in those amber eyes did. He raised his arm back, ready to tear out Blythe's throat when a firm hand grabbed ahold.
Blythe looked over Dubhan's shoulder to see Yavuz restraining the shadow agent. "That's enough. Seeing those wounds heal over is proof enough, don't you think?", he said calmly. Slowly rising, Dubhan glared and said, "Take your baron. I'm going back to play with the snakes. There's a certain dragon slayer with my name on him", he said with a crazed grin. Blythe trembled. He could only be referring to Kavi. Before he could even try to stop him, Dubhan had once more disappeared through the floor, leaving Blythe alone with his father. "Get up, boy", he said coldly, not offering the slightest help. "Come on. We have a long walk ahead of us."
Slowly rising, Blythe glared at his father's back. "You just expect me to come with you?", he spat. Yavuz grinned at the tone. Maybe there was hope for brewing hatred in Blythe's heart after all. He glanced back with a faint grin. "Where else can you go, Blythe?", he smirked. True enough, Blythe had no idea where he was and no one seemed to have answers about being the blood baron, or at least no one was willing to supply them. "If you call off the attack on the guild...I'll go with you", stated Blythe firmly. Yavuz turned his body to face his son. "Finally grown a pair? Ready to face your old man?...What makes you think you have any room to negotiate?", he said. Blythe's usually kind expression was stoic. "You need me, don't you?...I don't know why...but Noctis needs me and that's why they never killed me after I turned them down", he replied. Yavuz's cocky attitude seemed a bit shaken. "You have no idea what you are", he said sternly. "So tell me!", shouted Blythe. He was so sick of being referred to as some incarnation and not just himself. Yavuz grinned coldly. "Let me show you", he stated.
It was so fast, Blythe didn't even see him move. His wide eyes trembled as his body shook. Yavuz was standing so close their chests were touching. His hand was firmly inside Blythe's abdomen. He gripped his son's organs with fervor. "Do you know what it means to be invulnerable, Blythe?" He squeezed Blythe's liver harshly in his palm. A blood curdling scream filled the dark chamber. Yavuz grinned as he looked at his son's pale face. "Impressive. You're still awake...Good." A firm yank pulled a few feet of intestines onto the floor. Blythe collapsed in agony, instinctively trying to pull his internal organs back into place with his shaking hands. "You may survive the pain, but it'll eventually turn into madness. Then you'll wake up your true power." Yavuz stomped hard onto the wriggling guts at his feet.
Blythe vomited in both shock, terror, and pain. Still, despite it all, he could see his body trying to heal. The process was getting faster. Is this what it took to master his new abilities? And if it was...would his psyche survive? Tossing his cigar butt aside, Yavuz exhaled a puff of strong smoke over his terrified son. "Glorious...That power will take you far once you harness it, but that's enough for now. After all, I promised Dubhan he could play with you later." He laughed briefly with a scoffing sound. "You should know he plays rougher than I do." Pitiless and cold, the master of Noctis started walking into the distance. "Your guild will fall, Blythe. Even I can't sop it now...Go ahead and put yourself back together. Once you've run out of tears, come find me."
Alone in that candle lit cavern, it felt like hours as Blythe's body undid the trauma. He was back in one piece now, but the experience had scarred his mind. His healing ability was strong enough that he held no physical scar, but the sheer terror...Was it truly only beginning? He stared into the blackness, not in self pity, but worrying fro his friends. He knew exactly what Noctis was capable of and he prayed it would at least be over quickly. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he thought it over. He didn't care what happened to him, but Kavi...He was all alone now. What would happen when Dubhan returned to the guild's sanctum? Would anyone be left even if he made it home?
To be Continued...