Sorry for the delay, but May was a difficult month. Obviously this is the May chapter, in June I will upload a chapter of my other Fanfinc.
Chapter 55
Zhalia's POV
I didn't know if I'd gotten far enough away, or a little far enough, I didn't know if Dante would find me or think I was gone, I just knew I was going to have an awfully horrible conversation, one I didn't want to have, and I wasn't going to have a happy ending.
I was nervous, I couldn't stop moving, things weren't supposed to be like this, I was supposed to have a chance, that I could repair the damage before the consequences were so great, before dooming the Foundation, before that Lok would have no way out… it was supposed… that it would have a happy ending.
-How could you?
I was startled and turned around. Dante was a long way from me, and not just physically. His fists were clenched, as was his jaw, and he was looking at me with such pain and hatred.
-I am sorry.
-Feeling it fixes nothing.- I bowed my head-I don't understand, Zhalia.- There was so much pain in his voice -How could you play with us like that?
-I had no choice.
-There is always a choice.
-Now I know.
Silence fell, we couldn't help but stare at each other, there was so much sadness, pain, betrayal...
-So, it's true. Work for the Organization. For Claus.
-Something like that.
-God!
Dante began to fidget, he turned his back on me as he ran his hands down his face. I just stood there, hugging myself, wishing I could go back in time and do things right. Dante looked at me again.
-I can't understand how you can obey him, you know how Claus is, you know what he would do to us, you know what he would do to Lok! And it gave you the same! Explain it to me Zhalia! How could it give you the same?!
-Because one would do anything for his father! And you know it very well. - It had been a low blow, but it was the reality.
-Dad?
-Yes, Claus is my adoptive father. He took me off the street, he gave me a life and a family, he gave me love. We both know what that's like, we'd both do anything for our father.
-I know, but the question here is, Zhalia, if he would do anything for you.
I didn't know how to answer, I was out of breath, that question..., I had no answer, Claus, would you risk everything for me?
-Changed my mind…- My voice came out a whisper
-What?
-I changed my mind! I regretted! At first, I didn't care what happened to you. My mission was to eliminate you, and deliver Lok, and I was willing to fulfil it, but... things got complicated, following orders was not so easy, and I ended up not only ignoring them, but protecting you all. Lok is too good for the life he's had, even for life in general, Sophie is a pain in the ass, but she's just a child trying to control a world she doesn't understand, and you...
-Me too…?
-You never suspected me, you gave me a blind trust that I didn't deserve, you gave me the opportunity I had always wanted.
-In something we agree, you did not deserve my trust.
It hurt, all his words hurt, I felt tears running down my cheeks, I wanted to yell at him, I wanted to hit him, I wanted to hand him over, but..., he was also suffering, his eyes watered, his voice cracked, I know what he was doing a great effort not to shed tears.
-I had many opportunities, like in the catacombs, or in Ireland, even in the Temple of Thor, I was able to abandon you when you helped me with the ice snake, I was able to deliver Lok just before the trip, but instead I protected you, I lied to Claus, I hid things from him, I took on the Organization for you. I wanted to stay, I wanted to tell you, I wanted to explain everything, but...
-But here we are...
-Here we are…
-The Organization has the Sceptre of Nefertiti. I promised Santiago I'd take care of Sophie, I promised Lok I'd protect him, and I've put both of us in danger, and now we're doomed. -Dante turned his back on me and started to walk away-Go away and don't go near the boys again, I have to protect them, now more than ever.
-Give me a chance, let me fix it.
-It's too late.
-I know where Claus's hiding place is…- Dante froze, I took the opportunity to approach him slowly, -I'll take you to him, and I'll help you get the Scepter back.
-Why should I trust that you would betray your father, for us? We are nothing to you.- I held on to his hand and leaned on his back.
-I begged you, trust me one last time, then I'll disappear from your life.- Dante laced his fingers through mine and squeezed my hand.
-One last time.
Zhalia's POV end
Sophie's POV
Zhalia and Dante had gone out to talk, that couldn't be good, I wanted to follow them and listen to what they were saying, it wasn't fair that they left us outside again, but someone had to take care of the most complaining wounded man in the world. When Dante and Zhalia returned, I could see out of the corner of my eye that they both had an unpleasant expression. Zhalia seemed defeated and Dante hurt and angry, but they both changed and became serious when Lok and I looked at them. Dante told us to rest today and clean up tomorrow, and then he blurted out a philosophical phrase. "We have lost this battle, but we will win the war." Lok and I share a look, Dante had a plan, and he wasn't going to tell us.
Sophie's POV end
Third person
At the Prague headquarters, Rassimof informed the Professor about obtaining the Nefertiti Sceptre, the Professor was really satisfied with the work of his men, he was finally getting closer to his goal.
-We finally control the sceptre and with it all my plans will be fulfilled. Soon the amulet of Will will be mine. All the pieces fit into place, soon the puzzle will be complete. And the puppy?
-Dante Vale continues to protect him. I'm not going to lie to you sir, that's the only reason we have the sceptre. He gave it up to keep the boy safe.
-It doesn't matter, with the sceptre in our possession he won't be able to escape.
-Sir, may I ask you a question?
-Let her go and go.- The Professor made a face of disgust, his agents were not allowed to interfere in his affairs.
-Why is he so interested in the puppy? He is nothing more than an insignificant brat who gives electric shocks. - The Professor's grimace intensified, who did Rassimof think he was?
-The puppy is one of those pieces of the puzzle, and I would dare to say that he is my favourite. If you have nothing else to question, walk away.
Rassimof left confused and upset, he was tired of wasting resources trying to catch Lok Lambert, and the agents taking beatings from Dante Vale. He hoped that with Nefertiti's scepter things would be easier.
third person ending
Sophie's POV
After collecting everything and dismantling the tent, Dante led us through the desert to where only he knew, Lok and Cherit tried to get information from him, but they barely got any answers and very unsatisfactory, in the end they gave up. The three of us were worried, something was going on with Dante and Zhalia, and we didn't know what.
Lok and I stood like statues with our mouths open when in the middle of the desert we saw a plane, and if I'm not mistaken, it was one of the private jets of the Huntik Foundation. Dante had to call us to get going and get on the plane. The plane was not very big, it had four seats, the pilot and co-pilot were seats that could rotate on itself, and two fixed seats just behind, one in front of the other. Along the sides were padded benches, aside from the bathroom, there was nothing else on the plane. As soon as we went upstairs and left things in a kind of trunk, Lok and I went to look at the controls of the plane, I didn't hesitate for a second and I sat in the co-pilot's seat, Lok stared behind me as he asked me questions on the controls. It was no secret to the team that I had taught aviation classes, if I was going to be a seeker traveling the world I had to be prepared. Zhalia sat in one of the back seats without saying a word and Dante had stayed in the trunk looking for something in the backpacks. As he explained to Lok the basics, and made it clear that he was not going to let him touch anything under any circumstances, Dante grabbed Lok by the collar of his shirt and pushed him to sit on the seat in front of Zhalia, giving him the cream that I had put on it yesterday.
-Stay seated, and put on the cream. We need you as complete as we can.
Dante smiles at both of us, but it doesn't feel like it always does, it feels a little forced. He offered Lok and me some bottles of water that he had taken along with the cream, we both accepted it. Zhalia bowed her head dejectedly and got up to get a bottle for herself, then sat back down in silence. Dante sat in the pilot's seat and started to start the plane.
-Dante, are you going to tell us your plan now? - I asked a little tired of so much secrecy.
-It's very simple, Sophie, let's get the sceptre back.
-And how are we going to do that? That zombie stole it.- Lok was finishing putting the cream on the soles of his feet, they were still red, but they looked much better than yesterday.
-Dante put a locator on the scepter.-Lok and I looked very surprised at Zhalia. Dante looked at her out of the corner of his eye, very seriously- We'll keep track of it.
-What a good idea. How did you come up with Dante? -Lok seemed very calm, he didn't realize that something was wrong?, or maybe I'm just a little paranoid.
-The Organization has been one step ahead of us, in Ireland, when arriving at the excavation and they knew perfectly where to ambush us. I thought they might have bugged us or something.
-If what you say is true, I don't think we should be talking about our plan.
-Don't worry, Lok. This plane is equipped with frequency inhibitors, it is a safe place to talk.- And how could it be otherwise, Zhalia was aware of the plan.- Once out of the plane, our objective will be the genie bottle, which is also is in the possession of Claus
-And...since you have everything so well prepared, can you inform Lok, Cherit and me of our destination?
- Claus's base of operations.
Lok spat out the water he had been drinking and began to cough trying to catch his breath. Cherit flew up and came back with a handkerchief for him to clean up.
-Thank you- Lok was completely out of breath. We waited a bit for him to recover- Dante, I have a question to ask you, an insignificant little question- Dante raised an eyebrow waiting for the question- At some points are you going to stop leading me with a bow to the crazy people who persecute me?!
-I'm sorry Lok, but it is necessary, we cannot lose the sceptre. Clean up the mess you've caused and try to calm down. The plan is to enter without being seen and leave the same.
-Those plans never go as planned- Lok got up and did what Dante asked.
The trip was very strange, there was a lot of tension on the part of everyone on the plane. Lok tried to talk to Zhalia, but it was just that, an attempt. I could only hope the journey didn't take too long, because it seemed like there was a bomb about to go off and he didn't want to be near it.
The autopilot was on for quite a while, which gave Lok, Cherit, and me a chance to talk. Lok wasn't happy, he was suspicious of Dante and Zhalia. I'm glad to know that I wasn't paranoid and that something was really going on. Cherit so well had found the way they act suspicious. I was very surprised to learn that Lok was faking it, as he suspected that the information Dante and Zhalia had given us was a lie. The three of us agreed that the problem had been going on for a while, Dante and Zhalia had been weird since we got to Egypt, and maybe before, we just hadn't noticed. We shared a couple more ideas, but it wasn't proving useful, we had no evidence or leads, just the obvious that something was up. As if that wasn't enough, Lok wasn't well.
-Sophie, the last time I had this feeling things ended very badly…for me and everyone involved.
I wasn't very clear what Lok was referring to, but whatever it was, I was going to do everything possible so that it wouldn't happen again. Cherit and I tried to calm him down, we had a mission, and his instincts could harm us, although that made it clear to us that problems were coming.
Sophie's POV end POV
Dante's POV
-Claus' base is in Vienna, it is also his laboratory and the Organization's base.
I nodded to Zhalia's information. She kept telling me what she knew, or what she said she knew, I couldn't be sure of anything anymore. Seeing how easily Zhalia had made plausible excuses to the boys about everything we kept secret, I couldn't help but wonder how many lies she'd believed me.
This situation was horrible, I just hoped I hadn't made a bad decision by trusting her one last time, we were taking a lot of risk, I was taking Lok to Claus, and it was possible that Zhalia had warned him, but I didn't have many options, if the Organization learned to use the sceptre, all would be lost.
-Did you inform Claus that interest is the genie bottle?
-No not yet. I really intend to go in and out without being seen. I'm risking the lives of Lok and Sophie, so we'll be careful.
I saw that the boys finished talking about their business and approached, I left Zhalia and focused on the controls. I pretended not to notice how bad they were. After retrieving the sceptre, I had to have a conversation with them and explain what was going on.
Dante' POV end
Third person
Claus was sitting at one of the tables in his library. He had his black Holotome ready to study the sceptre and discover its power.
-Looks like I've finally found my chance. With the sceptre in my hand, these simple creatures will do what I want. Holotome, scan the power and save it for later.
The Holotome started to scan the sceptre, but to Claus's annoyance, he couldn't. Annoyed Claus grabbed the sceptre and threw it while he let out a few curses. He checked his phone to see if he had received any new messages from his daughter, although he wasn't too surprised when he didn't find anything, lately he hadn't received any useful information. Even more frustrated he got up and retrieved the sceptre from where it had fallen and tried to re-scan it, getting the same error.
-When I manage to decipher the power of the sceptre, I will keep it for myself. I will be the most powerful creature on earth and in the magical world. Also, I'm curious as to why the Professor is so interested in that puppy.
Claus kept rambling and trying to unveil the hidden power in the sceptre, without realizing that someone was watching him from the window.
Third person end
Dante's POV
In the end I told Zhalia to notify Claus, to inform him of our objective. I had changed the plan, i still planned to sneak in and out, but it wasn't going to be as Zhalia thought, I couldn't trust that she hadn't informed Claus beforehand. When we were near Vienna I told them to get ready. Sophie was my co-pilot, so she was already prepared, or so she thought, Lok and Zhalia approached.
-Dante, let me land. I have to prove my license.
-Ummm, not to scare you, but I don't see any runways.- Cherit looked at me worriedly from the back of Sophie's seat.
-That's because we're not going to land.
-Are we going to land now? We're not near Vienna.- I looked at Zhalia very seriously, she was going to understand everything now and she would realize my change of plans.
-Nope?
-Not yet, Lok, that's why we'll try to go unnoticed.
I let Sophie land the plane in a clearing I had previously located, while I rearranged my plan.
-Uh oh, it seems that we are not alone.
We had not yet landed, and we could see two armed helicopters waiting for us on the ground and several agents equipped to fly. I looked at Zhalia, as soon as I saw the agents, I thought that she had betrayed us again, but the surprise that she expressed on her face could not be faked.
-It seems that Claus has loved to watch over all of Vienna.
That seemed to calm Zhalia a bit, and me too, but the agents got into the helicopters and prepared to attack. Lok frowned and then smiled, he put on that smile of his that I already know.
-Stop, wait.
-Why do I get the impression you have a plan?
I couldn't help but smile, this was going to be fun. After explaining his plan, Zhalia and I went to change into suits appropriate for the situation, since we would both be parachuting out of the plane. At first it was going to be Lok and me, but I refused to leave Sophie with Zhalia, I couldn't trust her not to hurt her.
That meant I put Sophie in charge. She was having a bit of trouble keeping the plane steady, since apparently the manoeuvre Lok suggested wasn't in the books, I have to ask Lok he took Sophie out of the house more often.
Zhalia and I walked along the wing of the plane preparing to jump, Lok stayed at the door, to cover our backs in case it was necessary. Lok warned us that one of the choppers was coming up behind us, ready to take us out. I was forced to pre-empt Lok's plan, using "Feet-fire" to propel myself off the end of the wing and "Spider-touch" to stick to the side of the helicopter. The agents began to make turning manoeuvres to try to get rid of me, worse if Ymir didn't manage to throw me, much less them.
The helicopter moved away from the foundation plane, but the other one went ahead and pointed directly at the door where Lok was. I was quite scared, but then I saw Cherit's ray hit Lok to recharge him with more power, the Organization fired two missiles, but Lok destroyed them with "Electric-Ray". The blast from the missiles was big, but at least it didn't damage the plane. Now he could continue with Lok's plan. I took out the amulet of Metagolem and invoked it, Metagolem appeared together in the crystals of the helicopter, not only preventing vision, but with his weight he tilted the helicopter and made them lose height. I jumped and so they wouldn't drag me too, I opened the parachute.
As I fell, I could see Zhalia taking over the other helicopter.
Dante's POV end
Zhalia's POV
This wasn't right, Dante didn't trust me anymore, and this mission was my last chance to patch things up with the team, why did they have to show up? Take advantage of all the anger I felt to shoot down that helicopter, this would be my revenge for making Dante more suspicious of me.
Like Dante I jumped, using "Hyperstread" to get to the helicopter, in the air I summoned King Basilisk, I fell down and opened the parachute leaving my titan to deal with the agents. King Basilisk flew up to the helicopter and blocked their vision, while he turned them away from the Foundation plane. The helicopter lost control and King Basilisk dragged it to earth.
From the air I could see the difficulties that Sophie had to land the plane, I think she should go back to teach a couple of extra classes, just to make sure she doesn't kill anyone. Once on the ground Dante and I started packing up the parachutes, we had to fold them up and store them with the others. I didn't need to advise Sophie about other flying practices, Dante and Lok did it for me, as she only had to improve her landing, she didn't take it too bad. Lok offered to store my parachute and told Sophie to store Dante's so we could change. Lok wanted to finish this mission as soon as possible so he could get away from Claus and the Organization, and he couldn't blame him.
Once prepared, Dante led us, but he didn't say anything to anyone, so we had no choice but to follow him in silence, not because anyone could hear us, but because no one wanted to talk. The boys and Cherit from time to time shared a few words, most of them were to calm Lok down, he was very nervous, although it didn't seem to be just because of the mission.
Once in Vienna, Dante refused to take any public transport, he did not want to leave a trace of our presence in Vienna. He led us through back streets, and we made many detours, as night fell we arrived at Claus's bookstore, which was closed, of course. Dante let Lok melt the lock with "Electric-bolt", apparently teaching Lok more uses for his powers. Before entering Dante told us to split up by the store, we had to find a hidden entrance. Unfortunately, Claus was a bit paranoid, and he changed the access to his lair quite frequently, and he wasn't always kind enough to report the new access, I had been affected by his security traps on a couple of occasions. Obviously, he had already warned Dante about that, and luckily I did. Dante went in first looking for the traps, and since he was prepared, he wasn't caught off guard by the arrows that came from the ceiling, and he was able to protect himself with a magical shield. When the first trap was deactivated, the boys entered. Once inside we did as Dante ordered, we split up and started searching, being careful where we touched, because another trap could be activated. Dante approached me from behind.
-Stay away from the boys, and don't stay out of my sight.
-It's okay.
This was so painful and something in me said it was going to hurt a lot more.
Zhalia's POV end
Since Dante and Zhalia's conversation is something that many expected, he decided to do both points of view. Here I leave it.
Don't forget to comment on what you thought of the chapter and what you expect to happen. I love getting feedback 3.
Dante's POV
Unfortunately, Sophie was right, Zhalia was not a person who could be trusted. My suspicions had been confirmed, Zhalia is a member of the Organization who works under the orders of Claus. She managed to deceive me from the beginning, everything has been a lie and the worst thing is that I prefer the lie to the painful truth that I fully trusted a person who only played with me.
After making sure the boys were okay and that they wouldn't follow us, I left the store and went looking for Zhalia, if she hadn't run away. The boys had been through so much in a period of days, they didn't want them to know that Zhalia was a traitor. I know I would have to tell them sooner or later, but I prefer to do it when they are in a safe place, or as safe as possible.
I found Zhalia quite far from the store, it was obvious that she was nervous, she did not stop moving. I took a deep breath, I couldn't lose my composure, I couldn't let her see the pain she had caused me, the pain she had caused the team, I didn't want to give her that satisfaction. I approached in silence, I had to measure my every move, I couldn't let myself be fooled again.
-How could you?
Zhalia started and turned around. My voice sounded much firmer than I thought. I was a considerable distance from her, I didn't want to get close, I had to be able to see her every move without letting my feelings overwhelm me and make a bad decision.
-I am sorry.
Sorry? Sorry?! Is that all you had to say? Of course, that was the solution to all our problems. That's it, I had said sorry and there was no betrayal, no pain, no nothing.
-Feeling it fixes nothing. I don't understand, Zhalia. How could you play with us like that?
-I had no choice.
-There is always a choice.
-Now I know.
Silence fell, we couldn't help but stare at each other. Zhalia suffered, I suffered, but this had been her decision, and I couldn't let her pain and her guilt make me retract, I had to maintain my position, no matter how much I wanted to forget everything and continue as before, I couldn't turn back, the stakes were high.
-So, it's true. You work for the Organization. For Claus.
-Something like that.
-God!
Why? He already knew the answer before she confirmed it, why did it hurt so much? Why was it worse to hear it from her mouth? I guess the hope that I was wrong, that it was all a misunderstanding, a simple mistake, or a nightmare that was going to go away was still with me, and now that possibility was gone. I started to move; I turned my back on her as I ran my hands over my face. I had to try to think of something, there was no solution to this, now I had to protect the boys, and for that I had to keep them away from everything dangerous, and Zhalia was something very dangerous. I still couldn't understand what was happening, how someone could volunteer for someone like Claus, for the Organization. I turned around and looked at her again, I needed an explanation.
-I can't understand how you can obey him, you know how Claus is, you know what he would do to us, you know what he would do to Lok! And he gave you the same! Explain it to me Zhalia! How could it give you the same?!
-Because one would do anything for his father! And you know it very well.- That was a low blow, he didn't know how Zhalia knew about Mezt, but it wasn't surprising that she found out, as a member of the Foundation she had access to a lot of information.
-Dad?
-Yes, Claus is my adoptive father. He took me off the street, he gave me a life and a family, he gave me love. We both know what that's like, we'd both do anything for our father.
-I know, but the question here is, Zhalia, if he would do anything for you.
I know that love can blind you, but I doubt that Claus was a person capable of looking beyond his own interests. Only Zhalia had the answer to that question and she was the one who decided if everything she has done had been worth it.
-I changed my mind…-Zhalia whispered something I couldn't hear very well.
-What?
-I changed my mind! I regretted! At first, I didn't care what happened to you. My mission was to eliminate you, and deliver Lok, and I was willing to fulfil it, but... things got complicated, following orders was not so easy, and I ended up not only ignoring them, but protecting you all. Lok is too good for the life he's had, even for life in general, Sophie is a pain in the ass, but she's just a child trying to control a world she doesn't understand, and you...
-Me too…?
-You never suspected me, you gave me a blind trust that I didn't deserve, you gave me the opportunity I had always wanted.
-In something we agree, you did not deserve my trust.
I had to make a great effort not to cry. Zhalia never deserved my trust, or Lok's, or anyone else's. If I hadn't trusted her, things would have been very different. We would have saved ourselves a lot of pain, we all would have done it.
-I had many opportunities, like in the catacombs, or in Ireland, even in the Temple of Thor, I was able to abandon you when you helped me with the ice snake, I was able to deliver Lok just before the trip, but instead I protected you, I lied to Claus, I hid things from him, I took on the Organization for you. I wanted to stay, I wanted to tell you, I wanted to explain everything, but...
-But here we are...
-Here we are…
-The Organization has the Sceptre of Nefertiti. I promised Santiago I'd take care of Sophie, I promised Lok I'd protect him, and I've put both of us in danger, and now we're doomed. -I turned around and started to go back to the store, I had a lot of things to do-Go away and don't come near the boys again, I must protect them, now more than ever.
-Give me a chance, let me fix it.- A chance? No… I couldn't make that mistake again.
-It's too late.
-I know where Claus's hiding place is...-I froze, if what she said was true, we had a chance to save ourselves, but... if I was wrong..., would I be able to risk it all? -I will take you to him, and I will help you recover the Sceptre.
-Why should I trust that you would betray your father, for us? We are nothing to you.- Zhalia grabbed my hand and leaned on my back. This wasn't fair, why couldn't he stop hurting me?
-He begged you, trust me one last time, then I'll disappear from your life.
I guess I'm a fool, clinging to the possibility of fixing everything, of everything going back to the way it was. I clung to her hand, I couldn't let her stay, but it was a chance, a chance to prevent the Organization from taking over the sceptre, to prevent Lok from being captured, to have one last mission, to be able to trust a last time.
-One last time.
Dante`s POV end