Chapter 89
"And you think I care? Granted, we wanted to save Robert to question him about some stuff, but…no, I'm not sacrificing myself ever again. I learned my lesson the hard way, McBurn. If you want me, you'll have to kill me first." Melyssa had a lot of conviction in her voice, the laughter gone and she pointed her Crossbow at him. "In fact, I'm done talking." Then, she shot him right in the arm with an arrow and it went clean through his bicep.
At which point, McBurn finished snapping Roger's neck with his foot.
"NO!"
That was Rean. Crow didn't even feel the littlest bit bad. Roger had SOLD his little daughter to a mass murderer to save his family, which had worked out GREAT considering he had murdered his own father-in-law and Melyssa was technically his ONLY child. Wow. He thought HE was messed up in the head sometimes, but THAT took the cake. Crow would never ever question his morals or anything else for the rest of his life, that was for damn sure. McBurn was coming at them, with fire beginning to flow everywhere.
Machias was thankful he had ordered the entire city block evacuated and then barricaded, trapping them all in a 'square' of sorts. Hopefully, the SOS he had sent would bring in the rest of the group because they weren't able to take down McBurn by themselves.
"NO!" Melyssa began emanating an orange aura around them all, ignoring the shocked expression on Crow's face because her eyes were glued to McBurn.
He could not break through her barrier and she smiled coldly at him as he threw fireball after fireball at them. No effect. It took her a while to figure out exactly what her 'power' was that had him so captivated and, with Mariabell's help, she had understood what she could do. It took a lot of practice, hours upon hours, but she had mastered it and hadn't needed to use it…until now. Each fireball made her grunt a little as she kept her focus and shut her eyes, channeling her strength into the 'shield' of sorts. She was called the Orange Flame for a reason. Her orange flames would prevail over his red ones, even if it took her life in the end.
Her fire, inner and outer, and he had seen potential when she was a wee one, which was about the only reason he had accepted Roger's pathetic little proposal in the beginning. Admittedly, McBurn had popped in to eyeball her over the years, keeping tabs on his eventual property and it had been a pleasant surprise to find that Melyssa Brackett was growing up to be a beautiful, if not headstrong, young woman. Of course, he continued monitoring her growth in potential, noting she had been smart, even as a child, and the beauty thing on top of everything else had been the only reason he hadn't reneged and just killed them all. Sparing a man's 'family' of technically three via accepting a very delayed payout…hadn't seemed very appealing after the first few years.
"Oh come now, Melyssa," He taunted, more amused by her attempt to harm him than anything. She had grown in her talents that was for sure, but she'd never surpass him. "The man sold you off to save him and your mother, how mad are you really?"
Grief, pain, anguish, love, sadness…it all flashed in her eyes, wave after wave, though she was more heartbroken over her grandfather's death. Yes, she loved her father, but…the man had been a scumbag from day one. Who in Gehenna SOLD their only daughter to their enemy?! Promised her hand in marriage at such a tender age?! Robert Brackett died with a lot of regrets, she assumed, but that wasn't her problem and she had to fight to live now.
"I hate you with every fiber of my being, McBurn, with everything inside of me. For EVERYTHING you've done to me and my family! And you WON'T take away the family I've built with these people, not unless it's over my dead body! You'll have to kill me first!" Without realizing it, she was using her own life force, her very wellbeing, in order to protect them from the fireballs McBurn kept tossing at them while taunting her.
And he knew it. McBurn was able to read Melyssa like a book. No matter what she said or how dramatic she got, and boy this woman fit in with the rest of Class VII both past and present on the dramatics. He could read her clear as day. She was weakening herself because she thought they were targets when all he was doing was patiently working on 'killing' her battery, so to speak.
"Uh huh, keep talking, precious bride of mine." The Ashen Chevalier was zoning up, he spotted him and Carbide forming a Combat Link and inwardly snorted, that was just precious.
It had never worked in the past and it wouldn't now.
Suddenly, everyone was blown back, including McBurn, by a ferocious gust of wind. Or that's what it felt like, but it was power. Sheer power. "That. Is. ENOUGH!"
Melyssa blinked, feeling weak after exerting so much energy with that shield and looked up at none other than the Grandmaster, who was bathed in a yellow glow.
"So, we finally find out the truth, McBurn." The Grandmaster shook her head sadly while staring down at her dead Enforcer…his life taken at the hands of another Enforcer she had recruited long ago. "I have speculated and wondered for years why you had such an…interest in the Brackett family. I could not put my finger on it and neither could the others, not even my lovely Anguis. But you have finally played your hand and revealed what this was all really about. Why you wanted this girl, the Orange Flame, recruited in the first place. Lying to me, assuring me she wanted this…" That pissed her off because NOBODY could manipulate the Grandmaster…until now.
"You're done, McBurn." Mariabell appeared beside the Grandmaster while the other Anguis followed suit. "You have stained the name of Ouroboros with your pitiful plan and you have DISRESPECTED our Grandmaster."
"Why do you think I was always on Melyssa's side, McBurn, hmm? Why do you think things seemingly fell into place for her in Ouroboros and why I INSISTED on her becoming an Enforcer?" The Grandmaster was not stupid, not by a long shot and she smiled coldly at her fiery Enforcer. "Because I KNEW something more was going on with you…and I wanted you to get to the point where you finally lost all sense of rationality and you have. And that's why you tracked down Robert Brackett, thinking you could use him as bait against Melyssa…to FORCE her to be with you." She shook her finger, tsking beneath her breath. "You convinced me to invade Jurai because you wanted to kickstart the Noble Faction back up again and form another Alliance. I did as you requested…but I always had my doubts about WHY and now I know. I know EVERYTHING. Just like you convinced me we should take over Crossbell City because it would put us in 'GREAT' power." She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Why do you think we haven't made a move on Crossbell City? Again, I didn't believe your intentions and I wanted to weed out what you truly desired."
That made sense because, with all the security measures and everything else, a war with Ouroboros should have broken out long ago.
"Machias Regnitz, I apologize for putting a hit out on you. Again, my foolish Enforcer convinced me it was the right thing to do and I will NEVER make that mistake again." The Grandmaster could admit when she was wrong from time to time, nodding at Mariabell, who walked over to where Melyssa lay.
"Stay still, you used up a great deal of your energy with that shield of yours. I'll help you."
"W-Why?"
Mariabell smiled softly. "You're one of us, Melyssa. Whether you want to be or not, once you become an Enforcer, it's for life."
"B-But…I-I want to be happy…I-I want to go on an adventure and not be bogged down by Ouroboros…"
"What makes you think you can't?"
"Melyssa, if you wish to relinquish your ties to Ouroboros, as an Enforcer, I suppose I can make an exception given all that's happened. However, I want you think long and hard about this decision. Don't make it now. Just because you are an Enforcer with Ouroboros does not mean you can't live your life and have adventures. Mariabell is getting married here soon and she is going to cut back on her Anguis duties because she wishes to have a child." The Grandmaster turned to face Rean Schwarzer, the Ashen Chevalier and Crow Armbrust, the Azure Chevalier. "Wielders of the Divine Knights, you do not need to worry about the safety and security of Crossbell City any longer. Ouroboros is pulling out of this city, Jurai, and others to go back to where we belong for the time being. We are not your enemy as of today. Maybe in the future, but today, there is no reason to fight. Unless of course, you wish to do battle."
"YOU WILL NOT TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME! I WAITED FOR HER FOR TOO LONG! YOU HAVE LOST YOUR TOUCH, OLD WOMAN! IT IS TIME FOR A NEW LEADER!"
"And it is time for you to go back where you came from, McBurn." Snapping her fingers, a portal opened up and she flicked it, watching his body fly into the vortex before it closed. "He was sent back to his own dimension and will never be able to enter Zemuria again. His punishment is eternal isolation for everything he has done."
"So…he's…gone?" Melyssa was having a hard time talking while Mariabell continued pumping magic into her to help replenish her life force. "H-He won't be able to get out of t-there?"
"Not without my permission and I will not give it."
"I can't be the only one who thinks this is way too easy." Ash said after a very long silence, his pink eyes narrowing when Rean simply stared at the Grandmaster, obviously studying her. Rean was going to accept whatever the Gehenna the woman had just said. He side-eyed Melyssa, that woman…was extremely lucky because everything did fall in place for her. Whether via divine intervention or someone else pulling the strings because it wasn't just Ouroboros who fell in line when it came to her.
They all did it too.
"Oh, she'll keep her word," Crow said lazily, shrugging one shoulder when the Grandmaster's eyes turned to him and mockingly bowed. "For now." When it became convenient to break it, she would.
All that bullshit over Melyssa, Ouroboros was stupid. He would have cut her off and kept McBurn, just because that was where the power was and Melyssa was an unknown when it came to where her loyalty lied concerning Ouroboros. Fortunately, he wasn't in any position where he had to worry about making calls like that. Being a retired terrorist suited him, Crow didn't think he had the stomach for it anymore.
"I made my decision long ago, Grandmaster." Melyssa informed her, her eyes moving from the woman up to Crow, those red orbs boring down at her. "I started this journey because of Crow, because I wanted to reunite with him. I've loved him since we were kids and…I just want to be free to go on adventures with him and sail the seas. I don't want to be an Enforcer and I never did." There was no point hiding the truth since the Grandmaster was obviously on her side. "He's my home. He's where I belong."
The Grandmaster and Mariabell both nodded at each other, understanding the young woman very well. "All right then, close your eyes, Melyssa." Mariabell instructed, waiting for her to do so and closed her own, pressing two fingers to her temple to begin chanting under her tongue. Breakth thy bonds and free her burden, no more suffering, no more yearning. No longer an Enforcer, she is free as a bird, the bonds are no more.
Melyssa gasped out sharply, feeling something leave her body and her eyes flew open, glowing pure orange for a split second before they returned to normal.
"Whoa, what the fuck did you do to her?!" Ash demanded angrily, watching Crow, the true love of her life apparently, rush to her side. Deep down, he always knew it'd been Crow. Everyone did. "Is she okay?!"
"She's free now. The bonds between her and Ouroboros are no more and she can live however she desires." The Grandmaster waved her hand as Mariabell came to her side and they both cracked a small smile. "Until we meet again, Class VII. Farewell for now." Then, they were gone.
Melyssa would sleep for 3 days straight to recover her life force as well as recover from severing her bond with Ouroboros.
Selene was called in to monitor Melyssa because nobody had any experience with this or any idea of what had happened, besides what the Grandmaster had said. Most of them were taking that with a grain of salt because… Ouroboros…it was Ouroboros. They took shifts sitting with her, keeping her body in Machias' office, letting her sleep on a couch in the corner. It was the easiest place to watch her since Rean, Ash, and Crow were all bodyguards and Crow stayed the night in City Hall, a bit amused with how quiet it always was once the doors closed. He was on high alert that first night, waiting for someone to come finish the job.
Obviously, nobody did.
It was the third night when she finally began stirring and he was there, sitting on the edge of the couch, brushing her dark blue hair because life continued whether she was awake or not. This was how he knew he loved the woman. "Lyssa?" He asked softly, watching her eyelashes beginning to flutter, hoping whatever the Grandmaster did hadn't caused any lasting damage or changed anything about her core self.
"Crow?" Melyssa felt as if she was waking up from a dream and looked up at him, smiling softly at the worry in his eyes. It did her heart good that he was the first person she laid eyes on upon waking. He continued brushing her hair, nodding and she let out a huge yawn, trying to wake up. Where was she? "What happened? The last thing I remember was Mariabell casting some kind of spell on me…or doing something…" She yawned again, really needing some caffeine, and had NO idea how long she'd been out for. "What time is it?"
"The better question," He said calmly, shifting her so she was leaning against his chest, setting the brush aside. "Is what day is it? What year?" At her gasp, he grinned and kissed the side of her neck, wrapping his arms around her and squeezed gently, relief in the gesture. "Just kidding, it's been 3 days."
