Narvari was asleep in Pheera’s hospital room when Yanvirrak rushed in to wake her up. In excitement, Yanvirrak told her to follow him. Something was going on outside, he said. After hesitating for a while, and Yanvirrak assuring her that Pheera was safe here, Narvari finally followed him.
Outside the large compound of the Academy, all the vanquishers assembled. Trixan stood with her back to the crowd while exquisitely dressed in a long silky red dress with a black floral belt around her waist. Her red hair was tied up in a conservative bun.
“What’s going on?” Narvari whispered to Yanvirrak.
Yanvirrak pointed to the skies. “Blue rays are down.”
Indeed, although the white and red rays secured the school, the blue rays were nowhere in sight. A wave of panic flooded Narvari’s chest. “Are we being invaded again?”
Yanvirrak chuckled. “No. I think we are expecting someone. Trixan must have taken it down.” Suddenly, a brilliant white portal opened a few meters away from Trixan. “White portal,” said Yanvirrak. “Our visitor is from the Central Domain.”
A visitor from Agon? Narvari raised a brow. What’s going on?
Through the portal, a young man in a vanquisher uniform stepped out followed by even more vanquishers — twelve in all. The portal didn’t disappear until a thirteenth person stepped out, taking his position in front of the small army. From his posture and sheer body language, it was clear he was the man in charge. Narvari froze for a moment when she took a closer look at the man.
With his short white hair and well-groomed white beard, he looked like a more mature version of Zemeron. His deep blue eyes, however, were even chillier than Zemeron’s. Was that Zemeron’s father? He didn’t look a day over thirty, but vanquishers aged slowly so it was possible that was Zemeron’s father. If he indeed was Zemeron’s father, then that meant he was Pheera’s father too. Was he here because of what had happened to Pheera? No. That didn’t sound right. Not after everything Narvari had heard about Pheera’s family.
“Well, well,” said the Zoleris, “I must say, Yvis, I’m impressed you’re still here.”
“Jakhan put you in charge of the mission,” Trixan said. “Interesting.”
“Interesting indeed.” He paused, running his eyes over the crowd as though they were nothing but vermin. “How far the mighty Dragheins have fallen.” He chuckled.
“Okay, who the hell is that guy?” Narvari whispered, glaring at the man.
“Pheleraz Zoleris,” said Yanvirrak with clenched teeth.
“Is that Pheera’s father?” He looked young, but there was something about his mannerisms that made it seem he was older than he looked.
Yanvirrak shook his head. “Older brother.”
“Her brother?”
Yanvirrak nodded. “Pheleraz is the oldest of five. Pheera is the youngest.”
Pheera did mention she had other siblings. Although Narvari had wanted to know more, she never asked Pheera about it. She didn’t want to bring up her traumatic past anymore. Narvari wished she knew what Pheera’s family had put her through. Did Pheleraz have anything to do with Pheera’s traumatic past? If he did, she would not forgive him. She already didn’t like the man based on his disrespect towards Trixan and Draghein School.
“You’re welcome anyway,” said Trixan after Pheleraz had insinuated that Draghein School was too useless to handle this mission. What mission? Trixan said, “Come with me.” Pheleraz and his team followed Trixan into the Academy and the crowd dispersed.
“Why are they here?” Narvari asked when she and Yanvirrak were all alone.
“I don’t know, but from what I just heard, I think Pheleraz has been put in charge of a global mission. Which means all Twelve Schools will be reporting directly to him on that mission.”
Narvari folded her arms. “Do you know what the mission might be?”
Yanvirrak shook his head. “Pheleraz is a class one vanquisher. This mission must be very serious if he’s been put in charge.”
Narvari sighed. Things were just getting worse with each passing day.
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“I’m curious,” said Trixan, a light smile at the corner of her lips. “You could have stationed your team in Zoleris School. Or anywhere else. Why are you here instead?”
Pheleraz crossed his legs, adjusting himself in his chair. “It’s a global mission. I can station anywhere I want.”
“Maybe so. But we both know you hate the Dragheins. Hellstorm especially.”
Pheleraz laughed. “It’s exactly why I’m here. Why I volunteered for the mission.”
Trixan titled her head. “You volunteered to hunt Hellstorm?”
“You seem surprised.” Pheleraz’s eyes chilled. “Tell me, Yvis. Were you also surprised to hear that your teacher was alive? And a demon no less.”
Trixan rubbed her knuckles. “We haven’t proved that yet.”
“Oh, we will.” Pheleraz stood up. “You want to know why I’m here? I’m here to ensure you don’t sabotage this mission.”
“And why will I sabotage this mission?” This guy was full of imagination.
“Do you really have to ask me that, Yvis?” Pheleraz drew closer to Trixan’s desk. “Demon or not, Hellstorm raised you. He’s like a father to you. I know you, Trixan Yvis. You’ll do anything to protect him even if it means going against the entire Order.”
Trixan smiled. “Do you think you have what it takes to catch Hellstorm?” The smugness on Pheleraz’s face dissipated, and instead, a scowl appeared. Trixan continued, “You’ve always envied him. Of course, you have — he’s a much better vanquisher than you will ever be. When you hid away in your family estate like a coward, Hellstorm was on the front lines saving the world from damnation. I know you, Pheleraz. You are too much of a coward to volunteer for something like this. So tell me, why exactly are you in my school?”
“Enough.” Pheleraz banged the table. His balled fist effused white sacros.
Trixan stared at the dent of a fist on the table. “You’re going to have to replace my desk.”
“I’m going to catch Hellstorm,” he said, this time more calmly. “And I’m going to take him back to Rhodine.”
“Hmm, I see.” Trixan nodded. After a moment’s pause, she added, “Just do well not to take anyone else with you.”
Pheleraz put his hands behind his back, his voice turning icy. “Is that a threat, Yvis?”
Trixan smiled, rubbing her knuckles. “Consider it a friendly reminder.”
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Zemeron waited outside Trixan’s office impatiently. Soon, the door opened and the man responsible for his rage stepped out. Folding his arms, he blocked Pheleraz’s path and glared at him. “Why are you here?”
Pheleraz chuckled. “Why does everyone keep asking me that?” He and Zemeron were now a few feet apart. “Now step out of my way, boy.” His icy tone pricked Zemeron’s skin.
“Not until you tell me why you are here.” Zemeron stood his ground. “We both know your so-called mission is total bullshit. You’ll never have come to Draghein School for no reason so why exactly are you here?”
Growing up in the Zoleris Family, Zemeron had seen how much the Zoleris and the Dragheins despised each other. The two Dominant Families may tolerate each other and act civil with one another in public, but behind the scenes, they were as incompatible as fire and ice. This feud had existed for centuries and Zemeron had no idea how or why it started in the first place. All he knew was the Zoleris and Draghein were bitter rivals. The only thing that seemingly brought these two families together was their common hatred of demons. Even still, the two families had an unspoken rule where neither interfered in the running of their schools. Dragheins refused to have anything to do with the Zoleris School and the Zoleris did the same.
Of course, not everyone from both sides of the family subscribed to this hatred someone simply because it was a family pastime. Pheleraz Zoleris, however, was not one of them. He would never have agreed to be transferred to Draghein School unless he was planning something. Zemeron had an idea of why Pheleraz might be here. But he wanted to hear it from Pheleraz himself. And knowing Pheleraz, he would not keep it to himself for long.
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“Well, brother,” said Pheleraz, “did you think father would let you do as you pleased?”
Zemeron scoffed. “Did you think I would be father’s little tool like you are?”
“No one gives a shit about you, Zemeron. You are a disgrace to the Zoleris name, cowering behind the Dragheins like that.” Pheleraz frowned in disgust. “You know they don’t even give a shit about their own school because of the useless Elder.”
Zemeron shoved Pheleraz and pinned him to the wall. “You will not speak about Trixan like that,” he said through clenched teeth. “Trixan Yvis is a better leader than you’ll ever be in a million years. Even Father knows you don’t have what it takes to lead anything.”
“Take your filthy hands off me,” Pheleraz said all too calmly.
Zemeron hesitated, but let go of the bastard. “I’ll be watching you. Do your job. Investigate Hellstorm. Then get the hell out.”
“I will get the hell out, little brother,” Pheleraz said, his face full of glee, “with Pheera.”
Zemeron balled his fists. The rage thumping in his chest heightened to unprecedented levels. This was what he had feared Pheleraz had been up to this whole time; the reason he had agreed to take on this mission. Son of a bitch. Before he could say anything, Pheleraz cut him off.
“You are useless to the family, little brother. Pheera on the other hand serves a true purpose back home. Her rightful place is with the family, not this…” Pheleraz’s eyes scanned the walls and hallway with contempt, “… dump.”
“If you think for a second that I’m going to allow you to take Pheera away — ”
“Allow?” Pheleraz cackled. “You should be grateful I’m allowing you to live even after you stole her away.”
“I won’t let you take her.” Maybe it was too late to save Abeneron, thought Zemeron. But there was still hope for Pheera. He would not let his family turn Pheera into a monster too. “She will be safe here, far from you people.”
“Safe here? She’s in a coma because she’s here. How the hell is she safe here?”
Zemeron stiffened. How did he know about that? Did Trixan tell him? Whatever. “Stop pretending you care about her,” Zemeron said. “All you want is to use her power for yourself.”
“Well, of course, brother. That is Pheera’s true purpose. Her power is not hers. It’s Zoleris’s. She has it because she is Zoleris. And she will use it, for Zoleris. Remember that.” Pheleraz poked Zemeron in the chest. “The Zoleris Family is the greatest in existence. Our enemies have cowered before us since the beginning of time because of our power of captivation. After everything this family has done for you, you betrayed us— running away from your duty like a coward. And that was not enough for you. You took Pheera away.” In the Zoleris Family, Pheleraz had the bluest set of eyes which got even bluer when he was angry. “If you want to be useless, gallivanting with these nobodies, feel free. But I’m not going to let you drag our sister into the gutter with you”
Zemeron chuckled. “Did you really think I would sit back and watch as you made Pheera torture people with her power? Do you know what that did to her? She almost lost her mind. But no, you don’t care about that. Because all of you have already lost your damn minds. Pheera and I want nothing to do with you.”
“As I said, little brother, you are completely useless to the family.” Pheleraz smiled. “Father has already given up on you, and he’s grooming Abeneron to take your place. Soon, Pheera too will take her rightful place with us. I’ll make sure of it even if I have to burn down this school to ash.”
“Really? And risk a war with the Draghein Family?”
“Oh please, the Draghein Family is ancient history,” said Pheleraz. “They are nothing now and you fit right in with them. You see little brother, things are only going to get worse for them now that their beloved Hellstorm is back as a demon. This is just the beginning of the end of the Draghein Family. Once all this is over, Pheera is coming with me.”
“No, she isn’t,” Zemeron said calmly. “She isn’t who she was eight months ago. You can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do. She’s stronger now.”
Pheleraz rolled his eyes. “She’s in a coma.”
“She’ll wake up,” said Zemeron, “stronger than ever. You’ll see. And she’s going nowhere with you.”
“And who’s going to stop me? You, little brother? Yvis?” Pheleraz laughed. “Do you think Yvis can protect you forever from the entire Zoleris Family?”
“I will protect my sister,” said Zemeron. “But I wasn’t talking about myself or Trixan.”
“Who then?” Pheleraz taunted.
“Pheera herself,” said Zemeron. “She hates using her power against others, but don’t you dare provoke her. You remember what happened the last time Father did, don’t you?”
Pheleraz froze for a second, his eyes shifting slightly. He said quickly, “Let me worry about that, little brother.”
Silence ensued between the two.
Finally, Zemeron said, “Consider yourself warned.”
Pheleraz laughed and walked away.
Zemeron didn’t realize how hard he was clenching his fists until they felt numb. He should have known those people would try to get Pheera back. But that was not going to happen for as long as he lived. He won’t let them turn her kind little sister into a psychopath. They’d already succeeded in doing that with his twin brother, Abeneron. He had tried to save his twin brother, but he had been too weak at the time and all he could do was run away. He had never forgiven himself for it.
Suddenly, Zemeron sensed someone watching him. He shot a deathly glare in the direction of the spy. All he saw were huge columns and pillars in the wide hallway. Zemeron stopped by one of the columns and Narvari Shar was leaning against the high pillar, staring right back at him.
“Narvari Shar.” He raised a brow. “How long have you been here?”
Narvari grinned. “Long enough to know that your brother is a galactic asshole.”
“So you heard everything.”
“Look, I was just passing by, and I saw you two arguing. It was intense. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. Sorry.”
“Are you really sorry?”
“No.” She laughed.
Zemeron shook his head. He had always thought there was something odd about this girl. He still couldn’t get over how Narvari had survived that wound in the chest. Zemeron was certain she had seen Narvari die, as she bled profusely. But here she was, wide awake, as though nothing had happened to her. Maybe Trixan was on to something when she said Narvari might surpass Hellstorm.
When Zemeron walked away, Narvari followed him. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought you were with Pheera.”
“Came for fresh air,” she said. “You two were arguing about Pheera, weren’t you?”
“This is a family matter. It’s none of your business.”
“I don’t care about your family, Zemeron. I only care about Pheera.”
Zemeron halted. He closely studied Narvari. Her brown eyes were full of sincerity. Even if Narvari never said it, Zemeron could always tell that the girl did care for his sister. The doctors said that Narvari had volunteered to clean up Pheera’s body every day. She would often stay with his sister, talking and reading to her. He was sure Pheera felt the same way about Narvari, or else why would she trigger a forceful order-up to save Narvari?
“Pheera hates talking about her family,” said Narvari. “And now your brother shows up, threatening to take her away. I can’t sit back and do nothing. I need to keep her safe.”
Zemeron paused thoughtfully. He sighed. “Pheera has a unique ability.”
“Captivation.” Narvari shrugged. “She can control anyone she touches.”
How did she know about that? Did Pheera tell her? It wasn’t something she brought up in casual conversations. “Captivation has been in the Zoleris Family for generations.”
“Every Zoleris can captivate?”
“No.” Zemeron shook his head “It’s only found in one person every five hundred years. Pheera is currently the only one who has it.”
“I see.”
“Captivation is priceless to the Zoleris Family. With the power to literally control anyone, you can imagine how much power they hold in Agon.”
“Yeah,” Narvari nodded, “but only one person has that power, right? How can that make the entire family powerful?”
“From the moment a captivator is born, they go through harsh training that psyches them up to use their power only per the will of the family. It doesn’t matter if the will of the family is good or evil.”
“And Pheera endured such training?”
Zemeron nodded.
Narvari’s eyes darkened. “What kind of training are we talking about?”
“They torture the enemies of the Zoleris Family using this power.” Zemeron paused. “From childhood, Pheera has been forced to make people do things… terrible things. She turned loved ones against each other, tortured people’s minds until they went insane.” Zemeron’s hands trembled. “She was as much a slave as those people she enslaved with her power. And she was only a child, you know. I was her big brother and I…” Zemeron’s voice cracked. “I wasn’t there to save her. I was never there. She endured that for six years, and I was never there.”
“She’s here now,” said Narvari. “That must mean you saved her, right?”
“Not until my elder sister told me what was going on.”
“Your elder sister?”
“Abeera. She told me what Pheera was going through.”
“You didn’t know about it?”
“No.” He would always beat himself up for never knowing about it earlier. “Pheera’s power manifested when she was ten years old. At the time I had already left home because I wanted nothing to do with the family. It took Abeera six years to find the courage to tell me what was happening. And once she did, I devised a way to get Pheera out.”
“What did you do?”
“There was no way I could have gone to the family home in Agon to rescue Pheera,” said Zemeron as he resumed walking. “It was too risky. But I knew that Pheera would be enrolled in Zoleris School as soon as she awakened her vaz. That was my chance. I felt I had a better chance of getting her out of Zoleris School here in the Outer Sphere. And I was right.”
But it wasn’t easy, Zemeron Thought. The biggest challenge was getting Pheera to recognize him and trust him enough to come with him willingly. After about two agonizing weeks of hiding in Zoleris School and slowly regaining his sister’s trust, Pheera finally recognized her brother and agreed to come with him. “We escaped eight months ago and I brought her to the last place the Zoleris will check. She’s been through a lot, you know.”
During their first three months in Draghein School, Pheera neither spoke nor went near anyone. She didn’t want anyone touching her either. But Trixan was patient. She told Zemeron it would take time for his sister to heal after everything she’d been through. It took time, but slowly, Pheera returned to her usual self until she began her training as a vanquisher. Zemeron would always be grateful to Trixan for that.
Although he had initially chosen to come to Draghein School because they didn’t get along with the Zoleris, he soon came to think of this school and everyone in it as his family for what they did for him and his sister. They were so patient and kind to Pheera. But of course, he knew that Trixan Yvis was the reason all this had been possible. Had a Draghein been an Elder of this school, they might never have given him and Pheera refuge. Pheera thrived in Draghein School and he would be damned if he let the Zoleris get her back.
Narvari mused, “She always got mad whenever I mentioned her family name.” Then she froze, her eyes widening. “Pheleraz wants to take her away?” With a deathly calm voice, she said, “If that man so much as touches a hair on Pheera’s head, I will fucking kill him.
Zemeron gazed at the girl and something about her eyes told him that she was not bluffing. “I appreciate it, Narvari,” said Zemeron. “But I don’t want you getting involved with the Zoleris Family. It’s too dangerous.”
“I told you… I don’t care about your family.”
“Maybe not. But Pheera cares about you, and she would be hurt if something happened to you.” Narvari’s mouth quivered. The anger in her eyes was no more, instead, it was full of guilt. Zemeron sighed. “Look, I’m not blaming you for what happened to Pheera.”
“But you’re right,” she said. “I’m the reason she’s hurt.”
“If anyone is to be blamed,” Zemeron said, “it is I for not getting you all out when the lowblood showed up.” Zemeron patted Narvari on the shoulder. “Let me deal with my family.”
“Fine. But I’m not making any promises,” said Narvari stubbornly before walking away.
Zemeron smiled. He could rest easy now, knowing that there was at least one other person in this world who would fight for Pheera.