With Pheleraz Zoleris invoking Code 668, Trixan could not participate in Hellstorm’s interrogation. However, Hellstorm stubbornly refused to answer any of Pheleraz’s questions unless he spoke to Trixan in private first. Pheleraz had reluctantly agreed and so now, here was Trixan, all alone with Hellstorm.
Looking into the eyes of the man she’d known all her life, the man who was the closest thing to a father to her, she realized that this was harder than she had thought it would be. Could she really be detached from this case? So many questions puzzled her mind. How had Hellstorm survived in Bezvar? How did he escape? When did he have a daughter?
“We thought you were…” Trixan’s words trailed off.
“Dead?” Hellstorm added. “There were times I wished I did. It was… it was hell.”
Trixan swallowed. “If I knew you were alive all this time — ”
“Bezvaros would have killed you. He’s too powerful. I’m glad you didn’t come after me, Trixi.” Hellstorm smiled. “Are you doing all right? Those motherfuckers in Agon are not giving you a hard time, are they?”
That made Trixan smile. “They would have to try harder.”
He nodded with a smirk. “I knew I chose well.”
He’d always believed in her even when no one did. This was the man who taught her everything she knew, the man who instilled in her a sense of discipline, responsibility, and family. She wished they were reuniting under different circumstances. Maybe Pheleraz was right. Talking to Hellstorm was a bad idea.
Hellstorm sighed. “So, what’s the Order’s plan for me? They think I’m a demon, don’t they? Even if I were a demon, which I’m not,” he paused for emphasis, “how is that my fault? I ended up in Bezvar because I was doing my job as a vanquisher. Why am I the one being treated like a villain here?”
“You’re not a demon?” Trixan raised a brow. “Then how do you explain your new demonic power? Why do you have a portal full of demon energy?”
“There is an explanation for that.”
“Are you going to tell me?”
Hellstorm was silent for a moment. “Trixi, all you need to know is that I was tortured endlessly by Bezvaros’s demons and somehow I ended up with this power.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
“Bezvaros or his royal demons didn’t turn you into a demon?”
“No.” Hellstorm’s heartbeat was calm enough to show that he was speaking the truth. Then again, he knew about Trixan’s sound elema. It wouldn’t be too hard for him to manipulate his bodily vibrations to appear truthful. She’d seen him do it once on a mission several years ago. “I simply acquired this power out of sheer will. It’s full of demonic energy because I acquired it in Bezvar. But believe me, I am not a demon.”
Hellstorm had always been honest with her. He always said that lies were born out of fear, and he feared no one so he had no reason to lie. Trixan completely trusted him. The only problem was that right now, she wasn’t sure if the man sitting before him was the same Hellstorm she once knew. She wanted to believe that he could not be controlled by anyone, not even the Demon King himself. But at the same time, she had to be cautious. She couldn’t let her emotions cloud her judgment. That could pose dire consequences not only for the Order but the entire world.
“Why did you meet with the Archmage?” Trixan asked.
“Well, the fucker sent me to Bezvar.” He laughed mirthlessly.
“So you went there for revenge.”
“If I went there for revenge, Ziegler would already be dead.”
“Then why were you there?” asked Trixan. “The vanquishers who arrested you said Ziegler was in the middle of a summon when they arrived. And you tried to protect him. Who was he summoning?”
“You’ve spoken to him, haven’t you?” Hellstorm shrugged. “I’m sure he’s told you everything.”
“Not everything.” She dared not believe Ludwig Ziegler. How could Hellstorm seek the service of a Vessel? Why would he want to summon a demon? A prince of the Septos, no less. “What’s your business with Izenros? Why were you trying to summon him?”
Hellstorm shook his head. “I can’t tell you, Trixi.”
“Why did you rescue those lowbloods?”
“I can’t tell you.”
She’d almost forgotten how stubborn this man could be. “I am trying to help you, Hellstorm. I may well be the only one who is willing to believe in your innocence despite all the incriminating evidence. The Order is going to do whatever it takes to find the truth, you know that. I want to believe that you had a good reason for everything you did. But I can’t protect you from the Order if you don’t talk to me.”
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“I’m sorry, Trixi. But I can’t.”
“Not even for Narvari? Your daughter?” Trixan balled her fists, the anger slowly spreading through her veins. A part of her wanted to believe that Hellstorm was still in there since his eyes softened as soon as she mentioned Narvari. Maybe she could use that to make him talk. He had to. This wasn’t just about him anymore. She had to protect Narvari too. Trixan said, “Do you have any idea what she’s going through right now? Do you know what it was like for her to be suddenly plunged into this world only to find out that her father is now an enemy of the Order?”
“She wasn’t supposed to get involved,” Hellstorm said through clenched teeth. “She wasn’t supposed to awaken. At least not until…” He stopped himself.
Trixan narrowed her eyes. “Not until what?”
“Not until I returned home to her. I was planning on telling her the truth after that.”
Why was Narvari not supposed to awaken yet? She came from a long line of vanquishers who normally awakened below the age of sixteen. Narvari, however, had a late awakening at eighteen years old. Yet Hellstorm was so sure that her daughter would not awaken until much later. Why? He might be doing a great job keeping his breathing and heartbeat steady, but Trixan knew he was hiding something. It was all in his eyes. She would not be fooled by his calm facade. Ever since she was a child, Hellstorm would often confide in her.
While most people treated her like a child, Hellstorm didn’t shy away from discussing important issues with her like any adult of the Draghein Family. He would say that it was good training for her in building leadership and decision-making skills. There were things Hellstorm even told Trixan that he never told others. Once when Trixan had asked him about it, he told him that it was because he trusted Trixan more than anyone. If Hellstorm was hiding something from her now, then he probably didn’t trust Trixan enough to tell her.
“I know you’re hiding something but if you’re not going to tell me, then there’s no point being here.” She stood. “If you have nothing else to say, Pheleraz will send you to Rhodine and you’ll be charged with treason for rescuing lowblood demons and attempting to summon a pureblood demon.” She turned to leave.
“Trixi, wait.” Trixan halted reluctantly. “Okay,” he said. “You want answers, I’ll give them to you. But first I need to speak to my daughter. Alone. No cameras, no one watching.” He paused to look at one of the cameras hidden in the upper corner of the room. So he knew Pheleraz was watching them now. “Let me talk to my little princess. Just us. You do that, and you have my word, I’ll tell you and Pheleraz, whatever you want to know.”
“Everything?”
Hellstorm nodded. “Everything.”
Had this come from Hellstorm before he went to Bezvar she would have easily believed it, no questions asked. But the nagging feeling that the man was no longer the person she knew was buried deeply in her mind.
She gazed into Hellstorm’s dark eyes. They were those same profound and sincere eyes she had known ever since she was a child. There was never a time this man had put her in danger, and when he did, it was to make her stronger. It was thanks to Hellstorm that Trixan was a powerful vanquisher who would not be intimidated by the Dominant Families. Although there was a small part of her that told her not to trust him, the biggest part of her wanted the very opposite. After everything Hellstorm had done for her, this was the least she could do. If this backfired, it would be more than enough reason for the Draghein Family to finally demote her as Elder.
How ironic. She only became an Elder because of Hellstorm and she might lose her position as Elder because of Hellstorm. That was fine though. She was willing to take that risk. This man took the biggest risk by taking her in and raising her.
“Okay,” said Trixan. “I will let you talk to Narvari alone. No one else will listen in or look at you. But only for ten minutes.”
Hellstorm smiled widely. “Thank you.”
----------------------------------------
“Absolutely not,” Pheleraz shouted angrily as soon as Trixan came out of the interrogation room. “There’s no way that demon can see his daughter. He is in no position to make demands.”
“He’s not a demon.”
Pheleraz scoffed. “And you believe him? Yvis, can’t you see what’s happening here? He’s trying to get into your head. And now what, you want him to see his daughter?”
“So he will cooperate,” Trixan said. “Would you rather torture him? Because I’m not going to let that happen, Pheleraz.”
“As much as torturing Hellstorm will give me immense pleasure, I know it will be a waste of time. That man has literally been through hell. I don’t think I have the power to break him.”
“Good,” said Trixan. “We’re on the same page then.”
“No, we’re not. We’re on very different pages, Yvis.” There was something in Pheleraz's eyes she didn’t like. Pheleraz came closer. “I may not have the power to break Hellstorm but I know someone who does.” Trixan narrowed her eyes, wondering who he was talking about. Then he said, “Pheera — ”
“No,” she stopped him immediately, a storm brewing in her eyes. “You must be out of your mind if you think I’m going to let you use Pheera’s power against her will.”
“Yvis — ”
“Pheleraz Zoleris,” Trixan’s voice was eerily calm, “do not make me repeat myself.”
“Her power is meant to be used.”
“On her terms.”
“Hmm,” Pheleraz smiled. “You really think Hellstorm is going to tell you the truth if you let him see his daughter?”
Honestly, she couldn’t say for sure. She didn’t know if she could trust the man inside or not. With Pheera’s captivation, they could know everything Hellstorm was hiding. However, she would rather die than force Pheera to captivate someone. The girl had already been through too much from her family. Draghein School was the place where she felt safest. Trixan would not destroy that. Besides, even if Pheera agreed to captivate Hellstorm, it would be dangerous to her health. The girl was still recovering after going through a forceful order-up. If Hellstorm resisted Pheera’s captivation, there was no telling what could happen to Pheera. Trixan would not put the child in harm’s way.
Knowing it would be pointless explaining all this to Pheleraz, Trixan sighed in exhaustion and said, “Let the man see his child. He will talk.”
“I still think it’s a bad idea,” said Pheleraz. “But I’ll allow it. Just once. If I sense something off, I’ll do things my way.”
“Do whatever you want. Just keep Pheera out of this.”
“I’m not going to force my sister to do anything, Yvis.” Pheleraz laughed. “You should be more concerned about Hellstorm keeping his end of the bargain.” Before Pheleraz walked away, he added, “Hellstorm has demon energy. That’s proof that he’s a demon. You can’t believe the nonsense he spouted.” His deep blue eyes bore through Trixan. “If Hellstorm is a demon, then it’s possible that his spawn is a demon too. You have bigger problems, Yvis. Bigger problems.” He walked away laughing.