Once again, Draven found himself locked in a cell. Hopefully, this will become a regular occurrence. He was irritated. Everything had gone to shit so fast. He turned to stare at his master. Sygvar was sitting cross-leg, eyes closed, with his hands resting on his knees. In a low voice, Sygvar repeated a mantra over and over again. His master was meditating about what? Draven did not have the slightest clue. But he knew Sygvar was responsible for them being in this cell, and Draven was angry.
"Why did you let them arrest us?" Draven quickly shouted out. He could not keep his mouth shut a second longer; the silence was killing him.
Sygvar keeped his eyes closed, but he stop his meditative mantra. "Because you were in the wrong," Sygvar started his mantra gain.
"I was in the wrong? You must be joking. Helkith was in the wrong. He's going back on Nero's Oath. An Oath that Nero swore upon the Weave," Draven shot up from the ground and began pacing back and forth. "Nero appointed Helkith to be his regent. The regent's job is to act according to how they think their President would. That includes honoring any Oath that the President has sworn. Even though Helkith is President now, that doesn't change the fact that Nero appointed him as his regent. Then Helkith dared to throw us, Al'Manti, into prison. He's gone mad with power," Draven burst out uncontrollably.
Sygvar sighed and opened his eyes, "What you said may be true. But you have no right to decide what the leaders of this country do, and you especially have no right to attack said leadership when you disagree with them. We were tasked with uprooting the rebels pledging Urith, not politics."
Draven stomped towards Sygvar, staring down at this master sitting on the floor. "But we should. We are Al'Manti. We are supposed to defend the people of Sol—not just the ones with power, but the people without any. The mundanes deserve equal rights as any other Mystic."
Sygvar slowly stood to his feet and locked eyes with Draven, "If you had just listened to my orders at Black Star Casino, President Nero would be alive. Those mundanes you care so much about would have gotten their rights already. But no, you just couldn't take a second to think. You let your anger and thirst for revenge control you."
"It wasn't just about revenge. Raylen needs to be stopped as soon as possible. He's a madman who brings chaos and destruction wherever he goes. I was doing the people of Urith a favor. How was I supposed to know that he would kill Nero"? Draven started to shout, "I did what I thought was right in that instance. We should go after Raylen first instead of Nero's family."
"Yeah, but we didn't, Draven. We went to Nero's family. Like you said earlier, we, Al'Manti, are the defenders of the people. You should have thought about Nero and his family in that instance. And how their deaths could affect the rest of Urith. You should have followed my orders," Sygvar shoved Draven in anger.
Draven fell to the floor in disbelief. Sygvar had never attacked him before in a fit of rage. Draven stared at his master as he picked himself up.
Sygvar was shocked. His hands trembled as he looked at them, "Draven…" Sygvar's voice trembled as he spoke. He coughed and cleared his throat, "Draven, I'm sorry. I don't know what-"
Draven punched Sygvar in the face. Then kicked his master in the thigh.
Sygvar rushed Draven, throwing him off balance. He then kneed Draven in the stomach. Draven bent over and clutched his stomach. Vomit flew from his mouth onto the metallic floor. Sygvar kicked Draven in the face, causing Draven's head to be whipped back.
Draven spat blood on the floor and locked eyes with his master. He balled his fist and guarded his face.
Sygvar rubbed the side of his face. A bruise was beginning to form where Draven had punched him. "Wow, you can punch hard. Now that we've got our anger out, let's calm down and talk things out."
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Draven sprinted towards Sygvar. They throw a jab, which Sygvar defected with his open palm. Draven threw another at his stomach. Sygvar blockeded with is arm. Then Draven swept Sygvar's legs, causing Sygvar to fall to the floor.
Draven fell onto Sygvar and grabbed his master. Draven climbed onto Sygvar's back and wrapped his arm around his neck. He squeezed Sygvar's neck, trying to choke him out.
"Draven, that's enough," Sygvar managed to wheeze out. His face was growing red, and veins bulged along his head and neck. "I said that's enough!"
Draven did not let go. All he knew at the moment was anger, and Sygvar was the source of it. So, to make his anger go away, he had to end the source of it.
Sygvar opened his mouth and bit into Draven's arm. Blood squirted out of Draven's arm, flying onto Sygvar's face and the ground. Draven screamed in pain and let go of Sygvar. Sygvar used that opportunity to grab Draven's arm and pin his disciple onto the ground.
"Are you mad! You were going to kill me! You need to get a hold of yourself!" Sygvar screamed into Draven's ear.
Draven screamed as he tried to free his arm, but Sygvar had it firmly in place. He placed his other hand on the ground and pushed. He flung himself and Sygvar up into the air. Sygvar held on to Draven's arm, but Draven twisted himself to face Sygvar.
Draven punched Sygvar in the face repeatedly and then snatched his arm out of his master's grasp. He got to his feet and backed away from his master. He stared at Sygvar as he picked himself off the ground and sat on the floor. His face was bloody. Both Drave and Sygvar were out of breath. Draven collapsed to the ground, out of breath and in pain. Everything hurt, and he could not soothe the pain with Essence.
Draven lay down, staring up at the ceiling in silence. 'Why am I like this? Why am I so angry?' tears started flowing from his eyes. He wiped them away with his arm. "I'm sorry," Draven squeaked out.
Sygvar sighed, "It's okay. I forgive you, and I'm sorry as well." A few more seconds of silence passed, and then Sygvar erupted into laughter.
Draven turns to find Sygvar clutching his stomach, laughing hysterically. "What's so funny?"
Sygvar stopped laughing and caught his breath, "Do you remember the first time we met?"
"Yeah, just after the Leto massacre."
Sygvar slowly sat up. He smiled at Draven, and his eyes twinkled with nostalgia. He wiped away the blood smeared across his face, "You were so small back then. Just a boy, but you were so strong. You slaughtered your way through a whole squad of Raylen's men. Men that were twice your size. You made them look like little boys. You had no fear, nor did you hesitate. And the anger you had was nothing I have ever felt before. It burns so strong."
Draven swallowed the lump in his throat. Members of that day flashed through his mind. The gunfire, the screams, the smoke. His dying mother and the lifeless corpse of his sister. Draven closed his eyes, trying and failing to hold back his tears.
"You were so strong and so angry. And yet, so fragile and so sad. If I hadn't been there, you would have killed yourself. You picked a fight with a Wargoth. The courage that it takes for a barely trained boy is insane." Sygvar started to laugh and smile, "But you were also uncontrolled and wild. Your rage gave you strength, but you let it blind you. Thank Solaris and the Weave that I stepped in to save you. You have been the light that makes my existence bearable."
"What was the point of making me relive these memories?" Draven asked.
"A lesson. Can you tell me what I'm trying to teach you?" Sygvar questioned.
"That my anger makes me a danger to those around me. That all I know is destruction," Draven whispered the last part. His voice cracked as he finished. He curled himself in a ball as more tears began to flow.
Sygvar scoffed, "No, you fool!" Sygvar sighed. "Do you remember when Ariana got beat up by those five elder acolytes?"
"Yeah, I stepped in and defended her."
"You did more than defend her. You beat those boys within an inch of their lives."
"You just confirmed what I said. I'm a monster. I deserve to be locked up."
"That's where you are wrong. You showed restraint that day. You were angry, but you were also in control. Your rage was cold, and while you were defending Ariana, you were calm and in control."
"That didn't stop the elders from punishing me. I got ten lashings that day and was in solitary confinement for three days."
"Yes, but you stumbled across a core truth about yourself. Something that will grant you power beyond your wildest dreams if you embrace it." Sygvar got up and dusted himself off.
"And what is that?" Draven eagerly asked.
The cuffs around his wrist popped off. Instantly, Draven's connection to the Weave came back in full force. He clutched his head as a headache ensued from all the information coming from the Weave. He centered his parallel mind and blocked out all the noise the Weave was sending him.
The door to their cell slides open. Draven looked up to find Mydren and Pami waiting for them. Mydren had a big smile and waved at them.
Pami stepped forward, "We have to go now. The longer we wait, the more danger we will be in."