|
|
Faction Showdown XXIV
During the same night as Dash’s removal, Slatford confronted Leo, Hest, and Vyre about their actions against the Lumis team; actions that they took with his permission, but with the wrong reasons in mind. He had previously interrogated the three of them, separately, to finally get the whole story of what happened during their attack. They theoretically had the chance to eliminate Drake Irving and didn’t take it. That was the gist of the story for Jay, though he found it interesting that they even got the chance. Skeptical, he figured it must have been an exaggeration. Drake wasn’t someone who was about to let down his guard in such a way as to allow himself be captive. He must have been waiting for the chance to counter-attack.
Leo, Hest, and Vyre stood opposite Slatford and Sergi in the middle of the Elemental Arena, the remaining five of the Hells team.
“I need not ask how you three have endeavored to relinquish such a golden opportunity.” Jay had one hand under his chin in the usual thoughtful fashion. It was one of the few gestures he and Drake both used. “From what I understand, Leo explained that it was not the point of the tournament to prove how strong we are, but to…have fun, was it?”
Hest stood straighter during his response.
“He didn’t think the tournament was necessary to prove our strengths.”
Leo turned an evil eye to Hest.
“Your treachery knows no bounds, Heliosso, Hest.”
Jay lifted a hand and both of them fell silent.
“We…lost Cain because of this impudence.” Jay lowered his hand. “And still the two of you fight like the children you grew up to be. Hest, the eldest of Heliosso, and Leo, the fiery child of Pyrosso, both princes of Houses, and both of you think you are so ahead of everybody else.”
Kenton Sergi pointed a sword to Vyre and tilted his head; a sign for him to leave. Vyre took quick steps out of the room and Jay began to walk slowly and randomly around the arena floor.
“Leo thinks that fire is the most powerful of the elements. He thinks that all of our tirelessness in learning these other elements is pointless, that we ought to just stop learning them and stick to what is the best, when we know that magic is all about the nature of the caster. He thinks that we are all beneath him because we fail to see that magicians are defined by their three or four most essential spells: attack, defense, counter, and finisher.” Jay paced back towards the group. “Hest is the same way, only he thinks he is more intelligent than Leo and defines the most powerful magic as wind. In short,” he stopped and looked between Leo and Hest, “you two think you are so much better than I am. Than most at the academy is. At the very least, you certainly would not expect me, a human-spirited demon, to really best you without any tricks. And that is why you think there is no point to proving our strengths against people who also don’t know any better.”
Leo frowned.
“You don’t know me.”
Jay walked up to Leo and looked down at him.
“I know you.” Jay’s eyes pierced. His marble black eyes with tiny white pupils shot anxiety through Leo’s body. They didn’t shift. They appeared to look straight into his.
That’s when he realized they were all he saw. He couldn’t look away; Jay’s eyes were glaring right at him and he didn’t have the strength to look away. He wished he could, and he desperately tried.
“It is you who do not know me.”
Finally, Leo could look away, and his head drastically swerved away as his own eyes slammed shut. His breathing was filled with contempt, his heart beat quickly with fear. Jay walked to the front of Hest and he looked similarly at the wind magician.
“So, you have nothing to say to me after your failure?”
“…we did our best, sir.” Hest looked almost eye-to-eye with Jay. “There was nothing more we could do.”
“Like Myxt, you would lie.” Jay frowned slightly and put his hands in his pockets. “You would lie to me?” He leaned closer to Hest, who took an oddly fearful step back. “That is not the smartest action to take.”
“We did our best, Jay.” Hest swallowed, not looking away from Jay, who stood up straight again. “Knock it off.”
“You think your family’s rank and prestige gives you the right to call yourself a powerful magician? Compared to who?”
Hest’s mouth opened to answer, but nothing escaped.
“Compared to who?!” Jay shouted at Hest, who shut his eyes and fearfully opened them again. Jay nodded, once. “Compared to Drake Irving, or Lance, or any relatively unknown magician who is not widely known, who are you?”
Suddenly, Jay put his hands on either side of Hest’s head and glared at him. The wind magician began to breathe more quickly and his hands rose to try and force Jay’s arms off. The twilight magician wouldn’t let go, and a slow, insane scream came from Hest and rang out through the Elemental Arena. Hest continued to scream until Jay released him, when he fell onto the ground from surprise and rushed away in a state of absolute fright, eyes wide and mouth twisted into a state of uncertainty and pain.
Jay turned to Leo, who kept his eyes closed and swallowed. He could feel his body trembling lightly as Jay walked to the front of him.
“Is there any doubt in your mind that I frightened Hest Heliosso like your average demon child?”
Leo slowly shook his head.
“Go to your quarters and do not move anywhere else.” Jay let out a breath of air and pointed. “Go before you become the subject of my next illusionary experiment.”
Doing as he was told, Leo turned and walked briskly away, Hest’s odd, rare scream still freshly painted in his mind.
|
|
Comments