Strena Road To Roqaur Part Five

 The Reunion

They both walked and walked on and on. She looked at all the trees that were ahead. They were tall and their leaves were all dark green and their heads were all full. This caused a dark shadow on the ground below. Yet it seemed like all the trees were competing for the light of the sun.

They walked in the forest and she could smell the greenery. She could hear the chirping of birds, yet it was quiet and insulated. It gave her a strange feeling. The strange bird called again and again, yet she could not help but relate to that bird calling out even though none were listening. Maybe she was like that bird, calling out alone in the dark forest.

She continued to walk on. She found herself looking down at her hands. She remembered all the pain that she caused aryb. It came back to her in full force as she almost was reliving what she did. She still felt the shock of what she did, if she had to be honest with herself, she wanted to take her mind off that and remind herself what she was before all of this. To return to a life that was simple.

Then her eyes looked on. She felt the fear of herself continue to rise again. She looked at Zaryb, remembering how much pain he was in. All the pain that Grasharlo put him through. All the pain that she put him through.

"Master Zaryb…"

That was when she spotted three people walking towards them in the distance. One had emerald hair and amber eyes, dressed in a flamboyant and colourful pirate outfit with a black spider broach. The other two looked almost identical if they were not opposite genders or one was shorter than the others. As they walked on, she noticed who they were, pale, very pale. Even for natives of this part of the world. She wondered if there was something wrong with them if they were that pale. After all, they all looked ill. Yet as they walked closer, she noticed that they had a strange look on their faces. Almost like they had lost a great battle.

Suddenly she saw that one was Chashathrophogh and then she spotted the look in his eyes. It was deathly angry. Yet she could tell that he wanted to take that anger out on something and anything would do. Suddenly she became aware that she was a child born out of wedlock, his usual prey, so she would be the target for his rage. Suddenly she became afraid for her life. So she started to walk behind Zaryb.

Then they met.

"Chash'?"

"Zarry?"

The girl behind him scoffed.

"Hold on, he can call you Chash'?"

"Please be quiet!"

"Is he your friend?" Asked the one with emerald hair.

"Yes. Now be quiet."

Hold on they're - they're friends? What- what is going on? Why aren't we trying to take them down?

Zaryb looked at the other two.

"Who are they?"

"The girl's my niece. She's like me. Her name's Drew, although the name she goes by is Bash. And the pervert is Cerpheres."

"And you?" Asked Cerpheres as he looked at him up and down.

"Zaryb." He said sharply.

Strena frowned.

"Urm…Master Zaryb?"

She spotted that Chashathrophogh looked at her with anger in his eyes. Suddenly she felt more afraid for her life than she had ever felt.

"Zaryb Zuvé Lok, who is this?" He asked an a stern voice.

I'm going to die. That's it, I'm dead!

She then noticed that Zaryb was looking away in shame. Which confused her.

"Is this Arielsa Zuvé?"

Now he's going to die!

She looked at him and shook. Her heart raced faster than she thought it was possible.

"Wait…Zaryb…as in Zaryb Zuvé?" Cerpheres purred like a cat.

She felt a ripple run throughout her body.

"'Zuvé'? Master Zaryb, what is going on?"

She felt her mind race as it put all the pieces that she had refused to in their place. Even though she did not want to admit it, she knew that this was what her dreams had been telling her the whole time. She knew that she looked like him, just with black hair and not white, and her father at the same time. Yet she did not want to accept it, she refused to.

Cerpheres widened his eyes.

"Well that is interesting." He purred, licking his lips.

 "And so adorable!" He whined.

This made her feel uncomfortable.

"Cerpheres!" Snapped Chashathrophogh.

"What?" He purred as he shrugged.

"I said be quiet."

Her body jumped before she could stop herself as Chashathrophogh walked towards them.

"Tell me, was it you that killed them or Wolfox?"

Strena frowned and looked at Zaryb as he said nothing but looked away in shame. Then Chashathrophogh reached then and yanked his collar and pulled him in close.

"I asked you a question! Now answer me Zarry! Was it you or Wolfox that killed the Zuvé Emperor?"

He looked down and Chashathrophogh punched him in the face. He hit a tree and fell. That was when she saw the cruel smile on his lips return.

"Well, he started to, in fact he wanted to make it as clean and as possible! But I had to take over, I just could not resist! Especially carnage of that scale." He declared with a drunken smile on his lips. Then his eyes rested up on Cerpheres and he extended his hand to him. "I'm pretty certain that my dear Prince Captain can understand and relate!"

"Indeed, I can."

Chashathrophogh then kicked him in the stomach.

"I don't want to hear it from you Wolfox, I want to hear it from Zaryb!"

What? What is he talking about? Why is he calling him-

"Come on, can't you figure it out?"

Then his face changed again and the shame reappeared.

"Fine. I did just plan on killing my brother. I just wanted to make him taste the pain I had been through. He told me that I would always be protected by him and yet he was my greatest tormentor. He even put Wolfox in me. He built an empire of blood and got my own father to banish me for what he put in me."

"That's not true! That can't be true!" Cried Strena holding tightly onto her belief that her father was a good and caring man.

Yet her mind went back to her mother and how sometimes she would look at her father with a troubled look but this would always melt away as soon as he kissed her. He would always cup her cheeks in his hand. But were there not times when she would look very guarded and pause before she smiled? Yet there was no cruelty in his eyes when he looked at her. No, all she would see was love. Her father loved her mother and that she knew.

"Be quiet girl!"

She looked down her heart in her ears.

"No. I did stab him but it was Wolfox that delivered the fatal blow. In fact it was overkill compared to what I had in mind! He even killed his wife! He was about to kill his child! It took all that I had to stop him. Although I guess I expected that which was why I stole these just in case what I did would not work!"

The tears flowed from his eyes. He was shaking too. All of this forced her to realise that he was telling him the truth. She remembered how he pulled her in to hug her. She remembered how tightly it was. Then her eyes dropped to the cuffs. Realising that they were not put on her to imprison her but to protect her from none other than Wolfox, the king of all demons!

"And you've been raising your niece ever since?"

He nodded.

"I see that she's a fully fledged assassin!" Cerpheres commented looking at her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, I became one when I was seven!"

Chashathrophogh looked at him alarmed.

"And?" He purred with a grin.

That was when the cruel face appeared, no Wolfox's face appeared.

"She became a bounty hunter before that at the age of six, no doubt! And only recently she became a Dark Lady!"

"Oh? And who was her teacher?"

"Grasharlo, sir. Although it wasn't his fault. She did weird things to me to make him give me over to her!"

Chashathrophogh's eyes widened.

"Alright, we're heading back. I want to know what's going on. Cerpheres!"

"Yeees?" He purred as his eyes looked at Strena excitedly.

"Make sure that he doesn't escape. I don't want him running away like he did last time!"

His eyes dropped to the cuffs.

"Don't worry. I won't!" He sang as he licked his lips.

Chashathrophogh looked at him sternly in the eyes. Cerpheres shrugged and smiled at him, giving him a daring look. He rolled his eyes as they walked back from where they came from.