Zack and Janice walked back to the castle, they placed their weapons back and walked to the main hall, where the others were waiting for them. Tanner, and Miranda weren't in sight. The two lovebirds strolled over to their friends. Who stared at them proudly.
"You beat that bitch?" May asked, Zack smiled, and nodded in confirmation. May laughed out loud. "How the fuck did you manage that? He was like a fucking God!" May yelled, Rhyme rolled her eyes.
"Yeah. That was strange." Dethunter said, Recalling his encounter with Miranda. Zack sighed, and sat down, Janice sat next to him. Janice let out a sigh, and leaned her head on his shoulder, he wrapped an arm around her.
"Can we go again? Pick teams or whatever?" Oliver asked, Zack nodded and closed his eyes, He felt exhausted.
"Sure... Just, give me a minute... I'm tired." Zack muttered, Janice frowned and looked up at him with big bright eyes.
"Take your time. Not like it's a big deal, why are you so tired anyway?" Oliver asked, Zack shrugged. He leaned his head against Janice's.
"You two are cute together." Tanner spoke up. He had just came back inside, Miranda was trailing behind him as she usually did. Zack opened his eyes and looked up at him. Tanner had his hands in his back pockets, and a cocky smile. It seemed to be his default expression, Miranda's was one of boredom.
"What happened to me back there?" Zack wondered, Tanner nodded, and ran a hand through his long brown hair, He looked down at the ground.
"Well, that's a little complicated... I'll explain it as this, most people have the capacity to do this, but it's never really awakened until one needs it, or feels it from an outside force. Its magnetic in a way, surely you all feel something inside you right now." He told them, they nodded uncomfortably. They all felt a strange new sensation inside them, but couldn't place it.
"What did you do to us?" Janice asked, he smiled gently at her.
"I didn't do anything. The feeling is your own. Zack, You actually awakened your power because you found a reason to. Janice getting touched by me, sent you into a rage and awakened things about you. It awakened your Spirit Energy, and trust me, you have a lot to deal with." Tanner explained, Zack just looked at him. Miranda looked at Rhyme.
"She also has Spirit. In fact she has more than most of you, she's a Chosen." Miranda piped up from Tanner's side, he glared at her for a moment before looking back at the group.
"That's right. A Chosen. The Chosen of Light. But onto the Spirit Energy... It enhances you. It enhances your abilities, that's how I moved so fast, and hit so hard. Now that you have felt it, you should know the feeling, your body will remember it. It makes it easier to use, if you encounter it before you learn. You could say that I helped all you out." Tanner said with a smile, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.
"Now that you're in the mood of explaining things, what did you mean by that color comment?" Stacey asked him, Jarcus smirked at her.
"That's racist."
"No, it's not. Shut it." She ordered him, he shrugged. Tanner sighed.
"I meant what I said. You got your colors mixed up." Tanner told them cryptically, Miranda rolled her eyes.
"Why don't you just tell them about your stupid love power thing? I mean, you already told them about Spirit." Miranda said simply, Tanner brought a hand to his face and sighed.
"If only the world followed your simple logic. Fine... I have the power to see true love. It manifests itself in colors. Each color is usually shared between two people. In extremely rare cases, three people." Tanner explained to them, Stacey and Jarcus exchanged an unsure look.
"So... What's that mean? That were gonna break up?" Stacey asked, Tanner nodded.
"Precisely. Zack, and Janice however... They match up perfectly. First try for them too. My job is to bring true loves together. Well, that's one of my jobs at least, the most demanding for sure. But for them, I didn't have to do a thing, now that's strange." Tanner told them, Zack nodded.
"So, why did you want me to come with you?" Zack asked, Janice glared at Tanner, reminded of that fact. Tanner rubbed the back of his neck, He couldn't explain exactly.
"Again, Zack... That's complicated. Most things about your situation aren't mine to explain." Tanner told him simply, he looked over at Miranda who was holding her phone, and looking at it.
"Hey! Kelsi texted me!" Miranda exclaimed excitedly, they just looked at her for a moment before looking away
"Anyway, we have to go. I have an appointment nearby, come on Miranda." Tanner said, waving goodbye to the group before leaving. Miranda looked around for a second before seeing Tanner, and rushing off to find him. The group exchanged looks.
"Well, that was fucking weird." Oliver told them with a laugh, the others agreed with him.
"You still up for Larping?" Jarcus asked, stretching a little bit, Zack sighed. He pushed himself up. Janice stood up next to him, watching him closely.
"Yeah. Lets do it." He told them, putting on a bright smile like he always did, they laughed and ran to get their weapons. They assembled teams. Zack, Janice, May, and Rhyme, versus Jarcus, Stacey, Oliver, and Dethunter. Kathrina decided to sit this one out.
"I'm going to fucking kill him!" May mused, referring to Dethunter, Janice laughed at her.
"I bet. I'm going to go after Stacey." Janice said, Zack shook his head.
"No. I'll do that. The last time me and Jarcus fought the battle lasted for several years, and cost millions their lives. I have to take Stacey. You go after Jarcus." Zack advised her, she nodded, and swung her sword.
"Whatever you say Zack. I trust you." She told him, he smiled and looked to Rhyme. Who pointed to herself, and then the other side of the barracks.
"Right. You'll have to beat Oliver." Zack told her, she saluted him, and he laughed. They agreed on the plan and left the barracks. They moved through the forest, staying close, but also keeping a distance from each other. May was the first to spot her prey. She giggled a little bit, and got low to the ground. She began to move towards an unsuspecting, and isolated Dethunter.
She readied her sword, as she got closer. She let out a breath and jumped up, screaming like a mad woman, and swinging her sword wildly. Dethunter yelled, and brought his axe up to defend himself. She just kept hitting it and screaming. Eventually she knocked the axe away from him, and stopped. She smirked at him, and placed a hand on her hip.
"I am a god!" May proclaimed, pointing her sword up high, Dethunter shook his head and lunged for her sword, She stepped out of the way, extending her foot. He tripped over it. May laughed loudly. "Get fucked." She told him, before swinging her sword, and hitting his arm. This meant that he could no longer use that arm. She did the same for the other arm, and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt.
"You're a bitch." He told her, she laughed out loud at him, and hitting his chest with her sword as hard as she could. It didn't hurt him, but he still yelled for effect. May laughed just as a pouch hit her chest, She looked around and saw Oliver. He had a smirk, and was throwing a pouch into the air and catching it.
"What just happened?" She asked him, he laughed.
"Magic Bitch." He told her while laughing, she looked down at the pouch and examined it. On it was a picture of fire, and words. Whoever was hit in the chest by this would be killed. She threw it at him, and he caught it. She stormed off.
"Stupid fucking magic bullshit, cocky ass mother. Oh, I'm gonna fucking kill him." She ranted while storming off, He smirked one last time before turning around and walking away. Rhyme was strolling through the forest when she heard someone coming. She hid behind a tree and saw Oliver coming her way. She looked around, and grabbed a rock. She hummed examining a tree.
She threw the rock at a fallen tree branch, and it snapped under the sudden weight. Oliver turned around. They weren't every good a sneaking if they broke a tree branch. He would make sure they knew that. He went to examine the noise, and Rhyme placed a hand to her mouth like she was laughing. She moved out from behind the tree and almost threw a pouch at him, but she hesitated at the last second. It was an Ice pouch. It had the same rules as the fire, and lightning pouches.
The problem was she had to hit him directly in the chest, not the back or it wouldn't count. The problem was she was mute and couldn't yell. But she could use Spirit to send him a signal. She nodded realizing that was the best option and sent her spirit out to him, ordering him to turn around.
He did so, and as soon as he saw her he threw a pouch. She did too, they passed each other by inches before they both found their target. Rhyme could have dodged it, but that wouldn't be fair to use Spirit, she already felt guilty about using it to get his attention. He smirked at her.
"Nice. But, now we're both out. Lets go back Rhyme." He told her moving back to the barracks, she nodded and followed him. Meanwhile Janice was trying to track Jarcus, he was good But Janice was the smartest girl in the entire school. She could find him if she tracked him. So that's what she did. She found a path left by someone and followed it.
She saw the teen advancing slowly deeper into the forest, she moved quickly and got close to the ground. She swung her sword at him, and he turned around to block it. She was surprised but didn't show it. He smirked at her.
"Zack always tried that same trick. Not gonna work Richie-Rich." He told her, she growled at the nickname and pulled her sword back. She was a speed fighter, and he relied on strength. She could win this. She began to hit his sword over and over, each time making it lower and lower. When it was close enough to the ground She slammed it down with her foot.
She spun on her heel before he knew what was going on, and delivered a swift kick to the back of his knee, causing him to fall down. She turned him around with her foot, and prepared to finish him off, He grabbed her sword, and yanked it away from her, before turning it around, and preparing to stab her, she moved to the side.
"I'm too fast for that." She reminded him, pulling out a small dagger she had on her belt, she stabbed him in the chest, he smirked at her, and she looked down to see a dagger against her own chest. She scoffed. "How did I overlook the possibility that you had that too..." Janice asked herself. Jarcus laughed at her.
"You may be smart, and rich, and beautiful. But you aren't perfect." He reminded her, she smiled at him, and pushed herself up. He got up, and stretched. The two had been friends for a long time, Not as long as Zack and Janice have, but close.
"Thank you for the compliments." She told him with a laugh, he shrugged.
"It's not a thing. Let's get back to the castle. I think we should go and get lunch after this." He told her, she nodded.
"I'll gladly pay. After all, got money to burn." She told him, he shook his head at her.
"Blasphemy. Bad Janice." Jarcus said, flicking her on the forehead. She glared at him and rubbed the spot.
"I'm not a dog." She pointed out to her, he gave her a look.
"Are you sure?" He asked, She shook her head and made an irritated noise, walking faster. He matched her pace with a smirk. Meanwhile only two people remained active in the game.
Zack snuck around looking for Stacey. She was currently tracking him, and he didn't notice. She smirked at him as he peeked behind a tree. She saw her opportunity and ran to him. He reacted just fast enough to block, and jump back.
"McCandeless."
"Kelly." Stacey retorted, Zack smirked at her and ran forward, he swung his sword at her, she stumbled back. She ran at him, and they clashed swords. He smirked at her.
"Do me a favor. Don't let go of your sword." He told her, before He started to move his against hers, forcing it around and around, before he smacked it away with his hand. Her sword went flying away, and he smirked at her. Stacey stumbled back, as Zack held his sword close to her neck.
"You're a real ass. You know that?" She asked him, he smirked at her and reared back preparing to finish her off. She dropped down to the ground as he swung at her. She punched him in the leg causing him to yell out, She reached up and gripped his hand that was holding the sword, and pulled him down. He ended up falling on top of her. Neither was in any position to finish each other off.
"Well, Fuck." Was all Zack said, Stacey smirked at him.
"Yeah. This is bad." Stacey told him, he smirked at her and tried to move, but Stacey tightened her grip on his hand. "Stop that." She ordered him, he rolled his eyes.
"What? You just want me to lay on top of you forever?" Zack teased her, she rolled her eyes.
"No! I just don't want you trying to kill me." She told him, he shrugged.
"How about I promise I won't kill you if we can both stand up?" He suggested, she hummed considering it. On one hand she could get up, on the other he could kill her. No, She didn't see it in his eyes, He couldn't hide a thing, and he knew it. He was being truthful.
"Fine." She agreed, letting go of his hand. He pushed himself up, as did Stacey, she dusted off her clothes before smirking, pulling out a dagger. She lunged at him, and he dodged her, mostly, she ended up hitting the arm that was holding the sword. Exactly what she planned to happen.
She didn't however expect him to pull out a dagger with his other hand, and swing at her. She moved back and ended up getting her foot caught. She tripped and fell down. Zack stared down at her, placing a hand on his hip as he smirked at her. She struggled to get her foot free, and flipped on her back, She glared up at him.
"This is pathetic. Really." Zack told her, she glared at him, and gave him the finger.
"Fuck you." She replied, he rolled his eyes, and stretched.
"And about seven years later you escape?" He taunted her, she growled at him, and freed her foot. She stood up, and ran at him, tackling him to the ground. She fell on top of him, and held his arm down with both her hands. He smirked and flipped them. He gripped each of her hands in his and spread them out to each side. They were pressed up against each other, faces just inches apart.
"You have really blue eyes." Stacey told him in a casual tone, he laughed.
"You have a lot of freckles." He responded, she pouted at him, and he laughed. They were so close that they lips brushed against each other's several times. It would be weird, but they were the closest friends in the group. They always had been. They often greeted each other with a platonic peck on the lips. Neither saw the harm in it.
"You've told me this like every time we end up like this." She told him. It was true, it wasn't the first time they had ended up like this. They always said the same things, blue eyes, and freckles. It didn't make sense to the others, but it was simply platonic for them. They loved each other, But not romantically.
"Yeah. I think we should just call it a draw, this will just keep happening." Zack said to her, she shrugged, and let go of his hands. He got up, and she stood next to him, She dusted herself off, Then stuck a dagger against his chest.
"Got you!" She cried, he frowned and looked down at her.
"You're a bitch." He laughed, she smirked and jumped in the air.
"I am the winner!" Stacey yelled at the top of her lunges. Zack shook his hand and threw an arm around her, and hugged her.
"Eh, I let you win." He joked, she laughed.
"Yeah, sure. We should go back to the others." She told him. He nodded and picked up their weapons. They returned to the castle, and Stacey bragged about her victory the whole way. They all left the castle at this point and went out to lunch at some Mexican restaurant. After this they returned to Zack's house.
"That was fun!" May chirped as she flopped down on the couch. Rhyme sat next to her, and Kathrina next to her. Zack and Janice took their spot on the chair once more. Jarcus, Stacey, Dethunter, and Oliver sat on the longer couch.
"Yeah. I'm the winner though." Stacey told her with a smirk, She leaned back comfortably. Jarcus rolled his eyes.
"So, are we not gonna talk about the whole Spirit thing? Cause that's strange." Oliver told them, Zack hummed.
"I agree... He said that we all have the capacity to do this, but now it's easier to tap into." Zack reminded them, Oliver hummed and pulled out his phone. He began looking up Spirit Energy on the internet.
"Oh fucking Kay." Oliver responded out loud to the message that the site was locked by the government.
"What is it?" Zack asked, Oliver looked up at him.
"I clicked on a link and it's blocked by the fucking government. This shit is real." He told him, Zack nodded.
"So, he wasn't insane... Okay, well we need to find out more about this, try and find something that's not blocked." Zack instructed him, Oliver nodded and began looking. Rhyme looked around and pulled out a note pad. May just smirked at her.
"What is it?" May asked, Rhyme rolled her eyes, and wrote something before handing it to the other girl. "Bitch." May said as she read the words; Wait a second. Rhyme rolled her eyes, and continued writing. She then threw the notepad to Zack.
"Spirit is an inherent energy inside of humans. It relies off of your emotions, and General mental status. You won't find it online because most people don't know it exists. Those that do protect the information. If everyone found out it would be anarchy." Zack read aloud.
"That's right. Zack, we have a lot to talk about." Brenda told him, they all turned to see her and Phil by the door. They explained that everyone needed to leave so they could talk to Zack alone. They didn't leave without a deal of reluctance however. Both Stacey and Janice promised they would be over later, expecting an explanation.
Phil and Brenda sat down on the couch and took out the Silver Cross Necklace that Bondeshire gave them. They exchanged a look and handed it over to him. He examined it curiously, feeling it's power. He noticed a small inscription on it.
"Somnus de Aeterna Lux Et." Zack read aloud. As soon as he did a splitting pain filled his mind. It ripped apart his sanity. A flood of memories into him, it was overwhelming. The sheer force of this intrusion bearing down on his soul, on his very being. Memories of a woman. Elise. And memories of a man. Bondeshire. His friend Jake was there, but he wasn't his friend. Kathrina was there for a moment, then as quickly as she came, she was gone again.
At first these memories were disjointed, fragmented, shattered. Slowly they pieced together. His parents. His real parents. Bondeshire, and Elise Keire. Two Famous Spirit Users. They had twins one day. They named them Zack Domino Keire, and Jake Gray Keire. One of the kids had something wrong with him. A rare birth defect. The twins didn't share a blood type, and from some misfortune Zack ended up with too much of the wrong blood. His body rejected it. Hope was slim, he was going to die.
This was until something intervened. Something Divine saved Zack that day, that first day. They saw what would become of Zack if he lived, and decided to do something they never did. Intervene in history, or perhaps it was ordained, perhaps they knew it would happen anyway and were just following Destiny. Whatever the case may be Zack's bad blood was miraculously replaced with something compatible.
The doctors were baffled to find the boy with the Silver Cross around his neck, and a note meant for the parents. No one had been in the room to give it to him. The parents read the note and understood what happened. They took the children home. For the first five years they raised him. When he was three his little sister Kathrina was born to the same parents.
What happened next shattered the peace they felt. A cult attacked, called the Black Blood Order. They tried to kill the family. The only way to save the children for sure was to send them away. They found friends, and had them adopt Kathrina first. Then they put Jake into an orphanage. They were taking Zack to their friends Phil and Brenda when the man found them. Lucifer himself.
Lucifer wanted the boy for himself, but Bondeshire and Elise would not let that happen. Bondeshire tried to stop him, but was quickly defeated. In a last ditch attempt to save her son, Elise offered her soul in exchange for his. If Lucifer would take her instead then she could live with that. Lucifer agreed, but stated that He would take the boy when he was fifteen instead.
Bondeshire took his son to his friends, and explained the situation. He left a day after, to train and prepare for the day Zack would be taken. He had ten years to get ready, and next time He would kill Lucifer for ruining his life. But first He had to ensure the boy would not be revealed the truth until the right time. Before he had left he used Spirit to extract Zack's memories. He placed them inside the Cross, ready for whenever Zack claimed them.
Zack blinked and shook his head, looking up to Phil and Brenda with tears in his eyes. His fist clenched around the cross.
"It was all a lie?" He asked them, they looked down in shame and nodded. Zack took in a deep breath and shook his head.
"Every moment we spent raising you was real Zack. I promise you that." Brenda told the boy, who looked up at them and smiled.
"I know. So, where is this Bondeshire?" Zack asked them, they exchanged a look.
"You'll meet him later. He promised he would protect you. While you're down there." Phil explained, Zack nodded, and slipped the necklace on.
"What happens after that? Why am I even going down there?" Zack asked them, they both shrugged.
"We don't know Zack." Brenda said, Zack nodded and stood up.
"I'm going to get some things together then. Just to be ready." Zack said, and walked up to his room. He closed and locked his door, before going to the window, and opening it. He saw Stacey sitting on her bed. He smiled and grabbed a small rock, throwing it at the window. Stacey looked up from the sudden noise, and saw Zack. She moved to her window and opened it.
"Hey." Stacey greeted, Zack laughed.
"Hey. Can you come over here? I need someone to talk to." Zack told her, she nodded and closed her window. A minute or so later she was in his room laying on the bed next to him. They were cuddling, to an outsider they looked like a couple, but they knew it was nothing but friendship.
"What's wrong?" She asked him, looking up at him sweetly, he laughed.
"Well, I just found out my entire life was a lie. Phil and Brenda aren't even my parents." Zack told her, her eyes widened.
"Wait, what?" Stacey asked, Zack nodded.
"Yup. My real parents are famous Spirit Users. Bondeshire, and Elise Keire. Want to hear something more crazy? You know Jake, and Kathrina? They're my siblings." He told her, she thought it over.
"I suppose that makes sense. They do kinda look like you in different ways. I always thought it was strange how you three shared almost the exact same shade of blue in your eyes, all had black hair, come to think of it you and Jake almost look the same, but you're sweeter. Oh! His birthday is also today!" Stacey exclaimed. Zack nodded.
"Yeah. It all makes sense doesn't it... I don't know what to think..." Zack muttered, Stacey frowned and kissed his cheek sweetly. He smiled at her.
"I think that you're still you. Nothing about you has changed. Sometimes we discover something new, it doesn't mean that everything else was wrong, it just means we didn't know. Now that you know, I'm sure you'll be much better off." Stacey told him, he laughed.
"You always know how to make me feel better don't you?" He asked, Stacey smiled.
"I try my best... Hey, I got an idea! Lets dance!" Stacey exclaimed, Zack gave her a confused look.
"Why?" He asked with a chuckle, she rolled her eyes and explained it like it was obvious.
"People always have more fun when dancing!" She told him, as she got up, and looked through her phone, finding a song to dance to. She just turned to an internet radio thing, so it would be more fun. Zack stood up, and Stacey grabbed his arms. She began to jump around as the song began playing, while moving her arms. Zack started laughing, and followed her lead.
"I told you!" Stacey yelled, Zack laughed at her and spun her around, She fell against him before he spun her away again.
"This is fun, I'll admit." He replied, Stacey laughed. The two spent the better part of the day dancing, just hanging out together, until around midnight. They were both watching a movie while laying on the bed. Stacey had her head leaned on Zack's chest, and he held her close. All of a sudden the tv flickered and the door opened.
Zack recognized him from the memories, and his dream. Shaved head, goatee, leather jacket. That look that said he's killed men, the general demeanor of the man was absolutely terrifying.
"Zack. Come with me." The man said with an even voice, Zack glared at him.
"Who are you?" Zack asked, the man smirked at him.
"You've heard of me. I go by many names. Lucifer, is my preferred name however." Lucifer told them, Zack and Stacey exchanged a look.
"Zack..." Stacey muttered. Zack stood up, the man was at least a whole head and a half taller than him.
"Its okay Stacey. I promise." Lucifer just laughed at Zack's words.
"You mortals, always so quick to make petty deals. Yet none ever pull through. Were leaving now." Lucifer told him, clenching his fist. Zack sighed. Stacey got up from his bed and stood next to him. Zack looked at her, and smiled. He took his cross necklace off and put it around her neck.
"Keep this safe for me okay?" He asked her, she agreed. He smiled and gave her a small peck on the lips before grabbing his bag and leaving the room. Stacey just stood there, and shut her eyes tight. She wanted to tear her hair out, she wanted to fight. Beg, scream that Zack could stay. But she couldn't. She blamed herself for not being able to keep Zack here with her. He was always here for her, and she for him. She loved him.
Zack hugged Phil and Brenda before leaving the house with Lucifer. He looked down the street sadly. Lucifer looked at him, and glared.
"Come on, we have no time to waste." Lucifer told him, waving his hand, and creating a portal with his Spirit Energy. Zack looked at it suspiciously.
"Can I go say bye to one more person?" He asked, Lucifer hesitated slightly before answering him.
"Fine." Was all he said, Zack told him where it was and Lucifer made a portal. Zack walked up to it, and stopped short. He wasn't sure if he trusted it. Lucifer walked up, and shoved him inside with one arm. Zack stumbled through, onto another street, right in front of Janice's house. He looked back and saw Lucifer waiting impatiently with his arms crossed.
"Thank you." Zack told him, Lucifer scoffed at him.
"Hurry the fuck up." He ordered, Zack glared at him before walking up to Janice's house. He knocked on the door and an older looking version of Janice answered.
"Zack! This is a pleasant surprise! How did you like the presents?" Mrs. Witnornde asked him, he shifted uncomfortably.
"They were nice. Can I talk to Janice about something though?" Zack asked, Mrs. Witnornde laughed fondly.
"Oh, young love, Janice baby, Zack is here!" She called, the girl came up and glared at her as she left. She had a bright red blush on her cheeks.
"She's so embarrassing I swear." Janice muttered as she turned to her boyfriend. She noted that there seemed to be a faint smudge on his lips, but paid it No mind. She could tell that something was wrong here. She noticed the man on the street, he looked mean.
"Janice... I'm... God this is hard to say..." Zack trailed off, Janice frowned.
"You know you can tell me anything Zack." Janice reminded him, he let out a long breath and looked at her.
"I'm leaving Janice." He told her, she stopped and just stared at him.
"What?"
"I have to go... I'm sorry Janice." Zack told her, He took the necklace off and grabbed her hand. He placed the necklace in her hand and curled her fingers around it. "Know that I always love you. And I'm sorry." Zack told her. She just stared at him, eyes filling to the brim with tears.
"Zack..." She trailed off. She couldn't form coherent words. The choking fear was inside her, this man. This man on the street watching them with pure hate. He was the cause of this. And Janice hated him with all her heart.
"It'll be okay. This is a promise. A promise that I will find a way to see you again." Zack told her, before before kissing Her on last time. She just watched as he left. The man opened a portal like thing. Janice presumed with this Spirit Energy. Janice watched as Zack took one last lingering look at her, before the man shoved him through the portal. She then closed the door and turned around, falling against it as tears came to her eyes
ns 15.158.61.20da2
