Continued from Part 1.2: https://blogs.neoseeker.com/ShadowNc/6224-cracker-chronicle-11-we-fight-war-part-one-2-war/

***

May 9th, 2027.
Nebraska.
Earth Sven and Scott Lycanthrope, their vacation ruined, now walked home. They walked down the center of the suburban road. They were now able to talk freely, Earth’s remorse for his forgotten birthday ironically forgotten as well.
“...it’s a mixed bag, Scott,” Earth was saying, “The less rivals we have, the less time we have to genuinely fight someone. The urge to full out kill someone just can’t be replicated with a friend.”
“Case in point,” Scott replied, “The number of people that hate us is dropping. Just today, there was Rain Storm.”
“A few months ago it was Ace.”
“Nc has a distrust of us, but it’s no longer fueled by hate.”
“And now almost all of Zack’s followers don’t dislike us.”
Scott grunted, “Elves really need to invent email or something. Seriously, how many people were there? Uranus, and his assassin, Elementor...”
Earth laughed, “His mother, R...”
“Pluto.”
Earth frowned, “Well, actually, I haven’t seen Pluto since he tried to kill me, so there’s still a chance he still hates us.”
Scott shrugged, “I just assumed, because of his assassin, Elementis...”
Earth waved a hand, “I see what you mean, but it was Zack himself that killed Elementis.”
There was a pause, and then they both stopped walking, thinking something through for the first time in years. Scott began, “You don’t think...”
Earth nodded, “Oh, hell yeah, I’m thinking that.”
They stared at each other for a long time, and then they simultaneously jumped up, flying through the air. As they flew, they screamed at each other, “I can’t believe you forgot about your own brother, Scott! Your twin brother, no less!”
“Me?” Scott exclaimed, “You’re the one that destroyed his freaking home planet! What’s your excuse?”
“Oh, I was too busy not dieing!”
Scott scoffed, “Don’t forget you died there too!”
“Yeah, but my death ended the battle, it didn’t start it!” Earth screamed, “At least I was somewhat useful throughout that whole affair!”
Scott scowled, but didn’t say another word.

***

May 9th, 2027.
The Island in the Sky.
High up, in the uppermost part of the Earth’s atmosphere, there was a spot of land that just floated there, orbiting the planet. This floating island was owned by NSK and served no real purpose. On this small island there was a building, which was now deathly quiet as Scott and Earth entered it for the first time in almost thirteen years.
It was eerily nostalgic, walking through the narrow corridors. Remnants of the battle were still present; blood splattered on the walls, dents from swords or limbs, even a light fixture shattered on the floor.
They entered the command center and were shocked to see how little it had changed since they had come there on the first day of that half-year long conflict. The computers were even still running.
On their left there was a large window overlooking the planet below. The glass of this window was supposed to be unbreakable, almost needlessly so. However, it wasn’t actually unbreakable; it was just marketed that way. It had been a hilarious tragedy, the day that this specific type of glass had been introduced to NSK. Twenty-six stories up, the marketing agent had told a group of NSK employees – which had included Earth and Scott – that he had replaced all of the glass in the room with the “indestructible” kind. He then proceeded to explain that if he was to try to jump out of the window, he would just bounce back harmlessly. Eighteen hours later, the agent’s heart finally gave up, and Earth and Scott simultaneously broke their personal records for longest time continually laughing, and NSK had been using the glass ever since.
As Scott went over to gaze through the window, lost in memories he didn’t have, Earth crossed to the other end of the room, where a solitary door stood. It seemed out of place; plain and simplistic. Earth cautiously drew closer to this door, whispering, “Scott.”
Scott looked over to where he was and frowned, “Where’s that door lead to?”
“It’s just a broom closet,” Earth said sternly, “But I think Elementis is in there. After all, this is the room where he was killed. Zack mustn’t have stored his body too far away. And this closet locks from the outside.”
Scott let this statement sink in and he shuddered from the thought of it. He followed Earth over to the closet door, and they stood on either side of it. Scott put his hand on the handle, and Earth nodded. Scott slowly began to twist...
Suddenly the door burst wide open, slamming into Earth’s face. A pale figure leaped from the closet and spoke in a raspy voice, “Zack?”
As the door swung shut, Scott took a step forward, fist clenched, “Elementis.”
Scott’s twin brother spun around. It was quite obvious he was a vampire now; his body was bloodless, his figure was now much stiffer, and his fangs seemed longer. He was wearing the same clothes he always wore: black jeans and a black shirt underneath a light blue single-breasted jacket, the back hem of which hung down to his ankles. He wore knee-high leather boots and leather fingerless gloves, which had an insignia engraved on the back. He growled, “Brother, where is the one that has killed me? Where is Zack?”
Earth and Scott looked at each other. Earth shrugged, “We don’t know.”
Elementis grunted, “That is dissatisfactory. I was hoping Zack would be the first one I would kill in this new life.”
“The first one?” Scott asked nervously.
Elementis nodded, “When I died, I left a lot of people alive that I couldn’t kill in that life. Two of those people are in this very room.”
He began to walk forward, reaching for the hilt of his sword, but Earth held out his hand, shouting, “Wait, you can’t kill us!”
Elementis stopped, narrowing his eyes, “Why not?”
Scott and Earth looked at each other again. Scott suddenly remembered something that they could use to their advantage, “You need to pick out your new name first!”
Elementis frowned, “What?”
“Of course,” Earth said, playing along, “To symbolize their new life, all vampires must throw away their old name and create a new one.”
Scott’s brother went very still, staring at them. They were reminded of Brianna doing the exact same thing when she was deep in thought. Finally, he sighed, “Alright. I shall choose a fresh name for myself.”
He looked up, gazing at the ceiling in thought. He closed his eyes and muttered to himself while Scott slowly reached for his holster. “Ah!” the vampire screamed, coming to a conclusion. He opened his eyes and looked back at them, cocking his head slightly, “I’ve got it. My name shall be Virgil. I once knew a human by that name. He was a great warrior, and will live on in me.”
“Great,” Scott said, tapping his foot subconsciously, “That is a very unique name. I actually was talking to someone about that very name just the other day and by the way, you should probably know-” Like lightning, he drew his pistol and shot Virgil in the head. While he was stunned, Scott ran forward, jumped, and kicked Virgil right through the window, glass flying everywhere.
Scott and Earth ran to the shattered window and gazed out it. Virgil was falling down, to the planet below, and they glimpsed his expression; one of utter surprise. Earth frowned, “I don’t think he’s going to survive the fall.”
Scott furrowed his brow and looked at Earth skeptically, “What’re you talking about? Of course he’s going to survive; he’s a freaking vampire.”
Earth hummed, “Something’s got to be able to kill a vampire. No one should live an immortal life, even a cursed one. Oh, now he’s got wings.”
Scott looked back down and raised an eyebrow. Indeed, Virgil now had black skeletal wings, and was gliding down to the land below. He grunted, “Great, he’s going to fly away, and we’re going to have yet another vampire on the loose. It gets to be a bit tiresome when...Earth?” He had noticed suddenly that Earth was no longer standing beside him. He frowned in confusion and started to turn when Earth tore past him, smashing through the window. Scott sighed and jumped through the totaled window, falling down to the planet below.
In freefall, Earth turned to Scott, “Upset you didn’t think of it first?”
“Upset we couldn’t have just stayed home this morning,” Scott admitted. Earth chuckled.

***

Virgil soared through the sky, searching. He didn’t know how long he had been in that closet, but it had been long enough. Now he was free...but to do what? He felt a tugging, in the pit of his stomach, but he didn’t know what it meant. Was it...hunger? The urge that humans and animals felt, in order to stay alive? Impossible, he thought. But the urge was strong, and he could do little to fight it.
He became aware of something else. He tried to figure out what it might be, when something hot and metallic ripped through his wing. He swore silently and remembered someone had attacked him earlier, but he could neither place who it had been, nor how long ago it had happened.
Another bullet pierced his skin. “Damn it!” he screamed. This hunger was making him forgetful, making him unaware, making him weak. He roared and dove to the ground.
He landed on an old road in the middle of nowhere. A single car honked in front of him, driving steadily closer. He placed a hand on the pavement and flexed his fingers. A series of vibrations were sent out, and the car – he noticed vaguely that it was red – flipped over his head. It was then that he was overcome with an unusual sensation. His reflexes were sharpened, and everything seemed to move in slow motion around him. He turned, watching the car fall slowly to the ground. Impatient, he drew his sword.
It was the only blade of its kind. It exited the hilt in two spots, curving around to meet itself in a balloon-shape. Even the most skilled of swordsmen would struggle to wield it, and yet Virgil had mastered its use.
He threw his sword at the car, the force behind it causing the vehicle to rip in two. He leaped up, bouncing off the back half of the car to catch his sword in midair. The front half crashed to the ground, staying somewhat intact. However, the back half struck the ground and completely fell apart, shrapnel flying everywhere.
The doors of the front half popped open and two humans – one male, one female – stepped out. They were battered and bloodied, but surprisingly intact. Virgil landed once more, facing away from them, and inhaled deeply.
He could smell them. Their scent drove him into a frenzy.
He spun around and flew forward, his wings spread wide. Virgil’s sword plunged through the male’s chest, breaking through his sternum and ribs. The female cried out as he pulled the sword out, letting the male drop dead. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her running for her life, and he laughed.
In an instant, he was behind the woman. Her hands fluttered to her neck, only half aware that Virgil’s sword looped around her throat. Virgil drew closer, hissing. Her eyes were wide as she was stricken speechless. He whispered quietly in her ear, “My voice will be the last you hear,” before snapping his wrist back, the sword breaking through her, barely making a cut due to the sheer force.
As she fell to the ground, her neck cracked in half, bleeding profusely, Virgil breathed heavily. The smell of their blood was overwhelming. He grinned, his fangs glinting in the sunlight. “Feeding time,” he said to the corpses, his voice rich with malicious intent.

***

Earth and Scott flew close to the ground, looking for Virgil. Earth grunted, “I don’t blame you for shooting at him and scaring him off. The Elementis I know would have turned around to rip your head off. You’re lucky he’s thirsty.”
Scott sighed, “It doesn’t change the fact that we’ve lost sight of him. But honestly, I don’t see why we’re doing this. We don’t know how to kill a vampire.”
“That’s the reasoning,” Earth said, “We don’t know how, so we’re going to find out. Nothing like good old persistence to give you an edge.”
“But what if we can’t figure out how to kill him?”
Earth was silent. After a pause, long enough that Scott almost thought he had not heard, Earth finally responded, “Then we just...take him away. Bring the fight somewhere else. But be wary; Elementis isn’t one to play by the rules, and I don’t know how his vampirism will affect his prowess.”
They flew on in silence for a time. Then, Scott craned his neck, “Speak of the devil.” Earth glance at where Scott was looking, but he couldn’t see Virgil, just the fiery remains of an automobile...
Earth swore and dove simultaneously with Scott. They landed on the country road and then saw Virgil, bent over the body of a man, his mouth lifting away from the man’s neck. His face was soaked in fresh blood.
“Virgil,” Scott said, announcing their presence.
Virgil drew up, wiping the blood away with the sleeve of his jacket. He gasped from pleasure and then smiled, “Scott, Earth, I am sorry. I had to...quench my thirst, so to speak. Nevertheless, we may proceed with our previous engagement.
He roared, snapping forward, on them in an instant. He tackled Earth, his fingers reaching out to gouge his eyes. Earth raised up his legs, holding him back, and then kicked Virgil away in disgust. Earth drew his sword, whispering, “Light of Nc.” The sword responded, flashing brilliantly. Virgil hissed angrily, his own sword flying to his outstretched hand.
They ran into each other, swords clashing. However, Virgil’s sword wasn’t adept for combat, and Earth was able to throw him back with ease. Earth slashed through his black wing, permanently scarring him. Virgil roared in pain.
A bullet tore through Virgil’s chest. He growled, but only from annoyance. Scott leaped over Earth, a pistol in each hand. Still in midair, he unloaded all of the bullets in each of the guns into Virgil’s chest. He landed and spun on his heel, throwing the empty firearms at Virgil’s head. The vampire slashed straight through the first gun, but the second succeeded in smacking him in the face. He growled, looking up, but stopped short. Though it wasn’t possible, he seemed to pale at the sight he saw
Earth stood some ways away from him, with Scott standing behind him. The Light of Nc was at his side. However, in his other hand he held a seemingly normal playing card, but Virgil knew better. It was the King of Aces, an object of near limitless power. It had been used to destroy the planet Pluto, many years ago, and it had been directed at Virgil, as it was now.
Virgil chuckled nervously, “You don’t seriously plan on using that thing on me again, do you? Don’t you remember what happened last time? And what if you end up destroying this planet, like you did my own?”
Earth glared at him coldly, “It’s a risk I’ll have to take.”
Virgil flashed forward, kicking Earth’s arm up. Surprised, Earth’s eyes widened as he fell back, dropping his sword. Energy drew up from inside of him and was transferred into the King of Aces. The card glowed with the light of a thousand suns and unleashed its power straight up into the sky.
Earth lay there, shocked, staring up at the bolt of energy that streaked through the sky, steadily growing more and more faint...
As if from far away, he heard someone shouting at him, shaking him violently, “...Earth...Earth, get up!” His sight focused, and he saw Scott kneeling over him. Without looking at him, Earth said placidly, “I can’t. My power is gone.”
Scott grabbed his arm and pulled him into a sitting stance. “Not all of it,” he said, “You have to have something left.”
Earth blinked and shook his head, “No, I’m sure of it. That blast drew all of my remaining energy out of me.”
Scott sighed and looked up to the sky, “If you could reabsorb that energy, would your power return?”
Earth shrugged, “Yes, but there’s no way I could catch up to it now. I’d have to be traveling at least the speed of light...”
“That’s it!” Scott exclaimed, “The Ruler of Darkness is your father, and the absence of Darkness is light, correct?”
Earth nodded skeptically, “I was merely exaggerating, I didn’t actually-”
“Am I correct?”
Earth sighed, “Yes, on both accounts.”
“So just use that power to travel like a beam of light or something and go get your omnipotential back!”
Earth frowned. He stood up and grabbed Scott by the shoulders, “You don’t get it, do you, Scott? That’s the problem; I would if I could. ShadowNc has never allowed me to manipulate his element; it just doesn’t bend to my will!” He let his arms drop to his side, and then took a step back. “Never,” he whispered.
Scott gazed at him for a long time, thinking profusely. His own father’s element, Wind, came more naturally to him than any other, so he couldn’t relate to Earth’s dilemma. It was certainly confusing, considering the fact that ShadowNc had no ill wishes for his son...
“Maybe,” he said, thinking out loud, “he doesn’t want it to come easily for you. Maybe he wants to make sure you will make a proper successor.”
Earth looked up at him, “What?”
Scott nodded, sudden confidence overwhelming him, “Yes, it makes sense. ShadowNc is one of the few Nefarious Twelve that accepts death as a prospect. He faces his own mortality knowing that one of his children will take over as the new Ruler of Darkness some day. His negligence isn’t just intentional; he’s encouraging you to try harder!”
Earth stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. Finally, he nodded, “That’s insane.” As Scott began to give up, Earth snatched the Light of Nc from the ground, sheathing it. He looked at Scott intensely, “But not impossible.” He closed his eyes, concentrating. At first, nothing happened. Then his entire body shimmered, flashing with a blinding light. Earth grinned, “For the first time in my life, I am one with shadow and radiance.”
His entirety folded inward into one point, a tiny but incredibly brilliant point of light. This light bobbed in place for a moment, and then shot straight up into the air. It caught up to the bluish bolt of energy in a second, swirling around it. The point of light flew up, overtaking the blast, and then halted in its path. It spread back into the shape of Earth, his body still shining with light. He floated there for a moment, his arms spread wide and his eyes closed, as if welcoming the burst of energy about to destroy him. The energy enveloped him, but did not cause him any pain, as he had expected. It was instead refreshing, and it renewed his strength. He floated there for a moment, completely reenergized, feeling brand new.
Virgil wouldn’t stand a chance.
He opened his eyes, thinking of something in that moment, a bizarre thought that held no ground in the current context. He frowned, and could not come up with an explanation as to why he had thought of it in the first place. Nevertheless, he decided to try something, reasoning that Scott could hold his own until he returned.

***

Earth walked swiftly through the narrow halls of the Island in the Sky. Here he and Scott had died, but they had for some unknown reason come back from the dead. He knew not how it had occurred, and probably never would.
That was not the reason he had returned here.
He entered a restroom, his subconscious mind wondering why this room had been installed for an Elvin structure. He ignored his mind, pulling a hand mirror from his pocket. He looked into it, and for a split second he thought he saw his father’s green eyes eerily peering into him; however, it was only his own hazel eyes that were reflected back at him.
He shook his head, and looked to the washroom’s sink. Above it hung a wide mirror, its edge embroidered with a chain of pearls. He stared at it for a moment, and then flicked off the light switch, plunging himself into darkness. In the dark, he formed a small pinprick of light in his fingers; a dim spark that very barely glowed. He dropped the pinprick onto his hand mirror.
Here he hesitated. After a brief moment of pause, he held up his mirror to the one on the wall. He couldn’t see it, but the light emanating from the spark began to bounce back and forth between the two mirrors, and in a few seconds the light had reached its limit, stopping halfway between the mirrors.
Blindly, Earth reached out with his free hand to touch the end of the light.

***

He was falling. It was impossible to tell in this world, but he was upside-down, and he was falling.
Earth found himself in a realm of pure whiteness. There was nothing here except him, and he was upside-down, falling. That was all there was.
Then, a figure formed. Like Earth, he was upside-down, and he was also falling. He was dressed entirely in black clothing, and his hair matched, darker than anything else in this world. The only things about him that wasn’t dark were his eyes, which shone a deep emerald green color. This was Earth’s father, ShadowNc, the Ruler of Darkness.
ShadowNc spoke, a slight accent coating his voice (which was unusual, considering he didn’t normally have an accent), “How could you, Earth? How could you have done this to me?”
Earth’s voice echoed in this strange world, “What do you mean? I did nothing to you.”
ShadowNc closed his eyes and sighed, “I guess you are right, in a way. But I want you to know that you have my blessing. You are the Ruler of Light.” His lips continued to move, but now no sound came from them. ShadowNc faded back into the whiteness, falling, falling...
Earth woke with a start. He was back at the Island in the Sky, lying on the floor of the bathroom. He must have dropped his hand mirror, because it was now scattered on the ground in several pieces. He quickly gathered them up, careful not to cut himself, and then hurried out of the restroom, stuffing the mirror shards into his pocket.

***

Scott watched the point of light fly far up into the sky, and then turned to Virgil, “Alright. Time out over. We can resume fighting.”
Virgil chuckled darkly, “It’s about time. You sure kept me waiting.”
Scott shrugged, “What is a minute or two to you? But a fleeting moment, forever duplicated in eternal boredom.”
Without waiting for a response, he pulled out two pistols and fired off all the available bullets. Virgil raised his sword, the blade blocking the bullets, and then he zoomed forward, with his feet only inches from the ground.
Scott dropped one of the pistols, raising the other with perfect timing. His gun caught on Virgil’s sword, and due to its circular shape, no matter how hard he pushed, he wouldn’t be able to gain. Virgil growled, whipping out his foot to kick Scott back.
Scott tossed the pistol and pulled two AK-47s from his belt. Screaming, he ran forward, guns blazing. He leaped over Virgil’s head, the guns still raining down upon him. The second his foot touched the ground, he spun and launched the two guns at Virgil. The vampire struck the first with his sword, its shape holding the gun in place while Virgil spun around to smash both guns into the dirt.
While he was preoccupied, Scott detached a grenade from his belt and chucked it at Virgil. With surprising agility, the vampire lashed out at it. Scott ducked, expecting an explosion. When it didn’t come, he frowned and looked up. He gasped, his jaw slack and his eye twitching from amazement.
Virgil spun his sword in a circular pattern, and spinning on the inner rim was the grenade, held in place by centripetal force. Virgil grinned, exposing his fangs, “You know what they say: ‘Close only counts in horseshoes...’” he flicked his wrist, sending the grenade back at Scott, “‘...and hand grenades!’”
The grenade struck Scott square in the chest, exploding on contact. He flew back, landing harshly on the remains of the red car. He grunted and stood up. He looked around for Virgil, who had seemed to have disappeared. Just as he began to frown, Virgil’s sword came down around his neck. Virgil, standing behind him, whispered in his ear, “Who’s the wrong one now?” before pulling back sharply.
Scott reached up to grab the sword before it touched his neck. It cut deep into his hands, but he hardly felt the pain, all of his effort being used to desperately hold Virgil back. Virgil placed his other hand on Scott’s shoulder in an attempt to push him over. Scott groaned. He felt Virgil leaning forward, his face even with his own, breathing down his neck...
In a burst of sudden burst of resourcefulness, Scott let go of the sword with his right hand, drawing a pistol and then shooting Virgil in the jaw. With his other hand, he threw the sword off, spinning around to slug Virgil in the same motion. The vampire scowled in pain, his wings flaring wide open.
Scott gasped for breath, “What is it, Virgil? Why do you find such hatred for me? It cannot be from jealousy, or from the fact that I side with Earth. The Elementis I know was above all that.”
Virgil hissed, “Do you not remember?” Scott stared at him blankly, causing him to laugh, “Right, your amnesia. Very well, I’ll refresh your memory with a Flashback...” he trailed off, placing his left hand on his chin and looking up to the sky.

***

1642.
Chancellor Viktor Jetzt ran through the halls of his palace, terrified. He turned a corner just as the lights dimmed and went out, but he didn’t stop. He looked over his shoulder, to see if that monstrous creature was still after him...
He cried out in shock as he ran into someone. He turned to see Elementis standing in front of him, grinning evilly. He had four legs, and from the knee down they were made of solid rock. His attire wasn’t out of the ordinary, except for the cape tied around his neck. It was translucent, and flapped without a breeze. He was pale, even more so than he would be as a vampire. While in the present he was clean-shaven, now he had a scruffy beard and sideburns to match.
Elementis cracked his neck and the stone coating his legs flowed away, dirtying the floor. His back legs stepped forward to merge with his other two. “Jetzt!” he said cheerfully, malevolence hidden underneath, “Wonderful seeing you again. Why so fearful? You look as though you’ve just seen...” he grinned, “...my brother.”
The Chancellor turned, but found his path blocked by Scott, in his werewolf form. He nodded, fangs exposed, “Hello again.”
Elementis grabbed Jetzt by the neck, causing him to yelp in fear. He lifted the hapless Chancellor off the ground and gazed into his eyes, growling slightly.
“Please,” the Chancellor whispered, “I’ll do anything.”
Elementis stared at him for a long time. Finally, he sighed and set him down gently, “You, my friend, have a respectable country on your hands. I would hate for all the...progress you’ve made to be a waste. Wouldn’t you want this legacy to live on? I’ll tell you what. I’ll make a contract. You will sign it, granting control over this country to...us. You will leave this land, never to be seen again. Got it?”
“What?” Scott exclaimed. He pushed the Chancellor aside to face Elementis, “Brother, what’s gotten into you? Why are you doing this?”
“Relax,” Elementis said quietly, “I’m still going to kill him.”
Scott shook his head, “That doesn’t matter! Why do you keep trying to gain as much as you can from your victims?”
“This time is different,” Elementis begged, “I swear, once you see what this could bring-”
“I don’t care,” Scott interrupted, scowling, “We are equals, and it’s time you started treating me like one!”
Elementis frowned, his normally blue eyes glowing red. He shook with rage, looking as if he was about to explode. Scott grabbed his shoulders, “Elementis, calm yourself!” He growled, and Scott slapped him across the face with a clawed hand. Twin bolts of energy shot from Elementis’ eyes, incinerating Chancellor Jetzt, who had been trying to run away.
“There,” Elementis said, crossing his arms, returning to normal, “Are you happy? Now he’s dead, and I didn’t get anything out of it.”
Scott was unwavering, “This doesn’t change anything.”
Elementis sighed, “Alright, then. I’ve decided something, brother. You kill for the pursuit of justice, while I kill for the pursuit of power. Can we agree to disagree? Our ways can go hand in hand, and nothing has to change between us.”
“No,” Scott said, growling.
“Good,” Elementis said with a frown, “I didn’t think it would work out too well either. It makes me fell better about killing you.”
“You’re going to kill me?” Scott asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Not right away,” Elementis said, “But the next time we meet, it shall be as enemies.” He turned, walking off. Scott stared after him. He barely noticed as the lights flared back.

***

In present day, Virgil looked back from the sky to Scott, slowly saying, “...end Flashback. You know, because of you that country was turned under the control of the English, and you never got to find out what interested me so about that puny land.”
“You fight for personal gain?” Scott shouted, ignoring him, “What about your morals? The morals you agreed to follow when we formed the Assassinship?”
Virgil raised an eyebrow, “What assassinship?”
Scott frowned, “I...don’t know. It just slipped out.”
Virgil was indifferent, “The longer I let you live, the more your...amnesia lessens. I should have killed you back when I had the chance, instead of showing you mercy...”
“Mercy?” Scott asked, narrowing his eyes.
“None of your business,” Virgil said quickly. He raised his sword, “I’ll have time to regret those decisions while you’re in hell!”
There was a valiant shout, and then Earth fell from above, shining sword in hand. His body shone with white light as he slashed feverously at Virgil. The vampire grunted, unable to do anything to stop the barrage of sword strikes. Finally, he managed to lash out, and the Light of Nc was caught in his own sword.
Earth frowned, cocking his head, grinning slightly. He gripped the Light of Nc tighter, and then twisted his wrist. The Light of Nc snapped right through Virgil’s sword, sending metal fragments raining to the ground uselessly. Virgil growled, “Nice timing, Sven.”
Earth nodded, “Kept you waiting, didn’t I?”
Virgil raised the hilt of his now-broken sword, “It no longer matters. You’ve won this battle, but promise me this; next time the fight will be fair.” He spread his wings and turned on the balls of his feet. He flew off into the distance.
Scott walked up to Earth’s side, “We’re just going to let him get away?”
Earth shook his head, “Not exactly. You have to remember that for every evil thing he’s done, we’ve done worse. He’s also right in saying that this fight wasn’t fair. If anything, Scott, you’re the one that will either change his mind or destroy him. You’re his twin, and for a long time you were the closest person to him.”
“What are you talking about?” Scott asked, frowning.
Earth sighed, “Scott, your amnesia...wasn’t an accident. It was Elementis that induced it. And while I’m telling you this, do you remember how at first we said there might never be a chance that your memory will return? We were wrong. You would’ve found out eventually.”
Earth let this sink in while Scott’s mind raced feverously, “Why haven’t you told me about my relationship with my brother prior to this?”
Earth looked at the ground, “By the time NSK found you, Elementis had already made it his life goal to kill you. I thought it would be best if you didn’t know you had ever been close to him.”
Scott thought intensely, “NSK?”
“If I am correct in your thinking, they have very few records, if any at all, of the events leading up to your amnesia.”
Scott looked at him, “And you?”
Earth smiled grimly, “You could say I wasn’t around. If it’s any consolation, your memories aren’t going to return quickly, if indeed at all. Up to this point, I’ve only witnessed two, maybe three instances of you having some recollection of past events. But the longer you wait, the harder it will be to face Virgil. After all, considering all you’ve been through...”
“...that I no longer remember,” Scott finished solemnly. He closed his eyes and sighed, “There’s nothing I can do about any of that now; what’s done is done. But I’ll do the honorable thing, something I should have done hundreds of years ago. I’ll be the one to convince Virgil that he’s wrong, even if I die in the effort.” He opened his eyes, staring off into the distance, “Even if I have to end up killing him in the effort.”

***
End of Part Two
***

Continued in Part Three:

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