The Beginning of The Past’s Return

  “When the black wings take flight….”

  **** At the Verneire Inner Sanctum****

  “….. that is what happened. I am glad we could save her. We have seen too many gruesome outcomes. Good job everyone. Even one life saved is a lot….” Kai recounted to the rest of the team. They already knew it via the live feed but a live recounting of such events is always a wise choice.

  “Sick creature…. I am glad we got to save her.” Senpai uttered.

  “Poor young girl. I will cook her the most delicious meal of her life when she returns. On the house.” Old man Goro said with a sad smile.

  “Even Kazel is getting infested with these critters.” Melvin added.

  Bosker listened on and nodded his head. They have gone through these cases countless times but it is always painful.

  “She will need some time to recover from this ordeal. She is in good hands.” Kai finished.

  Kai was pacing about. He felt uneasy. He knew something beyond the realm of coincidences was at play. Each time he felt something like that, something dangerous trailed close by. He was not taking any chances. Not after everything his comrades had gone through. Everything he had gone through.

  “Everyone….. I have some news to share. If you could just look at the screen for a moment. “ Daniel Bosker said while working on his device.

  They all gathered around the giant screen.

  The screen flickered on with the resonant red dots scattered throughout Earth.

  “Kai, will you elaborate?”

  “Yes. We can all agree on the fact that things have been tense. We have reasons to believe that something big and possibly sinister is occurring at Kazel and as the telemetric data on unusual Verzonal activity suggests; the world. At the moment, we are not at full capacity. I believe it is time we called back our core team members.”

  “That is easy! I mean I do not know any of the others but if they are members of the inner sanctum, contacting them should be a breeze!”Melvin said.

  The others looked at each other.

  “What? Did I say something funny accidentally? An inside joke?” Melvin gave a nervous smile, unsure about the peculiar expressions of the others.

  “The other members have not been around for….. a while now. They are off the radar. “ Senpai broke the silence.

  “What do you mean off the radar? Can nothing be simple?”Melvin questioned with a flair of drama.

  “A lot of things happened. We will explain it all. Let us begin stuff in earnest first.” Senpai replied.

  “Melvin….. Have you heard of the Society of Fleur De Selana?” Senpai asked.

  “Everyone has….. The society of salt….. It was a place of academic learning that focused on mutants and people with gifted dispositions. One of the islands in the Kazel cluster was entirely devoted to the place. It was formed by the Legendary politician and former mercenary Xanal the Consolidator and lasted for a few years, right? “ Melvin replied.

  “You are right. It was the most brilliant place of learning of our times. It also gave rise to the famous Forward Batch and the succeeding Blood Batch; Almost all of the most powerful espers to have ever existed; The elite squads that worked as the final line of defense to maintain world peace…. In fact, Old Man Goro was one of the senior teachers there. He was a beast.” Senpai said.

  “Noting of the sort….” the old master smiled.

  “But, the ravages of blood-hungry depravity tend to lust for the destruction of peace….. Four years ago, a violent attack took place on the island. Countless lives were lost. The attackers were destroyed by the Forward and Blood Batches but everything was over by that point. Only death remained. Xanal died… The leader of the forward batch perished…. Everything was scorched….. The surviving students went on to hold important positions throughout the world…. All for what….. Our home is gone…. No position can fill that void.” Kai finished the tale. His eyes had murderous intensity and lacked all other emotions.

  “Wait…… You were a student there? That explains your skills….. Don’t tell me you…” Melvin tried to piece it together but Daniel intervened.

  “Yes, you are right. We are the members of the Blood Batch. The inner sanctum of Verneire is effectively the Blood Batch. “

  “We still uphold the creed of Fleur de Selana. We still heed the call of duty. We still work in the shadows to serve the light….” Senpai started.

  “The mass of no evil can bury the light in effect. Not even the devil’s dishonored cry of doom can pierce and send the halo that we represent to oblivion. And we can avert any crisis for we are not the last of us.” Daniel finished.

  “That is some exposé….. And…. well, it is a lot to take in. I am sorry you guys had to go through so much. “ Melvin said in complete bewilderment.

  Melvin’s head started aching again. Everything he heard started resonating deep within him. He vowed to help and protect his new family no matter what.

  “Wait a minute…. The current political leader of Kazel ….. He was a member of the Forward Batch was he not? The young leader of Kazel is someone you guys know?” Melvin questioned.

  “Ah him….. Yeah, we know him. Some of our tasks come from him after all. That idiot can be a bit overbearing sometimes…..” Daniel sighed, but, it did not lack affection.

  “I still remember the first time I saw him. What a shrewd kid he was!” Old Goro chuckled.

  “Everyone was so different back then too! You wouldn’t recognize Kai at all. For starters, the grumpiness meter was not always full.” Senpai chimed in.

  Sensei scoffed a little.

  “Well Well….., reviewing such romantic tales with friends old and new….. Ah the memories!” a baritone and heavy voice drawled from a corner of the room.

  Everyone’s attention went atomic as they looked in the direction from which the voice emerged.

  A cloaked and hooded man with a cheeky and somewhat threatening grin walked into view.

  “Who on Kazel are you? How’d you get in here?” Melvin asked.

  “Oi Oi Oi….I am a known face in these parts you know. Ask the ones at the back.” he replied in a mock-playful manner and took off his cloak.

  A tall man wearing a dark maroon shirt, dark brown pants, a designer belt, black shoes and a black overcoat walked into the room. He had somewhat deep brown hair, a very thin mustache line and a bit of stylized stubble. A dark necklace with a luxurious crow design adorned his attire.

  The most notable thing by far about this man was that he was carrying a gigantic violin case with him.

  “You! What are you doing here? The rest of the team has never been to this new place yet. We were supposed to go retrieve you! You dank goat!” Senpai exclaimed.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “The sensors should have picked up something… Oh…. Your abilities huh…. How could I forget?” Danny fumbled.

  “It really is you!” Goro said in surprise.

  Sensei furrowed his brows but gave a tiny shortly after.

  “Hello Hello everyone! Corver “Righton” Dankson Black at your service! I appreciate the warm welcome.” he said while taking a small puff of a cigarette.

  “Hey old man, Danny, Senpai …… yo Kai when did you get so snarky huh” he smirked.

  “Uh…. Guys…. Who is he?” Melvin asked.

  “He is one of the members of the inner sanctum. He was a Blood Batch member too. And, he is also the First and the most powerful Horseman of Doom. He holds the title of “The Violinist”. Senpai explained.

  “Stop with the Horseman stuff. It is embarrassing. Only 2 and I were any good. The rest were just weaklings who started acting mighty. What a waste” Dankson sighed and shook his head in mock disappointment.

  “An unbelievable monster has appeared before us and you guys just jest about it? You are all crazy!!” Melvin exclaimed with nervous sweat appearing across his forehead.

  “It is good to meet you new bro. It has been fun gentlemen…” he started.

  Nobody expected the next move he would pull and it might have been too late too. Dankson flicked his cigarette of his hand at first. He took out what resembled a stick with a thinner handle at an alarmingly fast pace.

  “….. But, Kai, please die for me!” he said with a crazed look in his eyes and made a super-fast charge towards Sensei even before the cigarette or even the ashes could touch the ground.

  ****

  Melvin could not believe his eyes for a micro-second. He did not have any time to process anything. His body reacted on instinct as a distinct sentence rang in his mind “I will protect my newfound family no matter what.”

  His Verzonal energy level spiked and electric jolts propelled him in front of Kai. Some of his Aurum billiards also added an extra layer of security.

  He tried to shield him from the attack but the sheer might of Dankson’s blow using the stick scattered his billiards and pushed him way back.

  Melvin gasped for air at the amount of power that suddenly almost took the air out of his lungs and sent jolts throughout his body. He somehow steadied himself and took his stance.

  “Oh! You have some amount of strength billiards boy! I like it.” Dankson uttered giddily.

  Melvin tensed his body and prepared for another attack.

  “What the hell are you doing? Are you daft?” Senpai shouted.

  “What on Earth is going on?” Daniel questioned.

  “Righto boy..?” Goro puzzled his brain.

  “Are all your friends bon-a-fide crackpots? What the freight is wrong with you all, seriously?” Melvin asked in a grumpy manner.

  Dankson’s Verzonal energy raged an ominous dark maroon and covered the entire area like a dense fog. “All your muscles will relax. You will not be able to move.”

  Goro and Daniel could feel all the strength being zapped from them. They were still conscious but managed to pull through before fainting.

  Senpai and Sensei shrugged the effects off.

  Melvin felt the chill in his body but overcame it soon.

  “Whoops! You guys are strong to boot. Old timer, Danny, stay out of it. I am not here for you guys. Senpai and Goldie, you stay out too. I just want Kai.”

  Danny and Goro were stunned but they became extremely vigilant.

  “To hell with that. Why are you attacking us you nit-wit? Get your eyes checked. Kai is on our side.” Senpai yelled.

  “I am not abandoning my friends.” Melvin replied.

  “I have my reasons. I’ll have to beat you guys first then. That’s unfortunate. Probably.”

  “Alright…. I will knock some sense into you then. Melvin, step back. He is dangerous.” Senpai said and readied himself for combat.

  Sensei held Senpai by the shoulder.

  “Wait. Melvin should fight him. Stand back Senpai.”

  “But, Melvin is not strong enough to fight him. Not yet anyways. He is going to get fatally injured. You understand that, right?” Senpai protested.

  “Just trust me on this.” Kai said to Senpai.

  “Melvin, we are counting on you. GO for it. You got this.” Kai assured him.

  “Thanks man! But, shouldn’t we jump him? I mean, we outnumber the rascal, don’t we?” Melvin replied.

  “Trust me on this. We will reach a better outcome this way.”

  “If you say so. I want to kick this tool’s behind anyways!” Melvin bumped his fists.

  “Heh! Spunk will not get you out of this.” Dankson grinned.

  The two charged at each other at extremely high speed. They landed their punches on each other’s fists. The Verzonal energy clash sent ripples throughout the area and everyone could feel that intensity.

  Melvin sent out his smoke and started firing his Aurum Billiards relentlessly. The opponent gracefully dodged most of them and rushed out of the smoke while charging at Melvin with his stick like a lance. The edge of the “lance” had a sharp energy blade this time.

  Melvin stepped back and used a billiard as a shield and threw an electric jolt powered billiard from up-high as a counter.

  The man countered it but Melvin immediately jumped in with another billiard attached to his leg. He was aiming for Black’s knees.

  Black jumped back to avoid the attack.

  Sensei and Senpai were standing together and spectating the exchange.

  “Melvin is doing well. Much better than I anticipated but the worst is yet to come.” Senpai said in a worried tone.

  “Hmm…” Kai uttered but kept on watching the battle.

  “Just what are you thinking Kai?” Senpai wondered in his mind.

  Melvin kept on shooting his aurum billiards while his opponent kept on parrying them.

  “It is time I show my teeth a little.” Black said.

  He held his weapon close and the Verzonal energy spiked for a bit.

  The weapon expanded. The top of the weapon opened up like an umbrella and a slight protrusion like a gun nozzle opened up up-top.

  There was a HUD screen on Black’s side behind the umbrella-canopy that showed several stats including Melvin’s live scan. All the weak areas and angles were thoroughly searched.

  The umbrella canopy started to rotate at high speed.

  “This is my beloved Seranada La Siesta. Say hello” he said.

  Innumerable bullet-like projectiles started to come out from the nozzle like minigun fire and Melvin could only defend a little using his billiards and dodge using his super-speed. He still felt the attacks at times.

  “ Damnit, it stings” Melvin cursed in his mind.

  Melvin’s Verzonal energy spiked further and his movement sped by an alarming margin. Electric jolts surrounded him and his billiards. Everything of his sped up.

  The billiards defended him completely and he rushed and countered.

  Black got extremely excited.

  The umbrella canopy detached from the weapon and started firing while hovering in the sky. Melvin’s billiards responded and the back and forth of the weapons created a stalemate.

  The remaining part of the Siesta rearranged itself into a mace-like weapon with spiky blades attached.

  Melvin rushed at his opponent and started landing lightning fast blows that were too fast to parry. After trying for a while without success , Black jumped back and threw a few explosives shrapnels to halt Melvin.

  “I admit that you are fast. Faster than I can respond. But, against me, that Is useless.”

  “Sour grapes much!” Melvin yelled confidently.

  “Your mind will get confused and your muscles will relax at certain moments.” Black uttered.

  Melvin rushed at him again but his body suddenly started to behave weirdly at times. His speed dropped sometimes and his precision was being hampered. At one moment he is control and in the next, he is getting sloppy.

  Black took this opportunity to wait for the moments Melvin loses his speed and viciously hit him with pulverizing blows using the meele section of Siesta.

  “Unghh…. Each hit feels like a damn truck.” Melvin thought as he felt the overpowering blows.

  “That ability of Righton is very dangerous. Extremely powerful espers may not get their minds overwhelmed completely but his precise control means that he can still influence their senses at small but key moments if he stretches the limits of his abilities. It is a terrifying ability that even fellow espers were wary of.” Senpai mumbled.

  Melvin started to get extremely frustrated. He concentrated all his Verzonal energy and powered up to the maximum. A humongous amount of energy flowed from him.

  One well placed aurum billiard went and hit the hovering gun-canopy. The device returned back into Danksons weapon. Melvin went back a bit and charged at Dankson at a speed that cannot be recorded.

  He used both his fists to hit Dankson square at the solar plexus at an upper angle and lifted him off the ground.

  “Khuhhhhh” Black uttered as all the breath was knocked out of him.

  For a second he almost lost consciousness but he snapped back.

  “Hahhhhhhhh!!!!!!” he bellowed as he too started radiating un-quantifiable amounts of Verzonal energy. His eyes were glittering with madness and his smile was wide and terrifying, like a battle addicted demon. The weapon transformed into a scythe with several blades and he swung it down in a circular motion.

  In the meanwhile, Melvin had merged all the billiards into one and was holding it in his right hand. His golden verzonal aura had engulfed him and his eyes were blazing with electricity.

  “Damn you!!” he screamed. He initiated a counter and started to use his right hand to land a Verzonal energy infused uppercut on Black using the billiard.

  Each and every electronic device started fluctuating and the machines started going haywire due to the raw energy that was sending ripples in all dimensions.

  Danny’s hand was clenched tight.

  “We must stop this. I am going in Kai.” Senpai screamed.

  “This must not happen.” Old Man Goro yelled.

  The point of impact came and a bright energy blinded almost everything.

  ****

  Melvin braced for impact and closed his eyes and a bright light arrived but he felt nothing.

  “Enough.” Sensei’s voice sounded deeply.

  He opened his eyes and Kai was suddenly standing in the middle of him and Black.

  Everyone else looked on with mouths wide open in shock.

  Sensei had blocked both their attacks. He blocked Black’s attack with an index finger while Black was still in mid-air and used his other hand’s index finger to block Melvin’s attack while not even looking at it. He had kept Black suspended in mid-air using Verzonal stasis.

  “Wiu” Black whistled.

  “Kai…?” Melvin questioned.

  Kai gently pushed black away as he undid the stasis. Black rolled back mid-air and landed on one of the seats near the machines.

  Senpai rushed to check up on Melvin who was exhausted and down on one knee.

  “Let us have a conversation.” Kai said while looking straight at Black.

  Black who was slouched on the seat looked up.

  “Heh!” he uttered and grinned.