Dahlia's sermon had ended and the people of the congregation began to spread out, some grouping up to share friendly conversation and gospels, others leaving the temple to tend to their daily duties. Fleur, Effie, and Merin left the temple as well, the girls searching around for me and Luciel.
The three scouted the parameters for any trace of me, their gut instincts leading them toward the courtyard. Once they made it, they saw there was no one around, yet there were remnant, traces of a power spirit lingering about.
"Gosh...I have massive goosebumps here. Something happened over here," Fleur said, adjusting the lens of her sunglasses to the spirit setting, noticing iridescent energy flowing around.
"Yeah...It's so comforting...so peaceful," Effie said, skipping over to the benches, sensing where the energy lingered the strongest.
Effie and Looni let out a comforting hum and sat upon the bench with a childlike glee, Looni curling up on Effie's lap in her pet sized form. Merin looked between the two girls, noticing their two distinct reactions to the Eternal Spirit, an intrigued hum rumbling in his throat.
"I believe we could ask Dahlia if she's seen them? Maybe they went back inside without us knowing," Merin suggested, his heels already turning to return to the temple.
Fleur let out a sound of rejection, continuing to scan the area, digital interfaces appearing in front of her with data. "No, they couldn't have. Nox's energy isn't in the temple anymore. If anything, I believe they are in that building over there..."
Effie and Merin looked over to where Fleur pointed, their gazes landing upon a tall laboratory like building with a giant tree towering over it. The tree shimmered a light green light, fairies, butterflies, and even birds fluttering around her branches.
"The Tree of Life..." Effie gasped with marvel, hopping up from the bench with sparkling eyes.
"It's just a hunch, but I'm sure Nox and Luciel explored over there. It's what I would've done if I were him, listening to a sermon full of baloney," Fleur said, glancing back at Merin with a suspicious gaze. "You know, you're lucky Luciel wasn't there to listen to that bullshit..."
Merin paused in his steps, Fleur's words the first to trigger him in a long time. His lips curled into a slight smirk, his head slightly turning to acknowledge Fleur. "What do you mean..?"
"Cut the act...You know Dahlia is a Herisee and you protect her like the blind would protect their stupid masters. You're not fooling anyone here, Merin Tsu. You're working with Lament aren't you?" Fleur asked, one of her butterflies becoming a clone of herself and pointing a holy pistol at the back of Merin's head.
Merin laughed softly at Fleur's accusation, not moving a single muscle with the barrel of Fleur's gun at his head. He rose his hands slowly with surrender, letting out a soft hum of respect. "Your Discernment is high for a woman who isn't truly of Genesis, yet blessed with her Mana..."
"However, let's say I am working for Lament and Dahlia...how can you prove it? What are your works to show my deception?" Merin asked, turning around to face Fleur. "Shoot me here, and you would've killed a villain in your eyes. But to the others...you would've killed an innocent man over speculation..."
Fleur glared at Merin, gritting her teeth and holding her pistol with both hands now, her aim slightly shaky as she hesitated to take the shot. Merin hummed at her hesitation, walking by her with a confidence only known from a Deciever.
"Lower your weapon, Fleur. I am not your enemy here and neither is Dahlia. You know as much as I do that a woman can not preach. It was a test of discernment and you passed. Now, let's go meet with Nox," Merin chuckled, patting Fleur's back as he walked by.
Fleur lowered her head with defeat, never feeling more embarrassed in her life than she did now. Merin's words echoed in her head, seeds of doubt forming within as she began to question herself...just as I did.
-------------------------------------
"Alright, you two! You both are seeking Sephorine Roses huh? For what reason?" Laneret asked, typing on her digital keyboard, a multitude of data and graphs displaying upon the large blue screen.
"Yesterday, Reid joined some bandits to hunt for the roses and we know it was for no good also! We want to find them and protect them before anyone else does!" Luciel said with protective courage, her eyes gleaming with a determined flame.
Abylon glanced over at Luciel with a gentle smile, her hands held in front of her with a proper demeanor. "Well, luckily for you, the Sephorine Roses are protected by us. You have nothing to fear."
"This isn't about fear," I spoke up, looking up from the ground, my back leaned against the wall and my arms crossed with soft introspection. "This is about the Roses not falling into the wrong hands. However, we need those roses to reawaken the Zodiac Temples and the Dark Lords.."
Laneret continued typing and chuckled softly at my comment, her glasses reflecting the information upon her screen. "The Dark Lords are already awakened, they just don't want to come out. Not even Floria, as much as we try."
"What? They've already Rebirthed?" Luciel asked with genuine disbelief, her gaze shifting between Laneret and Abylon.
"They've always been awake. You'd actually know that if you truly prayed to Yuvah and honored all of Him instead of Genesis," Flynn scoffed, looking over at Luciel with a judging gaze.
"What?" Luciel asked, looking over at Flynn with a sharp eye.
"Enough from both of you. We don't have time to be arguing," I said, closing my eyes and lowering my head once again.
"Tch! Like I'd want to hear righteousness from the same monster who killed Zachary!" Flynn spat, her fiery gaze shifting over to me.
Suddenly, a melodic ring sounded in the laboratory, the entire room falling into silence. Upon hearing the sound, I got off the wall and walked over to Laneret's seat then leaned upon it to get a closer view of the screen.
Laneret looked over at me with a grin, her viper fangs showing in result of her proudness within herself. She turned back to the screen and leaned back in her seat, taking off her glasses. "Look ahead of you, Prince Nox. The Zodiac Cores you need to awaken the Zodiac Temples."
"Keep in mind, these Cores are guarded by Champion Spirits, so whoever is guarding the core is the strongest Spirit of the specific Zodiac. The only reason we haven't looked for them is because we're still trying to find the rest of the Council," Laneret added, taking a lollipop out of her mouth with a soft sigh.
The Twelve Cores, all spread out across the four corners of the Earth, but also near old Zodiac Ruins. The Fire Zodiacs, Leo, Sagittarius, and Aries, all resided within the Southern Hemisphere, the Water Zodiacs, Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio, all resided within the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth Zodiacs, Taurus, Capricorn, and Virgo, all in the Western, and the Air Zodiacs, Aquarius, Libra, and Gemini, all in the Eastern.
"What about the Dark Lords?" I asked, glancing down at Laneret for answers.
"That has to be left in your hands. Abylon and I have done everything on our end, but nothing works. Maybe you can try," Laneret answered, standing up from her seat and stretched lightly.
I sighed softly at her obvious answer, but I had hoped I would be able to get closer to a definitive answer. The only thing keeping this trip from being a bust is knowing the roses were completely safe in the hands of the Infinity Council.
The doors of the laboratory opened, Fleur, Effie, and Merin each walking inside. Luciel, Flynn, and I looked back, seeing the trio walking over toward us. Fleur glanced at me then hurried over, grabbing my arm and pulling me to the side to speak with me privately.
"Nox...I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm not too sure about your foster brother over there. He's not everything he looks out to be..." Fleur whispered, her gaze subtly shifting over to Merin, who was talking with the rest of the group.
"What do you mean? What happened?" I asked, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.
Fleur sighed softly and looked down, rubbing her arm slowly then cleared her throat. "It's just...when I confronted him about Dahlia, he's always so quick to defend her. Even when we were looking for you, he wanted to consult Dahkia first.."
"And when we spoke before we got here...every word he spoke was too perfect. I'll be honest, I wanted to strike him down right there in the courtyard...but I couldn't... because I doubted my own judgement," Fleur finished, glancing up at me with dejected eyes.
I let out a soft exhale at her explanation then reached over to her to raise her head fully by her chin, my gaze softening as I met hers. "Listen, Fleur...I believe you. We've been together long enough for me to know when you're lying, but how can you prove he's not what he says he is?"
"I don't know...but I can just tell he isn't..." Fleur said softly, closing her eyes at my gentle touch and calming her spirit.
I looked over at Merin with thoughtfulness, my mind going over everything Fleur said. I knew there were definitely glaring hints from the Whispering Clover to Genesis's whisper during Dahlia's sermon. However, there was no action we could take without the burden of undeniable proof.
"So, you found the Zodiac Cores huh? The Holy Resistance can finally start the next phase of their plans, retrieving the Cores. Which Zodiac is closest to us?" Merin asked, scanning the screen in front of him for the closest Zodiac Core.
"That's the thing...we know wherethey are, but don't know where they are and how to get to them. The information I picked up only shows remnants of Zodiac Energy. My guess is that they appear only during a specific constellation and month," Laneret said, sitting upon her floating platform with one leg crossed over the other.
"You don't know? Isn't your entire niche being a Physical Goddess?" Merin asked, looking at Laneret with slight confusion.
Laneret shrugged her shoulders with an aloof demeanor, a smirk spreading across her face. "I am a Physical Goddess, not a Deity or a Seer. If you want to know how to get them, either wait for when I can figure out more about these Zodiacs or find the information yourself. Either option works for me."
"Besides, the only reason I'm even allowing you to use my works is because you were a close friend of Lord Zachary. I still don't trust you nor that little heifer you brought here in refuge from Lament," Laneret said with a serpent's gaze, her Discernment kicking into overdrive as she stared at Merin.
Merin chuckled lightly at Laneret and slipped his hands into his pockets calmly, shrugging his shoulders in response. "Was it wrong for me to save a life? After all, she is a Devout woman of Genesis. Besides, who are you to speak about trust, Noxius."
Laneret's left eye twitched with annoyance as Merin used her dead name with a venomous tone and let out a toxic chuckle, her pupils becoming serpentine and sharp. "You have a smart mouth on you. Do not forget whom you are speaking with, Mortal. I could pull your very bones from your body if I wanted.."
Flynn gently grabbed Merin's arm, pulling him back from Laneret with caution. "Merin, stop antagonizing the Ruler of Science..! She's not bluffing at all!"
"I know, I was just pulling her chain," Merin chuckled softly, shifting his gaze back toward the screen.
Fleur and I watched the interaction then glanced at each other, the both of us feeling Merin's spirit was tainted. By the way Laneret was quick to bare her toxic and Abylon's strange silence while he was present, I knew something was incredibly off.
Nox...
Can you hear me..?
I grunted softly as I heard Floria's soft voice then closed my eyes and crossed my arms, lowering my head. 'Yeah, I hear you, Floria. What's wrong?'
It's about Merin...
I'm curious about him...
Is it true? Was he truly close with Zachary?
'Yeah, I met Merin when I was around 10 years old at my Foster home. It was basically the three of us all the time. Why?' I asked mentally with genuine curiosity.
There's something off about that man...
Even my monsters dread his presence...
I have to know what it is about him...
Fight him...
I rose an eyebrow with curiosity and opened my eyes then rose my head to look at Merin, watching as he continued to talk with Abylon and Laneret about the Zodiac Cores. 'Are you serious..? Merin's practically my brother, I can't just start a fight with him..'
I understand how you feel...
But this is more important than suspicion...
If I'm correct...
Merin will have the perfected Crest of Oblivion...
The Crest of Sheol...
Attack now...
I let out a soft exhale through my nose then glanced over at Abylon, who was looking back at me and heard everything Floria said also. She nodded at me, giving me the permission to strike first before anyone could suspect anything.
I nodded back then immediately got into my low stance with my hand gripping the handle of my Steel Buster, my body becoming a blur as I charged toward Merin with a powerful diagonal slice. Before my blade could reach his body, a puff of black clouds formed to protect him from my attack.
'Black cloud—' I began mentally, grunting hard and coughing hard as a dark force of energy struck my stomach, sending me crashing toward the wall.
"N-Nox!" Fleur gasped, looking back at me in shock then turned her attention back toward Merin, her heart nearly stopping as she noticed the black clouds forming around Merin.
Everyone else glanced at me and Merin, but couldn't see the black clouds that were exposed to me, Fleur, and Abylon. Not even Luciel could see the clouds, though she was the second most spiritually aligned being in the room.
Merin looked back at me, his mana blue eyes glowing with slight arrogance before fully turning around to acknowledge me. "Why the sudden attack, Nox?"
I grunted softly as I picked myself back up from the ground slowly, looking up at Merin with a slightly blurred vision. "Hmph...just wanting to test to see if you're still as good as they say. If we have to look for the Cores, I want to make sure I can still trust you on the field."
Merin let out an amused laugh at my answer then swiped his hand, using his clouds to summon his white bladed masamune, the blade glowing with blessed energy. "Ahh, I see. A little sparring match before we begin our search. Just like the old times with me and Zachary!"
I readied my sword in my Avengers Stance, ready to parry every attack Merin was preparing to launch. I held a sturdy stance, my butterflies manifesting around me in their basic dark blue color. 'I hope this is worth it, Floria...'
Merin grinned at me before dashing toward me with a focused thrust, but I parried his attack, causing his arm to recoil backwards. I hopped backwards then twirled my sword around in a circle, my blade shimmering with a dark blue light.
Internally apologizing to Laneret, I sliced downward and released a dark blue blade beam, the cutting wave slicing through the lab's floors as it travelled toward Merin. Merin predictably moved to the side to evade my attack, looking back as he heard Laneret's computer explode and noticed it was now cut in two.
"Heh, getting destructive now aren't we? Already wanting to turn up the sparring?" Merin asked, glancing over at me with deceptive curiosity.
Laneret watched our battle with her arms crossed and an exasperated expression, using a golden energy clock to reverse the damages to her lab. "If you're gonna battle like this, take it outside! There's too much valuable shit in here for you two to be destroying!"
"Take it outside you say? Don't mind if I do," Merin said with a light chuckle then dashed toward me once again, his blade ready to deliver heavy damage. "Come, Nox! Let us take our spar to newer heights!"
I readied myself for Merin's vicious assault, blocking and parrying each of his attacks, each of his advances met with a step back from me. I clashed with Merin upon his next swing, entering a short blade lock, Merin's impressive strength overpowering my own.
I grunted heavily as I managed to push him back then warped backwards using my butterfly the perfect moment Merin followed with a strong thrust, the force of his thrust generating a small force of wind. He grinned at my retreat and walked down the hall after me, watching as I warped through the halls to create distance.
"Running, Nox? You initiated the spar...it is your Princely Duty to now finish it. Or...maybe you realized you were way in over your head in the moment?" Merin taunted, his voice seemingly echoing down the halls.
Fleur rushed toward the doors and watched as Merin disappeared down the hall then turned back toward the other girls. "What are we doing just standing around? You all saw it too right?"
"Saw what?" Effie asked curiously, tilting her head slightly to the side.
"The— How could you—?!" Fleur stammered, glancing between the girls and the halls filled with remnants of Merin's Black Clouds. "Am I going crazy..? What the hell is going on..?"
Luciel hummed softly at Fleur's dismayed state, noticing her frantic confusion and doubt forming in her mind, an alarm constantly going off in her ear. She glanced over at the halls as well and held her Chronicles closely to her heart.
"Whatever you were seeing must've been in your mind. You're just afraid of your felon of a prince of losing to the real Hero who will save our world from this disaster!" Flynn called out, scoffing at Fleur's distressed state with a judgemental gaze.
Luciel grunted softly at Flynn's words, a light flashing upon the middle of her forehead as Flynn called Merin a Hero. She held her head gently, closing her eyes as she was in sharp pain. 'Hero..? Nothing about him screams Hero...Genesis, what did Fleur see?'
"Hero..? You call that deceiving bastard a Hero? Name one major accomplishment that could ever certify him as a hero?! For one, we all know he actively protects criminals! Reid, Dahlia, even you!" Fleur erupted, her butterflies fluttering around her with an awakened righteous rage.
"How dare you call my Prince a murderer..? I don't know what you saw at that Godforsaken church...but it ain't the reality both me and Nox saw two years ago. Ever since we encountered you last night, you've left a bad taste in my mouth. Some sister you are, more like a bitch," Fleur spat, each word she spoke full of a venomous spite for the Dragon Slayer.
Flynn's eyes began to glow red with annoyance, her hair becoming slightly wild with her growing anger within. She summoned her great spear then got into her stance, ready to unleash her rage upon Fleur. "I will make you eat those words!"
"Make me," Fleur challenged, using seven of her butterflies to summon her Gunblade, its cover a holy white with a word written in an ancient language engraved upon the blade.
Flynn growled lowly then lunged toward Fleur with a giant swing, but the blade cut a clone of Fleur in two, the clone dispersing into white flower petals. Flynn looked around quickly then looked ahead at the sound of quick steps speeding down the hall, immediately giving chase after Fleur.
Flynn bellowed as she leaped toward Fluer once more, but Fleur rolled out of the way of the attack then sprung herself in the air, firing four holy blasts at her with a pull of her Gunblade's trigger. Flynn grunted at the surprise projectiles, using the blade of her spear to block the projectiles.
Fleur ran down the halls once more, tapping a button on the side of her sunglasses to contact me. "Nox! Flynn has gone berserk, but unlike you I will not spare this heretic! I'm bringing her to you!"
I dodged Merin's slices perfectly, leaving behind dark blue afterimages that countered Merin with strong blows to his body. I dragged the tip of my blade along the ground in a circular motion, sparks generating along the sharp edges of Steel Buster.
"If you're gonna bring her to me, you might as well weaken her for me. What you do is what you do in this moment, but you will have to answer to Genesis after!" I roared, slicing toward Merin and releasing a blazing cutting wave toward him.
Merin swung his sword effortlessly, slicing the cutting wave in two, the remaining halves travelling through the air behind him and crashing into the lab's outside walls. "Who are you talking to? Don't tell me you're getting cold feet already.."
"Cold feet..? As if...I'm only just getting started," I answered, holding my sword out in front of me and glid my hand across the smooth surface of the sword, causing the blade to glow a radiant golden light.
Merin hummed with amusement as he recognized the familiar golden glow of my sword, his eyes gleaming with great interest. He readied his sword once again, the black clouds surrounding his body circling around him like a calm storm cloud.
"Just getting started? Likewise, Nox...I would say right now we are evenly matched, so how about I increase the pressure just slightly," Merin said, holding his hand out toward me, large pool of light forming beneath my feet.
Dodge those!
As Floria's warning rang in my head, I quickly leaped backwards, barely evading a blade of light that erupted from the light pool. I looked up and down at Merin's new technique, a technique only Zachary should've know, everything around me seeming to stop.
"The Sword of Spirits..? How..." I began with genuine disbelief, slowly turning my gaze toward Merin, who wielded one of my brother's techniques.
"I visited the church where Zachary fell to Priest Vince. The butterflies around his body were all glowing a radiant silver color...when I went to inspect it, they entered my body and I acquired this very technique," Merin explained with a calm grin upon his face as he looked down at me.
Do not fall victim to those blades...
Though your Spirit is made up of the same light...
Those blades will anguish your flesh...
Because you are half Dark Lord...
'I'm...aware of that con... but I'm just...in shock that he's using my brother's techniques,' I said to Floria mentally, slowly rising back to my feet and my weapon ready to strike, my form filled with slight hesitancy.
"I can see it in your form, Noxius. You're hesitant now...Heh, I guess it's because you haven't seen this in a while? Nevertheless, don't worry...I will make sure you don't get too hurt during this," Merin taunted with a charming tone, flourishing his blade into his stance.
I exhaled slowly through my nose, taking on my Avenger Stance to brace myself for the next phase. I couldn't wrap my head around everything Merin has kept secret for years from me, now...he wields something that was meant for me.