[October 31st, 2022]
In the sky above the cemetery, the clouds hung low, dull and swollen, as if they too carried a grief that was too heavy to bear. The rain hadn't come yet, but the threat of it lingered, casting the entire area in a grim, silver light.
The surrounding gravestones stood like silent witnesses, pale rows of stone etched with names, dates, and memories that were now lost to time.
And among them stood Cyrus Moore.
As of today, he was now nineteen years old. But at the moment, he felt as if he were decades older.
The young 'tree magic' user was wrapped in a black sweat suit beneath a thin jacket that protected him from the chilling winds around him. Not just out of respect, but because anything else would've simply felt dishonest. His fists were clenched at his sides, and the skin of his scarred hands creaked ever so softly as he stared down at the fresh grave with the name Fredrick Harvey Price carved cleanly into the marble. The flowers Ayako had brought lay across the grave. The bouquet was already catching stray gusts of wind while its petals trembled as if they understood the pain that they were meant to soothe.
Cyrus couldn't find it within him to say anything at first. His throat was tight and dry, making it so that any words he tried to say would get choked out halfway.
Ayako stood only a few feet behind him. Her presence was quiet and unwavering, but even Cyrus could feel the emotion that was radiating off of her body. She didn't try to comfort him with words. She knew better than that. Instead, the 'water magic' user simply stood close enough for him to know he wasn't alone.
Finally, after what felt like hours in the still silence, Cyrus knelt. His hand gently hovered over the grave before resting on the damp stone. His eyes, normally sharp and full of joy, looked dim. If one were to look at him right now, they would see that they were clouded with something heavier than sorrow. Guilt. Rage. Maybe even helplessness.
"Happy birthday to me, huh?" The young man muttered bitterly. "What a shitty way to spend my morning…."
His voice cracked at the end. Ayako turned slightly, her gaze shifting away to give him space, but she didn't move. She knew he needed her near.
Cyrus took a slow breath, then bowed his head. He still didn't know if all of this was real or not. Freddy was right here, only a few feet below him. But for some reason, it still hadn't clicked yet. It just didn't feel right.
"You should still be here, man." His voice caught again, and this time, he didn't fight it. He let the pain wash over him while silent tears fell onto the grave as his shoulders shook once, then twice. "You should still be here…."
Cyrus paused as he tried and failed to fight back the tears that threatened to force themselves out of his eyes. He had already spent enough time crying. Or at least, that's what he tried to tell himself.
"This isn't over. I promise you, Freddy… I'm going to find them. And I'm going to make sure that the ones who did this to you regret it."
Ayako stepped forward before kneeling beside him. Her hand rested gently on his shoulder as a way to provide her young partner a bit of comfort. "You won't have to do it alone."
Cyrus didn't respond at first. Then, slowly, he nodded. His hand curled into a fist and pressed against the cold marble.
"I'm going to get stronger." He whispered to the gravestone. "Stronger than I've ever been. I may not be much right now, but soon enough, I'm going to get stronger."
The two agents stayed there a moment longer, just long enough for the clouds to finally give in. A soft drizzle began to fall, cold and unrelenting. It was as if the universe itself was trying to match what the freckle-faced teen was feeling right now.
Cyrus then rose to his feet. He tried to wipe the moisture from his face, but at this point, it was hard to tell rain from tears anymore.
Ayako stood with him. Without a word, she reached out and took his hand. He didn't resist.
Together, they turned away from the grave and began walking through the cemetery path, their shoes crunching over gravel dampened by the rain. The world felt quieter now, like the storm had taken their grief into the clouds.
Nineteen years old. And already, the weight of revenge, of loss, and purpose settled across Cyrus's shoulders like armor. He now knew what he had to do.
He didn't look back. He couldn't. Freddy wouldn't want him to.
Soon, when the time was right, those responsible for the pain that the young man was currently feeling would understand the mistake they had made.
Because Cyrus Moore wasn't going to stop until justice was delivered.
-(o)-
[A Few Hours Later]
The afternoon air was still thick with moisture by the time Cyrus stepped out of his apartment building. It had only been a few hours since he and Ayako had visited Freddy's grave, but the mood around him still felt a bit somber.
'I can't believe that I'm actually doing this.' The young man thought to himself as he made his way down the stairs toward the parking lot.
He had everything that he was going to need for this little vacation of his stuffed inside the grey duffle bag that was currently slung over his shoulder. Inside of it were some clothes, his laptop, a few of his enchanting notes, and some extra exercise equipment that he was going to need for his recovery. Everything else, as he was told, was going to be provided for him once he got to his destination.
Cyrus took a slow breath before exiting the building, allowing the scent of wet earth and city dust to calm the tightness in his chest. He was starting a new chapter in his life, and he knew that there was no going back.
He had already made his choice.
Across the quiet street, two figures waited for him. The two whose job it was to guide him to what was going to be his temporary home for the next month or so.
Nicholas Chapman, the man he had met before back at the twins' house, was standing tall and square-shouldered next to the blacked-out SUV they arrived in. From what Cyrus remembered, he was the kind of man who didn't say much when he didn't need to. And to be honest, the guy seemed pretty average as far as sorcerers go.
Standing beside the clean-cut 'healing magic' user was his wife, Reyna. And almost immediately, Cyrus could tell that she was far more expressive and relaxed than her husband. Especially with the way that she stood with her arms folded over her chest while her eyes flicked from building to building as if she was expecting trouble to pop up at any moment. That tattooed woman's dark hair was tied back into a tight braid, and her fingers drummed against her bicep. Cyrus guessed she wasn't the type who enjoyed standing still for too long.
These were the same two people that Elaine had brought with her to the hospital when she had come to visit him earlier that week. However, he hadn't actually gotten the chance to see them during that time. He would have if he had agreed to have his body healed up by them at that time, but he decided to decline the offer at that time due to how bizarre the situation was.
"So, you're the Tree Boy, huh?" The woman said to Cyrus the moment he came within ten feet of the duo. "You're definitely not what I was expecting."
"I'm sorry?" The young man raised an eyebrow at the comment.
"Don't mind her...." Nicholas was quick to try to remedy his wife's lack of courtesy. "Reyna has a bad habit of being a bit too casual with people."
"It's one of my best qualities!" The woman then smiled, revealing to Cyrus her oddly long canine teeth.
If Cyrus remembered correctly, the woman had what was called 'blood magic'. He had no clue what that kind of magical attribute did, but he could make a few guesses based on the name alone. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder if her magic was the reason why her teeth looked like that. Was she supposed to be some sort of vampire or something?
"Anyways…" Nicholas then said after a few seconds of awkward silence between the trio. "You ready to go?"
"I am." Cyrus nodded.
Before he knew it, the young 'tree magic' user was in the car and already making the journey to where he was supposed to go. The group was on their way to Elaine's house in the mountains in the northwestern part of the state. The place where all of his future training was going to take place. Cyrus had no clue what to expect when he got there, but he made a mental note to keep his guard up just in case.
Reyna, who was dreadfully bored with how quiet the car was at the moment, looked back at Cyrus and smiled at the young man. "Don't look so nervous, bro! We're here to help you!"
"Yeah…I know." Cyrus simply gave the woman a polite nod. It was crazy to think that these two were big-time Iznana executives. They seemed like such a normal couple. What reason did they have for joining the organization? Then again, did he even want to know?
"It'll be a few hours before we get back to the house, so try to get comfortable." Nicholas told Cyrus before turning the volume up on the radio.
Cyrus didn't reply. Instead, he simply gave the man a low hum and continued to stare out the window as the SUV sped down the freeway while leaving the city lights dimming behind them.
'There's no going back now.'
-(o)-
Chief Agent Zoe Chandler had no clue what to make of the information that Cyrus had given her.
Just yesterday, her newest rookie had finally divulged all of the information that he could've given her regarding the people who had captured him and killed one of her agents. And to say that the woman was confused would be putting it mildly. Not only was what she heard from the young man truly abhorrent and despicable, but it also caused her to go down a rabbit hole that she couldn't see the end of.
For starters, the identities of the two people whom Cyrus was able to identify were already starting to become an issue.
Hannah and Aaron Donovan, technically speaking, were unregistered sorcerers. People who, officially speaking, the DPA did not have listed in their database. Such a thing wasn't uncommon, especially with how secretive most sorcerers were regarding their abilities, but it presented the woman with an issue regarding being able to accurately identify who they were.
As per standard procedures, Chief Chandler had done a thorough background check on the two sorcerers in question. However, all the woman was able to gather was that both Hannah and Aaron were orphans who grew up in an orphanage in Nevada. An orphanage that just so happened to conveniently close down only a few months after Hannah turned eighteen, and had shockingly little information regarding it. There was barely even any information on who the alleged director of the place was, or any of its former staff members or residents.
On top of that, the brunette woman was unable to find anything on either of Hannah's or Aaron's parents. All she was able to find were their names, which wasn't all that much help, either, seeing as there was also no information on their mother or father. Right now, the only thing that the Chief had to go on was where the two lived and their current employment statuses. The two didn't even have any type of criminal history that she could latch onto.
'They must've changed their identities at some point.' The woman surmized while reading through a newly created file on Hannah, a.k.a. Frost. 'It wouldn't be the first time something like this happened.'
It was pretty common for active Iznana members to change their identities to better conceal themselves from any unwanted attention. Hell, there were even quite a few DPA agents who did the same thing after joining the organization. So, in the grand scheme of things, the Chief should've expected something like this to be the case.
Either way, Chief Chandler knew exactly how she needed to proceed from this point on. She now had a pair of names and faces to work with. Which meant that she could finally start making some serious headway regarding their investigation. Now that she had two key suspects to work over, it was time for her and her agents to kick it into high gear. Iznana was a problem that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. The longer they remained active, the greater a problem they would become. And Zoe Chandler was not about to let such a thing happen in her own backyard, especially with how much pressure she was now getting from the Commissioner and the other DPA executives.
'Alright, time to get to work.' The woman told herself before standing up and making her way out of her office. 'The real hunt starts now.'
-(o)-
To say that Cyrus was awestruck by Elaine's house would be putting it mildly. Actually, the young man didn't even know if calling the place a "house" would be able to properly do it justice. In actuality, it was more like a giant residential compound. One that covered so much land that he genuinely had to wonder how someone could even live in a place like this. The entire property, at least what he could see of it, was at least the size of six football fields. And the young man had a feeling that it was much bigger than that.
'The twins were right. This place is massive.' Cyrus thought to himself as he watched Elaine walk toward him with a subtle smile on her face.
The 'tree magic' user still had no idea what to make of the woman, or what her actual intentions were. However, he knew that working for her, at least for the time being, was going to be his best chance at getting revenge for Freddy's death. So, he was simply going to play along and take advantage of the opportunity that was given to him.
"Welcome!" Elaine said to Cyrus with a wide grin.
"Alright, I'm here…." The young man replied in a cool tone.
"That you are." The 'wind magic' user shot back. "I'm so glad that you decided to take up my offer. Rest assured, Cyrus, you won't regret your decision."
"Let's hope that I don't."
After they were done with the introductions, the group, including Cyrus, Elaine, Nick, and Reyna, all made their way to the indoor pool that was located in the western wing of the building. It took them a whole four minutes before they finally arrived at their destination, and once they did, Cyrus was greeted with quite a peculiar sight.
There, sitting in one of the nearby hot tubs with a blindfold over his face, was a man. A short man with red hair and a physique that would make even the most seasoned of bodybuilders jealous. Along with a body full of tattoos that looked like an expensive collage of ancient Greek and Roman art.
"Quintin!" Elaine said to the man in a slight shout. "Get over here and meet your newest project!"
The man, whom Cyrus could now confidently identify as Quintin Vuur, calmly took the blindfold off his face before glancing over in his direction. The redhead seemed to study the 'tree magic' user's appearance for a couple of seconds before giving a quick nod and standing up and facing them.
"So…you're the Tree Boy, huh?" Quintin said with a slight smirk as he made his way over to the group.
'Is everyone here going to call me that?' Cyrus thought to himself before replying. "Yes, I am."
"Hmmm…." The redheaded man hummed while once again looking the freckle-faced teen up and down. "You don't seem like all that much. But hey, looks can be deceiving, right?"
Elaine was quick to step into the conversation. "Cyrus, this is Quintin Vurr. He's going to be the one in charge of your physical training while you're here. I'm pretty sure that you already heard about him from my brother. He's one of the best trainers that you can get."
"Nice to meet you!" The man then held his hand out, to which Cyrus returned the gesture while doing his best not to look weak.
"Likewise."
"So…has the Boss here already given the rundown on how this whole thing's going to go?"
"Not really." Cyrus replied. "She said that she wanted to wait until we were all together."
Now that everyone was here, it was finally time for them to get down to business. They only had a month to accomplish their goals, so time was of the essence. And Cyrus needed to be brought up to speed on what the next few weeks of his life were going to look like.
"Alright, so basically, your training's going to be broken up into three main parts. Well, technically four." Quintin began to explain. "Part one is going to be your physical recovery. Nick and Reyna here are going to be in charge of that. At the start and end of every day, the two of them are going to use their powers to fix up your body."
"That much I knew already." Cyrus then said while looking at the two sorcerers in question.
"Their combination of 'healing magic' and 'blood magic' is great for fast recovery and muscle growth. With their help, we'll be able to cut down how much rest time you're going to need in between sessions."
"You're going to love it!" Reyna chimed in with a happy smile. Something about this woman unsettled Cyrus, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what. "Evan was a big fan of our work. Granted, we didn't have to give him daily treatments like you're about to get."
"I see…." Cyrus nodded before turning his attention back to Quintin. "And what about the second part?"
"Part two of your training is going to be all physical exercise and combat drills. Basically, you're going to be spending most of your mornings here working out and sparring with me. I'm not going to lie to you and say that it's going to be easy. But, thanks to the regimen that I cooked up, we should see positive results pretty quickly."
"Gotcha."
"Part three of your training is going to be with me!" Elaine then said with a wink.
"And what's that going to be?"
"You and me are going to be working on your enchanting." The woman said. "Since we already know that you have a talent for it, the two of us are going to work on refining your technique and teaching you some good ones that are going to help you when it comes to fighting. On top of that, I'm going to show you how to make runes. You have great mana control, so you should be able to learn it fairly quickly."
'I guess that makes sense.' Cyrus surmised with a nod. He expected something like this to be the case. Just like everyone else in her family, Elaine was a master enchanter, so it only made sense that she would be the one to teach him the skill. Everything else aside, this was the part that he was actually looking forward to the most.
His magic wasn't all that great for direct combat, especially against someone like either Hannah or Aaron. So, having the ability to use a greater number of enchantments was going to be important for when he finally got his chance to take out the two of them.
The overall plan seemed to be pretty good so far, simple and straight to the point. But there was still the matter of the last part of what the young man's training was going to be.
"Okay, so what's the last part?" Cyrus asked Elaine with a look of genuine curiosity on his face.
"The last part is probably going to be the most difficult of all." The 'wind magic' user then said calmly. "To keep things simple, me and Quintin are going to teach you how to access your overdrive skill."
"Overdrive?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow after hearing that.
"You do know what overdrive is, right?" Quintin asked the young man.
"A bit."
Overdrive was something that Cyrus had only heard about a few times in casual conversation, mainly from Ayako. From what he knew about it, the best way that the young man could describe it was that it was essentially a Super Saiyan transformation for sorcerers. One that radically increased the amount of power that one could use for a short period of time.
"Overdrive is a skill that any and all sorcerers can obtain with enough time and training." Elaine began to explain. "It's essentially the peak of magic that one of our kind can achieve. And every top sorcerer in the world can use it. With it, you'll be able to radically increase your mana output and obtain greater control over your magical attribute. On top of that, you'll become significantly stronger and faster for as long as you can maintain it. There are a few drawbacks to it, but we'll cover all of that once we finally start practicing. All of us here can already do it, so we have a pretty good idea of what we'll need to do to help you get yours."
"All of you can do it?" Cyrus couldn't help but look at the rest of the group.
"That's right!" Reyna said with a slight chuckle. "Everyone in our group can do it, including Michiko and Duncan. The Boss here helped us get our overdrives right after we started working for her."
"Isn't overdrive supposed to be like a rare skill that takes forever to obtain or something like that?"
"It mostly just depends on the person." Quintin added with a shrug. "Most people can get theirs within a month with the right motivation. But a few people can get theirs a lot faster than that."
"Like Nick, for example." Elaine then said. "It only took us two days before he got his."
Cyrus then turned his gaze toward the lone 'healing magic' user of the group. In response, all Nick could do was shrug before giving the 'tree magic' user an answer.
"Don't try to use that as a frame of reference. I basically got mine on accident."
"Nick here is what some people would call a prodigy." Reyna smiled while proudly wrapping her arm around her husband's shoulder. "Not only is he a type-three 'healing magic' user, he's got a ton of talent when it comes to his magic. It's the reason why the DPA spent so much time trying to recruit him before he became the Boss's assistant."
Cyrus was now finally starting to get a good understanding of what the overall goal of all of this was going to be. If his assumptions were correct, Elaine and her crew were trying to maximize his combat potential as quickly and as efficiently as possible. All while trying to get him to increase his mastery of his magical attribute. This kind of plan was along the lines of what Elaine had told him during one of their previous conversations. But having it laid out to him like this made it seem a lot more sensible.
That being said, the man would be lying if he said that he wasn't still curious about a few things. So, while he had everyone here, he was going to ask a couple of questions that were on his mind.
"Either of you care to give me an example?" Cyrus then asked the group. "I've never actually seen anyone perform overdrive before."
"Of course!" Elaine said with a grin. She had no trouble showing her newest ally that she meant business. "Fair warning, you might want to brace yourself."
Everyone then watched as Elaine began to undo the black and silver belt around her waist. The thing didn't look like any sort of accessory that Cyrus had ever seen before. If anything, it looked a bit ornate compared to how the woman usually dresses. However, the moment the woman tossed the belt onto the ground, a massive wave of mana suddenly flooded the surrounding area.
*WHOOOOSH!!!*
Almost instantly, Cyrus fell down to his knees as the pressure of the newly released mana overtook his body. This was exactly like that time with Deputy Chief Mubele back at the station. Elaine was pushing out so much mana that it made it hard for the young man to even breathe in her presence.
Surprisingly, Cyrus was the only one who seemed to be affected by the wave of mana washing over the area. Everyone else around him seemed to be perfectly fine, almost as if they weren't even the slightest bit hindered by having their senses assaulted with so much raw power.
"Well, you didn't pass out right away." Quintin said with a laugh after placing his hands on his hips. "So that's a good sign."
"Shit…" Cyrus cursed while trying to stabilize his balance. He knew that S-rank sorcerers were powerful, but this was ridiculous. It was like he was in the presence of the living natural disaster.
Somehow, the young 'tree magic' user was able to maintain his consciousness despite the wave of mana currently pressing down on his body from all angles. He still had the wherewithal to keep his eyes open, and he was able to stop his mana from going haywire.
"Alright, here I go." Elaine then said after letting out a quick breath, causing Cyrus to look up at her with a pained expression on his face.
What happened next was something that Cyrus truly wasn't expecting.
Suddenly, the wave of mana vanished just as quickly as it came, only to be replaced by what could only be described as a calmness that made the air itself feel both serene and tranquil.
From his position down on the floor, Cyrus watched in awe as particles of light green mana hovered around Elaine's head before steadily forming into a set of six vertical horns that protruded out of the woman's skull beneath her dreadlocks. The image was something that Cyrus couldn't accurately describe with words. It was as if the very aura around Elaine had shifted. The intensity that he felt from the woman a second ago was gone, now replaced by something that felt almost otherworldly in its comparison.
"Overdrive: Zephyr (Harbinger of the West Wind)!"
"What the hell?" Cyrus couldn't help but say as he gazed upon the 'wind magic' user. This was his first time seeing an overdrive in action. And to be honest, he wasn't disappointed.
"This…" Elaine then said while pointing to the light green horns coming out of her head. "Is overdrive."
"Wow…"
"Notice anything different about her?" Quintin then asked the young man with a knowing smirk.
Cyrus, after finally standing back up on his feet, took a second to inspect the woman. On the outside, she looked pretty much the same, save for the horns, of course. But what really caught his attention was what was going on inside of the woman.
"Your mana…it feels different than it did before. It feels more…relaxed."
"That's right." Elaine said before her redheaded bodyguard took over.
"Overdrive allows you to use your mana at optimum efficiency. Even while standing still, Elaine's body and mana core are managing her mana at a level that generally isn't possible for sorcerers. Right now, she could use most of her spells at about ten percent of what she normally could."
"That's amazing!" Cyrus then said with a face full of wonder. Something like this was insane to think about. If what these people were telling him was the truth, then he would be able to drastically limit the amount of mana needed to handle one of his creations.
This is exactly what he would need when facing off against someone like Hannah. If he were able to use this, then Cyrus would be able to use both his trees and his enchantments more effectively when the time came.
"This is what your goal should be for the duration of your time here." Elaine then said after deactivating her spell and returning to her normal form. "Overdrive is a game-changer for any sorcerer. With it, even an E-rank has a chance of handling an A-rank without too much trouble. It's not a long-lasting transformation; most people can only hold it for about five minutes without any serious training. But during that window, you'll be far more capable of dealing with any opponents that come your way."
"Unless you're Theo." Nick interjected. "For someone like him, they'd be able to wipe an entire city off the map without even breaking a sweat. I mean, he almost did it once before."
Elaine gave her assistant a weird look before turning her attention back to Cyrus. However, the young 'tree magic' user took a mental note of that.
Cyrus finally had a solid idea of what these people were trying to turn him into. And to be honest, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited about what was to come. Sure, he still didn't trust these people worth a damn, but if they were seriously going to help him obtain an overdrive skill like they said they would, then he had no problem taking advantage of that. Something like this, along with the promise of some serious training when it came to enchanting, was simply too good to pass up.
"So…" Quintin then looked to Cyrus with a grin. "Do you have any more questions?"
"You guys are sure that I'll be able to deal with Hannah and her group once we're done with all of this?"
"Of course we are." Elaine replied. "Once we're done with you, that little fool won't be able to lay another finger on you."
"I almost feel bad for the little ice bitch." Reyna joked. "Almost."
Cyrus felt a bit uncomfortable with how casually these people were about turning their backs on one of their comrades. But based on what he was told, Hannah and her crew had already betrayed their trust a long time ago. If anything, this was a long time coming for the 'ice magic' user. And from what he knew, her days were numbered anyway. Or at least, that's what he was told. He still didn't know how much of that story he should believe.
Either way, his path was now clear. And Cyrus was determined to make sure that he made the most out of what was being given to him. So, if Elaine and her fellow Iznana operatives wanted to use him as a tool to get rid of a problem for them, then so be it. He was fine with it as long as he was the one who took down the woman who violated him and ordered the death of his friend.
With a new sense of determination fresh on his mind, Cyrus turned to Elaine. He knew that this wasn't going to be the end of their little arrangement, but that wasn't going to stop him from achieving his goals.
"So, when do we start?"
-(o)-
Character Profile: Nicholas
Name: Nicholas Lloyd Chapman
Alias: Nick
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Birthday: September 9th
Birthplace: Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Height: 72in
Weight: 186 lbs.
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Race: Black
Magic: Healing
Occupation: Personal Assistant, Bodyguard, Entertainment Manager, Iznana Operative, Paramedic
Stat Chart: A(+)
-Physical Strength - 3.5
-Intelligence - 4
-Magic Amount - 5
-Magical Control - 4.5
-Magic Sensing - 4.5
-Special - 5+
Fun Fact:
-Favorite food is macaroni and cheese.
-Alma Mater: Central Piedmont Community College.
-Believes that the moon landing was a propaganda operation (Although he believes that man has indeed gone to the moon, he believes that the photos of the mission are all fake).
-His favorite comic book character is Ronan the Accuser.