Love and Evil (Gear Hearts Book 8/Spinoff) [COMPLETED]

Chapter 10: Death Tolls

Thomas POV 

Thomas flinched at the sudden sound of the explosion, not far from the headquarters.
He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, shackled at the walls by Chi's dark fire cuffs. The flames itself weren't painful since he had the power to lower its heat. How can I get out of here? He stared intently at the wraiths who were watching the smoke.

"Our friends are here." said Chi, breaking Thomas's gaze at the explosion. "I was beginning to worry that they might've lost in the mountains. Now, I have just to worry about their surprise attack."
Chi sighed and peered towards him, lowering his voice. "To be honest, I'm willing to wait as long as I can have my hands on that rings."

"You can wait until you grow old?" Thomas said sarcastically. 

"Um, no." Chi knitted his brows together, coming back to himself after Thomas said that joke. "And if they don't show up, the wraiths will eventually find them and bring them here."

"The Daugars have been very useful, have they?" Thomas grinned. 

Chi looked over his shoulder. "For me, I don't need those creatures to take you down."
Silence crept between them. It was hard to bare the thoughts of him and Nan. Was he that naive? To have feelings for...whatever. How hard it must've been for Chi too. But hiding those feelings away won't make it any better. 
"You didn't tell me when we were in high school you liked Nan." Thomas said. "You've always been in love with him."

Chi leaned against the wall and pushed up his glasses at the bridge of his nose. "My feelings aren't to be discussed. But I, somehow, recall you, muttering how can you keep your hands off Nan."

"Yeah, but I'll keep them now from strangling you."

Chi's eyes narrowed. The flames bite at Thomas's skin and he hissed. He clasped his hands into fists. "Were you saying?" Chi scoffed and strolled back to the center--
Something cracked in the sky. Thomas's pulse quickened. This magic power...it's strong. He looked up incredulously as lightning dived into the center of the rooftop. The entire Wraiths were swept away from the impact, including Chi. Thomas could hear Psychlocke and Adam were screaming in horror and surprise, they urged to cover quickly--

A figure stood in front of Kaito. Thomas's eyes went wide at the sight of Zero having the rings. Three on each arm.  

Zero POV 

The power of Draki Rings whirred around his arms.  He first dove down through the air and punched Kaito. The power it served beckoned to him earlier. Now he had the rings nothing can ever take it away. Ice fought Psychlocke that first and Zero took down the remaining Daugars. 

When Kaito finally emerged from the hole, Zero wasted no time to mock the Wraith that once killed his parents. "Took you long enough." 

Kaito was smirking.

Thomas POV 

Something fell above Thomas. I took less than 2 seconds for Nan to disintegrate the black flames with a raised hand. "How did you do that?"

"I'm still learning." He smiled. 

Cain was behind Nan. "Look out!" Thomas yelled. Nan whirled and grabbed Cain's sword with his hand. 

"It seems you cannot deal with me alone, sun summoner." said Cain. 

"It seems you cannot count, Cain." Nan grumbled. "There are two of us."

Nan pulled out the sword and kicked Cain. Cain crossed his arms in an X form to shield himself, he skittered a feet away.  One Daugar flew down towards Thomas and dragged him over the edge of the building.

The creature itself toppled above him and weighted down. It roared on Thomas's face. He screamed. He smelled the breath of the creature. It was the worst stench, worse than a dumpster behind a slaughterhouse.

On his periphery vision, Thomas saw Nan and Cain fighting.

He screamed as he created a orange slicing disk, cutting the Daugar's torso. Blood sprayed over Thomas. This was all hell. This wasn't training where we could fight each other in a limit. 

Thomas got up and had a fascinating Idea. 

Nan POV 

"Do you wanna know how your parents died, Nan Ironsmith?" asked Cain. He was circling around them like a vulture.

Nan's heart was filled with so much rage. That was pure bloodlust pounding in him. 

"When the wraiths came back in 2011, Dorian, Zero's father had the rings in his possession. Together with your biological parents, they studied the weapon, even used it." Cain said as if this was a casual place to talk. "Before Trae Marvel had the possession of the Darkfold, your parents; Sadie and Asnee Ironsmith has them. There is a spell that can merge the entire realms."

"What spell?" asked Thomas, his face covered in Daugar's blood.

Cain seemed to notice Thomas's surprise. "The Convergence spell. Once it opens, it  could be amplified by the rings." Then he looked back at Nan. "I had the Darkfold in my hands but somehow, they gave the book to a professor that worked in Ravika University."

Nan wasn't speaking yet but each word that came out from Cain's mouth made him more angry. He balled his hands into a fist, breathing furiously. 

"Did you kill Zero's parents too?"

"No." said Cain. "Kaito did. Too many death tolls for this."

"You killed all of our families, our friends, our neighbors?" Nan was breathing heavily. The words have the obvious answers but he was in denial. 

There was a part of Thomas that wishes he didn't hear this. Hear Nan's voice.

Zero and Nan never really spoke after the tragic end of this village. They went on with their lives but seeing Nan with that rage and desperate look in his eyes.
 He didn't forget. He didn't repressed.
He always remember the pain of losing a loved one. 
It always stay.
It always scar. 
It always bleed.
Because in grief, there is no such thing as moving on.

"Wizards like Sadie and Asnee were weak breed of wizards." Cain told him.  "Your sacred realm magic bores me! You're too easy to kill."

When Thomas lifted his hand, Cain lunged at him, had his hand around his neck. Thomas choked. His face was turning red.

 "Maybe killing this friend of yours will do so much damage to your mentality." Cain said to Nan.

Thomas's head was trembling badly. He casted a look over when Nan's hand burst into yellow lights. It struck at Cain's shoulder. It was a shuriken-shaped sun magic. 

The bright colors slightly hurt Thomas's eyes. 

Nan staggered forward and he strike at Cain with enough force to drop on his knees.

Nan always thought of himself as sweet and kind. But how good a person might be, he now saw the reason why there were villains drived by revenge.