The Wolf, The Lion, and The Dragon - (Vol.6)

Ch.9 Lost

3rd Pov

In the Land of Darkness at Salem's keep, Emerald is seen sitting on the floor while her partner Mercury is training around the room, throwing mock punches and kicks in the air.

Emerald: "I hate being kept in the dark like this..."

Mercury: "Yeah, Cinder was a pain, but at least she kept us filled in."

Emerald: "Can I ask you something?"

Mercury: "You're gonna."

Emerald: "Why did you come with us, the night Cinder and I found you?"

Mercury: "Why are you asking-"

Emerald: "Just answer the question!"

Mercury: "Just made sense."

Emerald: "It... made sense?"

Mercury: "All my life, my father trained me to be a killer, an assassin like him. And then moments after I killed him, you two showed up looking for someone with my exact skills. Just felt like it was meant to be."

Emerald: "That's it?"

Mercury: "Hey, what's your problem?"

Emerald: "I mean, there has to be something you want from this, right?"

Mercury: "Salem's promised us everything. We win this thing for her, we'll be top dogs in her new world. What more do you want?"

Emerald: "I just......Cinder was the only family I ever had. She cared about me, taught me things... But without her here, I don't know if what we're doing-"

Mercury: "Wake up, already..."

Emerald looks at Mercury in shock upon hearing him cut her off.

Mercury: "Cinder doesn't care about you! She doesn't care about either of us!"

Emerald: "You don't know what you're talking about!"

Mercury: "You're in denial, and if you're gonna start having a crisis of identity or some crap... keep me out of it."

An incensed Emerald saw red and angrily jumps forward and starts to attack Mercury with punches and kicks, but he dodges each strike and catches her wrist.

Mercury: "I'm sorry you didn't have a mommy that loved you, but I had a father who hated me!"

Mercury shoves Emerald back a bit. She takes a defensive stance as he slowly approaches her.

Mercury: "He never went easy on me! Every day of training was a beating. And when I unlocked my Semblance, he stole it with his!"

Mercury throws a right jab and a roundhouse at Emerald, who dodges them, while he quotes his father's words.

Mercury: "'This is a crutch!', 'This makes you weak!' He told me I could have it back when I was strong. So I got strong, but I never got it back! I've had to work harder than anyone to get where I am. You may not like it here without Cinder, but I think I'm right where I'm supposed to be!"

Suddenly, the two hear familiar manic laughter off to the side. Tyrian steps out of the shadows, his new metallic scorpion tail now attached.

Tyrian: "Oh yes, the world is mean, and I'm a big, bad man now just like the others."

Mercury: "How long have you been standing there?!"

Tyrian: "All you ever learned was pain and violence, and now you're too afraid to leave it. Such a tragedy."

Mercury: "You don't know me!"

Tyrian slightly looks down in amusement. Mercury takes the opportunity to try and kick at him, but Tyrian simply crouches his upper body down to dodge it and kicks him back. Tyrian holds him down to the ground, keeping his tail at a short distance away from Mercury's face.