The Last Crusader

10

Devlin had escaped, wounded but whole. The face-off with Draco was tense. It felt as if Draco saw no one else but Devlin. It was Draco's downfall. If all things went according to plan, then Draco would be halfway to Erdu or Naka by sunrise. No one would be left to stop Devlin from igniting The Regulators. Chris was terrified, hopefully, now he would stand down and realize what was at stake here.

Devlin was tired of failing and losing his friends. With his new powers, he could bring both the Regulators and Mafia to their knees. There would be no more need for Masks and kids dying needlessly. But Jordan had stopped him before he could finish preparing his attack. Once the first sound of a weapon nocking caught Jordan's ear, he swept Devlin up before he could channel his Super Nova ability that destroyed the harbor.

Draco... and his own father stood in his way?

Jordan seemed so willing to help and trust Devlin. Everyone else had given up on Devlin's goodwill. Maybe there was no getting through to Devlin at this point. Or maybe, perhaps it was no longer Devlin at all but a husk possessed by a poltergeist of bitterness, hatred, and anger directed at anyone before it. Maybe the boy no longer remained at all, replaced by Colin's agenda and Enshishi's promises of reuniting with his mother and girlfriend.

"Hey, kid." Mariposa had suddenly appeared, overlooking the Regulator Castle once more.

"You found me?"

"You stand out Zenith, I wanted to talk to you before you committed suicide." Mariposa looked down below realizing the fall would be more than fatal.

"About standing down and giving up?" Devlin asked.

"About joining a better cause. Your dad has been kicking our ass all day. He's gathered our best together and has been training us. You would be really impressed with this nurse, Valencia. She has surpassed us all. I think it would be good for you, good for all of us to get on the same page." Mariposa extended her hand.

"So, he's adopted more kids. Just when I thought I was special." Devlin rolled his eyes as the demon sought its foothold.

"He's amazing, Zenith. I see why you work so hard to be a hero and why you fear nothing. Having him as your dad. Those are huge shoes to fill."

"He's not my dad, all right? He was my mom's husband, my mom is dead, and my dad is probably dead, so get lost Mariposa." Devlin waved her away.

"He's the man who stepped up and took care of you right? He's the one who taught you, fed you, and loved your mama your whole life-

"Look, did you come here for a fight or to nag me?" Devlin challenged.

"My father is dead. Colin Gregor broke into my grandparent's home, killed my grandfather, kidnapped my grandmother, and when my father attempted to stop him. He killed him too. All the eldest men in my family died like that. Next time I saw my grandmother, there were no hugs, she began training me, like your step-father did for you. She trained me to one day fight the Fire Guardian or anything else that would attempt to threaten me or my family, so I would never have my dignity and freedom stripped from me like she had."

"You believe that any of that matters to me?" Devlin yawned.

"We have more in common than you think. I admire your bravery and strength. I think with the right guidance you can be more. And I believe Crimson is that guidance." Mariposa shrugged giving up her pursuit, preparing to leave.

"Who the hell is Crimson?" Devlin gritted his teeth, feeling he already knew the options.

"Well, Mr. Brooks got shot up pretty bad saving your ass last night. So, after we saved him and brought him back to life. We started calling him Crimson because of all the blood seeping through his bandages. I'm telling you Devlin. If you can humble yourself and follow this guy. We have an honest shot at winning back Nadia."