Zephyr: The Elemental Clans

132 - Conflicted

Xyder Zephyr - POV;

"Noooooooooo!" Jacqueline cried out.

"Dagan!" Sorine shouted, slamming her fist against the wall and fighting back tears. Satella wept her heart out into my chest while Evelynn collapsed into a chair covering her mouth in shock. I myself was filled with a burdening ache... a deep, resonating pain and sorrow that words could hardly describe.

"No... no, no, no, no, no, no," I repeated in denial as I rushed to the door.

"Xy?! Xy wait!" Evie called as she hurried behind me.

I rushed towards the arena, a million and more thoughts racing through my head. As I approached the backstage exit, the guards were quick to recognise my intentions.

"Hey! Wait! Stop! Stop him!" they yelled as some five guards blocked the open doorway and another five piled on top of me. I forced my way forward despite this, and sure enough, all ten found themselves trying to hold me back from advancing.

"Let me go! I have to go to them!" I yelled.

"Sir! You have to stop now! We can't let you through! Get back!"

"No! I have to go!" I boomed, catching a glipse of the action outside. Winter held Storm close with tear soaked eyes while Celes had broken down completely, unable to cope with seeing her friends in their critical states.

"Xy! Please stop! Let them handle it! I know you want to do something! I know how you feel! But you'll only make things worse!" Evie pleaded as she caught up. I relaxed my body in response to her voice and the guards' grips loosened as she grabbed my arm and led me back a few feet.

A number of medics swarmed the field and began to load them onto stretchers while Astra disappeared, with a victory and no repercussions, to the other side.

****
"Doctor, you have to tell us what you know!" I begged for the hundredth time as the professional tried to make his escape.

"Okay, okay. It seems the boys should be stabilised soon enough provided that no further complications arrive but the girl is in critical condition. We're not sure how good her odds are. Now please I have to go, its urgent!"

"Wait, please! What do you mean critical?!"

"I'm sorry but I have to go. They need everyone on the team! Her life depends on it!" he insisted before running off.

I dropped down on the waiting-room seats and clutched my hair tightly in frustration and anguish.

"Gaaaah!" I yelled, trying to release some of my emotions.

Evie paced around the room anxiously while on the other hand, Jaqueline, Celes and Winter wept where they sat. Satella was trying to keep a brave face for them but I knew it was tearing her apart. Sorine opted for a very different form of grief as she angrily hit, squeezed and mishandled everything in sight. Emiko and Zeliel had been viewing it all from the stands and rushed to the hospital with us. Emiko now tried her best to comfort the girls while Zeliel stood by, just as gloomy as myself.

"Xyder."

I looked up to see the familiar approaching face.

"Nero," I greeted him as he arrived.

"I'm so sorry. I should have gotten here sooner," he apologised.

"No. I'm just glad to see you here."

"He's here as well you know," Nero murmered.

"Who is?" I inquired.

"Lord Seraphim Zephyr the Third. He and his advisor were speaking to the doctors," Nero revealed.

"What? I can't believe it."

"I was there to speak to the doctors as well," he sighed, "I called up my father and had him direct some of the greatest medical minds this way. They know the stakes. I told them myself. They'll do their damned best to make sure those three are okay."

I exhaled heavily before replying, "Thank you Nero. This means so much to me.

"What I'm doing is only natural," he assured me.

The sudden creak of the door opening alerted us all to the arrival of another newcomer, however it was perhaps the last person we'd expected.

Indira Astra stood at the door alone, looking at all of us with saddened and regretful eyes. Nevertheless, none of us were exactly elated to see her. Rather it was the opposite.

"You-" Sorine growled as she stepped towards the girl.

"Sorine, no!" Evie grabbed her to cease her advance.

"Winter stood up as well, clutching a small, puppy-shaped eraser she'd apparently been given by Storm some time ago. Her body began the tremble, likely from anger, and the air around her dropped to freezing temperatures.

"Winter, please stop," Satella begged her.

"Slap!"

The loud impact grabbed all of our attentions back towards Indira whose head jerked violently as Jacqueline's palm connected with the Regulus Heir's cheek.

"We should have left you and your stupid family to die to that octopus all that time ago! I don't know why we even bothered!" Jacqueline hissed with watery eyes before storming off. Evie, Satella and Emiko guided all of the girls to the next room over and Zeliel trailed behind them. Just as I was about to depart with Nero, Indira spoke up.

"Xyder..." she called. I stopped in my tracks and Nero looked to me inquisitively. I nodded to him and he, understanding my thoughts, went ahead thus leaving Indira and I alone. She clutched her left arm with her right hand as she looked away saying, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Indira," I said under my breath, "Please... we don't want to see you right now. I don't want to talk to you right now."

"I didn't mean for any of this to happen," she continued, "I intended to hold back, but I don't know what happened. I-"

"Indira!" I cut her off, "I'm begging you. Get out of here!"

She bit her lip as she conceded, "I understand."

Without another word, she departed the hospital leaving me with a heavy heart and conflicting feelings.

****
??? - POV;

"Match start!" the announcer blared as the third match commenced. Team Blaze and Team Eclipse both stood face to face, eyeing each other intently.

Suddenly, Saiya Eclipse drew a white handkerchief from her breast pocket and waved it infront of her announcing, "We forfeit. We do not wish to continue."

Surprised gasps filled the stands. Even the officials themselves seemed flustered by the unexpected act.

"A-are you sure about that?" the announcer questioned.

"Positive," Saiya confirmed.

"W-well... the winner by forfeit is Team Blaze!" the announcer stammered.

"Hahahahahahahaha. I see you kept up your side of the bargain, Zelisha," I cackled.

"But of course. A deal is a deal, is it not Lord Blaze?" the Regulus of Eclipse smiled.

"But you know, I just said you had to lose. You should have done it in a way that made it much less suspicious," I suggested to her.

"Perhaps I might have considered going that extra mile if you had lasted longer, Duran," she mocked.

"You're a brutal woman, you know. I like that," I hummed.

"Then invite me over to celebrate once you've achieved your goals. Victory to Blaze?" she whisered raising her wine glass towards me.

"Victory to Blaze," I announced with conviction as my glass collided with hers.