HISTORY - The Order - Vera Stone

History Is Overrated: Part III

Vera and Alyssa were surrounded on all sides, their fellow witches held their wounds against the last remaining witch who looked at them with golden eyes...Vera did not know whether to be cowed or defeated but she closed her eyes before snapping her fist shut and the witch fell to the ground, screaming in agony, just like the others. 

"Is it over yet Magus?"

Vera knew it wasn't, this was a test and they all knew it. Melissa had planned this all, she had infiltrated the order and possessed many of their friends, she had known their defences, weaknesses and positions of attack. 

No, it had just started and they stood in the Order's base of operations, where the first wave of witches had appeared, taking many of their comrades down. They felt disgusted with themselves, a bunch of novices had taken down their numbers cutting them down to size, it was....appalling. 

"No, it is not. Melissa sent the first wave, she has something up her sleeve, I know it-"

As if answering her question, a dull ringing echoed throughout the building before it grew louder. Specks of golden energy flowed around the bodies of the fallen, before rushing towards the door where a portal now stood... 

And out stepped Xander, Melissa, the Knights and Lilith, with five witches behind them. The battle was going to be bloody but Vera decided that no one need not die, anymore. She looked at the bodies of her charges, they were to be great witches to be better...

"Melissa, no one needs to die now....call it off. I know these people, Jackson Hayes, a prestigious young witch. He was going to make a great dream of his come true, he's been cut down because of you. You got inside the head of these people, why? Do you know what your mother wished to do?"

-

Melissa stared down her elder, she seemed like she did not care but Xander felt it. She was sad, she was angry and she was scared. Turning his head to watch her with narrowed eyes, he didn't know how to place all those emotions but he knew that they were not all good, the wolves must have felt it too but in fewer doses than he. 

"She wished to save people, she was going to make the world better...she was giving way to better and newer ways of healing. That is what my mother wished to do."

Vera laughed, her eyes disbelieving but her frame, she was almost broken. Yet she wavered on, Xander felt it as he watched her. She continued on and did not waver in her belief, all these bodies for a misguided fool of a girl. 

"Oh so misguided, didn't the wolves tell you what she did? What I discovered her doing? Your mother experimented, she did well in her pursuit but she lost sight of what she wanted. Sure she gave way to newer and better ways of healing but at the cost of hundreds? If not, thousands?"

Vera stepped forward, Alyssa wishing to protect the temple magus fell in step behind her. Her small blade in hand, ready to return to battle as her eyes looked over the wolves who watched the back and forth with barely concealed boredom. 

"NO-"

"Listen to her Melissa, she speaks the truth...I can feel it. Not a single part of her is lying, in fact, I'd say that Vera Stone is feeling sad at what happened to your mother..."

Vera met his eyes, and it was if they stayed locked there for another moment before it came back to them. Melissa growled, her body beginning to give off waves of the golden energy that had been seen before. 

"SAD!? She's the one that turned her in, Edward Coventry and Vera Stone killed my mother, what is to say that they should not suffer the same? Vera Stone is not to be forgiven, my mother loved me-"