CHAPTER 14: AFTERMATHS OF WAR

XENON WINGATE

3 YEARS AGO

After executing the person who killed one of my best friends, I dropped all my weapons. I panted hard as I drew more oxygen to my brain, making me calm down for a little. My wrath has consumed a lot of my energy, and now I’m all out of adrenaline.

I looked from behind and saw Serena, on her human form. She is on her knees, looking at her bloodied hands with disbelief. Her eyes are wide open, and her whole body is shaking. Beside her is a cadaver of a black-haired woman with a dismembered neck and a large hole in her chest. She should be the enemy Chaos Dragon in human form.

“I...I… killed… a dragonoid…” Serena muttered. From the looks of her, she is suffering from trauma for doing her very first kill.

“Serena.” I slowly walked to her side. “Don’t look.”

Serena immediately covered her face with her hands and cried softly. She bowed down, muttering the words “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!” as she repents on what she had done to the poor dragonoid.

“Shush.” I hugged her head and rubbed her flawless smooth hair. “There is nothing you could have done.”

“S-Senpai…” Serena looked at me with her wet innocent kitty-eyes.

I want to comfort her, but this is no time to rest. I can hear a helicopter landing a few meters away from us, and I’m pretty sure it’s an enemy. It bears the sigil of a dragon and a sword; a symbol of the Empire of Alterra. Snow dust flew around as it made a soft landing.

A man with a dark complexion, wearing an attention-grabbing yellow tuxedo and stylish black shades appeared. He also a yellow hat on top of his semi-shaved head. 

He is accompanied by a dragonoid; a man who is wearing a tank top revealing his bulky biceps and triceps. He is wearing camo pants and leather shoes. He also has a military mohawk as his hairstyle.

I can sense their power. This yellow-suited man approaching us is a dragon knight, and the mohawk macho man is his dragon. This is not good. Serena’s heartbeats are weak and she’s still suffering from emotional trauma. We won’t be able to use Vesryn Pulse at this state.

“Good afternoon, gentleman.” The yellow-suited man tipped his hat. “My name is Captain Kevin Valesmith, Dragon Knight First Class of the Empire of Alterra. I am not here to fight. I am here to rescue you.”

“What do you want from us?” I asked. 

“I want you to accept my gratitude.” Captain Kevin Valesmith said. “You have killed a rebel dragon knight working in the clutches of the terrorist group Arcadia. I had trouble tracking down the traitor amongst our ranks, and you’ve done a great job in seizing that black sheep. So to express my thanks, I’ll deliver you away from this hellhole of a city.”

We don’t have a choice. We don’t have any means of resisting or escaping. Alterra and Elysia are mortal enemies, but they are under a treaty to maintain peace between empires. I have no choice but to trust our lives with this Alterran lapdog.

“Let’s get to the chopper before more terrorists come in this place.” The yellow-suited man said.

“Serena, let’s go.” I grabbed her shoulders and helped her stand up.

And together, we boarded the helicopter and fled the horrific scene of the ruined Vanilla City. The sight from above made it clear to us that the once-prosperous place which is filled with humans and dragonoids is now nothing but a large crater that is converted into a huge dumpsite of rubble and blood.

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XENON WINGATE

PRESENT DAY - INTERROGATION

There was a surge of headache as the memory flash faded. My breathing is heavy, trying to grasp air my lungs is requiring me to make. I feel so weak and numb for sitting on this torture chair for too long.  

[After the events happened in Vanilla City, Captain Kevin Valesmith took you to his custody. Is that correct?] 

The cybernetic voice of the mysterious interrogator appeared calmer than before.

“Yes,” I said. “He took us and gave us a shelter to live for two weeks.”

[Where?]

“Twilight City. That yellow guy owns a mansion. Serena and I started anew on that town and considered ourselves as new citizens of Alterra. I never thought that a dragon knight of a rival empire would welcome us with open arms.” I scoffed. “Captain Yellow treated us as guests, and we became freeloaders on his estate until our mental injuries from that war healed.”

[Why didn’t you go back to Elysia? Why didn’t you ask Captain Valesmith’s permission to board an airship and go back to your respective countries?]

“Because Michael fucking Eldritch is there! He betrayed me! He killed Alfred! And he owns an empire! Right after he had his own father executed, he stepped up to become the Emperor of Elysia. If I got my own shadow stepping on the borders of that wretched empire, I’ll get executed immediately!”

[But Michael Eldritch thought that you were dead. Wouldn’t it be easier to hide if he knows that you’re already inexistent?]

“It’s not that easy. Serena had painful memories of that place. She doesn’t want to come back. She’s popular on Elysia, and the mere sight of her by the people would make her subject to controversy. She said that she’s better of missing in the eyes of her home country.”

[I know that's not the only reason why you didn't want to get back, Xenon.] The interrogation spoke as if he knew everything from me.

“Cheng. Trystgade. Eldritch.” I muttered. “Those three… destroyed my name.”

[What did they do to you, Xenon?]

“Cheng. Trystgade. Eldritch. They must pay.” I muttered, fully evading the question. I feel that flames are flowing on my blood vessels as I utter their names.

[He’s getting consumed by his wrath again. Give him a shock.]

It was quick but painful. The electric shock entered my veins and nerves, all the way to the membranes of my brain. Although it’s excruciatingly harsh, it made my blood pressure go down. My body steamed as the electric surge stopped.

[Answer the question, Xenon. What did Eldritch, Cheng, and Trystgade do to you, other than that betrayal during the Crimson Dragonfly Incident?]

“It’s not what they did to me. It’s what they did to my name. My honor. My reputation. My family’s well being. My entire generation’s fate.”

[What happened?]

“Eldritch. Cheng. Trystgade. They made me look like a traitor in the eyes of the people. After my name was dishonored in the lands of Elysia, my family became subject to the harsh criticisms of the people. The persistent journalists went flocking to my family’s house like hungry rats looking for cheese. The privacy of my parents was never protected during that time. Worse, the names of my mother and father became dishonored too. The people judged them for raising an ungrateful traitor in their home. My little sister failed to finish high school because of bullying from her fellow classmates. Even one of my cousins committed suicide just because he’s being judged in social media. Everything in my family tree crumbled like a house of cards.” 

I uttered a dumb crazy laugh. The interrogator became silent as if he’s waiting for me to finish talking.

“That’s when I thought that I wanted to kill these three people; Cheng, Trystgade, Eldritch.” I ended my story with a creepy smile.

[How did you know what was happening in Elysia? How did you know that your ex-girlfriend, Marisse Trystgade cheated and betrayed you? How did you know that Doctor Cheng Du is with them?]

“He told me,” I whispered.

[Who told you?]

I failed to answer his question as I was too busy salivating my throat. I gulped until my vocal cords are moist again.

[Who, Xenon? Who?] The interrogator repeated.

“The Emperor of Alterra, Sirius Elkyria. He’s also the one who offered me something that made my revenge possible.”

Suddenly, the hologram globe in front of me made a blinding flash of light.

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