The Devil's Crown

XXIV Learning To Become The Villain.

“Oh my Lord,”

“I should warn my family about this,”

“Perfect, just what we needed…”

“Watch your voice! They could arrest you!”

Joanna blinked ignorantly as she moved silently next to her brother who only stopped by for a second to show his disgust at the scene. She couldn’t figure which side triggered his disgust. The people or the Black Cross…neither. It was towards both, not towards that poor man but towards the ones that caused this man to go through all this.

‘These i***t wild Rebels think that they are causing us a favor but all they are doing is making things harder for those of us who are vulnerable,’ Rick thought. ‘Unlike them, these people have no warehouse to hide in after bombing Noble’s building. These people are caught in the crossfire!’

“Hey, Rick,”

Elfric snapped out of it as he felt the light tug on his sweater. “Y-Yes?” he turned to Joanna.

“What’s that?” she asked. “Red Protocol, I mean.”

Rick sighed as if the reminder of what that means weighed down his heart. “It gives the authority to arrest anyone that they find suspicious with a warrant. In addition to patrols in every corner of the city.”

“E-eh?” exclaimed Joanna. “like I can be walking peacefully and then get arrested? For what?! Walking on government streets?” she mocked.

“Well, it is what it is,” he stated. “Watch that mouth of yours as well. Can’t risk having you mingled up in all this.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Joanna.

Elfric was lost in thought as the street around him slowly improved as they got to the school. The school marked the end of London's slums and the beginning of Lauxdale. He stood watching as Joanna walked inside the school, the warmest smile kissed his lips as he saw his sister surrounded by her friends that seems to have missed her throughout her days in suspension.

Unlike the other days, today’s route to his school was a replica of the days before his life upside down. It was quiet and peaceful as he moved swiftly in between the crowd avoiding any unwanted attention.

No more redheads were blocking his path like the last couple of days…well, obviously it was thanks to his bonfire. He made sure that no one from the Gothams gets in his way anymore  - or at least that was what he thought before his eyes fell on a T.V that was on display.

The headline that was written in bold red caught his eyes. ‘Head of the Gotham Family mourns all those who died in the fire and assures them full compensation,’ it said.

“No way,” he thought of Crane and the way his body fell limp to the bloodied tiles, there was just no way that he was alive. “I finished him myself.”

Before he could gain a question from Orathan or himself. The next scene answered it as a man that seems to be in his late forties appeared on the T.V screen. Shaw Gotham, head of Gotham Family, said the tag under his photo.

‘Well, look at that,’

Rick sighed as he felt Orathan resurface again. Wasn’t there a sign or something that he was going to talk? Elfric wondered if that was ever going to get used to that. It was creepy hearing a voice inside you that isn’t…well you.

“I thought that Crane was the head,” Elfric mumbled under his breath. Feeling his nails dig harshly on the skin on his balm. His brain was overfilled with the flood of questions that rushed inside.

Did he know him?

His face, name, family?! Everything that Elfric has been planning might go down the drain if even one of them knew anything about him. Not one should be left alive but…where was Shaw Gothom when he burned down the tower.

‘Are you going to go after him too?’ Orathan asked.

Elfric took in a deep breath. He needed to get a grip, he needed to clear his mind to be able to think. He can’t think when he is angry. But he knew that death to everyone wasn’t the answer.

“I don’t want useless deaths,” He mumbled under his breath. He could see Crane and Zeph laughing their asses off at these words, but they knew better than anyone that to hide …to protect his family. They needed to cease to exist.

But Shaw…he saw something else.

‘You know that with what you have you could destroy this man as well?’ Orathan asked despite knowing but he just wanted to make sure that there were no loose ends.

Elfric chuckled, recovering rather fast from the mental breakdown that he had not even a second ago. “From the looks of it, everyone knows that this man,” he paused. “…is important.” He finally added.

‘And…’

“We are going to use him to climb right to the top,” said Rick. The next phase of what he was going to do appeared on the screen right after Shaw Gotham disappeared.

“We are going to use these idiots that call themselves rebels when they are just a couple of angry teenagers,” he said as he snorted at the chaos that was happening on the screen. “They don’t know who they are fighting so instead they create total chaos. Harming none other than the commoners that they want to protect so bad.”

‘Have you always have this in your mind?’ Orathan puzzled. Hearing the tone of his voice was enough for Rick to picture his face clearly…well that is if he had one, to begin with.

Elfric was quiet. He didn’t know the answer. How did he twist from being the ordinary boy – to some extent, and turn into this…rebellious driven young adult? Maybe he always had that in him during the years. He found himself coming to conclusions about this whole situation way too easily.

“I think I have always been observing,” he finally said. “There is nothing that you can’t master with observing. I guess this applies to becoming a villain too.”