VERMILLION: The fall of Zaleon

Chapter 6

Amana Doirekh. One of the 6 strongest people on the planet. A dragon shifter. A smart woman. She was the sole reason the leaders were having a hard time deciding whether or not they should even try saving one member out of the 6. Her relationship with her brother had made things more complicated, but what really irked the immortal pair was whether it was worth even approaching her at all. If there was any chance she was against them no matter the cost then it sure as hell would not be worth risking their exposure in an attempt to recruit her. 

It was a pivotal moment for the pair as they trekked down to breakfast the next morning. The shame of their actions the night before had yet to wear off from the rest of the Vermillion, that very early on in the game had to unfortunately witness a sight they probably never wished to see. Nevertheless, everyone had been present, and welcomed them well, the thoughts erased from their mind from having seen Elize and Stregov constantly do the same thing. For once they had been grateful for Stergov and Elize’s presence, and they sat themselves in silence next to Amana and Dregov, deciding that they would use this opportunity to get to know what was really going on. 

They ate in silence, and after the meal had finished Stregov and Elize made their way out, and so did Daraz from the shame of being around Amana. In the Liem it was just the immortal couple, the siblings, and the creep who enjoyed torturing himself. When no one made an effort to talk, Liem made his way outside, leaving the pair with the perfect opportunity to talk to Dregov and Amana. 

‘So, you guys very close to each other?’ Began Eliana, very discreetly, smiling as she did so. Dregov and Amana looked between each other, before the woman cleared her throat. 

‘Dregov and I are, Stregov is only close to Elize’ she responded, the loath evident in her voice. The pair regretted asking the question immediately as things became awkward the very moment the woman responded. 

‘Right’ was the only thing the Hybrid leader could respond with, before the siblings politely excused themselves to leave the room. Eliana and Razaar glance at each other, knowing they had messed up, and it would be a while before they could recover a moment to talk to both of them. ‘I messed up, didn’t I?’ Asked the woman, and Razaar nodded with a hidden smile, letting out a chuckle eventually. 

‘Just a little, but it’s alright, we’ll get it right eventually, the two of us are new at this anyways’ he responded, grabbing onto his mate’s hand and leading her back to their chambers to prepare a better plan. 

In the meantime, Dregov had followed Amana into her chambers for some careful consideration. 

‘They’re investigating us’ she began, analysing the interaction they had just had.  

‘They want to recruit us’ revealed Dregov, and Amana hadn’t quite caught on immediately. ‘Think about it, why else would they be asking us about our relationship to Stregov? To know if we would stand with him in a war as opposed to us. I mean I’m sure they know you’re definitely not on their side, but they don’t know whose side I’m on. It makes sense’ he explained, and indeed it did make sense to her. 

‘So what should we do?’ She asked, and for once, was at a loss of thoughts. She knew she wanted to join them from the very beginning, and this was their chance to merge power and eliminate the rest of the Vermillion as decided, but how was she supposed to do it smoothly so they believed her? And more importantly, was she sure? 

‘Amana, this is our chance, this is what we’ve been waiting for all along. This is our chance to join them and finish this damn war already’ he stated, walking over to sit next to the tense woman. 

‘I know, but, I just wonder if somewhere deep down Stregov still loves us the way he did when we were growing up’ she revealed, her emotions getting the best of her for once. 

‘We’ve been over this Amana. He doesn’t give a crap, unfortunately the only woman in his life is Elize, and you and I both know that. How many times have you and the Witch gotten into a fight and how many times has he taken your side? Let’s face it Amana, he’s not going to change. Neither is Elize, which means if we want to end this war all we need to do is pick a side, and I sure as hell don’t plan on siding with people who are not worth it. I’m siding with what’s right, whose side are you going to pick? Your useless brother’s or your correct brother’s?’ He asked, making a very convincing case. The woman didn’t need more convincing to know what side she was choosing, and nodding her head, she proceeded to clear her thoughts. 

‘You’re right. We have to do this, we need to join the Ivory couple. I think it’s best if I go and talk to them’ she mentioned, elevating to do the honours before Dregov stopped her. 

‘No, it’s best if we go talk to them’ and with that they set off to the immortal couple’s chambers, ready to have the most pivotal conversation of the war. 

Knocking, they waited for the door to open, and the Hybrid leader looked upon the siblings in confusion, her heartbeat rising at the thought of something having gone wrong. Nevertheless, she kept her calm, plastered a smile on her face and let the individuals into their chambers. Scanning the room for Liem, she ensured he was nowhere near before initiating the conversation.

‘Is everything alright? Can we help you guys with anything?’ She posed, peeking at Razaar through the sides of her eyes. Similarly, Amana and her brother nodded at each other before the woman began talking. 

‘We know what you’re up to’ she began, already creating panic for the pair. Would this be the moment they lost it already and had to call the planet for the war? Had they lost this quickly?  ‘You’re trying to investigate everyone here. This is clearly a war, and you’re clearly on the other end of it’ she continued, and within seconds Eliana had begun protesting. 

‘I don’t understand what you mean. We had a truce-’

‘We want in’ said Amana, cutting the woman off, and spreading confusion within the room. 

‘I’m sorry, what?’ Questioned Eilana for reconfirmation. 

‘You know how you just made a very subtle attempt at investigating whether we get along with Stregov, no need. We want in. We’re on your side’ she revealed, and the pair remained startled for the longest time. 

‘You’re on our side?’ She asked once again, really trying to process the entire situation. 

‘Yes, we want to join you in this war’ she repeated, and Eliana, not knowing how to react, pretended to play dumb. 

‘What war? I don’t know what you’re talking about’ she said, and everyone looked at her as if she were crazy, 

‘Eliana, I think they really mean it’ Razaar butted in, and walked closer to her, analysing the sibling pair. 

‘How do we know you’re truly on our side?’ He asked, and it was a question the siblings had expected. 

‘Well as you may have noticed, it’s not like our brother is very close to us. All he cares about is Elize, and Elize is a psychopath. Daraz was obsessed with me and Liem is frankly the strangest, creepiest person I have ever known. So we don’t really have much going for us by sticking to idiots who are clearly not thinking straight’ she revealed, the frustration of it all as she voiced the words. 

‘I hate Stregov, he’s shoved me under his shadow our entire life, and he’s been disrespectful to my sister on countless occasions, never once has he supported her or stood up for her in front of Elize, and I don’t tolerate that. It’s one thing to be in love with Elize it’s one thing to be so in love that you forget family and start ruining your own life. So we’re on your side. If that means eliminating every Vermillion aside from us, including our brother, then we’re in. He’s not much of a brother to us anyways’ he responded, and the pair glanced between each other to nod at each other, and they faced the siblings for a proper plan discussion. Somehow they had achieved all that they wanted to without doing anything, and it had all come to them. The lucky pair felt excitement surge within them as they thought of how to break the news to Paulina, though in the meantime they were only content that they had 2 less Vermillion to worry about. ‘What’s the plan?’ Asked Dregov, and before the pair revealed anything, they decided to make sure that they were not cheating them. 

‘Before we reveal anything, it’s best you reveal everything you know. I hope you understand why we still might have doubts’ Eliana stated, and they nodded, Amana deciding to voice the truth. 

‘Well, for starters, they know you’re immortal’ she began, and the pair gasped in utter shock. How were they supposed to go around killing people when they all knew that this couple was immortal? How did they even discover their secret?

‘What? How? No one knows that!’ Exclaimed Razaar, outraged with fury. 

‘A few days after the war, Elize went to check the prophecy, and it remained the same, which confused the woman because Eliana was supposed to be dead, therefore the prophecy should have changed. She had thought that Eliana’s death would be too hard for Razaar to bear, and assumed he would give himself to the flame. When she realised that the two of you were alive, she began tracking you. She found your location but couldn’t see what was happening or what you were doing. That’s why she invited you over for a meal. After you left she took both of your DNA samples and her and Daraz got to work with their Witchcraft. They realised that you were both immortal, and she became angrier at the flame. Right now she has no thorough plan to execute you because she doesn’t know how to kill you. That’s why she’s making you comfortable, she wants you to lower your guard so it will be easier to kill you’ revealed Amana, shocking the pair to the core. Silence conquered the room for a minute before they spoke up again. ‘I take it that comes in the way of your plans?’ She asked, and the pair shakily nodded, still debating whether they should reveal their plan or not. They needed a way to find out if they were really on the immortal pair’s side, and all they had to do was put it to the test.

‘Why don’t you ever speak up against your brother? You look like you’re more than capable at taking him if you wanted to’ brought up Eliana out of curiosity, looking at Dregov. 

‘I don’t particularly enjoy creating drama. Not to mention I don’t want my sister to have to see both her brothers fighting like that, she goes through enough fighting with Elize. My intention is not winning over Stregov, it’s just doing the right thing, and I don’t need to display it publicly that I won or I lost. I don’t care about winning or losing’ he responded with a satisfactory answer for the pair. 

‘Look, we want to let you in, we do. It was our intention from the very beginning, but we can’t reveal anything just yet. Tomorrow we will travel into Amethyst where our commander will make that decision’ mentioned Razaar, and the Vermillion looked upon them with confusion.

‘Commander? What commander? I thought you were in this alone’ said Amana, really not having expected more. 

‘Yeah a lot more surprises to come, but unfortunately nothing can be revealed without the commander's permission’ they said, keeping the suspense. The siblings nodded and agreed. Before exiting the room, there was one final point to discuss. What was going to happen next? 

‘In the meantime we’ll just pretend like this conversation didn’t happen. Oh and I recommend that you make use of the phone you have if there’s something urgent and private you need to discuss with each other. Elize is capable of looking into your minds here, she won’t be able to hack your phone’ suggested Amana, and the look of confusion between the couple encouraged her to explain. ‘Whilst we’re around she won’t be able to do anything, because we’re protected from her mental invasion, you guys aren’t on Crest. So I suggest if there is something urgent, private or important you wish to discuss then you do that over text messages. She won’t be able to peer into that, the frequency of the phone intercepts her mind powers. If I were you I would carry that around with me all the time. Rely on it more’ her words came with a hint of doubt for the pair, who thought perhaps it could be a trick, but for a day they decided to trust the flame more than anything. They nodded and agreed, and the siblings walked out of their chambers, leaving them to their lonesome. 

‘Do you think they’re lying?’ Asked Eliana immediately, completely unsure of what to make of what just happened. The flame had ensured that the very thing they wanted, happened, though they still somehow managed to have their doubts about the entire situation. 

‘I mean, it all seems a little good to be true, but then again, we’ve gotten quite the amount of help from the flame, so I wouldn’t completely be surprised. At the same time I still think we should wait and get feedback from Paulina. We’ll take them with us to Tetra tomorrow, and see what happens then. Though I have to admit that they do sound genuine, I don’t see why they would be lying. We know they truly hate Stregov and Elize, and Daraz and Liem, so why would they side with them?’ Though Eliana’s focus had drifted from what her mate was saying, and was instead formulating a plan to ensure they were being serious. 

‘Let’s tail them’ suggested Eliana, and Razaar looked confused. ‘Let’s switch forms and hide in her chambers, at some point they’re bound to have a conversation about this’ she hurried, ushering him out of the room and towards Amana’s. They hid behind her furniture, waiting a while before the siblings actually came through the door, together as expected. 

‘Do you think this will work?’ Asked Amana, and initially the pair genuinely thought they had been scammed. 

‘I can’t see why not. We are on their side, we have nothing to hide and we have no reason to back away, because regardless of what they say we are on their side. If they don’t let us help them then the least we can do is back away and let them do their own thing and destroy the rest’ shrugged Dregov, taking a seat on her sofa. 

‘What do you think Tetra is going to be like? I can’t believe we actually get to travel with them, how are we even going to travel with them?’ She questioned next, scrunching her brows. The point was completely valid, though the pair knew that they had the advantage of a very favouring flame, and surely if Amana and Dregov could not get into Tetra on their own due to a lack of Galon, then Eliana and Razaar could get the blessing for them. 

‘Honestly, I have no idea, though they seem to know what they’re doing, so let’s just leave it at that’ responded a nonchalant Dregov. The pair took this as their sign to leave, and returned to their chambers, switching back only when they made sure that no one was around. 

‘Well, safe to say they’re genuine’ commented Eliana, and walked over to the window, where she noticed a scroll neatly rolled up and addressed to her. ‘It must be Paulina’ she whispered, opening it up as Razaar came to read it with her. 

Eliana and Razaar,

From what you have told me it seems that Liem is confronting his fears. It is quite unheard of  yet some people practice doing this to be ready for the worst. On Zaleon we call them ‘Igrotes’ If Liem is sitting in front of a fire, it means he’s afraid of fire, which is perfect, and gives us the perfect opportunity to strike using your element of fire against him. You have the vision, and all you need to do to expose him is shine light on him with your fire, and he will scatter back immediately. 

Use this to your advantage, start getting to know what triggers him. If he doesn’t speak much or speaks weirdly, start mirroring him. Give him the same responses he gives you, and he’ll crave more. Sooner or later his true side will emerge, it’s just a matter of time.

How has your progress been with Amana and Dregov? Have they revealed anything at all? Has there been any other incidents or progress with the others? 

The War summit is currently being discussed with the leaders, and will happen shortly, within the next couple of days. I will keep you informed, and you should do the same. 

I have spoken to Enzo and Melia, it seems things back at your pack and community grounds are still going smoothly, and everyone is training harder than ever. Let’s hope they don’t need to perform in battle. 

Let me know if there is anything else you require of me, and best of luck getting the information.

Your commander,

Paulina Stem. 

Upon reading her note, the pair push Liem’s information past them, deciding to prioritise what really mattered here, and Eliana began scripting a new letter, one where she would formally talk about inviting the siblings into their team. 

Paulina, 

Something has happened. As we tried to approach Dregov and Amana today to discover if they were worthy of being part of our team, and wished to be a part of our team, we returned with less answers than ever. Though, a few hours later, the sibling pair themselves approached us and revealed to us that they wanted to be on our side. We were both shocked, though we didn't deny the access. So far no information has been revealed, we thought it would be best if you decide what to tell them and just how much to tell them. In the meantime they have told us that Elize and the rest know that Razaar and I are immortal, and at the moment are simply waiting for us to put our guards down whilst they figure out how to terminate us. They have yet to find out that we both die if our breath stops at the same time, which is good news, but now that they know the partial truth it will be harder to hold them back. 

Having Dregov and Amana on our side makes things much easier, and after their confession we tailed them and ensured they were not scamming us, which it seems they aren’t so far. Either way I think it’s worth giving them a chance and seeing what they have to offer us. 

We have decided to bring them into Tetra tomorrow, for you to meet them and make the final verdict. Naturally they are not allowed into Tetra as they don’t have the blessing of the flame, but it seems the flame seems to favour us, and Razaar and I were thinking to visit the Galon in Tetra first thing in the morning to get the blessing for them in order to let them in. Then you can discuss whatever you please with them, and if they do try to attack, we shall terminate them and attack on the rest if need be. 

Somehow I have a really good feeling about this, but we will leave it up to you. 

Thank you for letting us know that our pack is doing okay, we hope your army is doing well. We look forward to the War summit and shall see you soon to discuss further details. 

Thank you. 

Eliana and Razaar

Terminating the letter, she rolled it up and delivered it quickly to the messengers before returning.There was no way they could afford their letters being intercepted, and thought that perhaps they should get Paulina a phone too, making it easier to communicate with her, and safer. 

Now the only choice they had was to have a really awkward dinner where everyone truly wanted to kill each other, and wait for the verdict of it all.