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Nov. 16th, 2013 10:18 amLandier grew up with magic in his veins. From the earliest days it set him apart, made him different from his parents and the rest of the household. He reveled in his power, held it close and cherished it as that thing that made him better than anyone else. His family may reject him, but magic had chosen him.
Zeke on the other hand, knew magic simply as another tool. It was a part of him as much as Landier, it flowed through his body and set him apart from the main house. What it didn't do was replace the desire for human contact. It didn't seduce him. Magic couldn't rule Zeke, nor offer him an escape.
Vence could. Vence gave Zeke companionship, understanding, and a sympathetic ear. He encouraged Zeke. Vence was the support that Zeke needed to accept his position as an unwanted burden on the family. Landier had no such unflagging affection.
Landier was not so blind as his little brother thought. Landier could see what was hidden inside Zeke, just under the surface. There was a hollow in the child, a void where his heart should have been. Instead of affection and love, Zeke was about possession, control. What Zeke had, he did not share.
Landier tried to teach him, tried to reach past the walls of indifference to the child who had to be under the wellspring of magic. Every attempt was turned back on him.
Landier would readily admit he wasn't the best when it came to being open and honest, but he wasn't a complete sociopath, he felt for Zeke, the only other person who was just like him. Landier wanted to protect, cherish, and bond with Zeke. He wasn't allowed, either by his parents, or Zeke himself. Zeke only wanted Vence, Vence who was gentle, soft, and subtle.
Vence was the snake in the grass that bit and poisoned but you didn't feel the fangs. Vence was Younger than the man's heir, Zeke would be more loyal, more malleable, a powerful tool and weapon for the bastard Lordling. Zeke didn't see it but Landier did. He saw the larger picture.
If he couldn't teach Zeke, couldn't break through with either kindness or trauma, he would force the boy away from their twisted family, tear the bonds between Vance and Zeke before Vence could destroy the boy.
Zeke likely wouldn't forgive him, but that was fine, one of them had to be the grass that hid the serpent.
"Why didn't you give me a Trial?" Zeke asked Gorman, the head of the Green Circle who was currently washing Jonar's blood from Zeke's Trial robes.
"You would have passed, it was a pointless waste of time with the events that had transpired."
Zeke poked at that in his head. He was aware, as from a great distance, that he was in some state of shock. Even so, something felt off in the old man's statement. "You could have given me a test."
"Why? We already know you learned everything your brother knew, and he passed the Trials like a bird on the wing. There was nothing to test you on." Gorman's voice was kind, and brisk.
"You could have asked me to..."
"To what? Open a door? Look at you! You're half out of your mind. Child..." Gorman sighed and strode over to Zeke's side, kneeling to look into pained brown eyes. "Zeke. You are in no condition for that. If you failed, after all that? The White fool's death would have been ruled pointless. If you managed? Where would it have led? Let me tell you one of the greatest secrets of the Green Zeke, a secrete you only get to learn with your rank. There are some doors that aren't meant to be opened."
Gorman's words echoed in Zeke's mind as he led his Lighthouse to the Akademy grounds and under the gawking gaze of the wizardry, had it settle just beyond the practice fields.
"What do you think you're doing bringing that... that... that thing here?!"
"Well, technically the Akademy has declared it will house any Wizard that needs asylum. Also, technically, I have a house. There fore I brought my house to the Akademy, as I had no where else to put it. As you can see, it doesn't do very well in swamps or quagmires, and it has a tendency to stomp on small animals and destroy trees so rather than upset any Lords, I thought this was the best place for it."
"You can't keep a light house here?! What are you going to DO with it?"
Zeke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well I didn't intend to stay at the Akademy forever, so if and when I get a contract with a Lord I'll negotiate the tower in and take it with me. Of course it's much more suited to an island, so I was considering taking it to the southern islands with me, however that could take years with how slow it is and the terrain so I'd have to open a door to the islands and 'pop' right over.... I just have to figure out the spell for a door that big...."
"If you want me to feel guilty about keeping my house on the grounds, Gorman, you'll have to do a lot better than that. I'm not the one who hid Landier's illegal research, I'm not the one who turned a blind eye to what was happening in my own laboratories, and I'm not the one who tried covering up what happened the night my brother died."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't. Lie. To. Me." Zeke struggled to breath. "You knew. You knew exactly what he did to me and you let it go. You looked away. You knew what he was looking into, that night, and you made sure it didn't work, didn't you? Did you tamper with the spell, or did you just fail to fix it?"
"You're delusional."
"That night, the night Decimate was born, I've been wracking my head over it for years. It didn't make sense, until you told me about the doors. Landier hated Vence. Landier hated our family, he hated me, but he didn't give a fuck about chimeras. It didn't make sense. And the equations... I've lived with Decimate ever since, I know what he is, how much mass, how much volume, I've done the math for bones and blood and you know what? It doesn't add up. Not when calculated against what he had to be made *from*. I can't take him apart because I can't make the numbers right. Unless i account for the fact that Decimate isn't *from* here. The things that he's comprised of, they don't *have* to be what I know they are if they come from a place where the laws are DIFFERENT. From the other side of a Door. A door my brother opened."
Gorman stared at him for a long moment and then sighed, as though hearing the truth laid out had killed something vital in him. "You're too damned smart Zeke. Too smart and too strong, just like he was. He could have destroyed everything. He could have brought Hell to the Earth, but he didn't care. Landier never cared about the consequences when they came between him and glory. I did what had to be done. You're not going to make me regret that."
Zeke shook his head. "I'm not going to try. I just wan to know what happened. What did you do?"
"I... I knew he was going to succeed. Few ever get past the theory to the actual practice you understand, and the circle's job is to ensure that they don't. I knew he'd open a door, and I couldn't let him. I couldn't... he didn't understand Zeke. I told you that some doors aren't meant to be opened. None of them are. That power is not meant for mere mortals. When he got it cracked, just the slightest... I pushed him through. But something on the other side came *out* and it was twisted and writhing and when i slammed that door it took the first host there was."
"Vence."
"That monster you call Decimate, he didn't kill Landier, he killed two of my ranked assistants. No great loss to the Akademy, but a lot of screaming and blood and explanations had to be made. If you hadn't stepped in I could have destroyed what was left of the evidence and let this tragedy be buried. It needs to die Zeke. That night, and what was born of it... It all needs to be forgotten."
this time it was Zeke who shook his head, and the look on his face was sad but understanding.
"No. Decimate is mine. Vence and Landier were my brothers. This? This needs to be made right. If you won't let me do that... if you try and stop me..."
"You're not your brother Zeke, you won't kill anyone just to suit your ends." Gorman straightened his spine, thrusting back his shoulders. "You're not going to be able to clean up this mess just by playing the hero."
Zeke's lips twisted, for a moment he almost looked like he would back down. Without warning he spun his staff and twisted, knocking the old man's knees out from under him and jabbing the clawed foot of the staff into Gorman's throat. As the Green Wizard struggled and coughed for air the magic draining metal of the Serpent's fang bit into his skin.
"I wouldn't kill you to gain something Gorman, you're right. But to protect my family? The only family I have? I will do what must be done."
Avalon English – Yeonsu (Elementary/Middle School/IVY Campus): Cheonghak-dong, Incheon
Location: 4FL, 496-4 Yeonsu Gwangjang Plaza, Cheonghak-dong, Yeonsu-gu
Phone: 032-813-0582
YBM ECC Daegu 6F, Wonboong Bld., 1344-5 Maeho-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu 706-140
Tel : 053-767-0509
1500 Northeast 134th St, Vancouver, WA 98685
Call: 1-360-566-1100
Zeke on the other hand, knew magic simply as another tool. It was a part of him as much as Landier, it flowed through his body and set him apart from the main house. What it didn't do was replace the desire for human contact. It didn't seduce him. Magic couldn't rule Zeke, nor offer him an escape.
Vence could. Vence gave Zeke companionship, understanding, and a sympathetic ear. He encouraged Zeke. Vence was the support that Zeke needed to accept his position as an unwanted burden on the family. Landier had no such unflagging affection.
Landier was not so blind as his little brother thought. Landier could see what was hidden inside Zeke, just under the surface. There was a hollow in the child, a void where his heart should have been. Instead of affection and love, Zeke was about possession, control. What Zeke had, he did not share.
Landier tried to teach him, tried to reach past the walls of indifference to the child who had to be under the wellspring of magic. Every attempt was turned back on him.
Landier would readily admit he wasn't the best when it came to being open and honest, but he wasn't a complete sociopath, he felt for Zeke, the only other person who was just like him. Landier wanted to protect, cherish, and bond with Zeke. He wasn't allowed, either by his parents, or Zeke himself. Zeke only wanted Vence, Vence who was gentle, soft, and subtle.
Vence was the snake in the grass that bit and poisoned but you didn't feel the fangs. Vence was Younger than the man's heir, Zeke would be more loyal, more malleable, a powerful tool and weapon for the bastard Lordling. Zeke didn't see it but Landier did. He saw the larger picture.
If he couldn't teach Zeke, couldn't break through with either kindness or trauma, he would force the boy away from their twisted family, tear the bonds between Vance and Zeke before Vence could destroy the boy.
Zeke likely wouldn't forgive him, but that was fine, one of them had to be the grass that hid the serpent.
"Why didn't you give me a Trial?" Zeke asked Gorman, the head of the Green Circle who was currently washing Jonar's blood from Zeke's Trial robes.
"You would have passed, it was a pointless waste of time with the events that had transpired."
Zeke poked at that in his head. He was aware, as from a great distance, that he was in some state of shock. Even so, something felt off in the old man's statement. "You could have given me a test."
"Why? We already know you learned everything your brother knew, and he passed the Trials like a bird on the wing. There was nothing to test you on." Gorman's voice was kind, and brisk.
"You could have asked me to..."
"To what? Open a door? Look at you! You're half out of your mind. Child..." Gorman sighed and strode over to Zeke's side, kneeling to look into pained brown eyes. "Zeke. You are in no condition for that. If you failed, after all that? The White fool's death would have been ruled pointless. If you managed? Where would it have led? Let me tell you one of the greatest secrets of the Green Zeke, a secrete you only get to learn with your rank. There are some doors that aren't meant to be opened."
Gorman's words echoed in Zeke's mind as he led his Lighthouse to the Akademy grounds and under the gawking gaze of the wizardry, had it settle just beyond the practice fields.
"What do you think you're doing bringing that... that... that thing here?!"
"Well, technically the Akademy has declared it will house any Wizard that needs asylum. Also, technically, I have a house. There fore I brought my house to the Akademy, as I had no where else to put it. As you can see, it doesn't do very well in swamps or quagmires, and it has a tendency to stomp on small animals and destroy trees so rather than upset any Lords, I thought this was the best place for it."
"You can't keep a light house here?! What are you going to DO with it?"
Zeke rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well I didn't intend to stay at the Akademy forever, so if and when I get a contract with a Lord I'll negotiate the tower in and take it with me. Of course it's much more suited to an island, so I was considering taking it to the southern islands with me, however that could take years with how slow it is and the terrain so I'd have to open a door to the islands and 'pop' right over.... I just have to figure out the spell for a door that big...."
"If you want me to feel guilty about keeping my house on the grounds, Gorman, you'll have to do a lot better than that. I'm not the one who hid Landier's illegal research, I'm not the one who turned a blind eye to what was happening in my own laboratories, and I'm not the one who tried covering up what happened the night my brother died."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't. Lie. To. Me." Zeke struggled to breath. "You knew. You knew exactly what he did to me and you let it go. You looked away. You knew what he was looking into, that night, and you made sure it didn't work, didn't you? Did you tamper with the spell, or did you just fail to fix it?"
"You're delusional."
"That night, the night Decimate was born, I've been wracking my head over it for years. It didn't make sense, until you told me about the doors. Landier hated Vence. Landier hated our family, he hated me, but he didn't give a fuck about chimeras. It didn't make sense. And the equations... I've lived with Decimate ever since, I know what he is, how much mass, how much volume, I've done the math for bones and blood and you know what? It doesn't add up. Not when calculated against what he had to be made *from*. I can't take him apart because I can't make the numbers right. Unless i account for the fact that Decimate isn't *from* here. The things that he's comprised of, they don't *have* to be what I know they are if they come from a place where the laws are DIFFERENT. From the other side of a Door. A door my brother opened."
Gorman stared at him for a long moment and then sighed, as though hearing the truth laid out had killed something vital in him. "You're too damned smart Zeke. Too smart and too strong, just like he was. He could have destroyed everything. He could have brought Hell to the Earth, but he didn't care. Landier never cared about the consequences when they came between him and glory. I did what had to be done. You're not going to make me regret that."
Zeke shook his head. "I'm not going to try. I just wan to know what happened. What did you do?"
"I... I knew he was going to succeed. Few ever get past the theory to the actual practice you understand, and the circle's job is to ensure that they don't. I knew he'd open a door, and I couldn't let him. I couldn't... he didn't understand Zeke. I told you that some doors aren't meant to be opened. None of them are. That power is not meant for mere mortals. When he got it cracked, just the slightest... I pushed him through. But something on the other side came *out* and it was twisted and writhing and when i slammed that door it took the first host there was."
"Vence."
"That monster you call Decimate, he didn't kill Landier, he killed two of my ranked assistants. No great loss to the Akademy, but a lot of screaming and blood and explanations had to be made. If you hadn't stepped in I could have destroyed what was left of the evidence and let this tragedy be buried. It needs to die Zeke. That night, and what was born of it... It all needs to be forgotten."
this time it was Zeke who shook his head, and the look on his face was sad but understanding.
"No. Decimate is mine. Vence and Landier were my brothers. This? This needs to be made right. If you won't let me do that... if you try and stop me..."
"You're not your brother Zeke, you won't kill anyone just to suit your ends." Gorman straightened his spine, thrusting back his shoulders. "You're not going to be able to clean up this mess just by playing the hero."
Zeke's lips twisted, for a moment he almost looked like he would back down. Without warning he spun his staff and twisted, knocking the old man's knees out from under him and jabbing the clawed foot of the staff into Gorman's throat. As the Green Wizard struggled and coughed for air the magic draining metal of the Serpent's fang bit into his skin.
"I wouldn't kill you to gain something Gorman, you're right. But to protect my family? The only family I have? I will do what must be done."
Avalon English – Yeonsu (Elementary/Middle School/IVY Campus): Cheonghak-dong, Incheon
Location: 4FL, 496-4 Yeonsu Gwangjang Plaza, Cheonghak-dong, Yeonsu-gu
Phone: 032-813-0582
YBM ECC Daegu 6F, Wonboong Bld., 1344-5 Maeho-dong, Suseong-gu, Daegu 706-140
Tel : 053-767-0509
1500 Northeast 134th St, Vancouver, WA 98685
Call: 1-360-566-1100
