Outlaws and Origins

by Eric S Kim

  6:53 PM

  Sorivo led Lionel into a commercial district in Anaheim, far enough away from the battle. Several warehouses and small commercial buildings had been situated neatly alongside each other. There were hardly any civilians who stayed behind after working hours. Sorivo made a safe landing on a parking lot between two warehouses. His titanium wings blew the dust off of the asphalt and spiraled into the air. He brought Lionel down to the ground and let him go. Lionel could touch the floor again. Nobody else was present in the wide-open area.

  The conflict in the sky still continued. Sorivo thought none of it for now. He whispered to Lionel, “Admit it. You would have lost your life if I wasn’t there to safe you.”

  Lionel would tolerate the dragon’s ego for a little while. “Thank you, Sorivo. I thought I’d be in real danger if it wasn’t for you.”

  “These dragons were very keen in taking you hostage.”

  “Their plan had failed. That’s all that mattered.”

  Sorivo bent down and stepped closer to the Blackjack. “There must be a good reason why they personally selected you of all people.”

  Lionel didn’t want to give away too much. “They must have seen me in action. They knew that I’d be a force to be reckoned with.”

  “That would most likely be part of the reason.”

  “What else would it be?”

  Sorivo growled lightly. “I am convinced that they have learned a lot more about you. They have discovered something from your life that made them want to deal with you despite the risks.”

  “Maybe it’s because of the incident at Fireside Air Base. They’d never expect the Blackjack Troopers to assist in the demise of their fallen savior. We must be at the top of their hit list now.”

  “And deservedly so. They’re very determined to take down one of the finest squads ever known in American history.”

  “Very true.”

  “You’re in the middle of their crosshairs. They want you out. They don’t want someone like you to interfere with their business. I can’t even imagine them attempting to ward off a dragon rider like you.”

  Lionel suddenly stopped breathing. He didn’t know what to say next.

  Sorivo had caught on to his shocked expression. “That’s right. I know what you used to be. Lionel Tyler. Former dragon rider. Oh, your friends are not the only one who has learned of your shady past. I can’t say that I am astonished by this new discovery. I’m impressed that you’re still not finding a way to kill yourself.”

  Lionel had to keep his unruffled demeanor away from a potential struggle. “How did you find out?”

  “Someone has already given me the full details.”

  “Who?”

  “I can’t really say at the moment. You’ll just have to accept my knowledge as a basic fact, regardless of who said it to me.”

  Lionel could hear the sound of a car’s engine growing louder. A Blackjack SUV had just appeared from behind the warehouse.

  Sorivo kept his voice to a whisper. “I’ll be watching you, Lionel Tyler. Stay true to the code…or I’ll hunt you down.”

  The SUV had been parked in front of the warehouse. Jerome and Preston exited the vehicle and ran toward their captain.

  Jerome asked, “You’re not hurt or anything, are you?”

  Lionel felt relieved to see his son again. “I’ll be fine. It’s a miracle that’s been brought to life.”

  Preston smiled. “You got some real good luck in you. I wish I could have the same.”

  Sorivo opened his wings wide and returned to his professional conduct. “You’ll be safe on the ground. The Nevinoth will endure a fitting punishment in the sky. Just watch and stay away from the debris. We’ll take care of them in the only way possible.”

  Preston raised his fist. “Give them all you got!”

  Sorivo lifted himself up and ascended higher in the sky. His route would lead him back to the skirmish. A large cumulus cloud shrouded nearly a quarter of the confrontation from above, while the rest of it had been clear for the spectators during the sunset. The distant battle already kept Jerome and Preston intrigued. Lionel, on the other hand, repeated Sorivo’s words in his thoughts. He was caught in his own confusion. It had become apparent that someone who didn’t live in Southern California had informed Sorivo of the truth. But Lionel couldn’t think of anyone else who would have known about his first profession.

  Except for one. Perhaps a certain scoundrel that always caused trouble in the world. A man who the Nevinoth Riders would consider as the nemesis that would stay in their nightmares.

  Lionel shook his head. He wouldn’t dare to believe that Vincent Yoon was back from the dead somehow.

  Preston noticed the look on his captain’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  Lionel replied, “It’s nothing. Come on. We have to go back to the station.”

  He ran for the parked SUV. The two younger Blackjacks followed from behind. Jerome let Lionel use his earpiece. Lionel informed the rest of the Blackjacks that he wanted them back to Anaheim. He wanted them to keep a sharp lookout all around the city for potential danger toward civilians. If the dragons made a hard landing, an emergency would be imminent and the Blackjacks would have to act quickly to assist the wounded.

  Jerome took the wheel as the three Blackjacks left the parking lot in a hurry. Lionel looked up in the sky. The conflict still didn’t come to an end. The Silver Skins did everything to prevent the Nevinoth from achieving their goals. Two Nevinoth fell to the earth and left behind a smoke trail from above. Lionel felt concerned for the safety of the civilians, and hoped that the two corpses would land on an isolated area in Anaheim.

  THIRTY-ONE

  7:00 PM

  All Florencia had to do was take a peek out the window and watch the battle unfold. From the city of Brea, the confrontation between two races of dragons was from a long distance, but it had been near enough for her to comprehend the basic gist of it. She could even hear the faint explosions that echoed all across Orange County.

  Meredith brought her away from the window. “Come on. You’ve seen enough.”

  Florencia replied, “Oh, you have no idea.”

  Meredith brought her back to the same room where she and Edward had reunited. Nothing had changed in the room. The broken appliances and shattered windows had stayed the same. The only difference would be the fox lying on the ground and the purse that stood near it. Edward, still stuck in his shrunken size, had jumped out of Florencia’s purse and now leaned against it. He must have taken his time wondering what a fox had been doing in the aquarium. Florencia would have known the answer by now. All she needed from Limara the basic clarification.

  Florencia and Meredith crouched down and patted Limara on the back.

  Florencia whispered, “You’re going to be okay. You’ll be back to your usual self in a few minutes. You’re still not fully conscious, but we’re working to get you back on your feet.”

  Limara slowly blinked as she rested her head on the floor. “Thank you for saving me.”

  “I can’t imagine what it’d be like in that water after all this time.”

  Limara’s voice was still weak. “Trust me. It’s not the best thing in the world.”

  Florencia chuckled, but immediately grew serious again. She asked, “How did you end up in that aquarium? Who did this to you?”

  Limara was briefly silent before she said, “I still can’t remember. My memory is a little fuzzy.”

  “It’s okay. Just try to remember anything from the past.”

  Limara took a deep breath. “I tried to fight back…I really tried. They took me in…they did this to me. They punished me by turning me into a stingray. They made me stay in that aquarium. I don’t know how long I stayed in there, but it must have been a decade or two.”

  Meredith patted the fox’s head. “Is there anyone in particular that you can remember?”

  “I’m really trying.”

  Limara closed her eyes. “I think…I think there
was someone. The man responsible for putting me in the water.”

  Florencia leaned forward. “Who was it?”

  Limara’s eyes widened. “Vincent Yoon.”

  Florencia could feel goosebumps on her skin. It had been a long time since she had heard that particular name.

  “Are you sure?”

  Limara gasped. “Yes, I’m positive. He was there when it happened. He turned me into a stingray.”

  “He’s still alive?”

  “He certainly is.”

  Florencia didn’t even realize that she had started to tremble. She stopped shivering and whispered to Meredith, “We better get out of here fast. As soon as they find out about the aquarium, they’re going to want us in the belly of a beast. Namely, one of Ms. Sepulveda’s. Have you seen one of the livestreams?”

  Meredith sighed. “Don’t even mention that to me ever again.”

  The witch continued to use her magic. She poured what appeared to be pink-colored salt on the fox’s fur. She whispered a phrase that belonged in the ancient language that she had mastered. The healing process would still take some time. They had managed to make it to the end. The pink salt would be able to give Limara the strength she needed to turn back into her dragon form.

  Daisy had suddenly entered the room. “I think you’ll find this very interesting.”

  Florencia stood up. “Is it about the dragons in the sky?”

  “No. Someone is here to make an offer.”

  “What? Who?”

  Daisy turned around and said, “Come right in!”

  A young man arose from the hallway and stepped inside the room. Florencia didn’t know him. His casual clothing indicated his civilian status. His brown hair had been covered by a dark green baseball cap that he wore backwards.

  Daisy added, “He’s not armed. He’s got nothing.”

  Florencia asked him, “Who are you?”

  The young man replied, “My name’s Joseph. I’m here to see Edward.”

  “How did you know about this?”

  “I followed you from the mall.”

  “How? We were invisible.”

  “I used a special type of sunglasses. It’s a gift from Ms. Sepulveda. She has three of them.”

  He brought it out of his pocket.

  “It’s made by Mystic Lightning. It gives you thermal vision when you wear it.”

  “In other words, you followed our body heat.”

  Joseph shrugged his shoulders. “I have no complaints.”

  Daisy looked impressed. “That company is really something, isn’t it?”

  Florencia still had to know why this young man had come out of nowhere. “So you want to see Edward?”

  “Yeah, and that’s why I’m here. I want to be a part of a trade. I’ll switch places with Edward if you promise to let him go.”

  Edward shouted, “No, don’t do it!”

  Joseph ignored him “I mean it. I’ll take his place while you let him go. He didn’t do any bad things. He was just doing his job.”

  Meredith raised an eyebrow. “So you’re willing to be the one in our control?”

  “Yes, I am. I don’t want Edward to be in any danger. I’ve lost enough friends already.”

  Meredith chuckled. “Well, it’s pointless. We were going to let him go, anyway.”

  Joseph was shocked. “Really?”

  “Of course, you’ll have to thank Florencia for that. She doesn’t want us to take him back to Texas when we’re done here. It stinks, but she has a good point.”

  Joseph breathed a sigh of relief. “So when are you going to turn him back to normal?”

  “We can do it now.”

  Meredith turned to Edward and said, “It’s been fun having you around.”

  Florencia stepped in. “Wait. Let me hold him for one last time.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  Meredith stepped back. “Alright, then. No one’s going to stop you.”

  Florencia gladly picked Edward up with her hand. Sighing, she gave him a light kiss on the top of his head. She ignored Joseph’s look of bewilderment as she caressed Edward’s hair.

  “I’m going to miss having you around like this.”

  Edward replied, “It really was fun while it lasted.”

  She brought him closer and hugged him against her chest. She still wanted to keep this particular version of Edward Connelly close, but she ultimately accepted the actual result. When she felt it was time for her to let him go, she brought him back down on the floor. She opened her fingers and had him stand still on the ground. She joined the two witches as Meredith tossed the same purple mist that Loretta had previously used. The mist surrounded Edward and made him grow dizzy. He almost lost his balance during his trancelike state before his entire body grew larger.

  In just a few seconds, the Shadow Service Agent had returned to normal when the purple mist disappeared completely. He was now as tall as everyone else, with his clothes remaining clean in the process.

  Edward looked down at his body. “Well, I still look good. So that’s something.”

  Joseph ran up to him and gave him a hug. Edward, visibly surprised by the gesture, decided to hold his friend in his arms as well. Florencia was touched by the friendship that they must have shared.

  Daisy and Meredith turned around to check on the fox behind them.

  Florencia could hear Limara whisper, “I’ll be okay.”

  She found Limara standing on all four legs. She wiggled her body to shake off the pink substance on her fur. She wagged her tail as she said, “Thank you for healing me.”

  Daisy nodded her head. “It’s no problem.”

  Florencia asked, “Can you turn yourself back into a dragon?”

  Limara licked her lips. “It’ll still take some time. I need more strength to finish the transformation.”

  Joseph had already noticed the fox. He stepped away from Edward and said, “I really should look this up more often.”

  Florencia crouched down and patted Limara on the head. Limara, in turn, accepted it with a soft growl.

  “Who are you?”

  Florencia gave her name. “I’m the one who wanted you out of that aquarium.”

  “How did you know about me?”

  “I’ve learned enough to make my own conclusion. I really should have gotten you out of there sooner.”

  “I wouldn’t even think that you’d care enough to risk your own life for this.”

  “Why wouldn’t I do that? I’ve had dreams about this since I was a little girl.”

  “What? Saving me?”

  “No. Being friends with someone like you.”

  Florencia couldn’t help but smile at her own remark. She had an actual Nevinoth Dragon beside her and she silently reveled in the one ambition that she yearned for the most.

  Suddenly, she could hear tires screeching in the distance. She and the two witches ran up to the windows. A sedan had been parked in front of the commercial building. A man and a woman exited the vehicle and observed the entire deserted structure.

  Florencia and the witches ducked down. Meredith whispered, “It’s the Zadith. They’re here!”

  Florencia was now in a panic. “How the hell did they find out we’re here?!”

  “It doesn’t matter now. We have to get out now.”

  7:06 PM

  Edward and Joseph had to step aside when the two witches ran toward the open entryway and into the hall. Florencia stayed in the room to tend to Limara. She whispered something in the fox’s ear. Edward could hear any of it.

  Florencia said to the two young men, “Guys, you better get out. They’re not looking for you. They’ll let you go because you’re not working for us.”

  Edward had realized something. “Wait, what about you?”

  “I’ll be fine. I need Limara to get us out of here.”

  “Come on, now. You can’t just run off like this!”

  Florencia stood up. “I have no choice. Th
ey already know that I’m responsible for this. I can’t let them punish me.”

  “But where are you gonna go? The Dead Zone? That’s place is a complete nightmare. You won’t survive there for long.”

  “I’ll make my way further north. Nobody will find us. We still have our talismans. We’ll be invisible when we make our exits.”

  Edward found it hard to bid her farewell. “It would’ve been better if you just stayed here and forgot the whole thing a few days ago.”

  Florencia touched his face with her hand. Her warmth helped eased his trouble accepting her fate. “I know how you feel. But I’ll be okay. I’ll be out there knowing that you’re going to live a good life. I care so much about you. I’ll be able to remember the good times we had together. If I’m truly destined to die out there, my last thought will be you getting ready for your future.”

  Her honest statement led to Edward giving her a hug. He held her tightly as she hugged him back.

  She whispered, “Best of luck to you. Now go.”

  Edward let her go and turned away. Joseph followed him from behind as he finally departed from the room and never looked back. The two of them ran across the hallway. Edward could already hear the sounds of an aggressive skirmish located somewhere in this building. The Zadith and the Witches of San Antonio battling it out. It would have been something that Edward looked forward to. But he felt disappointed that he won’t even be able to be a spectator.

  He and Joseph ran down the stairs. And when they reached the bottom, an explosion echoed across the first floor. Something crashed into the window of a room concealed by a concrete wall. A body that left a stream trail from behind flew across the hall and landed on the floor in front of the two men. It was Meredith’s charred body. Her clothes and skin had been completely burned. Edward recognized the necklace that she wore, and not the blackened skull above it. Steam had risen all over the dead body. She had become a complete mess all over.

  Edward had to cover his nose to avoid the stench. A loud and sudden shriek from another room had been followed by a bright light that burst out of the same room with the shattered window. The scream most likely came from Daisy. Another witch that lost her life. Edward and Joseph ran past Meredith’s corpse and reached the front entrance. They pushed open the double doors and exited the building. They stayed near the parked sedan.