Excerpts 6: Fall from Grace (updated)

Having revealed that Mhaldin turns evil, I have decided to provide some quick quotes to illustrate how it goes down. Some of these passages have not yet been included in the story.

"Mhaldin's been kidnapped".

'The Higharc?' Mhaldin thought in equal parts surprise and dismay. 'They did this?'
'A man named Cipit, working on behalf of the Higharc, had some involvement'. Fenera thought.

“They…tortured him” Fenera replied. “They tortured him and it’s all going on in my head. They wanted to know where we are so they…they asked Mhaldin”.

“Your master will know where Fenera is. You will tell us in time. You’ve got it easy right now but your master could have us get fiercer with you” one of them said. They left Mhaldin where he was: hanging by his legs from the ceiling of his cell.

“One day, maybe not this year and maybe not the next year, but one day I will kill you” Mhaldin stated. “On that day the Higharc and every evil thing it stands for will end. On that day you will regret making me your enemy. On that day I will see Starseran fall from the sky. I will strike it down”. Mhaldin spat at Haulk. “I will see to it that everything you love and have worked to accomplish and preserve burns to the ground!” Mhaldin was losing control; he wasn’t even rationalizing what he was saying. “By the gods, the corrupt Higharc will die, and I will make it happen! You and your filthy friends will pay for what they did to me!”

(while he is being rescued) And there he was, marred by scars and wearing blood stained clothing that had been torn. But there lay young Mhaldin: alive and sitting in front of Fenera’s eyes for the first time in a year and a day. He was still deep in peaceful unconsciousness.

“Someone mentioned his kidnapping and he sat down over there. He just stayed there for the whole meeting, not doing much”. Mhaldin heard her sigh. “I think he might be concerned. You see, I plan on making contact with the Higharc so to discuss the troubles out west. I suspect he fears making contact with the Higharc will give them an opportunity to…take him again”. Through Fenera’s eyes, Mhaldin saw his parents look at him “It is so painful to see him like this”.

“Those men helped keep me in a cage for nine months. It is my right to hate them” snapped Mhaldin.

'War kills bad men. Without war the world would be a terrible place' Mhaldin thought back as he thought about the Higharc and how the All War would destroy them.

“Yuel and his killers” Mhaldin said through his teeth. He looked at Fenera. “They just can’t leave me or my family alone. I…I’ll kill them all. All of them. I won’t take this anymore”. He stood up, fists clenched. He didn’t care how he would strike at Yuel, he didn’t give one single spot of logic to the feasibility of how he would do so. All he thought about was how much he wanted to kill every single man Yuel commanded. He took a few steps towards the exit, Rossus asked him where he was going.
“These animals put me in a collar for nine months and turned those days into a living nightmare for me. They hurt me like I did something to them” Mhaldin said. “Now I’ve gotten away from them and they’re still following me. They’re attacking Fenera now. I’m going out to slaughter them all. I’ve sat back and done nothing, now they’ll all pay with their lives!”

'You’re not a killer…'Fenera thought.
'Not yet' Mhaldin thought.

Mhaldin charged out of the shadows and jumped on the back of the banjo player forcing him to the ground. The man was dead before he fell: the sword of Rarend through his heart. The others were so off guard that they were still smiling at the song and music when Mhaldin began to kill them. For Mhaldin, it was a simple matter of pointing the pressure cannon at random people and pulling the trigger.

“No, YOU murdered all those people in New Caesarus!” Mhaldin yelled. “I saw the ashes! You and all your genocidal followers aren’t worth the food you eat! You are a sickness on the two planets. I didn’t murder anyone, I CURED them!”

"I loved you with my soul, I took care of you. I raised you" she said softly to Mhaldin. "When you were kidnapped, my life became a living nightmare. But we got you back". Her voice grew hard and sharp like water that was freezing, and equally as cold. "Now you...murder, kidnap. These are things that no child of mine knows how to do. You are not my son. Go with Usor'an, do whatever, I don't care what happens to you anymore".

"We can be friends" Usor'an offered as he sat down next to Mhaldin.

"Yuel is dead, but I want more" Mhaldin said to Usor'an. "Its time I took up my quarrel with the Higharc".

(much, much later...)
“On behalf of the Higharc, the people of Starseran, Jindaria and Eray, I welcome you,” the emissary said as he approached Mhaldin to shake hands. Mhaldin raised his hand, but not to shake hands. The emissary’s head fell to the floor: a blade that had unfolded from Mhaldin’s palm sat in his hand and blood sat on its edge.
No sooner had Mhadin murdered the emissary when the other scorighters attacked. Gunshots rang out and both drem guards were killed before they could bring their weapons to bear on their young adversary. The whole thing took less than five seconds.
The crowd stood and gazed in disbelief at what they had just seen. They just could not comprehend what they had seen. It was too unreal for them. Mhaldin looked up at the astonished faces, his young face beaten into a hateful glare. He swept his sword down towards the crowd as the scorighters unfolded guns from their hands.
“Kill them!” he screeched.

“I am sorry magistrate. I can only imagine how you feel,” Aironel raised his eyes to Mhaldin’s. “But if you kill us you’ll perpetuate the war”. Mhaldin didn’t react. “You’ll perpetuate the war, the one Eray wanted to start so desperately”. No reaction. “You can’t take vengeance, many people will die”.
“Isn’t that exactly what the Higharc wanted?” Mhaldin asked, his wings flapped a bit. Aironel pressed his hands together as though praying.
“Don’t you want this war to end? Do you think that killing all of us will help anything?” Aironel begged, his calm demeanor began to melt away.
“You are a sickness on Eray. I need to cure this world of you”.
“You’re making a mistake,” Aironel cried. “This is a peace talk you maniac!” Mhaldin stabbed Aironel in the stomach and leaned down. He pressed the flames from his two “wing” tendrils against the drem’s face. The smell of charred scales stung his nose. Mhaldin threw down the smoldering carcass and gestured to the angels. They machines descended down onto the Erayics, blades unfolded from their front limbs. Mhaldin joined them, and was lost in a tempest of screaming and blood. He hacked and killed, no mercy to anyone. None of his victims could fight back, none of his victims could get away. He killed the unarmed drem with the angels. At last he had his revenge.
It was over far too fast.