Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON TWO (Ongoing)

Part 3.19

1,000 YEARS IN THE PAST
PROMETHEUS, PHAEDRA

There was indeed a dark power that had the ability to destroy energy. Knowledge of it was buried in the libraries of Prometheus, under an avalanche of words about magic, but Scion found it. Of course he found it. He was a scientist, an investigator. He could find anything.

The dark power required one to harness all the anger and hatred inside their souls, and turn this into a poisonous anti-energy.

It made sense, after all. Love created energy, hatred destroyed it.

But once unleashed, the darkness was hard to contain. One risked succumbing to it completely.

It was a dangerous power, but someone with strength of mind could surely master it. Scion had to tell Oedipus about his find immediately. He had to lead his people to victory over the Phaedreans, to the one glory that had eluded them for so long. The green of his soul demanded it.

And yet, Scion knew, there was a part of his soul that was no longer green. Deep inside, awash in the emerald, was a crescent-shaped piece that had turned an alarming shade of violet. This purple wanted him to run to Lazarus and tell him of Oedipus's plan. It didn't want anything to do with the dark power. It warned him he was going down a slippery path.

The rubied lights of Prometheus blinked at him, forcing him to choose.

"Emotions," his teacher on Ariadne had said, "are a weakness. The moment one feels sympathy for his enemy, the battle is lost."

Scion was losing the battle now. If he felt sorry for the Phaedreans, he'd ruin everything he'd worked so hard for. When victory was so close, he could not let weakness take it away. He was not a scientist. He was not an investigator. He was a warrior.

Oedipus smiled smugly when Scion ambled into the room. "You found it, didn't you?"

"Yes." Scion squared his shoulders. "I found information about the dark power."

Oedipus watched him with interest, as if assessing his reaction. He cocked his head to the side. "Were there instructions?"

"Yes," Scion answered.

"And you found them reasonably clear? Could you use the dark power if you tried?"

"Of course I could."

"Excellent. I want you to use it on Lazarus."

Scion's blood froze. "What?"

Annoyance pulled at Oedipus's features. "Is there a problem, Scion? You were called upon to spy on the Phaedreans for the glory of our planet. You have now discovered a weapon that will ensure our victory, but we need to test this first." An ugly smile stretched his lips. "Unless, of course, you have grown close to Lazarus. Perhaps you would prefer to stay on Phaedra and dream about plants."

"Of course not," Scion rebutted, finally gathering himself.

"Because let me tell you one thing, Scion." The emerald mist around Oedipus seemed to harden. "You cannot be both Ariadni and Phaedrean. You are one or the other. And we have no tolerance for traitors."

Traitors? Scion wasn't a traitor. He knew what happened to traitors. They were shown no mercy on Ariadne.

But he could not kill Lazarus. The purple inside him roared against the very thought. He didn't want Lazarus to end. And Amarat and Onyx, they would never forgive him.

He paced in his room afterwards. Why was Oedipus doing this to him? Why couldn't he choose someone else to be the victim, anyone else? But Scion knew the answer to that. It was a test of his loyalty. Oedipus was making him choose.

If he refused, he'd face torture back on Ariadne. But if he told Lazarus, then Lazarus could protect him. He could stay here on Phaedra. He could be a scholar and spend eternity with his friends.

Yes, he had to tell Lazarus. He'd confess everything. Lazarus would know what to do.

He wasted no time journeying to Lazarus's quarters, though it was halfway through the Phaedrean night and his mentor had to be asleep.

To his surprise, there were voices coming from Lazarus's room. Scion didn't want anyone else to hear what he had to say, so he decided to wait until the other person had left.

"All the evidence points to it," an unfamiliar voice was saying. "You cannot deny it any longer, Lazarus."

There's a sigh, long and heavy. The Lazarus speaks. "I know the boy is a spy, Sanctus. I have known it for some time."

"You knew?" the other voice, which had to belong to the councillor Sanctus, hissed. "And you let him come here? You knowingly placed yourself in danger?"

"There is no danger to me," Lazarus replied tiredly.

Scion swelled with hope. They were talking about him. They had to be. Lazarus already knew he was a spy, and he didn't care! This was more than Scion could have prayed for.

"The boy has so much potential," Lazarus continued. "It is such a shame. He should have been born a Phaedrean."

Yes, yes! What a gift Lazarus was. The Phaedreans were so much kinder than the Ariadni. He knew Lazarus would not let him down.

"But he is not a Phaedrean." Sanctus argued. "He is Ariadni. How could you have been so reckless?"

"Calm yourself, Sanctus. There are those among the Ariadni who possess intelligence and a desire for peace. If we could foster these qualities, boost and encourage them, we could change the course of Ariadne's history. By Phaedreanising them, we will eventually neutralise the threat."

"Well, your Phaedreanisation scheme didn't work. The High Council of Ariadne is plotting your assassination, and they will use the boy to do it."

Lazarus sighed again. "How is the boy planning on assassinating me? He is barely at half my strength."

"So you'll let him roam our planet and teach him all our secrets? Do you plan to turn him to our side?"

"Sanctus..." Lazarus paused. Scion could hear the shuffle of his footsteps. "The boy is an Ariadni. It was never my intention to keep him here. He is not one of us. While he may possess some promising traits, he is still subject to the same aggression and bloodlust as the rest of his race. My plan was always to send him back to Ariadne."

It was like all the ice on Phaedra had been dumped over Scion's head. Lazarus wanted to send him back to Ariadne. He never meant to keep him. Scion was not one of them.

The hurt stung worse than any blow Zenith had ever landed. He was not one of them. They didn't care about him. He was just a tool. Lazarus wouldn't protect him. Why should he? Phaedreans were Phaedreans, and Ariadni were Ariadni.

He could not be Phaedrean. He was a fool to think he could. A weak, stupid fool. This is what weakness led to! If he hadn't arrived at this very moment to overhear Lazarus's conversation with Sanctus, he would have walked in there and told Lazarus all about the plan to use the dark power on him. And Lazaraus would have sent him back to Ariadne, where they would torture him for his betrayal.

To think he had thought they cared for him. To think he had cared for them. No wonder his teachers back home hated him. No wonder the other boys bullied him. He kept denying who he was. He was weak. He was pathetic.

But he had one chance.

He did know how to use the dark power. He could prove himself as a warrior and an Ariadni. It was not too late.

Scion sucked in a deep breath. Now was the time, before Lazarus became any wiser. He was here. He was ready.

He waited until Sanctus had left.

Then he knocked on Lazarus's door.