FINDING TRUTHS II (Ch. 65)

"Ethan?!" She calls out with a hopefully ecstatic expression, 

"That's the problem, i'm not him" Raven replies dropping his hood,

"What nonsense are you even saying, did something hit you in the head?",

"I'm serious" Raven replies,

"You obviously need help, you must've hit your head and lost your memories wait, how does a Shifter even lose their memories?" She mumbles, 

"His consciousness isn't in this body anymore" Raven replies,

"Wait is that even possible?!" She exclaims,

"I've said enough, it's best we speak in private" Raven states,

"Come with me" Anya replies swiftly,

The bartender return to his post watching as the two exit through a door before phoning a line,

"Hello?, Yes, he's here sir, Raven Voss", 

She leads him through the door and astonishingly beyond it lies a stairway to the left and an elevator to the right, the elevator opens as they step in,

"Since you claim not to be Ethan then let me reintroduce myself, I'm Anya and welcome to Club Cardless she replies stepping out of the elevator with Raven in tow as the latters eyes almost pop out at the sight before him, hundreds of people, all wealthy, all bidding on what he can very easily tell are objects seeming to contain 'Force', 

"Is everyone here a ..."

"Yes, everyone here is a Shifter, more so almost Everyone of these tycoons are ZONE wielders, and those?" She states pointing at the red katana on auction, "those are Relics, Artifacts, 'Force' weapons it really doesn't matter what you call them their weapons of unimaginable power, with the appearance of the fist tomb in centuries the wars coming after the re emergence of Relics are inevitable, the few ones we're auctioning off are those that we managed to hold on to centuries ago by sealing them" she concludes

"Centuries?, How long has Club Cardless been in existence" he inquires,

"Approximately five centuries" she replies, "it has gone by several name of course, only the upper echelons know the organisations true name" she concludes,

{Paradox} Silver states with a grim tone, 

(You know them?),

{There isn't much to do with Shifters i don't know}, Silver replies, {their ultimate goal has always been 'their' return} Silver states,

(Who is 'their') he questions,

{The 'OLD GODS'} Silver states, Raven although curious reigns it in knowing Silver would not say more, he follows behind Anya who leads him back out through the huge doors and down the hall taking a right to the hallway there just before the elevator, eventually they reach an office where she takes a seat at the chair while Raven takes a seat at the guest chair,

"So where wear we?, You're apparently not Ethan, so who are you?" She questions

"My name's Raven Voss" 

"Raven Voss..." She mumbles, "Voss....wait Voss?!!!" She exclaims, "wait your mother's name wouldn't happen to be Rachel would it?"

"That's right" he responds with a conflicted expression, "how do you know my mom?" He inquires,

"You don't even know?, I guess it's her way of protecting you" Anya states,

(Funny how that turned out) he muses, 

"Rachel Voss, one of the only three stage three Brain Shifters as well as leader of one of The Murim's top three Factions, SYNDICATE" Anya states, Raven's mind blanks as his unable to process her words, even Silver is similarly stunned,

{Stage three?}

(Is that high?), He questions

{Raven, your mother as of now is one of the strongest Shifters alive, infact i'd dear to say she's top ten on the planet, i've never broken it down properly but I'm sure your aware the brain has three parts},

(Ahhh, so that's it) he exclaims finally somewhat understanding, 

{Given her pedigree it's almost certain she also possess a powerful relic} Silver states,

"Well that is...wow" Raven exclaims,

"Well astonishing as that is we must return back to the point, You said you could be of assistance" She states,

"Ethan, i need to find him" Raven states, Anya frowns before speaking,

"Why?",

"This body, infact there's a lot i need to ask him"

"How did you know my name?" 

"That's a long story" Raven replies,

"I have time" she replies,

  Vin steps into club cardless ignoring the bartender who nods covertly as he pulls out a golden pass card and is escorted past the door and into the elevator by a waiter, 

(Raven Voss, you never listen do you) he muses, stepping past the elevator he waves the waiter off as he walks straight to Anya's office, a nock later Anya calls to come in only to be shocked by his presence,

"Vin" she mutters unaware of Raven's tensed face, 

"I'm here for him" he nods towards Raven,

"I can't do that, you know the rules of this place" she replies,

"Ethan Raine" he states, "i know where he is, or at least i have an idea of who might"

"And you never told me this?!" Anya flares, 

"It was never in my interests, but with you" he turns to Raven, "it becomes an interest, you who has the body if the man called a genius even greater than Gray Wade, i have a proposal"

"What is it?" Raven questions guardedly,

"Fight me" Vin states

"And win?" Raven questions,

"Even with that body you couldn't, Ethan Raine might be able too, but you're far from able, your objective is simple" Vin smiles, "impress me Raven Voss, you've already shown me talent past that of this body, show me more, and I'll help you",

"Well this is shocking, i never thought I'd see you of all people betray someone, much less Jamison" Anya mocks

"Far from, nevertheless, my loyalty remains only to the arts, moreover Jamison employed me with the use of knowledge on advancement, if i get it some other way then that works as well",

"So you have no attachment to the wealth?" She mocks still unconvinced,

"I'm disappointed, i'd expected you to do your research" he replies,

"Everyone knows the Gin family"

"Then you're well aware money is far from my reason for choosing to work for Hide" Vin replies, 

"Very well Vin Gin" she states before turning to Raven, "the balls in your park now kid" Anya concludes.

"When's this fight?" Raven questions turning to Vin,

"Now" he replies, "come with me, i have just the right place" he grins,

Raven follows behind him, bidding farewell to Anya and exchanging contact info before heading out the club and into Vin's car, after about an hour the car stops at an increasingly present location in his life, 

(Obrien high),

{I must applaud the symbolism} Silver muses,

Vin kills the engine exiting the car as he makes his way past the hall and towards the upper a classes, he arrives at the class where Raven had seen the desk, Vin takes his suit jacket off throwing it aside just after he pulls a cigarette then lights it, Raven ponders momentarily before asking the question that plagues him,

"Why?" He inquires staring at Vin,

"Why??" Vin questions back,

"Why do all this?, To an extent we want the sane things, why go through such a convoluted way to reach it",

"Have you ever heard it's lonely at the top?" Vin inquires,

"I have"

"That's it, there are those who have attained ZONE such as myself, the problem is most are old, their will for battle dulled, i can only fight Jhon so many times, just chalk it all up to boredom" Vin states exhaling the smoke, Raven throws his bad aside before dropping into a stance, 

"Before we begin, let me ask again, Raven Voss, would you be interested in starting a crew, i'll even turn you into a monster, just like Oren Wayne" Vin states, Raven frowns glaring him down, 

"How the hell can you even say that, a person died, people are dieing, suffering because of the crews you created!" He shouts,

"That's disappointing, and quite Idealistic, even without my intervention they would have come to be, i merely sped the process up, everything the crews do others have done before them and others will do after, it's a mutual relationship, i have something i want from them and so do they from me, that's how it works"

"but it doesn't work that way anymore does it?, Dealer's have grown tired and their leader defiant, RUNAWAYS are gone and with Nathan there it'll never return, and lastly MERCHANTS have grown to big and way too powerful, you need them gone, but not only that you need them replaced, but this time not for Hide, for yourself, you know i thought about it alot, Hide doesn't need the crews anymore, so why did you ever offer in the first place?, Then it dawned on me, you're following his path" Vin's eyes hood before a sharp laughter tears through the desolate school,

"The more i see Raven Voss the more certain i am, you're the perfect candidate!, Enough chit chat kid, let's do this!" He roars with manaical excitement.