Lingering Questions

As Noel pulled the sword out of Silvio's body and let him slump to the floor James took a moment to look over at Zen who had been deathly quiet this entire exchange. From what he had gathered from her personality she was never like this but when he looked over he began to realize why.

Zen's entire body was currently slightly shaking with the muscles and veins in her body tensed to the extreme. James could see every vein that made up her being as if she was struggling against some sort of great force.

It couldn't have been Noel because even Silvio didn't have such a visceral reaction to the auras of Cara and Noel, it had to be something else but he didn't have time to focus on that since soon after Silvio fell Second Elder shot toward James with a wicked smile on his face.

'Shit!' James screamed in his mind as he didn't have a ton of time to react. James quickly pulled out his sword ready to brace the attack of Second Elder alongside Cara who also pulled her sword out to hold against Second Elder.

A few seconds later the downward slice of Second Elder who had also taken out his sword was taken by James who was almost blown away if not for the fact Cara joined him crossing their swords against Second Elder and bracing the attack before throwing the attack back as a team throwing Second Elder off balance.

"GA-!" Second Elder wasn't ready for the sudden movement by Cara and for them to be synchronized enough to defend like that making him fall back straight into the third attack of Noel who aimed for his left arm.

*SLICE*

"AHHHH! MY ARM!" Second Elder screamed in pain as his left arm was sliced cleanly off his body. This situation was getting worse and worse for Second Elder especially now that the blood was pouring out of the cut.

To defend himself Second Elder backed away quickly before taking out a small little pearl from his pocket, "NO! STOP HIM!" Noel said as shock filled her expression it seemed she hadn't prepared for whatever item was in his possession.

"It seems taking over this sect was not my fate. I will make sure to pay back all of you kindly the next time we meet." Second Elder said with an evil grin before he poured his Qi into the pearl and disappeared from the scene completely as James' sword slashed through where he previously was.

"DAMN IT!" James shouted in anger as Second Elder disappeared. There were so many unanswered questions about the situation such as the reasoning for Second Elder's anger and aggression towards them and why he went to such lengths to stop Noel. In addition to the strange pearl he took out and where he went to.

"FWAHH! Finally, I can speak!" The person that had been quiet so far Zen said bringing everyone's attention to her as a strange lock appeared on her chest covering her in chains before the chains seemed to break and the lock fell on the floor.

James and Cara were shocked by her sudden words but Noel walked forward on her own picking up the lock gently before muttering to herself, "How did that old geezer get his hands on something like this too?" Noel whispered clearly shocked by what was in her hands.

From what James could tell it was more than likely an item that Second Elder had planned on taking with him but wasn't able to due to the pressure pushed against him from James and the rest.

"So what the hell just happened?! My brother died and my Dad just disappeared without a trace?!" Zen asked in complete confusion as she looked at the scene in front of her.

From what James could tell she held no remorse about her brother dying or the fact that her father just teleported away from the sect, "I had the same question for you. Shouldn't the daughter of the person that just teleported know what he did or his intentions for all of this much less be sad about the death of her brother?" Noel asked curiously as she still kept her eyes glued to the lock in her hands.

"Why should I be sorry about that piece of shit dying? All he ever did was ruin the lives of women and then try and make our father as happy as possible. As for my Dad, he has tried using me as his bargaining chip since I was a kid and now that I'm stronger than him he put that lock thing on my body and for some reason, I couldn't control my own body anymore! Matter of fact he verbally abused me every chance he got insulting the muscles I painstakingly worked for to better myself!" Zen said angrily as she walked over to Silvio's body and kicked it as hard as she could making cracking sounds all over as she broke his ribs.

James, Cara, and Noel hadn't suspected something like this at all. Even Cara who had known her previously had never seen an inkling of something like this although what she was saying is true. It seems there had been a lot of bottled-up rage inside of her resulting in the experience and power she has gotten to this point.

After a display like that James and Noel glanced at each other seemingly in agreement that they shouldn't ask anymore and head back for now, "Well for now let's head back and inform the Patriarch of the situation." Noel said as James and Cara nodded in agreement.

Soon after all three left the scene leaving Zen to her own devices to figure out what she wanted to do from there. Many would have expected them to take Zen with them but as Noel and James were concerned she was still a stranger that had interfered in their life. Even Cara who is still her friend considered their relationship much lower than the one she had with her soulmate.