Chapter 56: King and Soldier into the depths!

"What?" Derek eventually thought to himself as he had just awoken and picked himself off the ground with a slight headache annoying him before he realized that he found himself in an unfamiliar house. He took a gander around this very unfamiliar living room filled with tables and framed photos. "How'd you get framed—?" Derek asked in his thoughts before he realized there was a framed photo of everyone he had a relationship with from his past on the wall. After some time of scanning every photo Derek's attention was caught by hearing Drake's familiar laugh somewhere around then he saw him running. Rushing from upstairs to out of the mysterious home that he found himself waking up inside of, as Derek noticed he tried questioning what he was seeing until his heart jumped and sweat fell when worms crawled out of mysteriously forming holes that formed in the walls and he sprinted out of the house. He broke the door by dropping it by soaring towards it while extending both of his legs. He rolled backwards before he began sprinting in the snow but realized his brother was nowhere to be found in the beautifully white landscape he surveyed over and over until he heard his voice from behind him. He turned and had zero clue of what to do next. "You're much better at hunting than back when dad taught us, hunt for me now." Drake said in his usually calm voice. Derek began running after him once again until his sight went dim and blurred and was left tracking his footprints left in the snow. "They've definitely been caught. Here's the plan, I know where the mayor takes his captives, he had one of the largest museums transformed into a department, this will be simple for me. I'll go and snap Derek and Reynard out of their hypnotized states if he caught them, most of the members don't enjoy killing their targets but one bastard, they love using their 'Master's gift for them' on their victims. Each joined with sick intentions, I wonder what could've made a father convert though?" Anthony informed Amin as he had worn his favorite black trench coat and scarf. "You never heard this from me but the last battle Reynard had left him depressed and unmotivated. It has to be pretty, pretty horrendous. Now he refuses to share emotion." Amin answered as he watched Anthony search for his spectacular camera. "I'm coming with you, no way you're throwing yourself in the den alone." Amin declared with uncertainty. "Don't worry, my homework is finished, when did you do yours?" Anthony replied as he placed his hand on the back door knob. "My dog ate it?" Amin responded as he looked over towards the gun. "Exactly. Not to be rude, to be realistic this one time, you'll slow me down with how loud you always are. If I've done my homework perfectly, I've only tried it once. The sons of this crazy town should be awoken instantly when I pull them out of a thick smoke cylinder encasing their bodies and keeping them stuck. In and out." Anthony replied as he finally opened the door and ran then hopped on his bicycle. Amin watched with the door cracked as Anthony rode down the road on his way to save the Duo before he pulled out a small device that was connected to the tracking device that he planted on the investigative journalist. "She'll conjure up monsters to devour us when this is over, huh?" Amin reminded himself in his head but collected cool as he refused to allow any level of fear or worry to meet him before he left their emergency safe house with Anthony's warning in his mind.

Reynard awakened in his father's mansion greeted by the sight of many dead gray flowers on the ground, his eyes darted in every direction while attempting to remember something as he was irked with an irritating suspicion that he was forgetting something very important and it was locked away from him. "My head hurts and what am I doing here?" Reynard asked himself as he picked himself off his father's mansion's ground. The former officer took another look around the mansion's lobby before making his way upstairs, a tear fell down his cheek while he took a calming walk around the hall, stopping at his and Emilio's favorite room in the home, their deceased stepmother's study. "Now then, don't be fearful, cute Rey. You're home." Reynard heard from her voice behind him. Reynard's eyes opened wide as he turned toward her only a few inches away from him, glaring into his eyes. "You're meant to be dead, I— this is a nightmare!" Reynard yelled before he began backing away and had no intention of stopping no matter the distance of her. As he backed away from her and left the study with his training on her the entire time. "All hail the Enenra, our Lord Enotocin!" Reynard heard from his family. The former police officer spun around to turn his eyes towards them, his father resembled the man he was getting raised by before he met his Stepmother walked into their lives alongside his older brother before they were given over to the cult. Reynard's expression slowly turned doleful as he began gazing into his father's eyes. "That's a gun, isn't it, Rey?" Reynard heard the question from his malevolent stepmother who placed her hand on his shoulder as he stood with his hands on his hips. Reynard looked over at her. "They're both here, I've got them both trapped inside their feeble minds as we speak, Grand Basa is cultivating Lord Enotocin's power while we speak in an attempt to allow our master to possess him. Fortunately for her, my eldest disappointment killed her as our job now is to protect him, he will succeed. Go inform him right now." Said Amidio Jono as he sauntered through the hall as Anthony hung from the ceiling keeping as quiet as a television on mute above two cult recruited officers and a slew of others following the criminally mad Mayor of JinJunyë. Anthony continued to hang above as thought of a way to escape the dangerous situation he found himself in.

Derek followed the tracks in the snow from his brother through their neighborhood and realized they led into his old childhood home in JinJunyë. "That house I just was in belonged to an old worm collector that was an old serial killer leaving behind worms. I shouldn't have followed him on his quest to bring him to justice that day." Derek remembers as he recognized his surroundings, his childhood home and the rest of the area. Derek spotted Drake through one of their windows glaring down at him, compelling him to sprint inside after him. When he opened their door, all of his brothers were standing, holding hands with downtrodden expressions near the couch in their living room. "Drake, Henry and Nick?!" Derek asked loudly, shocked and taken aback by the other two's presence. "You really look a lot like him." Derek heard from behind, he turned around recognizing the voice and remembering who said those words to him that still confuses him. "I Look like who?!" Derek asked as he gave his archnemesis, the elusive treasure collector Proxtere, a deadly glare as he calmly walked down the steps that led upstairs of the home and closer towards he and his brothers. Derek rallied his brothers behind him as the four backed away. "Stop coming closer!" Derek demanded as he squared up. "Your Gramps would be disappointed in you right now. Your parents would love to disown you. Your brothers behind you don't even have faith in you keeping them safe. They're terrified and shaking, look at their faces!" Proxtere commented as he inched closer and closer. "You don't know any of my family, you don't know me! Just bring it already, in one ear and out the other!" Derek asserted as he held his ground and stopped backing away. "You'll never beat me and you know that. How about I remind you of some of your greatest moments? Remember the night that your granddaddy had to save you from your recklessness and overconfidence— from me—on the night that should have been one of your most celebratory?" Proxtere reminded Derek as he stopped approaching as well. Derek looked at him confused by how he'd know. "Remember when you couldn't save Explosire's target from dying?" Proxtere reminded Derek of another loss in his past. Proxtere began walking closer once more, Derek began clenching his fists as more unpleasant memories flooded his mind. Derek leapt in using his gaseous form, as Proxtere began causing a tornado within the home. "Get away from me, cult wench!" Reynard demanded of his devious stepmother. "Such a funny child, give up, give in, you failed and can't pull the trigger against this man. Your father, same as your brother, you can kill dozens of his corrupted officers but never the true villain?" Reynard's stepmother asked with a sick smile. "You're the true villain. He was the man that raised me into who I am, instilled the lessons of Justice that I love by, one of this city's greatest officers. You've never loved him." Reynard replied as he couldn't quit staring into his father's eyes. "I loved the potential for chaos and his thirst for power. That thirst to live an unordinary life that you saw in him, I know you did, all of that made him so much easier to recruit for Lord Enotocin." Reynard his Stepmother whispered in his ear. "Wait?" Reynard yelled as he grabbed his head with his memories abruptly beginning to return after he heard her repeat those words from his past thoughts. Reynard took a look around his surroundings, looked at his dad and older brother before he looked at his stepmother. Using the holstered gun he had on him, he fired it at her before turning it towards his remaining family but was stopped by the same demon the cult worships which he saw in his nightmares for years, he was blasted away with one smoking humongous rock. "Is that an ancient pillar to a castle with smoke coming off of it?!" Reynard asked the old man as he made him furious by smacking him away. "Alright, we can do this, let's go!" Reynard shouted as he saw the gun lying on the ground on the side of his old assailant. Derek and Reynard woke up on the ground with Anthony gesturing for the two to remain quiet and calm. Derek sat down on his knees with his hands on his laps while remembering his numerous past losses and Reynard wore a shocked expression when it hit him that Anthony snuck into his father's cesspit for corrupt officers and recruited cult members by himself. "Alright." Derek whispered followed by a deep sigh as he got off the ground and walked with the stealthy investigative journalist that had his back and the ruthless former officer that grew on him. "Now we're in for one of the most annoying battles of our lives with our next encounter with him." Reynard whispered over to Derek as the Trio lurked the halls. "I know. And I know that at least it won't be our last." Derek optimistically replied with a confident smile. "I— actually need to hear that, here's another, our bond will allow us to persevere or something." Reynard replied as the Trio stuck their backs to the wall hearing members down the next hall. "Stick to the threats, you're much better at those." Derek responded with another whisper. "In that case the next time we're up against the bastard, I'll do what I gotta and that's send his demon-wanna be ass straight to hell." Reynard threatened and assured Derek as low volume as he could to avoid alerting the army of cult members roaming the gigantic complex. "I can scout ahead from the ceiling where they're not likely to spot me!" Said Derek before he immediately took on his gaseous form and flew above. Anthony tried stopping him with an attempt to warn the two but it was too late and Derek was too fast. "I'm so slow." Anthony sighed as he took a squat. Derek returned to Duo he left to scout for, with news. "We'll have to keep our promises sooner than we realized, I'm ready to kick his ass!" Reynard assured his teammates as he squared up but realized his guns were gone but remembered the other promise he made to himself when Anthony rescued him and Amin. All three took a peak around the corner they found themselves covering behind and saw Mayor Jono deviously grinning with two fingers on his chin with his small army of corrupt officers backing him. Mayor Amidio's smoke slowly traveled down the halls and through the building. "New idea, I rarely ever use it, we're all captured and tossed into our minds if this doesn't work." Said Derek as he pumped himself up. "Who cares, does this look like a moment for us to recommend against it?!" Reynard shouted out as the smoke made him anxious and threw a smile on his father's face as he felt it from down the hall. Anthony nodded his approvingly as he covered his nose with his dark green turtleneck. Derek jumped out from his cover, he waved as if he was gesturing for someone to follow him. Mayor Amidio Jono wanted to crack up as he saw him attempting the same trick as he was going to use against the rebellious Trio to defeat them in one move. As smoke was emitting from Derek and smoke traveled from behind him until it filled the halls, Derek backed inside with his white eyes being the last Mayor Jono seen of him.