Francis

"Surely you're mistaken", I said, shaking my head. There is no way that's true. Dawn?

"No,no,no", Fray said.

"Little Dawn, ain't no way dude", Cinco said in deep thought.

I could not believe my ears. Was this even true? I can't say I saw that coming at all. I was so caught up in taking down Maximus. I had totally forgotten all about the mole.

I knew this was not going to go well, I know because she was close with everyone in the group, especially Kyle. No, Kyle, he's going to be crushed.

I was about to tell everyone to calm down when I turned around and saw Kyle standing with his head down and hands at his side forming a fist.

"Where is she?",he asked, making everyone stop talking.

This made me realize that she wasn't here. "Shit, Kyle", I said going towards him but he stepped back causing me to stop too.

"I know this is hard for you but if we find he-", I started.

"Where is she?", he shouted.
"We don't know man, we didn't even realize she was gone", Cinco answered.
Kyle didn't say anything as he stormed off. I looked back at everyone and realized that Blake was the only one that didn't say anything.

He soon stormed off in the opposite direction. I couldn't think about him right now.

"Where is the dragon core?", I suddenly asked nervously.

" It's with me", a man said.

"Who are you?", I asked, I did not even realize he was here. I seriously need to pay attention to what was going going around me.

" Who do you want me to be?", he replied.

" Shut up you fool. He's Johnathan Eldermire", Queen Eudoxia said, grabbing a watch off his hand which turned into a ring then passed it to me.

" Woah I'm guessing this is the dragon core", I said looking at the object in awe.

" Yes it is, however, not fully", she replied.

" Not fully, what happened to it?", I said in confusion.

" It is broken into two parts, this is only half, I think we can all guess who has the other piece", she said and all of a sudden my mind was drawn back to the sword incident.

" I understand and I'm gonna get it back", I said thinking of all the things I could do to Maximus that would surely make me feel better.

All this constant fighting has made me so frustrated I am so sick of all of it. Maybe I could release some of my pent up anger I thought as I walked away from the group going towards where Maximus was being held.

~~~~~*~~~~~
" Where is the rest of the dragon core?"I asked, kicking Maximus in the stomach, causing him to quickly grab it as he started coughing up blood.

His body held all sorts of bruises and blood flowed from every open wound.

"As if I would tell you".

"Ok", I nodded. " Then maybe I can help you talk", I said, squeezing his throat until I heard him gasping for air and I felt his hand trying to make me release his throat.

However I broke his hand to stop him from moving.

He looked like he was about to pass out so I released him but quickly kicked him across his head.

" Talk!", I shouted at him then proceeded to ask again.

"Where is the dragon core?", I said, taking an iron chipper in my hand off the table near me.

"You think I would tell you because of that thing? nothing will change. Put that down before you hurt yourself ", I looked towards him smiling and nodding while looking at the chipper. " You see how sharp this thing is.

It looks like it can do some real damage, don't you think?I asked, smirking, "Are you ready to speak?".

" As if", Maximus said laughing.

"Ok then if pain is what you want then I will give it to you after all I'm a genuine person", I said nodding at what he said as I brought the thing down to his hand to clip off 2 of his fingers.

"Ahh! Ok ok stop", he said trying to pull his hand back,blood gushing through his missing fingers as it fell to the ground. I stepped on his finger and he winced.

"Are you ready to speak now?" But he didn't reply.

"Ok then I guess we will be down to 8 fingers".

I brought the chipper down to this hand again as sweat fell down his face. He started shivering.

"Ok ok stop stop I'll talk!".

"Really? Don't you want me to keep cutting. I was quite enjoying your pain just like the ones you caused me along with the people around me. Take Zaria for instance", I said moving over to the other hand to cut other fingers off. I wonder if I should take his left ear? I thought out loud.

Maximus' eyes widened in fear " No really stop. Stop, I will talk",he said, breathing hard.

" You have 2 minutes or I will start cutting and maybe I'll just take something no man can live without next if you lie to me".

" Ok I will tell the truth", he said stopping.

"You have 1 minute 45 seconds".
"Ok ok I will tell you. The dragon core is in my sword in the throne room. The same one I had some moments ago".
"1 minute 35 seconds ".

"My wife may have it. She will come for me to free me along with some other men ''.

"You better pray that you have not lied to me because I will not be merciful to you".

" I'm telling the truth. I swear on My daughter's head".

"Shut up! You better not even think about Z ever. You're not worthy to call her name. You think I didn't know that you were involved in her real parents death", I said, looking him in the eye coldly.

"Keep him here. I've got things to do", I said looking towards the guards that Z assigned there.

~•~

" Took you long enough to reach here, where were you?. I was just going to look for you", Z said, hugging me in which I returned, breaking apart quickly.

"You alright? you look a bit angry?".
"Everything's fine. I got some information that could help in completing the dragon core".
"Really? How?", She asked.
"You're father".

"What did you do? You didn't hurt him bad did you?", Her face held a complicated look.

"I did what was necessary", I said walking away towards the group.

"The piece to complete the dragon core is in the throne room but Maximus' wife may have reached it before us so while I go looking for the fragment, be on the lookout for Maximus' wife".
" Got it", Aquata said while the group nodded in agreement.

"I'm gonna check up on Maximus in the cell", Alexander said leaving the group.
" Excuse us for a moment", Fray and Eudoxia said, leaving the group.
Which I left soon after.

~•~
The room was dark and cold as I looked at the fragment of the broken glass on the floor I could see frost forming quickly.

I walked around the room to check what could be lying underneath the broken glass.

"Where could that sword be?", I thought while lifting up broken glass of all sizes to see when suddenly to my right I could see a sword handle peeking beneath a huge glass immediately I dropped the glass in my hand and went towards the sword only to lift it up and in the handle where I think the fragment should lay I saw a gold piece.

I immediately pulled it out to see the sword transforming into a knife. I dropped it, upon closer inspection of the core fragment.

I could see slight green and silver forming at the ends of the core and no transformation took place at all, not other than it melting.

"Shit. She has it".

~•~
Inside the cells of the castle Maximus leaned his head against the cold wall. Shivering from the drop in temperature as blood flowed from his wounds, the bandage they put on it to stop the bleeding was currently soaked in blood and it hurted a lot but not more than his ego.

He couldn't believe the little outsider caught him but there was no time to think about him.

He needed to get out of there but his hands were bound by a strong thick iron that he tried breaking numerous times.

Thoughts ran throughout his mind as he wondered if power was truly worth this just as his mind fell into a tunnel of doubt the door to the room where his cell was burst open and in his vision appeared his wife.

" I didn't think you would actually make it. I was beginning to lose faith", he said smiling at his wife as he winced at the sudden pain flowing from his belly and fingers.

" I didn't think they would've managed to do quite a number on you but yes I have made it and I got the fragment", she said standing in the doorway.

"Then hurry up and come here and free me. Do you have the keys? Hurry because that boy and his friends may be hurrying to get here".

"Got it", his wife said hurrying towards him when suddenly lavender gas got released into the room making her fall to the ground immediately.

" Looks like you're right Max. I'm paralyzed", she said looking into his eyes. She could barely move her legs as the paralysis moved up to her upper body.He had a conflicted look.

"Hello Maximus and Esmerelda, so nice of you to drop in. Esmerelda you see that thing you have in your hand here we will be needing that", A voice said speaking into a device that sounded loudly in the cell room.

Both Maximus and his wife looked up into the ceiling,trying to identify where the camera's could be.

"If you're trying to identify where we are in the room sorry to inform you but you will never know".

"Is that you Johnathan?", Maximus said with a look of anger forming on his face.

"What if it happens to be what can you do about that?", Johnathan said in a teasing manner.

"You betrayer!", Maximus said, gritting his teeth.

"What? don't act like you didn't know that you can never really trust a person. Isn't that what you always believed so why act surprised?", Johnathan said.

"When I get my hands on you!".
"When you what? You better focus on if you will get out of there alive you don't look so good.

You should probably get that hand checked before you bleed to death but then again it wouldn't be the worst thing to happen."

Maximus felt his fingers pulsing in pain but he ignored it as he tried reaching for his wife.

"Are you really on that's outsider side the people will never accept him",
"Haha, is that what you really think?That outsider is the key to our future and well, I'm just ensuring I'm on his good side. The best part is I was never your friend, I was never loyal to you" He said laughing.

"Why?", Maximus asked in disbelief.
"Why not?".

"Will I ever get an answer?", Maximus asked.

"That's if you live to hear it but that's if Francis spares your life but if it were up to me I would've killed you the moment I got the chance".

"Is it because of Eudoxia?",Maximus asked, but Johnathan didn't answer.

Suddenly men in black burst into the room with masks on their faces. One who looked to be the leader grabbed the fragment from the former Queen's hand while two others dragged her to a cell to lock her into one next to her husband.

"Well look at that you can finally fulfill your vows' ', the masked man said leaving the room along with the others.
The man who was left to close the huge door said "In sickness and health, till death do you part.

Maybe it will be soon, I would pray to lord Rion if I were you but if it were me you would be dead because of all the lives you ruined".

Yikes😬