The beast ignored Michael's remark. In fact, it let out something resembling a giggle, its two heads shaking slightly as though the human's threat had genuinely amused it.
"Human. No, Michael. At least you're worthy of being called by a name." Its two heads lowered towards him. "Remember, your energy is depleted. The only reason you're still standing is your inhuman endurance. Anyone else would already be flat on the ground. And if I fired another beam at half the power of the last one, we both know you wouldn't be able to redirect it in the slightest."
Michael wanted to argue, but he couldn't. The beast was right. That first beam had been monstrous, and he had barely managed to redirect it. He hadn't even used FULL RELEASE, but in his current condition, activating it would be practically suicidal. The backlash could leave him half-dead, vulnerable to anything that happened to pass by. Spending another week unconscious was not on his schedule.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the five of them settled down. Quatre and Troi began explaining why they were searching for Elizabeth, recounting their history with her and the reasons they wanted her dead. Michael listened carefully, maintaining his act. He knew Vincent was intelligent enough to notice the inconsistencies, so there was no point pulling him aside and risking exposing himself. Besides, Vincent seemed perfectly willing to play along.
"Wow," Vincent remarked, feigning astonishment. "You must really hate this girl. If she's caused you that much trouble, I'll gladly help you kill her."
Michael nearly burst out laughing. He forced himself to maintain a straight face, barely resisting the urge to look at Vincent. The man was shameless. He knew exactly what Michael was doing and had decided to join the performance without missing a beat. The beast, meanwhile, couldn't have cared less about their little act. Elizabeth meant nothing to it. It had a far more pressing matter to discuss with Michael, and it wasn't interested in the fate of some girl the humans wanted dead.
Vincent was considerably more surprised by another revelation. As Quatre and Troi continued their explanation, he discovered that they were Emox students too, sent into the Wasteland by General Bola, just as he and the others had been. They had been trapped here for years, separated from their families and forced to survive in a place that grew more dangerous with every passing day. The thought sent a chill down Vincent's spine. If these two had spent years trapped in this hell, then what chance did the rest of them have? For all he knew, the Wasteland could become the place where he drew his final breath.
Eventually, the twins finished their story.
"Michael."
The beast's deep voice cut through the conversation.
Everyone turned towards it. Somehow, they had become so absorbed in their discussion that they had almost forgotten the enormous creature sitting beside them. A six-tonne beast with the body of a lion, two massive heads, and enough strength to tear through the surrounding forest was hardly something one could overlook, yet they had managed it.
"Yes?" Michael replied.
For the first time since they had met, the beast's tone changed. The amusement disappeared, replaced by something almost pleading.
"As you can see, I have three legs."
Michael's gaze shifted towards the missing limb.
"This is because I killed a human. He was dark-skinned, not particularly tall, but he possessed more than one ability. After I killed him, something took control of his body." The beast paused, its two heads lowering slightly. "I believe it was one of the seven Ancient beings that once ruled the seven corners of this world. One of the gods."
Its voice deepened.
"Zeus."
Michael's head twitched.
Wait.
The pieces began falling into place, and he didn't like where they led.
So Precious wasn't responsible for Iyi's transformation into Zeus this time. Something else happened after the beast killed him.
His thoughts immediately turned to Precious. If Zeus had taken control of Iyi independently, then the situation was far more complicated than he had assumed. Precious could be in danger. For all he knew, she might already be dead.
Not my problem.
Michael pushed the thought aside almost as quickly as it appeared. He had his own objectives, and he wasn't about to abandon them every time someone else's life was threatened. If Precious had gotten herself caught up in something beyond her control, that was unfortunate. But it wasn't his responsibility to save her.
The beast continued.
"Zeus will find a way to revive the remaining six. Once he has gathered them, he may attempt to erase everything on the surface of this world." Its two heads lifted, their gazes fixed on Michael. "Before he flew away, he said something that I cannot ignore. He said he must find you and kill you before you kill him."
The beast paused, allowing the words to settle.
"That is why I have been searching for you. I don't know what hidden power you possess, nor do I know why an Ancient would consider you such a threat. But if you have a way to defeat him, we must find him and stop him. Otherwise, humanity's efforts to stop the Wasteland's spread will be meaningless. You will not merely lose the world you know. You will be marching towards extinction."
Silence fell over the group.
But each of them was silent for a different reason.
Vincent stared at the beast, struggling to process what he had just heard. He knew nothing about Zeus inhabiting Iyi's body, having never witnessed the transformation himself. The idea that an ancient god had been walking among them, wearing the body of another student, was difficult enough to comprehend. The possibility that this god intended to consume six others and potentially destroy everything on the surface was almost absurd.
Quatre and Troi exchanged uneasy glances. They had spent years fighting to survive the Wasteland, yet they had never imagined that beings worshipped as gods could actually exist. Their understanding of the world had already been shattered by the truth about Emox. Now they were being told that something far worse might be waiting for them.
Michael, however, was troubled by something else entirely.
The Zeus I fought before might not be the same Zeus I'm dealing with now.
He remembered his previous encounter. Zeus had possessed immense power, but this time, the Ancient had been given more time to utilise its host. If it had learned to exploit Iyi's abilities more effectively, the next encounter could be far more dangerous.
And then there was the fact that Zeus had specifically named him.
Why me?
Michael kept the question to himself. He had no intention of revealing everything he knew, especially not to a group of people he had only just met.
"Alright, Beast." Michael leaned back slightly, considering his options. "It's true that I've defeated Zeus before, but I wasn't alone when I did it. If we're going to kill him, we'll need to find someone else. For now, I'm not going to tell you who that person is. You'll have to trust me."
The beast studied him, its two heads remaining perfectly still.
"But before we do anything else, we need to find Elizabeth and kill her. I owe the twins that much for the information they've given me. If you come with us, I'll help you fulfil your own objective afterwards."
Michael held the beast's gaze.
"So, do we have an agreement?"
For several seconds, neither moved. Human and beast stared at each other, each weighing the other's intentions. Then, almost simultaneously, they nodded.
"Good," Michael said, rising to his feet. "I'll recover while we move. Twins, you know which direction she flew in, so you'll lead the way. The rest of us will follow."
Quatre and Troi nodded. Vincent rose as well, still struggling to process the revelation about Zeus, while the beast prepared to move. Whatever awaited them ahead, their paths were now bound together, at least for the moment.
Far from the crater, Elizabeth was finally beginning to recover.
She could walk again, though her movements remained stiff and her body still carried the remnants of her terrible injuries. Beside her stood Zion, or rather, the creature inhabiting his stolen body. Beebah had done an excellent job maintaining the disguise, concealing the truth beneath a familiar face and a carefully constructed imitation of concern.
Elizabeth had no idea that the person she trusted was dead. She had no idea that she had consumed his flesh, or that every comforting word spoken to her had come from the creature that murdered him.
Then a message sounded inside Beebah's mind.
I'm bringing more Emo kids. There's a beast among them, so we need to be careful. They'll help us kill the girl you're with. But, of course, we'll have some fun with her before we finish the job.
Beebah's expression remained unchanged.
Elizabeth continued recovering beside her, unaware that the danger she had escaped was already coming for her again.