Chapter 35: 35. The Fatherless Son

It had been several minutes now and Zeff still didn't know what was going on. Sylvan was pacing the floor like a mad man and only stopping occasionally to stare at the man standing calmly in front of his desk as though he had expected this reaction from Sylvan all along.

"Brother, I—" Began William.

"Don't!" growled Sylvan.

"Doc! You're completely overreacting! Chill, man!"

"Zephaniah." spoke Dr. Fynn gently, "Dr. White's reaction is completely understandable. I—"

"You're damn-right, it is." responded Sylvan through clenched teeth. "Start talking, Will."

William sighed and looked like he was about to reply when Zeff suddenly interrupted. "So, brothers, huh? The Doc told me he had no family."

Sylvan at once seemed anxious and angry to have been interrupted but he quickly replied, "I never said I had no family at all. I meant, I had no immediate family. Son's, daughters. And we aren't blood-brothers, but brothers-in-law. Will studied under me and in time he introduced me to his sister who I eventually married." At saying that, a smile flashed across his lips for a short instant. "But—"

"Well, isn't that great! You guys—"

"Zeff… I know math isn't your strong suit. But I worked with Will more than sixty years ago… and he had green eyes back then… William should be nearly 80 years old."

Zeff's eyes grew large with shock. "Pizza and Pomegranates…"

"Ah, yes. Speaking of pizza. Your stuffed crust pizza and chicken wings should be here shortly." added Fynn competely ignoring Sylvan's tirade.

"Hey, don't try to change the subject with the promise of deliciousness…" interrupted Zeff. "I have fought and nearly died with Doctor Sylvan. I just met you… I don't care who you are. You *will* answer the doctor's questions… Or else." Zeff did his best to seem threatening. He figured that William had likely been watching him and knew what he could do.

But surprisingly, Doctor Fynn merely chuckled and with a patronizing smile he said, "Zeff, you are still a frog in a well who's never seen the sea."

Zeff was at once taken aback, and instantly knew he didn't like Dr. Fynn one bit.

At hearing that comment, Sylvan asked, "Are you really William Fynn? The same William Fynn who studied under me for nearly 5 years, traveling the world? The same William who used to get teary-eyed when people ate meat around you?"

"You know I am." responded Dr. Fynn sympathetically, tilting his head to the side like he was speaking to a child.

Zeff already had a good idea what was going on. Sylvan himself was, in reality, a nearly 90 year old man. But thanks to the dracoRex he had somehow 'de-aged'. He looked to Williams hands and, sure enough, on his right hand sat an obsidian ring just like the dracoRex and just like the ring Leo had been wearing in the pharmacy. "The ring… You—"

"Doctor Sylvan, Zephaniah." Sighed Fynn. "We don't have a lot of time… "

"Forget that. Mattea promised us our questions would be answered when we got here. So you're gonna make time, dammit…" growled Sylvan, his eyes burning with fury and rage.

Fynn sighed a sleepy sigh, like he had hoped the conversation would go another direction and was dreading the coming discussion. "There are some things I can not tell you—" Sylvan at once looked like he was about to protest but Fynn added, "—however, I will do my best to answer all your questions for the next… 20 or so minutes. Then we have to go, Sylvan."

"Whether or not we go anywhere is incumbent on your answers to my questions…" Sylvan said, low and ominous. Then he added, "How did you come to be in the Rings?"

William sighed again. "Silver, you just engaged in a battle to the death with a shining man… aren't you at all curious about aura or why I'm fighting against L—"

"All that can wait… I'm trying to decide whether or not I'm going to break you in half…"

Unlike before when Zeff had threatened him, this time William flinched noticeably, his eyes growing to the size of golfballs.

"So, I think I've got most of it figured out. Correct me if I'm wrong. You joined the Rings at some point after our funding ran out. You were likely involved with them for years before I came to be their prisoner…"

William didn't speak.

"When they came to see me at my home… It was you who had told them where I lived."

"…It was…"

Sylvan's tears began drawing wet lines on his face as he asked, "And all those years, were you aware that I was their prisoner and that my dear May was sitting all alone, not knowing where I was."

"I-I…" William hesitated and looked down at his hands. "I was. But May—"

*Douom!* Zeff suddenly exploded towards William with a ferocious roar, his fist poised to strike the man with his full might. "You b*stard!!"

*Binnnng!* rang out a sound like a metal beam being struck with a mallet.

Sylvan and William were both astonished but for completely different reasons.

William was astonished that it was Zeff who attacked him first, rather than Sylvan.

Sylvan was surprised partly for the same reason but also because Zeff's fist, rather than striking William's face, instead struck a floating, blue, hexagonal light construct that floated just in front of William. The construct, which was only about as big as a man's head, had stopped Zeff's fist cold like it was absolutely nothing.

There was still a *—innnng* ringing sound coming from that light construct. But as the resonance suddenly began to fade, becoming quieter and quieter, Williams eyes and even the veins beneath his skin began to shine with a blue hue, growing brighter and brighter.

Zeff however, didn't seem to notice any of that. "Do you have any idea how much you people made Sylvan suffer!?" *B-bing-Bing* rang his fists as they struck construct after construct, never reaching their mark. "Do you have any idea at all! His whole life was ruined!" *Bing!* With each punch, no matter where he aimed, a light construct appeared to absorb the blow. And with each second William's eyes and veins shone brighter.

"Zeff-boy…" whispered Sylvan, moved by Zeff's words but also sensing their deeper implication.

"And you let him rot in a cell, powerless to save him. And you call him your family?!" With that Zeff threw such a savage right straight that it whistled as it cut through the air. *Shwoop* whooshed William as the punch hit nothing but empty space.

William had disappeared.

Or so it had seemed from Zeff's point of view.

Sylvan, on the other hand, saw William move at break neck speed as though propelled by rockets to Zeff'S blind side.

He caught his breath. The technique William had just used was the same technique Sylvan himself had used dozens of times. His very own technique which he had dubbed: The Mach Step. The only difference was it was much, much faster and Sylvan noticed that after William used the technique his eyes and veins were less bright as though the Blue had been used to power the technique.

In the next instant, William swung his fist in a parabolic arc towards Zeff's stomach, his fist like a blue comet.

*Boong* He struck Zeff rather harmlessly in his armored stomach that could even stop bullets.

"Pssh." Zeff scoffed. "Your little punch can't do sh*t against— *Blehgh!*" Zeff in that exact moment doubled over and vomited violent, falling to his knees as his stomach tightened and his head swam.

Zeff didn't feel sick. He had never been poisoned before, but he imagined it would feel much like he felt now. It was a familiar sensation. He had experienced it once before as Petticoat's yellow light had struck him on the bridge.

"Calm down, Zephaniah." William mused gently. "You are talking about things you hardly understand…"

"I-I do understand!" Rasped Zeff, his eyes welling up with tears. "Better than you know! You b*stards took my Father as a prisoner, too!"

William at once raised his eyebrows in surprise. He looked to Sylvan for confirmation and Sylvan, who seemed to be still angered but also pained, only nodded in response.

"I-I am sorry, boy. I promise you the Rings are not a completely united organization. There are many within who want to change it. *I* want to change it."

"Then what are you standing around here talking about pizza and chicken wings for?!"

"It's because I'm too weak!!" William roared suddenly, throwing his arms out in frustration, sending out a spray of small hexagonal light constructs in all directions that laid Zeff flat with their force. "I was a prisoner, too, boy! Do you think a random guy like me, a normal human, joins the Rings by choice or chance? You think they came to me with cookies and cakes asking me to make the world a better place? Do you think they didn't torture me for information for years."

"How can that be?" Interjected Sylvan with a concerned expression, "I remember you were always visiting me and May. And you always seemed fine…"

"It was all an act. The rings were sure that I would have taken the notes and data from our discoveries because you retired early, and I continued in your footsteps… And I may have given them reason to think that was true… They didn't take me away like they did you. But trust me, one can be a prisoner without being in a physical prison… And one can be tortured in more ways than one… "

Sylvan, upon hearing all that, gave a pained and sympathetic expression.

William crossed the room to stand before Sylvan, taking his hand and said, "Brother. Trust me. Everything I have done for the last 40 years has been to gain power and to take this organization down from the inside. Believe that. I tried for as long as possible to keep them away from you. But twenty years—? Any one would break. And I am eternally sorry. Please, could you ever forgive your foolish brother-in-law?" Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he stared into Sylvan's eyes.

Sylvan was silent for a second. But after a moment's pause he said, "Did May know what happened to me?"

"Yes. I told her… But only after a time."

"Did you take care of her?"

"Of course, I did, Silver."

Sylvan sighed as he took Williams hand into both of his own. "Willy… I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions… And I forgive you."

William smiled like a mad man and embraced his brother-in-law in a bear hug.

"A-and I'm sorry, too…" added Zeff, embarrassed. "And sorry I vomited on your floor."

"Seriously. D-Don't speak of it… And I'm sorry about your Father. What was his na—" He began but as he did, his eye caught a glimpse of a digital clock that was hanging on the far wall. The clock read 6:48 AM. "I have much more to share with you two. But if we don't leave now we will miss our chance to get you two to the Underworld."

"William. I'm sorry. There's a few things I have to know…"

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William looked again at the clock and sighed impatiently. "Okay. But quickly."

Sylvan began at once. "That ring-there… and the red one Matea told Zeff to put on. What are they?"

"My goodness. You go straight for the jugular, don'tcha?"

Sylvan only gave a half smile.

"This—" he brandished his ring. "-was created, surprisingly, because of you."

Sylvan furrowed his brow incredulously.

"After failing with the dracoRex time and again, The Rings made an executive decision to roll back the entire project. Rather than making a nuclear bomb that may or may not work, why not make a reliable pistol instead. That much you already knew. The outcome of that endeavor is this, a ring of the xRex series, reverse engineered from that." He pointed at the dracoRex. "And we made more than a hundred of these."

"So they make you younger and give you aura?" Asked Zeff, astounded. "And they learned that that was possible because of what happened to Sylvan?"

"No… That aura I used earlier is my very own. And yes, precisely."

"Well, at least I know how you got the blue eyes… And I don't suppose you have the time to tell me where or how you got such a power…?" Sylvan added.

"And that would be an apt supposition." chuckled William.

"Well, what about that technique you used where you move really fast…" spoke Zeff. "I've seen Sylvan use something similar."

"U-uh-that? That's not important right now. The ring holds the power to turn back time. To perfectly cut a person's age in half. Each of the highest ranking members of The Rings was given a certain amount of these depending on their strength and level within the organization. I, as the weakest of them, was given only this one. Leo, who is two levels above me, was given 4." He looked nervously at the clock. "Long story short, the splicing abilities of the rings can splice more than just a dragon's DNA."

"Now the dracoEx—" he began, speaking faster than before, and raising his voice to discourage questions. "—was made to remove the the nanoManipulator, dRas, from a host's body. Dracophage can never be removed as it integrates itself into your system in an extremely intimate way… Okay. Now we need to go. As I will not be going with you this time, I will visit the school where we can chat again in another two months. Then, I will answer all your--"

"Wait... The school?" repeated Zeff, instantly breaking out in a cold sweat. "What school?"

"Did Matea not tell you?"

"Tell us what?"

"About the University."

"University?" Zeff and Sylvan said in unison. Zeff had said it with a look of sheer terror on his face. While Sylvan had said it with an interested and intrigued smile.

Zeff could feel himself beginning to hyperventilate.

William seemed suddenly to be concerned for Zeff's health as he answered cautiously. "The Underworld has four sovereign states. And in three of the four states, all people between the ages of 18 and at least 28 live in what's called a 'University community'… Matea didn't—"

"No! She didn't!!" Zeff yelled.

"Zeff-boy. Relax." Sylvan comforted. "I'm sure you don't have to—"

"Oh, *yes*, he does. We don't have time to discuss this at the moment. But you will see that this part of Underworld culture is something they will not negotiate on. The new semester begins on September 15th, 5 days from today. "

Zeff suddenly felt weak in the knees.

"But don't worry, Zeff. I have arranged for you to be in a dorm with another man of your age who also came from here: The Overworld. And as I hear his grades are top notch."

"Dorms and roommates?" Zeff whinged. "Grades?!"

"And, as fate would have it, I also found a position for you at the University, Silver. So you can protect, Zeff."

Sylvan was obviously liking where this conversation was going as he smiled from ear to ear. But as William said that last part, he at once took on a serious expression and asked. "Protect him? Why would I need to protect him? I thought we were going there because it's already safe."

"…well, Matea told me there could be some complications, but she's not sure."

His eyes flashed toward Zeff in a way that made Zeff extremely uncomfortable. 'He is probably referring to Rutigorn.' Zeff thought. 'If Rutigorn goes crazy, only Sylvan is strong enough to stop him, I bet.' That, however, was the least of his worries…

"Now. That's it!" exclaimed William. "We absolutely have to go!"

"Okay, okay! Let's go then. But you hardly answered any of our questions…" Zeff said as he and Sylvan passed Dr. Fynn on his way out of the office. "And we never got our pizza…"

"By the way, Zephaniah." William asked as he hurriedly grabbed a bag off of the wall, ignoring his pizza comment. "What was your dad's name?"

"What *is* my dad's name…" Zeff corrected.

"Uh-yes, of course. What *is* your dad's name?"

"Finnius. Finnius Corad."

William stopped dead as though flash frozen by a blizzard wind. "W-who?"

"Finnius." Zeff repeated over his shoulder, as he waited on the elevator to come.

Sylvan noticed William's face turn a sickly green color. But before he could say something, William spoke up nervously and said, "O-oh, I actually forgot something in my office… Sylvan, could you help me grab it." By the look on his face, Sylvan immediately understood that something was very, very wrong.

*Ding* said the elevator as it reached the fourth floor. Sylvan spoke up, "Zeff-boy. You go ahead and go downstairs. We'll catch up, yeah?"

"Uh-sure…" Zeff said hesitantly.

Sylvan and William only stood smiling after him as the elevator door shut.

"What's the problem, William? You looked like you've seen a ghost…"

"Sylvan. I don't know what the heck 'Corad' means. But we only have one man in any of our facilities named Finnius. And there's NO WAY Zeff is his son!"

"No, trust me. I spoke to Finnius myself while I was being held captive. He told me himself that he had a son. And—"

"Then there has to be some kind of mistake…" William guessed. "There's no way."

"Willy." Sylvan chuckled. "There's no mistake. I know he's the son of Finnius."

"That's literally impossible."

"How can you—"

"How long did you know him…? Finnius?"

"About 2 or 3 years. Why?"

"And he never told you how long he had already been there for?"

"No. What are you getting at William!?"

"Sylvan, my brother. Finnius has been a prisoner of The Rings for nearly 30 years! Since long before the time you were there."

Sylvan was flabbergasted by the sudden claim. "T-that's impossible. He hardly looked a day over 40."

"I swear it. I don't know who that boy is, but there is absolutely no way that he's the child of Finnius. He'd have to be at least double his age. Not to mention Finnius is... Well, Nevermind."

Sylvan felt like the world was spinning. Was it possible that he found the wrong guy? No. There was no way. But he knew without a doubt that he had met Finnius and that Finnius had told him about his 21 year old son… "Is there a way we can know for sure… And without alerting the boy?"

"There is. But we need Matea for that."

"And where is she now?"

"Don't worry. I'll make sure she meets us at the gate."

Sylvan was so confused that he didn't even think to ask about 'the gate'. But he watched patiently as William took out a cell phone and called Matea.

"Master Fynn." Came Matea's high voice through the speaker. "I just arrived at the airport. I'm sorry. I won't make it to the gate in time. Did they get the pizza? Did you tell Zeff and Sylvan about L—"

"Nevermind all that." William interjected, throwing a nervous smirk in Sylvan's direction. "I NEED you to make it to the harbor in the next—" he looked at the time on his cell phone. "24 minutes. Forget speed limits or laws. Just be there."

There was silence for a second from the other end until Matea's voice, low and determined, growled through the receiver, "Consider it done, Master." *Click*

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