Silent Storm
Chapter 19 - 'Dazed' and 'Confused'

Isabella and the team stand in shock as the hooded man is revealed to be Ivan’s son, Vlad.

Ivan’s face lights up with a smile. “Vlad, my boy, I told them you were still alive,” he says.

Ivan walks toward his son with his face full of joy.

“Ivan Wait! Something’s not right,” warns Isabella.

Ivan ignores and attempts to hug his son.

Vlad blasts Ivan with a bolt of electricity.

The team is shocked by this development.

“What did that bitch do to you?” asks Ivan.

“You really need to stop with the name calling,” says Cordelia.

“Cordelia!” yells an on-rushing Silo.

“Here we go,” says Cordelia to herself.

“You know you’re not allowed down here right darling?”

“To hell with your stupid rules, where are the kids that got sent down here?” asks Silo, as Vlad catches his attention.

“And who the hell is this asshole?” he continues.

Silo glances and sees a body on the floor near Cordelia. “Oh no, Reggie, what the hell did you do to him?”

“Ok, you just asked a lot of questions darling, which one would you prefer I answer first?” asks Cordelia.

“Answer me you bitch!”

Cordelia laughs.

“I just needed your little friends for their Aether darling.”

Cordelia looks at Vlad.

“Well, he needed it to be exact. They’re a part of him now, and he’s all healthy again, for now at least. So, I no longer have need for any of you, no hard feelings.”

Cordelia glances and observes the statue has completely receded into the rune circle.

The shaking subsides.

Cordelia walks toward the group. “Now you have my undivided attention.”

Riley speeds in and charges Vlad but is swatted away easily with a back hand that sends him crashing to the floor.

“Cordelia are people going to just keep barging in here?” asks an annoyed Vlad.

Riley recovers quickly.

Vlad stares at Riley for a moment.

“What the hell are you staring at me for you weirdo?” asks Riley.

“You’re Marie’s boy, aren’t you?” asks Vlad.

“You’re Marie’s boy, aren’t you?” Riley repeats, mocking Vlad and laughing to himself. “Who the hell is this guy?” he asks.

This angers Vlad who marches toward Riley.

Jason and Gale barge in and blow Vlad back with a powerful gust of wind, throwing him toward Cordelia.

Vlad recomposes himself and stares at Jason. “Vanessa’s boy,” he says.

“And your Ivan’s boy, I’ve seen your pictures,” Jason responds.

“I knew he looked familiar,” says a surprised Riley.

“Everyone thought you were dead, but it seems something much worse has happened to you,” says Jason.

Vlad chuckles. “I’m a man reborn!” he exclaims.

Vlad fires a continuous stream of electricity at Jason with his right hand.

Jason quickly matches this attack.

Vlad then summons a violent wind with his left hand and directs it at Jason, but Jason matches the attack once again.

An exhilarated Vlad then fires a powerful blast of fire from his mouth.

Jason is unable to defend against it and is knocked to the ground.

“How the? Can someone please tell me how he’s doing that,” says Riley.

The strain of the attack causes Vlad to fall back.

Cordelia helps him up. “Don’t overdo it you fool,” she scolds.

Vlad drops to one knee and pants for breath.

“Let me deal with them,” says Cordelia, as her blade extends from her wrist.

She licks the blade. “I can still taste the blood of that acid spewing bitch,” she says.

She then conjures the Flight Rune and charges the group, leaving trails of darkness with every step as she moves amongst them, seeming to walk on thin air, slashing and vanishing at will.

Her devilish laugh echoing throughout the cave.

The team is unable to keep up with her movements.

Jax eventually manages to grab Cordelia, but she throws him across the cave with ease.

Izzy is alerted by this. “Everyone, focus all your attacks on Jax!” she commands.

“What?” asks a confused Riley.

“Do it now!” Isabella exclaims.

The team fires a barrage of attacks at Jax.

Jax smiles and snaps his finger.

He instantaneously switches places with Cordelia, who is then struck by the combined attacks.

She is thrown against the wall by the sheer force of the attack.

“That was awesome uncle Jax!” says a jubilant Riley.

They all smile with accomplishment.

An enraged Cordelia gets up, bloodied and in a great deal of pain.

She holds her head and screams.

Swollen dark veins appear below her bulging eyes.

She places a hand on the ground.

A Star Rune appears beneath the team and they are suddenly pressed down by a powerful force, unable to move.

Cordelia moves toward Jax. “You think you’re clever? Your daddy thought he was clever too, until I slit his throat.”

She puts her blade by his neck. “It’s time I reunite the two of you.”

Jax closes his eyes and waits for death.

The rest of the group screams in terror.

A ball of fire hits Cordelia.

She falls back, releasing Jax in the process.

A flaming figure appears.

The flames dissipate and the figure is revealed to be Victoria.

The group looks on in amazement.

A lustful Riley examines her from head to toe and smiles to himself.

“Vicky, just like we practiced, dazed and confused,” says Zardon.

Victoria executes an act of bewilderment. “Where the hell am I? Who are you people?”

“The Flame Quin? Impossible, why didn’t I sense her?” asks a confused Cordelia.

Vlad is alarmed by this new development. “Cordelia, something’s not right, let’s go, now!” he commands.

Cordelia ignores and fires a wave of dark energy at Victoria.

Victoria evades and charges Cordelia, blasting her with fire from her mouth at point blank range.

She then jumps back over to the group, pretending to be shaken. “What’s happening to me?” she cries.

Cordelia gets up.

Her hair is almost completely burnt off and her face severely disfigured.

Consumed by rage, she prepares for another attack but is held back by Vlad.

“I said let’s go,” he says.

The team looks on in awe as Cordelia’s wounds heal before their eyes.

“You fools have no idea what’s coming for you,” says Cordelia as she raises her hand to the ceiling, conjuring the Scythe Rune.

The Rune covers the entire ceiling, extending to the floor and ceiling of the upper level as well.

Cordelia lowers her hand.

The cave rumbles intensely.

The upper-level ceiling collapses.

Rock and debris fall all around, and Water begins to gush in.

Cordelia grabs Vlad and places a hand on the floor once more.

The area around her lights up.

“Nice seeing you again dad,” says Vlad, as he gives Ivan a menacing stare.

He then looks at Riley and Jason. “And boys, you’ll never realize your true potential wasting your time at the Academy. Join us and be united with your father.”

“We’ll be seeing you,” says Cordelia.

The light intensifies and they disappear. Leaving behind a crossroads symbol scorched on the ground where they stood, which quickly disappears.

The ceiling above begins to crumble.

Silo looks and sees Reggie is about to be crushed by the falling rubble.

“Reggie!” he yells.

Ivan stretches his hands and wraps them around Reggie’s body and pulls him to safety, away from the falling rock.

“We need to get out of here,” says Jax.

The ceiling continues to crumble causing rock to fall, blocking the path to the opening through which they initially entered.

Isabella removes a small mirror from her pocket and throws it on the floor.

“Trish, are you there? We need an out, there are too many people here for me to transport” says a panicking Isabella, speaking into her wrist pad.

Water begins to rush in.

Riley and Jason step up and hold back the water.

The ceiling collapses further causing more water to flood in.

Riley and Jason struggle to hold back the water.

“Now’s a good time for an escape strategy guys,” says Riley.

“Izzy jump in,” says Trish via Isabella’s wrist pad.

The mirror on the floor expands.

“Into the mirror, let’s go now!” Isabella yells at the team.

Jason and Riley shift their focus from the onrushing water and run towards the group.

The water rushes in behind them.

Large boulders fall everywhere.

A ‘dazed’ Victoria stands at the center.

Riley grabs her hand and runs with her. “Let’s go sweetness,” he says, as they all jump into the mirror.

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