Return of the Legion

The Deviant's POV
I sigh, gently moving Ivy's body closer to the wall so I can sit beside her on the old bed. She sleeps, but it's obvious she's not resting. Her body's still ridiculously tense and I can't help but wish there was something I could do to help her.

Surely it couldn't have been Shadows she saw. Maybe something similar to those wretched beasts, but not Shadows. However, if they were Shadows...What could it mean? Has F.E.A.R. awakened again?

No. It can't be. We made sure he couldn't. We put an end to him once and for all...right?

I gently brush a strand of hair back from her face, looking down at the poor, traumatized girl before me. She looks so frail, despite her strength, as she sleeps.

"Where is she?" Ava hisses, walking into the silo and spotting her sleeping sister.

"Relax, Ava. She's alright. I asked The Mourner to get The Mystic already. He should be here soon to see if she has any injuries we're not aware of. So far though, that doesn't seem to be the case," I tell her, smiling reassuringly at her, "I think whatever it was out there just spooked her."

"Do you think it could have really been Shadows?" Ava softly inquires, biting her lip with an anxious look plaguing her eyes.

"I don't know. I can't believe it was really Shadows, but then again, I have been wrong before," I whisper, telling her what I'm honestly thinking, "We'll know soon enough. The Prophet's gone to check it out."

"How much longer before he returns?" She presses, her eyes glued to me.

"Shouldn't take more than an hour to figure it out," I reply, "Then if it's where we're thinking it is, about a half hour to make it back here."

She remains silent for a long moment, before gently asking, "Where...Where is it? Where do you think she went?"

I look up at her, deciding to tell her the awful truth.

"I think she found the Original Church of F.E.A.R. It's the only thing that makes sense out here. Back in the early 2000s, we were in a battle with the original head of F.E.A.R. A guy by the name of William Control. He had powers unlike anything we'd ever seen before," I explain, "We finally killed him and took back our Wild Ones, with the help of your grandmother, Eve."

"How?" She whispers.

"Eve Black died at the hands of a Shadow. She was found outside the gates of F.E.A.R. reaching for her pentacharm. It's believed she was attempting to vanquish the Shadows, but didn't have time to recite the words needed to do so. The pentacharm's useless without the words to go with it. Her death actually lead us to the bastard though, so she at least didn't die in vain," I disclose, "And I know you're about to ask this, so let me just explain it to you. We had no clue where to look for the Church of F.E.A.R. until then. The Prophet only discovered it when he went searching for her, using their bond."

"So wait, you said all this happened in the early 2000s? How are you guys still alive?" She demands, confusion marring her features as she looks up at me.

"We're immortal. Fallen angels," I offer.

"Then they couldn't have executed The Prophet," She murmurs.

"They could have. I said we were immortal, not that we're invincible. We can't die but we can be killed if our injuries are severe enough," I clarify, watching her reaction, "That's why Eve died. She was also a fallen angel, but when you're stabbed all the way through the chest with a Shadows staff...well, there's no coming back from that, even if you are immortal. Poor Ari was distraught for a good month after that and The Prophet swore to avenge her death by any means necessary."

"So..." She trails off, taking in my words before asking, "Then how can Eve be our grandmother?"

"That's the mystery and miracle," I reply, smiling at her, "She and The Prophet found out they were going to have a baby two weeks before she had been taken. She had the baby in F.E.A.R. and named him Austin Black. Knowing William would have killed the baby, she would hide him whenever a Shadow or William himself would come near. When she escaped, she didn't know if she would make it back here or not, so left Austin in the care of another Wild One, named Britney. When we freed them, Britney returned Austin to The Prophet, who raised him to be a good man, just like Eve would have wanted."

Ava stays silent for a long time, letting all this sink in, before she asks, just above a whisper, "How did we end up growing up in F.E.A.R. then?"

"It wasn't an easy decision, but The Prophet sent his grandson, Jeremy Black to infiltrate the city. See what was really going on there and bring back information. He succeeded, but fell in love with a woman who wouldn't leave. They had children, who stayed to fulfill his work when he passed away, telling each of his sons the truth about the Wild Ones and where he came from," I reply, looking down at the ground.

"Who were his sons?" She softly asks, her voice cracking a bit.

"Alex and Eric Black," I whisper.

"My...father and his brother?" She murmurs, shock in her eyes at the realization.

"Yes. They were both good men. It's a shame they had to die the way they did," I reply, unsure of what else to say. These two girls have no idea who they are or who their family really is. They don't even know their grandfather's real name.

The pain in Ava's eyes tells me she's come to realize this too, just as Jinxx walks into the silo to examine Ivy. I excuse myself, heading out to look for Jake. He might be able to help Ava more than I can.

Once I locate him, I ask him for a favor and explain the situation to him. He seems saddened to hear this and agrees to help. I then lead him back to the silo and tell Ava that he's here to help her.

She seems apprehensive at first, but eventually nods and Jake takes her away. I on the other hand, stay by Ivy's side as Jinxx continues his examination.

He wears a troubled look as he runs his hands along her body, trying to get a reading on her current condition. Is he sensing something out of the ordinary? Did those things she encountered do something to her?

"That's odd," he finally murmurs, mostly to himself.

"What?" I inquire, looking between him and the poor girl on the bed.

"I can't get a reading on her," He states and my heart falls through my stomach. That's impossible...

Notes