Doubts
Epsilon walked with Upsilon through the rocky corridors of their lair. People hadn't found them in years, but there was always the chance someone could get by. Epsilon smirked to himself as he thought about this. Before stepping out into the light, his form changed into his old man disguise that he showed Yohan before. "Get those new Dark Wizards shaped up quick!" Epsilon's voice struck out to the others. Upsilon chuckled to himself as the others panicked. The only reason they followed Epsilon was due to his power, and he reminded them of that power every day. Raising up his staff, he struck the ground and caused the roar of thunder to strike loudly across the room, with all of the Dark Wizards, new or old, kneeling down and bowing their heads to him. Epsilon huffed to himself and continued to walk, the Dark Wizards quickly getting up once he was gone and focusing heavily on their training. "God damn it Ken, why did you pick the room in the back of the evil secret lair?" Both of them continued on their way, nobody shooting them a second glance out of fear that one of them would turn them into dust.
It was still dark when Kogo arrived at her destination. The necklace was giving off a strong and familiar force. He was near, but she didn't see where. She was just staring at a bunch of mountains! Unless...these weren't actually mountains. Of course, it was never simple with Epsilon. Sighing angrily to herself, Kogo quietly cast a spell. Simply worded, simple magic, but it would get the job done. "Reveal to me what I cannot see." The mountains seemed to recede slightly to show the walls of Epsilon's palace. However, she couldn't see inside the palace or the goons that were inevitably guarding it.
Now, she could go in guns blazing and easily kill off most of Epsilon's group...but she needed to actually speak to the man. No doubt that his "Dark Wizards" would sense any magic she used...so it was time to do this the old fashioned way. She concealed her horse in a secluded location, put her dark cloak on and headed out towards the only entrance.
It wasn't hard to slip by the first couple of guards. She was nearing the door when one of the guards must have heard her. However, Kogo was quicker than the guard and was in before they could even turn around from where they heard her.
Once inside, Kogo could hear the thunder of Epsilon's voice and the frantic scurrying of feet. She quietly followed Epsilon and Upsilon. His apprentices were too busy trying not to piss Epsilon off to notice much of her. Epsilon hadn't noticed her yet either. She just had to wait for Upsilon to stop kissing ass and split from his dear old master...
Epsilon chuckled to himself for some reason as he looked over his shoulder briefly before looking back to Upsilon. "Old man, you go and tell Ken to hurry his ass up." Upsilon looked over to Epsilon, but did as he was told. Epsilon tapped his staff lightly a few times on the ground before beginning to walk off towards his own room. Once he arrive there, he opens the door and leaves it open, walking inside as he sits down at his desk and begins to shift through papers he kept inside.
The element of surprise was up, but he was at least kind enough to send his lackey away. She waited a few moments for some extra protection and then quietly stepped into the room Epsilon was in. She shut the door and locked it, staring quietly at Epsilon. The two were completely alone, not a sound to be heard from the outside. She waited for Epsilon to fully acknowledge her.
"Hello, Kogo." Epsilon spoke up, looking over at her with a smirk upon his face. "I see you have found me through that gift I gave you so long ago." He chuckled as he rose up slowly to his feet. "So, what do you require from this old washed up bag of bones? Are you trying to accomplish the impossible? Or perhaps you are looking for something more in the present?"
"Epsilon." Kogo said quite flatly. To be honest, she didn't fully understand yet why she was here. She approached the desk and took her hood down. Her hair was slightly different. Instead of her twin bun style, her hair was pulled into a low ponytail, just high enough that her hair hovered slightly above the ground. Her eyes pierced into Epsilon, but if he looked closely, he could see her concern. "They're looking for you. You know you can't keep this up much longer."
"So it's personal. Let's shift the table to you, shall we?" Epsilon pulls out The Fool card. "You've just found your son. He's just regained his memories. You abandoned him in order to come visit me and try to make things right. Tsk, tsk. You don't even know the trouble that's going on right now." Epsilon pulls out The Lovers card. "Then we have your other boy. You hardly gave him any mind, it's almost like you don't even mind writing down deceased names in that magical book of yours." Epsilon pulls out The Death card. "Then there is the odd behaviors everyone is taking. War is coming. People are preparing to have the upper hand and kill off those they deem in the way. Meanwhile, your son shall be in the middle of all of this. And yet, once again, here you are. Taking up selfish desires to pursue me." Epsilon throws all the cards up and watches them burn. "The fool's journey has begun, my dear Kogo. Are you aware of Lady Alpha's growing paranoia? How she relies on Omega to take care of anyone she deems unjust? What about all the strange murders? The White and The Black spreading throughout Gaia?" Epsilon chuckles. "It is not me you should worry about, Kogo."
Kogo glared hard at Epsilon as he gave his speech. Always with the cards, the god damn cards. She waited for him to completely finish before speaking, even though she knew he would turn it against her. "I know more than I want to know about what's going on. War is coming, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that you're going to be directly involved with your little group here." Kogo came around the desk and stood in front of Epsilon, looking up at him. "I know women are the bane of your existence now, Harold, but remember I'm not here as an executioner. Like I would listen to that bitch anyways." Kogo sighed. "Regarding my son, you know as well as I do that I cannot prevent what destiny has laid out for him. I can only try to make the obstacles a little less harmful."
"But you can be a supporting mother. Ten years the boy went through pain and suffering, the only person to relieve some of that suffering is the daughter of your hated rival. Though both of you should suck up if what the cards have shown me will prove true. The boy is more like you than you realize." Epsilon chuckled darkly. "But as for his destiny, well. He and I will, without a doubt, have differing ideals. He will challenge me, and I will be ready. But it will not be by prophecies or pre-determined fates that he shall face me. He shall do it of his own choosing, and if he doesn't, he will fail my expectations and I shall blame you as the cause." Epsilon gave her a sassy grin. "But you must have realized Upsilon is a cranky old fool. Such paranoia in his old age that he has to resort to keeping an eye on me. But let's stop beating around the bush and get to the real problem here." Epsilon slowly sat down in his chair as he put his fingers up together like that of a villain. Yes, he was totally doing this right in front of her. "Why have you come here?"
The woman looked him in the eye. "I need your training gear. I'm in charge of some of those effected by the sudden outburst of magic." Kogo said as she sat down in a chair opposite if him. "You owe me a favor, so I came to collect."
Epsilon chuckled to himself as he rose up and raised up one of his hands. "I should of known. I had some training gear prepared and you came at the perfect time. Even if I can't fully predict it, I can have multiple options available just in case someone comes along." Epsilon had the training gear fly over to his desk in a stacked pile. "There you are. Simple and done as that." Epsilon returned to sitting down. "Is there anything else you require of me while you are here? I am more than happy to assist you if I can. Just know that you are violating Lady Alpha's rules. But that probably makes you giddy more than worried. That woman is becoming more self-centered as the years go by her."
"'Lady' Alpha isn't much better than those she goes after. Karma will catch up with her one day. Besides, I don't think anyone currently in the Order would let her do harm to me." Kogo sighed. They sat in silence for a few moments, Kogo trying to gather her thoughts and Epsilon being...well, Epsilon. "How is he?" Kogo asked suddenly. "Is he what you wanted him to be?"
"He is what he wants to be, not what I want him to be. He has my genes for sure, but he has chosen his own path." Epsilon brought his hands up together. "He has been searching for you. Not because it's personal, but because he hunts bounty's now. He's been challenging himself against a great many beasts and people. I believe he has been holding back though, because none of them ever died while facing him. I believe he is testing himself, and his opponents by extension. He wants them to try to find him again, to try to get stronger and, in turn, make him stronger as a result. It's how he has been for some time now. He is not a bad person, but he does not fully trust morality to guide his actions. Be wary, he may seek interest sooner or later in those kids. I fear if Takeo doesn't get a good grip on setting aside his laziness for battle, he will be the first to fall in battle to him." Epsilon shook his head. "Some advice if you train the pink haired girl. Tell her she needs to start accepting her Dragonborn side more and needs to use it in a fight. She can't play the white mage forever, sooner or later, she'll have to fight to protect someone else's life."
"Searching for me...oh dear. I probably have a pretty penny of a price over my head." Kogo commented. "My charges include one of the Dragonborn, but not her. The one I have uses their blood pretty liberally. A real go getter for sure." Kogo looked up at Epsilon. "Takeo is smart. His intelligence rivals even yours. I'm sure he'll figure out how to fight. If I tell him, he'll just blow it off as another one of 'Mom's Many Wisdom's.'" She rolled her eyes. "Anyhow...thank you for the equipment. You probably won't get it back, but I've a feeling you won't need it soon."
"It was spare equipment anyway. I have one thing to say at the least. That Sebastian kid, he's going to head down a dark path. Regardless of what you say or do with him, I believe he has already taken quite a step over towards the darker side of things. He may be best friends with your eldest son of the two, but the younger one he will have growing issues with. You may try to deal with that as you wish. But soon, that boy will hunger for more than he wants. And it will get him into trouble. Trust me on that one. He's going to be facing a lot of trouble by the looks of things. If you are done talking with little old me, you may want to hurry back over to Timberland before more trouble comes it's way. Today is the day training will start. Knowing Delta and Beta, they'll start on it once school is done for the day." Epsilon pulls out a newspaper and begins to read it.
"You never miss a thing, do you?" Kogo said calmly. She was used to this behavior, considering the two had quite the history with one another. She made note of his comments about Sebastian. "You seem like you want to be left to your old geezer things, so I can leave your presence if you wish, oh great Epsilon." Kogo snickered. She couldn't help but pick on him. It was one of the only things they still had in common. She did have to wonder if the old Epsilon would ever return, but it had been almost 30 years. The chances were slim to none.
"Have you ever heard of the Book of the Damned?" Epsilon spoke up out of the blue. The newspaper he held looked rather old as he didn't bother to lower it to speak to her. "It was said to be one of the most terrible things magic ever created. It held the power to kill people at the user's command and drain their remaining life force into the book. There have been a lot of criminals dying as of late all over the world of Gaia. Someone appears to be taking the Kira route with this. Though the higher ups will never admit that something called Death Note predicted this would happen." Epsilon chuckled to himself. "I had thought I knew where it was located, but it seems someone has popped up and fit it's description all too nicely. What do you think about the matter?"
"That's a name I haven't heard in a long while. I heard it had been sealed away, though I didn't care much for the details. So, someone must have killed the Guardian and gotten it." Kogo sighed. That was probably part if the cause of the problems arising regarding magic. Whoever had it was either lucky or extremely strong. The Guardian was no laughing matter. Kogo put a hand over her face. The issues only kept getting worse and worse. No doubt was she concerned, but it seemed like a lot was piling onto her plate. She had been by the door when Epsilon started speaking, but she turned back to him now. "I'm surprised you don't know who took it yet...no, more likely you're keeping it from me. No matter. I appreciate the warning."
"The Guardian may be connected to our little thief. Though we do not know who sealed the book up in the first place, so it is hard to tell without asking them. And well, they are nowhere to be found." Epsilon chuckled from behind his newspaper. "My dear Kogo, I may have knowledge to share, but spoiling the finer details would ruin the surprise, now wouldn't it?" Epsilon couldn't help but grin, even though Kogo couldn't see it. "In any case, I can suspect who are the prime suspects behind all of this ruckus. Though you will eventually find that out for yourself soon enough."
"I see..." It was all she could say. Despite his standing among many as an enemy, Epsilon's instincts were normally spot on. She knew to trust him on these sorts of matters. "Am I to suspect they're going to come to Timberland or already there?" Kogo asked.
"They will announce themselves to the whole world in a week's time. They have already started to recruit those of The Black and The White under their wings. It's not just Timberland they have eyes for though. But they will come sooner or later. You'd best prepare those kids whenever you can. One more thing before you go though. I want you to answer me a question. Have you considered what would happen should a major force present itself a threat to any of your family?"
"You already know the answer to that. And if you don't, then you're not as much of a genius as you think." The reply was prompt, but to the point. "My sons are both going to be in the middle of this, that's for certain. The only thing I can do that will make a difference is to prepare for the absolute worst. It's the only thing I know how to do." Kogo looked at him. "I will take my leave now. I hope you know what you're doing, Harold. I don't want to hear about you dying on me." Kogo unlocked the door and opened it, concealing herself once more. Within seconds she was out of sight, out of the building, and riding off into the dawn.
Epsilon couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Upsilon peeked in after a bit. "Is she gone?" Epsilon nodded to him, putting down the newspaper. "Finally. Stupid woman! I hate that dumb brat. But at least it's good to know she's staying in Timberland." Upsilon couldn't help but rub his staff in a creepy manner. "I'm going to enjoy seeing them struggle! Mwehehehehehehe!"