Scenario 29
"Why does he call himself Ozymandias? Think about it. It has to be significant, it's not arbitrary."
"The rest of them use Egyptian deity names as their monikers, but not this one. Ozymandias was Ramesses II. He was a human."
"Right! According to the witnesses, the downtown bombing was pulled off with dark magic. Who did they kidnap right before that? Ivy, one of the most renowned dark magicians the academy has to offer. The 12 aren't wanderers at all, they're humans. They abducted Cancer, Ashlynn and god knows how many others to extract their powers. It's how they're able to control so many elements."
"And the meaning of the poem... Shelley was showing how even the greatest of man's achievements are victims to time, but Ozymandias told Ivy that the boundless sands and decay were the point. Which means..."
"That the attack in downtown wasn't the last. They [i]want the public to believe that Wanderers are a threat. As bad as anti-wanderer sentiments are now, the people wouldn't be able to stomach genocide."
"But with this false flag attack, they'll have the justification they need."
"I don't know what to think. It all seems so..."
"Ridiculous?" interjected Kyo, stepping out from behind a tree and causing Raphael and Carolyn to jump.
There was a deep chill in the air but the sky above them was clear and the courtyard was illuminated in the pale glow of the sunlight. Carolyn and Raphael had been sitting on a bench together that overlooked the fountain in the courtyard and, further in the distance, the massive iron gates that led into the academy. The two were inundated with wildly strewn notes cramped with neat handwriting and complex drawings.
"How long have you been spying on us?" she shot at him, lips pursed.
"Long enough. Raphael's so excited, even I could hear him."
"Tell us we're not crazy." pleaded Raphael, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Definitely not." assured Kyo. "It sounds ridiculous but you just might be onto something. Has this brought you any closer to finding Ivy?"
"No." said Carolyn flatly, a hint of shame in her voice as Raphael stared down at the floor. "She's probably..."
"Dead." finished Kyo, the colour drawing from his face as he voiced the possibility. Although he and Ivy were not very close, he had still known her on some level. He and Dark had spent a wonderful afternoon being beatdown by her and Aphrodite. It was unthinkable that she was gone, left to die in the worst way imaginable. Unimaginable was probably a more appropriate term.
"We don't know that." said Raphael firmly. "We know that they've let people go in the past. They've just come back a little..."
"Broken." offered Carolyn, feeling a stab of sympathy as her thoughts wandered to Cancer's mental state.
"He's not that bad. He's just a little kooky." said Kyo defensively. "Better eccentric than dead, right?"
"Right."
With their spirits lifted, Kyo added a layer of telekinetic energy onto the side of the bench and took a seat next to Carolyn. Although she was quiet and reluctant to socialise initially, she soon became just as chatty and animated as the other two. Two hours whizzed by as the trio engaged in conversations ranging from media bias to cuban pastries.
"As if the bombing wasn't bad enough, they're talking about a Wanderer serial killer who targets humans now." said Raphael, shaking his head in frustration. "I'm guessing the media's exaggerating the details, as usual. All they're good for is sensationalism."
"Yeah, they're all about viewership." said Kyo dismissively, the grin sliding off his face from the relatively lighthearted conversation that had taken place prior to this one.
"They're not." grumbled Carolyn. "They found the latest victim alive."
"Alive? What?!"
"The killer dismembered him and cut his tongue out. The amount of blood loss from that would have easily killed him so the odds are that it is a Wanderer who did it." grumbled Carolyn, a revolted look on her face as she relayed the details.
"Well, you never know these days, Carolyn. Human technology gets more complex every day... I mean, they've already proved that by stealing powers from Wanderers." said Kyo smoothly, uncomfortable with where the topic was heading. He was a terrific actor, sure, but even he had his limits. "You know, if your theory isn't as full of shit as you are."
"Fuck off." she retorted, betraying a smile as Raphael snorted loudly.
In the distance, the towering gates to the Academy slowly creaked open. Carolyn stood up almost instinctively, gazing over as an oddly familiar figure stumbled past the threshold. By this time, even Kyo had stood up and Raphael looked between them with bewildered confusion.
She was the embodiment of emaciation, bones protruding, eyes bulging and skin looking pale and clammy; dead. Kyo recoiled in horror at the sight of her, but there was no mistaking that iconic black hood.
"No fucking way." he gasped, eyes wide in shock.