Renegade Reborn (59 page)

“Who are you?” Gisbo asked.

“Of all the questions you could ask, you ask the one which I’ve already given an answer. You already know who I am, you just don’t understand . . .” The Goat Man said.

“NO! Enough with the riddles, enough with the . . .” Gisbo started.

“You don’t care about him, do you?” The Goat Man asked calmly, looking down at the now, deceased Malik Strife, drowned in a sea of his own, spreading blood.

Gisbo looked at the corpse of his cousin, but said nothing.

“Your first question, again, was, ‘Who are you?’ Not a, ‘Why did you kill him?’ You just saw me take the life of your cousin, of your own family, with your own sword, a sword, with your name on it, and, yet, you couldn’t even ask, why? For his sake?” The Goat Man asked.

Gisbo said nothing.

“Just as angry, and selfish as ever. An empty, broken, hypocritical, angry man playing hero, spewing crocodile tears, and saying empty words, just, to get by. It’s ok, Gisbo. You can admit it. You can be yourself around me, because, unlike everyone else here, I’ve not only seen the real you, I KNOW the real you, the Gisbo who lets his pride control him, only, so he can feel angry, for it is only in your fury, do you feel free . . . you seek out such instances, like these, not out of a need for justice, but out of selfishness. That’s why you left the blade behind. It’s too heavy for you to bear right now. What you did to that young man, Ranto? That was not justice. That was pleasure, that was fulfilling a need . . .” The Goat Man asked. “Oh, but don’t think that I’m judging you! As you can see, I’m no innocent lamb either, for, as you know full well, the murderer and desecrater of your mother, lies just behind this mask . . .” The Goat Man said, tapping the mask with a long finger playfully.

Gisbo said nothing, but felt his jaw tighten, and his fists clench.

“You’d like to take a peek, wouldn’t you? Why don’t you come over here, and try?” The Goat Man asked.

Gisbo stood his ground.

“Hm, still no? Maybe if I told you what I did to her? I mean, you were just so young when I made you watch me violate her, in every, way, possible . . .” The Goat Man said, very slowly. Gisbo took a step forward, when suddenly, the Phoenix Blade Gisbo held, thudded to the ground, and nearly took Gisbo with it.

“My, my, you must be thinking some pretty awful things to make that blade so heavy. Tsk. Tsk. Still so, so selfish. Even now, with Vadid’s dream and the fate of Oak County hanging in the balance, you care more about my identity.” The Goat Man said, when suddenly, before them, Malik’s body began to glow in a way, and a color, Gisbo had never seen before. It was as if, something, a power, his mortal eyes wasn’t supposed to, wasn’t allowed to see, wrapped around Malik’s body, and simply, made him vanish, blood and all, as if, he never even existed. His head began to tug now, and he immediately thought about the images of the Mara’s and the Mystical’s doing battle . . .

“What did you do to him?” Gisbo asked.

“Oh, now you decide to care? It’s simple. I absorbed him, along with his existence, his actions, his life, but that’s the least of your worries at the moment. I can already feel the confusion in the air as I speak. Observe.” The Goat Man said as he stretched out a hand over Malik’s men, who, suddenly, were all looking about, muttering, cursing, not out of rage, but confusion, as if they had no idea how they had got here, or, how they were all garbed in black. Meanwhile, Ranto’s men, gripped their weapons tightly, not knowing what to make of the Black armies sudden, odd behavior.

“It’s as if Malik never even existed by the look of them, and if Malik never existed, then, how on Thera did they all decide to dress in black and leave the safety of the Black Scar? They’re frightened, they’re scared, they’re animals of men, and what do animals do when they’re afraid? Well, I’m sure the last thing they want right now is to hear some eccentric psycho in a Goat mask prattle on about things they do not understand, and you Gisbo, as we both know, are a hands on learner, and that’s the main reason I’m here. You have a lot to learn tonight . . .” The Goat Man said, when suddenly, his eyes burst into fireballs, just as Gisbo’s had done when channeling the Phoenix power, but before Gisbo could say anything, The Goat Man raised his right hand, and hovered it over the army of confused, black clad criminals. A high pitched whining, came from it, like the sound of thousands of tiny birds, and Gisbo saw that a small, condensed ball of Turquoise green energy lay inside it.

“In a moment, I’m going to release a blast of pure, Dragon energy, enough to eradicate both Malik, and Ranto’s armies, to nothingness . . .” The Goat Man said. Hearing this, a few of the men toward the front began to stir, ready to run, until the Goat Man halted them with a sudden, unearthly, crazed, bellowing, amplified voice. “AND IF ANY OF YOU MOVE A TOE, I BLOW THIS ENTIRE PLACE UP! MYSELF INCLUDED!”

Nobody moved. And it was then, in that moment, Gisbo felt who he was dealing with, someone else besides Drakearon with Dragon energy, someone, who in all rights, on even his best mindset with the Phoenix power thus far, outmatched him. This man in the goat mask, whoever he was, wasn’t as powerful as Drakearon, not even close, but, he was, without a doubt, more powerful than himself . . .

“That’s better. Now, due to the Phoenix helping you, you’ve separated these two armies perfectly, right down the middle. You want to play at being hero, Gisbo Falcon? Then let’s play! How about we prove to everyone here, that you’re anything but . . .” The Goat Man said, his voice still amplified, but calmer, clearer. He wanted everyone to hear this next part.

“Before us, lie two alternate futures. On my left side, lies a future, filled with chaos, where strength, and power, rule. In other words, where TRUE freedom reigns, freedom to do what you want, when you want, how you want, with nothing like laws, or society, to tell you any differently. I have no doubt, that should you choose them, these men would follow you to the ends of Thera, and face off against Drakearon and his minions, no questions asked. To them, you would be a king, and violence, fighting, drunkenness, all things you love, it would no longer be frowned upon, it would become the norm! You speak their language! You know violence! You would no longer be different, you could embrace who you are, and live an honest life until the end of your days, fulfilling your deepest desires without guilt, because, well, there would be no one left to judge you . . .” The Goat Man said.

“And then, to my right. Look at them, Gisbo. Here, you have your torturers. Here lies the remnant of a society, of a place that never welcomed you, and ostracized you. Even now, I bet their insults, their savagery, are still fresh in your mind. Should you choose them, you would be forced to live a lie, and be miserable, lonely, and full of sorrow for the rest of your days, and for what? For something as debatable, as, “the right thing to do?’ Oh, sure, they’ll help you take on Drakearon, but only because it affects them. Should you be rid of him, then what? Everything goes back to normal. Oak County’s corruption? Drakearon had nothing to do with it, and it will only continue to grow, and grow. So hero, what life do you want? A pleasurable truth? Or a painful lie? Choose!” The Goat Man said, as he raised up his right hand now, filling it with the same, pure Dragon essence, and hovered it over the Renegades, and the army of Oak County.

“Gisbo!” Rolce screamed, taking a step forward.

“DON’T MOVE!” The Goat man ordered. Rolce froze. “It’s all on him now. CHOOSE!”

Gisbo looked to his left, then to his right, took in a deep breath, raised a finger, and chose . . .

Chapter Twenty Nine: The Goat Man’s Identity, Revealed!

“I choose you,” Gisbo said. Pointing at the Goat Man.

“That’s not how this works,” The Goat Man said.

“Blow me,” Gisbo snapped.

“FINE! Then I will choose for you!” The Goat Man said. “The world to the left, it would be too good for you! THEY’VE GOT TO GO!” The Goat Man screamed, and with that, he fired his blast, a blast so fast, that no one, except a Man-Phoenix, could possibly block in time. Fortunately, one was present . . .

Gisbo moved with a speed so fast, it was like teleporting. With no thought to his own safety, or life, the Phoenix Blade immediately picked up on this selfless act, and gave him the speed and power needed. The blade was light in his hands again, lighter than even one of his old Tantos, as he held it in one hand, then, stretched out his arms, and took the blast head on, hugging the breaking point, and keeping it intact, as he pushed with all his strength against it.

“RUN! EVERYBODY RUN!” Gisbo screamed, grunting with displeasure, fighting against the energy ball. With one wrong move, one wrong push, it would detonate, and take everyone with it. It pushed him across the grass now, as if he were wearing ice skates.

Just a little more leverage, just a little more . . .
Gisbo thought, and then, he had done it. He twisted, arced the energy ball up, and let it fly high into the sky, spiraling upward like a firework, then, it exploded, causing the entire skyline to erupt into blinding green fire, so bright, that it gave everyone the illusion that the sun had returned, and somehow, turned a radioactive green.

Gisbo fell on one knee, and took in a much needed breath as the green daylight disappeared back to night, and there was silence. Gisbo’s heart hammered in his chest so loud that it was all he could hear, and then, out of nowhere, and all at once, cheers erupted . . . only to die . . .

The Goat Man’s second blast, this time, was cone shape, as if he shined a deadly flash light over the entire army of Strifes and Black Scar residents. There was no time to scream, no time to breathe, no time to blink. Everyone that was caught in the green light, simply, was erased from existence.

When the Goat Man lowered his hand, all that remained of the Green and Black armies’ existence were their shadows, painted across the courtyard walls, frozen in an array of candid silhouettes, as if the darker parts of their souls, were all that was left behind.

Gisbo stood up now, shaking all over, gazing at the smoking ground, where a new, literal, black scar now lay . . .

“Oh, don’t pretend you care. Your heart, it’s just as dead as mine.” The Goat Man said. Gisbo didn’t turn around, only stared at the multitude of shadows in the moonlight across the walls, looking like a frozen waves of black.

“You massacred them. As if, as if they were cattle, as if their lives were meaningless . . .” Gisbo said in a distant, hollow voice, unlike himself.

“Oh, stop this, you and I both know you . . .” The Goat Man started.

“My whole life, I’ve been called a freak, a monster, and I believed them . . .” Gisbo said, giving out a faint sniffle. He then clenched his left fist tightly, and held his Phoenix Blade handle as if it were going to fly out of his hands and leave him. He then spun around, his eyes ablaze with red energy, glowing like a ruby set against a sun. “ . . . Not anymore . . . I have my problems, my issues, but what you just did here? I could never be capable of something like this . . .”

“So, the Rupture? That was just, a minor setback?” The Goat Man asked.

“Shut up. I don’t know who you are, or why you have such a hard on for me, but I was taught that every life has a purpose, and when my friend Shaved died, he finalized that for me. Without his organs, I wouldn’t be alive today. He saved my life, by giving up his own, but now? NOW!? This? What, the hell was the meaning of this? All of these people? Wiped away!

You goddamned monsters, is that your purpose in this world? To prove to everyone, that there is no purpose? TO SHIT ON EVERYTHING THAT PEOPLE BELIEVE IN, BECAUSE YOUR LIVES WENT TO HELL!?” Gisbo yelled, as he slowly made his way toward the Goat Man.

The Goat Man said nothing, and now, Gisbo stood before him, his blade roaring with blue white fire, and his eyes bursting with red fire. He pointed the blade straight at the Goat Man’s face.

“The mask, take it off before, I knock it off . . .” Gisbo said.

“Ask, and you shall receive . . .” The Goat Man said. The moment had come. Slowly, The Goat Man reached up, unbuckled a clasp in the back, and then, just like that, the mask slunk to one side, then, fell to the ground, and Gisbo Falcon came face to face with the puppet master behind Malik and Ranto, the murderer of his Mother, the murderer of the Strife’s and Blackscar criminals, and the source of his misplaced fury . . .

“Impossible . . .” Gisbo stammered, all color leaving his face. He blinked furiously, immediately recognizing the face, a face that was older than he was, pale, weathered, beaten, bruised, but there was no mistaking the scar, or the familiar rising rage in his chest, or the fear that gripped his heart from the only person who ever made him feel afraid. He kicked himself now for not figuring it out sooner. It all made sense . . . the vendetta, the Dragon powers, everything . . . how could it have been anyone else?

“Hello, cousin . . . miss me?” Malik Strife, The Goat Man, said with a leering grin.

Gisbo, shuddering, and shaking, opened and closed his mouth, over, and over again, trying to say something, anything, anything at all, but no words came.

“You understand now, don’t you? Even if you don’t, I’ll explain. I want you to know everything, for only then, can your suffering, truly begin.” Malik said. He kicked his Goat Mask aside, and walked forward so he was face to face with his cousin.

“You took her from me, my Nina, my one chance to be normal. It was only fair, I do the same to you! It was only fair, to take away your chance for normalcy, as you did mine, by using my power of Time to go back, to the beginning, your beginning, and not just kill, but desecrate, ruin, humiliate, and rape the first love of every little boy, the template, for every future love! Their mother . . .” Malik said, grinning wide. “You’ll never love again, cousin. Your mother may have birthed you, but I, I was the one who made you! In every sense of the word, God does exist, and he’s me! I AM YOUR GOD! And now, now you’re too full of anger, too full of malice, to ever use your Phoenix power correctly! Such feelings are used to power the Dragon! My power! And now, just like your mother, I will pick you apart like a bug, one wing, and one leg, at a time . . .” Malik said, laughing maniacally, until he saw Gisbo’s face, and realized, he wasn’t getting the reaction he had expected. Gisbo stared at the ground, his face solemn, and pale, as his eyes stopped burning, and he lost access to the Phoenix power.