Man of Fiction

Cyrus is the charismatic leader of the Lost Boys, the fifth and most recent Don Head Family. He is flamboyant, carefree, and irresistible. He hides his thoughts with a charming smile, that can fool the most gullible of souls. Deep down this handsome exterior, was a cunning and cold-blooded megalomaniac. All he craved for were the finest things in life--riches, titles, land, and mansions. He simply wanted more and more, not knowing when to stop. He's the type to do anything, in order to get what he wanted--even if it meant shedding blood and taking down systems….

Emily refused to believe that such a psychopath existed too. But was he really the feared Cyrus of Mob Boy Order?

Gareth pressed the red button on his phone and stormed to the front door, where Emily managed to block his path. "You're not going there alone!" she demanded. "If he has Alaric, he most likely took down his team, too! We need to call the reinforcements!"

"And let them be taken too?" Gareth argued. "The Racket Vengers' only demand is that I go to the Mavon City Dump, alone. If this man is who I really think he is, then I can't get anyone else involved. This man is dangerous."

"I won't let you!" she said, pushing him back. "You said you're getting weaker, at least let me come with you!"

"Cyrus is the same man who killed my brother and thousands of other innocent people, Emily!" he finally told her. "If I was able to transport myself to Agapen, then so did he. I have to stop him before he tarnishes this world, too." Emily knew that the monk was right. Cyrus was capable of creating so much damage that could tip the world's balance. It was through his power alone that made the Don Heads turn against each other, and it destroyed Gareth's Mob-organized world. She could hardly imagine what he could do Agapen.

"You really think that he's the same man?"

"I have to find out."

He brushed past Emily Rose and left her apartment.

She opened her front door, catching up with the blonde. Unfortunately, she found an empty hall. She muttered a curse-- Gareth won't be able to handle this mess on his own. He was slowly becoming human, by the minute. She feared that his enhanced strength would leave him by the time he reached the dump site.

"I have to get there," she said, pulling out her phone. She tapped onto a contact that she never thought she would call, and locked her apartment door. While the phone rang, she raced to the apartment building's elevator. Her heart nearly stopped when the person she called picked up. It has been years since she has seen him, but there was no time for her to be flustered with memories.

"It's me." Emily said. "I need your help."

*****

Gareth used the last of his speed to run to the Mavon City Dump Site. When he got there, he suddenly dropped on his knees and vomit came out of him. This was a sign that he used the last of his agility. He had nothing else but his remaining strength to depend on.

He forced his shaking self back up and faced the mountains of trash. He smirked, thinking that this was the typical place that the enemy of the Dons would hide. As much as he wanted to kill him, he couldn't. If Cyrus came to Agapen the same way he did, then there was a chance that he had additional information that could help them get back. It was going to be difficult for the monk to get something out of the murderer, but he had to. He had to see Rowan, again.

He walked towards the dump site and he prayed that his strength would be more than enough to take down the sinister Lost Boy, once more.

*****

Fifteen minutes. He said that he would get to her apartment front in fifteen minutes. The time was almost up and the thought of seeing him again made Emily nervous. However, thinking of what Gareth was about to do on his own terrified her. Her running thoughts made her forget to call the police. She cursed to herself. "Now is not the time to be forgetful, Emily Rose!"

Soon, she saw headlights of a car light up the Sunrise Apartment front complex. She was not an expert in cars, but she could tell that the vehicle pulling up was quite expensive. It had the most sleek design that she has ever seen--the edges were so smooth and the maroon car had the shape of an egg.

When it stopped right in front of her, the passenger seat's door automatically lifted itself up. The indoor lighting revealed the driver, who appeared to be in his fifties. He did not dress his age, though. He wore a black shirt that had an animated femme fatale character holding a gun (Emily recognized this character to be one of the Lost Boys in Mob Boy Order; this girl was a fan favorite), and frayed jeans. He had a messy bedhead and a frizzy beard, indicating that he gave up on shaving. But when the man smiled, Emily's beating heart calmed down and warmed up.

"Get in, kiddo!" he grinned.

She smiled back, getting in the luxury car. "It's good to see you, dad."

*****

Gareth went deeper in the dump, until he encountered the white van that he tried to go after. He tried to sense any movement from the Racket Vengers, but failed. He could no longer hear or feel anything or anyone. He walked past the van, his green eyes searching for any hidden entrance or passage. When he passed another trash mountain, he saw five Racket Vengers with bats on hand. He examined the guys and noticed that none of them resembled Fynn, Bastien, Goyo, or any of the Lost Boys. They were just teenage boys.

So Cyrus might be here on his own, Gareth thought.

The monk slowly raised his arms, walking to the Racket Venger boys slowly. "Your leader Cyrus asked me to come," he said, calmly. His strength had limits, so it was best to reserve it for much tougher opponents. The Racket Vengers circled around Gareth and one of them patted around his body, scouring for any unexpected weapons. "He's clean." the boy said. Gareth winced at his young voice--it has been awhile since he had encountered any youngsters doing tough jobs like this.

Another kid tapped his bat on Gareth's back, urging him to move forward. The monk moved and followed the members to a smaller mountain of garbage. They brushed away the heaps of trash at its base, unveiling a sewer's hatch. Once it was opened, the monk saw a ladder that went down. He received a push from another bat. The monk nodded, descending down the ladder.

A splash echoed in the sewers, once the dark green waters came in contact with the sole of his white rubber shoes. He prayed that this battle will not ruin the shoes that Emily Rose bought for him. He continued to follow the gang members down the sewer line. Soon, he saw other Racket Vengers sitting or lying down along the pavement. They all gave him intense glares, showing off their knives and bats. The monk ignored this and faced forward, where he saw a man standing in the middle. Right behind was a tied-up Magda, and unconscious police officers. The man held a limp figure by the collar. When they got closer, Gareth saw a beaten up Alaric Bentlee.

Bruises of red and blue covered the detective's face and neck. His left eye was swollen, and his mouth foamed with saliva and blood. His breathing was slow and uneven, holding on for dear life. His suspicious glares were now absent stares, and Gareth was unsure if he was conscious or not. Anger welled up inside of him, clenching his fists once more. A part of him tried to bring the Qishi energy back into his body. Nothing glowed.

He turned his blazing glare towards the leader of the Racket Vengers. He had the same slender figure as his brother's murderer, but the fashion sense was a bit different to him. He wore a leather jacket and rugged and stained jeans that had the largest holes. Cyrus never allowed himself to be seen in such outfits. He always made it a point to wear the neatest suit and tie that his members could find, regardless of the occasion. This Cyrus also masked his face with a helmet that appeared to be used for the mundane sports he saw on some televisions. The Cyrus he knew never hid his face.

He peered to the hostages again, and noticed that a majority of them were unharmed. The Lost Boys were never the type to keep more than one prisoner. Cyrus would have ordered them to kill the police officers and probably torture the girl until the face of insanity was permanent on her face. The sobbing but relatively fine Magda was enough proof that the other Lost Boys were not here. But it still was not like Cyrus to exercise his usual authority--with or without his loyal crew. He must have realized that the people of Agapen are much different, Gareth thought.

"You've gone too far," the monk said, eyeing poor Alaric.

"I had to get information, somehow." Cyrus said. It was something the killer himself would say, but the voice sounded different to Gareth. It lacked the suave and charm that Cyrus was very known for.

"I'm here, so you can let them go." Gareth said.

"Not until Frank gets what he wants from you." The leader snapped his fingers and the idled Racket Vengers stood up and huddled up against the monk. Gareth took his stance, praying once more for endurance and strength.

*****

"We've already dispatched the Mavon Police to the dump site," The lady on Emily's phone said. "Thank you for your cooperation and vigilance."

Emily put down her call with the 119 emergency hotline, her brown eyes watching the empty roads. Her father Tyron Rose stretched his shoulders, causing a bone-cracking sound to disturb the renewed silence.

"So your twin brothers said hi," he started. Her mind traveled to her older brothers Donnie and Leon, picturing them in their successful game business and little families. The last time she saw them was the first Christmas they tried to have Mr. Pemble, and obviously his attitude drove the twins further away from their mother. Emily wanted to go with them, but she thought that it would be too cruel of her to leave Mrs. Rose. "How are they?" she asked.

"They're doing great," her father answered, turning to the clear highway. "Have you heard the news? Donnie's wife is pregnant. You're going to be an aunt soon."

"Really? Good for Deborah."

"Yeah, good for them." Mr. Rose nodded. "Now what's the big emergency anyway? Do you have a boyfriend that's getting into a fight?"

Emily blushed at the term, again. "He's not a boyfriend" she defended. "He's uh… a friend, and I think he's going to get seriously hurt if we don't go there now."

"Fine, but I don't think I'm okay with you being friends with someone picking fights with gang members."

"He isn't usually like this," she justified. "It's just that the gang members kidnapped my other friends."

The car screeched when Tyron took another sharp turn. "How on Agapen did you get caught up in all of this?" he asked, his easy-going demeanor vanishing. "This isn't like you."

"Well, one of them kind of tried to steal my wallet?" she explained, shrugging. "Then this friend of mine apprehended him and sent him to the police. Turns out, he's part of the gang that's terrorizing Mavon and Opal. Now they want...revenge, I guess?" She gave a grin for her father, but he didn't return the sentiment.

"I think that explains why Helena called." he said, shaking his head.

"Mom called you? When?"

"I think it was a Sunday when she called?" he answered, shrugging. Sunday was the day they had the disastrous brunch. "She said she was worried about you. That you seemed tense and angry, which isn't like you at all."

Emily rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "She probably forgot to add the part, where we argued." she said.

"You? Fighting? With your own mother?" he gasped, unable to recognize his only daughter. "Who are you?" A tiny smile crept up to her dad's mischievous face, but Emily was not in the mood to be entertained by his antics--especially when her mother was the topic of discussion. "What do you mean by that?!" she fumed. "Am I not allowed to get upset?"

"Okay, calm down." he said, giving her a steady hand. "I have not heard you raised your voice since you were six. I'm not sure if I should be proud or disappointed."

"Just drive, please?" Emily sighed, not wanting to talk about her mother any longer. "I'm getting really worried."

*****

Gareth dropped the last of the Racket Vengers on the puddled ground, leaving Cyrus standing. The leader of the gang trembled, releasing the weak detective from his clutches. He wanted to cry at the sight of his knocked-out comrades. He has never seen a man who was skilled enough to take men down with a few punches or kicks. The leader of the Racket Vengers knew that he was next, which made him pee his own pants.

The monk moved forward, convinced that the man behind the helmet was not the same Cyrus that he knew. "Just who are you, anyway?" Gareth demanded, standing before the stranger.

The man kneeled right before him, proving even more that he was not the villain that he knew. "Please, please don't hurt me!" he begged the monk. "I… Frank made me do it! The old man was like a father to me! He said it was you who put him in jail! I was really mad, so I devised this whole thing to find you!"

"If you wanted me, then you did not have to drag all of these innocent people into this." Gareth told the leader, leering him down.

"I-it was a mistake!" the leader cried. "I told these guys to just get the brunette! Not the--" Gareth grabbed the fearful Racket Venger by the neck and dragged him up. The leader whimpered and his entire body shook all over. While he continued to beg for mercy, the monk ripped the sports helmet off his head.

He never thought that he would feel so disappointed for not seeing the actual Cyrus.

This Cyrus was also a young boy. He had messy brown hair, a freckled face, and eyes that had not witnessed the same terrors that Gareth himself saw. The longer he held the boy, the more perturbed he felt. The longer he held him, the more memories of Adal's frightened face bombarded his mind.

"Please," the boy cried just like his young brother did.

Gareth abruptly dropped him, and he suddenly forgot how to breathe. He backed away from the supposed leader, his stone hard fist pounding over his chest.

"MCPD! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" a voice echoed from behind.

The boy raised his hands up, sobbing hard. "I DID IT! I SURRENDER!"

Policemen maneuvered around the monk, taking the leader in handcuffs and the hostages back to safety. Gareth could only stare at his own hands. Hands that were more than ready to kill an innocent boy that invoked the same cries as his brother once did, before he died.

*****

Emily's reluctant father drove his car into the dump site. Soon, they saw a bunch of police cars parked around the vicinity. He gladly pulled up, relieved that his expensive vehicle did not have to go through the huge piles of smelly garbage. Before he could speak, his daughter quickly got out of the car.

The brunette raced through the cars and law enforcers, her eyes desperately searching for her friends. A large group of policemen in armored bullet vests and helmets came, holding a familiar figure. Emily wanted to cry for joy.

She ran to hug Magda Travey, who came out unharmed. The two girls cried in the embrace, letting armed men walk past them. "Thank the heavens," Emily sobbed. "Are you hurt, anywhere?"

The redhead shook her head, mustering up a brave smile. "I'm fine," she also sobbed. "But Alaric Bentlee came, and…"

Emily's face fell. "Where is he?" she demanded, holding her crying friend. "What happened?!"

"He tried to fight back, but…" Before Magda could finish, paramedics rushed to the ambulance with a bruised-up detective on the stretcher. Another paramedic approached them to take Magda with them. Emily surrendered her friend to the healthcare worker and ran to her other unconscious friend.

She stood by the gurney and carefully held the detective's bloodied head. "Al? AL!" she cried, shaking him. She was hoping for a fart or a cheeky grin to tell her that he was fine, but there was no response.

"He's still breathing," a paramedic said, loading his body into the ambulance. Another paramedic brought Magda inside, and they were prepared to leave. Emily realized that there was one more person missing. "Magda, where's Gareth?!" she asked.

"He's fine. He stopped all the gang members." Magda answered, while the medics checked on her current state. "I think he's speaking with the police."

"Is that Alaric Bentlee?!"

Emily's father appeared by her side, shocking the paramedics and the scared Magda. When this happened, Gareth finally entered the police scene, along with more armed policemen and cuffed Racket Vengers. Not too soon, he found Emily Rose by the ambulance and he immediately went to them. She hit the monk by the arms, as soon as he arrived. "Are you that crazy?! Going there alone?!" she scolded, earning an innocent confused look from him again. This nagging behavior also surprised her father, who stood awkwardly by the side.

"I'm truly sorry," Gareth said, bowing towards her. "I just wanted to make sure everyone was alright."

"Don't worry, Gareth!" Magda perked up, returning to her normal self. She gave the monk two thumbs up. "I will tell the police that you're innocent--no, a hero!"

"He's lucky that I even called the police!" the brunette added.

*****

Gareth had to stay behind for statements.

He leaned against a random police car, waiting for anyone to interrogate him. The scruffy older man who turned out to be Emily's father, offered to stay with him so they could ride to the hospital, together. He watched the man, moving around his oddly-shaped car. Mr. Rose had a cloth in hand and he kept himself busy by wiping every window and surface. It reminded Gareth of a man that he knew back in the Masahiro Human Protection Company. His chest constricted at the thought, wondering how his comrades were after the fall.

He bent his head down, where he studied his mudded rubber shoes. The brilliant white shade dimmed down to beige, with rounded splats of mud all over. He frowned, hoping there was still a chance for it to get cleaned. He crossed his arms and saw new knife slashes across the jacket sleeve. He then started to calculate how much a replacement would cost.

While he was thinking of ways to compensate for the ruined clothing items, a couple of policemen passed by. "What's the name of the Racket Venger leader, again?" one asked, catching the monk's attention.

"He called himself Cyrus, but his real name is Andrew Hale." his partner answered. "He lives at the Mavon Outskirts, and so did a majority of the Racket Vengers."

"You mean that old slum area?" the first police said, incredulous. "He seems like the same age as my son in college." Gareth's chest constricted again. Based on his observations of the world, young people were nearing their twenties when they went to college. Andrew Hale was close to Adal's age.

"If he's lucky, he can still be surrendered to the Social Services Underage System." the second one said, shaking his head. The first one clicked his tongue, in disappointment. Gareth did not want to listen in, any longer. "What a pretentious name, though." The blonde heard the first police comment. "Where on Agapen did he get the name Cyrus from?"

"I think he got it from that famous eastern cartoon." the second one answered. "You know, the one about that vengeful monk and he falls for that pretty doctor?"

Gareth's heart stopped.

"Oh, I think I know that." the first one said, both of them walking away from Gareth. "My son used to watch it, all the time."

"Excuse me!" Gareth called out, grabbing the attention of the two. "What show is this called?"