Episode_NewPhoenix

In a sudden flash, Abel finds himself exploring something different from a memory. Standing at the base of Blackthorne Mountain, he looks up and barely makes out the shadow of a girl, hanging from an anima tether from the mountain. She’s thrashing against the side of the cliff as she desperately fights for air.

Abel screams and starts trying to climb the side of the cliff. He slips and falls into water, only to witness the distant, lifeless body of Clover sinking into the depths.

Rising to the surface, he lifts himself out of the Sanctuary pond. He watches Lyra succumb to a horde of snowmen that overwhelm her before he can reach her in time.

Flames dance off the trees and coat a black sky. The next moment Abel recognizes himself, he’s younger than before. He turns around and looks at the center tree of Sanctuary. At its base, his mother takes shallow breaths as a lone snowman drains her blood through an open wound. Trembling, Abel walks up to her.

ALONA
Abel...take my blade...kill the snowman.

ABEL
Mom...

ALONA
Before I die, just this one time...prove to me that everything I did was for something.

Abel falls to his knees.

ABEL
I c-can’t move...I’m scared...

ALONA
Then run home. In time, you’ll find the strength to carry the weight of the world...I’m sure of this. You’re my blood.

Alona begins to melt until only a skeleton remains.

Abel finds himself where he was on the day he met Zeke for the first time, only without the dead astral knight in the picture. He sits down across from Zeke.

ABEL
My name is Abel Albedo...both my parents died when I was young.
They were killed in front of me. I was too scared to save them.
I was too scared to save myself.
Ever since...I have worked for one thing above all else:
This is a place where nobody is forced to live in pain or fear.
That look in your eyes tells me where you’ve been. But if you’ll trust me...
I can show you where to go.

Abel's entire world freezes and he wakes up thrashing in bed. Next to him, Lyra is smoking a cigarette.

ABEL (Gasping)
Pigeon -- the snowman, y-you--!!

LYRA
Relax, Abel, it was just a dream.

Abel pauses for a moment before covering his face.

ABEL
What am I so fucking afraid of?
I have the strongest catalyst Blackthorne will ever know!
Every day since my mom died, I--

LYRA
I know. You know how I know?
Because I was there too -- watching you put everything you had into becoming a vanguard. A capable one.
If you didn’t know what you were doing, people would...probably die a lot more around here.

Abel exhales.

ABEL
...you are right. One stray nightmare does not warrant unravelling...

Lyra offers her cigarette to Abel. He briefly shakes his head and reaches for a flask under the bed.

LYRA
Leave some for me.

Lyra drops the rest of her cigarette into an ash tray under her side of the bed, and then gets up.

ABEL
Where are you off to?

LYRA
Gonna wash up before we leave. We’re still taking Pigeon to visit your mom, right?

ABEL
What did you think the flask is for?

08/21/2016
Sanctuary Garden

When Blackthorne’s founding vanguard died, a gravestone was planted under one of Sanctuary’s largest trees to honor her. Lonnie brushes dust off its surface with a shaky hand, reading the name under his breath.

LONNIE
In memory of Alona Albedo:
The leader, protector and mother who inspired hope in an era smothered by the stars.
...

ABEL
Lonnie?

Lonnie turns around and waves to Abel as he approaches. What begins as a formal handshake turns into a melancholic hug.

LONNIE
Good to see you, Abel.

ABEL
You sticking around? Lyra should be here with Pigeon soon.

LONNIE
Wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Pigeon and Lyra can be heard talking to each other as they walk up to Abel and Lonnie.

PIGEON
Did I miss anything???

LONNIE
Hey, Pigeon.

PIGEON
Hi Lonnie! You look different -- can’t put my finger on it. Just a little bit. Like maybe a 1% change since last time I saw you??

LONNIE
Probably caught something on my way down the mountain earlier. I’ll be fine.

PIGEON
Every time you leave that bar, always something...

LONNIE
Hah, yeah...

PIGEON
What's wrong, Abel?

ABEL
Zeke’s here...with his sword on his back. The one rule you could not possibly break on accident.

PIGEON
Oh...

Abel chugs the rest of his flask and tucks it back into his jacket.

ABEL
Zeke.

ZEKE
Mhm?

ABEL
May I remind you, people are mourning?

ZEKE
...oh. You’re mourning?
You’re mourning.
You are mourning...
...and I’m dragging myself up and down a mountain because it’s the only place that doesn’t suffocate me anymore.
So I guess me and you are just having a grand old fuckin' time then, right?

ABEL
Surrender your sword. You were warned, and you did it anyway. No excuses.

ZEKE
Rip it from my hands, Abel.
Try me. I'll drag your mom right outta the ground and---

LYRA
Woahhh.

ABEL
Crayon, what are these ridiculous things you’re saying in front of my family? Maybe I should draw five and see if Rubedo doesn’t drop you in the hole you’re digging yourself.

ZEKE
Kill me. Do it right here, right now you son of a bitch. Do it. C'mon.

LYRA
Abel, stop. Not here.

ZEKE
Thank you, Lyra.

LYRA
Don’t thank me, you little shit.

ABEL
You ever -- EVER talk about my mother like that again, I'll destroy everything you ever loved. This is coming from all of the suits.
We will hunt you down and end you in ways that you could never imagine. We will make every second of your life a living hell, one where you beg for death every day.
Got it?

ZEKE
Do it! I have nothing left to love! And you hammering it into my skull is just gonna make me numb. As numb as your sense of respect.

ABEL
She is the only reason we exist. Nobody, NOBODY, EVER threatens or insults my mother.
She is a saint. Say otherwise, and we will destroy you.

ZEKE
Well now you know how I feel every waking moment of my life since then.
The one person I existed for is gone.
What if Pigeon went missing?
Would you search the world, a--

ABEL
What happened to you is not our fault. It's not yours, the blame lies on nobody.
Don't bring Pigeon into this, we'll bring Tizona into it.

ZEKE
Now you want to back off!
You know what?! Fuck you.

ABEL
There will be a reckoning, Crayon...guarantee it.

ZEKE
Hard to believe you're the same man who saved my life.

Zeke spit at the ground under Abel and turned away, storming back to Blackthorne.

08/21/2016
Blackthorne Infirmary

Pigeon is slapping the door as fast and hard as she can.

PIGEON
Crayon, I’m here!!!

Plague opens the door slowly, greeting Pigeon when he knows it’s her.

PLAGUE
Who are you looking for?

PIGEON
CRAYON.

PLAGUE
Yeah -- who is that?

PIGEON
I was talking to Abel and he said Zeke wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box.
I was like...crayon...I’ma call him that now.
He gets so annoyed, it kills me.

PLAGUE
He’s in his room. I don’t think he wants to be antagonized even more today.

PIGEON
BITCH, let me in. I can’t hear you without my glasses.

Pigeon scurries past Plague and leans through Zeke’s doorway. He already heard her at the door, and signals her to come in. His room harbors very little natural light, instead reliant on the idle TV’s glow as if it were a lamp. His bed looks neat on one side, and really messy on the other. The far corner of his room has been claimed by a doomed laundry pile, decorated with stray movie and music discs like most of his floor. Pigeon also notices a few sketchbooks near his bed.

ZEKE
Hey.

Pigeon gently pulls Zeke into the biggest hug she can muster. After some initial conflicting feelings - shock, confusion, offense -- his arms wrap around her and moments later he’s sobbing inconsolably.

ZEKE
I’m f-fucked...he’s really gonna kill me...

Hours later

Plague leans against the wall outside the infirmary. Despite being well into a cigarette, he’s still fidgeting with his lighter when Abel walks up.

ABEL
Plague, have you seen Pigeon? She said she just had to check something, I’ve been waiting for two hours now.

PLAGUE
She’s with Zeke.

Abel lifts his hand to open the infirmary door, but Plague interjects.

PLAGUE
You know he told me last week that she was his best friend?
I don’t see it, but as soon as she came in he just unravelled. Sobbing crying, you could probably hear him from all the way out here.
Why don’t we give them some time, and she’ll come out when she’s ready?

ABEL
I was not looking for doctor’s orders.

PLAGUE
Yeah, but she’ll come out when she’s ready.

Abel steps right up to Plague.

ABEL
The bastard deserves to be crying. Keep him far away from me and mine, or I will destroy him. Understood?

PLAGUE
You’ll destroy him?

Wasting no time, the lighter goes back in his pocket and his cold, unnerving glare catches Abel by surprise.

PLAGUE
If I find out you laid a finger on him or any of the kids, you'll be dead on the floor faster than you can do your card tricks.

ABEL
...

PLAGUE
I strongly advise you stop confusing my warnings with doctor’s orders.
I am not a doctor. You know this.

The two remain at a dead-quiet standstill as Abel backs away and just barely manages to swallow the need for last words.

08/21/2016
Sanctuary Garden

Pigeon lays on the ground with her arms out, watching the sky change color as the sun sets somewhere out of sight. She looks restless, with eye bags to brand her sleepless night. Just as she closes her eyes...

ABEL
Hello, Pigeon. Your neck is still...uh...bleeding a little.

Pigeon gets back up, brushing over her neck with her hand.

PIGEON
Oh! Das not good. I'll go see Plague about it then...

ABEL
No need. I can take a look at it.

PIGEON
Uh...sure. Here.

Abel leans down, squints at a pair of red dots on Pigeon’s neck, and then pats her shoulder.

ABEL
Keep it bandaged and it will go away in a few days.

PIGEON
‘kay, thanks. So Alfredo, what's going on with Crayon? Are you gonna kill him?

ABEL
No, Pigeon, we do not kill.

PIGEON
He said some pretty scary stuff though...you not worried?

ABEL
Yes, I know what he said. Trust me Pigeon, I have met a good many people in my life, many of which were terrifying. Do you know what they all had in common?

PIGEON
Too much laughing?

ABEL
What they all had in common, was that none of them ever said how scary they were. He is all talk.

PIGEON
So what happens then?

*Abel is interrupted by a pebble flying near him, missing entirely. He lowers his head and pinches the corners of his eyes.

The one who threw the pebble, of course, was Zeke - storming closer to Abel with his head lowered.

ZEKE
Hey, you pinstriped piece of garbage. Where’s that beating you promised me?

ABEL
...Pigeon, did you say something?

Pigeon shrugs.

ZEKE
Ohoh, don’t ignore me. I know you hear me. So I’ll ask again: WHERE is that b--

Abel swiftly turns around and sucker punches Zeke in the mouth.

ABEL
It’s RIGHT HERE!

Following up with a mean right hook and a knee to the chest, Zeke falls to the ground and scrambles up to one knee. Abel stands over him, putting on one of his war talons.

PIGEON
Oh!

Zeke brings his hand to his mouth, wiping away blood and spitting at Abel’s boot. He also unsheathes his sword from his back, using it to keep himself up.

ZEKE
That the best you can do?

Abel slashes at Zeke’s face with his war talon. Zeke blocks it with his sword.

ZEKE
You fight like a BITCH, you know that?!

Abel grabs onto the blade and pulls it closer to him. Zeke is dragged closer as well, stumbling right into a kick to the gut that leaves him gasping for air on the ground. Abel stands over him again, taking Zeke’s own sword by the hilt and pointing the business end down at him.

ABEL
Pigeon, do you see what I was talking about now?

PIGEON
Yeah, but this is a little extreme...

ABEL
No, it is not. I live for one reason, my family. When you threaten them, in any way, THERE WILL BE A RECKONING!

PIGEON
Woah, WAIT!

Zeke stumbles back up to his knees too late to avoid another punch from Abel. Upon impact, a burst of energy sends Abel staggering backwards and obscures the area in a cold haze.

ZEKE
“I can see the pain in your eyes,”
“If you’ve come this far to run away from your pain, you may find a lot of power in learning to wield it.”
When we met for the first time...that’s what you told me.
But I didn’t understand. Not until...Tizona.
Then my eyes opened.
You don’t draw strength from pain. You don’t even know what pain is!
So tell me...

Zeke lifts his head, his arms follow. Icy blue metal covers his head like a helmet, as though he used an aura catalyst.

ZEKE
Can I really be as strong as you, in spite of what’s taken from me?

PIGEON
Oh wow! He’s all blue now...

As the haze clears, Abel approaches Zeke with his war talon raised.

ABEL
If you are so desperate to find out...come get me, little boy blue.

Two hours later
Sanctuary Forest

Clover is quietly passing through Sanctuary when she hears Zeke and Abel fighting in the distance.

CLOVER
...there’s no way.

Using her catalyst, Clover sprints full speed towards the fight before stopping right beside Pigeon.

CLOVER
What...what did I miss?!

PIGEON
It has been TWO AND A HALF damn hours!!! And they’re still not done!!!

CLOVER
Why are they fighting?

PIGEON
Zeke threw a rock at Abel and asked him where his whooping was...

CLOVER
Oh boy. That’s...he shouldn’t have done that.

The two observe as the fight drags on, both Zeke and Abel too exhausted to do anything but trade jabs.

PIGEON
You had to be here when it started, it’s just getting boring now.

CLOVER
What is Zeke wearing?

PIGEON
You mean the metal? No idea, that just kinda happened...

CLOVER
...is that from a catalyst?

PIGEON
I don’t know what else it would be...I kinda don’t care either. I’ma go see what everyone else is doing.

Zeke swings for Abel’s throat, and Abel leans back to avoid it but stumbles. Landing a decisive blow to Abel’s jaw instead, he staggers backwards in a daze.

ABEL
You...do not come back. Do not show your face around me ever...again...

Abel collapses to the ground with a thud, catching Pigeon’s attention just as she began to leave. She turns her head to see who fell...

PIGEON
...Abel?

Horrified, she watches Zeke stand over Abel. His whole body is shivering, either from his catalyst’s freezing temperature or a pure manic episode. He looks down at Abel with a twisted, disgusting smile.

ABEL
Somebody...get him out of here...I have had enough of this sick...this sick...

Abel’s voice trails off as he loses consciousness.

ZEKE
I should make a fucking skin rug out of you.

Zeke spits at him.

PIGEON
This...this isn’t real, right?
Abel?!

Zeke faces Pigeon and Clover, fist raised to the sky in wicked triumph.

ZEKE
I WOOOOON!!

Following his declaration, a long, miserable silence drains the last of his strength.

CLOVER
...
That’s great.

With apathetic eyes, Pigeon and Clover watch him fall to the ground.

ZEKE
Holy shit, I can’t feel anything it’s so cold-

Clover walks past him and kneels down by Abel.

CLOVER
I’m taking him to the infirmary. Pigeon, you coming?

PIGEON
...he really lost...what happens now? Surely something’s gonna be different...but...

CLOVER
No, it all stays the same.
Abel’s still our captain.
We’re still his students.
Zeke is still just a loser.

Zeke smiles and lays on his back, staring up at the moon.

ZEKE
I stood up to him.
Like you’d be any different if he threatened Pigeon or you.

CLOVER
Well that’s the problem.
He wouldn’t.

Clover walks past Zeke again, carrying Abel over her back. Pigeon hesitates to follow after her.

PIGEON
Wait, we...sigh, we can’t leave him here.

CLOVER
That’s fine, but I might...

Clover sets Abel down and stands over Zeke. Through the blood, sweat and tears covering his face, he looks back up at her and finds a look of jaded disappointment.

CLOVER
...I’ll take you to the infirmary on one condition.
If you apologize to Abel.

Zeke wheezes.

ZEKE
I’d rather crawl.

CLOVER
...

Clover walks away, picking up Abel again and storming off.

PIGEON
Wait-!

Pigeon exhales in frustration and glares at Zeke, who is no longer moving.

PIGEON
...this is for Abel.

Pigeon winds her leg back and kicks Zeke in the chest as hard as she can.

PIGEON
This is for what you just did to Clover.

Pigeon smashes him in the face again, the metal residue on Zeke’s face shatters.

PIGEON
And THIS is for dragging me into all of your stupid fucking bullshit!

This time, she goes to stomp on him.

She waits a little bit longer for him to respond, but he doesn’t. Slowly, she backs away from Zeke and realizes what she just did. Eyes wide as saucers, she darts after Clover and doesn’t look back.

Next Episode: Here We Are