Xavier had installed another pair of controls which was sudden to me. I knew he had been working on it since a long time but did not know he had already fixed it. Maybe during our time in Great Waterfall, he had fixed it while going to the Hydra Caves.
I sat right beside and he presented the new installed controls. I looked at him and said, "Well, that's good. But how are you gonna control both of them at once." Xavier's eyes went up and he felt pity for my small brain. "This is for you to control, my friend. I need you to assist me with this. We need to reach there faster by you controlling the second one." He said.
That's when I got scared. I make a mess when something is given to me to do. And now Xavier wanted me to fly a warship with him. Great! I was looking like a fool with my mouth open. Moreover, we needed to go. There were much important things to do. I agreed and Xavier started yelling different orders at me and how to control them. Like a puppet, I obeyed, not knowing a single thing what I was doing.
Somehow, the ship started and we flew. Xavier advised a few tips as to how to fly nicely and together, we increased our speed. Yes, I was finally of some use to my friends. "How long to reach Mount Hysuptris?" Mark enquired. Not turning back, Xavier announced, "With the current speed, about two and a half hours. That is fine. Raptor cannot do anything until night. King Jalaar can only be awakened at midnight during the event of the Night of Xorains."
We drove for some time silently and then Lily started the conversation. "It is good that we have Colloseus on our side. Though Drakolleus too can summon magic." She said. "What do you mean? What magic?" Amanda enquired. Mark replied, "When we were in the Hydra Caves, we heard Raptor saying that they needed magic to awaken King Jalaar. The Magic Master had used the most ancient sealing method which wasn't easy to break. But only the dragons had the power to summon that much magic. That is the reason Raptor went to Drakolleus for help."
Now it all came together. Raptor was not only aiming to have Drakolleus for power but because that was the only way he could awaken the King. Man, I wished I too had such a brain. We kept discussing about the situation. Of course, none of us had a satisfying answer of how to kill Raptor.
Our last hope was Colloseus. But the dragon had a bigger threat to face, his own brother. I had no idea of who would win in a dragon fight. And I had no interest in knowing too. All I wanted was to get all this out of the way. I wanted to live life happily. I regretted my choice of being a warrior.
But even without this kind of life, my past would never leave me. Why did it have to be so complicated? But my life wasn't the only complicated one. All DELTAs had a tough life. It almost seemed like the DELTA Organization was a team created for complicated lives.
That is when it struck me that none of us knew Mark's past. He did have a bad past but he hadn't shared it yet. The first thing for a team to work on is to not have any secrets. It wouldn't be possible as long as Mark would hide his past. So I decided to ask him.
Before that, I noticed that I had been staring at him. He had seen that and sighed. Almost reading my mind, he said, "I guess it's time for you all to know my past. After all, I know everything about you." Everybody's attention went to Mark. Even Xavier turned back for a second.
"My mother… she was my family. I have never got to watch my father in real life except for a photo of his. Mom and I lived a hard life. She faced a lot of difficulties raising me up. After working hard for a day, every night she came to me and gave me the comfort I needed which would make me forget about our tough life. We used to talk a lot; she even narrated stories of great heroes of Darknor. Her last tale was about King Jalaar…." Mark's voice cracked.
He continued, "That was the last time I saw her. Next morning I was alone in the small hut without anyone around. I wandered the streets of Kitlus town, searching for my mother. She was gone. Never came back. I became a street kid and experienced the hard work my mother went through every day. This was my routine for years until I found Raptor in Kitlus town with his giant army." Mark concluded.
It took us a minute to speak. His mother had just disappeared. I knew Mark had a hard time getting over the mystery. His face told it all. He was a very serious fellow, always the last one in the group. But I knew he had been carrying his shock of losing his mother since many years.
"Everything will be fine. You have us, your new family!" I cheered him up. Everyone looked at Mark happily and he felt shaken. "But now about Mount Hysuptris. We will not be able to tackle all the giants by ourselves. Any backup plans?" I asked.
Xavier smiled and replied, "That's our backup plan, bud!" He pointed down to the ground and I watched an army of about fifty people along with Wade with many weapons.