90 A New Challenger (1/2)
Ed slowly awoke within a dark room. The rain pelted against the window. Occasionally the crackling of lightning could be heard, followed by the sound of thunder. ”Ugh.” He groaned as he rubbed his head and opened his eyes.
”Finally awake?” Dupe questioned. He was sitting in a nearby chair with his legs crossed.
”Mm.” He responded. ”You're not exactly the first thing I want to see when I wake up.”
”Very funny.” Dupe responded with a light smile.
”What's the current situation, and how long have I been out for?” Ed questioned.
”Well, we won...” Dupe replied as his face turned serious. He hunched over in the chair and folded his hands while staring at Ed. ”However, that doesn't mean the war is truly over. Most of the mayors are still alive and well within their cities. That in itself isn't a big deal, but if we don't move fast then they might start uniting their remaining forces to resist us. We need to start heading out soon.”
”There's no point.” Ed sighed while shaking his head. ”Now that the Governor's dead, we just need to wait for the final decision from the real decision maker.”
Dupe frowned. ”You mean the President? Do you really think he'll interfere?”
”He has too.” Ed replied with unwavering certainty. ”It was one thing when I was just raising an army against the Governor. Hell, the President might have even known about the Governor's plans to let me build the forces all so he could collect more golden faith energy. But now things are different. His vassal is dead, and a new one must be chosen. It's only a question of who he'll choose to run Florida. Once the new Governor is chosen, a mock election will be held for the citizens to vote. Then the new Governor will be appointed as the winner.”
”And you think he might choose you?” Dupe asked, doubt evident on his face.
”I don't.” Ed shook his head. ”I fought this war because the only options were to do so or run away. I can be considered a traitor to the United States for my actions.”
Lightning flashed by the window. The booming of thunder followed, interrupting Ed's speech.
Ed glanced out the window before continuing to speak. ”There is a small chance he'll choose me though. It's the path of least resistance since Harmony now controls most of the state. It really depends on his personality, which I know very little about. Only his powers are common knowledge.”
”Mm.” Dupe nodded. ”I guess you're right.”
”Anyways...” Ed continued as he stood up from bed. He cracked his neck while rolling his shoulders to stretch. ”Who are you anyways? Phantom?”
”Oh?” Dupe smiled as his body grew illusory. It transformed into an old man with a gray beard that stretched to the middle of his chest. He wore copper glasses and striped pajamas. ”What gave me away?” He questioned.
”Dupe would've already known all this crap.” He replied nonchalantly. ”It'd be different if it was questions about just the war, but he's far more knowledgeable than me when it comes to politics.”
”Ah, I see.” Phantom nodded while rubbing his beard. ”It appears I miscalculated.”
Boom! Another bolt of lightning streaked past the window. Suddenly, screams and shouts rang from outside. The wind grew stronger, growing so loud as to be heard from inside Ed's room. He looked outside and saw a towering monster nearly 300 meters long. It was formless green wind that made up a long funnel. It was like a sideways tornado that stretched out like a snake. The wind it released tore the buildings to shreds, sending debris flying everywhere. The Harmony soldiers struggled for dear life as the flying debris picked them off one by one.
”Really?” Ed questioned as he turned back to Phantom. ”As if I'd believe the Wind Nightmare came here just because there was a recent hurricane. A nightmare has never struck a state twice within such a short span of time before. Besides, hurricanes are quite common in Florida. I've seen enough of them growing up to know they aren't an indicator for a nightmare attack.”
”Tsk.” Phantom clicked his tongue. The Wind Nightmare vanished, returning the skies to a light rain. No thunder or lightning existed within it. ”You're no fun at all. You could at least play along.”
”Not in the mood.” Ed replied. ”You know what I like about your powers? They have no effect on individuals. You can drastically alter the environment, creating incredible illusions. You can even make things completely real. But doing these things must use up an incredible amount of mana. I'm confident I can escape from you if needed. Maybe even kill you.”
”Perhaps.” Phantom nodded as a steaming cup of tea appeared out of nowhere. He happily sipped it.
Ed stared Phantom in the eyes. ”So what is it you really want, Phantom? Or should I call you Nexus?”
”Oh?” Phantom rose an eyebrow while smiling. ”I'm afraid I'm not Nexus.” He laughed. ”But I'm guessing you'll hardly believe me even if I deny it.” The tea within his hands vanished as he stood up. ”It was quite fun chatting with you like this. The reason I'm here is to kill you of course.”
”Shocking.” Ed replied in a monotone voice.
”No need for the sarcasm, boy.” He quipped. ”Would you like to know why I'm going to kill you?”
”Oh, are you going to monologue like the old-fashioned villains in storybooks?” Ed grinned.
”I suppose so.” He replied matter-of-factly. ”The truth is, I've never really betrayed someone before. I've always been very above board in my actions, earning me a great deal of trust as a result. But this opportunity is far too great to overlook. I honestly didn't think you would beat the Governor and present me with such a golden opportunity.”
Ed lowered his head in thought for a moment. Many ideas flashed by as he considered what he would do in Phantom's position. Suddenly, it all clicked together. He looked back up. ”You plan on killing the traitorous Forge, taking revenge for your dear friend, the late Governor. Once the president arrives, you'll be the best candidate to take over. He'll gladly appoint a strong esper that can easily place Florida back under control. Your political opponents won't have any leeway due to your vast network for political connections and your feat of taking revenge for the Governor so quickly.”
”Very good.” Phantom clapped slowly as he nodded. ”Indeed, this is the plan. Truthfully, I've been eyeing the seat of Governor for quite a long time. The benefits are tremendous. You're guaranteed power over an entire state, and more importantly, you're guaranteed tremendous amounts of golden faith energy. Unfortunately, all current Governors are espers, giving them quite long lifetimes. Killing one would be a traitorous act, granting me zero chance of becoming one. I have to say, you're really my lucky star. I'm incredibly grateful for meeting you in Reef city.”