Sunscorch (Rise To Omniscience Book 8)

by Aaron Oster

  Blood showered all around him as the small boy cackled in glee, then proceeded to move on to the next. He tore through them all, and none of them were fortunate enough to get a quick or clean death. Morgan ripped them to pieces. Viciously. Gleefully. He was laughing all the while.

  By the time he was done, the room was covered in blood, gore, and various body parts. It was only after everyone was dead and the Beast King had no one left to attack that he finally fell, collapsing face-first into the floor and falling asleep.

  “Well, wasn’t that just riveting?” the Beast King asked, giving Morgan a wide grin.

  “Don’t tell me that you’re using this as a reason to be let out,” Morgan said, glaring at his other half.

  “Why not?” he asked, still smiling. “I killed them all, didn’t I? I saved our mother, which is something you failed to do, if I remember correctly.”

  “It was the way you killed them that was wrong!” Morgan shouted. “You could have taken them out easily enough. A quick strike to the back of the head. A broken neck. A stab through the eye. Any of those would have given you the same result. But instead, you eviscerated them all. I mean, just look at this place!”

  “Oh please, don’t play all innocent with me,” the Beast King said with an eye-roll. “You’ve done plenty of unnecessary damage to other fighters. How about we go take a look?”

  But Morgan was having none of it.

  “No,” he said firmly, concentrating on a memory of his own. “How about we go take a look at a memory of mine, one where not having you around made things better.”

  The Beast King tried to resist, but Morgan had already figured out how this all worked and pulled him right along. A few moments later, they stood in a small clearing, one that Morgan had not seen in well over four years. It looked exactly as he remembered it, down to the small logs they’d used as tables and chairs and the tray of food Sarah had so lovingly prepared and snuck out to him.

  “Come on. You can’t keep using those guards as an excuse for being late!” Sarah yelled. “It’s my birthday, Morgan, and you almost missed it!”

  Sarah looked as she had in the old days. She was dressed in a flowing green gown, her long red hair fell in waves down her back, and there was a headband of flowers woven into it. Her cheeks were painted a bright pink, and black lines on her eyelids highlighted her sparkling green eyes.

  Morgan, on the other hand, sat on a small log, panting for air. There was a large bruise on his right cheek, and his clothes were barely being held together. His face betrayed nothing, a sign of his past and the altered state which he was currently in. Yet, in the presence of the fuming Sarah, the corner of his lip was quirked up ever so slightly.

  “I told you I’m sorry,” he replied. “You do see the bruise, right?”

  Sarah rolled her eyes, though she did bend down to examine his face.

  “It’s not that bad,” she finally said, pulling back. “It shouldn’t leave any lasting damage.”

  “Great,” Morgan replied, then immediately turned to start eating.

  “Hey!” Sarah exclaimed, “Don’t just ignore me!”

  “But I’m hungry,” Morgan said, spraying a mouthful of crumbs across the table.

  Sarah let out an angry huff, then sat down on one of the logs and crossed her arms, glaring at one of the trees as though it were all its fault for Morgan’s obliviousness.

  “Oh. Almost forgot,” Morgan said, reaching into his tattered shirt and removing a small silver ring.

  “Oh, Morgan, it’s beautiful!” Sarah exclaimed, taking it from him gleefully.

  “Well, I found it lying on the street, and when I couldn’t sell it, I figured I’d just give it to you,” he replied, going back to his meal.

  “Holy crap, how oblivious could you be?” the Beast King exclaimed, turning to him in shock.

  “Very,” Morgan replied, watching his past self squabbling with an annoyed Sarah.

  This was one of his happiest memories from his time in City Four. Yes, there had been a lot wrong with his life, but even back then, Sarah had been there for him.

  “Even though life was hard, it was moments like these that made it all worth it. Yes, I was beaten just about every time I tried to sneak in, but getting to spend time with the only person who called me a friend was well worth the price.

  “Had you been around, you would have torn them to pieces and ruined any chance I had at keeping up my friendship. This is what separates you and me. While I regained my humanity, you are still the same monster you were back then.”

  The Beast King turned to face him, his eyes growing hard.

  “Then perhaps we need to deal with this as I normally would.”

  “For once, I agree with you wholeheartedly,” Morgan replied, glaring back at the monster who’d been trying to escape his control ever since he’d been born.

  “But we’re not leaving just yet,” he said, as the world began blurring around them once more.

  When the world came back into focus, they were once again standing in the middle of the glacier where Octagon had killed Sarah.

  “I’m sure you remember this fight well,” Morgan said.

  This was the point in the fight where Morgan had lost control, and the Beast King had taken over. Sarah was dangling in the air, a spear of ice protruding from her chest.

  “Listen, Beast King,” Morgan said, staring at the scene that had haunted him since the day it had happened. “Listen to what she’s saying.”

  “I love you, Morgan…” Sarah said, blood bubbling from her lips.

  “You hear that?” he asked, turning to face his other half. “She loves me. Not you. Now, I know you don’t care about her. All you care about is your own, personal agenda. Death, destruction, blood; it was what you were created to crave. But you can’t tell me that after all our time spent together, that you feel nothing for her at all.”

  The Beast King scoffed, turning to look at Sarah, who was suspended in time and staring at him as the life fled from her eyes. This was something that Morgan had faced hundreds of times, and it had nearly broken him. But now, he saw this for what it truly was — a time when he’d been too weak to make a difference and hadn’t been strong enough to save her.

  He’d learned a valuable lesson in the process. He’d learned that weakness was a fault he could overcome. And now, he was looking to the future, where Sarah was once again walking among the living, and he could hold her in his arms and hear her speak those words once again.

  The past was in the past. Morgan knew that now, but did the Beast King know that as well? He didn’t believe so.

  The Beast King stared at Sarah’s bleeding body, his head cocked slightly to one side, as though he couldn’t figure out what he was supposed to be feeling. His hand moved up to his chest, fingers curling into claws above his heart.

  “Why does it hurt?” he asked, turning to Morgan with a confused look on his face. “Why is there pain where there is no logical reason behind it?”

  “So, you feel it,” Morgan replied, turning to face the Beast King fully. “The tightness in your chest. The lack of air in your lungs. The prickling sensation you feel behind your eyes. Those are just shadows of the pain I was forced to endure every day she was gone.

  You may have shared a body with me, but did you ever truly understand the pain I was in? I think not. Otherwise, you would see that your place here is not needed. I am stronger than you will ever be, because while you might have once been able to utilize my power to the maximum of my capabilities, I no longer believe that is the case.”

  The Beast King stared back at him, a line of blackness streaming from the corners of each of his eyes.

  “I may once have believed that I needed you, but you were just a crutch. Something I would fall back on when all else failed. I believe that you were born out of necessity, as a way for me to cope with the pain that I could not handle on my own. But now, I can, and you can finally go to your well-deserved rest.”

  The Beast
King looked up at him, his eyes wide as the streams of black continued falling down his face.

  “Do you truly believe that?” the Beast King asked, and for once, his voice didn’t contain so much as a hint of condescension or malice.

  “With every fiber of my being,” Morgan replied, and he meant it.

  After seeing everything there and having gone through everything he had, he thought he finally understood the Beast King’s true purpose. The Beast King was a shield against his pain. A being born to take the brunt of all he could not handle and bear it, so that he could live in relative peace.

  But those days were over now. Morgan was strong enough to stand on his own two feet, and he would be damned if he allowed the creature of pain and torment that he had created to take over.

  The Beast King smiled then, even as the world around them began to fade.

  “Then I suppose there is just one final test to pass,” he said, his voice echoing oddly.

  A moment later, pain exploded in Morgan’s jaw, and he was hurled backward. He managed to catch himself before he flew too far, and when he looked over, across the wide span of the massive tree, he saw the Beast King, clutching at his jaw and grinning widely.

  His final test to reach the Pinnacle had begun, and Morgan knew that it was one test he could not afford to fail.

  56

  Katherine lay in bed, her chest and stomach bound in bandages. Her eyes were wide open, staring up at the stone blocks making up the ceiling of the sickbay. She’d woken up about a minute ago, and her mind was still adjusting to her surroundings, which was perfectly understandable.

  After all, the last thing she remembered before passing out was the excruciating pain of having a spear shoved through her body and the sensation of going cold as she bled out. Now, here she was, perfectly safe, her injuries mostly gone. She had no idea how she’s gotten here.

  “My, don’t you just look…Well, I won’t say bad because you never look bad. Haggard? Yes, that sounds about right. Haggard.”

  Katherine tilted her head to one side and saw Gold, leaning against the windowsill and looking as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice coming out dry and raspy.

  “Oh, I’m just here to deliver some news,” Gold replied with an offhanded shrug.

  “And you’ve decided to come deliver it here and now because…?” Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Couldn’t get away before now, I’m afraid,” the man replied with a half-smile. “Glad you made it out of that sticky situation alive, by the way. It would have ruined all my plans if Grace hadn’t made it in time. For one, Morgan would have been furious, and—”

  Katherine slammed Gold against the wall, lifting the man into the air by his lapels and staring up at him, a mixture of anger, relief, and confusion all warring within her.

  “Morgan’s alive?!” she demanded. “Answer me!”

  “Hey! Take it easy on the shirt! It’s new!” Gold complained as Katherine shoved him into the wall a bit harder, sending an ominous crack rumbling through the room.

  “Quit dodging the question!” she snapped. “Is Morgan alive?”

  “Yes! He’s alive! Now, will you please let go of my shirt? It’s a limited-edition Barron Roster, and I had to wait in line for two days to get it!” Gold exclaimed as one of the buttons popped off and plinked to the ground.

  Katherine let go of him then, placing her back to the wall and sliding to the ground, her entire body trembling. So much had happened over the last few days, and hearing at least one good bit of news made all of the horror she’d endured just a bit less horrible.

  “It’s going to take me forever to iron these out,” Gold complained, trying to smooth down the front of his shirt. “Speaking of clothes,” he said, looking down at her. “You might want to consider putting some on yourself. Bandage chic is only popular in anime, I’m afraid, though you still somehow make it work.”

  “What?” Katherine asked, blinking up at the man in confusion.

  “Right,” Gold muttered. “You might want to put something on. You’re not exactly decent.”

  Katherine finally looked down at herself and realized that aside from the bandages binding her injuries, she was dressed only in underwear. It took her a further five seconds to realize why that was bad, and about one after that to send Gold flying out through the window.

  He returned a few seconds later, completely unharmed, in which time Katherine had wrapped herself in the thin blanket, giving herself just a bit more modesty.

  “I doubt you came here to tell me that Morgan is alive, though I suppose I should thank you for that,” Katherine said, staring at the man evenly. “So, why are you here?”

  “Can’t a man just come to spend time in the company of a lovely woman?” Gold asked, bending down to retrieve the button that had come loose.

  Katherine glared at him in response, and Gold let out a long sigh.

  “Oh, very well,” he muttered, placing the button in his pocket. “I came to give you a bit of advice, if you must know.”

  “Advice?” Katherine asked, intrigued. “About what?”

  “About your current situation with the war between the Five Kingdoms and Faeland,” Gold said. “As I’m sure you have already surmised, the supposed death of the elven queen by the hands of the man she was supposed to marry is most definitely grounds for a war.”

  “So that’s what they were planning on doing,” Katherine said, chewing on her bottom lip.

  That was why they’d tried to take Morgan out as well, so he wouldn’t have the opportunity to try and defend himself. Then again, if Morgan was alive, wouldn’t he have come to help them?

  “Why didn’t he come for us?” she asked, looking up to meet Gold’s eyes. “If Morgan is alive, he could have gotten us all out of there. So, why?”

  “I’m afraid that one’s on me,” Gold replied with a shrug. “After escaping that rather impressive attack, Morgan wanted nothing more than to come for you. But I convinced him to remain anonymous and continue to play dead. There’s quite an advantage when someone like Morgan is presumed to be gone and no longer a problem, which is why I must ask you to keep it a secret, at least for the next day.”

  “Why should I not tell anyone that Morgan is alive?” Katherine asked, her brows coming together in anger. “If what you’re saying is true, then it’s your fault that Hilda is dead. If you’d just let Morgan come after us, we would all still be alive.”

  “No,” Gold said, crossing his arms and growing far more serious. “I’m afraid I must disagree with you there. Had Morgan made a reappearance, you might have been saved in time, but I can assure you that the people who attacked him the first time would do so again, and without the strength to defend himself, Morgan would undoubtedly have been killed this time.

  “Even I can’t stand up to the might of four gods attacking all at once. What I did was necessary, and while it is unfortunate that a life was lost in the process, many millions more will be spared as a result, including Morgan’s.

  “Now, we are short on time, and you will still have to explain what I’m about to tell you to the elven queen and the other rulers of the Five Kingdoms. I’d leave Herald out of this meeting if I were you, though, seeing as he’s not exactly trustworthy at the moment. Now, here’s what you have to do…”

  Katherine listened as Gold outlined their plans. He told her exactly what needed to happen, as well as the precise order it had to happen in. Otherwise, everything could come crashing down around them. After listening to what Gold had to say, she finally understood why their position was as precarious as it was. The gnomes, gods, and even a World Beast had maneuvered quite well, and it was now up to the humans to stop the others.

  “How are we supposed to accomplish this?” Katherine asked. “I might be powerful, but even I have my limits.”

  “And that would be why I’m leaving you with this,” Gold said, removing a clear glass sp
here from his jacket pocket. “It’ll take a fair bit of power to work, but you have some capable people who will be very motivated to succeed.”

  Katherine took the glass sphere, then immediately dropped it to the bed as it began siphoning away her Chi.

  “Oh, yeah. I’d be careful with that,” Gold said with a wide grin. “Maybe use a cloth to hold it or something.”

  Katherine didn’t even bother wasting the energy it would take to become angry with the man. She was too worried. They might have escaped a death trap set by the enemy, but if what Gold had told her was true, things were far from over. If anything, things would only really start to happen once they got their plan started.

  “How do you know it’ll work?” she asked, trying to keep the worry from showing on her face. “If everything you said was true, then how can we hope to succeed? Especially with the forces arrayed against us?”

  “That is why this plan doesn’t only rely on you,” Gold said with a wink. “Just make sure to keep Morgan’s current state a secret, would you? The plan sort of hinges on that.”

  “But you haven’t even told me where he is,” Katherine said.

  “Indeed, I have not,” Gold said. “Best of luck to you, my dear, and here’s to hoping you manage to succeed in your quest. Otherwise, life as you all know it will come to an end. But no pressure or anything.”

  He flashed her a wide grin, then stepped to his right and vanished, leaving her alone in the room once again. She didn’t have long to ponder what he’d said, as a moment later, the door flew open, and Bell came rushing in.

  “Your Highness, you’re awake!”

  Katherine had the wind knocked out of her as the woman swept her up in a tight embrace, and despite the discomfort, Katherine hugged her back. Bell was more than just an aide by this point. She was her closest friend. While Katherine been the one trapped in that bunker, Bell had likely had no idea what was going on, only hearing about it now, once they’d returned.