by Zy Rykoa
Chapter Twenty-Six
The difference between good and evil is interpretation.
March 8, 997 R.E.
The air was still, the storm above strangely silent. The great tear in the sky remained, but it was cold and gray. Jaden walked slowly through the grasses of the dream, allowing them to cling briefly to him as he passed, as if to celebrate his return and let them know that he had not forgotten. He allowed energy to run free from the endobraces, causing the grasses to grow beneath him. Like them, he was still alive, and now he shared his power with them in this forsaken place, where all was a dream, but a dream he somehow felt was more real than it seemed.
He was here now to find someone—the boy with black hair who would not speak to him. He wanted to face the danger, to stand strong against the paralysing fear. He would not be a slave to it anymore. He had realised this while within the crystal's realm.
All he had to fear was himself.
The boy was a part of him, a long lost piece of his childhood. He was a symbol of what Jaden had been years before—a child, helpless in the great and unforgiving world where disaster and greed ruled. It was what would cripple him and bring him to his knees, for no matter how powerful he became, he was mortal and at the mercy of the planet and universe.
As Jaden reached the top of the hill, the boy came into view. He stood several yards behind him and waited. A slight breeze began to blow in from the sea of oil to his right. He turned in its direction to see the military unit was now far in the distance, almost invisible on the horizon. They would be nearing their next conquest while the boy simply stood and watched, unmoving, helpless to do anything more. Jaden remembered the first day after the attack, and knew he had been like this not long ago.
‘They’re going to your home, aren’t they?’ he asked.
There was no reply at first, but the boy soon turned to him, revealing his face for the first time. His features were different to what Jaden had looked like at that age. Jaden wondered why he didn’t recognise himself, or if that he had tried to hide from it so much that he had forgotten what he had been.
Tears welled in the boy’s eyes as he nodded, and then all faded away as Jaden woke to the pilot’s call.
‘Sentinel, we have arrived.’
‘At Waikor?’ asked Jaden sleepily.
‘As near as we can get. You’ll have to walk a few miles east to get there.’
Without protest, Jaden stood and jumped out of the opened helicopter door. It was afternoon, and the sun was high, but he could find shelter from its heat in the shade of the trees as he walked.
‘We will wait here for you,’ said the pilot.
Jaden paused, but did not turn to him. He faced directly east, as if he were able to see his destination from where he stood.
‘I’m not coming back,’ he said. ‘Tell General Daiyus that I am sorry.’
The pilot did not seem to have any argument as Jaden disappeared into the forest ahead, while the helicopter lifted and flew back north.
Jaden moved deep into the forest, thinking of what was to come and what he would do when he reached Waikor. He knew that his life could come to an end this day. The anger and hurt from losing Alyssa would be too strong to contain. He would exhaust himself getting the revenge he had sworn upon the Alliance so long ago. He would break the Daijuarn code, without care as he fought against those who had taken everything he had loved from him. They had first taken his home and family, and now if they had taken Alyssa, he knew that he would find no reason to hold back. A distant whisper came to mind, of a promise he had made himself when he had discovered Alyssa was still alive. He had promised he would never give in to death or suicide, as he could offer no protection deceased, and more innocent lives would be lost.
But if he had failed to protect Alyssa, despite his better judgement ... he would not be able to forgive himself.
There were constant stabbing pains in his stomach. His heart seemed to be caught in a vice that closed slowly upon it. He was desperate, in need of something, anything that would make it all stop. He began to run, as if it would allow him to escape what was inside. For two hours he did not rest, forcing himself to take the hardest routes he could find as he climbed small cliffs, swam across narrow rivers and jumped down rock ledges and over fallen trees.
He slowed when the hum of helicopter blades in motion became apparent, as well as other familiar mechanical sounds of Alliance vehicles. He knew he had to be close. Waikor was just beyond the trees. He skirted the area, trying to get as close as possible so that he could plan his attack. He avoided the fields, not wishing to be in the open for too long, and found his way to the thickest area of trees, shrubs and vines. Among them, he was able to hide the white of the Daijuarn garments, and he sat waiting, peering from a small gully behind a mess of tangled vine leaves and its host tree’s limbs.
As he had expected, there were soldiers wearing Alliance uniforms roaming everywhere, the helicopters now on his right and tanks and other vehicles lined to his left. But there was no sign of the city of Waikor. All he could see was a giant wall of gray. He searched further, trying to get a glimpse of something that would reveal his true location, but beyond the wall, even the great mountain of Waikor would have been invisible. His first glimpse came when he saw a part of the city through a damaged section of the wall. It was far from him, but an entire section had been broken down, giving the aggressors access to the inner rings and confirming that the city was in fact under Alliance control. There was no sound of gunfire or any form of resistance. The Alliance had captured Waikor as they had Callibra.
The Waikorian people would either be rounded up in its centre or dead. He had to find out which answer was true. He had to get in there himself. But he would not find a way of climbing over the wall this time, nor would he attempt to sneak in. He was powerful now, and he knew it was time to show the Alliance just what they had created in him by taking what he loved.
The endobraces ignited and he stood to run out from the vines and onto the field, but as he got up, a strong force gripped him and pulled him backward, dragging him down to the ground where he was held. Jaden struggled, fighting his attacker, but quieted as the attacker’s arm pointed just ahead of them, past the leaves. There Jaden saw the same black device and dim red light as he had outside the fort in Callibra; it was from the same type of landmine that had exploded when the guard fell onto it.
He hadn’t seen it. He hadn’t even thought to look.
His attacker had saved his life.
Soldiers came to investigate the rustle in the leaves, and a black cape was thrown over him, the one who saved his life now hiding them from the soldiers.
‘What was it?’ asked one of the soldiers.
After a long pause and a further rustling of the leaves, the other responded. ‘Just a rat.’
The two soldiers walked away, and then Jaden’s saviour spoke.
‘Don’t move.’
The voice was masculine and the accent was somehow familiar. Both of them remained completely still for some time before the man lifted the cape and told Jaden to get up.
‘Walk back the way you came, then go north.’
‘I have to get into the city,’ said Jaden.
‘You need to go north first,’ responded the man.
Jaden complied. The man had saved his life. He deserved to be listened to for now. Jaden would argue with him later.
Both made their way from the vines with Jaden leading the way. Each time Jaden attempted to turn, the man shoved him in the back, telling him to keep walking, but Jaden needed to know the man’s identity before he went any further.
‘No,’ he said, skipping two steps forward and turning to face him. Jaden was momentarily stunned as the face became clear, framed by long dark hair. ‘You!’ he shouted.
The man gave no reply as the two soldiers burst through the vines nearby.
‘Sentinel!’ they shouted.
‘Run!’ yelled the man with black hair.
Jaden now saw that there was a beast from the palace in their way, and the man had no means of defence or escape. Jaden rushed forward, using the energy shown to him by Raquel to levitate the beast and slowly push it away. It screamed as it fought to break free, but without leverage, its superior muscles were of no use. Jaden threw the beast away from them with a final burst of energy, and he called for the man to follow him. But the man’s face had turned white. Five more of the beasts had surrounded them.
‘Trust me,’ said Jaden, and he sent waves of white energy outward, pushing the beasts away and clearing the path for them as they went.
They could hear bullets being fired, most likely to make Jaden and the man think they had been seen, but the soldiers did not know that the beasts were near, and the random gunfire soon became aimed. There were screams then of man and beast alike, the Alliance soldiers walking straight into the centre of where the beasts had congregated. Orders to retreat were then shouted, and the battle continued as the gunfire moved slowly into the distance.
When he was satisfied they were safely away from the beasts and the soldiers, Jaden halted the man, refusing to go any further.
‘I know you,’ he said. ‘You were in Callibra.’
The man looked confused.
‘I saw you. You are their leader. You killed Don,’ Jaden continued.
‘I have killed no one by that name,’ said the man.
‘Who are you?’
‘Who am I, or who do you think I am?’ asked the man.
Jaden stared at him with hatred rising. ‘You gave the order. You destroyed my village. You had him killed with that weapon of light.’
‘The plasma cannon?’ asked the man, now seeming to remember something. ‘Ah, yes. You were inside the fort then.’
Jaden ignited the endobraces at the admission, causing the entire area to turn blue as white flares began to circle around them.
‘Give me one reason why I should let you live,’ said Jaden.
The man shrugged. ‘I saved your life.’
‘Give me another!’
Calmly, although puffing from running, the man walked to the side and sat down on a rock. ‘You would kill us both by doing that,’ he said.
‘This power cannot harm me,’ said Jaden. ‘Only you.’
‘Then I will tell you what you wish to know. Listen, child.’
‘Don’t call me child!’
The man put both his hands up. ‘My apologies. But, will you listen, or will you continue to threaten one who has saved your life? There is no need for this.’
‘You killed my family!’ shouted Jaden.
‘You’re giving away our position. We need to be quiet and ... without this energy. Please, take a seat. If you wish to kill me after I have had a chance to explain my actions, then so be it, but first, listen.’
Jaden was cautious, unsure of what to do. Everything now seemed a contradiction. This was the man that had been behind the attack on his village, that had given the order to kill a helpless old man. And yet the man had saved his life, spoke to him at ease and knew his language. Was it a trap? How could he not be an enemy?
‘I am unarmed, Sentinel. There is nothing I can do to you.’
The blue light began to fade as Jaden breathed, visibly relaxing and allowing the energy to subside as the forest returned to its normal colour. The man motioned for him to take a seat nearby on another rock, but Jaden did not move.
‘Or you may stand,’ said the man.
‘Who are you?’ asked Jaden.
‘My name is Alkon Zaccarah, once General of the Alliance.’
‘You gave the command,’ concluded Jaden.
‘I did what I had to do. This is war, your hands will not remain so clean for too much longer. Your home and family were doomed even without me. I’m not sure you know this, but your people were betrayed by one of your own. I was little more than the one who took the mission.’
‘You lie to me.’
‘No,’ said Alkon. ‘I have no reason to lie. If you listen, I will prove my innocence. You might even class me as a hero.’
Jaden furrowed his brows. ‘You?’
‘Yes. And even though you almost cost me my life, I still saved yours.’
‘I’ve done nothing to you.’
‘You have. Let me tell you my story. Then you can decide.’ Alkon waited a moment for Jaden’s response, and when none came, he continued. ‘It is true, I was once a general for the Alliance. I have led them to more victories than I care to count, and I was decorated for each of them. I was respected even by the High Council, and none dared challenge my authority.’
‘Then why are you here?’ asked Jaden.
‘Because, my young friend,’ said Alkon, picking up a stick next to him to start drawing in the dirt, ‘you prevented my escape. I have been trying to return home for years, that is why I accepted the mission here. It was my chance to flee unnoticed and the only safe opportunity to do so. When you entered the fort, you risked more than your own life. You risked mine and the lives of those who were helping me.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Jaden.
‘Although I am born in Ordear, my allegiance is with the nations in the east. We planned an attack on the fort in Callibra to confuse our enemy. While they repaired the damage, I was to make a quick exit. But you were being watched, and you used the same route out that I was planning to use. Do you have any idea how long it took me to make sure that tree hung over the fort? I had to pretend I was in love with trees. They thought I was mad.’
Jaden stood silently in thought, thinking back to when the fort had been attacked.
‘The black jets I saw,’ he said, ‘they were under your command?’
Alkon nodded. ‘I was to make sure the defence was unmanned, and then they would have a helicopter waiting for me not far from the fort.’
‘I saw it,’ said Jaden. ‘I thought it was a patrol sent to find me.’
‘No. I sent men after you, but that is another story. It was by luck that the High Council did not find out that I had left the fort unguarded, otherwise I would not be here before you now.’
Jaden took a seat on the rock next to Alkon, looking at what he had drawn in the dirt. It was the outline of one of the blue-flamed fighter jets that had attacked the village. Jaden recognised it only vaguely, as it had been dark when they attacked, but he remembered seeing the design of what looked to be two triangles.
‘How did you escape?’ he asked.
‘By letting an arrogant man believe in his own brilliance,’ said Alkon, now drawing another symbol in the dirt. ‘I knew it was only a matter of time before I was found out like my father. For decades we have caused the Alliance to fail without detection. But I could not risk execution, so I made them believe I was incompetent, no longer able to fulfil my role as general. It all went to plan. I knew there were men that wanted my position of power, so I used them. I was to be outcast, like my father, but my second-in-command gave the order for my execution instead.’
Alkon unlatched a compartment on his glove, revealing a d
evice underneath the black leather. ‘I had hoped to use this on the arrogant one, but I had a feeling I might have needed it another day. It saved my life. Do not fear, Sentinel, this weapon cannot be used against you. It needs to be recharged. I used it to get away from the men who would have seen to my execution.’
Jaden looked at the device on Alkon’s arm, but couldn’t recognise anything about it. He then tried to understand the symbol Alkon had just drawn in the dirt. It looked like a tree with a single line showing the trunk, and four curved lines for the branches. There were two dots to either side of the curved lines.
‘This is the symbol of my true nation, Arinta,’ Alkon explained.
‘So if I am to believe you, you have escaped, but what are you going to do now?’ asked Jaden.
‘Return there. If the Resistance falls at Corsec, they will need to know what I have learned.’
‘It’s a long way to walk,’ said Jaden.
‘That is why I will fly.’
‘How?’
‘By stealing a helicopter from the Alliance. I had been hiding in the trees for hours before you turned up, waiting for my chance. But I have no weapons. I needed to rely on stealth alone.’
Jaden looked ahead of them, thoughtful, absently kicking the rock he sat upon with the back of his heel. The air was silent again, without gunfire or the screams of the beasts. It seemed the beasts had helped him. They had killed many of the ones he wished dead. But it was not yet enough. He wanted to learn of Alyssa’s fate, and then he wanted to see those who had attacked Waikor die by his own hands. If they were allowed to continue, they would go on killing the innocent. Even if Alyssa was still alive, he now knew he would need to end the killer plague that was the Alliance, so that he would not have to protect Alyssa or anyone else from them.
‘I can help you,’ he said.
