by Noah Michael
“I will never help you.”
Marcus’s voice turned deep and hypnotic. “You shall not do it for me. You shall do it for your brother. Come, now. Salience has been waiting long enough.”
“Do you promise he’ll be freed as well?” James said, falling into the spell.
“I promise.”
“Then I will help you.”
“Glad to hear it.” Marcus stepped back, looking from James to Stone. “Well, team, let us proceed to the elevator.”
Stone led the way again, smashing through walls and drones. They followed the signs to the nearest elevator, and Marcus pressed the button. They waited a minute. Finally, the elevator door opened.
“Marcus to floor 176.”
“Access denied.”
“Stone to floor 176.”
“Access denied.”
“It seems we are not the most welcomed group of employees,” Marcus said cynically. They looked to James.
“James to floor 176.” The elevator ascended. When the elevator doors opened, Marcus turned to Stone.
“I can take it from here. Wait with Galaxius. Do we have a way of getting to him?”
“The transfer sphere is of Shifter design. I should be able to unlock it.” Stone said.
“Good. James and I will meet you there shortly.”
“If you try anything foolish, I will kill you,” Stone threatened as they parted.
Marcus smirked as the doors closed. He and James walked down the dark and broken hallway towards the door at the end. Marcus had been there before and remembered it very well. He remembered when the hallway was freshly painted, when the lights shone brightly. He remembered when that paint was scratched off of the walls as the scientists clawed them with their fingernails, desperate for a way out. He reached the door, brushed away a cobweb and turned the handle. Cold fear squeezed tightly within his stomach. The beast was not to be taken lightly.
“Let’s go.” And he opened the door. The room was vast and dark, even more splintered than he remembered it. The computers lay smashed in pieces upon the ruins of lab tables which had been cracked in half, caving inwards. A gooey, green liquid flooded the floor, flowing from the back of the room, where an assortment of shattered glass tubes had once been assorted neatly in rows. Black, withered bodies crawled helplessly through the sea of liquid, gasping for air. Marcus walked passed them, trying to remember the room as it had once been.
“He won’t be happy to see us,” James said, scanning the room nervously.
A swirling cloud of darkness appeared in front of him, moving slowly in his direction. Coming from inside the darkness was a voice, a ghastly scream.
“Please, you must listen to me, Adiel!” Marcus shouted. The cloud stopped, the darkness compressed inwards, forming the shape of a beast. Its form was long and skinny, its face ghastly and featureless. Its arms were black, its fingers shaped as blades. A cloak of darkness flowed behind it as it moved forward. Its eye sockets were empty, filled with nothing but hunger.
“I know who you are, and I need your help. You must devour the energy casing around two men. The first I need alive, the second, an absorber, is all yours.”
It stopped inches from Marcus’s face. The beast hissed.
“Trust me, Adiel. This is for the good of the Following. But as a symbol of good will, I brought along a sacrifice.” Marcus pointed at James.
James’s face turned white. “What? No! Marcus, you cannot do this!”
“I already have.”
“No!” James ran desperately towards the exit, banging on the doors, which were locked from the outside.
“No! Let me out!”
“Such was the plea of the innocent scientists your brother had locked in this room! You will perish like they perished, followed quickly by your older brother! This should have happened long ago, James.”
James turned to Marcus, tears pouring down his face. “Please, at least spare my brother. Please, spare my-” A dark blade cut into his back and impaled him through the chest. Blood dripped down from his mouth as he chocked. His skin turned black, the color faded from his eyes. The beast inhaled deeply, drinking the energy from his victim’s soul.
“Don’t kill him,” Marcus said, his face filled with hatred. “I want him and his brother to rot here for eternity.”
The beast withdrew his blade and James fell to the floor. His body went limp, seemingly void of life. “He will roam forever in eternal hunger, victim to my curse,” the Decepit hissed.
“Such is the legend of those kissed by the Decrepit. Now, you have taken the sacrifice. Let us proceed to the main course.”
◆◆◆
Marcus emerged from the transfer sphere and walked towards the center where Stone stood beside the two frozen figures.
“I have waited long enough. Where is James?”
“He has been replaced by a more...capable ally.”
Stone looked up as the beast hovered in through the wall. Stone dropped down to his knees. “Long live the Order,” he bowed.
The Decrepit hissed in agreement.
“I see you two are familiar with one another?” Marcus asked curiously.
“These matters are above your mortal realm of understanding,” Stone replied. “Just command the beast to do what must be done.”
Galaxius’s statue loomed over them, large muscles protruding from his black skin. Golden, moon-shaped earrings hung from his ears. The dark, red shape of a star was imprinted on the palms of his hands. His bald scalp and forehead shone with a powerful aura. His eyes burned with a raging, demonic will, just waiting to be unleashed.
“The time has come,” Marcus said. The beast moved in and placed its dark, blood-stained claws around the energy cage.
“Galaxius, the first member of the Fury, second to the mighty Vespirus. It is time to awaken!” Stone cried. The beast let out a terrible scream and dug its claws into the solid energy. The energy glowed as the Decrepit inhaled, breaking down the barrier layer by layer.
“It is working!” Marcus cried. He looked over at the frozen figure of Salience. Salience’s work was finally being realized. His old friend would be next. Light circled around the beast as it screamed with satisfaction. The room began to shake, the lights went dark, their bulbs shattered. Marcus trembled in fear.
And then, all at once, the room grew quiet. The beast backed away, the energy cage gone.
They waited silently, not knowing what to expect.
And then, he turned his head. “Stone.” His voice was deep and mighty.
“Galaxius. You have slept long enough.
“Who is this?” Galaxius said, his burning gaze on Marcus.
“An ally. He played a great role in your awakening.”
“Why have you awakened me?”
“Your betrayal has been forgiven. Since you killed Vespirus, your leadership is required,” Stone answered.
“What do you mean, killed Vespirus?” Marcus asked.
“In the final battle against the Guardians, Vespirus had Galaxius’s brother Starrok on his knees,” Stone explained. “But before Vespirus could finish Starrok, Galaxius intervened and killed him. His feelings towards his brother rendered him weak.”
“I didn’t do it for my brother!” Galaxius scowled. “I deserved to lead the Order, not Vespirus! He’d grown arrogant, lost sight of the greater goal. The Doctor and I agreed it was necessary. But enough of the past. What has happened since?”
“I will tell you everything,” Stone said. “But first, we must prepare for war. The Nexus Mirror has been found. The Guardians hid it under the school, right under our noses.”
“Why don’t we discuss more outside while preparing, your greatness?” Marcus said cautiously. “Our friend here has done us a good service, and he’s still hungry. Let’s leave him to feed in peace.” The beast moved towards Salience and wrapped its claws around him.
“Very well. Take me to the armory. The world must know that Galaxius has returned.”
&nbs
p; The three of them grasped the orb and transported out of the room.
The beast dug its claws into Salience’s cage, breathing in the energy. The energy cage Deteriorated in a whirlwind of energy, until there was none left. The beast moved back, waiting for its prey to awaken. Salience blinked, then saw the Decrepit. It let out a horrible screech.
“I failed my mission. I failed my people. And now I shall die for it.” The beast surged forward, its blades aimed towards Salience’s chest. Suddenly, the transfer orb began to shake.
“No!” The beast stopped in its tracks and screamed out in agony. It glowed, all of its captured energy burst out from its chest and moved towards the end of the room. James stood at the opposite side of the room, drawing its energy.
“Stay away from my brother! You gave me this curse, and I will use it to destroy you!”
Inhaling, James’s black, withered skin recovered. His eyes returned to their original color, glowing with power. The beast cried out as the souls of the hundreds it had killed were pulled violently from its body, leaving nothing but an empty shell on the floor. James lowered his arms, his breathing heavy. His eyes glowed with more powerfully than ever before.
“James…” Salience walked slowly forward. “Is that you? Is that my brother?” The brothers embraced, tears in their eyes.
“I missed you. I never meant any of the things I said to you. I am so sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize, James. All that matters now is that you’ve returned to me.”
James looked up, his expression one of pain. “I cannot stay,” he whispered.
“What? James, what are you saying?”
James backed away from his brother. “I’ve been cursed. The hunger, it’s too strong. Now that I’ve fed, I can’t control it. And I can’t hold all this energy.”
“James, stop it! We can work through this together!”
“Salience, there’s no coming back from this. There’s no cure.” James lifted a blade from the beast’s body.
“James, no! Please, don’t do this!”
Salience ran towards him, but James knocked him back with a blast of energy.
“I love you, Salience. I couldn’t have asked for a better brother.”
“No!” James plunged the blade through his chest, staring into the eyes of his brother. He fell backwards. Salience ran forward and caught his body before it could hit the floor. “No! James, please! James!”
Tears poured down his face as he held his baby brother’s body in his arms, the same way he once held him back at home, all those years ago.
Chapter Twenty-seven
The Last Surger
The Nexus
“Your swordsmanship is impressive. Where did you learn to fight?” Yuran asked. “My father taught me,” Maximus answered.
“He must have been a great warrior.”
“Indeed, he was. How about you? Who was your instructor?”
“To tell you the truth...I know nothing of him other than his name. His name was Grith.”
The two men had grown to trust one another as they fought their way through the mirror’s trials. In the last area they had fought off a massive, mechanical, fire-breathing dragon. Now, they found themselves in a valley surrounded by a vast, volcanic mountain range. They had followed the valley path straight for an hour now. The sky was dark, the sun hidden behind clouds of storm. Rain poured down from the heavens and rolled down the mountainsides, flooding the valley beneath their feet. Maximus was about to suggest a change of plan for this trial when they came to a structure on the side of the valley. It was a small dome, built of carved, volcanic stone.
“There is writing on the top of the structure,” Maximus said.
The Chief read the letters, his eyebrows narrowed. His heart broke.
“What is it?”
The Chief kneeled down to one knee. “It is the grave of my father.” The rain poured down upon him and mixed with his tears as he pressed his head against the black stone.
The Chief felt a firm hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry, my friend.”
“I couldn’t save him.”
“This wasn’t your fault.”
Yuran gazed into the distance. “Have I come all the way out here to find nothing but graves?”
“You must not give up hope. This is not the face of the Chief of Shadows! That man did not accept defeat. Only that man can defeat Roko. Only that man can save his sister.”
Yuran’s eyes regained their fiery blaze. “My family suffered by the hands of a man who values power over life. My father died because of him. My sister was trapped because of him. I shall not allow my entire tribe to perish because of him. I will continue in the memory of my father, and in the spirit of my sister. Roko must be stopped.”
Maximus nodded. “Raiden and Sarah are alone out there. We must find them quickly.”
Yuran agreed, and they made for the path. “Wait.” Yuran said getting Maximus attention. “My feet are no longer underwater. Only a few feet back, the water was above our ankles. The rain did not stop. Why has the water level dropped?”
“Perhaps the ground is slanted towards the center.”
“With this amount of rain, it shouldn’t have mattered. There must be a hole in the center. Proceed carefully.”
As Maximus walked slowly towards the center of the path, the water grew deeper and deeper until it reached to his waist. At the very center, the water level seemed to cave in, as if it were moving downwards.”
“You were right. I think I’ve found a hole.”
Yuran trudged to Maximus. “Perhaps we are meant to go through the hole.”
“Or perhaps the hole was a trap meant to pull us under to our deaths.”
The two of them stood for a moment, perplexed. A thunderous noise erupted from the mountaintops, turning their attention upwards.
“I believe we’ve found our answer.” The sky filled with pillars of smoke, steam, and ash as one by one the mountaintops exploded, plumes of lava poured down from their peaks and raced towards the valley like a scorching sea of liquid fire. The rain intensified, turning the puddles in the valley into deep lakes.
“Let’s go!” Yuran shouted, diving underwater. Maximus took one last look at the lava. A huge wave came crashing into him and sent him flying far from the hole.
“No!” he shouted, his wounded arm throbbing with pain. The lava rampaged down the mountain-slopes, burning away everything in its path. Maximus pushed hard against the current, moving as fast as he could against the waves with only one arm. He braced himself as another huge wave surged in his direction. As it crashed down onto him, he tried his best to hold stable, but the wave was too strong. He was pushed under the water and the current carried him back to where he’d started. He swam upwards using his legs and one arm, then gasped for breath at the surface. He looked back towards the mountains. The lava was nearing the bottom. It would hit the valley within seconds.
Someone grasped his arm. He turned around. The Chief glared down at him with loyalty and resolve. “I never leave a warrior behind,” Yuran answered firmly.
“You should have left me. Now we will both perish.”
“My time has not yet come, my friend. And neither has yours.”
“The mountains beg to differ!” The lava had reached the valley and was beginning to spread into the water, heating it up.
“We must reach the valley floor! Now!”
Maximus looked at the Chief’s face and read his plan. He dove under the water and followed the Chief towards the valley floor. The water temperature rose rapidly, and it burned as they swam against the current. At the bottom, the Chief lifted one hand towards Maximus and anchored the other one to the ground. Maximus grasped his hand. The Chief pulled with all his might. Air bubbled from his mouth as he pushed himself and Maximus downwards into the two-dimensional floor, becoming shadows upon its surface. They moved quickly across the valley floor, heading towards the hole in the ground. The lava closed in from all sides of th
e valley towards the center, fossilizing everything it touched.
They reached the hole. The Chief lunged out from the ground, followed by Maximus. The water burnt their skin as they dove towards the hole, the lava tailing inches behind them. They grabbed the edge and launched themselves through, just moments before the lava sealed the opening. They fell down together in a pool of water, then landed roughly against a rock floor. They lay down on the ground, breathing heavily, their muscles numb from exhaustion.
“We survived the end of the world,” Yuran panted in disbelief.
Maximus lifted himself slowly to his feet. “It seems we’ve landed in Hell.”
They stood on a strip of rock, floating in a pool of steaming, bubbling lava. The air was dry and hot. Jagged rocks collapsed erratically from the ceiling, creating platforms and steps on the surface of the pool. The ground shook as a plume of lava erupted beneath one of the platforms and shattered it against the ceiling.
“Chief, over there.” Maximus pointed towards the opposite end of the cave, where there seemed to be a shore of stable, higher ground. “We must reach the other side, and we must do it quickly. The longer we wait, the more platforms will be destroyed by the lava.”
The closest platform floated about ten feet away from the edge. Yuran ran as fast as he could and leaped off the edge of the platform. He flew swiftly over the lava and landed easily on the stone slab, but the force of his landing pushed the slab further away from Maximus.
“Come quickly!” Yuran warned as the distance between them grew. Maximus nodded and ran towards the edge. Just after he jumped, a pulse of lava blew his platform to pieces. He landed beside Yuran, using his right hand to stabilize himself.
“Can you make this next one?” Maximus followed Yuran’s gaze to the next slab, which seemed double the distance of the first.
“You first.”
Yuran moved as far back as he could, then charged towards the edge. He leaped up with all his power and soared through the air. A plume of lava shot upwards just inches behind him as he flew. He landed feet-first on the next platform.
