Dutybound

by Mark Aaron Alvarez

  “Are you sure you can do this?” Leo asked with a glimmer of worry in his eyes.

  Lucia wasn’t confident, but nodded anyways.

  He fought back the urge to tell her no. The thought of leaving her side right now pained him, but he understood. “Let’s move.”

  ***

  The next moments were like a flash, passing a lot faster than expected. The earth was shaking violently by then, and screams and panic filled the city. It had become a hive of chaos. Buildings were collapsing as the ground crumbled. Sparks of purple lightning stretched across the sky as a stinging rain fell, dissolving the stone on which it touched. Lucia and the others were running from the tower as lightning struck at its top, hitting the citrine crystal and causing it to burst into flames. A gigantic explosion rumbled through the tower as each of its levels fell onto the next.

  Lucia’s gut turned. The citrine crystal exploded just as she had foreseen. How accurate were these visions—these prophecies? Was there any point to stopping them? Lucia pushed back the thought. She could not allow herself to think that way. She could not let go of hope.

  They found their way onto the bridge ahead of the tower as it fell backward from the cliff. Like a slow nightmare, the chill of the air grew unbearably cold. The rain froze into stinging darts, piercing into their clothing. “It hurts so much,” Leo cried as he noticed his skin coated with blood. This storm was meant to bring about suffering. It was not in its nature to deliver a quick death.

  Winds ripped at Lucia’s clothing and hair as they ran into the crumbling and crying city. She held on to her band, trying to keep it from flying from her head as she fixed her gaze out toward the sea. She could not see it yet, but she knew it was there. It was calling to her, hissing its false promises, its sinful wishes. They ran down to the edge of the cliff, anticipation building as they came upon it above the bloodstained sands of the Aldric shore.

  It was there that they first witnessed the vengeful power of the serpent—a sight so chilling it burned deep into the back of Lucia’s mind. Each of her senses flared into overdrive, ringing as her eyes widened at the glare of the enormous monstrosity. It was at least a hundred times larger than the demon in Moz, and so much larger than the phantom and its many forms. She could not determine which was more terrifying. And somehow, it could sense her approaching.

  It stood tall, rising high from a pool of black tar that expanded across the surface of the ocean, absorbing all the light that met it. Its skin was pitch black, like that of the monsters they had seen within the tower. Were they monsters themselves, or merely a part of this one? The serpent of doom was writhing, horned and sharp-toothed. The horns curved beneath its blazing scarlet eyes—eyes like drops of blood painted on a black canvas.

  Turning its enormous head towards Lucia, she was sure it shined a demented grin as it slowly approached the edge of the cliff. Lucia stood frozen, almost charmed by the snake’s gaze. Lucia noticed how Luzanna’s eyes went blank as she met the monster’s.

  “Come on,” Luzanna cried, pulling Lucia back as the serpent darted and snapped at her.

  They ran for their lives as the beast let out a deep roar, shaking the air. It chuckled as they dashed down toward the shore.

  There was an intense surge as the serpent sent out a thick ripple of force from its body, knocking every person off their feet. It sent out another roar of laughter as its head rose over the city. “This is so much fun, watching you cower in fear,” it hissed. “Your light is weaker than I thought.”

  “Hurry!” Leo commanded, jumping to his feet. He pulled Lucia back as black-bladed tentacles sprang from their portals, like geysers, from the ground. “Move, now!” he screamed, forcing them to run faster.

  The tentacles charged, homing in on Luzanna as she led them away from the cliff. The blades fell close behind her, barely missing.

  The Light Wings were pulsating brilliantly as Lucia’s emotion swelled yet again. The light radiated, glowing brighter and brighter as the darkness sent out another roar. The Light Wings were merging with her spirit, uniting with it and drawing on her pain. The pendant tugged at her chest, pinching at her spine. Her strength was building as she ran down the stone spiral steps along the city’s outskirts. The shore materialized beneath her feet as her boots splashed on the bloodstained sand. And just as Lucia made out the bodies of the Carists in the distance, she felt Luzanna’s heart break.

  Luzanna snatched up a bloody spear from one of the fallen. She hurried onto the shore, and with a loud warlike yell she let out, “Faaather!”

  Leo raced after Luzanna, giving Lucia a slight nod before leaving her side.

  Lucia slowly took her position at the edge of the vast shore. It was low tide, as if the beast was drawing the water in. A thick cloud of dark matter hovered over the water’s icy surface. At the base of the serpent was a mass of tentacles wrapping around each other like a nest of vipers. Lucia’s intuition was correct. The tentacles connected to this monster. There weren’t many monsters—just one hideous, demented source of temptation. The beast was another piece of the darkness, a spawn of a different sin. Just like the pride of Pinea, this sin was here to feed on the sins of the Carist.

  Thousands of tentacles swarmed the beach. Their blades cut into the Carist soldiers, falling, impacting, missing, and impaling them as they struggled to stay in formation, firing their cannons and releasing their spears into the air. Lucia was afraid. There was no escaping the intensity of the anguish she felt, but as soon as those blood-red eyes found and fixed on her, she clenched her fists.

  The serpent smiled before lowering its head into a sharp coil. “Don’t you see? It’s hopeless. You can’t save them. They’ve all been corrupted. Their souls are stained by their delicious sin. Fighting me is no use when I exist in every heart. I feel every beat before it stops. I know every move before it’s ever made.”

  Its words sent chills down her spine. Could it really have such power? To see into the hearts of men? What sin was this? “Who do you think you are?” Lucia flared as the wing flashed in anger. “You are not worthy to speak to me. I am your enemy, here to destroy you!”

  It laughed, sending another heavy shock wave and knocking the army to its knees.

  Lucia struggled to stay up, covering her face as the sand stormed around them. She looked in haste, trying to retain her sight of Luzanna and Leo, but she had lost them in a sea of running bodies.

  “Don’t bother looking. They’re most likely dead.”

  Lucia glared back at the beast. “You’re full of lies, aren’t you?”

  “Believe what you want, but your fragile light will burn out soon enough. They were right to abandon you, just as your father did. It makes for easy prey.” The beast laughed once more, except this time as if it had a sense of pity. “You are weak.” It lowered its glare. “Just . . . like . . . him.”

  Lucia’s heart hardened. What could this sin know? It wasn’t true. She was not weak. And her father . . . Is it reading my thoughts? No, it couldn’t live in every heart. Could it? “What do you know? I’m here to fight! My friends fight. My father fights.”

  “You mean fought,” hissed the serpent. “Because he’s dead. Just like you soon will be.”

  “Shut up!”

  “I assure you, your father died a coward’s death. You know you’ve thought about it. How he abandoned you and your family. How he didn’t deserve your love. I know because you covet. You covet your friends for how much their fathers loved them. Their fathers would die for them! One already has. The other, soon enough. But yours, a pity he was. It was a pleasure ripping him to shreds.”

  Its laughter shook through her mind, fragmenting it as her heart sank. No . . . . Her grief turned to agony as she realized it spoke the truth.

  “They have and will. All fathers will die. Just like yours.”

  “No,” Lucia cried, trying to hold back her tears. “What are yo
u?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?” the serpent roared. “I am the corruption of your perception, the deceiver of your hope. I am your envy . . . the bane of your self-righteousness.”The deceiver of my hope . . . the corruption of my perception . . . the bane of my self-righteousness. Lucia’s thoughts were spiraling as she felt it deep within her heart. The coil of its tail wrapped around, and with the tip it pierced her.

  “Lucia!”

  Suddenly, Lucia’s sight shattered as the pendant vibrated, sending ripples of light through the air. The beast cowered back, hissing as it sent another shock wave toward the shore. It almost had her.

  She felt herself falling, almost as if its slithers were tempting her to give in to it. She felt as if her own heart had betrayed her as she’d listened to the serpent’s words. There was some truth in all of it, but never had she ever taken it seriously. Not even her darkest inclinations could cause her to stray from her duty. Orders were orders. Duty above all else.

  Lucia collected her thoughts, listening for the voice of the Light Wings. Slowly, they came to her, telling her what she must do. “Relax, my child. Let me guide you.” And with that, Lucia was overcome by a wave of emotion.

  At that moment, Lucia crossed her hands and lifted them above her head. She trusted in the light, letting it in. Forgive me, she thought as she cleared the doubt that sin had rooted within her subconscious. In that moment, she felt the spirit course through and her body tingled. The Light Wings glowed with a bright incandescence. It was blinding as it poured from Lucia’s chest. The light pushed back over her body, coating her blouse and encasing her within a chrysalis of bright light. The light was dripping down her body and over her boots, merging with the fabric of her clothing and etching golden strands into it. “I grant you my protection,” the Light Wings whispered as it charged her with holy might. The light traced up her arms, wrapping around her wrists and the palms of her hands until they were enveloped in its heavenly shine. Brilliant and serene, her hands emerged completely transformed, gloved in glorious gold; all while her body, too, changed.

  Lucia’s clothes, tattered by her journey, had been restored and imbued with a nearly invincible material. Her boots had become lighter than anything she had ever worn. They covered most of her legs and made her feel as if she were floating over the sand beneath her feet. Her blouse was composed of a decorative golden mail that draped over her shoulders. Like her boots, it was incredibly light. It had accents of opal, amethyst, and sapphire across its collar, and from its back a cloak fell below her waist. What is this? she thought, looking at her hands and then at herself. What had she become?

  Both of her hands were covered with beautiful gloves bearing runes of many colors written across her knuckles. Lucia was not at all sure what they meant, but she felt as if they were somehow familiar. Violet, magenta, blue, gold—haven’t I seen these colors before? She didn’t have time to think much about it before the Light Wings entered her thoughts to explain the purpose of the gloves. “Lend these gloves your faith as you pray,” they whispered from the pendant. “Fill them with your virtue, and use them to control your light.”

  Lucia looked at her hands, dazzled. She smiled as she felt the light’s power within them.

  The beast snarled, “Those cursed wings. They still are no match for sin—not without their virtue.” It let out an echoing roar as Lucia clenched her fists.

  “Enough of your games,” Lucia called out, pointing her finger. “I will end you.” It was just a split second before the tip of her finger began to shimmer. “Judgment is here!” she cried, letting go of a divine ray. It beamed through the air heading toward the monstrosity.

  It didn’t take long for the beast to pull back its tentacles, removing them from the beach and the heat of battle so it could use them for cover to absorb the blast.

  But before it could reveal itself once more to counterattack, Lucia darted down the shore. She hovered lightly with each step, swiftly crossing over the coastline and gaining speed before she jumped into the fray and out of sight.

  The beast snarled as it lost sight of her. “You can’t hide from me!”

  “Everyone, get into formation around me, quickly!” Lucia commanded as the mob of frightened Carists cowered away from her. “I am not your enemy. Together, we can win. Please, hurry up and get around me before it—”

  There was a splash of blood as Lucia was knocked backward by a black force. Bodies of Carists flew through the air. Body parts fell all around her as she tumbled across the sand. Lucia turned to see an onyx blade pointing down at her.

  “Found you.”

  “No!” she screamed, putting a hand over her face. The beast had her cornered.

  “The stupidity. Shielding yourself with mere mortals. Is this the best the Light Wings could come up with? I was hoping for more of a fight.”

  Suddenly, there was a flash of blue as silver clashed with the darkness. Red-hot sparks flew as Leo emerged from behind Lucia holding a dagger stained with dark, dripping ooze. This was the blood of the beast, black like tar. “Lucia, are you okay?” He hurried to pull her to her feet. His careful eyes never lost sight of the serpent. He held her close as he took his position beside her. “So this is it, huh?” he asked, almost gleefully. “We’re really fighting this—thing.”

  The tentacles started to rise, climbing up high and over the cliffs. Eventually, they sped up and shot into the thundering clouds and disappeared. In the distance, Lucia watched the head of the serpent. Something about its gaze looked annoyed. Was it actually starting to worry? She couldn’t know for sure, but she knew it was planning another attack, a big one. She had to think fast. She couldn’t be caught off guard again. This time, she needed a plan of her own. Up to this point, everything had been pure luck. The Light Wings had acted on impulse, but this time she would control the outcome.

  She let her eyes wander a bit before she caught sight of gold in the distance. Talon, armed with a spear, walked through shallow water. He was moving in close, pointing his spear directly at the head of the beast. Was he getting ready to throw it? There is no way he can reach it! Luzanna was running toward him as he arched his hand back and, with one swift release, sent the spear flying freely through the air. It soared, catching speed as a sudden gust blew from behind. Blessed by the light, his spear shot directly into the beast. He actually did it.

  Lucia stuck out a glowing hand, seeing the opportunity to change the tides of the battle. We can win this! She focused her faith into the spear, filling it with light. And then, like a bolt of lightning, light erupted from the blade of the spear building and flaring into the sky within a pillar of white-hot fire. There was a burst of magenta sparks as the fiery pillar shattered the beast’s right horn to pieces.

  The beast of sin wailed in pain as Luzanna grasped her father’s hand and withdrew him backward, toward what was left of the Carist army. “Father, are you crazy?” she asked frantically. “Why are you still fighting? We need to save everyone. I need to save you!”

  “No, Luzanna, you need to live. Trust me, this is my destiny.” He tried to break free from her hands. “You must go now and take who you can to safety.”

  “But she can save you. She will save us all. Please. I can’t let you die!”

  “Luzanna, I have served my purpose. I must do what I can to defend my kingdom and ensure you live to serve yours. I’m placing my hope in you!” he shouted.

  His eyes swelled with overwhelming compassion as he looked into Luzanna’s tearful stare. “I love you, my sweet dove. I will always be with you.” Talon tore off his visor, exposing his fury. He pushed back his silver hair as he kissed the beak of Luzanna’s mask. With one last touch to his daughter’s shoulder, and one last look, he flew toward the sea with his armor glistening with gallant flames.

  “Father!” Luzanna cried. She watched as he took up a bloody spear.

  Lucia, with a quick flourish of her
hand, sent a light into the spear as Talon skillfully threw it toward the face of the beast. The light guided the spear through the air, bursting into white flames as it met with the neck of the monster.

  Leo ran to Luzanna and held her back at her shoulders as she tried to dash toward her father. “Can’t you see?” Leo told her. “He’s the only one who can do this. He’s the only one who can hit the beast! Look.” Leo pointed his finger toward her father as the warrior took up another spear and sent it hurling into the air. He turned Luzanna around, looking into her broken eyes. “Talon is strong. If he fights with Lucia, we might win this. So please, do what he says and help the others. Your mother needs you. Your people need you! Focus on saving them while we focus on saving him. He’s fighting for you, Luzanna. He’s fighting for all of us.”

  Luzanna bowed her head as Leo touched her face. She clenched her fist, trying to contain her emotions. Then she moved her tearful gaze away from the battle, knowing he was right. Her father was strong. She couldn’t think of anyone better to fight alongside Lucia, but there was this terrible aching in her heart.

  Leo pleaded, “Please, go.”

  Luzanna swallowed hard and took in a deep breath. Reluctantly, she nodded before turning on her heel and running toward the remaining Aldric army.

  The sky filled with dark purple lightning. Suddenly, there was a large quake. It stretched across the sky as blades fell like rain. They fell faster than a single thought could cross the mind. Lucia brought up her hand in a panic, sending up the flare of two bright pillars. Nothing beats the speed of light, Lucia thought. The light shot toward the heavens and brought a series of multicolored pops that tore through the blades off the tentacles, radiating and reflecting as they bounced and merged into each other like a brilliant cosmic display. Their black skin caught fire within the light’s white inferno, dissolving them into ash. The beast wailed in anger and agony as his tentacles burned away. It growled before fixing its sight on Lucia.