“Is his power as great as yours, Maximo?” Lex questioned nervously.
“You will need the other half of me to match his power. If fighting him can be avoided…”
“But his power! If I kill him, won’t it be added to yours?”
“It would indeed make me stronger… But fighting him is quite a gamble, even providing you somehow use my other half.”
***
“Your friend is alive,” the man told them. “I have underestimated the lot of you. I will leave for now, but be advised, I will return for my treasure.” With that, the strange man disappeared with Hypno.
“He vanished again,” Kyle said, annoyance in his tone. Still, he was more relieved than anything else.
“This treasure he speaks of,” Zen said, “is it not the spirit in Lex called Maximo?” She sounded scared.
“Yes,” Kyle answered, “but don’t fret. Lex can hold his own.”
“Even against the lightning bender? Didn’t he take you all down?”
“We must hurry to Lex!” Clover joined in.
Lex had just snapped out of the trance. He looked around quickly. “What the--” The Ionide was nowhere in sight. He heard rushing footsteps, and stood and looked up at the edge of the crater.
“Lex!” Clover rejoiced, gladness and sweet relief in her voice. She ran down to him and hugged him tightly, grabbing the discoloured hair on the back of his head.
“Where are the others?” Lex asked. Clover released him. The others had just reached the edge of the crater.
Chapter 32: Raw Deal
“So why didn’t he stick around?” Clover asked, rubbing her arms and shivering, curled up in a ball.
“I guess he just couldn’t face y’all after what he did,” Lex answered, taking another deep bite into his four-pound fish.
“If I had seen him, I would have taken his head off myself!” Kyle said.
“Gosh, this fire ain’t helpin’ in the least!” Clover kvetched.
“I have some tents and blankets back home,” Star said. “I could shift by and grab ‘em.”
“Can’t we just stay there for the night?” Clover begged, “I’m dying here!”
“It’s too dangerous,” Kyle decided. “Just dropping by for a minute could get us in trouble.”
“He’s right,” Lex agreed. “Is it really that cold anyway?” The ice-energy in his blood had made him immune to cold altogether.
“I’ll be right back with the tents and stuff,” Star said, getting up, shivering herself. “I’ll come. In case you run into trouble,” Kyle told her.
“Alright then.” Star grabbed the boy and they vanished in a cloud of mana.
“So…” Clover said, trying to get rid of the slight tension she felt. “You think we’ve seen the last of that Lantern guy and his goons?”
“Hmm. I doubt it.” Lex was glad she started a conversation. “That Electron guy kept saying something about some brother of his. I really hope it was only a bluff… If it weren’t for Mike, he would have gotten the best of me. A more powerful version of him would certainly be a problem.”
“And that Hypno dude, I do hope we’ve seen the last of him!” As Clover rambled on, Lex glanced over to the other side of the fire at Zen. She sat there quietly hugging her knees with her chin rested on them. Her grey eyes mirrored the orange-red of the fire, making an abstract and beautiful picture of dancing shapes. Lex could see that she was deep in thought.
A puff of mana startled the contemplating boy. Star and Kyle had returned with warm blankets and pillows and tent materials.
“Alright, everyone! Dig in and set up!” Star announced. Kyle was already wedging a nail into a piece of cloth with a stone. While everybody else was busy setting up camp, Zen just sat there, unable to help herself. Lex was first to finish building a tent. Putting down the stone and extra nails, he looked back over at Zen. Clover watched him look at her. Lex knew Clover was looking at him, but hoping that she didn’t know that, he walked over to the blind girl. He crouched down before her.
“Zen,” he said. He just realized how watery her eyes were. Without answering, she just sat there, probably trying to stop her tears from falling. “I built you a tent… Come on.” He took her hand. She stood with him. He led her carefully to the tent he had just erected. With Lex’s help, she made her way in easily. Lex went over to the remaining blankets and pillows. He grabbed one of each and hurried back to Zen’s quarters. “Here.” He rested them by her. “Blanket and pillow.” She neither moved nor said anything. The boy knelt inside the tent and neatly fixed them there. Then he remained a moment later. He smiled a little, realizing she had stopped crying, thinking he might have been the cause of that. “Good night, Zen,” he bade and stood to leave.
“Lex,” he heard her whisper. He turned back quickly and stooped before her. Zen stretched her right hand and touched his face, slowly sliding her hand down his cheek. “Thank you,” she said softly. She smiled slightly.
“That’s what friends are for… Sleep well.” He left to go build his own tent.
The night went on quite peacefully. Only an hour after camp was set up, everyone fell asleep. A shift watch system was well planned by Kyle, but only the moon watched them.
***
“Huh? … Mother?” Lex looked at a homely and familiar woman before him. She was glowing angelically and her face was shrouded by brightness. Everywhere except where she was was covered in thick darkness. She turned from him and began walking on a path made by a darkness denser than that which covered everywhere else. The light dimmed as she moved away. “Mom! Wait for me!” He ran after her, but no matter how fast he ran, she only became more and more distant, and the light that shone from her became dimmer and farther away. “No! It’s me, mom! I’m coming!” he shouted, crying, running as fast as he could.
“Mother,” he whispered, opening his eyes to the starry sky. He lay in wonder about his mother and everyone else, everything back home. It had been a while since he had cried in homesickness. I’ve gotten so used to this place… Feelings of guilt flooded his heart, like he had chosen to leave his mother and his world behind. He probably felt guilty for crying so seldom and having such few dreams about his old world and his mother and his old friends. “Mother…” He sat up and tears freely ran down his face.
Tired and bruised up, the crying boy ran straight home, rushing through the open front door. “Mom!” he yelled.
“Lex?!” her voice rang out from upstairs. She was already in worry. “What in--” Her face grew pale as she saw the blackened eyes and bleeding nose on her son’s face.
“He just started beating me outta the blue, mommy!”
“That same wretched boy?!” the furious woman blasted.
“Yes, Jester. I just ran straight home! The teachers don’t do anything about him!”
With fire in her eyes, the woman grabbed Lex by his arm roughly.
“You come with me!” She dragged him through the door, not even being bothered to close it behind her. In a fury Lex always feared when directed at him, his mother briskly walked up the road, not dressed any proper way to leave the house. But that was the least of her worries. As the lad struggled to keep up with his mother’s pace, his schoolmates looked on with varying expressions. He didn’t feel the shame and embarrassment the average boy would feel in such a situation. Instead, he felt a certain courage and sureness, the victory and pride a big brother’s appearance would give most other kids. Grabbing Lex, she dragged him through the halls, making much of a scene. On reaching the principal’s office, she barged in noisily. Sitting comfortably, even smugly before the principal was the bully that pounded Lex just minutes before. Jester’s father was also there, an obese taxi operator that always defended his son’s actions.
“Miss Leo!” the principal greeted, standing briskly.
“You! Filthy slob!” the woman blasted, ignoring the now nervous principal. She grabbed up the heavy boy from his chair and swung him forcefully to a corner of the room, slamming him forcefully
unto the cheaply thin wall, damaging it. “If you ever so much as look at my son again!” she went on in a scary and seriously threatening tone.
“Miss Leo!” the principal tried to restore order.
“You’ll do what?! Get your hands off my boy!” the youth’s father blasted, reaching his hand to grab the woman. Jester wondered how he couldn’t escape the woman’s grasp. The woman turned quickly and slammed a heavy punch in the man’s face. Right in the pie hole! Frightened more than anything else, the man staggered back. By now, a thick crowd had already gathered outside the office, peering in through the glass doors. Lex grinned widely.
This was his well-deserved revenge. The principal turned and looked at the still bewildered man, who was holding his hurting, bleeding mouth. The furious woman looked back at the shaking Jester. His pants were a little damp.
“Next time, it’ll be *your* face!” she promised the bleeding man.
She then flashed a glance at the principal. He stumbled back, nearly tripping over his chair, grabbing on to his tie. She grabbed Lex and headed out with him.
“You sure showed him,” Lex said to himself, smiling. Hm? He looked over at Zen’s tent, hearing some rustling and seeing a bit of movement through the almost opaque fabric. He noiselessly got up and moved over to the tent. Finally, he took a peek inside. Zen was sitting. He saw her smile a little.
“Coming in?” she asked, frightening him.
“Uh… May I?”
She beckoned to him to come inside. He sat just before her.
“So what’re you doing up so late?” he asked.
“Could ask you the same thing,” she quickly answered.
“Heh. I heard you were amazing today!” Lex said, sounding excited, trying still to keep his voice from waking anyone else – especially Clover.
Zen giggled. “I tried my best,” she said modestly.
“Making monsters and shields with your mind! You sure showed him, didn’t you?”
She grinned, tittering again. “I’d never fought like that before… Don’t know how I caught on so quickly really. Well, maybe I think I know how.”
“Yeah?”
“I kept thinking all along that our battle was a decoy to keep us from reaching you. I tried to finish it quickly… I should have known you’d win, though… But I was worried you’d need our help.”
“Well, I’d be dead if my old friend didn’t drop in.”
“Wow… I’m real glad he did, then.”
“… Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Why were you crying earlier?”
“Me? Crying? … You noticed…”
“Of course I did.”
She sighed. “I don’t even… know anymore… I mean… I should be happy now… I have a new life… friends that risk their lives for me.”
“But you can’t seem to let go of your past, can you?” Lex paused a moment, assessing her face. “Hey, don’t worry about it… I used to dream about my past and wake up crying every night.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Zen asked, concern and curiosity in her voice.
“Hm. I forgot… I never told you, did I?”
And with that, Lex began to tell Zen his incredible story. He told her of his mother and his friends from his past life, and wowed her with the things of the time and realm from which he came. After hours of fine conversation and laughing, Zen could stay awake no longer, neither for love nor money. Lex rushed to catch her as she fell back in sleep. The suddenness woke her. “Oh… Lex… So sorry…” she said, getting a little red.
“Heh. Nothing cures tiredness but sleep,” he said, gently laying her head on the pillow. He grabbed her blanket and covered her with it. Zen uttered a heavy sigh.
“Oh Lex…” she whispered, holding on to his face.
“Good night, Zen,” he bade her, holding her frail hand lightly.
***
“I fear we might have to act even more quickly than I desire,” The Lantern said to Hypno. They sat around a table at the back of an old inn’s bar. The others there looked at them with strange expressions and whispering.
“Why is that?”
“Electron has escaped my sight. He is young and foolish, and I believe he is about to get in my way.”
“Hm?”
“As you know, he was supposed to bring the boy back to me in a state bordering death. He was most shamed when the Icemaker and Ionide defeated him. Proton, no doubt, has already gotten word of this. He will soon make his way here, and will simply destroy everything in his path… including the boy and the treasure inside him.”
“Knowing this, what is our next move?”
“Entry into the contract dimension isn’t feed lightly these days, but I don’t see a way around it at the moment.”
“I see.”
“I do not wish to fight these people. My treasure might be damaged in the process.”
“So who do we take?”
“Well, the fewer hostages we take, the less trouble it will cost us.”
“You mean the less dark matter you’ll have to pay.”
“Hm.”
“So what’s your decision?”
“Take two of the females. The youngest two. I get a troublesome reading of mana from the other.”
“Alright then.” So I’ll encounter *her* again…
***
“Clover?! Zen?!” The loud, alarming sound of Kyle’s voice woke Lex.
“What’s going on?” Lex asked, rubbing his eyes. It was sunrise.
“Clover and Zen! They’re both gone!” There was much worry and puzzle in his voice.
“Gone?” Lex stood up quickly, glancing at the two empty tents. “How long have you been up?” Lex tried to stay calm.
“Just now!”
“What’s all this fuss so early?” Star yawned on waking.
“The girls! They’re gone!” Lex informed.
“What?” Star rushed out of her lodging. She searched the two empty tents quickly. “Is this some kinda joke?”
“I’m afraid not,” a sinister voice replied. They turned their attention to the man in the black hat. He was toying with his cane.
“Lantern! What have you done with them?!” Lex raged, already conjuring up two spheres of ice. Kyle drew his sword quickly.
“Alright, alright, settle down,” the man said calmly, settling his cane. “Creating a senseless brawl of chaos won’t get us anywhere. Is this how you folk do business in this world?” His tone of condescension nearly pushed Kyle over the edge.
“Where are they?” Star questioned.
“They are alive and safe. Now, I am a reasonable man. I have not come to fight you. Fighting is so backward. I have come to negotiate.” Kyle itched to charge and make a swing at the man’s head.
“Well we’re listening,” Lex said, still holding tight the spheres of ice energy.
“Good. I think we’re making progress now. Need I restate my reason for being here in the first place? Well just in case anyone missed it, I am after the demon in this boy, as it is--”
“I’m getting impatient, old man! Where’s my sister?! I swear, I’ll cut your head off!”
“Wouldn’t want that now, would we? I want to end this quickly too, young one, but I must first provide you with a bit of background information. I hope you will at least try to understand what I am about to tell you.” He sighed, like a daunting task was at hand. “Firstly, let me grant you knowledge backward folk like you aren’t fated to discover. There is an infinite measure of realms in existence, so this planet and all its dimensions are not even a dot on the multiversal map. Now, I am only here for my dark matter. I seek not violence or strife. The deal on the table is as follows: Lex Leo gives me the dark matter and I release your friends. It couldn’t be simpler, really.”
“Yeah?! And we’re supposed to just trust you’ll do as you say?!” Lex asked.
The Lantern sighed again. “There are so many concepts you in this backward realm will never understand… L
et me try to teach you something… Imagine this planet, earth, as a polygon, with infinite sides. Each side of the shape is another realm of earth, another realm coexisting with all the other countless realms, sharing with them the exact same time and space. Now, a hundred or so of these polygons make up what is called a ‘company’. A hundred ‘companies’ form another group called a ‘complex’. I, in the name of introduction, am from a neighbouring complex, a complex far too advanced and civilized for you to understand. Anyway, let me not go off on a tangent. Each of these ‘polygons’ I spoke of has a certain special realm called a ‘contract dimension’. Most realms in this company don’t even know how to access this special dimension. It is a world where deals are made in a place called a courtroom.”
“We know what bloody courtrooms are!” Kyle blasted.
“Well, I applaud you, young man.” The Lantern said. “Businessmen like myself settle important business deals in these realms.”
“I’m still a little lost,” Lex admitted.
“The point is--”
“Finally,” Kyle breathed.
“Should I go against my word while in this dimension, I will die immediately. Your friends are already being held there.”
“You seem to know so much of different worlds,” Star said musingly and full of interest. “Tell me, where do I go when I die?”
Mike would have loved to meet this man.
“What? You really don’t know that either?” The man seemed surprised. “Well each company has their own system. I can’t discuss that now anyway, or I’ll be late for my appointment with the court.”
“What?” Lex shook his head and his forehead wrinkled.
“I know a guy who knows a guy, so I got a fast appointment. We should leave now.”
“And what if I don’t come with you?”
“Your friends will be killed of course. I’d have no use for them should you refuse to settle this civilly.”
“So how do we get there?” Lex asked, powering down completely, playing along for the moment.
“Portal I.D 8375393975929. Sector 6. Division H,” the man summoned and a bright white portal to appear between him and the others. Star, Lex and Kyle looked on in utter awe and confusion.
The Seventh Spirit Page 45
