by Mark Russo
“You will feel dizzy at some point. When that happens, remove that thing from around your neck, and do not wear it again.” He faced me to add emphasis. “I can imagine what Valu is doing with it.”
“Where is it we are going?” I asked, changing the subject.
“You’ll find out soon. Less talking, more walking.”
I thought for a second to stick my sword in his dumb face.
We were walking in an old, abandoned railway that delved deeper into the underground layer of Paris. Parts of the cave’s ceiling had peeled to the ground, revealing the destruction and desolation that wrapped the city whole.
Akko crouched into a very tiny hole in the lateral wall and asked us to follow him.
Me and Emma looked at each other but tagged along.
I kneeled to shuffle through, and when I stood again, I found myself in a narrow corridor. The area was poorly lit, and I instinctively extended my arms.
Akko turned on a flashlight and brightened the area.
Even if I focused, I could not see where that passage would end. I had no idea where it led either.
My mentor did not utter a single syllable and resumed marching forward, venturing even deeper in the earth’s belly.
My hands were fidgeting a little. My skin would itch when his light revealed a spider web or, literally, anything else in there. When I stepped on something that cracked, I squealed. “Is this a human bone, Akko?”
“Yes, there are many down here. Don’t be scared. Dead people are not very dangerous. These are the Paris catacombs. It is one of the largest underground graveyards on this planet, that’s why the bones. I need your help activating a device I can’t operate alone.”
“Wow, that is the most you’ve talked so far.” I could not resist teasing him.
He remained silent and did not poke me back. He would do that all the time in Aeg.
The more we walked, the more the place felt like an immense maze, but Akko treaded confidently, as he had a clear map of the place in his mind. We passed an area where the tunnel widened, and a lot of graffiti on the black walls appeared. The ceiling creaked here and there, so I could not help but keep my head up all the time.
“Will this place collapse on our heads?” I asked when I could not take it anymore.
“Why do you think I am in such a rush?”
That did not reassure me much.
At some point, we passed through a partially submerged area. The water rose higher as it reached my calves then my knees. I did not dare ask where the water was coming from. When we left the wetness behind and my jeans were still soaking, Akko thought it was about time to crouch into yet another minuscule hole in a wall. It looked so tiny I doubted my body would fit in there.
“Come on. We are almost there,” I heard his disembodied voice from inside the wall.
I closed my eyes and thrusted my poor body into the narrow crawlspace, followed by Emma. I scratched my forehead on a rock, but it did not seem too bad. When Akko’s flashlight made it all bright again, we found ourselves in front of what I assumed to be a door.
He stopped walking and faced us. “Let’s get to work. Emma, I want you on the lever on the right of the door. Maria, go to the one on the left-hand side.” He never said please.
Once we moved to the sides of the rusty metal piece, I asked him for his next orders.
“On my three, pull those levers.” Akko removed a key adorned with a very intricate design from his front pocket.
I did not bother asking; I couldn’t bear another of his riddles.
His countdown came much earlier than I had expected. “Three, two, one,” he enunciated, like a little kid.
All our hands actioned a very noisy device I still had no clue about.
The machine behind the door clanked and screeched for some more, and Akko did not comment or look at me at all. He opened the door and tilted his head toward the room. I guess he meant we should follow him.
I entered and noticed a light switch on my right-hand side, so I flipped it. A large circular room appeared before me with crude stone walls. At the center lay the weirdest machine I had ever seen. Three large gears lined before us with a tall glass container behind it. The fluid inside resembled purple jelly, but I was not sure it was edible.
I could not believe my eyes when Akko faced us and held a mini lecture on the absurd device. “Now, we activate this. I will not get into too much detail, but this will stop the planes for merging any further.”
“Will this process revert the process?” Emma asked in an oddly ascending voice.
“No, that is not possible. But it can get worse than it already is. Trust me.”
“How does this thing work?” I asked.
“We need to activate the three wheels at the same time. Just let them spin to the left, on my signal.”
“How come the Communion did not destroy this thing too?”
“They do not know it is here, Maria. Even if they took this one down, I built more in other parts of this planet.”
I lifted my right thumb to him. He had it prepared all along.
We took position by the wheels, but before spinning them, Emma asked, “If we stop the planar collapse, does it mean we can use portals again?”
“That is the precise reason we are doing this,” he answered in a warm voice then started the countdown again.
I grabbed the large cogwheel and spun it left as the others were doing the same. The three large gears gyrated noisily, putting the machine into motion. The purple liquid in the glass cage bubbled, and a few other odd sounds crowded the room.
“Okay, it’s done,” Akko explained. “Now we need to meet with the others.”
“What do we do once we find them?” I asked.
“We end the Great Communion once and for all,” he said very seriously. He didn’t waste time and opened a portal.
“Where do we meet the others?” Emma asked.
“In Stuttgart. They should have reached the city by now.”
We all lined up, walked through the usual blinding light portals emit, and the three of us appeared in a short alleyway in a German city I had never visited before. Both sides of the road showed an equal level of devastation. Plane K creatures did not spare their energies in eradicating every single building.
“Girls, the beacon should be close. Let’s keep our eyes open.”
“Sure thing,” Emma and I said in perfect unison.
As we left the back street, we bumped into more collapsed buildings. The debris appeared way more colorful than in Paris. We silently followed Akko. It was quiet all around us. We did not see monsters or humans fighting or running in all directions, as we did in Paris.
The Grand Master on the Path of Time tilted his head toward me. “They are here, in the series, now. Bring Emma in there too.”
I did not get what was happening, but I did not ask him to repeat it. I snatched Emma’s hand and ran.
The three of us entered a temporal series, and Akko said, “Kelm and Vihkan are here.”
Emma stopped walking, so I clung tighter onto her fingers.
“We have to keep moving if we want to stay safe,” I told her.
She panned left and right as I talked to her. It was her first time inside a series, so I didn’t mind her being that absentminded.
“As long as we stay in here, we are safe,” I explained.
“The last time we faced one of them, it almost killed me. Now there’s two of them.”
“This time, I’m here, Emma. I’m sure the others will join us soon. We just need to buy a little time,” Akko said.
Outside the tunnel, I glimpsed something approaching us. They were searching for a way in. “Will they manage to get in, Akko?” My voice sounded shriller than I expected.
“Actually, I really hope they do.”
I’d had my hand wrapped around my sword the whole time, but he only commented on it then.
“Do you know how to use that, Maria?”
“I’m not sure I understan
d your question,”
“Stay by Emma’s side. I just had an amazing idea.” He bolted, jumping outside the series. His body disappeared, as if he had fallen into a vertical water stream, with a brief splashing sound to announce his way out.
“This is so cool,” Emma said. “It’s like we are walking inside a breathable ocean.”
“Okay, we probably spend too much time together,” I joked.
“Is the pendant doing anything?” she asked.
“Yes. I finally stopped snoring at night.”
She chortled.
Akko leapt back into the series. He had dragged a guy with him. “Now, Maria!”
I ran toward them and swung my blade deep in the person’s throat.
A lot of blood poured out, covering his entire body. He gurgled something, but his words were unintelligible.
“Let’s leave him here. He will never leave this place,” Akko said.
The guy tried to cling onto him, but Akko pushed him back with his stick. Akko hit the guy hard on his legs. I heard bones breaking.
“Take Emma. Let’s leave this series.”
And so we did; we were in that city again.
“What just happened?” Emma asked.
“The only skills that work in a temporal series are those from Path of Time. We trapped him in there forever. There’s another one, we have not won yet,” Akko said.
I surveyed the surrounding area stone by stone, but I was looking for a Path of Mind marcher; those are invisible by definition.
“I don’t like this. She should have attacked us already.” Akko wielded his stick with both his wrinkly hands.
“Is that so?” The woman we had seen in Paris stood before us again.
I thundered toward her, my blade emitting various colored lights.
She threw her left hand forward. “Stop! I do not want to fight.”
Emma and Akko came by my side.
“I’m outnumbered, and I really do not want to taste that sword again. Let’s make a deal.”
4 years later
25
Emma
The uniform they had designed for me unflatteringly emphasized my stomach. Damn, mirror. I left my office and turned back. The placard on the doorframe read, Emma Ricci, Master On The Path Of Mind. That was the win I needed in that moment.
A few students crowded the corridor before me. When they saw passing, they lined up and stopped talking.
“At ease, guys. I expect you downstairs in five minutes. The opening ceremony is a mandatory event for everyone.”
They nodded. One of them had turned pale.
I turned left and took the stairs leading to the main hall.
Some robots were still taking care of the renovations we had planned for the building.
Vaim approached me, looking super gruff in his suit and tie. “Maria’s first-year students have been sitting for almost thirty minutes. Where the heck is she? We agreed she would have the opening speech.”
“I can do that too. Do not panic, my cyborg friend.”
“I’ve told you many times I am not a cyborg.”
“Not now, Vaim. Not now.”
Many other students and trainers slowly approached the main door. Some waved at me. The crowd opened a corridor for me to move past them. Our school’s outer court was under renovation too. A robot was having a hard time planting a huge tree in a small green area before me.
I walked on cobbles, and my heels hurt a little, but I did not show it. The path led to a platform where we had placed over a hundred chairs. Some people were sitting already. I said hi several times. I moved to the right-hand side of the stage next to James.
“I have no idea if the knot on my tie is right. Can you help?” he asked.
“No one will notice. Do not worry. Also, I know nothing about ties.”
“Where is Maria?”
“Why is everyone obsessed with her today?” I climbed the tiny staircase and approached the podium. The mic seemed fine when I tested it.
More people took their seats and chitchatted. Another group was sharing some laughs.
I scanned for Maria but did not see her. The School of the Paths seemed so majestic from where I stood. It slightly reminded me of EIBM. When I emerged from the depths of my thoughts, I saw dozens of eyes looking at me. I peeked right and managed to read James’s lips: Just go for it.
“Hello, everyone, and welcome to the opening ceremony for the second year of the School of the Paths. I’d like to start by thanking all the people who worked so hard in the last years for bringing all us together here today. James, Vaim, all this would have not been possible without you guys.”
A spontaneous applause surprised me.
I took a sip of water; my throat had become quite dry. “This year, we will proceed with training our students on the three main paths that Plan K brought to us: Mind, Space, and Time. We want to treasure the plane merging rather than focus its effects on our lives. We will grow together as a community, and we will change this world for the better.”
This time, the audience clapped for me.
“Thanks. This means the world to me. Let me add something. This year, with the help of our Grand Masters, we will finally tackle the most important issue our world faces these days. I’m talking about the planes’ merger, as you all know.”
Almost all people in front of me nodded, as I was stating an obvious truth.
“Our recent findings bring us to think we will manage to contain and, possibly, revert the damage the Great Communion caused four years ago. Now, let me ask you something. Who wants in?”
An ocean of hands floated before me. Some guys shouted to underline their commitment and willingness to participate.
“Your trainers will share the operation’s details tomorrow. In the second part of the year, we will kick off the second step of our plan. We will travel to the most critical areas of our planet to tackle the merger directly, but let’s not jump the gun already. Now it’s time for us to celebrate. Let’s see what the chefs have prepared for us today.”
Another round of applause moved the surrounding air.
When I left the podium, Akko was the first person who approached me, looking so funny in our uniform. “We searched everywhere. If she’s still here, she must hide really well.” He never learned how to greet people properly.
“Let’s not panic now. We do not want to show the students we just lost one of our senior members. We will discuss this later. Now we smile and chat with all these people.”
He grunted something, but I kept walking.
I reached the buffet and grabbed some finger food. After I tasted it, I reached for more.
“That was an excellent speech. Well done, Emma.”
“Are you about to pull out the Maria thing too? I have my hands full at the moment with eating all I can, Valu.”
“Not now. Too many people are around us. I dodged two questions already about her whereabouts.”
“Those are excellent communication skills. You also proved you can handle stress much better than the others.”
He grabbed some crab cakes and looked over my shoulder. “There is one thing worth mentioning though.”
I instinctively followed his gaze.
“Who is that? I don’t remember him,” he asked.
We approached the handsome stranger.
“I am sure he was here,” I said.
“That makes two of us,” Valu added.
“Let me know if you see him again. Let’s entertain our students now.”
We split ways, and he stopped to chat with one of our trainers, firmly shaking his hand.
My head hurt a little. Then I heard a voice talking from inside of my head. “Did you like my new suit, Emma?”
“Vagras? Is that you?”
“Yes, it is me. Long time no see, uh?”
“I’d have to agree. I must admit, I did not miss you at all.”
“I’m not reaching out to you for exchanging pleasantries, Emma. We ha
ve a problem at the Red Vault.”
“And why are you telling me? Valu deals with that thing.”
“I would agree with you. If what has been stolen—”
“Something was stolen?” I shouted.
“Yes. The spectacle.”
“You are referring to that specific spectacle, right?”
“Exactly. The prototype. We don’t even know if it works.”
“We will find out soon, I suppose. How did someone steal something from there? Maybe you took it.”
“Yes, Emma. Stealing from me makes all the sense in the world.”
“After the ceremony, I’ll ask Valu to join you there. I hope you guys will have fun pretending like you are mystery detectives.”
He mind-snorted.
I surveyed all the attendees.
Some students glanced at me, whispering in each other’s ears. From among them popped up Laura. I hadn’t seen her until that moment.
She smiled widely while coming by my side. “Impressive speech. You are a natural leader.”
“I wish that was true. I’ve spent the last month working on my public speaking skills in case something went wrong today.”
“Well, at least it worked. I hate to be that person, but you have to see something.”
“Please tell me you have good news.”
“I wish I could do that.”
We passed the side of the building, away from the noise of all that chattering.
She opened a side door and invited me in before her.
We reached a compact boiler room that smelled terrible.
“What the hell is that?” I asked.
“I hoped you could tell me, Emma.”
To be continued …
III
Hell's Gifts, Volume 3
Mark Russo
1
Valu
When I arrived, walking from a portal, Vagras was hiding behind one of the vault’s columns. “I think you own me more than an explanation!”
He shuffled a pair of uneven paces before I could see him. The new human face he was provided with rolled his eyes subtly. “I already told you. I do not know what happened. We were robbed.”
“You were the only one here. You know that answer is not good enough. Not good at all.”
