“Decide what?” Raiden asked aggressively, filled with impatience and unease, having seen and heard about enough.
Suddenly, the man gasped. His head flung downwards.
“Decide what?” Raiden repeated anxiously.
The man’s head shot back upwards. To Raiden’s horror, his eyes had changed. They were pure black.
“I have decided!” The man shouted hysterically, “I serve the darkness! My master comes tonight! He feeds! Oh, how wonderful, Master, come and feed!”
Suddenly, the man’s face began to shrivel, and his skin turned black. His body began to deform as he shrieked in agony, morphing into a terrible creature. He coughed and cried, laughed and screamed. And then, he lost control. He looked at Raiden, his forked tongue thirsty for life. He shrieked as he pounced from all fours. Raiden dove out of the way.
That’s it, screw the guards, I’m getting the hell out of here!
Raiden sprinted away from the creature and turned out into the previous alley. And then, when he emerged from the smoke, he saw them. Hundreds of them. They swarmed down from the heavens, cloaking the sky in a sheet of darkness. Their terrible cries struck fear down to the hearts of the village and all those within.
“Stop right there!”
The guards blocked his path at the end of the alley, drawing their swords.
“Run! Get out of here!” Raiden yelled desperately. He pounced into the air and flew over their heads, using the power of the amulet.
The guards looked at each other for a moment, puzzled. And then they saw it, emerging from the smoke.
“You cannot stop them! You cannot stop the Decrepit!” The man crawled out from the back of the alley, revoltingly disfigured, his face hideously skinny and grey. The guards swung their swords, but it was no use. The creature tore through them like paper.
Raiden raced through his memories as he ran, trying to remember anything useful.
The Decrepit…I’ve heard that name before…the Decrepit…
And then, Raiden remembered. The woman-creature back in the music tribe. What she had said before she died.
“Beware the Decrepit…”
Raiden reached the temple courtyard, only to find it smothered in flames. The panicked villagers ran desperately around the courtyard, their hearts struck with terror. The Decrepit crashed down through the temple’s roof, ripped through the building, and set it ablaze with black fire. Their shrieks tore through the air like claws against slate. They rained down from the heavens like a plague of darkness, soaking the poor souls below in blood.
Burning walls and refreshment stands collapsed around him as Raiden rushed through the courtyard. Everywhere he looked, people were being slaughtered. Raiden saw a flash of electricity zap through the air as an Absorber tried to fight back, only to be cut down by a blade to his throat. Farther down, he saw a circle of knights surrounding a grand, white chariot, defending it with their lives. They shot forth wind, earth, lighting, and fire, but it was no use. The Decrepit circled above them like birds of prey, taunting their helpless victims. Terrible cries of pain shook the air as they cut the knights down one by one, tearing through their armored chests with jagged blades of darkness.
Raiden’s heart raced, his mind switched into survival mode, shutting out all the horrors and the chaos, focusing on the task at hand.
“Kiara!” he shouted, “Kiara, where are you?”
He jumped over dozens of corpses as he ran, many of them burnt to crisp. People cried for help all around him, many of them injured or dying, but Raiden couldn’t stop; he just couldn’t. He needed to find Kiara.
“Raiden!”
Raiden spun around at the sound of a woman’s voice, only to find Sable in the form of a tiger, with white and orange fur stretching from her face to her tail, standing between a Decrepit and a small child crying helplessly alone on the grass floor. Sharp fangs sprung out from her mouth, and claws unsheathed from between her knuckles.
“Help!” she cried. She let out a ferocious growl and pounced at the Decrepit, only to be knocked away by its force.
Raiden hesitated, but when he saw the fear on the child’s face, he didn’t have a choice. His amulet began to glow. He charged at the Decrepit, ducked swiftly under its spinning blades, and tore his fist straight through its body. As the creature screamed, Sable pounced back up from the flames and dug her fangs deep into the creature’s neck.
Raiden ran over to the child and lifted it from the ground.
“Have you seen Kiara?” Raiden shouted above the screams of war.
“No, I’m sorry!” Sable roared back.
Raiden looked down for a moment, disheartened. Then he pulled himself together and shifted back into focus.
“I’ll find her!” he hollered. “Take the baby and get as far away as you can!” He held the child out to her.
Sable nodded. She took the baby gently in her jaw and darted through the flaming fields on all fours.
Raiden continued his search through the flames, occasionally smashing his way past a Decrepit. As he ran around the charred remains of the royal chariot, he spotted the Priest Jaaro, his leg stuck under the crushed skeleton of one of the hovercars. Kaiyu tried frantically to free his father as the Decrepit circled above them.
“Leave him!” Raiden yelled as he ran past. “Kaiyu, you have to leave him!”
Kaiyu turned to look at him, his eyes strewn with tears of pain and horror.
“I can’t leave him!” Kaiyu cried. “He’s my father! Help me save him, please!”
As hard as he tried, Raiden couldn’t leave the boy to die. He cried out with rage and ran back to the chariot, just as the Decrepit dove down for their attack.
“Now!” he cried, grabbing hold of the hovercar beside Kaiyu. “Lift!”
The Priest woke up, screaming in pain as they moved the giant hunk of metal with their combined strength.
“Now pull him out!” Raiden commanded.
Kaiyu let go of the vehicle, leaving Raiden to hold it alone as he dragged his father out from under the metal. Just as he finished, a Decrepit swooped down and dug its blade into Kaiyu’s shoulder. Kaiyu cried out in agony. Before the beast could strike again, Raiden grabbed its neck from behind and hurled it away.
Suddenly, Raiden looked up as the chariot door smashed open. His eyes widened in surprise as Kiara dove out from the flames, her clothes burned and tattered, her skin on fire. She absorbed the flames into her body. Her breathing was heavy, her eyes in a state of panic. His spirit lifted at the sight of her, safe and unhurt. He ran towards her with tears of joy, thanking the heavens she wasn’t one of the corpses lying still among the ash.
“Raiden!” Kiara cried with tears of relief.
Suddenly, just before Raiden could reach her, a Decrepit burst out from behind her and stabbed its dark, steely blade through her chest.
“No!” Raiden screamed.
He ran forward and caught her as she fell from the chariot. The Decrepit disappeared. Kiara gasped for breath, blood soaking through what was left of her skirt. She looked up into Raiden’s eyes.
“I love you too, Kiara,” Raiden chocked in desperation, his cheeks streaming with tears. “I love you too.” He bent down and kissed her gently on the lips. Kiara put her trembling hands on Raiden’s cheeks and gazed at him with both love and terror. And then, she closed her eyes, and her hands grew cold.
Raiden laid her head down slowly onto the floor. His heart was torn to shreds, left with nothing but pain and a dark, insatiable rage. He stood up, his face strewn with tears, and let out a thunderous cry towards the heavens. As he stood, a Decrepit materialized behind him and thrust its blade. An angry caw sounded as Skarai dove in from the sky like an arrow and pierced straight through the Decrepit. The Decrepit spun around in confusion, just in time to receive a barrage of pin missiles from the Akary’s wings. Raiden twirled around and finished the Decrepit with a blow to the head, powered by his amulet. The amulet shone brighter than ever before, and Raiden’s eyes
glowed along with it. Skarai perched himself upon Raiden’s shoulder as more ghastly Decrepit gathered around, hissing foully and gritting their abhorrent, black teeth. What was left of the old man joined the Decrepit, crawling towards Raiden. Raiden stood between the monsters and Kiara’s body.
“Stay away from her,” he growled.
The man-creature snarled.
Raiden yelled as the swarm sprung forth all at once, thirsting for his soul. A pulse of energy shot out from the amulet on his chest, sending the creatures sprawling back. Raiden ran forward and struck one of the Decrepit with his fist. He then spun, smashing his foot into another. Skarai fired down from the air, his poisoned darts slowing the creatures. Raiden twirled through the swarm, striking them down as they attempted futilely to land a hit. They began to use their powers, trying to control Raiden’s mind, shooting forth fire and electricity. Still, as the amulet grew brighter, powered by the intensity of his feelings, Raiden became unstoppable.
The Decrepit soon turned to the defensive, attempting to flee as Raiden slew them mercilessly one by one. The man-beast pounced at him, his arms stretched into long, clawed legs, resembling those of a spider. Raiden dove out of the way as the beast’s clawed leg stabbed downwards to where he’d been standing. Skarai dove swiftly down, piercing one of the beast’s back legs with his beak, cutting it in two. The beast howled in pain. Raiden used the distraction to attack, running towards the beast’s head. The beast saw it coming and plunged its front legs towards him. Raiden rolled in front of them and then jumped up backward, grabbing the legs with his arms. He pulled with incredible strength, tearing them straight off. The beast roared as it tumbled to the ground, unable to stand. Raiden moved towards its head to deliver the final blow. The beast looked up at him.
“I see you have chosen,” he rasped. “There is no coming back now. Die, mortal! Die!”
Before Raiden could think, acid shot out from the creature’s mouth onto Raiden’s chest, burning through his clothes and the amulet’s chain. The amulet fell to the ground. Raiden screamed as a boiling pain seethed into his skin, deeper and deeper through his flesh, making its way to his heart. Suddenly, a battle cry echoed from behind them. An arrow flew in from a distance, planting itself into the beast’s head, silencing him. More and more arrows shot forth. Raiden saw the outline of a woman in the distance, armed with a bow and arrows. Then he fell backward, and his vision faded.
Chapter Five
Undead Rising
7 days before planet’s destruction
Raiden opened his eyes. He lay on a pile of ash and rubble among the remains of the temple courtyard. His head was spinning, and his entire body throbbed. He took a deep, painful breath only to cough it all out, his lungs filled with smoke. And then, all at once, he remembered. His hands flew to his chest. There were bandages wrapped around the area where he’d been poisoned. The amulet was gone.
Kiara…
As he replayed his last moments with her, he felt a deeper, more powerful kind of pain. He imagined her body still lying by the carriage, alone and still. He sat up from the ground and reached out for his shirt. Just before he could grasp it, a woman caught his hand from behind.
“No,” she said, dropping his fist. “You need to rest.”
“There’s someone I need to bury,” Raiden growled, tears swelling in his eyes. He reached again but was stopped by a crucifying pain in his ribs. He groaned in agony, then rolled onto his back, submitting helplessly to the pain. He looked up at the woman.
“I remember you,” he panted. “We talked in the temple.”
The woman sat calmly on a broken slab of wood, sharpening an arrow with a knife. She was slim yet muscular. She wore thick, gold and black boots and thin, tight, plated armor spanning from her shoulders down to her thighs. A second, larger knife was strapped around her right leg, and a long, black bow was fastened to her back.
“You never told me your name,” he grumbled.
“I didn’t think I’d have to,” the woman replied.
As they spoke, a second woman approached them. Raiden recognized her as the woman from the marketplace. She was taller and broader than any woman Raiden had ever seen, or any man for that matter. She had hardly any hair, and her expression was stern. She could’ve been mistaken for a man if it weren’t for the dark, long eyelashes above her cloudy, blue eyes. She was plated in white armor similar to that of the knights, only bulkier, and made of more durable metal. A tremendous, white blade was fastened to her hip, too heavy for any ordinary person to carry.
“Haim yasha loh?” the giant asked.
“I don’t know yet,” the first woman answered.
“Why can’t I understand her?” Raiden grumbled. He reached for his PDs, but they weren’t there.
“Looking for these?” the first woman asked. She held his PDs in her palm.
“If I’m not wearing my PDs,” Raiden asked suspiciously as he took them and put them back on, “then how do I-” Raiden paused as the truth dawned upon him. His heart pounded with anticipation.
“It’s you…you’re Mara.”
The woman continued sharpening her arrow, showing no sign of confirmation.
“How did you find me?” he asked in wonder.
“We were brought together by chance,” Mara answered. “I was here searching for another man when Ferrus spotted you in the market.”
“Who were you searching for?”
“The Prince,” Mara growled with disdain. “He has something of mine.”
“You tell him too much, Mara!” Ferrus hissed, stepping beside Mara. She eyed Raiden suspiciously. “We do not yet know his intentions.”
Raiden looked up at the giant woman, concealing his intimidation.
“I was sent by your brother, Yuran,” he said firmly. “My intentions were to bring you home.”
Mara stopped working on her arrow at the sound of Yuran’s name. She looked down at Raiden, growing suddenly attentive. As he looked into her eyes, he could see a glimmer of hope.
“Careful, Mara,” Ferrus warned. “He could be a Reader.”
“Prove your claim,” Mara said eagerly. “Tell me more.”
“After you and your father were cast into the Nexus Mirror, your brother Yuran challenged the Chief to a duel. He won and was crowned Chief.”
Mara’s eyes widened, her face beaming with pride and joy.
“He searched for years until finally, he found Earth’s last surviving Surger, a close friend of mine named Sarah. We entered the mirror, the three of us plus another, and reached the final trial.”
“Grith-” Mara gasped anxiously.
“Yuran defeated him. Once we realized you’d passed through the other side, your brother wanted to go after you, but he couldn’t leave his people. The Shadows were on the brink of war, and they needed him. So I volunteered.”
Mara paused for a moment, gazing out into the distance.
“He’s telling the truth, Ferrus,” she whispered. A single tear trickled down from the corner of her eye. “My brother is alive.”
Ferrus watched silently as Mara pulled an object from a pouch on her waist and held it out towards Raiden. When he saw what it was, he sighed in relief.
“Ferrus fixed the chain,” Mara said as she handed Raiden his amulet.
“Thank you,” Raiden said, and he took it from her hand. He groaned in pain as he shifted his body and placed the chain around his neck. Immediately, he felt a burst of energy surge throughout his body. The pain of his injuries grew suddenly tolerable, giving him the strength to stand. He rose slowly to his feet and gazed solemnly at Mara. After so long, he’d finally found her. He’d dreamt endlessly of this moment, of the chance to return home. But now that it had come, there was no excitement, no rush of happiness. When he closed his eyes, he didn’t see Earth anymore. He saw Kiara, smiling brightly with her delightful laugh and her shimmering, blue eyes, full of life. And all he could feel was sorrow.
“I’m sorry, but there’s something I need to do
before we go back,” Raiden said somberly, fighting back tears.
“We can’t go back,” Mara answered bitterly. She stood up, facing Raiden, and returned her arrow to its case. “And you have no one to bury.”
Raiden looked at her in confusion.
“I don’t understand…”
“Two years ago, the amulet was stolen from me by the White Knights and given to the Prince. I came here to retrieve it, but those beasts struck before I had the chance. Soon after you fell, the creatures fled. They made off with the Prince and a handful of other villagers. Your lover was amongst them.”
Raiden’s eyes widened, his heart stopped.
“But I watched her die,” he muttered in disbelief.
“I cannot know for certain, but it looked as though the creature had revived her.”
Raiden took a moment to process what she was saying. As his thoughts cleared back into focus, his eyes filled with hope and resolve. He clenched his hand into a fist. Mara gazed into his eyes, reading his intentions.
“Facing those creatures again could cost you your life,” she said.
“I would give anything to save her.”
Mara stepped forward, meeting Raiden’s glare.
“So gather your belongings and say your farewells,” she said. “At dawn, we leave for the Capital. There must be a reason the attack happened when the Prince was here with the amulet. Maybe the King has some answers.”
Raiden gave a solemn nod, then turned and headed for the village. Once he’d moved far enough, Ferrus stepped up beside Mara.
“Are you sure he is to be trusted?” she whispered.
“He had the trust of my brother,” Mara answered as she watched him go. “That is good enough for me.”
Raiden passed by the ruins of the carriage to verify Mara’s claim. The horrifying images of the battle flashed through his mind. He saw the fear in Kiara’s eyes as she gazed down at him from the carriage, her chest soaked in blood. He watched her tumble helplessly to the floor. Yet, sure enough, her body was nowhere to be found.
The Chamber of Genesis Page 5
