by M K Drake
Safaya shakes her head. “I cannot, I’ve already tried. I have no connection to the rock here, this earth… it has been meddled with too much.” She rushes to Khan as she hears Olof teleport Ju Long, Joyce and Monty away. “Teleport out now! That is an order from your Princess!”
Khan grimaces as the cavern becomes even more unstable. “I wish I could, but...”
“The collapse would still crush him...” Atticus interjects. “There wouldn’t be enough time. Khan, let me do this, I can hold it!”
“Atticus,” Khan groans again as his legs almost give way. “I am dying. You already know. The cure failed; my truth, it was not strong enough. You…, you have another path. Go. Save the world, save our friends, save our family…, save her...” He glances to Safaya and then away. “I’m sorry.”
Safaya tries to hold back her tears, tries to stay strong, but she can’t. She takes Khans face in her hands as the first tear trickles down her face. “No…, no… It was not meant to be this way. We were to journey to my realm, one of magical creatures, be together, grow old together. This... this is not...”
Pali places her hand on Safaya’s shoulder. “We need to leave,” she says as softly as she can.
Atticus looks to the Blade King, who shakes his head, acknowledging that there is nothing he can do here.
“This place is too vast, Khan is the only thing keeping us all alive right now, we must go,” Alfatun looks at General Crawford and Spitfire, who morphs into his jet mode while General Crawford gathers up the six cloaks.
Atticus orders them to leave, and waits until only he, Safaya and Khan remain.
Khan looks at Atticus. “This is not your fault, brother. This is just the journey. You are the bravest person I have ever known, thrust into an unknown world, and willing to save it. Willing to give your life before others... always. At least, at my end, I’ve had the opportunity to say it.”
Atticus has no words. He is unable to breathe, unable to focus, unable to think. His best friend is in the deepest trouble, and he is powerless to save him.
“Now please,” Khan continues. “This thing is getting quite heavy. Please, tell King Ismail I am sorry, I failed him. He needs to find a new guardian.”
“Khan, please,” Atticus begs. “Let us at least try!”
“I wish you could, but I know now what Loki meant during my challenge. This strength you see is just a temporary reprieve. This is my time, Atticus, I’ve known this for a while now. Honour me by winning this war. I have faith in you!”
“No!” Safaya screams. “I will not allow it! Damn everything, at least you try!”
Khan bows his head, he can barely look at Safaya as he speaks. “If I try now, you could die here, so I cannot.” He looks towards Atticus. “Now please, I do not know... how much longer... I can hold this!”
Safaya wraps her arms tightly around Khan. “No, if you do not get out of here, I don’t either! I love you too much to let you go now, not after everything we have been through, not after everything you have sacrificed! Not after...”
Khan stops Safaya with a kiss, his eyes closed, his heart pounding through his chest. Then he says the words he has hidden inside for so long, a whisper in her ear, his truth. “I love you!”
Before Safaya can respond, Khan pushes her towards Atticus, who promptly speeds himself and Safaya outside.
Atticus regroups with the others, he puts Safaya down and glances meaningfully at Joyce. She instinctively understands and moves over to hold Safaya.
“Olof, with me!” Atticus shouts, as he turns to rush back into the collapsing maze. Without waiting, he speeds towards the opening with Olof behind him, using his powers of ice to aid his journey.
Atticus moves from side to side, dodging the collapsing rocks, with Olof helping from afar, but it is too late. With the sound of a massive thunderclap, the Hexon Maze crashes down, the noise echoing against the hills around them, with nothing but silence in between, and the cries of a broken princess behind him.
Atticus falls to his knees. “No!” he shouts, then leaps toward the rubble, trying to dig his way through, striking his sword against anything he can.
Olof, and Ju Long join in, as does Monty, all digging and blasting as much rock away as possible.
Pali comes over, scanning for any signs of life inside, but finds nothing. She turns to General Crawford and slowly shakes her head.
The general grabs Atticus, who is unable to focus. He turns him around and holds him. “He’s gone boy. We need to leave here, it isn’t safe. We still have to find a way to get Loki, and take him to Helheim! After that, we’ll go to any hell Khan is in, and if we can, we’ll save him, too.”
Atticus shakes his head to compose himself, then nods at the General’s words. Turning, back toward the ruined Maze, he holds his hand up high, signalling the others to stop. He is about to speak when, a large portal begins to form on top of the rubble. He stands fast. “Prepare yourselves!”
The others join Atticus, standing ready for whatever is about to come through. They wait, but moments go by with nothing.
And then, it begins, the laughter.
Atticus recognises it straight away, the tone could only belong to Razakel. But he doesn’t step through, instead, something is thrown toward them, and the portal closes abruptly.
“What is it?” Joyce asks from afar.
No one answers. The object rolls down the rubble, and stops just in front of the Majjai, who all look at it in both shock, horror, and disgust, as Loki’s severed head, his eyes wide-open, stares back at them.
Chapter 43
The Return to Helheim
The Majjai and General Crawford stand together, all shocked at losing another of their own.
Atticus grinds at the dirt with his foot, trying to expunge the anger and hurt, he clenches his fists, the energy within him growing stronger. This emotion of loss is triggering another level inside of him. The white magic energy begins to flow through his veins again, but he knows he must temper it, must control it. He closes his eyes and concentrates, breathing in the air around him. It tastes acidic, almost volcanic, but he puts that aside. He has lost his best friend, and could do nothing to save him. What is the point of all this power if he cannot even save those closest to him? Even saving Mage Callan is not guaranteed—and now, the cost of attempting to do so has claimed another. Atticus wonders if Death himself has had a hand in this. He glances towards Alfatun, who stares back knowingly. He was the one that warned him that Death would not sit kindly on their side; that particular Horseman requires his own balance to be fulfilled. And he has shown his hand on whose side he sits on now.
Atticus plays back the scenario in his head, wondering if anything might have happened differently. He can’t even blame the Kraken, because he was the one who caused the beast to fall originally, causing the initial damage. And then Khan, always the first to rush in and do what he does best… protect. ‘What if…, what if…, what if…,’
Atticus plays another, and another, and yet another set of actions through his mind.
“Are you okay?”
Atticus breaks his trance upon hearing her voice. Joyce. His heart beats heavy, but also softly. His gut feels tortured and his soul torn, but still, there is comfort in this voice. The love it carries is endless.
Atticus sighs, he knows he can wallow in the comfort of her, or wallow in the pain. He wonders what he needs most—what will drive him? What will give him the strength to win? It’s only then he senses the touch on his shoulder. The hand has been there for some time now, but it is only at this moment he realises its presence. He turns to see Alfatun.
“Use them both, Atticus. The pain and the love, the two co-exist in a cruel twist of fate. You often can’t have one without the other,” Alfatun removes his hand and bends down, pressing his finger to Atticus’s chest. “You have heart Atticus, and this part of you will always be challenged. But right now, you also have the fuel to succeed. He believed in you, now it is time for you to believ
e in that faith he had, the faith we all have! Honour him by carrying on his legacy. Be the one who is going to save this realm, be the one who can unite us all. Be you Atticus!”
Atticus looks up at the Blade King, nods, and turns to address the others. He trembles inside, but not from fear, he is far beyond that now. No, now he trembles with the unification of his pain and love, creating something new. He lifts his head, and begins to speak.
“We have lost a friend today. A guide. A protector. But more than that, we have lost a brother, a part of our family. But, he would not want us to wallow in this. In fact, he would be angry with us for doing so. He knew his time was now, and yet, he still came. And he did so because he loved us, as we loved him then, and still do. But he also came because he knew we had a job to do. We are the last line of defence for humanity. We are the gatekeepers to the survival of the human race, for Earth and everything tied to this realm.”
Atticus looks from one tear-streaked face to another, barely aware of the ones on his own face. “There are those that will stand idly by, sticking to rules that they think they need to follow... but those rules won’t matter if we fail. So, we will not stand by, we will not sit, we are going to run in swords high, and we are going to damn well fight! If we fall, we will get up and fight again. We are going to get Mage Callan back, and end this threat of Razakel once and for all. I cannot force you, I can only ask. Will you stand with me? Will you fight with me? For Mage Callan, for Khan, for all those we love, for those we do not know? Because I want to win this more than ever. I want to take the battle to Razakel, I want him to fear us so he dares not ever hurt another soul again. Now, who will walk with me into Hell?”
Atticus waits. Before him are some of the bravest souls he knows, but it is none of them who step forward first.
“Atticus give good speech. I fight!” the Minotaur says, then steps forward and gives a mighty roar.
Ju Long, Pali, Safaya, Joyce, Olof, General Crawford, and Spitfire all join Monty, looking to Atticus and acknowledging him with a tilt of the head.
Alfatun grabs Loki’s head, removes his outer robe and forms a sack to hold it. “Come now, we need to regroup, and go save your Mage Callan. I also have questions for Hel.”
The Blade King quickly forms a portal back to Wysardian Manor. As they all step through, Elric greets them, his relief evident. Then he looks around at their number, pauses, and asks. “Where’s Khan?”
# # #
Atticus sits in the corner of Elric’s chamber, focusing his thoughts. Others have arrived at the Manor—Attossa, Darren ‘Zoom Zoom’ Zimms, and Joseph were all found wandering the Majjai school’s courtyard.
Ju Long asked about Ngozi, but she is not there, nor is Gungarr. Safaya mentioned something called time rips that she read about in some of the translations of the scrolls. Atticus can hear her trying to explain this to Ju Long, but he can also hear in her voice what she is really trying to do. She is trying to forget. Trying to deflect what she is really feeling. She is angry, she is hurt, she is lost.
Serenity has also arrived with her son Joshua. She is still distraught about Mage Callan’s death, but now even more upset after learning of Khan’s sacrifice.
Atticus watches as Alfatun and General Crawford detail the events of the Hexon Maze to the Professors and Elric.
He holds his sword close, it still glows from the energy given to it by the Soul Sword awakenings. He closes his eyes as he touches the diamond on its side. This sword is more than just a blade, it has always encouraged a kinship with Atticus. Whenever he fights with it, it sometimes guides him more than the other way around. He needs to learn to trust it more. Kazmagus’s name no longer glows on the blade, it’s almost as if the blade knows it has a new master.
He looks up as Ju Long’s version of a Soul Sword has also finally appeared, a gauntlet made from his own dragon hide surrounds his forearm. He holds it next to Pali’s bionic implants, in a vain attempt to compare features.
Atticus chuckles, he turns to his right and is about to speak, only then remembering that the person that he would normally talk to after a battle, after returning to the Manor... that person is no longer there.
But Joyce has seen this, and he welcomes the fact that she comes over.
“Why don’t you join us, we are almost ready to go.”
Atticus nods at Joyce. “Yes, we should leave soon. We can think about our losses later.”
Joyce hugs him tightly. “Or we can celebrate bringing Mage Callan home? Khan would want that.”
Atticus closes his eyes, as he feels a tear roll down his cheek, and drop onto Joyce’s shoulder. He hugs her softly and smiles. “You’re right, he would. Let’s do this shall we.”
General Crawford begins to hand out the Kraken’s cloaks to the Majjai Six, calling out the names one by one. “Safaya... Ju Long... Olof... Joyce... Atticus...”
The others all pause as the general holds the last of the six cloaks in his hand. “A spare,” he says quietly.
Atticus looks at Pali. “We have someone else,” he says as he walks over to General Crawford, takes the cloak, and holds it out to the Mecha Knight Majjai. “If she will accept?”
Pali looks concerned, she takes the cloak, but does so nervously. “I’m honoured to help, but, I am no Khan.”
Atticus smiles. “No, none of us are, we are all different. And so are you.”
Pali, nods, and swings the garment over her shoulder.
Atticus then walks over to Safaya, places a hand softly on her shoulder, and looks into her eyes compassionately. “You’ve lost and gained so much in such a short space of time, Princess. I would understand if you want to stay here with your brother and your sister.”
Safaya smiles at Atticus. “You see, that is exactly the kind of thing Khan would say. I never listened to him either. I’m coming.”
Atticus nods as the remaining Majjai Six, along with Pali and Alfatun, stand in front of the Portal to Helheim.
Chapter 44
The Battle of Helheim
Hel waits patiently as the Majjai, Monty, and General Crawford step through the portal in front of her. She looks Alfatun up and down menacingly. “So, you’re the one responsible for the imbalance. Do you realise what you have done?” she says before she glances scornfully at the Minotaur.
Alfatun smirks back. “I have given us a chance, witch! Despite your efforts to throw us into your pit.”
Hel grows angry, she screams at the Majjai, loud enough to force them to cover their ears tightly. “You have also given him the chance to tap into unlimited power! He has bonded with not only the powers he has taken from the Void, but also those of Kazmagus and the Horseman! He is powered by a Trinity now. Demon, Majjai, and Eternal. If he forces the will of the Proteus, he will be unstoppable!”
Atticus uncovers his ears and looks at Hel. “How do you know all of this?”
Hel looks away from the Majjai for a moment. “My father may not be one who could be trusted, but he did one brave thing before he died. He shared his vision with me in the presence of Razakel. The Demon King knows he needs you Atticus, so be wary. His powers now are unsurpassed. It is only a matter of time for him. He will bring his end of days, take his vengeance against all things living. I should be glad, my collection of souls would normally become full. But, I sense he has other plans.”
“We will deal with Razakel. But first you must return Mage Callan to us!” Atticus orders.
Hel laughs out loud, mockingly. “You? You children will deal with Razakel? Do you have any idea what you are actually dealing with?” she looks towards the Blade King. “Wait... they do not know do they? They do not know who Razakel is?”
Alfatun does not look at the other Majjai, he stares Hel down, as if warning her to be silent. “There is a time for such things, and there is still a chance for things to be fixed. Now, do as the boy says. Not even you would survive our combined wrath, not with what we possess from the awakenings.”
Atticus looks at the Blade K
ing, another secret, another piece of the jigsaw puzzle hidden away. He shrugs, right now they need to get Mage Callan back. When they return, when they have buried Khan, then he will have words with Alfatun on what else has been hidden.
Hel observes Atticus intently, sensing his thoughts, and relents. “Unfortunately, your Mage Callan is too far in for me to retrieve easily. You took too long to return. And truthfully, it was not you who defeated my father. But... the bargain was for his head, and that you have delivered,” Hel holds out her hand and waits as Alfatun passes her the sack containing Loki’s remains. “I see also that the Kraken has given you a gift.”
Atticus nods. “He said these would hide us from the dead.”
Hel gasps. “He spoke to you? Ha! Well, that is rare, he is usually too moody to speak to anyone. Anyway, yes, the beast had stolen many of these garments from me, as a favour to Hades. That fool tried to sneak in once, but he didn’t get to my gate, my pet saw to that.”
Monty beats his chest. “Yes, Monty chase!”
Hel stares sharply at Ju Long. “You named him? And you chose... Monty?”
Ju Long smirks and almost lets out a giggle. “He likes it, suits him. I like it, too...”
“Silence! Fools, you mock me, I should...”
Atticus grows tired of the posturing, and draws the Sword of Ages, holding it high, its bright blue glow shining outwards, pulsating. “You should open the pit now, let us get our friend.”
Hel stops, she looks at the Majjai and ponders. “You seem to be one down. Unfortunate. I guess some truths are meant to stay hidden.”
Safaya is angered and storms towards Hel. “Tell me! Do you have him? Do you have him in your pit? Tell me now or I’ll...”
“You will what?” Hel halts Safaya’s advance by raising her hand, commanding her to stop. “You will do nothing! The bargain was for Mage Callan, and Mage Callan alone. Besides, the soul you seek has not entered my pit. He is claimed elsewhere,” Hel stands next to the entrance and waves a hand, triggering the massive Hell gate to open.
