by Aaron Oster
Already, there was word that his son was alive, and it was spreading throughout the main family’s compound. Thus far, he’d managed to keep word from reaching his enemies within the clan, but once it did, they would be out on the hunt for Leroy as well, and their intentions would be less than friendly.
Seeing as he was unable to protect himself, his son would easily be taken and killed, leaving him without an heir once more.
He let out a breath, calming his restless soul. This was not the time to be agitated. His Path needed perfect balance, and at this crucial stage in his advancement, he couldn’t afford to ruin it. Not when he was so close to achieving what none other in the Seven Clans had managed thus far.
“Hmm. That’s odd,” he muttered as he felt the activation of another Gatestone.
It was true that Doragon had been given two, but unless he was in serious trouble, he should never have used the second one.
Duncan waited with bated breath as the spiraling tunnel of rainbow light grew closer, its end touching down before him and dazzling any who gazed upon it. Well, anyone but a Sovereign, that was. From the depths of the tunnel, he saw something emerging, and a moment later, Doragon appeared, his entire body encased in a block of ice.
“Care to explain what you’re doing back without my son?” Duncan asked.
He was practically burning with the desire to find out what had happened, why Doragon had returned empty-handed, and why his previous attempt to return had failed. But, as the leader of the clan and a Sovereign, it was important to maintain his composure and appear calm at all times.
“I must apologize for my lateness, Sovereign,” Doragon said, trying to crane his neck upward.
He was at an admittedly awkward angle, what with the frozen block lying on its side and all. It left him with his face pressed into the floor, and Duncan didn’t see any need to free him just yet.
“My son?” Duncan repeated. “It’s been months since I last sent you to look for him. Where is he?”
“I had him, Sovereign,” Doragon said quickly. “I grabbed him right as he emerged from his Green-Belt Trial, and I —”
“You what?” Duncan yelled, the entire room shaking from the power of his voice. “Do not think you can lie to me, Doragon! My son has no Core. Therefore, it is impossible that he’d pass any test! So, you will tell me the truth, lest I tear it from your throat by force.”
Duncan watched his subordinate very carefully and saw the way his eyes went wide in fear.
“But I’m telling the truth!” he exclaimed. “I swear! I captured your son just as he exited the Green-Belt test, but I lost him when traveling through the Windblight on my way here, and now the Inu have him! I only just managed to escape capture from one of the Sovereigns of the Itachi clan as well, and both he and the Itachi leader are heading to confront the Inu Sovereign in the city where he’s being held!”
Duncan could not believe what he was hearing. His son had no Core, of that he was certain. Yet, somehow, Doragon was also telling the truth. He could see it in the man’s soul. There was also the fact that he’d sensed a massive amount of power, that of a familiar Sovereign.
The Sage of Ruin had grown powerful in his time away from his clan, and if he, his sister, and the Inu Sovereign were going to get into it in the city where his son was being held captive…No. There was no time to think about that now. He needed to check. If Leroy had somehow managed to form a Core, then there were going to be some serious consequences.
“If you speak of any of this to anyone outside this room, I will have your Core,” Duncan said as he flexed his power, targeting the faults in the ice prison and shattering it.
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Doragon said, remaining prostrated on the ground before him.
Duncan ignored him, placing a hand on the arm of his throne and flooding it with Reiki. Intricate patterns flowed outward, crossing over the entire throne and spreading out to the floor beyond. They traced a circular pattern before him, roughly two feet in diameter.
“You can get up,” Duncan said as a pedestal began rising out of the ground.
He barely even took note of his subordinate doing as he was told when the pedestal stopped, its top opening wide to reveal a blood-red sphere suspended in a transparent silvery sphere. Duncan leaned in closer, examining it for several moments before his face grew pale.
No…It can’t be…
“Sovereign, is something wrong?” Doragon asked, his voice sounding weak in the massive chamber.
Snapped from his thoughts, Duncan shook himself, then reached out and took the silvery case from its perch, making it vanish into thin air.
“We need to get to the city where my son is being held, and now! Where is it?”
Doragon swallowed nervously. Seeing his Sovereign, a man who could crush entire nations on his own, show fear was definitely something to be afraid about.
“He’s being kept in Reign City,” Doragon said.
Duncan closed his eyes, concentrating in the direction of the city. He could sense it, a massive presence of power – the Sovereign of the Inu clan. There were also two more approaching quickly. His search went deeper, finding a mix of Essence and Qi at the very center of the city, and, just as he’d feared, despite feeling the presence of a Qi he recognized, there was no actual sign of it.
Duncan’s eyes flew open and he was on his feet in an instant. It would take him only fifteen minutes to get to Reign city if he moved fast enough. The Itachi Sovereigns would reach it in about eight and ten. He just hoped they wouldn’t completely demolish the city before then.
Duncan shook himself, dismissing the thoughts. He needed to get there and prevent this.
“I’m leaving for Reign City,” he said, turning to Doragon. “No one may know that I’m gone. Do you understand?!”
Doragon nodded quickly, the fear plain in his eyes.
Duncan let out a grunt, then gathered his own Reiki around himself and blasted from the room, tearing a hole through the ceiling as he went. He had to reach Reign City in time. Otherwise, everything would end in disaster!
***
Roy walked slowly over to Xu, leaving the corpses of the other two Green-Belts hanging in his Containment technique. The man was thrashing in his bonds, staring at Roy with a mixture of terror and rage, as though he wasn’t sure what to be feeling.
To be perfectly honest, Roy wasn’t really sure how he should be feeling either. Taking the lives of people who could defend themselves while in a life and death situation was one thing, but stopping the last two from surrendering and killing them to keep his secret was quite a bit different.
“Don’t hesitate. They were trying to kill you, and had your roles been reversed, you could have expected the same.”
“That still doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Roy replied, stopping before the spluttering Xu.
“You’re a monster!” Xu yelled, spittle flying from his lips. “And soon, everyone will know it!”
Roy looked to the man and felt an odd sense of sadness threatening to overwhelm him. This man, like all the others here, was just a victim of circumstance. He could have been leading a perfectly ordinary life, but instead, he’d been captured, thrown in here, and forced to fight for his life. The Inu clan was yet another example of everything that was wrong with this world, and no matter what happened, Roy knew he’d have to do something about that.
“We’re all monsters when you think about it,” Roy said, leaning down to face the man. “Some are just more willing to show it than others.”
Roy knew that what he was doing wasn’t particularly honorable. He’d defeated these men, and they’d been willing to surrender. But they’d seen the color of his Belt, and he did not doubt that they would have told someone, thereby forcing him into the Blue-Belt tournament, where he wouldn’t stand a chance. He could justify his actions by telling himself that they’d be killed either way and that he was doing them a favor by doing it quickly, but deep down, Roy knew he was only doing it fo
r his own selfish reasons.
This man, though, he didn’t feel so bad about killing. Xu had tried to kill him twice already, and, in his mind, this man deserved nothing less than what he got.
“You won’t get away with thi-!”
Roy’s fist flashed forward, his shoulders and hips twisting along with the motion and lending it extra power. His Exploding Fist slammed into the man’s face, shattering his skull and sending the full force of his technique right into the man’s brain.
Xu’s head snapped back, sending a sickening crunch reverberating through the area. When Roy stood back, the man’s head was crooked at an odd angle, his face resembling nothing more than a sickening mess. Roy felt no joy in killing the man, only a sense of retribution.
“Um, Roy, you might want to look down,” Geon said, thankfully distracting him from what he’d just done.
Roy looked and almost had a heart attack.
His Belt, which had been a shining Blue, was changing, darkening, turning to a shining Purple.
He had no idea what the hell was going on, but he definitely knew one thing — he could not, under any circumstances, drop the spinning golden Containment technique. Not until he’d figured out how to make his Belt go back to normal. The problem with his plan, though, was that he had a very limited amount of time.
Although he had Qi to spare, keeping a costly technique like this going for any length of time was quite taxing, and he could already feel the strain on his Core. At best, he had less than a minute before he’d be forced to drop the technique to recover, and if his Belt wasn’t back to normal, he would be facing a serious problem.
39
“Can you see through that dome he’s erected?” Granite asked, squinting his eyes as he tried to pierce the spinning, golden energy.
“No,” Pelata admitted. “But if you look to those trapped within, you can tell that none of them are still alive.”
The others nodded, all watching the golden dome and wondering what was happening within. It was particularly frustrating for people like them, those who were stronger than everyone around them and were used to seeing everything.
“How much time do we still have?” Pearl asked, keeping her gaze locked on the scene below.
Pelata hadn’t been able to sense the Sage of Ruin for quite some time, but he could sense the one following closely behind him and was estimating a time of arrival based on that.
“Maybe three hours, perhaps a bit longer,” he said. “Our timing should be spot on. That is unless the first Sovereign makes it here faster than anticipated.”
“All we can do is hope everything falls into place, then?” Granite asked, seeming worried.
“That, and hope the Eternal is in a helping mood,” Pelata said, feeling a bit of unease as the sphere of golden Qi expanded a bit more.
This fight wasn’t technically over yet, seeing as there was still one girl left standing, but Pelata didn’t think the man currently inside the dome would lose to anyone. All he had to do now was sit back, wait, and see what happened next.
***
“How can I make this go away?” Roy asked, nearly panicked as he stared down at the Purple-Belt.
“How am I supposed to know?!” Geon exclaimed, sounding nearly as panicked. “This isn’t normal. In fact, it shouldn’t even be possible! Blue, I could handle. It was only a single Belt up. But this? I honestly don’t know what to say.”
Roy bit his lip, pacing back and forth as he tried to think of some way to make his Belt go back to normal. The difference between Green and Blue wasn’t all that bad and even if he dropped the technique now, so long as he kept moving, the colors could be confused at a distance. Purple, on the other hand, could not as easily be confused with Green.
“I just don’t understand what I’m seeing,” he said, looking down at the shining Purple-Belt once more.
It was so different from the Green-Belt he’d only just started growing used to. It was brighter, had more of a presence, and felt heavier somehow. At the same time, he felt stronger.
Roy flexed his fingers, looking down at his clenched fist and trying to identify the differences. His Core felt no different — at least, he didn’t think it did. On the other hand, he could feel a distinct gap in his Core, one that had not been there before he’d started this fight and had yet to be filled. This meant that his Core had, once again, expanded without his realization.
“This is crazy,” he said, slowly shaking his head. “I don’t understand how this is happening, and I need it to stop!”
“How about you start by trying to calm down?” Geon said. “You’re running out of time. You’re going to have to drop the technique in less than half a minute. So, sit down and breathe!”
Roy hated feeling so confused and helpless, but seeing as he had no other suggestions, he did as Geon said. He sat down, right in the center of his spinning dome of Qi, ignoring the bodies of the three Martial Artists half-slumped inside the dome, and closed his eyes.
“Just breathe. Cycle as you normally would and try to calm your soul,” Geon said once he’d folded up his legs.
Roy breathed out slowly, then sucked in a deep breath, trying to get his Qi back into his normal cycling pattern. It was difficult, as he had a technique going at the same time, and it required him to split his focus. But after just a few minutes, his Qi was running through the looping channels surrounding his Core and filling him with an odd sense of warmth.
His muscles unclenched, and as he breathed, he noticed the tension fleeing from his body. There was a lot of anger that he hadn’t realized he’d been feeling, as was something darker. His brows furrowed as the realization of what he’d just done finally hit him. He’d killed helpless people after they’d tried to surrender.
“Why did I do that?” he asked, feeling the horror of his actions threaten to disrupt his cycling rhythm.
“You did what needed to be done. You’ve killed before, so there’s no need to feel bad.”
“But never so callously,” Roy said, feeling more than a little troubled. “Attacking defenseless people who I’ve beaten is not something I do!”
“But you did,” Geon said. “Now get over your strange human ethical dilemma about death and realize that you had no choice. They were trying to kill you, so you killed them.”
“But I did it after they’d already given up. One of them even tried to surrender.”
“Enough but’s,” Geon said. “You did what you had to. End of story. Now you need to…”
Roy winced as the technique slipped from his grasp and the spinning dome of Qi vanished, leaving him open to the world once more.
“I can’t believe what I’m seeing!” the announcer boomed, making Roy’s heart leap in his chest. “Choi has defeated all three of his opponents at the same time and had the chance to sit down and relax in the middle of a fight!”
Roy looked down quickly as the crowd roared their approval, then let out a huge sigh as he saw the Green-Belt back in place. However, the Blue tint was much more prominent now, and the empty space in his Core was still very much present. If he were feeling correctly, he now had about a third more space, which was also completely astonishing.
Hermit can’t get here fast enough, he thought to himself as he climbed back to his feet.
Nothing had been right since he’d been taken, and he felt like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The world had been turned on its head, and nothing made sense anymore. His Core was randomly expanding, his Belt color was changing, and techniques came to him so easily that he barely even had to try. Things that seemed impossible only a month ago, like learning a Conqueror technique, were now only a step away, and he’d defeated several Martial Artists that he should not have been able to beat.
“So, it’s just you and me now. Guess I’m not surprised.”
Roy looked up to see Marrie, her hands raised, shoulders hunched, and eyes narrowed as she slowly approached.
“Please. I don’t want to fight you,” Roy s
aid. “I know you think I’ve been lying to you, but I promise I’m telling the truth. I have no idea what’s going on with me, and I am freaking out!”
“I’m not falling for any of your tricks!” Marrie yelled.
She then darted in, throwing a quick flurry of punches. Roy jumped to his feet, using a blast of Power Qi to get himself off the ground, and threw up his Armorer technique. He slid back in the sand, throwing up both arms to block the attacks, and did his best to ignore the pain from his accumulated injuries.
“It’s not a trick,” he said, trying to be as sincere as possible. “I know you felt that Martial Artist a few days ago, the one who basically drowned the arena in his power. He’s coming for me, and I can get you out too. You just have to trust me.”
Marrie stumbled as she threw her next strike and mistimed Roy’s block.
“You’re lying,” she growled, whirling to face him once more. “You’re trying to get inside my head so you can beat me more easily!”
Roy ground his teeth together in annoyance, then let out a long sigh and dropped his guard. It was now or never.
“I am part of the Herald clan, but I grew up in the Outer Edge. My name is Herald Leroy, and, apparently, I’m the long-lost son of the Sovereign. Now, will you please listen to me?”
Marrie, who’d been moving in for a punch, was so taken off guard that she actually missed by about five feet and ended up running into a wall.
“I don’t know what Choi did. His attack was so fast that even I couldn’t see it!” the announcer yelled.
Marrie pulled herself from the wall, spitting dust and rubbing at her eyes. Roy approached cautiously, still keeping his guard up in case she decided to attack.
“That has to be the single most ludicrous thing I have ever heard!” she exclaimed.
“But it’s the truth,” Roy said. “At least, according to the man who grabbed me and tried to bring me back to the Herald clan using some type of rainbow tunnel.”
