by Aaron Oster
***
“That’s a lot to take in,” Marrie said, shaking her head with a mix of disbelief and wonder. “I mean, what you’re telling me should be impossible. Someone born without a Core shouldn’t be able to bond with a Dungeon. Someone who doesn’t pass a test shouldn’t be advancing, and I’ve never heard of the Sovereign even having a son!”
“But you still believe me,” Roy said.
It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
“But I believe you,” Marrie said, letting out a long sigh.
Roy had told her everything, making sure to leave nothing of importance out. He began with his upbringing in the Shah clan, moving on to his supposed family leaving him to die in Geon’s Dungeon. He told her about his test and travel to the Crater, his meeting of Irusaru and Aika, then his training and expulsion from the clan. He spoke of the war and his meeting with Hermit, as well as his constant and relentless drive to become better.
He’d told her about Hermit as well, what his real name was, and their visit to the Itachi clan. He spoke about his trials with Aika, followed by his latest test and subsequent abduction and escape, only to end up here, with the world seemingly turning on its head.
A long silence stretched between them, in which time they heard the end of the Purple-Belt tournament. The winner was announced as Gray Monkey, a name that Roy found to be quite strange.
“So, when will this Hermit be coming for you?” Marrie asked after the announcer had called a five-minute break before the champions of the Green and Blue-Belt tournaments were to face one another.
“Sometime today, if I’m not mistaken,” Roy replied.
“What are you going to do about the upcoming fight? If what you’ve told me is true, then you stand no chance of winning.”
Roy shrugged.
“I’ve gotten out of tough spots before. Maybe I’ll manage to get through the fight with only a few injuries. You don’t think they’d let their champion die, do you?”
“I don’t think they would,” Marrie agreed. “You’re worth far more alive than you are dead. Doesn’t mean it won’t hurt like hell, though. So long as you’re still breathing by the time the Blue-Belt is done with you, they can always put you back together.”
“And saddle me with even more debt in the process,” Roy said with an eye roll. “Don’t worry. Before the day is out, we’ll both be out of here for good.”
Marrie nodded, and although she tried to hide the look of hope, she did a poor job of it. Roy didn’t mention it, simply taking what time he had left to gather more Essence, convert it to Qi, then repeat the process. By the time the announcer began talking again, Roy’s Core was filled about sixty percent of the way with Power Qi, which seemed to be far purer than it had been just the day before. His Core’s capacity was now more than double what it was when he’d been thrown in here just a bit over two weeks ago, and he still felt like he had room to grow.
By contrast, his Belt was still a solid Green, although it was looking more Blue than Green, and he could only hope that people wouldn’t notice. He still didn’t particularly feel any stronger but considering everything that had happened since he’d arrived, Roy couldn’t really bring himself to care right now.
The cell doors opened, and Roy was once again greeted by the same guards who’d been dragging him in and out since his arrival.
“Good luck, and stay on your toes,” Marrie said, her lips quirking up into a half-smile.
That was more than enough for Roy, and he returned the grin in kind. He’d been afraid that after what had happened, their relationship was beyond mending. But thankfully, he was back on good terms with the only blood relative he’d ever met. From what he’d heard, Doragon wasn’t actually part of the Herald clan, at least, not by blood.
“Good luck out there,” one of the guards said with an ugly snicker.
“Yeah, do your best,” the other said.
Roy had no idea why these two had it out for him – though it was likely the same reason all Martial Artists looked down on those who were weaker – but right now, he couldn’t bring himself to care.
Entering on the other side of the arena was a man dressed in flowing green robes, a 6th Dan Blue-Belt sitting around his waist.
“Great. Not only am I fighting a Blue-Belt. But I’m fighting one who seems to be on the verge of advancing to Purple.”
“Yeah. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking when I agreed to join with you,” Geon said. “On the other hand, I’ve been getting a lot of my memories back over the last few weeks, so I guess it’s not all bad.”
“You WHAT?!” Roy internally yelled.
Geon had been regaining his memories and hadn’t told him?
“I’ve been getting back my memories,” Geon repeated, much more slowly. “Is this fight messing with your already fallible brain?”
“No. I got it just fine the first time!” Roy snapped. “What I am surprised about is the fact that you didn’t think to tell me!”
“You didn’t ask,” Geon said, predictably. “Am I supposed to read your mind and anticipate everything you’re going to want to know?”
“No. But when it comes to things as important as your memory, I feel like it should be pretty obvious!”
“Well, then. Excuse me for not telling you about every aspect of my life.”
“Ha! I knew it! I knew you understood sarcasm!”
“Roy, I’m beginning to worry about your mental health. I think your squishy human brain might be malfunctioning again.”
Roy ground his teeth together, then shut the Dungeon Core out. This was not the time to be distracted. Geon’s declaration that his memories were returning right as Roy was going into possibly the toughest fight of his life was not ideal. If he’d wanted to distract him and make sure he’d lose, then Geon had done a good job, as Roy was now well and truly distracted.
One of the guards threw out his arm, stopping Roy in place, while on the opposite side of the arena, another guard did the same to Roy’s opponent. Roy could clearly see the disgust on the Blue-Belt’s face. He was likely angry that he was being forced to fight against what he saw as an inferior opponent.
The guards walked away, leaving the two of them as the only ones in the arena. Roy could feel the blood rushing in his ears, feel every beat of his heart as he fought to remain calm. In the main box, the Sovereign of the Inu clan rose, spreading his arms wide and silencing the roaring crowd.
“Before you, stand two champions,” the Sovereign began, his voice seeming to carry through the arena with little effort on his part. “Both of these fighters have proven that they are the best of the best, and now, they will be fighting each other for their freedom!”
The Sovereign paused, allowing the crowd to cheer for a few moments before silencing them again.
“Choi, champion of the Green-Belt tournament, will be fighting first. His opponent, the Blue-Belt champion, Dacho Nari, will do all he can to defeat him. Whether the fight ends in success or failure, Nari will then challenge the Purple-Belt champion, the Gray Monkey, for his freedom.
“We have all seen both of these fighters rise through the ranks and claim the top spots. Now, let us see if Choi has what it takes to earn his freedom!”
The Sovereign sat down to the roar of the crowd, signaling the start of the fight.
Roy’s muscles tightened, preparing to defend himself from the onslaught, but even he couldn’t have foreseen what came next. Nari’s body was wrapped in a fiery red light and he shot forward, his body leaving a blazing trail as he crossed the arena sands.
Then, there was a bright flash of light as a green bolt of lightning crashed down from the heavens, smashing through the ceiling of the arena, drilling right into Nari’s back and driving him to the ground. The crack of something breaking the sound barrier followed a second after, immediately followed by an explosion of dust and debris.
The arena went silent as the stage was suddenly lost from view and Roy felt his unease grow even further
. Something was wrong. Very wrong. He could feel it in the air. He could taste it. Wind Essence began billowing up around him then, and in a single blast, cleared the dust from the arena.
Roy blinked, the sudden return of bright sunlight dazzling his eyes for a moment. Massive chunks of sandstone now littered the arena, leaving a gaping hole where the arena ceiling used to be. From where he stood, Roy could see the outside world for the first time in weeks, but what had his attention was not the open sky nor the massive chunk of stone that had landed not five feet from him.
What had his attention, and the attention of every person in the arena, was the figure that had appeared before him.
He appeared to be in his older years and stood slightly hunched, with a wispy mustache under his nose and long hair flowing down his back in a sheet. The man’s eyes glittered like gems, the sclera and iris both colored a solid jade green. From his back spread two majestic wings that seemed to be made of energy, yet one so powerful and pure that Roy could scarcely comprehend it. And, planted beneath his feet, which were cloaked in forged Wind energy in the shape of the talons of an eagle, lay the corpse of Roy’s opponent – his body so utterly destroyed that it was all but unrecognizable.
The silence stretched on as the man looked up, his eyes meeting Roy’s for the first time. He cocked his head to one side, then gave him a wide grin.
“Hello. I heard a rumor that I might find an Eternal here, but even I couldn’t have guessed I’d find someone like you. You are quite the monster, aren’t you, Herald Leroy?”
42
Pelata, like the others gathered around him, had been completely shocked by the appearance of the winged man. But, unlike the others, he truly understood who this man was and the threat he represented.
“No, no, no, no, no, NO!” he yelled, shooting to his feet but remaining rooted in place.
This was not supposed to be happening. He was not supposed to be here! If the two of them started to fight in earnest, the entire continent could be wiped off the face of the planet.
“Who is that?” Pearl asked, remaining where she was.
It was clear that they could all sense this stranger’s power and the sheer magnitude of his will. The crushing might of his presence seemed to blanket the entire world.
“One of the four Scions,” Pelata said, his fists clenching so hard that beads of blood were welling up on his palms. “Komura the Winged!”
Everyone went utterly still at that as the implications of what was about to happen finally began to sink in.
“Why would a Scion come here?” Granite asked, remaining rooted in place as well. “And why now?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Pelata said, feeling his dread mounting. “We need to evacuate now! Our only hope of surviving is to run, and we need to do so as fast as we can!”
“What about the other Sovereigns?” Pearl asked.
“What about them?” Pelata snapped. “In case you’ve somehow missed it, a Scion and an Eternal are about to start a war down there, and if we’re within a thousand miles of this place when they do, we’re all going to die!”
“What about the rest of the clan?” Pearl asked.
They might be able to travel quickly, but there was no way anyone else from the clan would make it. In fact, it was questionable if they would make it.
“There’s no time,” Pelata said, already half-turning to leave. “They’re all done for either way.”
“Can’t the Eternal stop him?” Granite asked.
Pelata just shrugged.
“We’re in uncharted territory, as far as I’m concerned. I have a vague sense as to how powerful a Scion is, but I have no idea what an Eternal might be capable of. Now, quit wasting time. We need to —”
Pelata staggered as another Core was unveiled, just half a mile from the arena. The same red power washed over them, driving everyone present – except for him – to their knees. As though in response to the unveiling of his Core, another one, this one made of pure Darkness, was unveiled next, its essence battling with that of the red’s.
“Damn it all!” Pelata yelled, then released his Core as well, and the power of Earth, strong and sturdy, joined the rest, driving everyone present further into the ground.
Pelata’s eyes flicked back to the arena, where, predictably, both the Scion and the Eternal – whatever his name was – were completely unaffected. The Belt around the Eternal’s waist was now Purple again, but aside from that, he didn’t appear to be any different.
This is a nightmare, Pelata thought, right before a fourth veil, this one containing the massive power of Herald Duncan, was unleashed as well.
The entire world seemed to tremble under the might of the four Sovereigns, crushing the very lives from the crowd that had come to witness blood and carnage. On this day, it seemed that the blood and carnage would be coming from them. Some people were already dead, crushed beneath the might of the four Sovereigns. Others were attempting to flee, dragging themselves on their hands and knees. No one would make it out of here alive, not with the battle that was about to begin.
Komura the Winged looked up then, his glittering eyes meeting Pelata’s, and a wide grin stretched his lips.
“Let me show you how it’s really done,” the man said, his voice carrying to him clearly, despite the noise.
Then, the Scion unleashed his Core.
***
Hermit could sense something was wrong the moment before the lightning struck. He was close to the arena by then. So close, in fact, that he could actually see the dozens of entrances from his vantage in the air. Then, he felt it —the sense of wrongness, followed by the rush of Wind Reiki as the green lightning bolt had flashed from the sky, carrying with it one of the four Scions.
“Well, that’s not good,” the Core said as he sped up his flight, pushing himself to the limits of what he could take.
This was not supposed to happen. A Sovereign, he could handle, but a Scion? Could this be what Azure had been here for? To see a Scion destroy them all?
Hermit was strong, he knew that much, and since absorbing the Cavern Beast’s Core and giving it a few days to acclimate to his own, he was far stronger than he’d once been. But to take on a Scion was tantamount to suicide. Even if all three Sovereigns were to fight him at once, their chances of success were slim to none.
Even when Duncan showed up, it wouldn’t so much as balance the scales or tip them ever so slightly. The difference in power between a Gray and Black-Belt shouldn’t have been so great, yet the stronger one became, the greater the gap grew between stages.
“Well, I guess there’s nothing for it now,” he thought, then pulled the veil from his Core, allowing his power to wash over the area.
A few seconds later, his sister, who was just minutes behind him now, unleashed hers as well, followed by the Inu Sovereign’s. For all those who were gathered beneath the roof of the Inu clan, this had to be a nightmare. This much power in one place would have been too much for some. Their Cores were likely already collapsing under the immense weight of their spirits, but Hermit didn’t feel bad in the slightest.
None of these people were innocent. Those who would gather to enjoy the fights the Inu clan put on were just as guilty as the clan themselves, and as far as he was concerned, they deserved their fates.
“Well, that’s inconvenient,” he thought as the Herald Sovereign’s Core was unveiled. “He’s here earlier than expected.”
“Will it really make a difference?” the Core asked.
“Maybe. My new plan was to pretty much just grab Roy and run, but with the Herald Sovereign here, that might be a problem.”
Hermit finally reached the blown-out roof of the arena then and got his first good look down into the ruins. As he’d predicted, there were already several casualties, the people gathered here being pressed to their seats, unable to move due to the immense spiritual pressure keeping them locked there.
However, what he couldn’t have predicted, was who he saw standing i
n the center of the arena. The Scion was there, his body blazing with suppressed might and standing over the body of another Martial Artist. However, it was his opponent that really had Hermit’s attention.
“Well, Azure’s presence definitely makes sense now,” the Core said, right before the Scion tore the veil from his own Core, and the world turned green.
***
Ikari roared toward her brother, the wind tearing at her hair and robes, sending them flapping and snapping behind her. She was absolutely enraged at what he’d done, and it burned hot in her chest. Sure, she was partially mad about how many of her best fighters he’d killed, but mostly, her anger was due to him having the audacity to steal the Core from her. It had been her only chance to break past her current wall and he’d known that. But, instead of giving her the rightly earned trophy, he’d stolen it like a thief in the night.
That was why, when she felt her brother unleash his Core once again, she immediately did the same. She would not be intimidated by the likes of him. She ignored the veils being torn from the Cores of two more Sovereigns as well, her anger keeping her focused on the singular goal of her brother. But, when the Scion’s Core was unleashed, it finally broke through her haze of rage.
That wasn’t to say that her anger was diminished in any way, only that she now took notice of all that was happening.
What the hell is going on? she wondered, feeling the pressure of the Scion’s might beginning to bear down on her.
She slowed down for a moment, her mind going through a rapid series of scenarios or explanations. But, in the end, she could come up with nothing. There was never any rhyme or reason to what the Scions did, and if one were showing up now, at the advent of a clash between four Sovereigns, it could only mean bad news.
For just a few seconds, she debated turning back. Facing her brother was one thing, but taking on three other Sovereigns and a Scion was another thing entirely. Then, the memory of what her brother had done to her came back in a flood and her resolve hardened.
