Michael did not say anything.
“Answer me!” said Botulinia. “Or Sarah…”
“Please let us go. We don’t know anything,” pleaded Michael.
“That’s it. I’ll make sure Sarah enjoys her time with my officer,” she said and made her way to the door.
“OK!” shouted Michael. “Just don’t hurt her!”
Botulinia smiled and then turned to him. “So?”
“Kry had some weird headaches that apparently were the cause of why he didn’t know he had some power. The headaches suppressed his ability. I don’t know…it all seems out of this world to me, but I’ve seen enough to know the truth around me,” said Michael.
Headaches to suppress? She had heard of stories that this was possible for powerful rogue Users who could not be controlled, but for this to have been done at such an early age…
“How did he overcome the headache?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” Michael slumped on his chains.
Botulinia raised her hand, and the chains around Michael’s wrists fell apart. “Don’t despair, my dear. Try to remember.”
Michael could not believe he was free. He looked at her with disbelief. “When he got angry enough, something changed within him. I saw his power.”
“His power?” Botulinia had heard that a giant surge of energy had erupted from Tower Bridge. Whoever this Kry Ensis was, he had enough power to defeat Dominus, and Dominus was no easy prey. He was a stupid giant, not the deadliest among the Blades, but he was no pushover either.
“This is insane. I know nothing else,” said Michael, exhausted.
“Hush, hush,” said Botulinia. “Just a few more questions.” She took his hand in hers. “Do you now Rush?”
Michael looked down to where her hand touched his. She lifted his chin back toward her, looking deeply into his eyes.
“Only briefly. He saved us from those maniacs who killed Kry’s par…” Michael’s words trailed off in sadness.
“Ah yes. I’m sorry for what happened,” she said. It had been incredible when she found out that Alana and Konrad had been alive all this time. She did not believe it at first, but when she saw the bodies left behind by Dominus and Geminae, she learned the truth. They had faked their deaths and disappeared with a child. She wished she could have seen their faces. But something did not add up. She could not quite put her finger on it, but something was missing to this story.
Botulinia whispered into Michael’s ear. “Everything will be fine.”
The sound of her voice made Michael relax, and his breathing slowed down.
“Do you know what happened to Dr. Rhodes?” she asked.
“No. I was taken by your men,” said Michael.
“Who else was with you that night?” asked Botulinia.
Michael did not want to answer anymore. “Stop this please.”
She gently pulled his hair back and kissed his forehead. “Almost finished. Just answer these last few questions, and you can go home. I promise.”
Michael’s eyes lit up. “You’ll let me go? And Sarah?”
Botulinia smiled. “Of course. Once this is over, you and your friend will be set free.”
“Liar,” he sighed.
“Is that how you talk to a lady?” She feigned offense.
“You won’t let me go. Why would you?” said Michael.
Botulinia turned to leave.
“Where are you going?” asked Michael.
She kept her back to him. “To have some fun with Sarah.”
Michael reached for her hand. “No!”
“Then answer me. Who else was with you?” She could hear him sigh heavily. He was almost broken.
“Aside from myself and Sarah, there was Rush and his friend Eclipse, Dr. Rhodes and his son, our colleague Rhea, and Kry,” Michael said at last.
So he had found his son…how unfortunate she thought. No wonder Dr. Rhodes left so easily. No doubt it was Rush who had a part in this.
“Who are Rhea and Eclipse?” she asked. These names had not come up in her discussions with Blackhat.
“Rhea worked with us. Eclipse, I know nothing except she arrived with Rush,” he said.
Eclipse was another person that she had little knowledge about. At least Viktor would be pleased. She now had more information that she could pass on to him. Maybe he would know who these people were.
“Do you know where they would go?” asked Botulinia.
“No. No. No,” said Michael, his will breaking. “I don’t know where they would go…please…”
She was satisfied for now. She had names, and that was usually enough for the Shadow Government. They would all be captured eventually, including Rush. It was only a matter of time. The Shadow Government always won. Viktor always won. Perhaps she could continue to use Michael longer. There may be more to find out from him about Kry. He was a mystery. If what Michael was saying was true, Kry was a User who had only now come into his powers. What did Rush and Kry have in common? She did not think Michael would know. Michael was just a naive man who was weak to a pretty face.
“Do you really think Kry will come and rescue you?” inquired Botulinia.
“I do,” he said. “He will come. I know him.”
Interesting. Whoever this Kry was, she would enjoy snuffing his existence out when the time came. “I’m afraid you’ll be waiting a long time,” she said.
There was a scream from next door.
“Sarah!” called Michael.
It was time to end this. Botulinia focused her mind and held his head with her palms. She allowed the energy to flow through her, entering Michael’s head. “Kry isn’t coming.”
Michael became calm. “Kry isn’t coming,” he repeated after her.
“Kry left me here to die,” she said, releasing more energy and keeping her thoughts focused.
“Kry left me here to die,” said Michael, his eyes watching her lips.
“This is all Kry’s fault,” said Botulinia.
“This is all Kry’s fault,” repeated Michael, dazed.
Botulinia released her grip and brushed his hair. She held his chin up with her hand and kissed him softly on the lips. “Who is Kry Ensis?”
Michael stared at her.
“Michael, who is Kry Ensis?” she asked again.
“He was my friend,” said Michael with a deep sadness and a hint of anger.
Botulinia smiled. “That’s right. Was your friend. I’m your friend now.”
There was another scream from next door. This time, Michael did not even flinch. He no longer cared, and that was exactly how Botulinia wanted him.
Chapter 4 – New Faces
This was their first real day at the university. Yujin had come early to wake Kry and Whisper before going to collect Eclipse. The sky was a bright blue, and birds sang as they flew across the campus.
Kry was sleepy as if he had just gone to bed. He had been lying awake thinking about his friends, especially Michael. Should he have gone with Rush to help save Michael? He worried about him. And then there was Rhea...
“It’s going to be a tough start, but you’ll need a good breakfast before you start training,” said Yujin as he led them through the campus.
They entered the university cafeteria which was buzzing with energy. The students were excited to get started and begin their classes.
“Help yourself,” said Yujin, pointing to the serving tables across the cafeteria. “Your first classes begin when you hear the clock chime. You’ll both be starting with classes you are somewhat familiar with. Eclipse, you’ll start in combat training.”
“Perfect,” said Eclipse with confidence.
“Kry and Whisper, you’ll be in barrier training. I trust President Katar showed you where the respective buildings are and their paths,” said Yujin.
“We know,” said Kry. “We’ll be ready for our classes.”
Yujin bowed. “I must take my leave as I have much preparation to do for the upcoming opening ceremony. I
t’s going to be exciting!”
Yujin left the cafeteria. Some students were staring at them as they stood there looking out of place.
“Let’s hurry and eat,” said Kry, noticing the stares.
They walked through the cafeteria to the queue of the self-service area. More and more students noticed them as they made their way through. Kry could see that they were trying to assess what power they had and where they stood in the university.
“I don’t like it when they stare at us like that,” said Whisper.
“Don’t worry, just stay together, and we’ll be fine,” said Eclipse, trying to reassure them.
The queue was long, but it was not that long before they could collect their food. Most of the tables were taken: big groups, small groups, and some students sitting alone. It was a diverse environment.
They found an empty table and sat down. The cafeteria catered for students from across the world, and there was nothing that was not available.
The interest from the other students continued despite them trying their best to avoid doing anything unusual. Several students from different tables all had their eyes fixed on them. It felt like they were lambs inside a wolf’s pit, and it was only time before one of them pounced.
“At least the food isn’t bad,” said Whisper, trying to cheer them up.
“Always seeing the positive side of things,” said Kry.
Eclipse did not mind the looks, though, and made sure to return a cold glare.
“I see you’re making many new friends,” said Kry, realizing what she was doing.
“We need to show strength here. I won’t back down and neither should you,” she said, keeping her icy glare on several students walking by.
Kry knew. He had noticed himself that there was a division among the students with how the tables were separated. Across the way, one student seemed more interested in him than the others. Kry recognized him. It was the student in the barrier training class who had caused another groups’ barrier to falter, almost killing them in the process.
“So, you three are the newbies on the campus…”
Three students sat down at their table. The one who had spoken sat in front of Kry and offered his hand. “The name’s Thrace.”
Kry watched him carefully but offered his hand. “Kry.”
Thrace had a pair of goggles strapped to his forehead which only highlighted his spiky red hair. “This is Inessa and Akira,” he said, pointing to his friends.
Inessa’s blond hair flowed down to her shoulders and covered half her face. “Pleasure,” she said in an unusual accent.
Akira said nothing but lowered his head as if to bow to them. He took off his brown leather jacket and placed it on his lap.
“This is Eclipse and Whisper,” said Kry.
Everyone shook hands.
“I hope you don’t mind us joining you at this table?” asked Thrace. “As you can see, this place can get busy very quickly.”
“No problem,” said Kry. He knew Thrace was studying him.
“What do you want?” asked Eclipse, sharply.
Thrace turned to her. “What do you mean?”
Eclipse glared at him. “Come off it. We’re new, and we’ve seen already what this place is like. Everyone is out to get us, to test us. So, what’s your game?”
“Right,” said Thrace. “I think you might have come to the wrong conclusion about us.”
Eclipse pulled her scabbard from behind her and placed it on the table. “We don’t want games.”
Kry placed his hand on the scabbard and pushed it back. “Let’s just see what he has to say.”
Thrace turned to his friends and back to Kry. “We don’t want any trouble. All we wanted was to introduce ourselves to the newbies and perhaps even help you out here.”
“We don’t need help,” said Eclipse, tightening her grip on her scabbard.
Whisper sat quietly and noticed Inessa watching him. “What?”
Inessa just smiled.
“Thrace, how can you help us then?” asked Kry.
Thrace seemed to relax. “You may not know this yet, but there are certain things you should know about this university and the students who come here. First, we’re not your enemies. Although, I won’t deny there are many sitting all around us.”
Eclipse looked around the cafeteria and could see more and more students interested in them. One table caught her eye. The woman who had tried to strike her during the combat class sat with her friends and raised her hand to wave at her. Eclipse knew ingenuity when she saw it.
“Secondly, this place has a hierarchy. The strongest are at the top, and there is a ladder of people trying to be the best,” said Thrace.
“We can tell. The ambition these students have is easy to see,” said Kry.
“Well, to be at the top requires the greatest determination and hard work. It also requires you to be more ambitious than the next,” said Thrace.
“We’re here to train and to become stronger. That’s it,” said Kry.
Thrace sighed. “That isn’t going to be enough here. You’ll need a group if you want to survive. In fact, that’s why Inessa, Akira, and I want to join you.”
“We don’t need others to join us,” said Eclipse. “We can handle ourselves.”
“Thrace, we should give up. It’s obvious these people don’t want our help,” said Inessa.
Thrace shook his head. “I don’t believe that. Kry, listen to me. Let me show you.” He turned and looked around the cafeteria. “You see all these students staring at you three? Well, they all belong to different groups, factions, whatever you want to call it. There are Users here from all across the world, but there are only some who have organized factions from specific countries. The rest are either too weak to join a faction or join one of the already dominant factions. And there are some who prefer to remain independent. For every academic year, students who come to this university form their factions within the first week. Every batch is different, but what stays the same is that every faction vies to be the best. ” He then pointed to a long table at the far end. “See that table and the big man in the middle?”
Kry looked over his shoulder and saw the man wearing the white tank top sitting at the center. His head was shaven, and he had several tattoos on his arms.
“That’s Ilya Babaev,” said Thrace. “He controls the Russian students.”
Ilya watched their table while tearing through a chicken drumstick. When he had finished, he threw the bone onto his plate.
Thrace turned again and pointed to another table at the opposite end. “Xu Li,” he said. “Chinese faction.”
Xu was also staring at them and picked his teeth with a toothpick. The Chinese were as numerous as the Russians. It was clear to see that these two factions had the biggest share of the students.
Kry noticed that there was only one table with a single student sitting alone. He recognized him as the one who had been manipulating dark matter in the elemental class yesterday. “What about him? Why is he by himself?”
“He’s handsome, isn’t he?” said Inessa.
Kry was sure he was not referring to that.
“Thanks for your input, Inessa,” said Thrace, rolling his eyes.
Inessa shrugged her shoulders. “It’s true. He’s so mysterious. He joined a month ago. His circumstances were not that far different to you three, but he came alone, and he prefers to stay that way. Others have tried to recruit him, but they all failed.”
“If he can handle himself alone, then so can we,” said Eclipse.
The man who sat by himself ate quietly. Kry noticed a strange symbol on his jacket. It appeared to be a shield of something.
“His name is Abel Aegis. I heard he was from Romania. He’s a miserable one,” said Thrace. “He doesn’t speak much, pretty much like my friend Akira here.”
Akira bowed, acknowledging the comment.
It seemed no one wanted to bother Abel as he continued to eat alone. Kry was sure
there had to be a reason for that.
Thrace moved on and pointed to another table. “Gustav Ivarsson,” he said. “He’s from Sweden, but his faction is made up of many students across Europe.”
Gustav seemed more relaxed than the other faction leaders. He laughed with his friends as they joked and played games.
“Don’t be fooled by his blond hair, blue eyes, and charismatic smile,” said Thrace. “He’s strong, real strong, and he won’t think twice to do whatever is necessary to get to the top.”
“How about them?” asked Kry.
Thrace turned to the table with the loud conversation. “The Americans,” he said. “A confident group who are strong individually as they are as a cohesive unit. That man who has the cigar in his mouth is the one who leads them for now. Hendrix Lewis.”
Hendrix blew rings of smoke into the air, and he had his feet resting on another chair.
Inessa patted Thrace’s back. “Forget about the past,” she said.
“You had an issue with them?” asked Kry, noticing Thrace’s discomfort.
Thrace adjusted his goggles. “Nothing that can’t be handled in due course.”
Kry did not press the matter any further.
“So many students and factions,” said Whisper. “I think we can take them.”
Inessa laughed. “He’s got spirit! Pretty confident!”
Thrace smiled in agreement. “I hope you can back it up, though! None of these factions are a push over, and their groups are bigger than yours, although numbers aren’t everything,” he said, briefly glancing at Abel. “Anyway, there are many factions here. The Russians and the Chinese usually keep to themselves, and Abel, well he’s an anomaly like you three.” He then turned to another table and pointed to a young woman with a scar over her right eye. “That’s the Japanese faction. Her name is Yuri Akiyama, and the man with the sword is her right hand, Ren.”
Ren sharpened his sword in plain sight at the table, not worrying what others would say. Yuri, on the other hand, had her hands pressed against each other in a pyramid shape and watched them just as the other leaders were doing.
“Yuri is crazy, and I mean real crazy. You don’t want to get on her bad side, let alone Ren. Both are as crazy and mean as each other,” said Thrace.
Rise of the Young: Warriors are not made; they are forged (The Ascended Book 2) Page 8
