“Hold fast!” shouted Athena.
Kry did not expect the blasts to come from the floor as well. He positioned himself and redirected some energy to his feet, reinforcing the bottom half of the barrier. “Whisper, how are you doing?”
“I have this! I can feel the energy all around me. It makes me so happy. It’s like we’re no longer alone,” said Whisper.
Whisper’s energy was stronger than Kry had expected, and he was just as pleased that Whisper was learning fast. What he said was true, though. He could feel the emptiness of being alone taken away when their energy connected. It was a feeling like no other. It felt as if they were one being.
Red lasers came from the ceiling as the machines moved left and right, directing energy to several groups. The other groups moved with great teamwork, and it was evident that they had practiced together for some time.
Another ripple came across the floor, larger than before. It traveled toward Kry, but he remained vigilant and maintained the strength of the barrier. Athena looked at him, worried that he would fail. Why was she so distrustful of him?
The machines stopped moving, and no further shockwaves followed.
“Stage one completed. Good, everyone is still here,” said Manjra.
Kry was relieved. He was able to rest and think about the next stage. That was only the first stage, and he already could feel the pressure building.
“No time for rest!” shouted Manjra. “To be the strongest Users, you need to be ready at all times! Stage two, activate!”
Before Kry could react, the machines above moved twice as fast and fired energy blasts just as quickly. The shockwaves across the floor also came at double the speed. One impacted their barrier, and Kry could feel it weakening.
“Keep firm!” said Athena.
Thrace started to laugh. “I never knew you were so forceful,” he said. “I thought you were just a quiet library girl.”
Athena glared at him. “I said focus! If we’re going to make it, we need all our focus and energy!”
Thrace raised his eyebrows. Kry could not help but smile, doing his best to hold the barrier together. The energy still flowed through the group. Each person’s energy had its own signature which he could recognize. It was only Abel who seemed somewhat detached. It was as if he was holding back. He had said nothing since joining them and was unreadable, his eyes closed with composure.
The energy from the lasers came down like rain on the students. Kry could already see some group’s barriers faltering under the pressure. Another shockwave came rippling across the floor. It was the strongest yet as it tore through several barriers.
“Hold!” shouted Athena.
Kry would not falter now and controlled his energy to reinforce the barrier.
Professor Manjra moved around the room like lightning as he picked up the students whose barriers had failed. “Stage three, activate!” he shouted.
“Here we go!” said Thrace.
Whisper started to laugh despite the danger they were all in.
The machines now shot triple blasts of energy from the ceiling, moving left and right attacking everything in sight.
“It’s so hot,” said Whisper.
The heat produced from the energy was beginning to affect them all, as perspiration and sweat dripped from their foreheads. Thrace was almost shaking trying to keep control of his energy. Abel, on the other hand, was calm and relaxed. He was the only one not sweating.
“The blasts are coming mainly from the ceiling. At this rate, we won’t be able to hold. We need to redirect more to the top of the barrier,” said Athena.
“We can do this,” said Kry. “Everyone keep in control.” He redirected his energy to the surface where the majority of the blasts were coming. It was an onslaught. More groups had fallen, and only a few remained. At that moment, he noticed Sonus and the New Order circling them.
“What are they doing?” said Whisper.
Abel opened his eyes as a hidden blast from the floor knocked them all down. Kry had not seen where the energy came from, but he was sure that it did not come from the machines.
“Get up!” shouted Athena.
They were down, but their barrier was still intact. The pressure was intense. Kry thought of his parents’ death and used the emotion it brought forth to strengthen their barrier. It was just enough for everyone to get back on their feet and refocus. Abel directed his attention to Sonus and the New Order who were laughing. Kry was disgusted as he now understood the source of the energy. Sonus was manipulating energy with his hands to force other groups out. He was going to get someone killed.
“Stage four, activate!” shouted Manjra. “How far can you go?”
Machines similar to the ones on the roof appeared from hidden compartments inside the walls. Now, the blasts came from all sides and with increased intensity. Manjra sped around the hall bringing students to safety as one by one the groups began to get knocked out. The only groups left were Kry’s, the New Order, and the Russians.
As the blasts intensified, the New Order approached Kry’s group from behind while the Russians were moving toward them from the front.
“Damn them, they’re grouping up to take us down!” said Thrace.
“Not while we still stand!” shouted Athena.
It was too late. Ilya and Sonus fired energy from both sides, pinpointing the weakest parts of their barrier. Whisper looked frightened as the blasts came at them. Manjra did nothing to stop them. Kry realized that they were on their own.
“Stand—” The blasts came at the same time, their power as strong as anything they had yet experienced. Athena stopped in mid-sentence as the impact of the blast knocked her unconscious.
Kry wanted to help her, but he knew he had to keep his concentration on maintaining the barrier. With Athena down, their barrier had been weakened. Sonus continued to direct his energy at them.
“This is bad!” said Thrace. “The four of us can’t—”
There was a blinding flash of light, and ripples of energy traversed across their barrier causing it to crack.
Kry was blinded and almost knocked down. His vision slowly returned and was shocked to see Thrace and Whisper unconscious. The barrier was close to collapsing.
“It’s just you and me,” said Abel.
Kry looked into his eyes. For the first time, he recognized Abel’s emotion. It was the first time he had spoken.
Manjra circled them ready to dive in once their barrier fell. It was only a matter of time. Sonus and Ilya had yet to move against each other, keeping their attention on Kry and Abel.
The shockwaves and blasts were almost ripping the barrier apart.
“It’s time to show your strength,” said Abel.
Kry turned to him. “You know I’ve been holding back?”
“As have I,” said Abel. “Give me both your hands.”
Athena, Whisper, and Thrace were still unconscious within the barrier.
“You can’t be scared to show your strength anymore.” Abel placed both his hands forward. “We need to use our power together to keep the barrier up.”
Kry took both of Abel’s hands with his own. Their hands locked together, and their eyes were on each other. As both their hands connected, the barrier expanded with enormity taking the other groups by surprise. Manjra had to blink away just in time as the barrier developed.
“Incredible! Stage five, activate!” shouted Manjra.
The room began to shake. The students who were out already just stared on in awe as somehow Abel and Kry were still there, their barrier stronger than ever. The two of them stood like stone, hands locked and focused. Both of them gave everything they had, and it was enough as the blasts deflected off their barrier with ease.
Even as the room rocked from side to side, they held. Sonus was surprised, and his group had to move back and reinforce their own barrier as the intensity of the energy blasts increased. They had spent too much energy attacking rather than using their energy to keep
their barrier intact, and it was showing.
Kry could see from the corner of his eye the frantic look on Ilya as he tried to command his group to keep focused, but it was not enough. Sonus saw the weakness in the Russian’s barrier and struck them unaware as he fired a projectile of red energy at them. The Russian’s barrier cracked straight down the middle, exploding, and throwing all five of them out of the barrier. They were now defenseless against the dangers around them. Manjra’s eyes widened in shock as he saw what had happened.
“Ilya!” screamed a woman from his group. She was undefended and too tired to form a barrier as the energy beams came down from above.
Ilya looked on helpless as he understood what was about to happen. Manjra blinked across the room picking each student up, but she was too far away for him to catch her in time.
“I’m going to get her,” said Kry.
Abel was calm. “Go.”
Ilya had said his pride had been wounded when Kry had saved his group yesterday. Damn his pride! He was not going to allow anyone to die here. Kry released his grip from Abel and sped toward her. He made it just in time as a powerful blast of energy struck his barrier. The woman was now inside and unharmed. She looked up at him with confusion.
Manjra had brought the other four to the safe zone. The Russian woman was trembling as Kry did his best to maintain the barrier. His barrier alone was not strong enough as he could feel the heat and power coming from all around him. He saw Abel alone, covering his group with a two-level barrier. Abel was holding.
Kry attempted to return to Abel, but the beams were keeping him locked down. The New Order were now blocking his way, and Sonus himself was laughing.
“Time to leave!” shouted Sonus. The New Order fired shots of energy toward him.
Kry was pushed back, his barrier weakening. The female student was paralyzed with fear as cracks began to form on the barrier. In that moment, Kry remembered Rhea, and a powerful flood of emotions swept through him. He opened his arms wide causing his barrier to expand.
Sonus was no longer laughing.
Kry then flipped his hand over as Abel had done, and his expanded barrier now became two. Everything came naturally to him. Deep inside of him, he knew everything. It was not learning; it was remembering.
Show them who you are.
A female voice entered his mind from a place deep within. Her soft voice and the sound of a stream soothed his soul.
Kry stood there with his two-level, expanded barrier, deflecting the blasts with ease. He could see fear in Sonus’s eyes. Now they knew the strength he had. That moment of fear was enough as the New Order lost concentration and their barrier failed.
Manjra blinked in and rescued them. “Deactivate,” he said.
Kry looked toward Abel who stood with his own two-level barrier, protecting the group. Everything was quiet.
The hall had stopped shaking, and the machines were silent. Kry picked up the distraught woman in his arms and walked over to the students and Professor Manjra. He walked right past them and straight to Ilya, placing her down in front of him.
“Pride and stupidity are two differing things.” Kry looked Ilya in the eyes with a fierceness no one had yet seen. He walked back to his group. The others had now regained consciousness.
Thrace rubbed his head. “What happened?”
Athena was also confused as they were the only group left outside the safe zone.
Abel tried to leave, but Kry stopped him. “Thank you.” Abel nodded to him and left. Kry turned to Whisper and helped him up. “Are you hurt?”
Whisper massaged his neck. “That shockwave hurt. My muscles are aching.”
“We won?” said Thrace in surprise. “I thought we were goners when Athena got hit!”
Athena looked furiously at Thrace. She was already embarrassed for having been unconscious.
“I’m glad everyone is unhurt,” said Kry. He turned to Athena who was watching him curiously, trying to study him as if he were a book.
Kry walked back with the others to the safe zone. Sonus was arguing with his group, humiliated by their failure. The rest of the students, even Ilya, looked at Kry with a new found respect. However, Kry knew this was only just the beginning.
Chapter 6 – Combat Trials
She saw the dojo in front of her and bowed. It was a sign of respect she gave to her dead mother and the Master. Today, she would make her mark as she joined her first class at the International University of Users.
Akira and Inessa took their shoes off and went inside. Eclipse took a moment before removing her shoes and then followed them. She had never been to university, although she had planned to if her mother’s death had not changed everything.
All the students had gathered in the center of the room and waited for the class to begin. Eclipse made eye contact with Svana who watched her in return as she joined them. Svana was most likely still embarrassed with what had happened in the cafeteria. Eclipse was smart enough to know she would need to watch herself.
“Are you prepared?” A mature female voice with what appeared to be a South African accent came from behind them. The professor, who had long blond hair and wore red-framed glasses, strode toward the front of the class. She was unusual as she wore leather armor with spiked metal shoulder pads. She held her finger in the air. “Rule one?”
“To be the fastest,” said the students in unison.
The professor raised two fingers in the air. “Rule two?”
“To be the strongest.”
The professor raised three fingers in the air. “Rule three?”
“Our hands are our weapons.”
This time, the professor raised four fingers. “Rule four?”
“A weapon is an extension of our self.”
“Good. Now, we have a new student today, Eclipse, I believe. My name is Professor Seranay.”
Eclipse bowed with respect.
“You’re well mannered. This is good. I’m the trainer of this dojo, and I welcome you as my new student,” said Seranay, bowing in return. She then clapped her hands. “I would like you all to continue your respective training from yesterday. There will be some sparring later on so warm up and practice.”
Students cheered as they heard there would be sparring and then proceeded to their own training in several parts of the dojo. Eclipse was not sure what to do.
“Eclipse,” said Seranay. “You’ll join me as I walk you through the four cores of this dojo.”
Eclipse was familiar with different dojos, but the fundamentals were all the same—physical and mental training. Since she was young, her mother had trained her vigorously, and she wondered how much further training she could do here.
“We’ll see you later,” said Inessa. “Akira and I will begin our warm up.”
Akira bowed to Eclipse and then followed Inessa to do their individual training.
“It seems you’ve made friends already,” said Seranay.
“I wouldn’t say they are my friends yet,” replied Eclipse.
“Not a trusting person, I see,” said Seranay. “This is good. You shouldn’t be.” Seranay led Eclipse to the far end of the dojo where several boxing bags were hanging from the ceiling.
Students were punching the bags at full throttle, their strikes causing ripples of energy to flow from the bag.
“Here we practice speed,” said Seranay. She held one of the bags. “Here, try.”
Eclipse had done boxing before, another one of her many lessons in her early childhood. She stepped forward and touched the bag to feel the texture. She then moved her hips and struck the bag moving it back.
“One strike is not enough,” said Seranay. “Multiple strikes as fast as you can.”
Eclipse took a deep breath and allowed her chest to expand. She was ready. Eclipse began to hit the bag as fast as she could while Seranay kept the bag steady.
“Faster!” said Seranay.
Other students around the speed training area began to watch. Eclipse pou
nded the bag furiously, but it was nowhere near as fast as other students had been able to do.
“You’re not using your mind with your strikes,” said Seranay. “You’re a User! Don’t forget that. Combine your mind with your body.”
The commands given by Seranay made Eclipse feel nostalgic as she remembered her mother. She concentrated once more and found one of her many memories that she had with her mother. She focused on it and began to rip the bag apart.
“Good!” said Seranay, now impressed. “You must hit it so fast that you no longer touch the bag. Allow your energy you produce to exert the movement.”
Eclipse was moving faster and faster. She focused the energy from her body and exerted it through with her fists. The bag exploded. Students all around stared wide-eyed.
“I think you may need a little bit more control with that exercise, but your speed is extraordinary. Your movements remind me of an old friend,” said Seranay.
Eclipse could not believe how fast she had punched the bag. She looked at her fists and stretched her fingers, the remnants of energy still present.
“Come with me,” said Seranay. She went to the nearby wall and flicked a switch.
A hidden compartment opened up revealing a room with a long glass tube. There was a machine at the far end.
“Tanner, you also,” said Seranay.
The student, Tanner, followed Seranay and Eclipse into the room.
“Tanner, enter the Speedifier,” said Seranay. “I’d like you to show Eclipse what this machine does.”
Tanner opened the glass door and entered the Speedifier.
“We’ll be safe here,” said Seranay.
Eclipse was not sure what they had to be safe from, but a loud siren sounded, and then she witnessed the tube glow brightly as the machine at the other end began to fire small pellets.
“He’ll be fine. He’s fast, and even if he does get hit, the pellets are harmless, although they will leave a bruise,” said Seranay.
Tanner was inside the tube standing on a white disc. The disc rotated on its axis as Tanner moved from side to side avoiding the pellets being fired.
Another siren sounded, and the pellets came faster and faster. Tanner rotated on the disc moving just as fast. Several sirens sounded, and Tanner’s movements became a blur as he moved so fast it was impossible to see his image clearly.
Rise of the Young: Warriors are not made; they are forged (The Ascended Book 2) Page 11
