Rise of the Young: Warriors are not made; they are forged (The Ascended Book 2)

by Bygott, Hugo C.

  Abel seemed worried. “Yes, I saw him, but I think your history is something you need to find out for yourself.”

  Kry did not know why, but he was becoming angry and impatient. There was something inside of him that he was not sure about, a voice trying to break free.

  “You have great power, Kry,” said Abel. “But…”

  “But what?”

  “There is a cost to that power. You have a darkness inside you, unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Abel.

  “What are you talking about?” said Kry.

  “Your mind might have been locked for a reason. And let me tell you, I saw the darkness inside you, it’s hidden, but it’s there. It calls to you, to become stronger, but you’ve yet to understand the real reality you face.” Abel stood in the shadows of the trees as he told Kry about the darkness within him.

  Kry had never felt any darkness and had always done his best to do the right thing. The Shadow Government was the darkness, not him! What he saw must be mistaken. “You’re wrong. There’s no darkness inside me. I feel nothing. I came here to become stronger to defeat the Shadow Government. They took everything from me!” Kry did not realize he was shouting and became even more annoyed.

  “You’re just like him,” said Abel, looking up into the stars.

  “Like who?” accused Kry.

  Abel stared at a faraway place. “Ander.”

  Kry recognized the name. He had seen it in the Chamber. Ander had been one of the champions of the Cube. His face had been darkened, so it was impossible to see his face, but there was an uneasy feeling when he had looked at the portrait. “A former champion?”

  “The dark champion,” said Abel. “You and Ander are much alike.”

  Kry could not imagine such a scenario. There was no similarity he continued to tell himself. Abel was taking this too seriously.

  “Ander was powerful, the most powerful User I’ve ever come across. He was brooding, sad, and somewhat crazy.”

  “I’m not crazy,” said Kry. “And I’m nothing like this Ander. You don’t know me. You think you saw inside my mind about some darkness, but the only darkness inside of me is the anger to save my friends and defeat the people who did this.”

  “Ander had been just, too. He was a good mentor until his purpose changed through a strange transformation,” said Abel.

  “He trained you?” Kry was surprised by that.

  “He did; it was before I came here. He taught me many things about being a User,” said Abel.

  The leaves of the trees rustled as if a storm was approaching.

  Kry tightened his jacket. “When I was in your mind, the brief moment I had in there, I saw a much happier version of you. You had a family, brothers, and you laughed and fought with them. You also had a sister. Was this before you met Ander?”

  Abel had sadness in his eyes. He pointed to the symbol on his jacket. “This is an aegis, a shield, the symbol of my family. Before Ander, I was weak. My father and brothers saw me as a failure. You might have seen a happier version of me, but make no mistake I was not happy.” Abel sighed. “I’ve not seen them in years, not after I left my home and followed Ander. And my sister…” Abel looked away and took a long breath. He looked back at Kry. “Despite everything, Ander made me strong, but after some time, something changed within him, and he became deranged, power hungry and was not the same Ander I knew. The one I cared about died when he changed, and that’s when I left again. The last I heard he’d come here to challenge himself in the Cube. As you can see, he did very well.”

  Kry studied the aegis on his jacket and wondered if Abel would see his family again. “I’d no idea you’d been trained by someone so strong, but now I know where you get if from. Where do you think Ander is now?”

  Abel clenched his fists. “I wish I knew,” he said. “I came here to find answers, but there is hardly a trace of him. The university seems to have almost removed his existence. When I find him, I’ll fight him.”

  “You want to fight him? I thought you didn’t want to fight?”

  “I don’t, but Ander is the one who made me this way. I’ll only fight him because we have unfinished business.”

  “What unfinished business?”

  Abel looked away. “A tale I wish not to share.”

  Kry could see the pain in Abel’s eyes. “Will you hold back against him?”

  Abel laughed for the first time since Kry had known him. “If I did, I’d be dead. Do you see all these names here?” He pointed toward the tombstones. “Some are even former champions of the Cube. Even the best will succumb to this world. There’ll always be someone stronger, but Ander, he was one of the strongest. There was a mystery about him just like you.”

  Ander, the dark champion, disappeared without a trace. Kry could only imagine how strong he was.

  “I want you to be careful, Kry. This place isn’t safe for anyone, and it’ll only be a matter of time before the Shadow Government finds you here. They have spies everywhere,” said Abel.

  Kry appreciated his words. He knew he was on a clock. “This is why I wanted to talk to you. I want you to join me. Join my group.”

  Abel shook his head. “No, I’m better off alone. And you’re better off without me. I came here to find Ander, not to be a part of your vendetta against the Shadow Government.”

  “We can make a difference! I believe we’re stronger together, and I’ll help you find Ander if that’s what it takes,” said Kry.

  Abel sighed. “I told you; people have died around me.”

  “They’ve died around me, too,” said Kry. “That doesn’t change the fact that we’re better off together than not. If you’re right and say there is a darkness inside me, then you can help me overcome it.”

  Abel looked deep in thought. “You’ve only slightly made me consider this,” he said. “But I’ll not join anyone, especially someone who can’t even beat me.”

  Kry now understood him. “So, you’ll only join me if I beat you?”

  “Correct,” said Abel. “And unlike what happened in the Cube, I’ll fight with everything I have.”

  This was going to be a problem. Kry knew that Abel had an advantage. Abel was more experienced as a User, and he would not know how he would fare, but the voice inside of him kept telling him to fight, to beat him. He tried to push it away, but it kept creeping back, wanting him to challenge Abel.

  “I said there’s great power in you, Kry,” said Abel. “But as you are now, you have no hope of beating me.” He turned to leave.

  Kry was unsure of what to do. Sonus was getting stronger, and he did not want his friends to get hurt. Abel joining him would make their group stronger. “I’ll fight you right now!” Kry had no idea what came over him. The words had left his mouth before he could even think about the consequences.

  Abel stopped and turned back to him. “You can’t defeat me. I already beat you once mentally. Physically, you’ll get hurt.”

  “If beating you to join me is the only way, then I’ll do it!” said Kry. “If I beat you, though, you must promise to join me.”

  Abel shook his head. “You have no chance.”

  Kry did not like his arrogance. He moved quickly and tried to strike Abel with a blow to the face. Abel ducked and created a shockwave which rippled across the ground toward him. Kry raised his barrier as the energy struck him.

  “I thought you said you wouldn’t go easy on me. That shockwave was nothing,” said Kry, sarcastically.

  Abel became serious and formed his two-level barrier. Kry smiled and formed his own two-level barrier just as Abel blinked toward him. Abel rammed into him and knocked him against a tree.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Kry. You don’t want this,” said Abel.

  Kry was enjoying this. He allowed the energy to flow through him—the euphoria was incredible. He got back to his feet and slammed his fists into the ground, creating a ripple of shockwaves toward Abel.

  Abel saw the impending attack and blinked away, easil
y avoiding it. He blinked once more next to Kry and placed his hands inside Kry’s barrier.

  Kry could feel the immense energy coming from him. Abel tried to grab hold of him within the barrier, but Kry knew what Abel was trying to do and fired daggers of energy toward him.

  The look on Abel’s face was one of surprise as he was forced back, almost losing his balance in the process. “There is darkness in you. I feel it as strongly now as I did when I was in your mind.”

  Kry ignored him and tried to gain an advantage. Since the opening ceremony, he had studied hard to understand energy manipulation, and Zero’s classes were some of the best. Despite having entered the university more than two months ago, he had improved a lot and was able to produce the elements much easier than before. He turned his fists into fire and came at Abel with short bursts of fireballs, doing his best to avoid damaging any tombstones. Abel’s barrier blocked his attacks effortlessly, and then he created a wall of ice to lessen the effect of the fireballs.

  As he fought Abel, he was learning. Abel was doing things he had not seen before. He memorized every technique that Abel used. The ice wall grew thicker around Abel, but Kry turned his fiery fist now into hardened rock and smashed through the wall, shattering it into a thousand shards.

  “You’re still holding back!” shouted Kry.

  Abel held his ground. Kry then created his own wall of ice around Abel, trapping him inside. Immediately, Abel blew it apart with fire, and with a great roar, he blasted Kry’s barrier with a ray of dark matter.

  Kry’s first barrier faded as Abel’s energy was more potent than he realized. In seconds, his other barrier fell, and now he was unprotected as he tried to understand how his barriers had been so easily shattered.

  With his barriers down, Abel blinked like lightning, striking his ribs in a flurry of blows and then finally sweeping him to the floor with his legs. Kry’s anger was rising, the well of energy inside of him trying to break free. Boom, boom, boom. It was going to break free, the pain in his head now trying to suppress it. He was about to unleash a huge wave of energy, but then Abel’s callused hands picked him up and threw him against the tree. Kry hit his head on the trunk as he landed. He breathed heavily; the energy that was about to be unleashed now dispersed. He was still partly conscious and saw Abel looking at him, his two-level barrier glowing brightly. Kry was unable to move as he tried to get back up. Something was holding him down, but then he saw the ring of stone that clamped him to the tree.

  Abel rotated his hands, manipulating the stone. Kry struggled to break free as Abel walked toward him.

  “It’s over,” said Abel. “I told you; you couldn’t win.”

  Kry was regaining his senses and started to smile. “Still holding back?”

  Abel turned to leave.

  Kry knew he had little chance to win, but now he had fought Abel head on, he knew what he had to do. The stone around him vanished as Abel walked away.

  “Abel,” shouted Kry.

  Abel turned his head.

  “You will join me. I promise you. And together we’ll make a difference!” said Kry. “I’ll keep coming until I beat you!”

  “You’ll need a whole lot more than you gave tonight if you want to beat me. In fact, if you want to have any chance in the Cube and against even Aiyax, you’ll need to do much more,” said Abel.

  The adrenaline was still flowing through Kry. Fighting Abel was euphoric. Perhaps there was more to the Cube than he realized. Maybe he was different. In fact, he recalled Professor Zero telling him that he could become a great champion. Was there some merit in his words? Could Zero make him stronger? He did not like Zero’s teaching methods, but Zero did bring out his ability to create the elements. If anyone could make him better, it was Zero.

  Abel had almost left the graveyard, and Kry watched him finally disappear from sight. Whatever darkness Abel was talking about, he would prove him wrong. His motivation only intensified knowing that he would have to become stronger to defeat Abel. There was still much more to learn about him—his life, his family, and his pursuit of Ander. Abel had his purpose, and so did he.

  “Kry.” It was Abel’s voice in his mind. “The darkness is real. Trust me. And whatever you do, be careful of Zero.”

  Chapter 15 – Professors’ Committee

  How horribly boring this all was—tedious, mindless chit-chat. He looked down at his watch. An hour had passed since they had started, and still nothing worthwhile had come out of the discussion. So far, school administration, event planning, and money issues were the topics of the day. He could hear every tick of his watch, wishing he was elsewhere, away from these mumbling idiots. They were all expendable, every single one of them. How funny it was that these professors had no idea of the reality which they would soon face. In a way, he felt pity for them. Their limited knowledge of what was real and what was not would bring them all to their knees…in front of him.

  “Zero, you have been quiet the whole time, and I think it would be substantial if you would provide your thoughts and contribute to this discussion.” Katar looked at him with disapproving eyes.

  He cared little for what Katar thought of him. Katar was the biggest imbecile in the room. How he became president was beyond understanding. No one was more incompetent than Katar.

  Zero rolled down his sleeve to cover his ticking watch. All the professors looked at him, waiting for him to reply. Fools. The lot of them. “I will contribute, when, and only when, there is a topic worthy of me to give my opinion.”

  Katar frowned. Zero enjoyed making Katar furious. It was so easy to get under his skin.

  “Zero, since you came here, you have provided little or nothing in contributing to the growth of this university. I question whether you really are suitable to be a professor here,” said Katar.

  Katar’s words did little to faze him. He had been accused of things far worse than this, and this was merely child’s play. “Fair enough,” he said. “So, what are we talking about?”

  The other professors looked as unhappy as Katar. He was delighted at seeing their disapproving stares. In another life, he would have ended them all with a click of his fingers, but that was not a part of his current plan. No, for now, he would have to feign his weakness and live this boring life as a professor. Only when his work was done would he reveal himself.

  “We were talking about the Cube and the next challenges for the students,” said Yujin. “We’ve already begun preparations for the next event, but since we had the tragic death of Xu, we’re considering holding it back a little more.”

  Yujin, he was an interesting man, but for the life of him, he had no idea how he was a former champion of the Cube. He was a big oaf, stupid, and clumsy—not traits worthy of a champion.

  “Well, Yujin,” said Zero, smiling as best he could. He hated smiling. “Xu’s death, as we know, is a consequence of participating in the Cube. There are no rules, and everyone knows what they are getting into when they enter. It is life or death inside there, and that is what this is all about, isn’t it? The students need the strength to survive the harsh realities of this world.” Some of the professors nodded in agreement. Look at all these sheep listening to his every word. How Katar had hired a bunch of dullards.

  “Yes, Zero, this is true, but perhaps some of the students need time to adjust before the next battle,” said Yujin.

  “Time is for the weak. You adjust, or you die. No, you should go ahead as planned. The students need to adapt to every situation, and although the incident was tragic, I believe it will bring out the best in all of them in the next fight,” said Zero. Tragic. Yes, it was tragic, but he cared little. Sonus was a possible candidate for his plans, but his recklessness was a weakness he could not allow. No, the real potential was Kry. It was only a matter of time before Kry would see the same way he did.

  Seranay spoke up. Her South African accent was a delight to hear. “Zero’s right. We should continue without delay. The students in my class are improving quickly, e
specially the new ones.”

  Of course, he was right. He was always right. Seranay was attractive, and there was something about her which reminded him of a past companion, but they were all the same—beautiful but lacking substance. There was only one woman who remained forever out of this category, but he would not remember her for what she did to him.

  Students could be heard chatting and laughing outside. Zero continued to count the gentle ticks of his watch.

  “The new students are interesting. My particular interest is in the young boy who can’t speak,” said Himura. “His ailment is not that uncommon, and I believe I can treat him in time.”

  For Zero, this was ridiculous. Who cares about the mute kid? The only one worth considering was Kry; his power, his raw energy was going to change everything. And that power would be his.

  “It is interesting that Whisper can’t speak for some reason. The same goes for all the new students. We’ve all seen their progression first hand, but what’s slightly concerning is their sudden appearance at our university,” said Manjra, directing his question to Katar.

  Katar was unshaken. “They are students, like any other, who have come here to train, study, and ultimately contribute to our society as great Users.”

  Manjra was not finished. “But where did they come from? I’ve seen their application forms, and key details are missing.”

  Zero was watching Manjra carefully. Dangerously so. What was Manjra trying to imply? This was a concern for him. The ticking of his watch continued as he studied each of the professors around the room. He had lived a long time and knew dishonesty was a part of the human way of life. One of them was a spy for the Shadow Government, making sure that the university was sticking to its tradition and remaining loyal to their organization. That’s where all the money came from.

  Zero could not afford this spy to ruin his plans. He needed the Shadow Government to remain oblivious to what was happening here, or it would become inconvenient for him to have to deal with them. It was not the time yet; no, not yet. In time, yes, but not until he was ready.