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

by Bygott, Hugo C.

  “You mean one of the professors told you of me, am I correct?” replied Zero.

  “Ah, so you’re intelligent as well as funny,” said Veron.

  “Who is it? Since you are going to kill me, what harm could it do? I would at least like to know who it was that put me in this position,” said Zero.

  “Sorry, Zero. You don’t get to have that luxury. Not after what I’ve seen,” said Veron.

  “And what have you seen?” asked Zero.

  Veron’s eyes gleamed in delight. “The student in the Cube, Kry. My superiors are gonna be happy to know what I found. Yet, they’ll be a little disappointed to learn that your colleagues voted to keep this information from them. I fear that you all will pay dearly.”

  Zero sighed once more. “I do not want to die. Please, would you spare me if I keep my mouth shut?”

  Veron rubbed his hands together. “Begging for your life? That’s unusual for a professor at this esteemed university.”

  “Pretty please?” pleaded Zero.

  “It’s unwise to mock me,” growled Veron.

  A dark mist surrounded Zero. “It is you who are unwise, young one.” Zero’s voice boomed in the graveyard with a different tone from the one he had used before.

  Veron seemed unfazed. “A nice parlor trick, Zero, but I’m a Blade.” He formed his barrier and tried to move forward, but he was unable to move. “What’s this..?”

  Zero’s voice was fearsome. “You are a Blade. That is nothing to what I am.” The dark mist whirled around Zero as he rose his right hand in front of him.

  Veron began to choke and grabbed his chest.

  “What you are feeling is my mind wrapped around your heart. Do you feel the power I have over you?” threatened Zero.

  Veron fell to one knee as he continued holding his chest. Veron tried to speak, but no words left his mouth. He looked at Zero with surprise in his eyes.

  “You will not be telling anyone of what you have found, and I will know who your informant is.” Zero walked toward Veron and placed his left hand on Veron’s head.

  Veron looked up in agony as he continued to choke.

  Zero entered his mind. The exhilaration was incredible as he filtered through the web of memories—Veron’s moments of happiness, his fears, and his hopes. Zero tore them all apart as he ravaged his mind. Veron screamed aloud even as he choked with the pressure on his heart.

  Zero was unsympathetic as he tore through memory upon memory trying to find who here in the university was the spy. There was a memory now coming into his vision. He saw Viktor speaking with Professor Himura. Of course, it was him. Zero released his hand from Veron’s head and kicked him to the ground.

  Veron had both hands on his chest trying to breathe.

  Zero was disgusted. It was neither Manjra nor Nam despite what he thought. In fact, he should have guessed it sooner since Himura had tried to enter his mind. Now it all made sense. Himura was smarter than he looked. It was all a ploy for him to pretend to be on Kry’s side when in fact he had voted yes.

  “Thank you, Veron. You have made my life a little easier now I know everything,” said Zero.

  Veron raised one hand up to try and grab him, but Zero just laughed. Zero then held Veron’s chin up and pointed it toward him. With his eyes locked on his, he crushed Veron’s heart with his mind. Veron collapsed to the floor, dead.

  With his energy, Zero waved his hand over Veron’s body and pushed the body into the ground. Veron sunk deep beneath the earth, lying with the many fallen students. Zero wiped his hands and left the graveyard.

  Chapter 24 – The Scarred Man

  Kry touched the scar which traversed down one side of his face. Aiyax’s whip would be an everlasting memory of his defeat. The wound had healed quickly, but the scar remained as a potent reminder of his failure. Not only had he lost, but he had lost the trust in his friends. They seemed not to care for him anymore. Zero had shown him firsthand how they went behind his back to talk in a secret meeting. Why would Eclipse and Whisper go behind his back in this way? They had not even spoken since the Cube, and he was confused, angry, and did not know what was right anymore. Only Zero had been there for him after his loss. His so called friends seemed afraid of his power. Maybe they were jealous and maybe they were glad that he had lost. Perhaps they all met to laugh about how he had failed even with his power. He could not even remember much of the fight. The power had flooded him and taken control. It was euphoric, even the memory of it brought him to a moment of ecstasy.

  Today, he would have his first lesson with Zero and was excited to see what he could learn. Zero was not as bad as people made him out to be. Sure, he was dark and brooding, but he cared deep down. Once he thought Eclipse and Whisper cared, too, but now he was not so sure.

  It was still early, and classes would not begin for another few hours. He kept thinking about what his friends were doing in the library without him. Since the Cube, they appeared to take a step back from him, and he knew that his actions in the Cube were something they disapproved of, but he only wanted to prove himself and stop Sonus harming another. He tried recalling the past fight and how he had fought Sonus, almost killing him before Eclipse had tried to stop him. Suddenly, he felt shame for what he did as if there was another voice inside his head telling him he was in the wrong. What had he done? Eclipse was right; he had gone too far and almost killed Sonus and Thrace. If Eclipse had not stopped him, then who knows how far he would have gone…

  He lay on the bed trying to clear his mind. He had also fought Eclipse and even hurt her physically. For the first time, he felt guilty and confused.

  No.

  Kry heard the voice in his mind. It was a powerful echo which resounded again and again.

  No. You fought to protect. Do not feel guilty. Do not be ashamed of trying to become stronger to protect those whom you love.

  Kry listened to the voice, allowing it to hypnotize him and realized that the voice was right. He had only tried to protect his friends. Sonus was going to kill his friends just as he had done with Xu. Why should he feel guilty for trying to stop him? He became calm and collected as he told himself he was not wrong—his friends were.

  ****

  Eclipse awakened to the sound of falling snow outside her bedroom window. She rose quickly and washed her face. Her worried eyes looked back at her from the mirror. The winter days continued, and the snowfall seemed to grow stronger every day. She did not have a good sleep, and in her thoughts was Kry and his unknown power. She picked up a towel by her side and wiped her face dry. Rush, where are you? She looked out the bedroom window watching each snowflake fall. The snow had reached the point where it stacked so high she did not think that it was possible for it to rise any higher. The snow surrounded the university as if forming a white prison. Giant snow walls rose high into the air, and the only thing stopping the snow from completely burying the grounds was the energy barrier which covered the university.

  She stared at the snow, and the beauty reminded her of when she was younger and in a much happier time. Her mother had always loved the snow, and they played together and trained under the falling magic of white rain.

  She got dressed, picked up her things and went to the student cafeteria for breakfast.

  The cafeteria was especially loud this morning as she entered. She immediately saw Whisper sitting with the group on the far side of the hall. She grabbed some food and quickly joined them.

  “I hope you had a good sleep,” said Thrace.

  “It seems we both didn’t get much,” Eclipse replied, noticing his baggy eyes.

  Thrace yawned.

  Eclipse noticed Whisper looked worried and also realized Kry was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s Kry?”

  Whisper shrugged. “I knocked on his door, but there was no reply. I could not sense him inside. He was gone.”

  “What do you mean he was gone?” she asked. “Where did he go?”

  “I don’t know, that’s the problem,” said Whisper.
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  “But class isn’t for another hour,” said Eclipse. She began to worry about what was happening. Where would he go?

  “I wouldn’t worry. We’ll see him in class later so we can ask him then,” said Thrace.

  This was unlike Kry just to disappear without telling anyone. Eclipse kept thinking over and over about Jaeger’s book and the sections which Kry had underlined. She wondered what Kry was thinking and hoped she still had a chance to get through to him.

  Eclipse then noticed Abel and Athena sitting together.

  “Strange, isn’t it?” said Thrace.

  Eclipse turned to him. “Sorry?”

  Thrace looked toward Abel and Athena.

  She looked back at them, and indeed it was strange to see them sitting together. Abel usually preferred to sit alone.

  “They’re just sitting together. It doesn’t mean anything,” said Inessa.

  It was only yesterday since they had the sudden meeting with everyone regarding Kry, and Abel and Athena seemed closer than they had been before.

  “Maybe my joke about sexual tension was not far from the truth,” said Thrace, smiling.

  Inessa just shook her head.

  At that moment, the New Order surrounded their table.

  “Where’s Kry?” demanded Sonus, angrily.

  Eclipse pushed her plate to the side and stood up to face him. “You have a problem?”

  The cafeteria was now silent as everyone had their attention on Sonus and the New Order.

  Sonus growled. “Sweet girl, sit down. I want to speak to your beloved faction leader. Where is he?”

  Eclipse was unfazed and returned a venomous look at him. “Stand down, Sonus. Otherwise, I’d hate to enlighten you with my friend here.” She pulled out Kuro from her scabbard and held the blade in front of him.

  Sonus grinned.

  “Move, now,” said Abel as he pushed away members of the New Order.

  Sonus snarled. “This is nothing to do with you, Abel. Get out of here.”

  Abel grabbed one of Sonus’s men and slammed his head into the table. “I won’t ask twice.”

  Sonus waved his hand in the air causing many of the New Order students to come to his aid. Eclipse could see that the New Order had grown substantially.

  “I came here for Kry. Now before this gets ugly, you’d better tell me where he is,” ordered Sonus.

  “Abel, I have this,” said Eclipse. Abel looked ready to brawl, and she knew it. If possible, she wanted to avoid any fight.

  Abel stepped back.

  “That’s a good boy. Woof, woof,” barked Sonus.

  Abel did not react to his bait.

  “I’m getting rather bored of this display of strength. I just want Kry,” said Sonus.

  “I don’t know where he is,” insisted Eclipse.

  “Don’t lie. You two are always together,” said Sonus.

  “Not anymore,” she said, sadly.

  Sonus laughed. “So, you had a falling out? Let me guess, because of what he did in the Cube?”

  Eclipse did not enjoy his taunting, but they were severely outnumbered, even with Abel at their side.

  “Sonus, just leave. You’re wasting your time,” said Whisper.

  Sonus slammed his fist onto the table. “Wasting my time? Mute one?”

  A blast of energy erupted around them as several members of the New Order were thrown aside. Sonus turned in rage, only to see that he and his faction were now surrounded.

  The Chinese, led by Wei Long, had thrown the blast, and her hand was glowing with energy as she made eye contact with Sonus. Sonus was speechless. All the other factions, including the Iron Maidens, had joined together to match the size of the New Order. Svana glanced briefly at Eclipse and left it at that.

  “So you all want to defend this faction? The one that harbors an Ascended? Do you even know what that means? The Shadow Government is going to come for him!” shouted Sonus.

  Abel blinked in and threw Sonus across the table. The New Order was in an array of confusion but did nothing to act as they were surrounded.

  Sonus bellowed in rage. “Fight them!”

  But no one moved. Sonus returned to his feet and began to bring energy forth from his palms, but Abel was too quick and blinked in once more, knocking him out cold with one strike. Sonus lay silent on the cafeteria floor.

  The New Order looked furious, but no one was willing to make the first move with their leader down.

  “Leave,” demanded Eclipse.

  The New Order students instantly lifted Sonus and departed from the cafeteria. The other factions remained standing.

  “Thank you,” said Eclipse to each one of them. “But why?”

  Wei Long placed her daggers back. “Sonus’s faction is growing too big. We can’t allow him to take this much power. This is just politics,” she said and left with her faction.

  The other factions soon followed sharing the same thoughts. Only the Iron Maidens remained. Eclipse kept Kuro by her side unsure of how Svana was going to act.

  “Rest easy. You can place your blade back,” said Svana.

  Svana had not shown any signs of aggressive posturing or subtle movements of a sudden attack.

  Eclipse placed Kuro back into its scabbard. “I’m surprised you acted against Sonus.”

  Svana sighed. “I was never with him in the first place. I only sided with him in the Cube in the beginning because I thought it would increase my odds of getting to the end, but after what he did to Xu, even I had my doubts. I regret what happened.”

  “Well, Sonus will remember this, and my guess is he won’t forget it. He just keeps coming back for more,” said Eclipse.

  “It doesn’t matter. What matters now is Kry and his power, whatever it is. I’ve never seen anything like it. The other factions sided with you today, but they might not again if Kry grows too strong. This is just a warning,” said Svana. She then left with the Iron Maidens.

  Eclipse then turned to Abel. “Thank you.”

  Abel looked at her for a few seconds before answering. “So, where is Kry?”

  Eclipse sat down. “That’s the thing. I really don’t know.”

  ****

  Things had escalated quickly in the cafeteria. Luckily, the other factions and Abel had decided to lend their support, but how long could they continue like this? Whisper knew they could not stay here much longer, it was becoming too dangerous, and he wished now more than ever he could find a solution to everything. His father had always told him that life had many hardships but how you deal with those hardships is what defines your character. Whisper missed his father dearly and knowing Geminae had taken him made him feel weak and helpless. He trusted Rush, though, and believed Rush would not let him down. He knew Rush was tough and would get his father back. His father was his only blood family left, but Kry had become like an older brother to him. Having Kry around made him feel safe, but now Kry was different, and he was not sure what Kry was thinking. Even this morning, he had not seen him.

  Whisper walked with Thrace to combat training, hoping Kry would have answers to why he was missing this morning. As they made their way into the building, Professor Seranay was already setting up the room for their training. Kry was nowhere to be seen.

  “Where’s Kry?” asked Whisper.

  Thrace was worried, too. “Yeah, I thought he’d be here for sure, but now this is concerning.”

  Professor Seranay split the class up into different groups each to train in a separate aspect of combat. She counted the students and noted Kry’s absence. She turned to Whisper and Thrace. “Kry’s late.”

  “He’ll be here soon,” said Whisper, hoping he was right.

  Seranay looked displeased. “I like punctuality in my students. I’ll deal with him when he arrives.”

  Whisper turned to Thrace with worry.

  Professor Seranay started the class, and Whisper and Thrace began their combat training. As time passed, Whisper grew more worried as Kry did not show up.

>   “This is getting serious,” said Whisper.

  Thrace agreed. “You think he just left?”

  Whisper shook his head. “No, he wouldn’t just leave. Something must have happened.”

  Seranay kept checking her watch, noticing Kry’s continued absence.

  On the far side, Abel was efficiently breaking slabs of stone with his mind. Whisper watched him in awe, noticing his proficiency. At the other end of the room, Athena was training in different styles of fighting, but Whisper could see she was not a skilled combatant; the way she moved her feet and arms was sloppy. In almost every class, Athena had shown excellence. She had a keen mind and was better than most in producing energy, but when it came to Seranay’s class, she always seemed to fall flat. Seranay had noticed it, too, and always shook her head in disappointment as she came to Athena many times to fix her posture and combat stance, but it was never enough.

  Seranay spoke some words to Athena in private which caused Athena to look depressed. Athena left the fighting chamber and walked across the dojo. She began to speak to Abel who glanced at Seranay for acknowledgment.

  “It looks like Seranay has asked Abel to help train Athena,” said Whisper.

  Thrace punched his bag in front of him with a loud crack. Sweat was pouring down his face. He wiped it away and saw Abel helping Athena get in the right positions for fighting, guiding her movements and positioning. “They’re cozy, aren’t they?”

  “Maybe Athena always liked him. Abel seems to be the mysterious guy who girls would like,” said Whisper.

  Thrace laughed. “Are you envious?”

  “No, I don’t even think of girls like that!” retorted Whisper.

  Thrace could not stop laughing. “You’re young, but you will one day. Women are a mystery onto themselves. I don’t even understand Inessa, but I care for her a lot, even though she can drive me insane.”

  Whisper did not know what that was like. He never understood why boys liked girls, or girls liked boys, but he could see the difference a partner had on a person. Kry was unquestionably different when he lost Rhea. Now looking at Abel and Athena, it reminded him of Kry and Rhea’s relationship. However, Athena looked so much like Rhea that it was strange to see Athena training with Abel rather than Kry. He knew that Kry had spent time with Athena in the library and wondered if Kry had feelings for her, but with Kry missing, and Athena spending more and more time with Abel, he was not sure what was going on anymore.