“Three, four,” said Dice. She then nodded to the big man.
Eclipse could not believe what was happening and tried to look away, but it happened too quickly as the big man pulled Professor Nam up and slit her throat with his knife.
****
He was burning. Kry opened his eyes to see the snow all turned to water around him. The impact had shattered his barriers, and he was weakened. He returned to his feet and attempted to focus his energy to bring his barriers back up, but it was too late as Abel launched himself into him.
“You will listen,” demanded Abel as he carried Kry through the air.
The wind and snow rushed into Kry’s face as he was dragged upward. They were rising high up into the sky and almost reached the ceiling of the Cube. Abel spun him around and then shot downward with alarming speed. Kry could barely breathe at the sheer speed they were traveling. He relaxed his muscles and remembered what Zero had taught him. With his right hand, he began to create a mixture of all the elements: fire, lightning, earth, water and dark matter. This grew in size as they descended toward the ground. At the last moment, Kry brought forth the formed ball of energy and hugged it tightly.
Abel was astonished to see the glowing sphere of energy. “What are you doing? You’ll kill us both!” Abel hurled Kry into the distance and landed with a thud on the snowy surface.
Kry reformed his barriers in the air and used his energy to control the speed of his trajectory. He continued to grow the sphere of energy and as he landed threw it toward Abel.
Abel blinked away, but the sphere followed him. He blinked again, but it would not stop pursuing him. Realizing he could not get away, Abel, waiting for the impact, dug his feet into the snow and reinforced his barrier. The sphere split apart into five smaller ones. Abel was not ready as each of the spheres struck different parts of his barrier. The explosion cracked his barriers, each one dissipating, and he found himself lying on the ground unable to move.
Kry walked over to him. “It’s you who will listen, Abel. I win.”
Abel was not sure what was happening. The spheres somehow had affected his concentration as well as destroying his barriers.
Kry began to walk away but sensed something in the distance. He looked up into the sky and saw nothing but clouds. There was a flash of white light, and Kry looked back to see that Abel had somehow recovered.
“Don’t be so sure,” said Abel. With two hands laid out, particles of dark matter began to form within his palms. “I never expected I’d have to resort to this, but you will listen!” The rays of dark matter left Abel’s hands and joined together as they rushed toward Kry.
Time seemed to slow down as the energy drew closer. Kry knew he could not escape and closed his eyes waiting for the impact. The ground shook as the rays of dark matter slammed against Kry’s barrier. Dark smoke and black snow were flung upward from the area of impact.
Abel was exhausted and slowly walked toward the rising smoke. It had been the most powerful source of energy he had ever created. But as the smoke cleared, he could not believe his eyes.
Kry emerged from the black snow with his eyes alight with white flames, and there were not two barriers surrounding him but three—a third barrier made of dark matter. He raised his arms and lifted Abel upward. With a potent force, he threw Abel down which caused a ripple of shockwaves as he landed. He did this twice more and then threw Abel across the snow. Abel’s body rolled like a doll before finally coming to a stop. The power surge of dark matter that came from Abel had only made Kry stronger.
Abel struggled to get back to his feet, but his face showed that he would not give up. “You will listen…” He breathed heavily trying to form the words.
Kry was unfazed and blinked next to him. He kicked Abel down with ease. “This is the Abel I wanted to see when you faced Aiyax, the Abel that gave everything.”
Abel panted and looked at him defiantly. “Just like Ander…”
The Cube doors opened, understanding that there was a victor. Kry heard a shout as Athena came running through into the Cube.
“Don’t hurt him anymore! It’s over!” Athena shouted.
She pushed Kry aside and came to Abel’s exhausted body. He watched her as she caressed Abel’s matted hair and found himself uncaring when she held Abel in her arms.
The white flames died down, and his eyes returned to their original shade. Athena helped Abel up using her energy to balance him against her shoulder. She glanced at Kry with a face of disappointment.
Kry was not concerned with how Athena felt. There was something else which caught his attention. When he looked up into the sky earlier, he sensed something he could not see. That same sensation now returned stronger. The power was incredible, and he was detecting new sources of energy in all directions: the presence of powerful Users. Suddenly, the sound of roaring machines broke through the clouds high up above.
“What are they?” Athena looked up into the sky with horror.
Kry did not think it was possible, but his eyes proved otherwise. Hundreds of machines with humanlike faces appeared from the clouds, and the emblem of the company was painted on each one of their bodies. The roar of their engines powered by harnessed energy echoed across the sky. Boom, boom, boom. His headache had returned, and so had Bellum.
Chapter 31 – Bellum Returns
The Purifiers came in the hundreds, breaking through the clouds at astonishing speed. There was hardly a moment to react as the loud roar of their engines was surpassed by powerful blasts of energy. Red beams of dark matter came from the spheres held in the Purifiers’ hands. Students were blown off the stadium stands as the rain of fire came down on them.
Many students were screaming as they all tried to get out of the stadium. Barriers appeared around every one of them, and they prayed theirs was resilient enough to withstand the blasts that came from the machines. Several students grouped up and formed a common barrier to protect themselves, but a large bolt of energy descended upon them, the explosion disintegrating them all.
“We have to go!” shouted Athena.
The blasts of dark matter shot down on the stadium. The Cube was still intact, but the energy crackled as each blast made contact.
Kry stared up at the machines. Inside each one of those machines were men and women he used to work with, colleagues who once had free will, but now they were only pawns of Botulinia. He heard Athena leaving the Cube, struggling to keep her balance with Abel leaning against her.
Suddenly, Zero’s voice appeared inside Kry’s mind.
“Help them,” said Zero. “Help them and then come to me. Meet me at the Research Center at the far end of the university campus. There is a secret exit which leads into the mountains around the university. I will be waiting. There is not much time. We must work together if we are to survive this.”
Kry turned around and helped Athena by taking the majority of Abel’s weight on his shoulder. Athena looked at him with hope in her eyes. She wanted to say something, but she was speechless. It did not matter. He carried Abel and led Athena through the stadium field with the blasts thundering down on them. Students had been thrown from the stands, and now their bodies littered parts of the field. Their faces were one of shock as their lives were taken away in a mere instant; it was sudden and violent.
Kry expanded his barrier to include both Abel and Athena. Abel was far too weak to be of any use having depleted most of his energy in the fight.
“I can carry myself,” declared Abel. “I can...”
Athena pressed her finger against his lips. She looked into his eyes and shook her head. Kry felt something like a spark of energy penetrate the very depths of his mind as he saw the affection Athena showed toward Abel, and then it was gone.
The three of them managed to leave the field and enter the Chamber. They ran toward the exit and tried to get through, but so many other students were trying to do the same. More explosions rocked the exterior of the Chamber as they sought to escape the building. Ilya
was standing by the exit, holding the iron gates open and shouting for everyone to get out. It was a chaotic mass of confusion. Kry was calm as he reached Ilya.
“We cannot blink,” said Ilya.
Kry stopped for a moment. “What do you mean?”
“He’s right. Something is stopping us from blinking away. I feel a sharp pain even when I try to think of blinking,” explained Athena.
Kry tried to blink, and the pain was immediate. “We need to get to the Research Center at the other end of the university as quickly as possible.”
“What? There is nothing there,” said Ilya. He continued to encourage the many students out of the building while holding the iron gates open.
“There’s an exit,” said Kry. “Tell everyone to go there.”
Ilya seemed unconvinced. “I hope you are right.”
Abel tried to stand by himself but almost collapsed. Athena held him up. “Don’t be stubborn,” she said.
Abel coughed and held his ribs. “I’m healing, slowly.”
Kry ignored him and pulled him back over his shoulder. They rushed out of the Chamber, and students in all directions were trying to get to safety. As they reached the courtyard of the seven paths, students began to run back the other way. Explosions and fighting could be heard from the distance ahead.
Athena tried to stop a running student. “What’s going on?”
The student had panic in her eyes and pushed Athena away from her. She then continued running in the opposite direction. Up above, the Purifiers were slowly making their descent, firing as they did so.
“We keep going, no matter what,” said Kry.
Everything was in chaos as students ran in all directions, no one knowing which place would be safe. The sounds of fighting grew louder as they reached the archway to the next courtyard. Wei Long and many others were fighting against the New Order students. Sonus and his faction were killing students as they tried to flee. One student, a member of the Chinese faction, tried defending herself against many members of the New Order, but all of Sonus’s faction had their weapons by their sides, and many of the other students were only armed with their minds.
“He’s slaughtering them!” cried Athena. “Why is he doing this?”
Sonus’s face was one of madness. His very eyes glowed red with rage as he blasted fireballs at random students and killing anyone trying to flee. Wei Long soon found herself surrounded by many New Order students. She danced with a glow of fire, doing her best to deflect their attacks.
“Take Abel and go to the Research Center,” said Kry. “Don’t look back. I’ll make a path for you.”
Abel tried to grab Kry with his hand. “Let me…”
Athena held his hand back and pulled him over her shoulder. “Meet us there,” she said as if it were an order.
Kry found the energy within himself, and the fire burned inside of him as it took over. He ran forward, jumped toward the fighting and next to Wei Long’s side. He blasted many of the New Order students back with elements of fire and water, distracting them as Athena carried Abel past them. Wei Long was injured, her arms bleeding.
“Come to join the dead?” sneered Sonus as he wielded a spear of fire pointed at Kry.
****
Eclipse had tried to get back to the Chamber and warn the others, but several explosions had rocked the university, and parts of the university had been blown to pieces. The archway leading back to the next courtyard had been destroyed by a blast of energy. The only other way was through the dormitories. She was unable to blink past the rubble and found something blocking her abilities. She was still in shock over Professor Nam’s death and the way Sonus and the New Order did nothing to prevent it.
She turned the corner and heard shouting from all directions as she reached the dormitories. Students ran past her in the other direction, and she tried to warn them that it was not safe back there. There was too much confusion and chaos for anyone to listen.
She entered the dormitory, and the sight horrified her. Students were dead everywhere—some from explosions and others by something else. She heard fighting from the floor above. She knew she could ignore it and head through the door at the other end, but that was not her way. She formed a barrier, pulled Kuro from her scabbard and drew Shiro from her holster. Her heart beat quickened as she climbed the stairs toward the sound of fighting.
****
He was bleeding from his right arm, and the side of his face was dripping with blood, but it was not his own. The blast of energy had come without warning, and the cries of the students, who sat close to him, still echoed in his mind. The screams of the fire burning them alive continued to haunt him.
“Come on, Whisper. We have to keep moving,” cried Inessa. She helped him along through the crowd of running students.
Akira was behind them carrying an unconscious Thrace who had been the closest to the impact of the blast. His pulse was still beating, but it was weak. They ran through the corridor of the Chamber and found Ilya guiding students through the iron gates. The sounds of explosions from outside were never ending as they tried to leave.
“Go to the Research Center!” shouted Ilya. “The Research Center!” He continued to shout the words over and over.
Whisper stopped next to him. “Why there?”
Ilya looked at his bleeding arm.
“It’s nothing,” assured Whisper.
“Kry said there is an exit,” replied Ilya.
“Exit?” asked Inessa, hopefully.
Whisper widened his eyes. “Kry came past here? He made it out?”
Ilya’s face was strained as he tried to guide the students out. “He is with Abel and Athena. He told us to go to the Research Center. There is an exit. I dunno, but I don’t see any other way out.”
“Where are the professors?” asked Akira.
“That is what I want to know!” replied Ilya.
A giant explosion suddenly knocked them all back. Whisper’s head was spinning. He tried to get up and see through the haze of dust that scattered throughout the entrance. As the dust cleared, he saw a giant stack of rubble blocking the exit. The iron gates had been blown apart. Whisper could not hold back his tears as he saw Ilya buried beneath bricks and mortar; Ilya’s hand still held the iron gate.
****
Eclipse gripped Kuro tightly as she drew closer to the fighting. An unnatural presence was around the next corner on the upper floor. She could sense the strength and the energy that came from its source. Point first, she held Kuro out and entered the corridor of the second floor. Several students had their barriers up and were firing blasts of energy toward a figure at the end of the corridor. She recognized Svana and some of her faction fighting with everything they had. More student bodies lay on the floor, and the walls of the wide corridor had traces of blood. She could see Svana and the other students being forced back. It was then that she finally got a glimpse of who they were fighting. His head was shaven and his chest bare, covered in hundreds of scars. He looked like a shade of suffering. He wielded two silver katanas and wore golden sunglasses. He moved effortlessly, deflecting the students’ attacks, and step by step drew closer, cutting down the students one by one. Svana tried to fight back, but the man’s skills were far above her own and easily parried her attacks.
Eclipse ran forward to help her and pointed Shiro toward the man of scars. “Get back!” she shouted at Svana.
Svana turned to her in confusion but quickly realized what Eclipse was about to do and moved backward, ducking under the line of fire of Eclipse’s gun.
Shiro exploded several times, the bullets guided by Eclipse’s mind as they tried to strike at the man’s heart. Each shot resounded with a sharp clang as the man deflected the bullets with his silver katanas, cutting them in two. He spun around like a hurricane cutting the bullets as they came and moved his weapons as if they were a part of his body.
Eclipse returned Shiro to her holster and brought Kuro up to strike. She came in fast and hard as her bl
ack blade clashed against his silver. Svana rejoined the fight, wielding her sword. The two of them attacked in unison against the unknown intruder. The man moved at blinding speed, parrying both of their blades and returning lightning fast jabs of his own. Eclipse had never seen someone so skilled with a weapon since her mother. She was struggling to keep up with his movements and was unable to deflect his silver katanas before they struck her barrier. With every attack, her barrier weakened. She and Svana continued to fight him, but she could sense them slowly being worn down. Bodies lay on the ground—former members of Svana’s faction, friends, and allies—now dead by this man’s weapons. Siri, one of Svana’s closest friends, had also been killed. Eclipse could see the pain in Svana’s eyes as she angrily tried to fight back, knowing that she soon would end up the same as her fallen friends.
“Luka!” shouted a voice from behind them.
Eclipse and Svana pulled back their weapons as the man stopped his attacks. They turned to see Professor Seranay wielding a steel staff which glowed with energy.
“Seranay.” Luka lowered his head.
“Eclipse, Svana, by my side, now,” ordered Seranay.
Her voice commanded them with a sense of urgency, and Eclipse and Svana came to her side.
Seranay looked at Eclipse and then at Svana. “I hope you learned enough in my class to have the final test today.”
“What’s going on?” asked Svana with pained eyes.
Luka did not move and waited patiently with his silver katanas by his side.
“This was not you before, Luka. You have changed so much,” said Seranay. “I see your scars have increased.”
Luka’s muscles glistened with sweat. “Duty guides me now—as it will always continue to do. I know what I do is wrong, but I cannot disobey the Shadow Government. They have ordered the Blades to cleanse the university and to capture the one known as Kry. My duty is to follow their orders, and I must do as they command.”
Rise of the Young: Warriors are not made; they are forged (The Ascended Book 2) Page 45
