“What’s the difference?” Chad said. “Just do it or we’ll both die!”
James turned and looked at the wave. “I’ll try,” he said, his voice lacking confidence. He held out his hand and focused as hard as he could. He willed with all his might for the wave to stop. The Tsunami wave was not deterred and remained on course to crash into the land in a matter of moments.
“It’s useless,” said Lucius. “This realm has made your abilities weak. You cannot stop it!”
James closed his eyes and put both his hands out and pushed outwards, almost like he was pushing against a solid object. Try as he might though, the wave was too big and vast for him to control. James put his hands down in defeat and turned to Chad. “I’m sorry, it’s too strong.”
The pair looked back at the wave, now only a few feet away. Both of them braced themselves for the imminent arrival of the Tsunami that would prove almost certainly fatal for them, and also Lucius, who seemed to not care in the slightest that it would also take his own life.
The group waited for the impact of the Tsunami…but it never came. The three of them shared confused looks. The wave had stopped in mid-air and was motionless. It was almost as if someone had stopped time. “You did it!” said Chad, who concluded that James must have been able to stop the wave after all. The latter shook his head. “It wasn’t me.”
James and Chad could feel the presence of a large figure behind them. There stood Auron, his large red Alexandrian clothing flapping behind him. His dark skin and broad shoulders cut a dominant figure in the wind. He had his right arm held out and the palm of his hand was glowing blue. It was he who had stopped the wave from killing the party.
Auron moved his hand downward and the Tsunami wave calmly filtered down into the sea. Lucius, who had been tossed to the ground by Chad when the huge wave had approached them looked up at the Alexandrian warrior. His face was filled with utter distaste upon the realisation that Auron was now in their company. “Another Vermin companion. How delightful,” said the white-haired man, who tried in vain to pull himself to his feet.
“Be silent you dog!” said Auron who punched Lucius directly in the head, sending him flat on the ground once more. Auron now observed the two young men who stood before him. James and Chad were not sure what to make of Auron. His six-foot-five frame towered over both of them and although they were unsure of his intentions, they realised that an enemy of Lucius was likely a friend of theirs. Auron looked both men closely in the eye. He looked at Chad first, and then to James.
“It is you,” said Auron, looking to James. “You are the lost son.”
“Who are you?” asked James.
“I have been searching for you for three days, son of Zeris,” said Auron. “I am Auron, of Alexandria. A pleasure to meet.” Auron bowed his head slightly. James and Chad shared a quick glance, not quite knowing what to make of this stranger.
“Wait, did you say…Alexandria?” James said, remembering Lucius’ taunts and also the writing on the temple walls he had seen.
Auron nodded. “Yes, that is correct. My god, you look just as she did at this age,” said the Alexandrian warrior.
“What are you talking about?”
“You have your mother’s eyes,” said Auron.
“My…mother?” James’ heart began to pound. He knows my mother…
“I have been sent here by your father,” said Auron. As the Alexandrian spoke, his attention was drawn to the golden axe that Chad held in his right hand.
“The Axe Of Despair. Where did you find this boy?” asked Auron.
“This?” said Chad holding up the axe slightly. Just some cave.”
Auron looked at Chad more carefully. “No inhabitant of this realm can wield that weapon,” he said. Auron drew his sword and pointed it at Chad. He put his arm out and pushed James behind him. “Stay back Valentine, he is one of them. He is of the Underworld!”
Chad, who was never one for diplomacy, did not take kindly to Auron’s words. He raised the axe in the direction of the man. “I’d put that sword down if I were you old man!”
“Is that a challenge?” said Auron. As General of the Alexandrian Army, Auron was never one to back down from a confrontation.
“You better believe it!” said Chad who almost relished the opportunity to lock horns with the man.
James put himself between the pair to cause some separation. “Hold on a second.” James looked at Auron. “I don’t know who you are, but if I’m right then I believe you are on our side. This man is my friend, my best friend in fact!”
Auron lowered his sword slightly, but still remained on guard. “He is one of them. He is of Underworld, our sworn enemy.”
“I don’t know anything about that. I’ve known him my whole life,” said James.
The Alexandrian lowered his sword entirely, realising now what had happened. “I see. You are the other one. The second child that was banished,” said Auron. “It is a curious thing that you two have been drawn to one another,” Auron continued. “It goes against the very forces of our nature.”
Chad leant over to James and whispered in his ear. “I think we’ve got ourselves a freak here.”
“He knows about our past. Maybe he can give us some answers,” James whispered back.
A bolt of lighting crashed into a large cliff in the distance. The sound of the impact was sent echoing around the area. All of the group’s attention was drawn to this.
“We don’t have much time,” said Auron. “The Doomsday Sanction has been called. This world will soon be a desolate wasteland, just as he intends.”
“Do you know what is happening?” asked James.
Lucius began to laugh from the ground. “Yes Auron, go ahead. Tell these inept fools what is transpiring.”
The Alexandrian warrior kicked Lucius hard in the ribs. The white haired man winced in pain before laughing again.
“This is his doing,” said Auron, referring to the fallen Lucius. “He wishes to bring chaos and devastation to this world, I suspect with the aim to breaking the spirit of the people.”
“To what purpose? What is he planning?” asked James.
“Lucius is not acting of his own accord. He only follows the will of his father, Kanto.”
James and Chad continued to listen on intently to the words of the Alexandrian, eager to learn all he had to say.
“Kanto is the King and of the Underworld, a land of shadow. He controls his realm through sheer will alone. He manipulates the fears and uncertainty of the people he rules over, enabling him to control their thoughts and even desires if he so chooses. He has long looked over the realm of Earth and desired it. If Lucius is successful in his mission, then Kanto will be able to enter the minds of the people of this world and control their very souls.”
Chad was deep in thought at this moment. “You say this Kanto is Lucius’ father?” he asked.
Auron looked at him, as did James. They both had come to realise what Chad had now figured out.
After a brief pause, Chad continued. “That means…” Kanto is my father too.
Lucius interrupted him. “That’s right dear brother. You are just like me, breed from a place of pure evil.”
Chad kicked into Lucius hard, making the white haired man wince in pain yet again.
Auron knew that time was of the essence and they could not afford to waste any more of it with idol talk. The doomsday sanction was something that Kanto had created an age ago with the aid of dark magic to reduce a realm to nothing more than rubble. The devastation and loss of life it inflicted upon a world would cause its inhabitants to lose all hope and weaken their minds. This is what Kanto required to be able to manipulate them and was the primary reason he had sent Lucius to Earth. The white haired man’s collection of ancient artefacts with rumoured mystical powers was carried out with this goal in mind.
“We do not have time for talk. I will explain everything to both of you once we have stopped this,” said Auron.
“How d
o we stop it?” asked James.
Auron brushed his hand against the short beard on his chin. “Lucius would require the Orb of Thesila,” an ancient green circular object. With it, one is able to change and bend the environmental surroundings of whatever realm the orb inhabits,” he explained.
James looked a little disheartened. “I’ve seen it before.” Cody sold it to him at the auction in Sydney. “Lucius took the object from us some time ago.”
“Is that so?” replied Auron. He pushed the tip of his sword onto the flesh of the white haired man. “Then I guess we’ll just have to beat the orbs location out of him.”
“I’ll never tell you where it is,” said Lucius defiantly.
“You won’t have too,” Chad said. He reached inside of the top he was wearing and pulled out a small green orb.
“You have the orb?” said Auron.
James looked at Chad in surprise. “How did you…”
Chad interrupted him mid-sentence. “When I took possession of the golden axe at Lucius’ mansion, I spotted another object amongst the ancient relics I came across. I recognised it from the mission reports.” Chad held out the orb to Auron. “Here, put an end to all of this.”
Auron looked at the orb, but he did not take the item from Chad. “I cannot stop the doomsday sanction,” he said. “Only the one who brought forth these events can undo them.”
James shook his head. “You mean…”
Auron nodded in regret. “Only Lucius can stop these events transpiring as they are.”
Lucius began to laugh uncontrollability, rolling flat on his back. “That’s right Auron. Do you really think I will put a stop to it? The will of my father… Lucius looked at Chad. “…Or should I say our father! His will is about to become reality. He will finally accept me as the true heir to the throne!” His face was full of contempt as his gazed at his brother.
The Alexandrian noticed Lucius’ glance at his brother and now come to realise something. He knew that, as Chad was the older of the two brothers, he was the true heir to the throne of Underworld. Lucius resented this and his true motives for bringing the Earth to its knees was not for the good of Underworld. It was to fulfil Lucius’ childhood need to be worthy enough in the eyes of his father.
Auron sensed Lucius weakness and seized his opportunity. “If you do not stop this Lucius I will kill you here and now.”
Lucius seemed unfazed. “Your words are hollow Auron. Kill me and you lose the only chance of saving this wasteland.”
Auron smiled. “Yes that much is true, but with you dead, who do you think will sit on the throne of Underworld?” Auron pointed to Chad. “I will do everything within my power to ensure that your brother survives this Armageddon and takes your place as king.”
Lucius’ smiled faded in an instant. He looked up towards Chad. The throne is mine! “Give me the orb!” Lucius snapped.
Chad was reluctant to hand over the object, but Auron nodded to him, ensuring that it was ok to do so. Chad held out the orb and Lucius quickly snatched it from him. He placed both hands on it and closed his eyes. The orb began changing colours very quickly, shifting from green to blue and then purple and yellow. Lucius concentrated, willing the thunderstorms and winds to come to an end.
#
Cody and Sophie stood back to back, fighting in large crowds against the shadow figures, Lucius’ henchmen deep within the heart of New York. The shadow men suddenly evaporated into the air and the high winds and storms began to fade. The pair looked around in confusion, as did the rest of the people.
Similarly, the natural disastrous around the world began to ease off. The high waves never reached the continent of Asia. The volcano in Italy began to calm down. The avalanches in Canada came to a halt in an instant. Sergeant Cooper and Professor Milton looked on in astonishment as they watched events unfold from the command centre.
#
Auron, James and Chad looked on as the sea in front of them became calm and still and soon there was not a wave in sight. The birds came out from wherever it was they had been hiding and began to grace the sky once more. The colour died out of the orb entirely and Lucius smashed the sphere onto the sand. The orb, previously unbreakable, shattered into pieces.
The group looked around, examining the now almost peaceful surroundings. “Is it over? asked James. “It would appear so,” said Auron.
“Good, all that’s left then is to take out the trash,” said Chad, hauling Lucius to his feet. Lucius’ body had however regenerated itself a little since his fall from the cliff. He elbowed Chad in the stomach and then punched him to the ground. Realising he was outnumbered, Lucius made a run for it. Chad jumped up to his feet, annoyed with himself for lowering his guard. “I’ll kill him!”
The three men gave chase across the beach. Lucius was able to run at full speed; clearly he had been overplaying just how hurt he was. In the distance was a large lighthouse. Lucius headed directly towards it. He had no other means of escape. Unfortunately for him, he had run in the direction in which the cliffs cut off the beach. Even with his great jumping ability, he could not leap such a height. The lighthouse was his only source of escape, even if only temporarily. Here, he would hide, and look to take out his pursuers one by one. In single combat, I can beat them.
The white haired man jumped onto the rocks at the edge of the beach that led to the lighthouse. He skipped across them easily before reaching the structure. It had a large metal door on it that was locked. Without slowing his run, Lucius kicked the door with great force and it swung open. The door fell off its hinges as he passed through it.
Auron, James and Chad came to a halt around one hundred yards before the entrance of the lighthouse. It was a big structure, housed by large white stone. A small metal balcony lay on top of the tower where the light that would inform passing ships of shallow waters was located.
“What are we waiting for?” said Chad who began to head towards the lighthouse. Auron grabbed out and stopped him from rushing inside. Chad struggled, but Auron was strong and his grip would not be broken so easily. “Let go of me old man!” said Chad in a tone that was not of a friendly nature.
“He went in there to hide not to run,” said Auron.
“Then let’s go and find him!” said Chad. He was eager to catch the white haired man and interrogate him further. He wanted to know more about his father, and the strange world that he had been speaking of.
Auron knew that patience was what they required at this moment. He was a great warrior, the fiercest in all of Alexandria. He had won many a battle in his time and he knew now was not the time for rash action. “Even in defeat, Lucius still poses a danger. He is a great fighter, legendary in his own world. We must use caution and search for him together,” Auron warned.
Chad relaxed a little. “Ok, we’ll do it your way,” for now.
The three men peered inside the lighthouse. The interior looked decades old, and the inside was filled with darkness. “Do you see anything in there?” asked James.
“Not a thing. My eyes are not attuned to dark surroundings,” said Auron.
“That’s because you’re old!” Chad muttered under his breath.
“What was that?” asked Auron.
“Nothing. I can see everything fine. I’ll lead the way,” said Chad.
James shook his head slightly in annoyance at Chad’s poor timing of humour.
With Chad leading the line, the three of them entered the lighthouse. As the last person entered, a dark cloud began to form in the bright sky directly above the tower. Several other clouds suddenly appeared and joined the larger dark cloud that had formed. The stars began to align. This was an omen, a sign from the gods that something bad was about to happen…
Chapter 18: Seduction And Capture
Inside the lighthouse was wide and spacious. A large circular staircase stood in the middle of it, which led all the way to the top of the construction. The staircase was made of steel, which was rusty and rotting. Several of the steps w
ere missing, and even those that remained looked unsteady.
“This way,” said Chad, as he guided the others. His eyes were much more suited to seeing in the dark.
They slowly made their way up the staircase. “Watch your step,” warned Chad, who had picked up on several of the missing steps. Each step made an uneasy sound when stood upon, almost as if the metal was crying out in pain. They sounded as if they could break at any moment. For this reason, Chad, James and Auron took care as they walked. Midway up the stairway, they came to a landing, which was located directly in the middle of the lighthouse. It was a narrow landing, and at the bottom of it was a door. From the staircase, Chad could see that the door was slightly ajar. He gripped his axe tightly and quietly motioned for the others to follow him.
The three men crept down the small landing, all gripping their weapons of choice in preparation for combat. Chad peered inside the room, which was tattered and dusty. Tables and chairs had been tossed aside, many of which were broken. Spider webs joined from wall to wall too. Clearly this lighthouse had not been used for many years. Auron, James and Chad spread out, the latter maintaining a watching brief at the door in case their foe tried to make a run for it.
Auron and James began to slowly advance into the room, searching through the rubble as they looked for Lucius. Chad heard a sound from outside the room. It came from down the landing and high up the stairway. It has to be him. Chad considered for a moment on whether to call out to James and Auron to inform them of this. However, Chad had a score to settle with Lucius himself. He is mine. I will deal with him myself. So, as Chad often did, he decided to take matters into his own hands and quietly left the room.
He proceeded along the landing at a gentle pace, moving as silent as a shadow. Chad did not want Lucius to know he was coming. He wished to catch his foe off guard and take him by surprise, just as his younger brother had done to him when he sent him plummeting into the ocean. Chad reached the stairway, and advanced upwards like a leopard, jumping between as many as three steps at a time as he ascended, yet making not even the slightest of sounds
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