“Oh, good morning. Don’t mind me, I’m just tidying up,” She told me.
I rubbed back of my head and replied, “Thank you, but you don’t have to do that.”
“Nonsense, it’s my job. Your friends are out waiting for you outside. You shouldn’t keep them waiting. The way to the training grounds is out the door, to the left, and down the hallway. Around the corner, there will be a double door that leads to the back of castle outside. Should already be open.”
I looked at the door leading to the hallway.
I then said, “You’re right, I shouldn’t keep them waiting. Again, thank you.”
I then exited the room and followed the directions that Grace had given me and went through the double doors to the outside. Vlayru and Kaido were standing there waiting. They too were wearing training suitable clothing as well. Vlayru was still wearing his blindfold.
Vlayru uncrossed his arms, and spoke, “There you are, sleepy-head.”
“What took you so long?” Kaido asked.
I sighed and responded to them both, smiling, “Come on, that was the first good night sleep I’ve had since we left our home. The bed so comfy.”
“Well, let’s get going,” Kaido told us and pointed to a path, “This path leading into those trees is where the training ground is from what Grace told us.”
“Yeah, let’s go,” Vlayru added.
We made our way down the path and ended up at large clearing surrounded by trees. Master Zen was sitting there waiting. He stood up and turned to look at us.
“Good, you’re up. You know, it’s been a while, since I trained anyone. I trained a lot of people, even all three of the old casts,” He told me.
Struck in awe, I asked him “You did? That’s amazing!”
He nodded and responded, “Yes. They were fast learners. Sabre was the only one that actually trained for the longest time only because he felt he wasn’t ready when I said he was.”
Spex fell to the floor again and his head began to hurt.
“This pain. Something else just happened,” He said to himself.
He began to have his memories change on him.
“What...happened this time?” He said, trying to fight against the pain.
He looked up back at the hologram and saw Mabel begin to fade away. Everyone else kept talking like Kaido disappearing wasn’t happening.
“Vlayru and Tana, are you guys ready?” Master Zen asked them.
“No…no I have to save…that guy,” Spex said in pain, struggling to speak.
Spex started to forget Kaido. Right before he completely forgot, he thought about him and used his power to disappear to the past, through his purple aura. Spex looked around and saw that he was in a hall hallway in a hospital. It was night time and very dark due to the lights being off. Spex made his way through the hallways, quietly. Spex was looking around while trying to figure why he was in a hospital.
He walked up to a desk and notice there was a calendar. The current date proved he was in the time after the events of the Infection War. It was a war where about ninety percent of the population was infected with a disease that turned people into mind-controlled zombies. That was before Sabre and the Elemental Trooper Brigade found a cure. The Heaven and Hell War was drawing close at this point. He continued through the hallways the saw a black figure standing there in front of one of the doors leading to a patient room. Spex quickly ducked behind a hospital bed that was parked off to the side. After a moment, he peaked around the bed and saw a figure quietly creep into the bedroom that they were standing in front of.
After a moment of sitting still in silence, Spex slowly came out from his hiding place and crept down the hall to the same door. It was an open about half way and I saw the figure standing over someone who was laying in the bed. Spex kneeled and started hearing the beeps of machines coming from the room. Studying the room further he saw the machines were monitors for checking vitals. The figure was moving his arms around while still in the dark, but Spex could just barely make out a syringe in the figure’s hand. He then used it on the person laying in the bed. After injecting whatever it was in the syringe into the person, the figure put the syringe away and crept towards the door. Spex quickly dashed to the side and hid behind a cabinet nearby. The figure walked out of the room, down the hall, and turned the corner out of sight. Spex cautiously made his way into the door.
He saw a name on the door that looked familiar on a tag that was next to one of the rooms. He opened the door and made his way to the bed, where there was a woman lying there. He started to remember that this was the mother of his friend he couldn’t remember. She was unconsciously resting. Spex saw a folder on the end table. He picked it up and read the files inside for a minute. He then looked at the machine showing her vitals, which started to decreased a little.
“This says that they found a laceration going across the chest. She was found face down on the street. She’s pregnant, and the baby is fine and the patient is recovering,” Spex read.
He looked at her then said, “She is going to be saved.”
As he put the folder down, he noticed a very small puddle by his feet. It was hard to make out what it was. After pondering about it, he decided to take liquid as a clue to analyze and put it in a container.
Looking at his friend’s Mom again, “I’ll stop this before it’s too late. I promise.”
Spex then made his way to an open spot in the room and disappeared through his aura and back to his house. He walked over to his lab table, emptied a tiny amount on a glass slide, and started studying the liquid with a microscope.
“I have a hard time figuring out what this is,” He said, “I guess I’ll just run it through the computer. It’ll take some time though.”
He took the container and pour some of it into a beaker placed it into a machine used to make automatic tests on whatever it analyzes.
Looking over at the hologram terminal, he said, “While I’m waiting for this, I should check to see where that figure headed off to. “
Spex made his way to the hologram and played a time right after he left the hospital and looked around for the figure. He found him make his way out of the building, heading for the street.
“I hope what I did will guarantee my success in the future,” The figure said to itself, with a grungy voice.
He walked under a street light revealing himself to be a man dressed a black hoody and a had a mask that covered half his face.
The computer running the test on the liquid beeped, as an indication it was done. Spex made his way to the computer and read the results.
“Byhiraide toxin? I’ve never heard of that.” Spex said himself, “That man must have an antidote.”
Spex disappeared into his aura. He reappeared behind the man with the mask.
“You aren’t getting away with murder,” Spex yelled out.
The man stopped and turned to Spex and studied him. Spex could see the irritation in his eye.
“Oh yeah? Psh, I knew I was being watched. Well is going to stop me? A string-bean like yourself couldn’t do it,” The man said.
Spex replied, “Where is the antidote? I know you have it.”
The man looked at Spex for a moment, then responded, “You have to kill me first. Then I’ll tell you.”
Spex made a fist, then lunges towards the man and decks him in the face, breaking part of his mask. Instead of flying backward though, the man never moved, and where Spex’s fist was, a patch of black crystals form. It was shielding his face. Spex then jumped backward and felt a major pain in his hand. He grabbed his hand and checked to make sure he was still able to move his hand, which he was. Spex looked at the man’s face and saw the crystal disappear.
“How did you do that?” Spex asked him.
The man squinted and replied, “Wouldn’t you like to know.”
He waved his hand and several black crystals came flying towards Spex. Spex slowed down time and lunged at the man again, and punched him in the stom
ach. He followed up with Grabbing him by the neck and slammed him hard to the ground.
“I’ll ask again, where is the antidote? Now!” Spex yelled.
The man coughed up blood. Spex then realized how hard he slammed him to the ground.
“Haha, I guess you broke my spine. I probably won’t live for very much longer. The antidote is in my pocket of my hoody,” The man said, chuckling in pain.
Spex reached into the front pocket of the hoodie and grabbed a vial of liquid that must have been the antidote. He stood up and turned towards the direction of the hospital then stopped.
“I’m sorry about your spine. I wasn’t screwing around though. Also, it seems like you don’t really know how to use that power of yours,” Spex explained.
The man coughed again and responded, “I got it recently, from an orb given to me by a man. He said it would help me.”
“Well, you wouldn’t have had it for long anyway. Let’s hope someone gets you to the hospital in time before you die,” Spex responded. He got up and started to walk away.
“I poisoned her because I was told she had something to do with my downfall in the future. I tried to kill her before but I could do was cut her,” The man told Spex.
Spex stopped and turned slightly back towards the man and asked, “So poison was your way of finishing the job?”
“Yup” He replied.
Spex started to feel rage, “Who told you she would affect your future?”
“This man holding a large scythe. ‘Said that he was helping people achieve their goals which would, in turn, help his own.” The man explained and coughed again before continuing “I was trying to get money for my son’s operation. He was badly injured while being near one elemental fights. He is being kept alive with machines at the hospital.”
Spex walked back to him and kneeled next to him.
“What was your plan in order get money?” Spex asked him.
“I was going steal something of high value from the castle in Scorchis City, which I would then sell. while I was at it, I was hoping to take out some of these elemental users for killing my wife. I almost did the same with my new son. There was an accident, causing the building they were both in the collapse. My wife protected our son at the cost of her own life. Of course, I can’t exact revenge without an elemental power ironically.” The man chuckled again as he explained, then went silent.
Spex could see his eyes closed. He got up and made his way back to the hospital. He walked through the hospital and to where his friend’s mother was. He took the antidote put it the I.V. system she was hooked up to. Moments later, her vitals started to balance out. Memories of Kaido start flooding back into his head. Spex sighed in relief. He then disappeared back to his house.
He was curious as to who that man was in the timeline. Spex looked up his info on his hologram terminal. He searched through the knowledge-base and found his file based on archive records. According to it, his name was Hylin and he died after that night and orb he had a was the orb of Master Obsidian, which eventually taken from Sabre prior to that night. His son survived his injuries but then disappeared. He later reappeared as a member of the New Rebellion then joined a group of assassins.
“That’s very interesting. I wonder if it was the same assassins from two years ago.” Spex wondered.
He thought of when he fought against the New Rebellion “Was Hylin’s son that guy that was told to run during the fight with New Rebellion boss?” he sighed, then continued, “Oh well, I need to get back to Tana’s story. I now have another clue in solving this mystery, which is a person wielding a scythe. Very interesting.”
Spex brought the playback up again and continued where he left off. Kaido was back in the picture and the conversation continued with Tana narrating.
“So, Tana, are you ready?” Master Zen asked me.
“Of course!” I said back.
Vlayru then added, “Will Kaido and I be training as well?”
Zen answered, “Yes, of course. But we are limited on time, due to everything that is going on right now. So, we are going to do the fast version of the training. It will be a challenge for you three, as well as me, but I welcome it. You should too”
“Let’s do this then,” I said smiling.
We all nodded in agreement. That night, as I was lying down in my bed waiting for sleep, I heard Vlayru’s door open and shut. There were then footsteps walking past my door. Immediately, I knew something was wrong because Vlayru normally sleeps with no issues. something must have been bothering him.
I decided I should go and see what was going on. I got up, quickly put on a coat and rushed after him. I made my way up to the third floor. I found him outside the castle on one of its many balconies overlooking the city.
As I approached, I spoke, “I take it you followed me because you heard me leave, huh?”
“Yeah. Normally you’d be snoring up a storm this late at night. What’s going on, Vlayru? Seriously, don’t lie to me,” I asked him.
He sighed and bowed his head. He reached his hands behind his head and pulled his blindfold off and then turned to me. When he opened his eyes, I saw that one of his eyes was white, and the other was blue.
“Before you ask, I’ll explain about my eyes. This blindfold is a part of my Light training, yes, but it is also so people can’t see how badly I’m struggling. Tana, I’ve never hated my father. In fact, I love him. But this ‘power’ that I inherited from him…I hate it. I hate him for being the Master of Light,” Vlayru said.
“But why?” I asked.
“It’s Because I didn’t want this! When he first told me that I had inherited his Light powers, I was so excited. I could finally have something in common with him. But he didn’t see it like that. When he and I went out to train before we left, he told me the secret to being the Master of Light. He said he has to keep himself in complete balance with his darkness and his light.
Like they’re the same thing inside of him…inside of me. He said if I couldn’t control it, I would lose myself. Changing back to normal would be harder than anything,” Vlayru explained.
I think he could tell I was confused.
He sighed and then continued, “These powers have a drawback. You can’t have Light without Darkness, and vice versa. My father learned to control his and has fused them together in the past. He showed me. He also said that he lost control one time, and it took him months to come back. He said he didn’t have time to train me, and that this was my burden to bear now. So, he had Vlaykre whip something up to show my ‘balance’ through my eyes. If they’re not the same color, then I have more training to do.”
“But isn’t that a good thing? He explained all of this to you, didn’t he? That means he knew how hard it would be and wanted you to know he was always going to be there, in some way, for you.” I said, trying to comfort him.
“No! He thrust this on me on day one! After that, he left. He went home to my mother because he had more pressing issues, I guess. He left me alone, Tana. I have never hated my father…but I hate him for doing that to me. He doesn’t realize just how much I need him! That’s why I took the Master Ice Orb. I don’t want to use the powers I inherited from him. There is just too much of a risk that comes with them. I’m not ready…” He said.
After that, his eyes got a little darker. I didn’t know what to say or how to help, so I just hugged him. He felt a little cold.
“Don’t worry about it right now,” I told him.
I let go and put my hand on his shoulder, “Just focus on you. On me. Use the ice powers you have now. I don’t need them for a while anyway.”
Vlayru nodded and put his arms around me and we hugged again. I heard he start crying, but I didn’t say anything. We let go and we headed back inside to our rooms to get some sleep before training tomorrow.
Chapter 8 – Wind and Water
For the next week, I trained. I got so much better in that short amount of time. Kaido and Vlayru made some progress as well. One
night, I was thinking of a technique Zen taught me that I was having issues getting down. It was very advanced so Zen wasn’t surprised I couldn’t get down. It was an attack where you jump and do a front flip that transitions into a downward strike. I couldn’t get the transition down and it was keeping me up at night.
I got up and exited my room and walked down the hall and up the stair to the second floor and out to a balcony. I stopped at the railing and looked out to the into the night sky. The moon was very big and the sky was clear. I could see some of the stars, but not all of them because of the light coming from the city. There was something else bothering me; my mother. I was worried because I haven’t seen her in weeks. Also, because of training, we haven’t really heard any new news of the world.
“Nice night,” Said a familiar voice.
I turned and saw Kaido standing in the doorway. He was wearing sleepwear, which was a baggy shirt and loose shorts. He walked up to the railing next to me and looked up at the sky.
“It really is, isn’t it?” I said, in agreement.
We stared out into the night in silence for a few moments. I started pondering about Kaido’s past.
I looked at him and asked, “So, why are you like that?”
Kaido looked at me confused, “Like what?”
“All lone wolf-like and kind of mysterious,” I specified.
Kaido looked away for a moment then asked, “Why do you want to know?”
I replied, “Well, you are a friend and you are going to be traveling with us. So, why wouldn’t I want to know more about you?”
Kaido was silent again.
“Oh, come on, please?” I asked again, tugging at his sleeve.
Kaido sighed and looked at me, “Alright fine. My mom died of cancer when I was really young. She told me that she almost died when she was pregnant with me, but she was saved somehow. She was brought into the hospital after she was attacked. I was still in the womb. One day, the somehow found traces of poison in her blood stream as well as the antidote for the poison. It was weird. Anyways, you would think my dad would be around to be there for us. that wasn't the case though.”
The Masters: RE: The New Cast (The Crisis in Time Series Book 1) Page 6
