We stepped out into a large circular dojo. The walls were lined with thick white padding. A large Tatami mat covered the entire floor. It bowed ever so slightly under our weight. An array of hand to hand weapons rested in various racks around the perimeter, along with eight evenly placed Golems. They were marionettes without a puppet master — heads bowed and arms hanging by their sides.
Rachel walked to the side of the dojo, slipped off the large heels she was wearing and nodded for me to do the same. Pulling a booster from her uniform pocket, she placed it neatly next to my trainers. I watched as she moved into the centre of the dojo, stretched her arms up to the ceiling and unfurled her wings. They burst through narrow slits in her uniform, making a rattling sound as she shook them out.
“Ah, that’s so much better,” she sighed. “I get horrendous back cramp when they are in retraction.”
They were actually quite beautiful. At first I’d thought of them as insect wings, but on second inspection they looked like they’d been woven from the thinnest, purest silk. The damage they had received from the Rahuman battle was mending well. The tears were nothing more than raised lines now.
“Do you mind?” she asked, pointing upwards with a dainty finger.
“I uh- no, be my guest.”
With a hop, Rachel spiralled into the air. For the next few minutes, she swooped and soared around the room, an expression of absolute serenity on her face.
As I watched her, I fully understood the weight behind what I’d said in the elevator. How difficult it must be to constantly be someone else — over and over. I felt secretly glad that Gabriella’s first infiltration looked to be her last.
Finally Rachel came to rest on a beam high above my head. “Sorry about that, I don’t often get an opportunity to fly. It’s restricted on this side of the Veil for obvious reasons.”
“No, that’s fine.”
The Pixie drummed her fingers on the wood. “Right, this training is on your combat ability. We’re here to unlock your innate fighting skills.”
“I don’t have to fight you do I?”
Rachel smiled. “No, don’t worry. That’s what these chaps are for.” She clicked her fingers and two of the Golems reacted instantly, lifting their heads in eerie symmetry. Their blood stained eyes stared up at Rachel with dead emotion. “Faru gave you control of them?” “Yes. And he’s about to give you something.” “What do you mean?” Rachel dropped backwards off the beam, somersaulting in the air and landing without a sound on the floor. She closed her eyes. “Sage Faru, may I speak with you?”
There was a pause and then her whole body shuddered. She gave the HASEA salute. “Good afternoon sir,” she said to the empty space in front of her. “Yes, we are ready to begin. You can transfer your Farsight whenever you are ready.” She gave another salute and then turned to me.
“Close your eyes Alex.”
I did as she asked.
I heard Rachel step forward and walk around me in a wide, slow circle. “Traditional combat training for a Chosen can take several days. We are fortunate enough to have a Seelian’s unique skills to reduce it to a fraction of the time. In a moment, Sage Faru is going to loan you his Farsight ability. It will quickly condition your improved mind to sense danger better and develop instinctual reactions. In a real fight, skills like these will save your life. It’s going to be a very strange sensation to begin with, but I’m here to help you through it. Okay?”
I nodded.
It hit me. A torrent of colour rushed into my head, filling the darkness with a psychedelic rainbow of morphing shapes. My brain twitched uncomfortably as it attempted to process the swirling kaleidoscope.
“Whoa, wow, okay. I’ve got it. I uh- this is pretty intense Rachel!”
“It’s okay Alex, I’m here. Just try to relax. It will pass.”
I slowed my breathing and bit by bit the images settled. What remained was a plain of white-yellow light with a shimmering shadow person standing in the centre.
“Okay, I want you to focus on my voice. This may sound strange, but I need you to try and visualise how I sound, rather than how I look.”
Rachel continued to talk to me and I concentrated on every word. Slowly her form solidified. Vivid colours swirled in from the corners of my mind and applied themselves to her image until she became a superior representation of my Science teacher. Her hair shone like freshly spun gold. Her eyes glinted like polished emeralds. In the centre of her chest, a purple orb of light radiated waves of energy outwards to the rest of her body. I made a gasping noise.
“I–I can see your-”
“Soul, yes. Good, that means you’re getting the hang of this. I’d prefer it if you left it alone though, I’ve grown somewhat attached.”
Rachel flew back up into the air, leaving a blue shadow trail in her wake, like plane contrails. They dissolved as she settled in what seemed to be mid-air. Focusing, I made out her perch — which had become a long beam of shimmering light.
“Golems will be much harder for you to see because they have barely any life-force.”
“Isn’t that a bit of a problem?”
“No that’s what we want. You’re going to need to rely on your senses to beat them. I need to you to clear your mind and focus. Forget about fear, pain or anger. Give yourself completely to your instincts. You’ll know when you’re there.”
I knew what she meant. I’d felt the sensation when the car had hit me and when I’d been running. That switched that flicked. Like passing a barrier in my mind.
“I think I know what you mean, I’ve done it before.”
“Good. But I’m going to teach you how to do it all the time, without thought. First round is going to be basic hand to hand. Let’s get started.” She clapped her hands together.
A shuffling sound filled the arena. Then a sweeping arc of silver light flashed towards me. There was a loud thwack and a glancing pain as something solid connected with my cheek. I spiralled sideways and crashed to the floor. The metallic tang of blood filled my mouth.
“Dammit! That hurt!” I yelled, spitting onto the mat. As I stared up, a flashing image of a Golem holding a crosier appeared in my mind before dissolving. “Of course it hurts. Were you expecting love taps?” “But I wasn’t ready!” “In a real fight you don’t have time to prepare. It’s that instinctual reaction we are going to unlock.” I slapped the ground in frustration. “Fine.” I pulled myself to my feet. “Again,” she shouted.
A long trail of light sliced a path through the air. It came from above, bearing down like an executioners axe. Without thinking, I dived into a sideways roll. I heard the staff smack down onto the mat beside me. Before I could react another bar of light swung at me from the side. It connected with the back of my head. I stumbled forward and collapsed to my knees.
“ Concentrate!”
“I’m trying!”
I climbed to my feet. Come on Alex! I scolded myself.
“Again.”
This time, as a Golem swung its crosier at me, something happened. The switch flipped in my brain. Around me, everything intensified. The flashes of light became more solid, taking on the shapes of the staffs. The normally inaudible wisps of robes sliding against clay skin became wire brooms sweeping pavements. Its footsteps became booming drumbeats. Everything I needed to know exactly where it was and what it was doing.
I opened my hands, palms facing outwards and the staff connected with a loud slap. Grabbing the crosier, I allowed myself to travel backwards, absorbing the intense blow. Using the energy from the Golems heavy swing, I pivoted sharply on the spot and launched the staff with every ounce of strength I had. As I’d hoped, the Golem didn’t let go of its cherished weapon — I could tell by the weight and the cushioned whump which echoed around the room as its body hit the far wall.
My hands stung, but before I could contemplate whether or not they were bleeding, I saw a staff come at me low, in a sweeping arc. I jumped up before it could connect and stamped down hard with both feet.
I landed dead on and felt it buckle under my weight. The power brought the Golem surging forwards. I waited for a split second, until I felt the timing was just right, then linked my hands behind its smooth skull and pulled, adding to the momentum. I jerked up my knee and felt its face shatter at the impact point. I let go and heard the wreck of its body crash to the floor. For a moment I stood still, listening to my own ragged breathing. The others aren’t attacking. I think…I did it.
The room was filled with a slow clap, which sounded like a cacophony of sound to my oversensitive ears. After a few seconds they readjusted so the sound was acceptable.
“Not bad Alex, not bad at all. You can open your eyes now.”
My regular vision seemed odd after the Farsight. The first thing I did was look at my hands. I noticed with surprise that not only were they not bleeding, but there was barely a mark on them. I scanned the rest of the room. A broken Golem lay at my feet. It was face down, hand still clutched around the now V shaped crosier. Fragments of its demolished face were dotted around it, reminding me of a broken china doll. A shard near my foot was marked with XI.
I noticed the other Golem. It was propped upside down against the far wall. Its neck was twisted at an unnatural angle, left cheek crushed against the floor. Both eyes were shattered and red liquid pooled out of them like a smashed egg. Its right hand twitched, still searching for the staff which lay a few feet away from its mangled body. It had been given one task and it was still trying to carry it out. Its stony hand gave a final jerk and then fell lifeless to the mat.
Strangely even though I knew they were just clay effigies created by Faru, I felt guilty. Rachel seemed to sense my unease. “Don’t worry Alexander, they have no feelings. They may have some of Faru’s life-force, but it doesn’t mean they are alive.” She slipped from the beam and floated over to the fallen Golems. Putting her fingers to the backs of their mouths, she pulled out what looked like small flat stones.
A few seconds later they dissolved into dust. Rachel moved over to one of the weapon racks and slid out a samurai sword. She tossed it through the air. Without thinking, I caught it by the hilt and let the tip rest against floor. With a click of her fingers, the other two Golems came to life.
“Next part, weapons training. Close your eyes.”
We practiced for the next few hours. With the aid of Farsight I learned how to enter my instinctual combat state with barely a split second of thought. Rachel taught me how to handle the various weapons, using my new abilities. It unnerved me at how natural I felt wielding deadly blades and Bo staffs.
I dispatched the last Golem with a rising sword strike that removed its head. It rolled towards Rachel, who stopped it with her foot.
There was a series of clapping. I opened my eyes and turned to see Faru, Gabriella and the rest of Orion by the entrance. I blushed at the sight of the unexpected audience.
Faru clicked his fingers. The remains of the defeated Golems disappeared into dust, leaving only the flat stones behind, which Rachel picked up. He walked over to me — his footsteps making no sound on the Tatami flooring — and placed a hand on my shoulder. A tickling sensation swept through my brain and I knew that the Farsight had gone.
“Congratulations Alexander, you have reached the end of your initiation training. I have been kept appraised of your progress. I must say I’m impressed. Despite the circumstances, you have managed to keep control and are progressing nicely. You will make an excellent addition to Orion.” I felt a rush of pride. “Thank you sir.” “However, there is still the matter of your final trial. It will take place now, here.” My heart stalled. I knew that I’d have to do it, but it had come about so quickly.
“In order to fully awaken the potential within us, we must first defeat the fear which keeps it prisoner.” He called over his shoulder. “Bring him in.”
Midnight disappeared into the elevator. When he re-entered, he was not alone. Agent Noble and two others agents emerged, tugging breathlessly at ropes. As they got further into the room, I saw that the ropes were attached to a large metallic cage on wheels. Inside stood a hulking man wearing a tattered pair of shorts. His thick wrists were shackled in thick chains which linked to a bolted loop on the cage floor. Long, knotted twists of hair hung around his shoulders like jungle vines. His body was a living canvass. Countless tattoos filled most of the free space from his chest downwards. There were black flames which licked up the sides of his arms, a fearful girl being consumed by a large dog over his stomach, and an eerie moon shining behind a gothic castle on his right leg. A set of teeth marks on the side of his waist. But the tattoo which caught my attention was the crudely drawn eye placed over his heart. It seemed to stare at everything all at once — judging.
The man was a Soldier of Sorrow.
His real eyes looked dark and uncaring. He stared with little emotion around the room as Agent Noble leaned into the cage, using a large key to unshackle his hands. No sooner had this been done, that with the speed of a viper, he grabbed the agent’s arm and snapped his wrist. The sound of bone breaking echoed around the room. I gasped in horror. Agent Noble let out a scream and fell to the floor. The other two scrambled to drag him away. Gabriella swore loudly and pulled out a gun attached to her belt. The caged man shrank away from it.
“Enough!” commanded Faru. “Gabriella, holster your weapon. Agent Jones, take Agent Noble to the infirmary. Call Selene to assist. I will be along after Alexander has dealt with our unruly guest here.” He stepped forward to the cage, wrapping his wrinkled hands around the steel poles without fear. The prisoner copied the movement, but made no attempt to attack our leader.
“He was rude to me on the journey over,” the man said in a matter of fact tone. His voice sounded both thick and gruff.
“You are a despicable creature, Bargheist. I would like nothing better than to strike you down where you stand. A mangy beast put out of its misery. However, we honour our agreements. You have not forgotten the rules I trust?”
Bargheist nodded. A sure slow movement which caused more of his thick black hair to tumble around his shoulders.
“I fight the boy.” He shifted his dark eyes towards me and I recoiled. “It’s a knockout battle only. If I kill him, you kill me. Otherwise, regardless of the outcome you will ensure my safeguarded deportation back to Pandemonia.”
His words seemed to hang in the air as if they were real creatures capable of inflicting real damage. My legs went weak and I had to fight a strong urge to throw up. Faru wants me to fight that? He’s insane!
Faru made an agreeing noise and stepped away from the cage. At the same time, the sword fell from my hand, the hilt smacking my foot. I jumped in shock, tripping and landing on my backside. Bargheist threw back his head and laughed. It was a sound that could have turned milk sour. “QUIET!” bellowed Faru. Silence descended as if speakers had blown. “Alexander, please compose yourself.” I scrambled to my feet, grabbing at the sword with trembling fingers. “I can’t fight him!” I croaked instead. “He’s a psychopath. You all saw what he did to Agent Noble!”
Faru put up an appeasing hand. “I do not deny that he is a vile creature. One who made the choice to follow darkness.” The Seelian paused. “He is also the one who tried to kill you.”
My jaw unhinged. I looked at the caged madman. “T-that’s the Skinshifter? The one who chased me?”
“The very same.”
I remembered back to the other night. The way those blood-filled eyes had glared at me from the woods as their owner pursued me unrelentingly. The evil flowing from them had made my skin crawl so much it’d been a miracle it stayed attached to my body. And now here he was, standing right in front of me — and I was supposed to fight him. My heart smashed against my ribcage.
Faru moved close to me. “You have a choice. You can choose to go back to being the perpetual victim who was terrified to stand up for himself. The boy who hid in the shadows of his own frailty, afraid to stand up or speak out for fear of being crushed. Or you can c
hoose to step out of the shadows, to believe in the potential you hold inside. The man who stands tall against his opponents…and wins.” He placed his hand on the back of my neck, a fleeting movement, but one that had a profound effect.
Thousands of images of my life flashed through my mind. They contained no moments of success or comfort. They were of times where I’d been doubled over, whilst bullies kicked and punched me; of when I’d stalked home, bruised and alone. Times when I’d cried myself to sleep in desperation. Or when I’d watched John hug Mikey and I’d stood in the doorway, wishing I’d had a father who hadn’t gone and died on me. All of the moments when I’d felt worthless, like a stagehand standing in the shadows, watching the lead actors bow on stage as roses land at their feet. The images ceased, but the impact of them remained. I coiled my hand tight around the sword hilt.
“I’ll fight.”
19
Excellent,” smiled Faru, clasping his hands together.
The team spread themselves around the edges of the dojo. Faru made his way to the head of the room. As Gabriella passed me she leaned in, so close that her breath played on my neck. “We’ll have guns on Bargheist the whole time. If it looks for a second like he’s going to do some permanent damage, I’m putting the mongrel down, okay?” She squeezed my arm, sending a few sparks flying through it.
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