The Noru 7: Rage Of Angels

by Lola StVil

  “Now, what kind of lesson is that to teach my son? I would like him to be persistent. If the goal is to end the world, one should keep going until that goal is met,” he reasons.

  “We won’t let you destroy everything. I know for a fact that we will stop you.”

  “Because you’ve been so successful thus far?” he asks.

  “You just don’t get how much I hate to lose,” I reply.

  “Well, I guess that’s a family trait, now isn’t it?”

  “I guess so,” I admit.

  “I could use his powers and strengthen myself,” he says.

  “Wow, and you call my father an awful dad,” I quip.

  “Fair enough, I could maybe leave him as he is until the world falls. However, I’d like something in return.”

  “I won’t help you get out of the barrier Time has placed you in.”

  “I have more than a few ideas on how to break free. Using the child was just one of many,” he admits.

  “Then what do you want?” I push.

  “I want to know his name.”

  “Phoenix.”

  “As in ‘rising from the ashes.’ Another something we have in common,” Malakaro says as he looks down at the baby.

  “They call him Nix for short. He talks to animals and can reduce objects to dust,” I reply, not sure why I’m giving him any info.

  “And people? Can he do the same thing to them?”

  “I guess, maybe as he gets older.”

  “I see,” he says.

  “So what, that makes you proud? You want him to be the new source of all evil? If that’s what you want, then you are in for the shock of your life. This kid is going to be good. He’s going to be—”

  “Wanted?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, then maybe evil isn’t in his future,” he says to himself.

  “It doesn’t have to be in yours either, Mal—Jason. We don’t have to be enemies. Our father loved us both,” I reply, trying to find a drop of humanity in him.

  “Yes, but he only left one of us. He only pushed away one of us. And he only forgot about one of us,” he spits.

  “So that’s it? You will try to end the world, and we try to stop you and in the process save your son?” I ask. Before he can reply, Nix stirs awake and starts to fuss. Malakaro comes closer to him.

  “I said stay away!” I snap.

  “His eyes—he has my eyes…”

  “Yeah, it looks like it,” I reply evenly.

  “I didn’t think he’d have my eyes…” he says, astonished.

  I decide to take a big risk. If I am wrong about this, Diana will kill me. But it’s worth a shot. “Jason…if you’re capable, you can hold him, if you want.”

  “Of course I am capable,” he says, offended. He reaches into the crib and takes Nix into his arms. He studies his son closely. Nix reaches his chubby hands out to him and tries to touch him. He doesn’t reach out a hand for Nix to latch onto, but he does not pull away either. A few moments later, Malakaro turns his attention back to me.

  “I could end him right now and suck out his power like marrow from the bone,” he threatens.

  “If you were going to hurt him, you would have done so already,” I reply.

  “But I will hurt him. I will end the planet he’s on. He will never get older.”

  “Taking out a million nameless faces may be easy for you, but I’m betting one face, one face with your eyes, is a lot harder. Even for the great Malakaro,” I remark.

  He smiles and puts Nix down. “You believe you have found an…opening.”

  “I hope…”

  “Yes, you angels do a lot of that,” he says sardonically.

  “It helps,” I reply.

  “You look…weak. Tired. Perhaps this is all too much for you,” he says.

  “Nope, I’m great. I will be seeing you soon—in the real world.”

  “Pryor, you will not win. It will all crumble around you. And as I said before, it was cruel to bring a life into a world that is just about over. But so be it. The day my son is born and the day he dies will be one and the same,” he says.

  “What if it’s not? I know you think you will win, but let’s say for argument’s sake that you don’t win. Let’s say my team wins and you are wiped off the face of this earth. What then? What will happen to your son?”

  “I know that like his mother, you will protect him. You will care for him,” he says as he begins to fade.

  “Jason! What do you want him to know about you? If you don’t survive this like you think you will, what do we say to Nix about his father?” I ask.

  Malakaro’s response surprises me.

  I make it back mere seconds ahead of the team. In fact, as they are coming in for a landing, I’m getting back in the bed. Once they enter the room, Aaden quickly rushes to my side and Swoop leaps into Dylan’s arms.

  “Are you okay?” Aaden asks as he searches the room for some indication that Alexi came.

  “Yes, I’m good,” I reply, exchanging a look with Dylan.

  “You haven’t been overdoing it, have you?” my husband says.

  “Aaden, I never left this room,” I assure him.

  “I find that hard to believe,” East says.

  “Okay, fine. Dylan and I sat here, cheered you guys on loudly, watched porn, and then I projected myself into a room to chat with Malakaro,” I reply in a joking tone. Dylan has to press his lips together in order to keep from laughing.

  “Very funny,” Swoop says as she embraces Dylan.

  “You guys did an amazing job. I am so proud of you all. You guys dealt with some really crazy stuff. No matter what happens tonight, I want you all to know—and that includes Dylan—I am honored to fight alongside you, and if we die, we do so as a team, as a family,” I say as I embrace them all.

  The Healer enters and tells the team to follow her so that she can treat their wounds. She tells me that she will return so that the procedure can be done.

  “Wait! Don’t we have any time left? Is there a chance we could give Summit some more time?” Aaden asks.

  “Hey, can you guys—”

  “Yeah, Pry, we’ll give you two a minute,” Diana says.

  “When I come back, we have to work on you. It’s now or never,” the Healer says as she and the team head out to the hallway.

  Aaden and I are alone in the room. He walks over to the window and looks up to the sky. There is nothing out there. He takes a seat in the chair next to the window and looks out into darkness. I run my hand through his hair and sit on his lap.

  “So…no Alexi, huh?” he says, sounding worn and weary.

  “No, I’m sorry, baby.”

  “Yeah, me too,” he says as he holds me close.

  “I watched you walk away from Sparks; she was your heart. I couldn’t begin to understand what that felt like. I wish I was there with you,” I reply.

  “You were. I knew you were watching. I knew you needed me to come back. But it didn’t make it easier to go and leave her there—even if it wasn’t real. It ripped me apart.”

  “And you came back thinking we’d find Alexi. I feel like I let you down. Did I let you down?”

  “No, you didn’t. Not in the least. And just so you know, you are reason enough to come back. Even without Alexi.”

  “I love you,” I reply as I look into his face. He embraces me. When it’s time to let go, he won’t. He needs more time. When we do pull apart, I try my hardest to lighten the mood.

  “There is some good news,” I tell him.

  “What is it?”

  “When this is over and we kick Malakaro’s ass, you and I will have nothing but time to try to get Alexi to come to our house,” I reply suggestively.

  “Are you ready to try all day and all night?” he jokes.

  “It’s a hard job, but I’m up to it. And I’ve learned some new moves from watching—TV. And stuff,” I lie.

  He studies me and shakes his head. “What have you been
up to?” he wonders.

  “Me? I’m an innocent First Noru. I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I tease.

  The Healer comes into the room with a stricken look on her face.

  “What is it?” I ask as I jump to my feet.

  “We just got word, someone has broken out of the barrier,” she says.

  “Malakaro is free? We have an hour left,” Aaden says.

  “He was much more powerful than the council thought—and it’s not Malakaro that’s free. It’s Alago. He’s free and trying like hell to do the same for his partner!”

  The Healer quickly gets me set up so she can repair my soul. That means Summit will only have a five percent chance of surviving now. I want to indulge in the fantasy that she can make it past this, but the time for fantasy is over. There are other babies, other families out there, and they need to be saved. Aaden wants to be with me, but I convince him to go get the group ready so that when I am done, we can fly straight into what’s left of New York City.

  The operation is painless, thank Omnis. I just lie down and drink the mixture that she gives me. It puts me to sleep in seconds. When I wake up, there is a silver glow spread out across my chest. The Healer explains it’s normal to have the glow after and that it will fade. She tells me that it worked, but I didn’t need her to say it. I feel a hundred percent better. My strength is back and I am ready to battle. Time to end this once and for all.

  As we fly into what’s left of the New York City skyline, we see two enormous plasma orbs looming over the city: the orb that holds Malakaro captive, and the other orb that is now empty. It’s true, Alago is out, but Time, Fate, and Death are trying to hold him with a surge of power wrapped around his body.

  Alago has muscles the size of small mountains, translucent skin, and flames where his heart and chest used to be. His mouth is crammed with jagged fangs, and since the last time we saw him, he’s grown flesh-colored spikes throughout his body. Alago’s massive hands are like claws, and his arms, legs, and neck are bulging with muscles. The beast pounds against the plasma holding him hostage.

  “Let the Alago out!” I shout down to the council. They exchange worried glances. I shout down to them once again, assuring them that we know what we are doing. The council reluctantly let go; they now move their focus to Malakaro’s orb. The instant Alago is free, he rages and roars so violently, he shakes all of New York City.

  Alago sees us flying above his head and attacks with the fury of a thousand demons. He reaches out to snatch us from the sky; we swiftly move out of range, causing him to smash the side of the Empire State Building. It comes tumbling down in a landslide of metal and concrete.

  Alago rips what’s left of the Empire State Building out of the ground and uses it as a makeshift bat. He takes a swing at us with everything he has. We dodge the attack by mere inches. Unfortunately there are still humans on the ground, and they aren’t as lucky. They get caught in the crossfire, causing a confetti of human blood, metal, and debris to fall down on the city.

  East tries to get close enough to wrap the lasso around him, but Alago catches the tip of the electric rope and hurls East towards him. Swoop tries to catch him before Alago can, but she fails. East is catapulted right into Alago’s hand. East literally slips between the creature’s giant fingers, but before he can take flight, Alago plucks him from the air by his leg and drags him back to the ground. He struggles but is unable to stop Alago from slamming him down onto a row of brick homes.

  Aaden comes from behind and grabs Alago by the neck. But the creature is too large and too angry to be suppressed. As Aaden struggles, Alago throws East away like a piece of soiled tissue. East goes flying into a nearby building. His head hits the glass and he slides down a hundred stories with nothing to break his fall.

  I quickly dive down to save East, but he’s falling faster than I can fly. East looks like a broken leaf at the mercy of the wind, helpless in every way. As hard as I am trying to catch up, I know for a fact that I am going to miss him. He’s going to hit the ground and there is nothing I can do to stop it. Seconds before it happens, Bex swoops in and catches him.

  I don’t have time to register the relief I feel because in the corner of my eye I spot Aaden struggling to subdue Alago. I fly over to help, but before I get there, the beast throws Aaden to the ground. He growls and rages at Aaden as he goes in to attack.

  Aaden sends a surge of blue fire at him, but instead of hurting Alago, it serves as his meal. Alago inhales the fire like liquid through a straw. It feeds him and gives him even more power. The newfound power is converted into fuel. Alago hurls a sea of blue flames back at Aaden, who rolls away seconds before it hits him. Alago goes to strike again; this time I am close enough to stop him.

  I hold out both palms and start to pull his life force. However, he’s too strong for me to have an effect on. He swats me away like I am an inconvenient fly. I go flying headfirst into a nearby post office. As soon as I land, I take off again, determined to stop Alago. The creature kicks Aaden in the ribs, sending him catapulting into downtown Manhattan. He then turns his attention on me.

  “Randy, I don’t want to hurt you. Please, stop!” I beg pointlessly.

  Alago balls his hand into a fist and decks me in the face so hard I tumble out of the sky and black out. I come to a few moments later, and Alago has Swoop by the hair. He drags her face-first through the rubble that is New York.

  Diana stands before him, opens her mouth, and starts to drain him of his powers. Alago drops Swoop’s limp body on the ground and goes after Diana with full force. Although she has started to drain him, it isn’t enough to make a major difference. The creature takes after her with vengeance. She takes off into the sky, desperate to outrun him. Alago effortlessly reaches out for her; I watch, horrified, as he makes contact with Diana. Dylan appears out of nowhere and grabs Diana from Alago’s grasp.

  Alago backslaps Dylan before he can disappear. Dylan falls to the ground like a bee after hitting an electric fence. Diana is able to fly down and get him before he hits the pavement. But she can’t stop Alago from coming after them again. I take to the air and get into Alago’s face, allowing the others a chance to flee and regroup.

  There’s a wall of white plasma surging in the sky; it belongs to the Kon. It’s the first thing to actually slow down Alago. The beast blocks his face to protect him from the wrath of Bex’s powers. I add my powers to the mix, and the Alago is now being attacked from two different sides. He reaches out for an electric pole and plunges it into Bex’s chest. Bex cries out as the bolts of electricity surge through his body. I leap onto Alago’s head and struggle to rip it off. He drops the pole, and Bex falls out of the sky. Diana goes to catch him, but she misses and he hits the ground hard. Dylan and Diana run to tend to him.

  In the meantime, Swoop, East, and Aaden take to the air to help me. East wraps his lasso around Alago’s feet and Aaden bends a streetlight around Alago’s neck. Together, they work to bring the mammoth beast down. But he swings so violently, he is able to shake all of us off him and topple everything in his path. He stomps his foot into the earth and causes a ripple effect on the broken ground. He doubles the damage by pounding both fists into the earth; Alago is literally tearing New York City in two.

  He turns his attention to the last remaining orb, where Malakaro struggles to break free. He tackles the orb and causes it to crack along the top. We quickly devise a plan. The team gathers in the air and looks at me to give them the signal. I give the go-ahead and hope we haven’t miscalculated.

  Bex summons up a massive Powerball, and East places his lasso inside of it. Arming the lasso with the energy of the Paras expands the hold and overall power. So this time when East sends the lasso around Alago’s neck, he’s unable to rip it off. Aaden, Diana, Swoop, and I help pull the lasso, dragging Alago away from Malakaro’s orb. Diana and Dylan each jab metal rods into the center of Alago’s chest and twist. It’s working; we are slowly pulling him away from his partner.

&n
bsp; Suddenly, just as things are turning in our favor, Alago rockets off the ground and into the air. Who the hell knew he could get airborne? Judging by the looks on my team’s faces, they too had no idea. Alago latches himself onto the Statue of Liberty’s head. He brings the giant sculpture down to the ground and uses the spikes of the crown to plow into Easton. East keels over to the ground, blood oozing from his side.

  “East, hang on!” Diana cries out as she quickly rushes over to him.

  Alago wastes no time; he runs across the field of scrap metal and bones, trying once again to free Malakaro. I take off after him and manage to get hold of the lasso hanging around his neck. I look for something to tie it to so that he can’t move. Aaden signals towards the peak of the Chrysler building. He helps me drag Alago by the neck and loop the lasso. Alago struggles against the lasso and tries to break free. Each time he pulls on the electric rope, the building leans over.

  “It’s not gonna hold!” Aaden warns.

  “We can’t let him get to Malakaro. We have to kill him now!” Dylan shouts.

  “He’s gonna get free! We need to use the sword of light now!” Swoop yells.

  “Pryor! Attack with me. We can end him now,” Bex calls out to me.

  “Pry, now is the best chance we have, use it! Use the sword!” Aaden says.

  I pull out the coin-shaped metal from my pocket and it grows into the sword of Avery. I raise it high above my head and aim it at Alago. For once, he is bound and helpless. All that remains is for me to sink the blade inside Alago’s chest. He will then die a painful death.

  Randy will die a painful death…

  As I bring the sword down on my target, the world seems to pause. I look around, and the scene is like something out of a movie, chaos and destruction all around us.

  Humans running for their lives, the council on the brink of losing control over their orb prison, Alago inches away from connecting with his partner and bringing hell on Earth. The last movements of humanity’s existence are playing out before me. Yet all the noise and clamor fade to the background. The only thing I see and hear in my mind’s eye is Randy. My Randy. Suddenly flashes of our lives together play out before me in the sky.