Dark Destiny

by Thomas Grave

  Their eyes locked once again and he spoke softly. His eyes glistened with tears. “Makayla, I would die a thousand times over to share the little time I spent with you. I would spend eternity in any prison just to have met you, to hold you, to adore you. You are the person I was destined to be with. My heart. My love. My soul.”

  Thunder echoed across the sky. The clouds rolled and it became night. Choppy waves began to form on the water. Icy rain began to pour, pelting them both.

  Ethan glanced at the sky and then quickly back at her. “We don’t have much time. Listen carefully. You need to get away from the Shades. I’ve put something a little extra in the snow globe to help. Just release its power. That will give you the break you need.”

  “Okay,” she nodded.

  While the knowledge of power in the snow globe was nice, one last question echoed in the back of her mind.

  “What about Sara?” Makayla had to raise her voice to shout over the howling wind. “Where is she?”

  Reality wavered and distorted. The boat stretched, pulling Ethan what seemed like half a mile away. He was barely visible through the sheet of rain.

  “She’s still alive!” Ethan yelled back, his voice hard to hear in the loud wind. “That’s why you were ripped down and not her! She wasn’t even up there!”

  The wind howled louder. She was completely soaked. She pushed away the wet hair plastered to her face and yelled, “But that doesn’t make any sense!”

  The boat rocked harder. Putting both of his hands to his mouth like a miniature bullhorn, Ethan attempted to respond, “S . . . ra . . . is a . . . s . . . l . . . tch!”

  “Sara is a what? I can’t hear you!”

  “Sara is a—”

  Booming thunder interrupted him as lightning flared across the sky. A white flash blinded her and she squeezed her eyes shut.

  Silence fell.

  Jared stood on top of the Schaefer Tower with the Revenant. Ghostly blue flames licked the side of the building, yet the fire gave off no heat. Cold wind battered his skin, though he felt nothing. He stared at her hard eyes. The light of the blue flames caressed her face, yet her eyes remained dull.

  He inhaled deeply, waiting. Never in a million years had he imagined being the bad guy. This girl, whoever she was, was innocent. And God, she just looked so much like Sara. Sara, he repeated in his mind. She’d fooled them all. And now Jared was here, about to do something unthinkable. But what choice did he have? The Seals had promised life, the only thing that would spare his sister the pain of his death. He was doing this for Hope. There were consequences to come, of that he was certain. Right now, he needed to be selfish.

  Only a few seconds had passed since the Revenant’s consciousness entered the snow globe. It shouldn’t take long to retrieve her true memories. The truth.

  Just then, the Revenant opened Sara’s beautiful dark eyes.

  “Well, that was quick,” he said in surprise. “You were only gone for about ten seconds.”

  No answer came, only her soft face with questioning eyes.

  He gave her a bitter laugh.

  Whatever this Soul’s real name was, he didn’t care. That wasn’t his concern. But was that really true? She continued to stare at him, the questions on her face mounting. Did he care? Why was he doing this? Why? Maybe she did have some effect on him.

  Jared averted his eyes, staring down toward the concrete.

  No, push that away. You need to do this. For your sister. For yourself.

  He lifted his gaze back up to her, jaw clenched. “I know things look really bad for you right now. Being you sucks, I get it.” He paused and let his words came out icily. “If you don’t come with us, things are going to get much worse for you.”

  Behind him, he felt Kei and Obsidian blast out of the growing mushroom cloud of smoke and dust from the collapsed Transamerica Tower. Jared had wondered if bringing the whole building down was overkill, but whatever, it was cool, he guessed. He would probably have done the same, given the opportunity.

  Kei was the first to join them on the rooftop, bringing with him a flurry of wind. Gracefully landing on the rooftop, Kei said, “The Angel is still alive. He will be here shortly.”

  “What about the big one?” Jared asked.

  “Not sure,” Kei answered. “Cleo had him cornered.”

  Obsidian caught up to them and landed hard, buckling his knee onto the rooftop and almost shattering the concrete. He stood slowly and glanced around in irritation.

  “We need to hurry,” he said, his heavy voice rumbling. “Pick her up and let’s go.”

  The Revenant’s eyes darted toward the snow globe and then back toward the Shades. A slight smile crossed her lips. Hopefully Ethan gave her what she needed.

  Jared took a step toward her. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he warned, “but I will if I need to. Let’s. Go.”

  “Release!” Sara yelled, holding the snow globe up in the air.

  It flashed a blinding light before separating into three distinct blasts of white energy. The blast struck each of them separately. All three screamed in agony. Intense pain flared in Jared’s body. He dropped down to his knees, holding his stomach in pain, twitching.

  I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I need to? Jared thought.

  Though his body still writhed in pain, he couldn’t help thinking, Okay, I deserved that. He sighed and smiled. She’s got spirit. To his right, Obsidian snarled something he couldn’t make out over the ringing in his ears.

  He managed to raise his head enough to see the Revenant hop up to the edge of the rooftop. She turned to face him, then peered down over the side of the tower. Back at him once more. He saw her take a deep breath and then one step backwards, roughly an inch from the edge.

  “W—what are y—you doing?” he asked, the words coming out shaky. “Ar—are you nuts? That drop w—will kill you.”

  The Revenant pursed her lips.

  What is she thinking? Jared wondered.

  “I know what happens if your master gets my soul,” the Revenant said.

  Every word came out pained. “But if you jump, that will kill you. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but when you or any Soul is brought over into this world, their soul is made whole. That means, inside of your chest, there is a physical soul. If you jump, when you land and go splat your soul will be crushed within your body. Think about what you’re doing.”

  She paused and gave him an unrelenting stare.

  “That will be what we call a final death. Some say it’s like living in oblivion. Just the endless black of nothingness. Of course, nobody knows for sure. Is that something you want?” Jared asked softly.

  She twisted her body to glance back over the edge of the building. She stared at it for a few seconds, her expression giving nothing away. Her hair blew from a light wind. Facing him, her expression determined, she said, “And the alternative is going back with you and having my soul ripped out? No thanks.”

  She took a step back and fell.

  “No! Dammit!”

  There went his chance at life.

  No, he thought. He wouldn’t be robbed of this opportunity. Gathering what little energy he could, he pushed off his weak legs and stumbled forward, breathing hard with each painful step.

  As he reached the edge of the rooftop, in his mind, he had an illusion of himself looking badass and gracefully sliding over the edge as he dove off. In truth, his waist hit the edged and he flopped over, head first, legs up.

  He knew he needed to try and get to her before she went splat (and her little soul too).

  He figured he had ten seconds, give or take, before she hit the ground. Hopefully, more give than take.

  10.

  Calmness overcame him. The rushing air was loud as he fell, though he only felt the pressure of it against his eyes and skin. He focused hard on her, his eyes narrowing. She was falling fast. Pain still fluctuated in his system, stopping him from using his Shade flight.

  9.

&
nbsp; Stories whipped past in the blink of an eye. Head straight down, his body like an arrow as he pulled his arms in tight, he gained on her fast. Her hair whipped in all directions. The pale moonlight gave her an angel-like glow.

  8.

  Her arms were spread out in a cross formation, clothing flapping against her. Her eyes were closed, her face completely relaxed.

  He had to reach her.

  “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he muttered to himself. Couldn’t believe that she was actually going to kill herself.

  7.

  Legs pressed together, body straight. Closer. Almost within reach. Flagpole zipped past, almost collided with her. He shifted just a bit to avoid it himself.

  6.

  He stretched out his right arm to grab her. Wind battered his eyes, making it hard to see. Not much time left.

  Almost there. Need to stretch.

  Fingertips on her sleeves.

  5.

  Soreness formed in his shoulder from the strain. She opened her eyes and gasped. Panic in her eyes. She yanked herself away. Must have felt him on her sleeve. Blood rushed to his head from being upside down.

  4.

  Only a few seconds left before she hits the ground.

  It didn’t matter, he would be on her in less than a second. His ears popped. He willed himself to move faster.

  3.

  High above him, from where they jumped, a sonic boom shattered glass and almost blew out his ear drums. Something came down fast. He felt the pressure building above him. Kei? A large gust of wind assaulted his back, pushing him down almost into her. Obsidian? Did they need to be so dramatic?

  2.

  Just then, almost in slow motion, Jared glanced left and saw Raphael make eye contact with him as he flew past.

  “Are you serious?” Jared muttered as Raphael caught the Revenant.

  The Angel banked up swiftly with her in his arms and soared up into the sky. Jared was mere seconds from crashing into the ground. Still new to his Shade powers, he wasn’t sure if landing head first into a cement sidewalk would knock him out. At the last second, he tucked his head toward his stomach and rolled forward midair, bringing his legs down.

  1.

  He landed hard, smashing down into the asphalt and creating a shockwave centered under his feet that spread out in all directions, lifting up debris, cars, stop signs and a bus stop booth.

  As cool as that was, he didn’t have time to appreciate the damage. His gaze darted to Raphael and the Revenant. He bent his knees, feet shifting in the rubble. His arms swung back with a little more flare than he would have liked as he gathered his energy. When he was ready, he pushed off the ground with everything he had.

  Sailing after them, the air felt heavy, once again pounding at his face and body.

  He closed his eyes and concentrated. Amber, I hope you’re listening. The Angel showed up and grabbed the Revenant. It’s now or never. If he teleports with her, we’re done here. We won’t get another opportunity.

  He opened his eyes and hoped she had gotten the message.

  Wednesday, 8:14 am (Purgatorium)

  “I got you,” Raphael said gently to the Revenant as they rocketed up higher into the sky.

  She exhaled, her body shaking hard. Raphael felt her heart pounding, her pulse racing as her blood cascaded in surges through her body. She gripped him tight and gave him a shaky nod. If he were human and had just experienced what she had just gone through, his voice would probably be stuck in his throat as well. Bravery was not a very common trait for humans. What he had just witnessed had taken a lot of guts.

  “You did a very brave thing,” he said gently and gave her a single nod. “Well done.”

  Her eyes shifted toward his and she gave him a gentle smile. Her body was shaking, probably terrified from the fall. Raphael smiled back.

  Amblin’s voice thundered in the depths of his mind, Raphael, that Seal Witch is back! I can feel her pressing through on us. Boom, she’s removed your blink again! Wait…oh, great, now she’s working on removing your flight.

  “Oh, lovely,” he muttered.

  Land before you go plummeting down to your death. I’ll work on trying to push her out. I’ve managed to delay her for now, but I can’t hold her off much longer.

  “Do what you can. I’m counting on you,” said Raphael.

  On it!

  The width and length of these buildings were massive, perhaps the size of an entire city block. Raphael blasted up, the Revenant cradled in his arms, his air stream visible behind him. They ascended halfway up the side of a tall, dark brown building but stopped before they came to the peaked roof. Instead, they came to a rest on the side, on one of its huge glass windows.

  He let his energy flow into the Revenant and together they shifted their weight to suit the change in direction. Gravity shifted with them and when Raphael set her down, the Revenant found she could stand easily on the side of the building. He tried to get his bearings.

  “Who do you keep talking to?” she asked.

  “Amblin. She’s my cherub. Each Angel has his or her own personal connection or assistant to the Light. She tracks my movements and provides me with intel. I think the easiest way to put it so you can understand is she’s my own private encyclopedia.”

  “Like you have Wikipedia in your head?”

  “Wiki—er, yes.”

  “Interesting,” she replied.

  Raphael grinned. “Don’t let her hear you say that.”

  In his mind, he felt Amblin’s energy lower, which was the equivalent of her rolling her eyes. Then, her energy level spiked. Raphael, I found her! She’s in front of you, across the street! Look…

  “Hang on one moment,” he said to the Revenant. “I need to focus on something.”

  She nodded once again.

  The Seal Witch was there, directly across from him, standing at the top of the Bank of America building, perched atop its large needle. Her hair whipped about her in the breeze. Her violet eyes burned him, flickering lighter and then darker, glowing bright in the night sky.

  “So, she survived the destruction of the building,” Raphael said.

  The building vibrated as if it had just been hit by a wrecking ball. Once. Twice. Extending his awareness beyond his body, he found them. The Shades had discovered his location. To his left, he felt the big one who called himself Obsidian moving toward them.

  He must have the ability to shift gravity for himself as well, for Obsidian was on the wall running toward them easily. Intensity radiated from Obsidian, his staff held tightly in one hand, as he let loose a loud, dark battle cry.

  Raphael extended awareness to the right and he felt the other one, Kei, also coming for him. In his hands was his pair of short swords, which he dragged along the side of the building, causing sparks to shoot out.

  Extending his awareness farther, he found the youngest Shade. He was flying toward them. He’d arrive in moments.

  It looks as if they have completely recovered, Amblin informed him.

  “This is going to be difficult,” said Raphael.

  Forget them, and take out that blasted witch! Hurry, I can’t keep her out much longer!

  Raphael knew Amblin was right. If that Seal Witch removed his flight, there would be no way out of this.

  “Hold on,” he said to the Revenant. His arm tightened around her waist.

  “I trust you,” she replied, clinging around his neck with both arms.

  Raphael kicked off the building, his airstream projecting him forward, and flew toward the Seal Witch. Seconds later, the Shades kicked off the building, flying after him.

  Raphael, I’ve managed to trace her signals and I’ve removed whatever power she uses to teleport or shift planes. She’s fighting me back, but now is the chance! Take her out!

  Raphael said quietly, using some of his power to project his voice in her ear. “May you finally find rest.”

  Shifting the Revenant’s body weight to his left side, he gripped the air with hi
s right hand. In his fist, his white katana materialized out of a blinding flash. He slashed vertically through the darkness, collecting the power in the air. The blade glowed brighter as it collected the forces around it, power dancing throughout the white metal, growing stronger and stronger. A force of wind blasted out from the blade, sizzling the air as it raced toward the Seal Witch.

  He saw the panic on her face as her eyes widened. The explosion of wind and power took out the top half of the building, cutting all the way through, launching the top half upwards a few feet. The impact was deafening. Concrete dust shot out in all directions. The witch lost her balance as she toppled over, her scream ringing out in Raphael’s ears. The top half of the building came down unevenly and slid, first in slow motion, down past the bottom of the building. The mass of concrete and glass picked up speed as it fell. Raphael, his eyes apologetic, watched the witch careening head over heels in her death fall, following the rubble to the streets below, before being swallowed up by the rising wall of dust.

  Amber had felt a presence in her mind. She tried to push it out, but apparently it had done something to her. She was no longer able to control the streetlights. If she couldn’t control them, she would not be able to make them flicker. If she could not make them flicker, she wouldn’t be able to switch realms and chances are, she would hit the pavement and go splat. This would be quite annoying if she had to die . . . again. And this time, there would be no coming back.

  Alarm filled her. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her hair was whipping her face, annoying her. She commanded it to stop. It did. At least she still had some of her gifts.

  Quickly, she searched her mind for a spell that would save her. Nothing came, only dread. If she couldn’t make those lights flicker, well, this might actually be it. The only other thing to do was . . .