by Riker Kane
“What’s wrong?” Nina asked.
My attention stayed on the road. I stared at the shadows on the pavement and watched them move slightly. Then I heard it. The unmistakable sound of footsteps against the ground. I held my place, searching for where the sound was coming from. Slowly, a figure emerged from the alleyway.
Someone, or something, draped in black robes slowly stepped out. It raised its hands up, long, pale digits with nails like claws. I looked underneath the hood of the robe but there was nothing but darkness.
“What the hell…?” Quentin’s words trailed off as he stared at the figure in disbelief.
Nina swallowed loud enough for me to hear, brandishing her katanas up as the figure moved a few meters in front of us. It extended its hands up and lowered its hood down to its shoulders.
It was a man. At least, it looked like one. His skin was as pale as the moon. Black circles surrounded his eyes like he’d painted them. Inside, his pupils were white and empty. His head was smooth, shining underneath the moonlight above.
All I’d seen in Pandora were animals and beasts. Even the giant Basilisk didn’t unnerve me as much as the man standing in front of me. But the longer I stared at him, the more I realized he wasn’t a man.
“I can sense it,” he spoke suddenly, his voice loud but shaky. “You’ve infused yourself with Red Mana. Using the essence of our dimension for your own strength.”
I took a step forward but Nina put a hand on my shoulder.
“It’s all right,” I assured her.
She gave me a reluctant nod and pulled her hand away.
“Who are you?” I said to him. “What do you want?”
“The only thing you need to know is that this is my home. And you’re an invader.”
“We only cross into Pandora to stop you from coming to Earth. We don’t care about other dimensions as long as ours is safe.”
“Safe… The only safety is in the darkness. This Earth… You’re a curious dimension. You continue to resist. You pointlessly fight the inevitable.”
Quentin slammed his shield into the ground. “We know what you did. You came here and tried to destroy us. You killed thousands of people. The evidence is all on YouTube, bro.”
The pale man smirked. “Death is release. Let your being flow and join the Mana all around you.”
“I don’t intend on dying just so you can take over Earth,” I said. “I don’t give a damn what reason you have.”
He raised his hand up and closed his eyes. “I can sense the Mana in you. You think you have power but you’re weak.”
“If you wanna go into my dimension, you’ll have to get through all of us.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He snapped his fingers and the ground rumbled all around us. Cracks formed in the pavement. I watched as black snakes began to slither out and come at us.
“Fire Slash!”
I yelled it out just as they moved closer. Nina ran forward and spun like a top. Flames ignited her blades and consumed the snakes trying to move by her. Those that managed to survive getting burned split into pieces from the speed of her spinning edges.
The pale man snapped his fingers again and more snakes rose from the cracks. Nina stayed focused, slashing at them before they could get anywhere near her.
“Him,” I said. “Take him out, Q!”
Quentin slapped the front of his shield and a blue aura formed around him. He moved into a jog before turning into a blur heading straight for the man. Quentin slammed into him and sent him tumbling down the pavement.
“Let’s go!” I motioned for Nina to follow me. The Strider left the remaining snakes and pumped her legs. She leaped into the air with both katanas up and brought them down on the man struggling to get up to his feet. The blades sank into his stomach but a sudden burst of energy from his palms sent her flying.
“I got you!” Quentin raced up and caught her out of the sky.
I kept moving forward right as he got up. I slashed but he moved out of the way. I thrust but he moved again. I kept swinging relentlessly but the robed man continued effortlessly dodging my attacks.
“Too weak. Too slow. Too reckless.” He opened his palms and sent a blast of energy into my chest. I went flying back and slammed so hard into one of the buildings the bricks crumbled around me.
“Oh… Crap…” I groaned as I fell forward on my knees. The pain reverberated through my entire body. My head was dizzy. A cut opened on the side of my head and I immediately felt the blood trickling out. I dug my saber into the ground and pushed myself back up to unsteady feet.
“Is this it?” The man held his arms out, a look of anger in his eyes. “This is the best your dimension has to offer? You truly have no hope.”
I straightened up and looked to the side where Nina and Quentin were dealing with more snakes coming out of the ground.
Nina was the only one fast enough to land a hit on him. Quentin was the only one strong enough to knock him down. I had to think of something. If we were gonna do this, we had to do it together.
I looked at the pale man and noticed the dark blood leaking from the wounds where Nina stabbed him. That was enough to make me smile.
I walked forward with my saber pointed at him. “That’s what this is all about, huh? You’re just gonna destroy Earth? We’re not just another dimension for you to destroy.”
“Not destroy. We’re here to bring you an infinite peace.”
“Infinite peace… I like the sound of that. That’s exactly what I’m gonna give you. Q! Hyper Charge!”
Quentin lowered his shoulder and came racing toward him. The man in robes turned to him and lowered his palms. White and blue energy formed around Quentin just as he turned into a blur.
“Rose!”
Nina sliced away the snakes coming at her and leaped forward just as Quentin crashed into the burst of energy the pale man created. Quentin slowed but still had enough momentum to get through and knock the man down.
Quentin tumbled on the ground and fell on his stomach after sending the man flying. I ran up to Quentin as smoke rose from his armor and shield like steam. I flipped him over to see the bleeding burns and bruises all over his face.
“Shit… Soul…” he struggled to get the words out between gasps.
The Recall Box around his neck blinked red and he disappeared in a flash. I didn’t have time to worry about him, turning to watch Nina sink her katanas back into his chest.
I raced forward as fast as I could and stuck my saber on the underside of his chin. With all of my strength, I clenched my jaw and pushed my blade up through the top of his skull.
He yelled out, his eyes wide as black blood spilled from his mouth.
“Keep going! Don’t stop!”
Nina pushed her blades down and ignited them. The flames burned through his body and robes, making him scream even louder. But even with three blades poking through him, he still managed to raise his hands up. He pointed his palms right at Nina and burst of white energy consumed her in a blinding beam. It was so hot I thought my face and armor were going to melt off just from being next to it. I clenched my jaw and dug my soles into the pavement, holding my ground as I kept pushing my saber into my target. When the energy disappeared, Nina collapsed on the ground, her armor and body smoking like she’d been set on fire. Her Recall Box blinked and she disappeared before I could do anything.
“You’ll never win.” The man said.
I looked into his eyes and screamed as I sent my saber up the rest of the way through his skull. My Upper Thrust sent both of us flying twenty meters into the sky. I kept pushing until I felt his head beginning to separate from the rest of his body. Flesh and tendons tore. More blood leaked. I focused all of my strength and yelled as I ripped his head off completely. His body exploded into Mana and showered the pavement below. I landed back on the ground and the remaining snakes crawling from the cracks had faded into Mana, too.
I fell to my knees. My lungs burned
as I tried to catch my breath. My eyes closed, I took a moment to calm myself down. But after everything I just saw, I knew this wasn’t over. This was only the beginning.
34: Revelations and Preparations
Chancellor Layton sat at his desk with the usual polite smile on his face. He was so polite I worried about how he would react when he got angry. But the older man didn’t appear to be a threat at this point, even after just hearing about my latest trip through the Junction.
On the other hand, Adviser Campbell looked like someone took a piss in his cornflakes. He was already intimidating enough but the determined look in his eyes was a little more intense than usual.
“Who gave you authorization to enter a Junction?” Campbell asked.
“It was Dr. Kelsing. I have the mission request in my communicator.”
“And why would Dr. Kelsing give you authorization?”
“I… I figured I would head to the Junction Room before it was shut down. To see if I could find the Shadow I was looking for. It turns out I was right.”
I didn’t look right at Campbell but I could see him staring at me through the corner of my eye. He was looking so hard, I was waiting for the eye lasers to shoot out.
“First, you get into it with another cadet,” Layton said. “Then you ignore the warnings of LOD officials and proceed through a Junction anyway. It appears being an Adept doesn’t come with a certain amount of defiance. What do you think, Adviser?”
Campbell finally shifted his eyes away from me. He sighed through his nose. “Adepts are prone to their curiosity. It’s part of the reason their class compatibility scores are so high.”
“What are your recommendations?”
“Just because he’s an Adept doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be reprimanded. He has to be held to the same standards as every other cadet.”
“I agree…”
Listening to them talk about how they were gonna punish me made my heart sink. But Layton still had that friendly smile on his face.
“However, the rules we make can be arbitrary at times,” Layton said. “We mustn’t be so dogmatic when the founding of the Legion was predicated on one thing. He would not have gone through that Junction if Dr. Kelsing didn’t encourage him. This young man encountered a Herald. And he managed to defeat it.”
“I agree,” Campbell sighed. “That’s why I’m willing to postpone any discipline indefinitely.”
“That would be for the best. It appears we have more important matters to tend to.”
Adviser Campbell took a step away from me and crossed his arms. “You’re curious. If I tell you nothing, your curiosity will only grow. So I’ll satisfy your curiosity. But what I’m about to tell you is classified information. Is that understood?”
Campbell didn’t have to stare at me as hard as he was to make it clear. I swallowed to clear my throat and nodded.
“Who else knows?” he asked.
“Besides my squadmates? Dr. Kelsing, I guess… Brooke Silvestri and her squadmates. But I don’t think she knows exactly what’s going on.”
“Keep this information to yourself and your squad for the time being. There’s no telling what will happen on campus if word gets out.” He looked at Layton, who nodded slowly in response.
“Your communicator is synced to our database,” Campbell continued. “Every Mana orb you collect. Every Shadow you defeat. Every Junction you close. All of it is recorded. We have the data from your battle with the Herald. We were able to collect more information on him.
“The information matches what we already know. Several years ago, another cadet at another facility had a similar encounter to yours. A Gold Omega and his squad managed to defeat this talking Shadow. They learned from the Shadow that they’re trying to cross over to Earth, our dimension, and rid it of all life, just like they do all other dimensions. That is their goal. Complete annihilation.
“That incident was recorded and our researchers made note of it. There have been no other encounters with beings dubbed Heralds. Until now.
“We knew this day would come. With the data we extracted from your communicator, we’ll be able to get a reading on the specific Mana signatures in other dimensions. We may be able to locate the other Heralds.”
“Hold on a second.” I put my hands as I tried to wrap my head around everything he was telling me. “Are you saying the Heralds are the ones responsible for Pandora?”
“Responsible for Pandora itself, we can’t say. But their intent is certain. The Mana signatures your communicator recorded match the same energy levels as the First Event.”
“All this time… They’ve just been trying to get through and do nothing else but destroy us.”
“Our scientists were having trouble getting a reading on the threat level of this dimension. Now we know why. The encounter with the first Herald yielded similar results when instruments weren’t properly calibrated to detect for them.”
“So… We have to do something.”
“The wheels are in motion. For the time being, you and every other cadet are restricted from the Junction Room until further notice.”
I leaned back in my seat. It was hard not to hide my disappointment. “What am I supposed to do until then?”
“You have access to the rest of the Nerve Center. The Drill Rooms are open. Consider visiting your Class Captain to raise your Mastery Ranking. I suggest you take this opportunity to strengthen yourself as much as possible.”
Campbell widened his eyes at me to get his point across. Something was up. That much was obvious. But there was no telling when he would actually tell me what it was.
“Do you have any other questions?”
I shook my head.
“Dismissed.”
~ ~ ~
“You all right?”
Quentin leaned back on the bed and groaned. “Nothing a burger and a milkshake won’t be able to fix.”
“There’s no reason for you to be laid up in bed,” Nina said as she rolled her eyes. “The Recall Box brought you back to the Med Bay and you’ve already been restored to full health.”
“Hey! You know what it’s like to get hit by a full-blast of weird energy. I thought I’d jumped into the sun for a second there. My whole body was on fire. I think I deserve a chance to sit back and relax for a bit.”
“Just admit you want to hang around here because of Dr. Marchal. I’d have more respect for you then.”
“All right, it’s because of Dr. Marchal.”
“Ungh… And to think I had respect for you.”
“What?” he exclaimed. “But you just… Never mind.” He put his hands behind his head and sank into the bed. “What’s the word, squad leader?”
I laughed at how comfortable Quentin looked before remembering everything Campbell told me.
“Everything that guy in the robes said was true,” I said. “They’re called Heralds. He’s not the first one they’ve ever encountered. Apparently, they’re the ones running things. All they want is to destroy us. Turn Earth into another dead dimension.”
“Geez…” Quentin sighed a deep breath and shook his head. “Everybody knows about the First Event. We’re all here because we’re trying to do our part. But when you realize there really is something out there that just wants to destroy us and says it… it really puts things into perspective.”
“We’re the line between existence and extinction,” Nina said. “It’s on the brochures. It’s in our acceptance letters. It’s in the oath. Now we know what it really means.”
There was a somber mood in the Med Bay room. Nina looked dejected to the point that it bothered me. Even Quentin wasn’t as nonchalant as he usually was.
I got up from my seat and put a hand on Nina’s shoulder in some attempt to comfort her. “That doesn’t change anything though, does it? I mean, we all came here because we’re trying to do our part. What’s different? Nothing. We stick together. We keep fighting.”
Quentin’s eyes lit up. He slowly nodded in approval a
s a smile came to his face. “Yeah…. Yeah, you’re right… I mean, we know they’re trying to kill us. Some bald assholes in some bad cosplays aren’t gonna stop us.”
“We did manage to kill that Herald,” Nina said.
“Hell yeah!” Quentin pumped his fist.
“That’s right,” I said. “Listen… Adviser Campbell told me they’re working on something. They didn’t tell me what it was exactly. But the Junction Room is off limits. In the meantime, we should be getting ready for everything. Training labs. Drill Rooms. Mastery Ranks. We’ve gotta do what we can without the Junctions. There’s no telling how much time we have.”
Nina nodded confidently. “I’ll spend more time in the hyperbaric chamber.”
“That’s a good idea,” Quentin said.
“The Herald drop a crapload of Mana,” I said. “I can transfer some of it to you guys.”
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about. The Great Defenders, baby!”
Quentin held his hand out. Nina and I looked at one another in confusion.
“C’mon! Put your hand on top of mine!”
I gave Nina a shrug and did it. She followed and we put our hands together.
“Go ahead, squad leader. What’s our motto?”
“Motto? We never went over this…”
“The best mottos are the ones that come at the spur of the moment.”
“Right… Lemme see…” I thought about it for a moment before saying the first thing that came to me. “Let’s kick some ass!”
“Uhh…” Nina shifted her eyes away from me.
“That’s okay,” Quentin said. “We’ve still got time to work on it.”
35: A Favor for a Favor
The three of us headed back to our dorm rooms late that night. I looked down and read 2200 hours.
“Ten o’clock…”
If I were still back home around this time, I would just be getting my night started. Now I was so active during the day that I didn’t want to do anything except collapse on my bed.
I’d only just stepped into my dorm room when my communicator vibrated against my arm. I looked down at the display.
