by Justin Parks
Chapter 22
Destiny
Jin had become lost in the fog as well. He began to make out a figure in front of him. He didn’t know who it was, so he approached with caution. The mist began to clear. Jin saw a person standing in front of him, but it wasn’t a copy—at least of Jin anyway.
It was Hyperion. It opened its eyes. They were completely black, but something happened. Two red irises shined through, causing the eyes to return to normal. At that moment, Jin recognized his eyes and he knew who the person was who had appeared to him in his dreams. It was Hyperion. Jin was very confused.
“Hyperion? Why are you here?” Jin asked.
Hyperion just looked at him. “You mean you haven’t realized? That’s a disappointment,” he said unsatisfied. His voice was strangely amplified, almost like there was a soft echo to it.
“What are you talking about? The last team said they fought copies of themselves,” Jin responded.
Hyperion just shook his head. “The kami here has a very special power. Its magick reacts to the cores of ayos, creating copies,” he said, pointing to Jin. “However, that core in your chest doesn’t belong to you; it’s mine,” Hyperion explained.
Jin had been awarded with a unique opportunity. His head began to fill with questions. “So why me? Why did you give me this core?” Jin asked.
Hyperion threw off his over robe. “Trust me, you weren’t the first choice, but after the centuries, you are the only one left. You’re the last of our bloodline, the last Kaizer, and you aren’t even an ayos. You were the only one that could take my core,” he explained.
“What is all this about?” Jin asked.
“I can’t say exactly what will happen, but you will be needed,” Hyperion said, staring at Jin seriously.
“What does that mean? Stop talking in riddles and just tell me!” Jin said as he began to get frustrated.
“You aren’t ready; you aren’t even close,” Hyperion said as he dashed forward and punched Jin in the face sending him flying back. Jin smacked into a tree and fell to his knees. “You can’t even see can you,” he said.
Jin’s frustration was building and anger took hold. He hasn’t told me a damn thing! He keeps talking, but nothing he’s saying makes any sense, Jin thought, as he raised his hand and fired a large ball of energy at Hyperion.
Hyperion just swatted it away. “Hmm . . . pathetic,” he said, shaking his head. Jin stood and dashed at him and threw a punch. Hyperion side-stepped and grabbed his face, slamming him to the ground. Jin was unconscious. Hyperion looked down to him. “What . . . give up already?” he said, stepping on his chest. Magick sparked from his foot, running into Jin.
Jin awoke and screamed in pain. He reached to grab Hyperion’s ankle, but Hyperion jumped away before he had the chance. Jin jumped to his feet gritting his teeth, as blood dripped from his mouth. “What the hell do you want from me!?” he yelled at Hyperion.
“What!? You think I’ll give you an answer if you throw a fit like a child!” Hyperion responded shaking his head. “You haven’t proved anything to me. You’ll be lucky if you can survive long enough to learn the truth. If you must know more than that, you’re welcome to try to ‘make’ me tell you,” he said, taking a stance.
Jin dashed forward, firing another ball of energy. Hyperion swatted it away with his left hand. Jin used that chance to move in. He hit Hyperion with a hard right. He ran all his remaining energy into the shot. Jin’s fist made contact with Hyperion’s face, but he didn’t budge. The hit had no effect.
Hyperion smirked and slowly turned his head toward Jin. Jin was frozen in fear. Hyperion hit Jin in his stomach with an energy palm. Hyperion’s energy ripped through Jin, sending him flying back bashing through trees. He eventually smacked one that brought him to a stop. Jin fell limp to the ground.
“Too bad, time’s up,” Hyperion said as his body turned to mist and faded away.
Saga had cut down the kami tree and destroyed it. The magick separated between the two. Saga followed the magick to Jin’s body. He was shocked at what he saw. “Jin! Jin!” he said as he ran up to Jin and began shaking him. Jin didn’t wake up.
It wasn’t until three weeks later that Jin woke up. His eyes opened and he found himself in the medical ward at the academy. “Hey, you’re finally awake,” he heard Sky say.
Jin turned to him and smiled. “Hey,” Jin said.
“I guess I’m the lucky one. Saga, Liz, and I have been taking turns watching you since Saga dragged you back here,” Sky explained.
“Is Saga okay? Did he finish the mission?” Jin asked.
“Yeah, he’s fine. He found the kami and destroyed it, but the mystery here is what the hell happened to you?” Sky asked.
“I’m not really sure; I need to talk to Khronus,” Jin explained.
“Okay, man, you just rest up and I’ll go get him for you, and then I’ll let everyone else know you’re all right,” Sky said, leaving the room.
“Thanks,” Jin replied.
Jin laid back and closed his eyes. He opened them as he heard someone enter the room. It was Khronus. “Jin, it’s good to see you’re all right, but what happened out there?”
Jin took a deep breath. “The kami we fought had the ability to create copies of us by using our cores.”
“Yes, Saga told me about that,” Khronus responded.
“But my core’s not my core,” Jin said.
“You mean?” Khronus said, shocked.
“Yes, I fought Hyperion,” Jin explained.
“Really?” Khronus asked, confused.
“Hyperion told me. I am the last Kaizer. That’s why he needed me. I was the only one who could take his core. But when I asked him why, all he told me was it was unfinished business. Do you know anything about it?” Jin asked.
“No, I don’t know what he meant. Did he say anything else?” Khronus asked.
“The only thing he really told me was that I wasn’t ready, and then we fought. His power was unreal. I never knew someone could be that strong. I couldn’t put a scratch on him,” Jin explained.
“It’s okay Jin, focus on getting some rest. I’ll look into it and for now just keep this between us,” Khronus said as he began to head out. He passed Liz, Saga, and Sky on his way out. They entered the room.
“Jin!” Liz said as she ran over giving him a hug. Jin grunted. “Oh, sorry,” she said, backing off.
Saga walked up to the side of the bed. “So what exactly happened out there?”
“I told you I was going to be in trouble,” Jin said with a laugh. The three began to laugh. They all sat and chatted for a while and eventually left for the night.
The three left the room, Saga trailed behind and stood at the door as the other two made their way out. “I know you’re not telling the whole truth; I just don’t know why,” he said before making his way out as well.
ToC
* * * * *
