There was a resounding blast as the falling blade smashed onto the outermost layer of the barrier. With a sound of breaking glass, the fifth layer shattered almost immediately, while more cracks appeared on the blade of ice.
I looked at Crow’s body once more. His plans never really seemed to work out, but he did get some predictions right. I pointed an obscene gesture at the blade as the fourth layer met its icy edge, and screamed, “Detonate!”
Blood leaked out of my ears as something akin to a rocket launcher firing hit my ears, the resulting shockwave even sending the prostrating Outsider ranks into disarray. The fourth and third layer of the barrier had exploded outwards simultaneously, breaking apart the weakened blade of ice and scattering its fragments into the night sky. Whatever that was left of the building utterly crumbled, and blast after blast from the claymores that we had set up reverberated through the night as they activated of their own accord.
“Impressive,” said the High Overseer quietly.
I shivered as his voice entered my ear, although it no longer carried the irresistible power from before, for some reason. His gaze fell onto the area where he had tossed Hazred to, which was now charred utterly beyond recognition. A tendril of mist snaked out, wrapping around the charred and burnt figure, lifting him back to its owner.
There was a faint rumbling of thunder, and the High Overseer shuddered.
“It seems the restrictions of power upon this world still hold fast,” said the High Overseer. He looked at Crow’s broken body at the corner, and the corner of his mouth turned upwards. “Call this the balancing of the scales, for the unfair help my subordinate gave to you.”
The sky had grown lighter. Dawn was approaching. The High Overseer growled in the guttural language that the Outsiders often used, and a tremor ran across the scattered Outsider ranks. Without waiting to see what happened next, the High Overseer ascended swiftly, speeding into the black void in the sky, leaving the still-prostrate Outsiders behind.
Call me crazy, but I got the feeling that he fled from fear.
“This isn’t exactly the best situation to be in now, right?” asked Hao Wei. I looked at the crystal that had formed when I had called up the barrier. Fractures and cracks were everywhere on it, and the silvery flame was flickering wildly. The entire structure had collapsed, and the ground leveled out. Miles was out of sight, and Hao Wei’s body was as immobile as mine.
“Understatement of the year.” I said, smiling feebly.
Our meticulous preparations were nothing in front of absolute strength and numbers, and there was a whole flock of these Outsiders standing right in front of the barrier. The ruins of the building provided little cover for us, and a single surging tide of Outsiders could literally drown us under their sheer weight. I struggled a bit, before pushing myself up to a sitting position.
While I was struggling to push myself up, Mr. Meng had stood up and started eyeballing the Outsiders. A double-layered barrier, weakened and battered, separated him and his Outsider counterparts. It was the same guy from last night, crimson in colour, yet interspersed with some sickly green light. There was an awkward silence as the two stared at each other, although I wasn’t sure that Mr. Meng actually knew where the eyes of this grotesque being was.
“Last night, you refused me,” said the Outsider, his scythe-like claws raised.
His body was peppered with scars from last night, but he hadn’t done anything to heal them… nor had he put on any clothes either. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Hao Wei moving to cover Aurora’s eyes, and I gave him a mental thumbs-up.
His claws gleamed with a soft green light. “Surrender the Key or die, human.”
“I don’t take well to threats, Sir.” Mr. Meng drew out a little wooden sword, pointing it towards the ground. That sword was the one he used to utterly exterminate a stray Outsider last night, and it was clear that this punk knew it. The mantis-man took a few steps back, watching the little sword warily. The air hummed with power as Mr. Meng drew the sword, but perhaps because of the harrowing display of power just minutes ago, it didn’t really seem all that much this time around.
“Neither do I.” Miles appeared beside Mr. Meng, his body gradually becoming corporeal.
His seemingly harmless form belied the fact that there were a few arcs of bluish lightning jumping around him. Miles snapped his fingers, and a giant blue circle, made from electric arcs, blazed into existence a few metres above us, hovering above the Outsiders like a thundercloud.
“Nice and subtle. Took you long enough, though,” said Mr. Meng.
“Please don’t make an old man do work more suitable for an assassin.” Miles looked towards us, at the corner where Crow’s body had been pulled to, and his face twisted.
There was a crack of thunder, and a bolt of lightning crashed down from the blue circle, turning a group of Outsiders into ash. That lightning bolt didn’t seem all that intimidating compared to the ones that fell upon Hazred, but it was more than deadly enough right now.
Clearly, the leader of the Outsiders didn’t like the slaughter of his kin. He snarled, creating a guttural sound, and a sickly green light radiated off him. With a jerk of movement, the Outsider brought down his scythes in a mighty overhead swing, his target: the barrier that protected us.
More lightning bolts blasted into his limbs with deadly accuracy, and the Outsider howled in pain. The green light ceased to emit, and the offending scythes fell off, severed by a particularly vicious blast of lightning.
“Before you continue struggling, you might want to look around,” said Miles. “I don’t think whoever’s in charge of you guys would like it if there’s a ninety percent casualty rate.”
The insectoid monster turned and twitched in what was probably surprise. The other Outsiders had been restrained by an all-encompassing cage of lightning, both thralls and commanders alike. It was evident that a single thought on Miles’ part would leave them with more than just burns.
“I have a counteroffer,” said Mr. Meng. As he spoke, a faint rumbling of thunder came from the blue circle above us, giving his voice a particularly menacing undertone. “Go back to whence you came or stay here forever. You have ten seconds to choose.”
He stood there, still and silent, his gaze sweeping around the entire Outsider army, waiting. I turned to look at Miles. His breathing seemed irregular and faint, as though he'd lost a great deal of his vitality, but a twisted smile remained on his face.
“Ten, nine, eight…” Mr. Meng calmly counted down, watching the insectoid masses wait for their leader’s orders. The little wooden sword jerked slightly, and green blood erupted from three beheaded Outsiders.
“Well done, humans. You win.” The Outsider’s eyes narrowed, and he turned away from Mr. Meng. His mandibles quivered slightly as he screamed skywards in his language, creating a cacophony of harsh sounds. The rest of them stirred, releasing their wings. “We’ll go. Enjoy this while you can!”
I let out a breath at their declaration. It seemed that they were really going to leave. Frankly speaking, if push came to shove, I didn’t really like our chances of survival. Miles was not in tip-top condition, and Mr. Meng was probably just putting on an act. Also, there were too many of them, and if it wasn’t for Miles’ lightning, they would probably have attacked. It was fortunate for us that this Outsider cared for the lives of his brethren, as baffling as that sounded, which probably compelled him to retreat.
As they turned away, there was a sound of a crystal shattering as Time resumed its usual flow, and the first rays of dawn peeped over the horizon. Abruptly, the world shuddered, and the last two layers of the barrier shattered as a wave of heat and force sent everyone flying. The Outsiders were not spared either, and the blast had sent most of them sprawling onto the floor, breaking their wings. It was fortunate for them that the cage of lightning had suddenly disappeared, leaving them with only bruises.
My ears tingling and bleeding again, I forced myself to turn around, where the sho
ckwave came from, and my eyes widened at the inexplicable sight of Aurora glowing red and gold, floating in the suddenly grey sky. Her emotionless visage stared down at us.
Chapter 26
The wind was utterly still, but thick streams of grey ash had started flying into the air, agglomerating into an ominous sphere. The sky darkened as even more streams of ash streaked in from beyond the horizon, streaming in from every single direction.
Aurora’s emotionless eyes fell upon the Outsiders, who were frozen stiff with fear, and they dispersed into streams of grey ash that flew to join the expanding sphere.
“What’s happening, Aurora?” Mr. Meng had regained his senses, a shocked expression on his face. “This dust, what is it?”
Her face spasmed as she heard Mr. Meng speak. Her eyes resolutely stuck to the sphere, she replied, “A cleansing. The result of my judgement. An end set in stone years ago. The hour has arrived, and with it, the end.”
Mr. Meng flinched as he heard her voice. “You’re not Aurora, are you?”
“I am the Key.” Aurora turned her unfeeling eyes to regard the fallen forms of Miles and Hao Wei. With a single gesture, their unmoving bodies started dispersing into grey dust, spiraling into the air to join the rest.
“Why… did this happen?” Mr. Meng asked quietly. A complex expression had appeared on his face as he struggled to get up. “What will happen to Aurora after this?”
The Key hovered silently, watching the sphere of ash grow larger and larger, fed by ever-increasing streams of grey dust. Mr. Meng waited quietly, patiently waiting for her to answer his question.
Wild vegetation had started to cover the buildings, with impossibly tall vines flailing madly in the city area. It was only when buildings had started to collapse did the Key answer Mr. Meng.
“Everything should have ended eight years ago,” said the Key. “But it was mandatory to return eight years of life back to my host.”
Her eyes turned to me, and I felt my body shriveling up. I shivered as I felt a decaying power run through my veins, and my feet started turning to ashes. Holding on to an image of salt, I said, “Preservation,” and the decaying process slowed down, my left lung collapsing in the backlash.
The Key’s gaze was unmoving. “A cold, merciless power that wrought insanity on a young girl’s mind. An unfeeling, colorless prison created by a heartless warden. To think that I’d find the cause of my awakening here.”
Her gaze continued to bore down on me. Mr. Meng tore his eyes away from her, turning his head to stare at me as he registered her words. He stared blankly as vine after vine emerged from the ground around me, binding and bringing me to the floating Aurora. Her hands moved to caress my cheek lightly, and I felt the decaying process speed up in return.
I could feel her breath tickling my ear as she brought me close, and she whispered, “Do you know how it feels to be imprisoned in Time? She didn’t even last two days, before she turned insane. Had there been permanent harm…”
There was a cold sensation as she licked my ear, causing it to disintegrate into a cloud of grey ash.
I stirred weakly in response. “What do you mean? Why are you doing this?”
“You don’t know?” Her fingers continued to caress my face, before her grip strengthened and her gaze met mine.
An obtrusive presence manifested in my mind briefly, before it vanished, and her eyes narrowed.
“You really don’t know? How can this be?” A wisp of grey ash floated around her, poised threateningly. She gazed into my eyes again, with more intensity this time. There was a searing sensation in my mind this time, and my vision blurred as she rummaged through my mind, causing memory after memory to flash through my eyes.
She took a step back from me, breaking eye contact. Her emotionless face twisted, the first time I’d seen emotion on her face in a while. The wisp of grey ash squirmed restlessly in a reflection of her mental state.
“Aurora?!” Mr. Meng hurriedly asked, concern still evident from his words. Apparently, Mr. Meng still regarded Aurora as alive, even if the Key was in control of her body for the moment. There was a momentary display of something close to envy on the Key, before her face reverted to its emotionless mask.
A sound of wood clattering on the floor drew my eyes. Mr. Meng had pushed himself up from the ground, breaking into an explosive sprint as he closed the distance between him and his daughter. I had underestimated his desperation. Mr. Meng had taken that slightest flash of emotion as that for his daughter’s and had moved pretty much on instinct. Even his little wooden sword had been tossed aside, landing barely one arm’s length away from me, as Mr. Meng rushed towards Aurora.
A faint blue light erupted from Mr. Meng, and he picked up speed.
The Key’s eyes narrowed at this sight, and a green vine appeared from the ground, quivering like a cobra waiting for its prey. As he neared the Key, the vine shot out with a sharp crack, aiming towards Mr. Meng’s heart, and I held my breath.
The vine suddenly swerved downwards, embedding itself into the ground. The Key trembled, and for a moment, the innocent visage of Aurora emerged. With another burst of effort, Mr. Meng crossed the distance, catching her in a bear hug.
The father and daughter pair landed on the floor, where Mr. Meng promptly collapsed onto his knees. In that instant of contact with Aurora, his body had rapidly decayed, with streams of grey ash rising from him to join the enormous grey sphere in the sky.
“Dad, you’re in pain.” In this quiet, crumbling world, her soft voice was like the gentle tinkling of a bell.
Mr. Meng’s back shuddered, and he drew his daughter closer to her. Ash streamed out of his body at a greater intensity, spiraling into the sky.
“It doesn’t matter.” Mr. Meng patted her head lightly. “It doesn’t. You’re hurting too, right?”
Aurora nodded. Streams of grey ash started rising from her, intertwining with that of her father’s in the sky. Black fractures appeared on the sphere as that stream of ash entered it, only to close immediately.
“I can’t stop it,” Aurora said quietly. “Dad, I have a request.”
“What is it?” Mr. Meng hugged her tighter, as though he was scared of her vanishing into thin air.
“Kill me.” Her face winced with pain, as she struggled to force these words out.
Mr. Meng froze. “I can’t.”
“You must. Right now, she’s defenseless. We can stop this.” Aurora’s body shook. “I can’t hold her much longer.”
“I—” Mr. Meng looked at his daughter, before turning his head to me. His gaze was intense, as if he was looking to me for a miracle. He took a deep breath and said, “Mr. Newton, can you do it in my stead? Take up my sword.”
My eyes met his, and I recalled his desperate plea for help a few days ago. There was no miracle I could perform; if there was any—it was the fact that I was still able to move. I broke off my gaze and picked up the little wooden sword without thinking. What remained of my legs trembled as I stood up, the little wooden sword extraordinarily heavy in my hands.
The entire sword was just a forearm’s length, finely decorated with little markings and carvings that weren’t obvious unless you looked at it up-close. As my hands closed around the little grip, the carvings at the hilt lit up, its azure light piercing my eyes. Blue petals—undoubtedly illusions created by the sword—fluttered and danced in the grey sky, mixing and dancing with the streams of grey ash. It was a sending off, from a sword to its owner, and the owner to his sword.
“I’m sorry,” said Mr. Meng. “I couldn’t bear to do it myself, and I don’t want to leave my daughter alone in death. I can only trouble you to point the tip at us.”
It was just mere hours ago that everyone talked about the future, having fun and laughing together. I thought that we had won the moment the Outsiders tried to retreat; that perhaps we could make it out of this alive. My eyes flitted from the little sword to the family in front of me and I clenched my right fist even tighter. I fixed my e
yes on the father and daughter, etching them into whatever was left of my memory.
My whole body quivered as I attempted to lift my hand, rebelling against me. Deep down, I knew that I didn’t need to do this. It wasn’t my responsibility. There was no need to burden my mind further. I’d seen enough for a lifetime.
There was a quiet whimper, so audible despite everything going on. It was that of a girl trying to suppress her pain, to feign a front, and at that cry, my body’s resistance shattered.
I raised the sword: raising its trembling tip to point at the father and daughter. Aurora’s back was facing away from me—a considerate gesture on Mr. Meng’s part. He didn’t want his daughter to see her would-be killer. His hug tightened around Aurora, and his mouth moved one last time, his quiet words echoing in the silent sky.
In that instant, I felt my will supplant that of the world’s. My lips moved, and my vision blurred with tears.
“Fly.”
The little sword kindled into a brilliant azure, shooting out of my hands in a line of blinding light. The air parted with a howl as the flash of light crossed the distance between me and Aurora instantly, burying itself up till the hilt into her back. The sound of glass shattering followed immediately, and a blade of pure blue light protruded from Mr. Meng. A spray of blood arced into the air, evaporating with a sizzle.
The ground underneath them cracked and burst into flames, creating an azure inferno that illuminated the grey skies. The blue petals danced and swirled as one, forming a circle of azure petals that contained their funeral pyre.
The world shuddered. Far above me, the grey sphere stopped expanding. Black cracks had started appearing on its surface and were starting to spread out to its surroundings. These cracks seemed to violate the boundaries of reality and illusion, existing in one second and disappearing in the next. Anything these cracks touched would crumble away, be it the air, or a building or a tree.
To Fling a Light Page 18