“Did I have any siblings?” Mike asked, just thinking about that.
“Celina, your mother, had planned to have more children after you…”
“But she didn’t get the chance,” the boy surmised. Mike’s face became stern, and Silver understood.
“My sources tell me they’re in an under-populated area at the edge of Pirates’ Town,” Silver reported, sounding like he meant business.
“You have spies on them?!”
“I have sources. We will strike tomorrow, when Tiger and Rebecca are fully recovered. Between now and then, there is a lot I must teach you. You will get at maximum two hour of rest before our attack.”
“What?!”
“Isn’t that a bit rash, Silver?” Copper asked.
“What else’s there for me to learn anyway?”
Silver began pacing the floor. He always did that when he was ‘schooling’ Mike. “Remember those two attacks I told you only the Ionides in the Legend State could perform?”
“The Ion Beam and Ion Blast!”
“Good!” Silver smirked, seeing the boy’s enthusiasm. “We’ll get to them in a moment. First you must learn a bit more about the Legend State.”
“Finally!”
“Now, the Legend State can be considered an improved version, a perfected version of the Ionide State.”
“Perfected?” Mike had never thought of the Ionide State as being incomplete before.
“In the Ionide State, one becomes coated with this special metal called iodium. In the Legend State, however, one becomes Iodium!”
“Woah! That’s impossible! What about… our blood and… organs and stuff?”
“Let me go on. Whilst in the Legend State, there is a new form of iodium that flows through the body. It is in a liquid state, and it replaces blood and air and the heart and lungs, everything! It is a perfect source of life.”
“What?! H—How?!”
“While in the Legend State, this iodium will continuously heal your body, and it will provide you with all you need to survive. You will never grow tired, and you will have no need or feel any urge to eat or breathe. That means you could even survive under water for as long as the state lasts.”
“So how long does this thing last?!”
“It depends on too much to tell, but you will soon find out for yourself.”
“Heh! After all, I am the son of Amorphous!” Mike boasted proudly.
He tried to imagine the final stage of the Ionic power.
“Also, as you might have imagined, this state gives the advantageous ability of training under water.”
“And since water is denser than air, I can get stronger faster!”
“That’s right. Even more impressively, this state allows perfect and seamless transformations of the body into practically anything! Powerful spikes can be blasted from the body at devastating rates, as your Ionic energy will be quickly regenerated by the fluid, faster than you can manage to spend it.”
“Wow! This liquid Iodium makes blood look stupid!”
“Come, Mike! Let’s go outside. I will push you to your very limit. I need to see just how far you can go. Be not dismayed, though, if you cannot achieve the Legend State just yet. It would be unreasonable of me to expect that you will perfect such a power at this early stage.”
“Come on! Let’s go! You forgetting who I am, now?!” Silver laughed proudly.
***
The little group Blade led had drifted northerly from Pirates’ Town, and had reached to an unpopulated wasteland, a desert area that began the route to a place called Rander, a place they weren’t interested in knowing. Tired, and at the brink, the very edge of giving up on the search for Mike, they set up camp and rested their horses.
***
While Mike was away with Silver, Copper was with Rebecca and Tiger inside. “Tea will soon be ready!” he informed them. Tiger sat up abruptly, with a frightened look on his face.
“What’s the matter, Tiger?” Copper asked. Rebecca sat up to hear a little better.
“The boy,” he began, in a rather devious, threatening tone. “Do you really think he’s stronger than us?” he asked, keeping his voice low. Rebecca too looked to Copper for an answer.
“… Yes.”
“You think he’ll get through to the Legend State?” Rebecca asked, “I know he’s good, but even Amorphous struggled with decades of training to unlock the final state!”
“We need not guess. We’ll eventually find out.”
Silver and his student were in a building isolated from the rest of the camp. Mike was in deep focus, and was deep into the Ionide State. With folded fists and clenched, grinding teeth, shut eyes and deep concentration, Mike slowly pushed small spikes from his body. “Good, good… Keep ‘em comin’,” Silver encouraged. He clenched his fists and armoured himself in caution. Strains of power showed through a stifled sound that grew louder as Mike progressed. Mike’s armoured body vibrated powerfully as the spikes slowly lengthened. He felt his body grow dense and heavy. Finally, after minutes, the spikes stopped growing. He was already covered in sharp lengths of iodium of varying lengths. He stopped, taking deep breaths, tired.
“What now?” he panted.
“No, no! Don’t stop! Don’t relax! You’re almost there!” Mike clenched his fists even tighter than before. He felt a power boiling up inside him. He gave out a roar that quaked the building.
He closed his eyes again and tightened his muscles. Silver stood and watched him for hours, not leaving the room even for a second. Finally, as the boy reached the zenith of his power, his fists spread out and his eyes were flung open. A strange feeling of paralysis and immobility was on Mike. He felt much heavier than normal, like he would somehow be crushed by his own bodyweight. He looked down at himself. All his spikes were gone, but something even more magnificent replaced them. His body glowed a faint silver all over, and he felt strong vibrations inside him. He looked up across at Silver, who was staring at him without words. Soon, the look of fright and awe was turned into a wide grin of pride and satisfaction. “You—You’re glowing, Mike! You’ve done it!”
Copper walked into the spectacular scene and halted right beside Silver. A very slight smirk appeared on his face. “Hmm… Well, well, well…”
Mike laughed. “So am I invincible now?!”
“Damn right you’re invincible!” Silver blasted.
“No such thing,” Copper burst their bubble, “but you are certainly stronger than before, probably the closest thing to indestructibility this era will ever see.”
Mike struggled to make a step forward, then he tried raising his hands. “What the heck?” He was no doubt frightened. “I can’t move!”
“What’d you expect? You didn’t tell him, Silver?” he glanced at the still grinning man. “Your density and weight have greatly multiplied. Getting used to this body will take a lot of time and a lot of work.
Clenching his teeth made of Iodium, he struggled to put his right foot forward, but it would not budge. “Can’t move an inch!” he dismayed.
Silver looked around as Tiger and Rebecca entered the room. “He did it,” Silver proudly said to them. With confusion and disbelief, the two pushed past Copper and Silver and walked toward the boy.
“He’s… glowing…” Rebecca mused.
“Yes. He has unlocked the Legend State,” said Copper.
“And now I’m stuck!” He struggled to raise his hands, already quite annoyed.
“Silver, do you mind if I take over his training for a while? I should get him moving about in a couple of weeks,” Copper said, sounding like he already had his classes planned out.
“Weeks?! You must be kiddin’ me! Can’t I get outta this Legend State?! It’s not as fun as I thought!”
“Yes, you can power down,” Copper said, “but let’s get your muscles working first. It’d be a waste to reach the state and not do any training at all. Special exercises will get you adapted to this body in a few days if you work hard enou
gh,” Copper advised.
“You’re the man for the job, Copper,” Silver said, imagining how dull this part of Mike’s training might be. “Yeah. Just lemme know when he’s ready to learn the legendary attacks!”
“Come on! Right now, Silver!” Mike begged, though knowing it wasn’t feasible. Silver sighed, being as disappointed as he.
“Fret not, kid. I’ll have you dancing in the Legend State before you know it.” Copper tried to sound optimistic. A dim look of boredom and frustration wiped the boy’s face.
***
Azar flung his palms forward, one after the other in rapid succession. Fire rushed from them and burnt the barks of distant trees. “Alright. It’s all about control and command, Azar,” the prince told himself, then closed his eyes for a short moment before opening them abruptly. There was no need for a mirror. He could feel the powerful blackness shining forth from his eyes. He felt a mighty sensation rush through his entire being. Again, he suddenly pushed his open palms forward, left then right. Spheres of a deadly black fire rushed from them. Two distant trees were hit. They were incinerated by the fire in seconds. Azar snickered proudly, clenching his fists. Black fire blazed about them. He thrust his fists forward suddenly. Two beams of powerful black fire bolted out at crazy speeds! He aimed them up at the sky, not wanting to start a fire that could not be put out too close to the palace. He laughed heartily. The darkness slowly faded from his eyes. He felt a sudden faintness. Don’t worry, dark one. Tomorrow I will complete you. The Icemaker and his companions won’t even know what hit them!
Azar was startled as a laugh came from behind him. He spun quickly. His father was slowly making his way toward him. “Not bad, my son,” he commended. Azar smirked with content satisfaction and pride. “My son, you should consider being my army’s new under-supreme general.”
Azar looked confused. “All of a sudden? U.S.G?”
King Aragan laughed. “With this new power you have found, you could be of great help to the Magmalian Army, don’t you think?”
Azar’s face turned bitter all of a sudden. “I have in me no desire to join your army, father!”
His father became instantly furious. “What’s the matter with you?! You think that power of yours will do you any good without a good position to back it up?!”
“After years of pursuing this, I finally prove it to you that it exists, and all you’re interested in doing is throwing me in your rotten army! Well guess what, King Aragan, this is my power! You have no control over it! No right to it!”
“You want to just run around with these powers of yours?! You are reckless, Azar! Always on your fairy tale adventures! Can you not see that you will be the next king of Magma Town?! You have no interest in kingship! Only in running around doing your own thing!”
Azar raised up his right fist and pointed it at his father. His eyes suddenly glowed black and a mass of black fire flared up on his hand. “This is what my fairy tale adventures yielded!” he blasted. “I found the Fire Emblem, and the legendary dark spirit! And I will acquire the other half! You think that crown on your head is real power? This is real power!” The voice of darkness inside him merged with his. He stared darkly at his father’s face. His father looked frightened, and that empowered the prince even more. “If I wanted a bloody crown on my head, I would have killed you a long time ago!” His father’s eyes went wild. Suddenly, the look of fright and disappointment was replaced by one of angry disgust. He spun around and stormed off.
***
As Copper drew near to Silver’s domain, the exasperating sound of snoring grew louder exponentially. Copper opened the door and walked in. “Silver… Silver!” he called, but the snoring persisted. “Silver!!” Copper sighed in annoyance, then drew nearer to the sleeping man and pulled his right hand back.
SLAP!
A smack on the cheek with the back of the left hand more than did the trick. Silver, frightened out of his sleep, sprung up out of his bed, almost standing at attention. Copper probably almost laughed.
“What the hell is the matter with you?!” the man blasted, his senses returned. He rubbed his reddened cheek. “Come. There is something you should see.” Silver followed Copper.
“What time is it?” Silver asked.
“Just after nightfall, Silver.” Copper led him to where Mike was to be training, and opened the door. In utter shock, Silver could only stand and stare, not fully comprehending what was happening. Mike was nimbly running around the room, running even on walls with much momentum. His jumps were even higher than before. He stopped moving about and faced the watching men, bobbing on the spot. He then made a well-coordinated succession of punches and kicks. Then he carried his right hand to his left across his chest. Spikes appeared along the full length of his arm, long spikes from shoulder to elbow to wrist. He flashed out his arm, maintaining his stance. The spikes darted out and bored through the metal walls of the room, leaving behind small holes, which Silver just noticed to be many.
Mike grinned as he saw the expression on Silver’s face. “Hello, Silver,” he greeted.
“Wh…”
“By the way, he is in the Legend State,” Copper clarified, “so he isn’t even tired, due to the constant regeneration of Iodium.
“But… That’s impossible…” Silver’s face was almost pale.
“This boy is certainly the most potent Ionide to walk this earth,” Copper said, “I doubt even the first had the potential this boy has…”
“For you to compare him to the first… Heheheh! He must be invincible!”
“This new form feels great, Silver! I feel so powerful! So strong!”
“Just imagine how fast and nimble he will be when he returns to the Ionide State,” Copper said to Silver, looking at Mike still. Mike grinned, laughing a little.
“Truly amazing…” Silver awed.
“Come on! What are we waiting for?! Want me to dance too?! Teach me the legendary moves!” Mike blasted excitedly.
“Very well,” Silver agreed, and they got to work.
Chapter 22: The Meeting
“I am going now, father,” Azar told the king.
“Off on your fairy tale adventures again, eh?”
“See you in an hour or so.”
***
The sun had risen only minutes ago. The atmosphere that guarded Libson was cool and calm, and the sun’s beams were absorbed by comforting grey clouds. The travellers were at a quiet place where all they could see for miles in each direction was wasteland. They had drifted there while looking for clues or traces of their lost friend. Lex’s face was pale with worry and anxiety. His companions tried with no success to console him.
The sound of storming horses grasped the group’s attention, but it wasn’t quite enough to distract Lex from his thoughts and nervousness. He constantly pondered of how and why he would die, and how, why and when he would be brought back to life. Blade stood and looked easterly from where the sound was nearing. The horses drew a chariot, and they halted a few yards off.
Kyle already drew his sword, hungry for some action, confident and excited to fight alongside Blade. “Robbers lookin’ for trouble?” he asked.
“I dunno,” Blade answered in a low voice, still looking on. They saw someone step out of the chariot, a boy, who even from the distance, they easily recognized.
“It’s Mike!” Clover yelled, jumping up joyfully.
Blade looked keenly.
“Clover, Stay!” Blade said, grabbing her from running toward Mike. “He’s not alone,” Blade informed in a warning tone. As soon as he said that, Silver, Copper, Tiger and Rebecca dismounted the chariot. The five Ionides walked toward the group. “Something’s not right,” Blade surmised. The man who led the chariot moved off quickly.
“Mike?! That you, kiddo?!” Kyle called out. Lex stepped out before the others. By now, it was quite clear that this person was really Mike. But something was amiss. The grim, devious looks on the faces of the others he walked with worried them.
&
nbsp; “Mike… You’re alright!” Clover’s smile had become forced. Mike’s face was grim and sorrowful. He looked at those who had been bitterly searching for him.
“I’m sorry,” Mike said.
“S—Sorry for what?” Lex asked. “It’s okay! … Right? … What’s going on?”
Silver laughed.
“Who are you people?!” Clover asked, sounding suddenly enraged, but really just afraid.
“Mike’s family,” Silver answered. Looks of confusion were on Clover’s and Lex’s faces. Blade narrowed his eyes. He knew trouble was on its way. “And you are his enemies,” Silver declared, and folded his fists. Iodium covered his fists, then quickly spread to cover his whole body. Rebecca, Tiger and Copper assumed the Ionide State as well. Lex, Kyle and Clover stared with wide eyes, stepping back slightly.
“What the hell?” Kyle thought aloud.
Blade finally drew his sword.
Tiger laughed sneeringly.
“What is this, Mike?!” Clover blasted, “We spend weeks searching for you through town and forest and you betray us like this?! Have you now come to kill us?!” Clover saw the wily expressions on especially Tiger’s and Silver’s faces. She knew they weren’t there just to say hello. Her eyes were already soaked with tears.
“I thought he was the last one left,” Blade muttered to himself.
“Mike! Transform!” Silver commanded. They all looked at Mike. His head was lowered. The guilt of his betrayal made his heart heavy and his muscles weak, too weak to get him into the Ionide State.
“Mike…” Silver said in an already convincing tone, “Think of your people,” he said, “your mother and father.” Mike closed his eyes, and tried with all his mental strength to justify what he was about to do. Then, he clenched his fists and teeth, and in a jiffy, iodium covered his entire body.
The Seventh Spirit Page 31