“We have it,” Aerigo said.
Baku gave him an incredulous look. “How did you--never mind. There’s no time for explanations right now. Nexus is sitting on his realm, watching his war unfold. He’s surrounded by gods aligned with him. What’s worse, I sensed whatever power you just unleashed on my realm. That means Nexus will sense your power on his realm the moment you unleash it. I don’t know how you want to handle that. I can send you there fully powered, but I don’t know if you want to announce your location to a hundred deities all at once. When Olod designed Aigis, he didn’t stack the odds in your favor.”
Roxie’s arms dropped by her sides at the thought of facing a hundred opponents she couldn’t hide from. Aerigo’s arms slipped off her. She could feel his despair. Both halves of their power combined were supposed to give them a fighting chance, not put targets on their foreheads. “Will all of them attack us?”
“I doubt it,” Baku said earnestly. “But there are allying gods who hate having Aigis floating around the universe as much Nexus does. They hate you only because they know you have the power to kill them. Some immortals are terribly repulsed by the possibility of death.”
“How is it possible we can kill something immortal?”
“Balance, my child. But right now isn’t the time to explain things. You two need to make a decision, and quick.”
Roxie faced Aerigo. He looked like he’d already come to a decision. She said, “We have to try. For the greater good.” He nodded solemnly. This had to be what it felt like to be a soldier, doing something noble, knowing it might mean the last thing you ever did, and having to accept that you’d never see the fruits borne from your efforts.
Baku said, “I can transport you off his realm quickly, once you’ve taken care of him. You’ll have a lot of aftermath to deal with, but it’ll buy you time. Maybe even time enough for other Aigis to be born that can help you.”
“It’ll really buy us that much more time?”
“Yes. It took a long time for us to get into this mess. It’ll take a long time to get out. Now no more questions. Do what you have to do, then tell me when you’re ready.” Baku headed to his lake.
Roxie watched him walk off, then glanced at the palace and daydreamed a few snippets of making love to Aerigo. She wasn’t going to lie to herself. Such thoughts had frequently crossed her mind ever since she’d woken up in the hospital, but the reality of the situation keep forcing her to deflect them. She took one of Aerigo’s hands and threaded her fingers between his. “After all this madness?”
Aerigo smiled, then kissed her knuckles. “After,” he said in his attractive deep voice. “Now for the final part of your lesson.” He let go of her hand. “I can’t walk you through it. I can only explain what Daio explained to me.”
“Okay.”
Aerigo’s gaze went unfocused as he filed through memories. “Sorry, this is the abridged version, since we’re pressed for time.”
“That’s fine.”
“You know how our eyes glow in response to anger, fear, and sadness? It’s basically a clue as to how our unique power works. It’s linked to our emotions, but let me get back to that in a moment.
“Daio said that, in order to unlock Frava, you unleash Mana like you just did. And then, while it’s free, focus the power on your resolve on something specific. Your resolve will take every ounce of focus, or it won’t work.”
Something like a static shock passed between them, making them both flinch. “Why resolve?”
“It’s a safe emotion, and the one that works best. The only other emotion that will help you unlock the second half is wrath. But don’t do that. You remember me explaining that blind rage I went into after Sandra died?”
Roxie nodded. How could she forget a story like that?
“That’s what’ll happen. And you’ll be surrounded by a hundred gods who will all be quite eager to kill you. Focus your will and intent on resolve. I’m focusing on taking Nexus down so he can’t cause any more harm.”
That wasn’t a bad focus, but Roxie had never seen Nexus, much less have anyone provide her with a physical description. It was too abstract. All she really wanted right now was to focus on Aerigo, but that was just plain too bad. “Too bad I can’t focus on love,” she said with a rueful grin.
“Our power isn’t--” Aerigo cut himself off and furrowed his brows. He thought a moment, then shook his head. “It’s not linked to love. Just find something solid to focus your resolve on.”
His denial lacked conviction. Roxie could see the gears still turning in his head, but she resisted asking more questions since they were pressed for time.
Roxie felt resolved to be the Aigis the mortal realm needed her to be, but that was so broad and vague. Even if she knew what Nexus looked like, she didn’t want to focus on killing him. That just wasn’t her. Maybe she--no, focusing on saving lives was too vague as well. Why was it so hard to come up with something concrete?
What did she want more than anything right now? Aerigo, obviously, but he said love wasn’t a helpful emotion. She could focus on protecting Aerigo, but it wasn’t like he needed her protection, so that idea was out. She cared about her grandmother and Earth. They needed her protection. She could focus her will on her resolve to keep Earth and everyone on it safe. Yes, there were many other worlds out there in need of her protection, but her home and family gave her a mental picture to focus on. Her gut told her that focus would suffice. “Okay, I got it.”
“Good.” He stuffed his sheathed dagger in a pocket, then threaded a hand in hers and guided her towards Baku. “The only other thing I can let you know is that, once you lock onto your focus, the power will help you maintain concentration. After that, I have no idea what to expect. This is the first time in a long time I’ve wandered into unknown territory.”
“Scared?” Roxie asked teasingly.
“Wouldn’t be safe not to be. Fear protects you from complacency. Remember that.”
Baku stood and brushed sand off his cargo shorts. He looked scared, worried, and hopeful. “I’ll be right behind you two, but I’ll arrive among the other gods. I’ll see if I can convince anyone to help, but I seriously doubt they will. Barring my son and I, gods just about never fight between each other anymore.”
“Wait, is Nexus your son?”
“Yes,” he said, sounding heartbroken. “All attempts to not arrive at this outcome have failed.”
Roxie felt the color drain from her face. How the heck did this mess happen? Baku had enlisted them to basically kill his own son? “Maybe this isn’t a good idea. How can you go through with this?”
“It’s a long story. You don’t have to kill him, though, Roxie. You can break his will. If you can avoid killing him, I’d be eternally grateful to you both. But if his death is unavoidable, then I’ll have to accept that. Don’t throw your lives away for my son’s sake. Please don’t.”
Aerigo said, “Rox, don’t hesitate on me now. I need your help.”
“I know. I just feel horrible about what we need to do.”
“Don’t,” Baku said. “My son is selfish and cruel. He will ruin Earth and set things in motion so every last living thing on your world will go extinct. He will do that to every world he gains control of. He’s a destroyer. Stop him and his madness for the greater good.”
“Well that puts things in perspective,” Roxie said unhappily. She heaved a resigned sigh, then nodded her readiness to do what needed to be done. He nodded back.
“Just follow my lead.”
Baku held out a hand. “To Nexus’ realm you go. Good luck.”
Everything went dark and the air rushed through them. Before Roxie could start guessing where the wind came from, she and Aerigo found themselves standing on the edge of a rocky basin. Red sandstone. A thunderstorm prowled overhead, flashing lightning and muttering thunder. Voices, gunshots, explosions, metal clashing on metal, and roaring engines bombarded her ears. They’d been deposited on the edge of a battlefield. Nexus’ war
. She could see everything for miles--miles of carnage. Miles of people whose lives she needed to save. The sight made it easier to accept the possibly gruesome outcome for one god. But... “Where is he?”
“Somewhere on the other side. Don’t use your mind vision to search for him. I learned that the hard way long ago. He and I met face-to-face once on accident, but that’s a story for a less pressing moment. Let’s go. Stay close.”
He tried to pull his hand free, but Roxie gripped harder. “I’m not letting you get ahead. I can keep up. I’m letting go only once I absolutely have to.” He gave her a puzzled look, but she refused to explain her apprehension of getting separated from him, fearing it would distract him. She pulled him into a run and he took the lead, heading straight towards the roiling war.
They sped up to superhuman speed and the warring unfolded in slow motion all around them. They dodged projectiles with ease as they took a zigzagging path among the fighters. They skirted swinging weapons, leapt over rugged terrain, darted through smoke clouds emanating from small craters, and rapidly drew closer to the other end of the battlefield.
Maybe two-thirds of the way through, Roxie caught sight of a group of people with familiar orange hair and elongated feet. They ran within arm’s reach when Aerigo skidded to a halt.
“Yayu!”
Roxie spotted an armor-clad Yayu fighting with a pair of daggers. He killed the human he was fighting, then turned at the sound of his name. He looked just as surprised to see them as she was surprised to see him.
Aerigo said, “What are you--?”
The ground erupted under Yayu and his fellow Scondish warriors. Blue-skinned monsters with heads like a snapping turtle shot upwards in a spray of dirt and rocks, and chomped on the nearest things their gaping maws could find. One of them bit down on Yayu’s torso, then shook its head violently.
“No!” Ripping his hand free, Aerigo ran over buried his dagger in the eye of the monster that had killed Yayu, then punched it. The monster slammed to the ground and didn’t move. Aerigo ran to the surviving Scondish soldiers and helped them kill another blue monster. He turned for a third, then froze at the sound of a resonant voice overpowering the din of war. The glow in his eyes shifted from red to yellow.
“I sense an uninvited guest participating in my war. Is that you, Aerigo? Tsk, tsk. Come and face me, if you dare.”
The voice sent chills up Roxie’s spine that paralyzed her with fear. Aerigo looked at her with his mouth ajar, dagger at his side, arms hanging limp. He’d screwed up badly. Real badly. He swallowed, then stopped gaping. He hurried over to her and pulled her back into a run. “He doesn’t know you’re here. That’s the only advantage we have left. I’m so sorry, Rox.”
“Don’t apologize. We can still do this.” How could she blame him for avenging Yayu’s death? She felt numb to what she’d just witnessed. There had been death and blood, and that’s all her brain was letting her remember right now.
She let go of his hand so she could keep her balance as they jumped out of the way of an explosive spell that choked the air with a sparkling purple smoke. Roxie held her breath and skirted around it as Aerigo went the other way. He waved her over, but started running before she caught up. She wanted to scream at him to wait for her, but she didn’t dare call his name or speak too loudly. For all she knew, it would bring Nexus to her before she could draw her power out.
Roxie ran after Aerigo, but more explosions peppered her path. She zigzagged through the last two hundred yards of fighters, making a point to touch no one and nothing, and ran out onto the open ground, sticking close to rocks and boulders for cover.
Aerigo was nowhere in sight--not even in the empty space. She flung her mind vision out in search of him.
It was a reflexive reaction. It had become like saying “bless you” every time after someone sneezed. Right after she opened her mind vision, she realized it was a bad idea. She tried to stop, but her awareness got sucked up to the plateau looming over her. Her mind vision collided with a young-looking man with curly black hair that clung to his head, a lean build, and an age she couldn’t put a number to. The outline of his face widened in surprise.
Roxie tore her mind vision away. Nexus. It was Nexus. It had to be. And now she’d just announced her presence to him like a stupid idiot. She cowered near a rock as tall as her waist and searched the empty ground with only her eyes.
The ground vibrated under her booted feet as something slammed into the ground. She raised her fists and back up a step.
Nexus straightened up. “You’re not Aerigo. Who are you and what are you doing here?” He stormed over and Roxie’s limbs felt like they were turning into useless blobs. Her eyes started glowing and Nexus paused in his advance. “You’re the girl!” His glare bore into her, and Roxie felt like she couldn’t move. She willed her fists to swing at him, but they just hovered near her chin. Nexus seized her by the throat. “Why are you still alive?”
Roxie clamped Nexus’ wrist in her hands. This felt just like the time Daio had grabbed her throat, but this time she had more ways to defend herself. She willed herself to stop panicking. She concentrated on her abdomen and reached for her Mana with the intent to preserve her life. The trapdoor flung open at her lightest touch, and the power rushed out with an echoing explosion.
Nexus reflexively let go and jumped back.
Roxie wrapped her neck in one hand as she staggered under the force of her surging power. Stand up, damn it. Stand up and fight! She straightened up and raised her fists again, her whole body shaking. This confrontation had happened so suddenly and so far from any scenario they could’ve hoped for. Where was Aerigo? He had to be waiting for the most opportune moment to jump in.
Nexus glared at her with a mix of hate and fear. How the heck was he afraid of her when she was so terrified of him? “Did poor, weak Aerigo send you in to do his dirty work?” He made a lazy gesture with one hand. “That’s too bad.”
The rock cracked under her patellas as Roxie dropped to her knees. It felt like Nexus had telepathically commanded her to kneel and her body had obeyed. It felt like she was back on Druconica the first night. She rose to her feet with monumental effort and raised her fists once more. She needed to hurry up and draw the other half of her power out.
Before she could concentrate, Nexus wordlessly pressured her to kneel once more, gesturing again, but more aggressively. She didn’t have to do what he wanted. She knew that, but her body sank back to knees. She couldn’t move.
“You’re quite the strong-willed Aigis.” He held up his hand, his thoughts focused on her death.
She struggled to overpower his will and get back to her feet, but she could do no more than raise her arms a little.
Two small circles of a furious red glow near the base of the plateau caught her attention. The red glowing circles shifted from side to side, and the outline of the rock below them wavered.
“But you were beyond stupid to come all by yourself. Enjoy ruminating over your foolishness in the afterlife.”
A second explosion of power erupted from the base of the plateau and Aerigo’s body filled in around his glowing eyes. He leapt towards Nexus and came down on him, his dagger leading the way. Nexus turned just in time to have the dagger plunge into his chest. Eyes wide, he fell on his back, hitting the ground with a rock-breaking thud. Aerigo straddled him and began pounding Nexus with blow after blow, putting his weight and power into each strike. The vortex of Aerigo’s power was tinted red with his wrath.
Aerigo stopped attacking and stood over Nexus with his fists ready for more. Nexus lay there with his hands held up, his stabbed chest heaving, and eyes locked on the dagger’s hilt.
He calmed his breathing and looked up at Aerigo with a crooked smirk. “That’s no sword.” He got to his feet without using his arms. His body rose upright and he simply placed his bare feet back on the ground.
Roxie struggled to break free of the invisible forces pinning her down, but Nexus turned and threw a fresh w
ave of pressure at her. She sat on her heels and her arms dropped to her sides.
Aerigo threw more powerful punches, but Nexus deflected them with his own arms and fists. He clamped one of Aerigo’s arms to his chest and socked him in the face. Aerigo reeled and pin wheeled his free arm. Nexus hit him again in the gut. Aerigo folded, then landed an uppercut to his jaw. Nexus grabbed Aerigo’s jaw and forced him to look at Roxie. Aerigo swung again, but Nexus clenched his jaw harder, making him cry out in pain. Aerigo grabbed Nexus’ wrist and tried to pry his hand off.
Nexus said, “The both of you have been defying my every attempt to see you dead. But maybe that was a good thing after all.” He glanced at Roxie as Aerigo’s power sent his curly hair dancing. “You Aigis have been a thorn in my side for millennia. You in particular, Aerigo, since my lousy father created you just for me.” His voice was dripping with venomous hate. “And her. Two Aigis just for me. I’m going to make you watch while I torture her for all her unnatural life.”
Roxie and Aerigo exchanged helpless stares. He had his face scrunched up in Nexus’ grip, eyes glowing yellow, and him tugging vainly at the god’s grip. Roxie wracked her brain for a way out of this. Yes, they both needed to release Frava, but the wrath reddening his energy probably meant it was too dangerous for him to unlock it. On top of that, Roxie couldn’t focus thanks to the crushing pressure pinning her down, along with having to focus on keeping her power from getting away from her.
“I’m going to push her to the brink of death, and you will watch while her healing powers force her to endure more and more, year after agonizing year. I will do everything in my power to make you feel as helpless as you really are. I--ow!”
The glow in Aerigo’s eyes shifted from yellow to red, and then to white. The power swirling around him drew closer. He gripped Nexus’ wrist so hard that he threw his head back and cried out in pain. Aerigo pulled his hand off but Nexus fought to grab hold again. His hand hovered inches away until Aerigo managed to pull it farther away.
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