Aerigo said, “You will not.” His power pulled into him and his entire body began glowing white. It was so bright, Roxie had to close her eyes. And once her eyelids stopped showing red, she opened them again and gaped at what she saw.
Aerigo stood wearing a black helmet and what looked like a mishmash of uniforms and armor. He had two different shoulder guards, one a stainless steel as shiny as his helmet, the other a dull black metal that hugged the joint. He had a leather gauntlet on one hand and a black glove on the one crushing Nexus’ wrist. His sleeves and torso were covered in two different military fatigues, and he had studded armor over his elbows. His black pant legs were the same, with the metal bands still around his thighs, and he now wore black knee guards. His combat boots were also the same. He radiated power.
Nexus released Aerigo’s arm and swung at him. Aerigo caught his fist and squeezed. Nexus dropped to his knees with another cry of pain. He tried to break free, but Aerigo held him down with what looked like little effort. He then threw a punch that sent Nexus bouncing off the ground by the back of his head. Aerigo closed the gap between them with two patient steps, then raised his fists to continue his assault.
Nexus flung up his hands and a strip of air shimmered between the two. Aerigo’s punches bounced off the silvery shimmering, each impact hitting with a loud crack. It sounded like he was hammering cement with a piece of wood. Nexus sat up with his hands held out in front of him, then got to one knee, the dagger still protruding from his chest. His shoulders hunched a little lower with every cracking blow, and soon he kneeled with his head bowed and arms quavering. Roxie almost felt sorry for him.
One of Aerigo’s punches broke through the barrier and sent Nexus face-first into the rocky ground, and he lay motionless. Aerigo stood still a moment with one gloved fist outstretched. He had to be as surprised as Roxie at breaking through the barrier so suddenly.
Nexus’ body grew blurry, then shot past Roxie like debris in a tornado sent airborne. Roxie felt sharp metal pressed against her neck with the flat of the blade holding her chin up, a hand digging into her arm. Her body went rigid as Nexus pressed the side of his face to hers, her power still surging out of her.
“Put away that power or I’ll make sure you live every last one of your days without her.”
Not only could she not move, but now her stomach dropped. She stared helplessly at Aerigo’s reflective helmet. He slowly straightened up, his shoulders rising and falling with each deep, slow breath. Roxie began to feel lightheaded--not because of her power, but because of the choice she and Aerigo might have to make. He had all the power he needed to bring Nexus down now.
She tried to focus on her need to protect Earth and her grandmother so she could draw out the rest of her power, but the dagger pressed to her throat had her life flashing before her. Today in Nostrum Hospital replayed itself. She found herself wishing they’d taken things farther before heading to Baku’s realm, before the assassination attempt. But now it was too late and she could only appreciate what had happened between them.
Roxie wanted to try to speak but fear that Nexus would cut her off with a slash of Aerigo’s dagger. Instead she tried to speak with her eyes, tried to tell Aerigo to act for the greater good and accept that she’d been reduced to collateral.
Roxie caught only a blur of Aerigo’s gloved hand as it slipped between her neck and the dagger. A fist blew past her ear, taking Nexus’ face with it. Aerigo stepped past her and placed a protective hand on her shoulder. Finally able to move again, she pushed to her feet.
Nexus vanished.
Roxie stared at the bare patch of rock, then inched closer to Aerigo. He turned around and looked to a patch of sky not blocked out by the storm. The sky looked amber, like an off-color sunset, and with ghosts of stars showing through. A giant transparent head and shoulders manifested in the sky, his bloody-nosed frown devoid of any smugness. Nexus’ projection filled up the entire corner of the sky. Roxie had to be no bigger than one of his eyelashes. This had to be what a flea felt like when being stared down by a human.
Aerigo stood before Roxie and placed one hand on her cheek and the other over her abdomen. His deep voice sounded mechanical through his helmet. “Concentrate and start over, Rox. I still need your help.” With his help, Roxie drew out and tucked away her Mana, then she planted her hands on her shaky knees and worked on catching her breath. She wanted to flop to the ground like she had on Baku’s realm, and curl up into fetal position. For a few agonizing seconds she’d been convinced that she was about to die, that she had to give up her life because there was no way to save her without giving Nexus what he’d demanded.
The blur that’d been Aerigo right before he’d pushed away the dagger replayed in her mind and she almost dropped to the ground with relief. Instead she put a hand over the one cupping her cheek and tilted her head towards it.
Aerigo cupped her face with both hands and gently guided Roxie upright, standing an intimate few inches from her.
Despite all the danger, Roxie couldn’t help but wish he’d take off his helmet and kiss her. She didn’t have a preference for a man in uniform, but man, Aerigo’s transformative attire clothing all that muscle increased his allure. The rest of the universe didn’t seem to matter all that much right now.
Aerigo glanced at Nexus’ transparent giant self in the sky, then turned back to Roxie. “You can do this.” He stood there a moment with her face still in his hands, as if trying to decide whether or not to kiss her. Or maybe that was just her overactive imagination. His hands slipped away from her face, took a few steps closer to the projection, and reached for it just like he had with the obelisk in Phailon, but this time he held his hands close together, as if he was holding an invisible ball. He shifted his weight to his back foot and pulled his hands towards his chest, but stopped with his elbows slightly bent.
Nexus’ gargantuan eyes widened as his face lurched towards them. He leaned back and Aerigo’s arms straightened as his weight shifted forward. He leaned back and pulled, and Nexus teetered forward once again. Two massive hands rose over the edge of the realm and gripped the rim with booming thuds, making the ground quake. Roxie flung out her arms and widened her stance, and kept her balance. Grunting with effort, Aerigo leaned back a little more and pulled his gloved hands inches closer to his chest.
Nexus let out a startled yelp that overpowered the din of war, and then his gargantuan frame collapsed towards his center and fell out of the sky like a comet. His neck materialized in Aerigo’s crushing grip. He frantically clawed at Aerigo’s arms, pulling every which way to get the hands away. Aerigo remained firm, even when Nexus tried kicking his legs out from under him. He tried to vocalize but nothing more than a strangled gurgling escaped his lips.
Roxie backed up a step, intimidated by the sight of watching Aerigo strangle someone to death. Killing had been proven necessary but she couldn’t detach herself from how brutal and barbaric this necessity was. Maybe if she drew her full power out, it would help her acquire the mentality necessary.
She looked around the realm. The war waged on in scattered bouts. Most people were watching the titanic clash, resuming fighting once they remembered their lives were in imminent jeopardy as well. There were several figures watching from the top of the plateau, too. They had to be more gods. Why weren’t they jumping into the fray? Then again, she hadn’t either, so who was she to criticize?
Come to think of it, she better hurry up and harness her full power.
Nexus vanished once again and stayed hidden. The storm roiling overhead flashed lighting several times, a peal of thunder accompanying each cloud-to-cloud bolt.
Closing her eyes, Roxie widened her stance and concentrated on her Mana. She set it free and opened her eyes as the power surged up and out, and pressed her body towards the ground. It was time for her to do what everyone needed her to do.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Nexus said, his powerful voice resounding over the realm. The storm grumbled.
T
he air around her felt charged and smelled of ozone. Aerigo jumped between her and the storm, his arms raised towards the cumulonimbus. A bolt of lightning connected from the storm to his hands with a deafening bang. Roxie’s heart caught in her throat as she expected him to drop dead, but Aerigo stood unharmed, hands still raised, tiny arcs of electricity playing over them. He shook his hands out, then stood ready for another assault.
Nexus snarled.
Roxie desperately wanted to unleash Frava, but she needed a good few seconds to concentrate, unleash it, then take a moment to mentally adjust to whatever Aerigo had to be feeling. There was no way she was going to accomplish that with Nexus attacking them with bolts of lightning. If Aerigo could pull him out of the sky once again--an act that’d left her mouth ajar the first time--that’s when she’d make herself go full-powered.
Aerigo held up both hands like he was gesturing for Nexus to stop. The air shimmered in front of his hands, then spread into a sphere big enough to envelop them both, yet without hindering Roxie’s power.
Nexus unleashed a succession of lighting strikes right on top of them. She covered her ears and kept her power in check.
Aerigo clamped his hands into fists near his shoulders, and the bolts got sucked into two crackling spheres enveloping his hands. He threw his hands forward like a chest pass. Lightning balls erupted forth and surged into the heart of the storm. A huge white light flashed inside, revealing its contours and a contorted Nexus screaming in agony. Aerigo willed him into his outstretched hands. Nexus materialized with his arms hanging limp at his sides, mouth agape and breathing hard. Aerigo recommenced squeezing.
Something shot out from Nexus’ bare chest and hit Aerigo in his chest. He let go and staggered back.
Roxie did a double-take. A third arm stuck out from Nexus’ chest. At the end of it was a hand holding the hilt to Aerigo’s dagger, which was now protruding from his sternum, right over his heart. He retreated another step, then teetered backwards.
Roxie locked away her Mana, launched into a run, and guided Aerigo to the ground. She cradled his head in her lap as all the new bits and pieces of armor and uniforms turned white and evaporated with a sighing hiss. His white shirt soaked through with blood.
Aerigo’s blue eyes looked up at her. No, not at her. At nothing. There was no life in them. Roxie’s vision blurred with tears. She blindly groped for the hilt, then pulled the dagger out with a nauseating squelch. Blood got all over hand and arm, and was soaking into her pants, but she didn’t care. She closed Aerigo’s eyes, then pressed his head to her hollow chest.
She sucked in a breath as something sharp and metallic press against her neck, right under her jaw. The rest of her body froze at the sight of Nexus holding Aerigo’s bloodied dagger to her throat. He looked down at her smugly, almost bored, but then it shifted into a maniacal grin.
“That’s the expression I wanted to see before I send you to follow him. What I would have given to see Aerigo’s face when I stabbed him...” He laughed.
“Nexus stop!”
It was a woman’s voice. Roxie dared not crane her neck for fear of bringing Nexus’ attention back on her. He was looking up at the top of the plateau.
“Mother, you’re crying!”
The dagger sagged away. A small voice in Roxie’s head told her that this would be a great time to unlock both halves of her power, but she found herself able to do nothing but watch.
“Put the dagger down, Nexus.”
Roxie chanced turning her gaze to the top of the plateau. It had to be a hundred feet above her. She could barely make out a petite woman with flowing black hair and an emerald green dress. Awe washed over her. Even from this distance she could tell the woman was beautiful.
The dagger dug back into her neck. Nexus glowered at her as an internal struggled went on behind his dark eyes. His eyes were darker than hers and so cold, so full of hate.
“Put the dagger down and leave her alone. We need to talk. Now.”
Nexus looked between Roxie and his mother several times, then gave Roxie one last glower. He chucked Aerigo’s dagger at the side of the plateau with a snarl. It buried itself up to the hilt. “His death should be sufficient torture for you right now. I’ll be back shortly.” He flew to his waiting mother and they disappeared over the plateau’s rim.
Roxie released the breath she’d been holding. She wanted to pass out. Her brain was overloading with emotions and she’d really almost died. Aerigo was dead. Yayu was dead. Tons of people were dying behind her. Baku had never jumped in to help. Why? What excuse did he have to not jump in and save Aerigo from dying?
Get up, you moron. Get up and fight while he has his back to you!
Roxie looked around the realm, at a loss for what to do. Aerigo wasn’t there to guide and help her anymore. She was only seventeen--almost eighteen--new to extended reality, and needed a lot more training to become proper hero material. But here she was, the last living Aigis with so many people that had their hopes riding on her chance to succeed. Aerigo had believed in her, Baku did, wherever he was, and so did Grandma.
Roxie looked at Aerigo’s lifeless face. It was already paling. His talk about him having to kill her for the greater good came to mind. But now he was dead and she was the only one left. If he was in her place, he’d certainly get up and do what needed to be done for the greater good.
Tears stung her eyes as she slid her lap out from under his head and gently placed it on the rocky ground. She thought of kissing him on the lips. They’d never done that. However, the thought of kissing a dead person didn’t sit well with her. She brushed her fingers along his lips, then got to her feet, tears falling freely.
The war raged close by, all of them forced to fight until she did something about that. Everyone on Earth would be next, along with all the other worlds. She couldn’t let that happen.
Without looking back, Roxie retrieved Aerigo’s dagger from the rock, then sized up the face of the plateau. She took a few steps back and released her Mana once more. It still wanted to run free but she pulled it close and used it to launch herself onto the plateau. The sensation of surging through the air with nothing but energy holding her up gave her an adrenaline rush. She hurdled over the rim and landed on the plateau at a jog, stopping when she saw other people and creatures. A few vanished, others stared, and the closest ones backed away. All of them were gods. All of them were afraid of her.
She ignored them.
There was also a dead tree on the plateau--well, almost dead. It had two leaves with a third one suspended midair. Strange to have a contorted tree in the middle of what was basically a barren wasteland of a realm. She ignored the tree and focused on her resolve to not allow Nexus to destroy any more lives, then backed up to the edge of the plateau. Nexus and his mother were flying towards a temple that looked much like Baku’s, but this one was grey with an amber light emanating from it. She ran forward and leapt off the other end of the plateau as she drew out Frava. The world around her went white.
The second half felt exhilarating, powerful. She felt like if she commanded all the gods present on the realm to kneel, they would do so. She felt her attire change as well, like Aerigo’s had, but it changed into something different, something that reflected what her perception of the ultimate guardian and protector was. No wonder Aerigo had been clad in a mishmash of uniforms and armor. He was already an exemplary guardian and protector. Those must have been pieces of his uniforms and whatnot from over the centuries.
Roxie felt a cuirass hug her torso, arm guards form over her forearms, her tank top spread into something long-sleeved, and her pants bunch into a knee-length skirt with spandex shorts underneath. Her boots turned into greaves, and feathery wings attached to her shoulder blades. The light faded and Roxie began steadily beating her energy-formed wings. A gleaming shield hugged the length of her forearm, a cutting edge lining the bottom. In her hand she now held a simple longsword that glowed white. Perfect.
Nexus and his mother turned
. At the same time Roxie thought she sensed Nexus behind her as well. She peered over a beating wing and felt her attention draw to the gnarled tree. Nexus could probably make copies of himself, just like he’d made a third arm, but the tree didn’t feel like a copy. It was something else. She’d have to figure that out later, though. Her quarry lay ahead of her.
His will hit her with the intention to keep her as far away as possible, and Roxie’s flight slowed almost to a halt. She beat her wings harder, fighting Nexus’ will, and it felt like gravity was trying to drag her down. She began sinking.
As she fought to stay aloft and press forward, Nexus heard his thoughts in her head. He was willing her to die. She felt the attack strongest on her heart, like it was trying to stop beating. She stopped trying to move forward as she repelled his deadly will. I will not die. Not for you.
Then I will send you to your death!
Roxie got yanked out of the air by what felt like an invisible cold hand that wrapped around her entire body. She plummeted not towards the ground, but towards a blackness. She fell sideways and couldn’t get her wings to catch enough air as the wind roared and ruffled her feathers. No amount of willing herself to stop falling worked. She fell into the darkness, lost sight and sense of Nexus and his realm, and continued falling.
Chapter 30
A cold draft woke Roxie. Her face and extremities were icy cold. The basement windows to her room were wide open, the curtains parted. But it was August. The central air should be the only cold part of the environment this time of year. And if the air was on, the windows would be shut. She curled into fetal position.
The pale light of dawn crept through her window as well. It snuck between the maple leaves and clawed at the bookshelves lining her westside wall. The chill wind sent the leaves shivering. Cold nights weren’t unheard of, but still. It felt wintry cold. That was unheard of in August. She pulled her blankets tighter and snuggled deeper against her pillow.
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