by Troy Dukart
The body had split into two giant flaps and were sprouting dozens of sharp teeth. The ooze held me high as the creature grew larger and larger. If I didn't act quickly, it would eat me whole.
I saw Zixin and knew he was my only hope. He was lying face down and had his eyes closed. I called out to him, “ZIXIN!!! WAKE UPPPPPP!!!! WAAAKKKEEE UUPPPP!!!! WAAAAAKKKKEEE UPPP!!!”
Zixin's eyes blinked but he was so weakened from expelling Barzakh he didn't have the strength to get up. I looked back to see Barzakh ready to engulf me. Just as he was about to swallow me, I saw a flash of light blast Barzakh away. I fell to the ground and began to rip off the ooze that was on me. My brother, Zixin, was standing up and ready to fight. He was breathing heavily. He tossed away the black robe he was wearing. Barzakh had returned to normal and looked to Zixin.
“That's for dad and all those people you made me kill,” Zixin cried.
“Zixin… You're mine!” Barzakh smiled sinisterly.
Zixin shot a blast of energy at Barzakh. The beam cut straight through Barzakh and then sent him skyward. Zixin then began sending a barrage of energy blasts at him that exploded upon contact. He didn't stop until the dust clouded the area. We waited to see the condition of the demon.
Through the dust cloud, Barzakh leaped at Zixin. Zixin pulled his arm back and hit Barzakh right in the stomach. Zixin shot a huge beam of energy that engulfed him. Barzakh struggled to escape the blast. Zixin was giving it everything he had, and I could see his body starting to fail him when he fell to one knee. Black ooze flowed toward Zixin and eventually reached his face. Zixin winced in pain as the ooze pierced in his skin like daggers.
“Ahhhhhh,” Zixin groaned.
“You think you could beat me you piece of trash?! I own your soul!” Barzakh taunted.
Barzakh was about to stab Zixin like he did Brutus but I'd broken free from the ooze. I tossed the God Blade like a boomerang and impaled Barzakh before he could stab Zixin. I ran up and pushed Barzakh away from Zixin.
“Strafe, here!” Zixin said as he patted my shoulder.
Zixin gave his Power of Grief. I felt the power surge immediately.
“YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!” I screamed at the top on my lungs.
Pushing forward, I pierced his abdomen and in that same instant sent my own energy blast at Barzakh. He was sent skyward again, but he didn't back down. The more he tried to reach me, the more intense my blast became. I could tell he was starting to lose as parts of his body evaporated in the energy blast.
“STRAAAAAAAFFFFFFFFEEEEEEE!!!” Barzakh yelled, “I WILL FIND ANOTHERR WAAAAYYYY!!!”
“NOT HERE! NOT, EVER…. AGAINNNNN!!!” I exclaimed.
The beam shot to the sky and parted the clouds. I waited until Barzakh was a mile up before I let go of the blast. My body was stiff as I concentrated on the huge ball of energy. Bringing my arms together over my head in an x shape, I threw my arms down and screamed.
The explosion resembled a nuclear blast. It shot through the entire battlefield. All of the Senti sky fleet was destroyed. Zixin grabbed me and held on for dear life.
Chapter 27
Strafe
After all this time, the nightmare was over. That evil bastard would no longer haunt my family. The explosion scattered us across the battlefield. I remember waking up and seeing dirt-clouds everywhere. After getting to my feet, I looked around for Brutus and Zixin. Zixin wasn't far from me, but he was lying down with his face. I picked him up into my arms. When I looked at him, I had to fight back the lump in my throat. “My brother,” I said.
I cradled his head and faced him toward me as I put my feet underneath his back to prop him up. His eyes stayed closed as I rolled him over and held his hand. I noticed that when he shot off his infected arm before the battle, it cauterized the wound as no blood was coming out from his shoulder. Cuts lined his body, and blood dripped from his hair into his eyes. Zixin had given everything he had to protect me. “Zixin! Zixin! Wake up brother!” I pleaded.
I checked his pulse to see if he was still alive, and there was a faint heartbeat. He began to slowly flicker his eyelids and he wiped the blood off his face. “Hey hey! You made it!!!” I cheered as I hugged him.
“Strafe. You freed me. He's finally…gone,” Zixin struggled to say; he felt so weak in my arms.
“Listen, we need to get you to…” I said before he grabbed my elbow and looked in my eyes, “Strafe, go get him, I'll be fine here.”
I nodded my head as I ran to find Brutus. The clouds of dirt made it hard to see more than twenty feet in front of me. I saw a trail of blood drops at my feet and followed it. I had to fight back my tears.
When I found him, my heart sank. He was laying in a pool of blood. He whimpered softly as he breathed in and out. His tongue was hanging out the side of his mouth. “Brutus???” I said as a lump formed in my throat.
There was a huge gash in his stomach where Barzakh had stabbed him. Zixin had managed to make his way over to us, hobbling and holding onto his left shoulder. Brutus kept opening and closing his eyes slowly, like he was getting sleepy. I got down and hugged him around his shoulders and began to cry into his fur. I knew that he was dying. “You're safe,” Brutus said.
“Brutus,” I said through the tears, “I love you so much.”
Though he didn't have the strength to stand up, he pushed his head up and gave me one last kiss before he put his head back down, “Finish…the…mission. I will…always be…by your side.”
He closed his eyes for the last time. Zixin got down on his knees and pet Brutus and said, “Thank you for saving me.”
I cried and laid next to Brutus, my spiritual animal. Zixin put a hand on my shoulder and mourned with me.
After the tears had dried up, Zixin looked into my eyes, “Strafe, I've witnessed so many bad things in my life. I could've done more to stop him. Brutus had meant so much to you. It should've been me who didn't make it.”
I shook my head in disagreement, “Brutus…Brutus loved you just like he loved me. He saw the good in you. He saw our family.”
“Dad always talked about you and mom, and how much he missed you,” Zixin struggled to say, “You now have both of our power now. I can still fight, but I not like I used to. Dad always told me that we would all be a family together once again, and we are now, brother.”
“What was he like? What'd he make of life?” I asked.
He smiled as he looked to the sky, “He always said that the most important thing in life was to live it. While searching for the temple, I dreamt about you every day. I always wanted to be with you. I never got to be there to play Brave-Ball, be with Brutus, or chase girls with you. That's why I want you to hang onto that pendant. It will give you more of my strength.”
I looked at Brutus' collar and took it off and put it around my neck, “I was thinking about you, all the time, and still to my surprise, you're stronger and more talented than I could have imagined.”
He put his arm around me. I helped him up as we looked down at Brutus. “I want to cremate him,” I said as a tear fell down my cheek.
“Whatever you wish my brother, I will give my all to help honor him,” Zixin told me.
Before we began the ceremony, I cut off some of his hair, so I would always have a part of him with me. We stood side-by-side and began the ceremony. Zixin had taught me how to light a fire with the Power of Grief I controlled now. We gathered whatever materials we could around us to burn. We watched as Brutus turned to ash. After the fire had cooled, his ashes slowly scattered through the wind.
“Baby, I will never forget you. I can't wait to see you again,” I sobbed.
As I wept, I could hear a Mag-Ship land next to our location. Zixin got up and aimed his hand at the ship but then stood down as he saw it was Sorian. It was Major Ghennon and he was with his Blackcloud. His dog had many scars and a patched eye.
“Lieutenant Rocknus!!! We are leaving, that's an order!” Major Ghennon told me.
As I wiped the tears off my face
, I said, “Sir, I need you to help my brother to safety.”
“No, I'm coming with you. I can still fight,” Zixin disagreed.
“Oh my gosh, this man, is your brother?” Major Ghennon said in disbelief, to which I nodded.
“I thought I have your power? You can fight?” I questioned.
“Strafe, you see, that's the thing. We have always had these powers! It was only in this great time of need that we truly became awakened to the fact. You've always been able to do what I could. You've always been smart like Brutus too,” Zixin explained, “Although I gave you the majority of my power, I managed to absorb Gain's ability. I have the Power of Despair. You won't even know I'm next to you.” He flicked on his aura and his hair changed to white with pink lowlights.
“Where's your wolf?” Major Ghennon asked.
I shook my head and pointed to his collar; he put one hand on my shoulder, “Be strong, for him. I know you loved him, and he loved you too. You destroyed their entire armada! That will be his legacy; Brutus helped to save so many lives. We need to recoup before we make a final attack on the mountain. I'll give you a moment,” Ghennon comforted.
“No sir, I'm ready now. My friends and I can take care of the remaining forces. I made a promise to end this and that's exactly what I'm going to do,” I said as I looked at Zixin.
Zixin looked back and said, “I'll give what I can Strafe.”
“I was told that you are free to advance without us. Let us know if you need help over telecrom,” Major Ghennon told me. They gave us a Mag-Cycle before they took off.
Out of the sky the God Blade fell and landed in the dirt nearby. I grabbed it and put it and got on the Mag-Cycle. Zixin put on some armor from a dead soldier. We then made our way towards the final fight with the Senti. The sound of Brutus' collar rang in the wind. It gave me strength.
Chapter 28
Strafe
The end of the war was in sight. We rode through the battlefield toward the mountain. Zixin had draped a cape over his left shoulder, to hide his wound. Soldier's bodies littered the ground and were covered with crystal shards from defeated Slates. Zixin told me that scattering Slate shards over a body would help it heal faster, due to the Slates innate instinct to heal and protect. I closed my eyes to see if I could locate my friends and sure enough I could see a green and yellow dot closing in on my location.
When we made it to the mountain base, I saw Roya and Rousseau riding on DarkClouds. We had no idea where Zon could be as he still wouldn't allow us to tap into his aura. We didn't have to wait long for him though. A small slate emerged from the mountain base hole and screeched at us, but within a flash, the Slate had been cut down by Zon's sword. He'd already been inside the mountain fighting. He was bruised and bloodied but had a look of conviction like I'd never seen before.
“My friends, it's good to see you again,” Zon said to us, he looked to Zixin and brought his sword up.
“Zon, it's okay!” I assuaged, “This is my brother, not the demon. We killed him.”
“Where is Brutus? I don't see his aura,” Roya noticed.
We both put our head down and Zixin replied, “He died trying to protect us.”
“Strafe, I'm so sorry,” Roya said as she came over and gave me a hug.
“It's okay Roya, I would've done the same. I fight to end this, for him,” I told her.
Rousseau stepped toward Zixin and examined him before he reached out to shake his hand, “Strafe talked about you all the time mate. Name is Prince Aeileo Marmahere but you can call me Rousseau. I'm glad he could save you.”
“Thanks, Rousseau,” Zixin said timidly, “I'm sorry for what I made you all go through. Please let me help you end this.”
“Ha! It's about time you did something for the good guys!” Rousseau joked as he patted his shoulder.
Roya's owl, Fena, landed on her arm. Roya spoke quietly to the owl and nodded her head. Fena then perched on Roya's shoulder. “Yoichi, we need to make it to the top. Fena said she saw Tiras and the others up there. Can you show us the way?” she asked.
“My country is my home. Before we go, I have decided on one thing,” Zon told us. He put out his left hand and spread his fingers. It'd seemed he finally agreed to synch our auras so we could all find each other. Happy to do so, I put my hand on top of his. Rousseau followed suit, and with a big smile, Roya put her hand on Rousseau's. Zixin joined in as well.
“We are stronger when we are together. Thank you Yoichi,” Roya said as she hugged him around the side.
“You all have shown me that the outside world is not evil, but rather full of loving people who will do anything to help each other. Shinjo must walk hand-in-hand with our fellow brothers and sisters so that we can reach a new zenith. Peace can rein on Eternia, but only if we work together,” Zon wholeheartedly expressed.
Gusts of wind flowed around the five of us as we linked auras. One by one, our auras clicked on and I felt a rush of energy flow through my body. When I opened my eyes, our hair glowed brighter than ever before and all of our wounds disappeared. “YEEEEHAAAWWW!!!” I yelled.
We all powered down and began to move forward. As we walked, I turned around and looked into the sky, this is for you baby.
Another familiar face rode up on a Mag-Cycle, it was Yessa. Her uniform was damaged but she seemed okay. She ran up and I gave her a hug. “Strafe, I predicted you'd be here. I'm glad you're okay! Have you seen Gain? Did he make it out? I couldn't read his future,” she smiled.
“Gain…didn't make it. He was trying to repent for his actions. Brutus is gone… too. They gave up their lives trying to save me, and my brother,” I responded as I turned toward Zixin.
“Brutus…is dead? Gain too?” Yessa repeated in shock.
“Gain's death weighs heavy on me. Betrayal is the ultimate pain. I tried my best to save him. Brutus helped me survive long enough to defeat the demon in Zixin. We will see them both again someday,” I comforted.
“Gain wasn't perfect, but nobody truly is. I'm glad he tried to help you in the end,” Yessa reassured, she looked to Zixin, “Wow, he looks so much like you.”
“Nice to meet you,” Zixin said.
Zon stepped forward and patted me on the shoulder, “Strafe, we need to get going.”
“Absolutely. Yessa, can you see what they're planning?” I asked.
She closed her eyes and turned on her aura. After a brief moment, she powered down, “My vision is blurry. I see only outlines of people fighting. I also saw that…one of you will fall up there.”
“I'm not scared of dying, or doing what's right. The only thing I'm scared of is not listening to my heart,” Rousseau commented.
“I'm with you brother,” I said as we shook hands.
“Strafe, I came to give you my power. Unfortunately, I would only get in your way without something to pilot. I'm being called back to base to help with the civilian evacuations. I know what you have to do,” Yessa said as she caressed my face.
“I don't want to lose you again,” I lamented.
“I can't see you that far into the future but my heart knows you'll be okay,” Yessa expressed.
I brought her in for, what seemed like one last kiss. I felt an electric rush of energy over my body. I had absorbed her Power of Concern.
“You're going to explode with power soon,” Yessa teased.
“I'd give it all up to see you again,” I told her.
She turned around and hopped on her Mag-Cycle before taking off.
Roya presented us with DarkClouds and we all began to ride together. Zixin and I stayed on our Mag-Cycle. We entered a small cave that led inside the mountain. After fifteen minutes of travel, we turned around a corner and I saw the largest staircase I'd ever seen in my life.
The stairs led to Miega Village, where Zon was born. Looking at it was like looking at railroad tracks converging in the distance.
“Holy molly! I think these wolves won't need to exercise today after this climb!” Rousseau marveled.
“My people call this 'Tendou Noboru,' which means Heaven's Climb. It is said that if you don't finish the climb, you won't make it to heaven,” Zon joked, “I climbed this every day for fifteen years straight.”
“After this is over Zon, I'll be coming back to take on that challenge. Let's go end this!” I told everyone.
As we rode up the Tendou Noboru, we saw bodies lying motionless on the tiles. Whisper Warriors from Miega had fought to protect their village from the Senti but at a heavy cost. It seemed as though this was a final stand for them. As we made our way up the mountain, I could only help but think how I wished the first time I saw this place was in a healthy state because it was so beautiful.
All the DarkClouds were exhausted by the time we made it to the top. The others hopped off and let them rest near the entrance. I noticed the smell of water in the wind. We saw that the entire village was surrounded by a moat. Stone walls protected the village and the only thing that connected to the Tendou Noboru was a wooden bridge that was partially destroyed. We could see smoke beyond the stone walls, so we went to investigate. There was a gate at the end of the bridge, but it had been blown down by Senti forces. We entered slowly and with weapons drawn.
Rousseau had a red scanner over his eye looking for heat signatures. Zon looked down on the tan gravel that lined the village to see the bodies of his clan. He knelt down near a fallen warrior and recited a battle poem before he shut his eyes with his palm. Then he removed one of their battle garments and put it on. The village was very discreet but comfortable. Straight ahead of us stood the castle, which was partially on fire.
“My clan has guarded Miega Castle for seven hundred years. We have failed our ancestors,” Zon lamented with his head down.
“Yoichi, there is still time to save it. This is not to worry about,” Roya reminded him, Zon nodded.
“They're here Strafe. I'll get your back,” Zixin advised as he went invisible.