Atticus & The Blade King

by M K Drake

  “Who are you?”

  The voice hisses again. “I am part of you, Atticus. You are born of me, you need me. You belong to me.”

  “I belong to no-one,” Atticus replies as he first opens the main gates and then the Manor’s large doors, pushing their heavy weight inwards. The creaks echo throughout the halls, along with Atticus’s footsteps. He continues on this dreamlike journey, his vision sometimes warping around him.

  “Where are you?”

  “I am all around you Atticus. I am within you!”

  Atticus spins around, and the walls of the Manor begin to cave inwards behind him. He runs as fast as he can to avoid being crushed, following the only way left open to him, forcing him towards the Awakening Chamber. He dives through the doors just as the corridor behind him collapses.

  He stands and dusts himself down.

  “Hello!”

  Atticus looks up and sees the mist like creature, it swirls and solidifies again, but this time into a dark, red-eyed silhouette of himself.

  “What are you?”

  “Is it not yet obvious Atticus?” replies the being. “I am your darkness, I am your fears, I am where you come from. You are born of me, and therefore, just like Kazmagus before you, are my son! You belong to me in so many ways. I am the essence of the Remnant, flowing through your veins. Why do you think you have so many abilities? It is because I wished it to be.”

  “You lie! I belong to no-one! What do you want with me?”

  “Give in to the white magic within you, use its power through me, it is the only way you will defeat Razakel!”

  Atticus pauses, tempted. Why do the others fear the Remnant, the source of power for the Majjai, what harm could it do? Then he remembers what this thing has already done, killed him over and over in his mind, torturing him with so much pain, so desperate to utilise this power through him, why?

  “You doubt me?”

  Atticus looks to his shadow doppelganger. “Yes. Why are you so eager to unleash this? What are the risks?”

  “I need to reset a mistake, and the risks are great. But enough of this, I do not need your permission. I have your mind, and soon your soul. I will do this myself!”

  The shadow leaps forward and lunges towards Atticus, grabbing his throat and trying to strangle him.

  Atticus can feel the immense energy flowing through the Remnant’s puppet; it is strong, too strong. Atticus’ vision begins to blur, but he knows he needs to fight back, he knows he needs to be stronger than this, for himself, for Joyce, for everyone he loves. He clasps his hands around the shadow’s arms, and tries with all his might to pull them apart.

  The shadow angers and roars. “Why do you resist?!? Why do you defy your father!”

  Atticus looks deep into the entity’s red eyes, stops struggling, smiles, and finds the strength to speak. “I already have a father, his name is Joseph! And he is stronger than you, stronger than any Majjai, any demon. You, you are not him!”

  Atticus pushes the shadow creature away. He looks at it again. “I know now what I need to control this—and it is not you!” Atticus holds out hand and blasts a massive bolt of white energy towards the shadow, obliterating it instantly, leaving only the echo of its screams reverberating through the Awakening chamber until they, too, disappear.

  Atticus stands, victorious. He looks at his hands as the walls around him fall away revealing the Blade King’s the barren wasteland and red sky. The artificial surroundings are much more comforting now. He looks up as Alfatun comes to stand next to him.

  “Now…, now you are ready, Atticus.”

  Atticus lets out a deep, re-energising, cleansing sigh. “So, what do we do now?”

  “You have learned much, but some final words before we return,” Alfatun moves away as he picks up the carving he was working on earlier and begins to create the portal home.

  “There will come a time, Atticus, a time when you will need to choose once more between the light and the dark. A time when choosing either will feel like you have lost. And you will lose, Atticus. You will lose much before you gain. No choice will be wise. No choice will send you on a path you want to go. You will just have to walk the path and see where it takes you. The blood of the innocent will be spilled by the sinners; a sacrifice, so that you can do what you need to do, to ensure evil will fall at your hands! Are you ready?”

  Atticus pauses, knowing deep down that he himself is unsure of what to expect, knowing the regret of the deaths in the visions he has seen will be overshadowed by the reality of those ahead, and already there has been too much. He is alone now, in this strange place, with only this King of Blades by his side. Raising his head, knowing he has no choice but to move forward and try to find victory, he answers... “Yes.”

  The Scrolls of Kazmagus: Catalogue Translation ID 303.19: The Maze’s Ooze

  Something odd is occurring. We have found evidence of a Hexon maze—a demon maze—being used not far from the Persian border. For what purpose, we are not sure. Some of the witnesses believe they saw Loki, the Norse god, goading Majjai to enter, to challenge themselves inside his creation.

  If Loki is able to summon a Hexon Maze, we need to revisit his power level classification, because to be able to create such a thing, one needs to be of a very high status—much higher than we believed Loki to be.

  The second contingent we sent to investigate reported evidence of battle, but no maze. It was almost as if it had been ripped out through time itself. The only evidence was a strange, green ooze, one that was moving, solidifying, and trying to grab our Majjai.

  They were able to contain some samples and burned the rest. We shall study these items carefully.

  They also found some collapsed Demon Cages, and while these are more common, we have not seen so many in one cluster. It is almost like the demons are using the Earth realm as a playground. They are getting far too brave without the likes of Kazmagus and his brothers to protect us.

  We need help, and we need it soon. The emergence of the fabled Majjai Six cannot come soon enough. We are losing, and if we are no more, humanity will end. This war will be lost before it has even begun, and the demons will dance on our souls—unless the Seer Staff was wrong, and it is simply a tool used to coax us into false hope.

  Why Alfatun decided to leave us when he did is beyond my or any other Majjai’s comprehension; yet, Meerab persists, the Blade King always has a plan.

  For all of our sakes, I hope it is a good one.

  Chapter 32

  The Soul Swords

  Atticus waits as Alfatun completes the Portal to return home, but curiosity of something else gets the better of him. “Why did you carve that?” he asks, pointing to the small sword made of bone.

  “That bone is all that remains of the monster that killed a dear friend of mine and his family, many years ago. It is a reminder of my failure to him. I was helpless, locked away in my tomb, unable to help.”

  “Who was he?”

  “His name was Meerab. He served me well. Became more friend and brother than a King’s slave. Honourable to the end…, he will be avenged,” Alfatun finally completes the portal, after pausing momentarily, reflecting on the memories of his old servant. “Now, we should rejoin the others. After you Proteus.”

  Atticus steps through the void-like portal entrance and enters the Awakening chamber to be greeted by the other Majjai, General Crawford, Colin, and Pavel, who are tapping away on some sort of console.

  Joyce runs over and almost knocks Atticus flying as she hugs him tightly. “You were gone for two days! How? Are you okay? What happened?”

  Atticus, overwhelmed at seeing the girl he loves, feels a small tear begin to trickle down his cheek as he embraces her back. She is alive, she is well. The experience and sense of loss he felt before hits him now more than ever, as what could have been is so much worse than what is. He hugs her tightly, kisses her cheek softly and whispers, “I love you. I am fine. There is so much to tell you.”

  Joyce smil
es, comforted by the hug. “Don’t disappear again!”

  “I’ll try not to.”

  “Okay, okay. He just got back,” Ju Long bundles over, eager to get his own hug. “Let’s not suffocate him yet eh?”

  Atticus laughs. “Two days you guys say? It didn’t feel that long...”

  Before Atticus can finish his sentence, Alfatun walks through portal, closing it as he emerges.

  The other Majjai quickly stand to attack. Elric storms forward with his staff and is about to send a fireball towards the Blade King when Atticus runs forward.

  “No! It is okay. The Blade King is on our side!” Atticus shouts.

  Khan steps forward with his sword out of its scabbard. “An ally does not kidnap his friends!”

  Alfatun laughs. “Kidnap? Ha! If that had been my intention, why would I return with him?”

  The Majjai turn and look at each other, unable to come up with a reasoned response.

  “Good,” Alfatun states unapologetically. “There is much work we need to do. Atticus is prepared. We need to gift the Soul Swords as soon as possible. Have any others succumbed to the sickness?”

  Everyone looks towards Ju Long, who, for the first time in a long time, wears a melancholy expression.

  “Pali is very ill. Many others, too. What do you need?”

  Alfatun looks around until he sees Elric. “I need the splinter of the Quantorbium, the swords of power, and a drop of the Chosen’s blood.”

  Elric nods and retrieves the splinter of the Orb of Time that was extracted from Mjolnir while Atticus delivers a drop of his blood.

  Alfatun arranges the swords side by side, places the piece of the orb in the middle of the table, and drips the blood on the splinter. He then chants several phrases in ancient Sumerian under his breath, his eyes closed.

  “You see,” he says finally, “what Atticus has given us, is independence. By defeating the Remnant, he has allowed for us all to be free. Breaking the bond that has tied us like slaves to our source of power. We are now free, we are limitless. And I can make every Majjai in existence stronger than ever before. This power will be channelled through their totems! And their swords will glow by their sides.”

  “You used me?” Atticus asks. “You could have just told me why you put me through all of that!”

  The Blade King smiles softly, looking solemnly to Atticus. “I know. But then the Remnant would have known as well, and fought against it. I had to do it this way, as it did not want to give us enough power—certainly not as much as we need to defeat Razakel. So the bargain was to either take control of you, or for you defeat the Remnant. Only then could we proceed.”

  Atticus looks to the ground, thinking; he knows Alfatun was right, although to be manipulated this way, even for the greater good, leaves a definite sour taste. He has learned yet another lesson, however, about trust. He has been told many times to be careful who he listens to, and this is another warning. He looks back to the Blade King, and nods.

  He also knows, through his encounter with the Remnant, that it will not take this lightly. Atticus sensed its relentless nature. It will not stop, not now, not ever, and will find another way. He also senses that the Blade King knows this, too. But that is a problem they will face later, there are other things that need resolving right now.

  Alfatun gazes towards Elric once more. “Do you have a way to communicate with the Majjai in this realm?”

  Elric acknowledges with a tilt of his head.

  “Then let them know the Soul Swords will soon be at their sides, and they must be prepared for war!”

  Elric pulls a communications crystal from his robes and begins to speak through it, covertly speaking to each and every Majjai across the globe.

  “The yellow sickness has been a plague on so many of us,” he says. “We have lost lives to it—but there is hope. We have found the Blade King. The fight against Razakel, the final battle, looms ever closer. Like a dark, powerful shadow, he wants to extinguish not only our light, but the light of the universe. We stand in evil’s way, we fight to protect all that is good. Through your totems, the King of Blades has the power to gift us each with a Soul Sword, which will rebalance our energies, driving out this illness and making us stronger. We will need that strength, in this life and the next, so that this shadow, this evil, this darkness... can never drown out the light! Prepare yourselves. Swords high!”

  Ju Long nudges Atticus. “Dude, you need to book Elric for your wedding speech,” he murmurs.

  Atticus smiles. “We have a demon to defeat first. Let’s hope this works,” out of the corner of his eye, he spots Khan overhearing their conversation, before stealing a glance at Safaya.

  Khan then looks away, clutching his chest, trying not to show the pain he still suffers from the poison. But Atticus notices, he can sense it. He wonders if Khan’s Soul Sword will help, if it will give him the power he needs to finally cleanse his blood from this. Before Atticus can mull over this possibility, Alfatun again begins his chant and Ju Long rushes to the medical room to stay with Pali.

  The Blade King rearranges the elements before him ever so slightly, ensuring he has them precisely where he needs them. He begins to wave his arms, producing a ball of bright blue energy that grows larger and even brighter until it becomes almost blinding. The Majjai in the chamber shield their eyes as the power from it shoots down onto the Swords of Power then blasts up through the ceiling of the Awakening Chamber, spreading itself across the globe and touching every totem, every Majjai.

  Atticus closes his eyes as the cleansing power flows over him. It is immense, beautiful, and scary all at the same time. He can feel the power within the Sword of Ages; he is tied to it, he belongs to it. He can visualise all of the Majjai around the Manor, around the globe, all of them with swords of living energy by their sides, masked from view of the non-Majjai. Those with the yellow sickness are being cured, and begin to recover. Atticus can envision the reinvigoration of his kind, everywhere.

  Then, almost as quickly as it began, the blue energy whispers away into nothing.

  Atticus opens his eyes and reaches out his arm, calling the Sword of Ages to him. The blade rises and spins, with its hilt settling onto the palm of Atticus’s hand. He looks around the room with this newfound power, this increased strength, giving him even more confidence.

  Smiling he says, “I think it is time we go teach Loki a lesson.”

  Chapter 33

  The Hexon Maze

  “You have what you need now Proteus,” Alfatun says. “Use it well.”

  Atticus turns and looks at the Blade King. He can see how drained Alfatun is, he felt how much energy and effort that was exerted by him to give the Majjai in this realm, in this time, this newfound strength. He wonders if he could ever have done the same.

  “Are you okay?” he asks with genuine concern.

  Alfatun looks around the room at the Professors, the Majjai Six, and at Pali who has just arrived, fully cured, with Ju Long, a Soul Sword glowing brightly by her side. “I am fine,” he says. “Just tired and drained. I cannot join you right away on this quest, I must rest and refocus my energies and ensure the bonding of the swords has gone well. There is still a danger for some. I cannot abandon those that may be at risk. As you Majjai Six do not have totems, your Soul Swords will take slightly longer to appear for some of you, or will take time to gain full strength. I must prepare now.”

  Atticus nods then turns to the others, he knows that the longer Mage Callan is trapped in Helheim, the harder it will be to reach him, to save him. But is it worth risking this journey without someone as powerful as the Blade King by their side? He ponders this for only a moment before looking down at the Sword of Ages. Once again he feels its need to speak to him, senses its reassurance in the new strength gifted upon it. The Sword of Ages is Atticus’s own Soul Sword, and with it he knows he has the strength to win, to fight this God, and bring his friend home.

  Atticus looks at Pali, smiling at the fact she has been cured,
the yellow sickness driven from her mind and her body. The Majjai Six are now stronger, re-energised—but not all of them. He glances discreetly towards Khan, sensing he is still impaired. The poison is getting stronger, not weaker. Elric’s similarly knowing glance towards his friend is not lost on Atticus. This is a problem they will need to tackle quickly, once Mage Callan is rescued.

  Professor Morgan softly places his hand on Atticus’s shoulder. “I know Atticus. I shall scour the scrolls we have to see if there is another cure for him,” he says quietly, so that Khan does not hear. “Keep an eye on him.”

  Atticus nods, then looks over his shoulder at the Blade King. The old Majjai has moved from standing to a cross-legged, seated stance, and is now hovering a few feet off the ground, eyes closed. A blue aura surrounds him with a soft hum as he replenishes his power and checks on the Soul Swords.

  Atticus beckons everyone to leave Alfatun in peace, and they all go to the room that Colin and Pavel are still set up in. They need to find Loki soon, and he guesses that the best way is with the help of General Crawford’s so far reliable techs.

  “No Pavel! Green cable, green socket!” Colin berates his partner as the others enter. “I can’t make it much simpler than colour–coding, can I?”

  Pavel gestures aggressively, Atticus assumes the motion translates to something quite rude in his homeland, and tries not to laugh.

  “Look Coleeeeeeeen! You know I am colour blind, so colour-coding is pointless! Labels! Use labels!” Pavel scribbles on several sticky notes and attaches them to the wires in front of him. “Now, power it up; we need to get this scanner back online!”

  “I didn’t know you could read Pavel. Colours are usually best for pre-schoolers. Besides, if you hadn’t gotten so excited when it turned on in the first place, we wouldn’t have to re-cable the thing!” Colin quips as he flicks a large red switch on a panel in front of him.

  Atticus is not sure if these two have even registered their presence yet. “Uhum!”