As much as Arus knew he should've been surprised by that, he really wasn't. "I don't know where Vultrel is. I haven't seen him in at least a week. As for me, there isn't enough time to explain that now. Please, Ms. Lurei, you must get to the shelter with the others."
"That old building won't hold against all of these twisters," she muttered. "It may be able to withstand one, but the watchmen have reported at least twenty. It doesn't matter what we do. Keroko is finished."
"Such a defeatist attitude is not becoming of you, Ms. Lurei," Arus said with a shake of his head. "Master Eaisan wouldn't have wanted you to give up like that."
"I suppose not," she sighed, "but then it was always much easier to obey his commands when he was here to press me. Come, let us join with the others. Your mother will be delighted to see that you're alive."
As much as he wanted to see his mother, Arus had no intentions of leaving Damien and Kitreena to die. "I'm sorry, but I can't go with you. I have business of my own to take care of. And please, don't tell my mother that we met. I'd almost prefer it if she thought I was dead."
Veran tilted her head and pursed her lips, but she didn't protest. "Very well, Arus. Take care of yourself, do you hear me? And if you run into Vultrel, tell him . . . Tell him that I love him."
"I will see that the message is passed along," he assured. "Now please, get to the shelter, and see that anyone you come across along the way follows."
She nodded her acknowledgment and turned away just as an explosion of fire erupted from the crater where Kindel Thorus had been driven through the planet's crust. The blast sent Veran to the ground, and Arus stumbled back with an arm raised shield his face from the heat. Kindel ascended through the flames, lifting his arms in triumph. While his survival was nothing short of miraculous, Kitreena's attacks had certainly left their marks. Streaks of blood masked his face in crimson and matted his hair. His shirt was all but gone, along with his pants up to the knees. Also missing was his cloak, and bloody burns marred his entire body. Arus couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he had to be experiencing, yet Thorus grinned as though he had just awoken from a restful night's sleep. "It's not possible!" Arus murmured, shaking his head. "No one could've survived that!"
"No mortal, perhaps!" Kindel shot back, raising his weapon high. The blade billowed with darkness like the richest smoke he'd ever seen. "But with the Blade of Kaleo, I am invincible!"
Veran Lurei scrambled backward, staring in wide-eyed terror. "The . . . what?"
Thorus turned narrow eyes toward her, and Arus' feet moved without hesitation. In the blink of an eye, he was standing over the woman, his sword holding Kindel's weapon from severing her in two. His knee throbbed and popped with every movement, but Arus forced it to the back of his mind. Thorus glared at him and pushed hard against his blade, but he was determined to hold fast. "Ms. Lurei," he said calmly, keeping his eyes locked on Thorus, "you must get away from here immediately."
She didn't argue, she didn't nod, she didn't even blink. Immediately she rolled away and leapt to her feet before racing away from the Square without looking back. Kindel's eyes shifted to Arus. "So, now you mean to kill the immortal? You fool! You're even weaker than my brother and his disgrace of a daughter."
Arus grit his teeth and yanked his sword back. "That may be," he said through a snarl, "but strength isn't everything."
Kindel's grin grew to an open smile. "My brother shares that fool notion. He now lies in a useless pile behind you. What makes you think you can avoid his fate?"
Truth be told, Arus wasn't sure he could. But everything he'd been taught, everything he'd experienced, and everything he'd learned told him that he had to stand up for what was right. Kitreena gave everything she had, Damien nearly sacrificed his life, and countless others were dying amongst the stars, all of them fighting for the hope of a brighter future. Master Eaisan had taught him to fight for what he knew in his heart to be right, and he knew without a doubt that Kindel Thorus was a menace to the universe, a cancer that had to be removed without fail. But first . . . "I'll give you one last chance, Kindel. If you surrender now, I'll do everything in my power to see that you are given a fair trial."
Thorus shook his head, his chest heaving with laughter. "You naive little boy. Tell me, what good would that do me? You think I should give up everything I've gained, the power I've built, the following I've developed, all of it just so that the Aeden Alliance can send me to the headsman's chopping block? What kind of fool do you take me for?"
"I can't guarantee that you wouldn't be executed, but you could set an example for any out there who've considered following the path you have. Your actions could help to sway many others from making the same mistakes."
"What mistakes?" Kindel spread his hands, and his body rose into the air. "Foolish child, I stand before you today as the most powerful man to ever fly amongst the stars! The Blade of Kaleo has granted me immortality, and I see no reason that I should throw such a gift away!"
Well, it wasn't as though Arus had expected him to jump at the offer, but it was an offer that had to be made, anyway. "You call me foolish, yet you stand here claiming to be invincible. Perhaps it is time that we see just how invincible you truly are."
Kindel's smile vanished, his face turning cold. "It will be a shame to destroy such a wondrous invention, but then, I no longer have any need for Truce's silly technology." A clubbing forearm punctuated the sentence; Kindel teleported to his side faster than he could even blink. As Arus fell to his knees—something he immediately wished he hadn't done considering where the boulder had landed—as he fell, a burning line of heat shot across his back, a pain so intense his eye nearly fell from its socket. The Blade of Kaleo, no doubt. Arus knew he had to put some distance between himself and Thorus if he wanted a chance to defend himself, but the man's teleportation abilities made it difficult to move anywhere without running headlong into an outstretched fist or a swinging blade. His injured knee complicated matters; how was he supposed to maneuver without full mobility?
He set his jaw and rolled away, and Kindel's sword grazed his ribs in the process. Everything hurt. His knee locked momentarily before popping loose again, and the pain that radiated through his leg was excruciating. Warm blood mixed with rainwater on his back, and that stung nearly as bad as the fiery rain had earlier. He could tell the wound was deep; simply bringing his arms together to grip the hilt of his sword made his back feel as though it were splitting apart. There was no time to dwell on his injuries, however, as Thorus crossed blades with him the instant his weapon was raised. Somehow, Arus managed to deflect a few attacks before the Blade of Kaleo found its target again, this time slicing a deep gash in his injured knee. And he had thought the bloody thing couldn't have hurt any more.
"You're not even trying!" Kindel laughed. "Come on, at least give me some sort of challenge. After all of that talk, I truly expected better from you." Another slash knocked Arus' sword to the left, and Kindel drove his boot into his stomach. Arus doubled over, clutching his middle as he fell to his knees once again. Kindel gently pressed the Blade of Kaleo against his neck. "Now, give me what is mine. I want the Lifestone, and I want it now!"
Arus, please don't give up!
Her voice drew his eyes, and Arus looked past Thorus to see Kitreena, on her hands and knees, panting heavily as she stared at him with desperate eyes. Beside her, Damien appeared to be moving, and after a moment he began to push himself up. Kitreena's mouth moved wordlessly, but Arus heard her voice in his mind. I know you can do this, Arus. Don't let him win!
"What will it be, Arus?" Kindel demanded. His hands trembled so that the edge of the sword nicked at his neck. "I will have what I want. The question is whether you shall live or die."
A defiant sneer curled Arus' lips. "I'd sooner die then hand the Lifestone over to you." He knocked Kindel's weapon away with his steel arm and swiped his own sword out as Thorus vanished from sight. It was an effort to return to his feet, but he was determined not to go down wit
hout a fight. Master Eaisan had fought to the very end even knowing that he had little hope of surviving. And Arus' own father had given his life to serve the people. If it came down to it, Arus would gladly do the same, but he wasn't going to simply hand himself over to be beheaded. Kindel Thorus might be powerful, but Damien and Kitreena had been able to keep up with them. And if they could do it, Arus figured, then he could as well.
Meanwhile, the tornadoes ripped through the village in every direction, sending everything from stone houses to livestock flying through the air. Distant screams pierced the night despite the howling winds and roaring thunder as Keroko was slowly torn to shreds. Arus had trained for years to have a shot at defending his hometown, and while there was little he could do about the damage that had already occurred, he could certainly stop further carnage from taking place. But amidst the destruction, it was Kitreena's pleading face that hit Arus the hardest. She'd put her life on the line time and time again to defend him, and now it was his turn to return the favor.
Kindel appeared to his left with a whirl of the black blade, and his eyes widened when Arus met the weapon easily. Again, he teleported, and their blades met with a clang over the young man's head. Over and over, Kindel tried to finish the fight, but Arus stood tall, focusing only on the space surrounding him. By remaining stationary, he narrowed down the possible places where his opponent might appear to the space surrounding him, and that made it easier to be prepared for attacks. Adrenaline surged with each attack he blocked, and the look of amazement on Kitreena's face brought a grin to his own. That's it! she called to him. You're doing it!
Meanwhile, Kindel's smile had been fading more and more with every blow deflected. "You arrogant little fool!" he growled when Arus knocked down an attack meant for his head. "I'll teach you the price for mocking a Zo'rhan warrior!" He vanished again, this time teleporting high over Trader's Square. With the Blade of Kaleo aloft, he called down three massive funnel clouds around them, each surrounded by slithering bolts of crimson. On either side of his body, orbs of red and purple gathered and grew before splitting into pairs and growing again. Soon he was circled by eight spheres of light, and with a flick of his wrist he sent them darting over the village in sharp streaks of color. "Your selfish actions have sentenced your people to death!" They looked just like the long slashes of energy that Kindel had used to murder the Ayaans.
Damien's voice cut through the wind. "Arus, the amulet!" He was on all fours, face contorted in pain. Kitreena knelt beside him. Her glazed eyes made her seem on the verge of passing out again.
"I'm not going give it back to him!" Arus shouted, shocked that Damien would even suggest such a thing. "I won't let him win!"
"Not for him!" Damien called. "For you!"
Thunder shattered the air, its deafening crackle mixing with Kindel's insane laughter. Arus reluctantly yanked the amulet and stones from his pouch and placed the larger of the two into the center of the pendant. They fused with a glow of purple light, and each of the gems sparkled as though freshly polished. Mateo said to use it only as a last resort, and we're out of options, he told himself, slipping the chain around his neck.
The smile vanished from Kindel's face, and his voice cracked as he shouted. "No! What have you done?!"
White light purer than the finest cotton burst from the amulet, pouring like a fountain over Arus' entire body. An immense pressure formed in his chest, bringing him to his knees as a searing heat spread through him. It was power unlike anything he'd ever felt before, a surging energy that energized and revitalized his every bone and muscle with a newfound strength and vitality. Intense warmth combined with the flowing energy, drowning Arus in a strangely invigorating pain that threatened to consume him if he didn't find a way to control it. I will not be defeated by this! Damien and Kitreena are counting on me! The safety of the universe is riding in our shoulders! Clenching his fists, he took hold of all his fear, all his pain, all his anger, and every last ounce of aggression, took hold of every bit of it and transformed it, replacing it with the endless determination to do what was right, an indestructible resolve to turn those who sought to do evil away from their wicked ways, and to crush those who refused to abolish their immoral and contemptible desires. Screaming, he leapt to his feet, the brilliant light enveloping him as his voice echoed amidst the winds. "I won't let you win!"
A sphere of white burst outward from his body and shattered into countless sparkles of light. With the shattering came a new world of awareness like the birth of a sixth sense. He could feel every particle of air around him, every shred of heat and every drop of moisture. Spirits and bodies were distinctly separate entities, as were darkness and light. The elements of the universe were at his fingertips, but that was just a fraction of what he gained. The rest of his senses had been boosted far beyond anything he could've imagined; he could hear distinct voices in the distance, much more than the simple screams of terror that had floated up from the village earlier. He could sense where energy and the elements were being manipulated unnaturally throughout Keroko. Every tornado was so clear in his mind that it was as if he was looking right at them. Each murderous sphere of energy, every bolt of lightning, the wind, the rain, the clouds, Kindel's very being; it all stemmed from Kindel Thorus, and the Blade of Kaleo was pushing his power to a level far beyond anything any mortal had ever been able to reach.
At least, until now.
"No more shall die at your hands, Thorus!" he heard himself growl as he sheathed his blade. The Lifestone began to glow as he raised his hands to the air and focused his mind on the eight deadly bands of energy that swept across the village. He could feel Kindel tugging at them, directing them toward the helpless men and women scattered throughout the streets. "I said no more!" With a harsh tug, he yanked the swaths of light from Kindel's grip and guided them back toward Trader's Square. They descended around Arus' body and condensed into spheres once more as they circled him. Kindel stared at him in a mixture of shock and incredulous fury.
"You shall pay for that, child!" The Zo'rhan's voice boomed like thunder. "The Lifestone is not some toy for your amusement, and I'm going to—"
"You'll do nothing, Kindel," Arus said coldly. "You were warned! You were warned, and you foolishly ignored every single opportunity you were given to turn away from your dishonorable ways! Now, you shall perish, and your fate will be in Kuldaan's hands!"
Thorus opened his mouth to respond, but a sudden roar drowned his voice as the ground began to tremble. Arus' lips curled as he held his palms out to either side. An orange glow came from the three tornadoes surrounding Kindel, an aura that spread through the funnels until each was made not of wind, but of fire. Bubbles of flame rose and burst from the surface of each as they rotated like a three towers of magma. Crimson lightning shot down from the heavens, forking and twisting before sending explosions of land into the air beneath Kindel's floating form. Arus slowly raised his hands, and the spheres of light surrounding him began to rise in a rotating ring of light. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this, Thorus! But you've left me no choice!"
Kindel opened his mouth to scream as Arus' closed his fists, and the twisting columns of flame began to converge upon the Vezulian admiral. Arus could feel him desperately tugging at the tornadoes through the Blade of Kaleo, but the battle had drained him so much that not even Azriel's sword could amplify his power enough to combat Arus' will and determination. The burning towers blended into one, a massive funnel nearly as wide as Trader's Square itself. As the flames swallowed Thorus, Arus hurled the eight orbs of light that had been meant for the Keroko villagers. They disappeared into the funnel and crashed into Kindel's writhing body with a blinding explosion that illuminated the Square as though it was noonday. Still, Arus refused to take his eyes away. He intensified the flames until the heat was more than he could stand—what good would his cybernetic arm be if he melted it to a useless lump?—then he abruptly dissolved the entire twister with little more than a wave of his hand.
Th
e first thing that caught Arus' eye was the twirling black sword descending several paces away. The Blade of Kaleo landed upright in the ground, its tip piercing through the stone paving as though it were bread. A short distance away, Kindel's blackened body lay in a smoldering heap. His hair and clothing had been completely burned away, leaving him a naked and disfigured mess. To Arus' great surprise, he was moving, crawling ever so slowly toward the legendary sword.
"You've got to be kidding me," Damien muttered. For the first time, Arus noticed that he was on his feet, standing with Kitreena's support. Though, in truth, she looked like she needed someone to hold her up. "He still won't give up?"
"One of us has to get the Blade of Kaleo before he does," Arus said. "But Mateo said that it has to be someone of pure intentions. Otherwise, we might end up like Kindel."
"I can't think of anyone with a purer heart than you," Kitreena told him, her voice hoarse. "You disowned vengeance long ago, and have spent our days together trying to teach me selfless nobility. It has to be you."
Arus looked to Damien for help, but he only nodded in agreement. "I think it's clear that you are our best hope, Arus. If your intentions aren't pure enough, ours won't even come close."
Kindel had struggled to his knees, and he licked burnt lips with a blistered tongue. Arus shook his head with a sigh of resignation and hobbled out toward their fallen opponent. His leg throbbed with every movement, and the loss of blood from his back was beginning to make him feel lightheaded. Thorus bared his teeth with a threatening snarl and stumbled to his feet. "You are just a child!" he said in little more than a rasped whisper. "How can this be possible! You're just a child!"
Arus stopped beside the Blade of Kaleo, no more than five paces from Kindel. "If there is anything I've learned from my encounters with you and Sartan Truce, it is that evil will always fall to its own schemes and devices. All of this could have been avoided, but you wouldn't back down from your selfish ambitions." He calmly placed his hand on the diamond pommel of the Blade of Kaleo, and the weapon immediately surged with a pure white light that vanquished the darkness formerly consuming the weapon. "You brought this upon yourself, Kindel." He hoisted the sword of legends high above his head, and the clouds tore apart with a deafening thunder, splitting down the center before being blown away by a powerful wind to reveal the dim blue sky. Dawn was fast approaching, and the stars were already beginning to wink out.
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