Former Champion (Vanderbrook Champions Book 5)

by Edmund Hughes

  No, he wasn’t. But some monsters were. Malcolm found his mind wandering. He thought about his brother Danny, and all the people he’d killed before he’d gotten control of himself and made a real attempt at living a peaceful life. Was Second Wind any different from Danny?

  The question veered to close to his own blind spots. He might as well have asked whether he, himself, was deserving of absolution for any of the terrible things he’d done. The lies he’d told to Tapestry. The truths he’d kept from Rose. Malcolm was the last person who had any right to plan about what Second Wind’s fate should be. And yet, at the same time, he was the only person with the power to hand down judgement.

  He kept walking, heading out of the town and through several large clearings nearby. He wanted to put space between himself and little Chelsea, and her father, and all of the truly innocent people and their peaceful lives. They were happy little hostages, even if they didn’t know it, and regardless of Second Wind’s intention.

  Malcolm had put nearly a mile between himself and Olympus when his copy finally caught up with him. Second Wind fell from the air, landing directly in Malcolm’s path. He was still wearing his costume, and rather than seeming regal, or even ridiculous, now it just looked sad to Malcolm. A desperate attempt at dressing up like a hero. A distraction from his own blood soaked hands, soiled so deeply that nothing could ever wash them clean.

  “You aren’t convinced,” said Second Wind. “I can see it in your expression. I hope it’s just because you’re me, rather than both of us being so easy to read.”

  Malcolm didn’t smile.

  “I’ll give you a chance to surrender,” he said. “Second Wind. Malcolm.” It felt so strange using his own name to address his copy, but what other name was there for him, underneath?

  Second Wind laughed, but it sounded forced and bitter.

  “Great minds think alike,” said Second Wind. “I came to offer you that same chance. Give me your hand. Let me take your powers from you, and I’ll allow you to live a peaceful life here in Olympus. This doesn’t have to be a duel to the death.”

  Malcolm considered the offer, or rather, the opportunity. If they both clasped hands, which one of them would manage to steal the other’s powers first? Perhaps he could overwhelm Second Wind, or surprise him somehow, and defeat him without a fight.

  No. I’ve only used my power absorption like that a handful of times. He wouldn’t make that offer unless he was sure he had the advantage.

  “No,” said Malcolm. “You’ve killed too many people.”

  Second Wind glared at him. “Then why come here with me? Why bother seeing what I had to show you at all? Were you just angling for another advantage? That doesn’t seem like us.”

  “I wanted to believe…” said Malcolm. “You don’t get it, do you? Everything you’ve done is as much on me as it is on you. I created you. I am responsible for you.”

  Second Wind flashed an icy smile. “Even now, you still hang onto that. As though the fact that you were the original means anything. It’s a little insulting, you know.”

  The wind whistled through the trees in the distance. Birds sang their hearts out, oblivious to what was about to happen.

  “We both knew it would come to this,” said Malcolm.

  Second Wind nodded.

  “True enough,” he said. “It has been a long time coming.”

  CHAPTER 34

  Malcolm stared across the field at Second Wind, feeling for his powers at the edge of his awareness. He didn’t want to make the first move, and for good reason. There was danger in going first, especially against an opponent who was already aware of his weaknesses.

  He’d developed a battle plan on the flight to Olympus, and had then thrown it out after more consideration. With Savior’s invulnerability, Malcolm had hoped that he could just wait out any attack Second Wind made against him, slowly tire him out, and then find a way to kill him that would overwhelm his regeneration.

  The flaw with that plan was that Second Wind could always fight with stealing his powers in mind, rather than causing damage. And if that happened, the fight was over. Both of them would be looking for an opportunity to strip the other of their abilities, and both of them would have to be on guard for it. It took too much concentration for Malcolm to focus on holding his invulnerability, and required him to sacrifice too much flexibility and responsiveness.

  Second Wind finally took the initiative. He charged toward Malcolm, his eyes filled with a determined, killing edge. Six green arms sprouted from his torso, appearing like a cross between jungle vines and Rose’s shadow tendrils. Malcolm dodged back, barely moving out of their reach, concentrating as he focused on manifesting one of Savior’s energy blasts.

  He’d only seen Savior use his energy blasts once before, and was unsure how exactly to do it himself, but the blast he had generated in space had given him an idea of how to create them efficiently. Malcolm pushed his energy into his palm using a method similar to how he’d focused Danny’s fire ability, and saw a sphere that looked a little like a small, blue star coalescing into his hand.

  Second Wind hesitated. Malcolm launched his attack, pushing the energy blast forward and watching as it took off on its own momentum. It missed Second Wind by less than a foot, striking a tree at the edge of the clearing behind him and releasing a shockwave on impact that made Malcolm’s eardrums reverberate with pain.

  He was already concentrating on forming another one when Second Wind struck out with a counter. The green tentacle arms shot out toward Malcolm, and Second Wind now held a sword made of pure white light in his right hand, which he brought down in an overhead cut.

  The sword extended outward, stretching to be at least ten feet longer than it had been originally. It missed Malcolm by a hair, and sliced into the ground beside him as effortlessly as a hot knife sliding through butter. Malcolm leapt backward, anticipating Second Wind as he reversed the strike into another pass.

  He hit the ground hard and slid across the grass, launching a second energy blast just as he came to a stop. This time, he aimed for the spot beneath Second Wind’s feet instead of at him. The blast only took a split second to cross the distance between them, but it was enough time for Second Wind to take to the air and dodge out of the way of the heart of the blast.

  The ground underneath Malcolm began to shake wildly. He stood and lifted a few feet in the air. What he expected was an earthquake, and because of that, he was off guard when the Earth split open beneath him and hot, orange magma exploded up into the air. Malcolm concentrated and switched to Savior’s invulnerability power as hot, molten metal splashed across one of his arms. It didn’t hurt, and other than burning off one of his gloves and half of his jumpsuit, it left no mark on his flesh.

  Damn. That might not have done damage to me, but now part of my skin is exposed. I have to keep him at a distance.

  Malcolm looked down at the ground beneath him and saw hell on Earth. The burst of magma had become a pit a dozen feet across in diameter. The grass and trees nearest to the intense source of heat were already catching fire. It was some type of volcanic or geothermal manipulation, and it was scary. Malcolm had never been able to adequately picture just how Second Wind had destroyed all of those cities until that very instant.

  “You can’t win against me,” called Second Wind. “You will lose, Malcolm. Give up your powers, and I’ll let you live.”

  “Take them from me,” said Malcolm. “If you can.”

  They were both in the air. Second Wind flew at him in a burst of movement, the green arms flailing around him, making it hard to tell where his body was. His white energy sword swung in a vicious downward arc, but Malcolm flew out of the way, countering with another energy blast that went wide of its intended target.

  Malcolm had a headache, and it was getting worse by the minute. Using Savior’s powers along with his own wind manipulation was like doing calculus in his head while reciting poetry. The focus it took pushed him to his absolute limit, an
d he could tell from the way Second Wind was pressing on the attack that it was obvious to his opponent, as well.

  He lost sight of Second Wind for an instant, and felt the green tentacles close around his arms as he was attacked from behind. Malcolm let out a shout of surprise and called forth Savior’s super strength, twisting and flinging Second Wind away from him a split second before his hand could reach out and steal his powers.

  Second Wind didn’t manage to slow himself with his wind manipulation before hitting the trees. In some ways, that worked to his advantage, forcing Malcolm to go into the forest after him. The magma pool still flowed hot in the center of the clearing, and fire was spreading across the grass and trees, threatening to engulf the entire area.

  Malcolm dropped back to the ground as he entered the trees, listening for sounds of movement amidst the crackle of the fire spreading across the forest behind him. Between the canopy of the branches and the smoke, it was almost as dark as night, and hard to see much beyond a few feet.

  He took a step forward and then froze, his instincts screaming to him that something was off. Malcolm dropped to one knee on reflex, and Second Wind’s white energy sword missed his head by only a few inches, cutting through the trees on either side of him.

  Channeling super strength, Malcolm caught one of the tree trunks as it fell and hurled it toward his right, where Second Wind had been hiding in wait for him. He was rewarded with a surprised cry of pain, and immediately began preparing an energy blast to follow up with.

  Second Wind retreated back into the air, recognizing where his advantage lay. Malcolm launched his energy blast in pursuit, the largest one he’d managed yet. It missed Second Wind, but exploded close enough to batter him with the shock wave.

  Malcolm took flight, hoping he could slam into his copy and end the fight, then and there. He took the risk, and paid for it. Second Wind’s disorientation was a feint, and he swung his energy sword in a surprise strike that took Malcolm completely off guard.

  He pushed himself back, but the tip of the bright weapon cut a gash in his shoulder. Second Wind reversed his swing, trying to sever Malcolm’s arm with it. Malcolm put more distance between them, holding a hand over his wound and feeling hot blood underneath his fingers.

  The longer this fight goes on for, the more the advantage tips toward him. I need to end this.

  Malcolm cut off his wind manipulation, letting himself fall back toward the magma pit for a few seconds. Second Wind hesitated, anticipating some kind of trick, as he should have. At the last second, Malcolm flew back into the trees, settling into a spot in the forest where the smoke was heaviest.

  Immediately, he began forming an energy blast, keeping it oriented behind his body and hiding as much of its glow as he could. He poured his strength into it, building it up into a larger sphere than any he’d tried before.

  “You’re not the hiding type,” called Second Wind. “I know you’re up to something.”

  “Why don’t you stick your head into the trees and find out what?” shouted Malcolm.

  He worded the comment as carefully as he could, knowing that Second Wind’s logic would flow similarly to his own. Second Wind would interpret his taunt as reverse psychology, a way for Malcolm to buy himself some time off his opponent’s fear of walking into a trap. And that was exactly what Malcolm wanted him to think.

  Second Wind didn’t waste any time in pursuing him, flying through the trees at full speed with his wind manipulation. Malcolm knew exactly how that would affect his momentum, and how hard it would be for his copy to dodge or turn on a dime at a moment’s notice. He waited until Second Wind’s silhouette became visible, and then launched an energy blast the size of a yoga ball directly at his chest.

  The attack hit Second Wind exactly as Malcolm had intended it to, instantly vaporizing one of his arms and a significant portion of his torso. Second Wind dropped to the ground in a crumpled heap, his injuries beyond what any regular human could endure.

  Unfortunately, Second Wind was not a regular human. Malcolm pressed forward on the attack, knowing that it was possible for his copy to use Tapestry’s regeneration power to recover over time. He didn’t expect it to happen so quickly.

  Second Wind was on his feet by the time Malcolm was in range to finish him off. Malcolm could see muscles and tendons stitching across the space of his massive wound, healing so fast that it was like watching a time lapse video of months of recovery.

  “Nice try,” said Second Wind. He took advantage of Malcolm’s surprise, lashing out with his energy sword and slicing a painful gash into his hip. Malcolm felt his heart sinking as he realized how hopeless of a fight he’d gotten himself into.

  He doesn’t have to focus like I do to use his powers. I can’t match him.

  “It’s past the point of me letting you give up,” said Second Wind. “Sorry, but one of us has to die, and it’s going to be you.”

  CHAPTER 35

  Malcolm fought off a growing sense of dread as he considered his options. He couldn’t kill Second Wind outright, at least not with anything less than an attack that destroyed his entire body. That might be possible with an energy blast, but it would require time for him to build it up, and even then, he’d still have to get lucky enough to hit Second Wind with it full on a second time.

  I need to keep him distracted, and try to surprise him somehow.

  “This is a pointless fight,” said Malcolm. “Neither of us can kill the other.”

  Second Wind smiled and shook his head.

  “We both know how Savior’s powers work,” said Second Wind. “If you drop your guard, I most definitely can kill you.”

  He lunged forward, slashing wildly with his energy sword. Malcolm focused his invulnerability power, but let it drop after the first few strikes to push himself out of range of Second Wind’s hands with his wind manipulation. He paid for it with another cut, this time across his back, like a clean lash from a whip.

  “See?” said Second Wind, triumphantly.

  “That doesn’t make it any less pointless,” said Malcolm.

  “On the contrary,” said Second Wind. “I think this is the only fight between any two beings on this planet worth having. This will decide everything.”

  “This will decide nothing,” said Malcolm. “This is all about you, your ego, and the blood on your hands. Killing me won’t change the mistakes you’ve made.”

  Second Wind glared at him.

  “And what about your mistakes?” he asked.

  What about you? That’s a mistake I’m currently trying to resolve.

  The two of them clashed again in a flurry of attacks and feints. Malcolm didn’t dare move in close enough to expose himself to Second Wind’s green tentacles, fearing that if he got grabbed, the fight would be over as soon as Second Wind laid a bare hand on him.

  Instead, he dodged Second Wind’s sword as best as he could, launching energy blast after energy blast and hoping for a lucky shot. The blood loss was beginning to affect him, and his injuries slowed his movements.

  They rose into the air, falling into a pattern of circling around each other, occasionally charging together for quick exchanges of furious attacks. Even though their abilities were different, they fought on the same rhythm, drawing from the same instincts, waiting for each other to make the mistake that would determine the fight.

  Malcolm was the one who made it. He attempted a super strength enhanced kick, keeping his eyes on Second Wind’s tentacle arms and waiting until they were relaxed. He landed the kick, but forgot about the range of Second Wind’s sword, and didn’t react in time to trigger his invulnerability.

  The sword went through his stomach, slightly off center. It was the type of injury that stopped time, stretching his pain and despair out into an eternity of torment. Second Wind’s eyes flashed with triumph, and then, curiously, a deep sadness.

  Malcolm gasped for air, reaching one hand down to where the energy sword had entered his torso, and one hand back to where it
had exited. He felt like an insect, speared through by a needle onto a card bound for a collection. He felt pain, so much pain. It hurt more than anything he’d ever experienced.

  “I’m sorry,” said Second Wind. “It shouldn’t have come to this.”

  Second Wind pulled the sword loose. Malcolm fell from the sky the instant he did, as though the energy sword had been the only thing holding him aloft. He had just enough sense of mind to cushion his own fall, though he knew it made no difference. The blood loss would kill him in minutes, and he couldn’t summon the concentration to use Savior’s invulnerability power.

  He landed on the grass a few feet away from the magma pool. It had sunken down a dozen feet through the dirt, like a sinkhole with a volcanic surprise at the bottom. Malcolm groaned. The pain was too much. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to die. He just wanted it to be over.

  “I’ll make it quick,” said Second Wind. “I’m sorry that you had to suffer through this.”

  Malcolm forced his neck to lift his head up. His vision was spinning, and his eyes wouldn’t focus properly.

  “You…” he managed to say. “Why…?”

  It wasn’t a question that applied solely to that moment. There was so much about all that Second Wind had done that didn’t make sense to him. How had his copy gone from sharing his memories and experience, from being a champion, to being an agent of murder and destruction?

  And then why had he come back from that to build the peaceful little town he seemed so proud of? It scared Malcolm to consider the possibility that Second Wind, like so many demons and sprytes before him, had just lost control. Made mistakes that had wiped cities off the map, along with millions of innocent people.

  Maybe I’m supposed to die here, rather than live on as a demon. Maybe I would have lost control, just like he did.