“Positive.”
“What does that mean?” Leah asked.
“It means he’s no longer planning out his actions,” Aidan said. “He’s acting off of pure emotion and the raw power lying inside of him. There’s no thought. There’s no reason. It’s just pure instinct. A predator focused only on one goal: to consume everything in its path.”
“You must have hurt him bad,” Bailey said to Leah. “He probably felt like he was on the brink of death. His survival instincts kicked in.”
“What do we do now?” she asked.
“We wait for the right opportunity to chop off his head. That’s the only way.”
Aidan began forming his magma sword as Leah unsheathed her bladed fan. She leaned in and examined Bailey closely.
“What’s your ability?” she asked. Bailey glanced back her and smiled.
“I don’t have any.”
“None? Then that means –”
“Yeah,” she said, lifting up her long sleeve, revealing three seals, all of them still giving off that lively, glowing hum. “All three Yen, still at my disposal.”
“And you were on the outside?!” Leah said in shock. Aidan chuckled under his breath.
“I’m unstoppable,” Bailey said, giving her a wink. “Now no more questions. Watch.”
“I want Leah to stay out of this,” Aidan spoke up, but Leah put a finger on his lips.
“If we’re going to have a life on the outside, I’m going to need this.”
“The girl has a point,” Bailey said, signaling for them to hide further. Duncan stood to his feet and huffed, taking a step off of the grand hall floor and out into the open, the residue of Aidan’s attack still crackling beneath him.
He made no move to address the people this time. It was all over his tense shoulders and clenched jaw. He just wanted to hurt someone. He took another heavy sigh and then cleared his throat.
“1…2…3…4…” he began reciting rhythmically. Bailey sighed.
“I assume you’ve all played hide and seek,” she said.
“Of course, why?” Leah asked.
“Because we’re about to be in the middle of it, whether we want to or not. Keep your heads down. Aidan, if we do get a chance to strike, I want you to maim him. Keep him alive for questioning if at all possible.”
“That doesn’t sound possible considering his ability. But I will try. I still want Leah to stay back though.”
“We may need her,” Bailey said. “But Leah, so Aidan can focus, I must ask you to only intervene if absolutely necessary.”
“Okay,” she said, glaring at Aidan.
“28…29…30,” Duncan said. “Ready or not, here I come.” He stood there in the grass, listening for the sounds of hiding villagers. There was only silence. But this did not deter him. He took a couple steps to the left, and started looking around when a whimper escaped the throat of someone nearby. He snapped his fingers in its direction and a scream pierced the air. A woman fell out into the open from behind a tree, clutching her shoulder. Duncan looked down at her with disdain and snapped his fingers once more. Even Bailey turned her eyes from the sight.
Duncan decided to turn around and proceed to the right this time, walking a few yards past where Aidan, Leah, and Bailey lay. When he didn’t hear another noise, he swung his arm towards the north and blew up a cabin in the distance, sending it into a flurry of splinters and wood beams. A couple of cries proceeded from his right in the woods and he dispatched of those villagers quickly.
“Are we just going to stand here?” Aidan whispered and Bailey shushed him.
“Wait for the right time,” she said, watching as Duncan killed two more.
“I’m sick of this game,” Duncan muttered and turned his sights to the brewing stand nearby. With a flick of his wrist, it was reduced to the ash. A few more homes. Luca’s clothing store. As if he had just had an epiphany, he swiveled around and faced further north, looking towards where the Elders’ homes were situated. He placed the palms of his hands together and began concentrating, but it was only for a second. Jumping from the flames at his side, Isaac swung his blade down at the intruder, but Duncan was able to dodge it in the nick of time. Pivoting backwards, he snapped his fingers at the swordsman, but Isaac turned his sword into a shield at the last second and blocked it, reverted it back and kept swinging, keeping Duncan on his toes. They continued this exchange, neither one gaining the advantage, until they came across a couple of villagers hiding behind a tree, a mere yard away. Duncan snapped his fingers at them and Isaac jumped in the way with his shield activated. The explosion sent him flying off his feet and into the villagers.
“Now,” Bailey snapped. Aidan wasted no time. He sprinted forward and headed straight for Duncan’s back with his magma sword held at his side. But he knew he wouldn’t make it in time to save Isaac and the other two villagers. As he ran, he stretched his arm towards a small flame at Duncan’s feet and made it erupt vertically. It flashed into a wall of flames which blocked Duncan from his prey, and subsequently blinded him in the process. In the moment that he covered his eyes from the flare, Aidan’s sword plunged through his back.
What he did not expect was the chain reaction that followed. As the sword entered Duncan’s body, a strange, red aura shot out of Duncan like a giant claw and reached out to grab Aidan. Aidan activated a couple fire shields just as the claw pressed up against him.
And then he nearly blacked out.
Whatever energy was laced into the claw, it was far more explosive than anything Duncan had revealed earlier. His shielding was instantly destroyed, and he was consumed in an explosion so powerful that he lost most of his robe and a great deal of skin and muscle. Thrown backwards, he hit the grass screaming. It was all he could do. Just scream at the insane amount of pain erupting over his body like geysers. His back contorted and he arched his back as he fought against the crippling sensation. Duncan approached him on wobbly legs, the magma sword still lodged within him.
“That’s my defense,” he whispered. “An explosion equal to the damage you just inflicted upon me. You can’t escape it, just like you can’t escape your death.”
“STOP!” Leah shouted from their right. Duncan turned a weary head and glared at her. Elias, who had been watching the fight from afar, snuck towards Aidan’s body and began healing him from a safe distance while hiding behind an oak tree.
“Don’t kill him,” she said. Duncan nearly staggered but he caught himself.
“I’ll do whatever I feel like,” he muttered. He began to turn back to Aidan when Leah hit him with a bolt of lightning. Duncan clenched his jaw and stuck his hand out towards her. Her attack ceased instantly and she froze in place.
“Enough!” Duncan shouted. “You’re so weak that I don’t even need to hit you from the outside. Rupturing your organs from within should suffice.” He squeezed his hand and a sickening pop was heard from within her. Leah dropped to the grass, face first, and didn’t get back up. Isaac’s blade sliced through Duncan’s waist the very next second. No claw reached back to grab Isaac – his cut had been the finishing blow.
Bailey came out of hiding and rushed to Leah’s side, pressing her fingers against her skin, searching for the damage. Elias continued to heal Aidan. The pain had finally subsided enough that he could think somewhat clearly and form coherent thoughts. As soon as he had the strength, Aidan swatted Elias’s hands away and staggered to his feet. He thought he had heard Leah shout out, but he wasn’t sure.
But once he saw her lying face down in the grass and not moving…he couldn’t stop himself from trembling. His eyes welled up with tears but they never got the chance to stream down his pursed lips and clenched jaw. They evaporated as soon as they touched skin, for the rage within him had raised his body temperature so high, even Isaac and Elias had to stand back. No words entered his mind. No sorrow gripped his heart. It was just the rage. He fought against the deep tear in his stomach, a sensation so intense, it was like his soul had been violently sa
wed out of him. His fists sought out retribution. His bloodshot eyes sought a target. And in that moment, in spite of everything that had just happened – he hoped that Duncan was still alive. A decapitation wouldn’t do. And if he was truly dead, then his accomplices would suffice.
Aidan screamed and the dining commons exploded in a pillar of fire. Isaac tackled him to the ground.
“Aidan, stop! It’s over! It’s over!”
“His friends are here!” Aidan roared as he kicked Isaac off of him. He climbed to his feet and Elias put him into a chokehold. Isaac ran over and placed a hand on his friend’s chest.
“We don’t know that,” Isaac said. “Please stop. You’ll kill someone. There’s been enough of that today.”
Aidan couldn’t keep it in. He fought against the restraint, closing his eyes and trying to kick Isaac away. The swordsman had enough. He clutched the back of Aidan’s head and slammed his friend’s forehead into his own, ignoring the searing pain that scorched his skin.
“FOR LEAH!” Isaac roared into Aidan’s face, and immediately Aidan felt the anger leave him, like his body had been rinsed in water. Isaac maintained his hold on Aidan until he saw recognition and sanity in his friend’s eyes. Only then did he release his grip and nod to Elias. Only then did the robe that had been obliterated begin to repair itself, manifesting new fabric where it had been blasted away. Seeing the transformation before them, Isaac and Elias let Aidan go. He immediately rushed over to Leah’s side just as Bailey was waving over a couple of by-standers.
“We need to get the Elder’s daughter to the infirmary immediately,” she ordered. “Send someone with transport or teleport capabilities to get her over there. I don’t want to move her.”
“What happened?” Aidan cried, his trembling hands hovering over his wife. “What happened, Bailey?!”
“I told her to stay back, but she jolted me and ran out. She was going to help you no matter what.”
“Is she going to be okay?”
“I don’t know. I…I overheard Duncan saying he was targeting organs. Which organ he ruptured exactly, we won’t know until we get a look at her.”
“Elias!” Aidan shouted back. “Get over here! We need you!”
“I won’t be much help,” Elias said with downcast eyes. “I put wounds together like a puzzle. I can’t recreate the pieces.”
“I don’t care, just heal her. Please.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Elias sighed as he hovered his hands over her. “But I don’t even know what I’m focusing on.” As he worked, Aidan glanced up at his mentor, who was staring hard at him.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asked.
“If she will be, then yes. If she dies…no promises,” he said, wiping a tear from his cheek. “We did everything we could, right? There wasn’t anything else we could have done?”
“We killed Combustion,” Bailey said. “A feat that no one on the outside could accomplish. We should be grateful.”
“Or no one with the power to do it thought Duncan was worth their time,” Aidan said, waiting for Leah’s face to move. “What class was he, anyways?”
“Are you sure you want to know?” she asked. He nodded. “He was a low level C class. Just above D, and N.”
“Then he was nothing compared to what else is out there,” Aidan said, caressing Leah’s cheek. “He was practically nothing…and we were nearly annihilated.”
* * *
The infirmary was a madhouse, but thankfully it had been designed for a wounded army. Nurses, healers and doctors ran back and forth, doing what they did best. The nurses took care of the superficial wounds. The healers patched up the bulk of the damage, and the doctors, all specializing in extensive surgery, tended to those on the brink of death. A labyrinth of long hardwood floors and gigantic bay windows, only the staff knew the layout exactly in case there was a threat, external or internal. But today, all it did was cause more confusion. As families gathered in droves to the south to see their loved ones, no one could provide directions, and many were forced to navigate the maze on their own, calling out to their fallen by name. This only caused further frustration as staff and visitors both shouted over one another. It was complete chaos, but then again, no one had expected such an ordeal to actually occur. The infirmary had been a conversation piece, a warm sense of security and safety for anyone who looked upon it. The building was so majestic and wonderful to behold that no one thought about what it was like on the inside. Today, everyone found out the hard way.
Thankfully, because Leah was an Elder’s daughter, it was much easier to find her.
“Where is Leah Ainsley?” Bailey demanded a passing nurse, grabbing her arm.
“It’s Serafino,” Aidan retorted but Bailey shot him a ‘not now’ look. The nurse stammered for an answer but finally gathered her wits.
“She’s on floor three in critical watch.”
“Why isn’t she in surgery? I heard that one of her organs ruptured.”
“No, no, she’s fine. She’ll definitely live, but she’s quite shaken up. Very understandable you know…since she lost the baby.”
Chapter 9 – Turned
The walk up the stairs was as hazy and disorienting as a dream. His legs wouldn’t work right and his palms were sweating profusely, to the point that he slipped twice when he leaned on the bannister. Eventually, Bailey and Isaac each took an arm and half-carried him up, unsure if allowing him to see her was the smart move. Aidan didn’t say a word. He didn’t think anything. He just wallowed in the pool of sorrow that he had visited so often beyond Lowsunn’s walls. Everyone put up a good façade when they were in the company of others, especially on the outside. A bout of bravery. A shout of courage. A smile of confidence. These were all childish tactics that somehow worked even against strangers whom had experienced far worse than he. But there was no denying the spirit that came over him when he had been alone, hiding in the night high up in a tree, or barely peeking his nose and mouth out of a coffin of thick mud. Under the still blanket of night, when he had to keep quiet or suffer the fate he had seen befall so many – that was when his thoughts overtook him.
They were relentless and unforgiving, telling him that tomorrow, he would be killed. That it was better to just take his life that night. No matter how afraid he was, the agony would be far less than if he was taken captive. Just sink down into the muck and don’t come back up for air. So simple right?
And yet, no matter how much his thoughts berated him, slapped him, shoved him down – he always resisted. He renewed his vigor each morning and fought and won another battle. When his family was murdered, when old friends perished and were forever etched in the legendary walls of his memories, he alone survived and moved forward.
But this…this was far different. He had been careless. He had played a hand in the death of his own child, and in the wounds of the unborn’s mother. He had denied his instinct. He had allowed Lowsunn to get under his skin and put out the fires of his hate and rage. He had allowed a new one to be kindled, one that was not as bright, not as strong, not as hot. It was one of warmth and peace, symbolizing the forbidden love he had for the people of his new village.
Though he had fought against their ideals and their sickening, foolish optimism, he couldn’t deny – there was something precious and magical and innocent about them, and he envied this to his very bitter core. No matter the odds against them and the hands of death scratching at their shields, they were somehow able to forget. And he so longed to forget.
But it was not his destiny to cast the yoke from his shoulders. He had not made a mistake in deciding to fight Duncan. He had been right in that regard. The people of Lowsunn were too afraid and inexperienced. Where he had faltered, where he had failed Leah was that he had not given in to what he knew. What had kept him alive for so long.
He had not turned.
Perhaps it was because he didn’t want Leah to see what he was like when he was at his worst. Maybe he believed on some level that he was i
nnocent and pure like the villagers around him. But he had been delusional. He had held back his power, what he felt he needed to do – and for that, his budding family had lost one of its petals.
Never again, he swore. Never again will I deny what I am.
When he came to his disturbing conclusion, he shook the help of Bailey and Isaac off of him, and strutted of his own accord. They didn’t question it, but followed with a cautious, watchful eye. As they hit the third floor, Aidan slammed the staircase door open with authority and marched down the hall, past the throngs of concerned men, women and children, to find the girl that still had his heart under lock and key.
He didn’t ask for her room number. He didn’t want to talk to anyone else but her. At the end of the hall, past a line of the moaning injured, and the silently damaged, he found her, sitting up in a plush bed in her hospital room, her eyes staring off into space as she kept her hands folded gently across her flat abdomen. Her icy blue hair had fallen into her eyes and lips, but she made no move to cast them aside. No one was there attending to her, and Aidan could only imagine the things she had said to get her visitors to leave.
He just watched her for a moment, her lips moving slightly, saying a silent prayer, to whom or why, he didn’t want to know. He could only marvel in how strong she appeared. With the news of their loss, he had been broken. But she, she was already rebuilding foundations. Where did this strength come from? Surely not Lowsunn.
He knocked gently on the side of the wall and her head shot up at him. Once she saw his face, she forced a smile, but her eyes were tired and worn. She unfolded her hands and reached out to him. He didn’t dare turn down her request.
It took everything within him not to tackle her. No matter how quick he reached her side, it wasn’t fast enough. The distance felt like days, but once they embraced, the world fell apart around them, and he felt at ease again.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered in his ear, and he closed his eyes to combat the sorrow that was trying to bubble back up within him.
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