by Oxford, Rain
“So you plan to prepare for the war on your own?”
“What choice do I have? Have any of you had any luck finding Janus?”
“No. We believe he really is gone,” Regivus said.
I flashed myself back to the hotel, where Sen was having a breakdown. He stopped pacing when I appeared.
“Stop disappearing! I was worried about you!”
“I’m going to explain some stuff to you, and I need you to stay calm.” I put my hands on his elbows and gently guided him to sit on the bed. This was the way Mom handled giving Dad news that was tough to handle. “You know Dad is the Guardian of Earth and that we spent two years there.”
“Yes.”
“You know what my mother is.”
“Sort of.”
“You need to know this part. The force that keeps the universe together, the balance, is inside me. This is usually okay, but since my brother is my balance and he’s missing, I’m going to go insane soon and start killing everyone. If my eyes become milky green, it means the darkness is in control.”
He swallowed audibly.
“There is also a war brewing between demons and mortals. All of the gods are on Dad’s side, but there are many mortals who will fight for him as well. There is also a being far more powerful than any god. We call him Zherneboh, or Zero. Therefore, we need to find the weapons that were used in the Iadnah wars and give them to the mortals who can use them.”
He swallowed again. “Okay,” he said softly. “Anything you need me to do, I’ll do it. What is plan B? You always have a plan B.”
“Plan B is to learn to control the darkness. The darkness controls the demons, so I could make most of them surrender if I control the darkness.”
“Why isn’t that plan A?”
“Because I’ve been trying for ten years without success. Now that Hail is missing, it will be even more difficult. Grab our bags. We’re going to Earth.”
Sen’s eyes widened with fear. “Are you sure it’s safe?”
I had the powers of a god, which a human might have found reassuring, but it would upset any sago for me to point that out. The people of Duran were extremely superstitious. Sen’s father was a mage from another world, but he was raised with his mother’s fear of other worlds and gods. Actually, Emiko saw Sen’s father as proof that all other worlds and aliens were evil.
“You’ll be fine.”
Instead of immediately flashing us to Earth, I decided to take a shower. When I looked better, I felt better, so I fixed my hair after my shower. As I made both my hair and eyes dark sapphire blue, I wondered if I was really going to survive this.
For fourteen years, I was known to the gods as Dylan’s son. I was too loud, too pushy, and too arrogant. I knew it, Hail knew it, and Dad knew it. Hail was willing to be Vretial’s Guardian just so I could have a part in something.
With a sigh, I leaned against the white sink and met my own gaze in the mirror. I had to be the most powerful being in the universe, because otherwise, I was nobody important. For my brother’s sake, that wasn’t acceptable.
* * *
We arrived on Earth in the only place I was really familiar with. Fortunately, my power always attempted to land me somewhere I was safe, so we appeared right outside our old apartment instead of in it, because someone new was living there.
A car pulled into the spot right beside us and Sen shrieked. I could only smile, though, when Drake got out of the vehicle. He was my age, still thin, but taller than me now. He closed the door, looked up, and spotted me immediately.
“Ron! Hey, long time.”
He reached to hug me and I returned the gesture. Sen gave us a look, probably because sago were not generally touchy people. “How have you been, Drake?” I asked.
“Good. Dad got me a car!” he pointed to the flashy red sports car. “What are you doing back?”
I hesitated. After Ghidorah healed Drake from his cancer, the boy became much more independent, but I still thought of him as small and defenseless. On the other hand, he was taller than me. “The demon war is beginning.”
“I’ll call Tatum and the others. Where is Hail?” he asked, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.
“No, don’t call them. We’re not getting the old gang together.”
“But…” He looked heartbroken. “But we were a good team.”
Actually, I liked solving mysteries with them when we were kids, but after Sydney’s death, Hail and I decided to keep the serious stuff among family. Hail and I didn’t want to be the reason any of our friends died.
“How is your little brother?”
“He’s annoying me to death. Come say hi.”
“We really can’t. This is Sen, Mordon’s son.”
Before I could say another word, I heard what sounded like a small explosion. I started to turn, but Sen shoved me away, towards the car. The ceiling of the covered walkway we were standing in suddenly collapsed, narrowly missing Drake and me. Sen was buried.
I reached out with my magic to move the rubble… and nothing happened. My magic failed.
Panic gripped me. If Sen died under my care, Mordon would never forgive me and Dad would never trust me to be responsible. I focused on the mortal energy of Earth, drew it in, and tried to move the debris. The concrete started to move, just as Drake shouted. A huge creature landed in front of me as if it fell from the sky.
The skin of the creature was grayish-blue and it looked rough. Its face was dark and smooth with slits for nostrils instead of a nose. Its sunken eyes were black with red, diamond-shaped irises. The creature stood about seven feet tall with as much muscle as Ghidorah, but its body wasn’t entirely humanoid. The monster’s arms were too long and its legs were shaped oddly, as if it wasn’t meant to walk upright. Even without my powers, I knew the aura of a demon when I saw one.
I was determined not to show fear in front of Drake right up until the demon reached out for me. Its skin suddenly bubbled and darkened as if with some contagious disease. Drake and I both screamed.
I tried desperately to draw my power, but it was still not obeying me. Therefore, I was shocked when a shield did surround Drake and me. The demon screamed with pain that was obviously coming from within if trying to claw its own chest open was any indication. When he burst into ash, I saw Xul standing behind where the creature had been.
“Zeb!” Drake cried happily.
“Wow! You’ve gotten big!” the Ancient laughed, disintegrating his shield. When Drake moved to hug him, Xul patted Drake’s head. “I thought you were going to stay tiny forever, like Ron.”
“Bite me, demon,” I growled. That just caused him to laugh again. He waved his hand at the debris behind him and the blocks flew off Sen easily. The dragon-mage was unconscious with a head wound.
“I can’t heal people, so you’re going to have to,” Xul told me.
“My power is missing.”
“Try again.”
I knelt next to Sen and put my hand on his head gently, trying not to get more dirt in his wound. “Maybe I should clean the injury first.” I didn’t want him getting an infection or anything.
Xul sighed. “Sure. He’ll die because you’ll be too late in healing him, but at least he’ll look better.”
The Ancient was the only was foolish enough to speak to me that way, yet it was my own fault for not punishing him when he did so. I focused on my power and the desire to heal. Sen was my friend.
This time, my magic responded easily and flooded the dragon-mage to heal him. The cut across his forehead fused and scabbed over, then fade until it looked months old.
“Has your magic been acting up a lot lately?” Xul asked.
I shook my head. “My flash went wrong on Anoshii when I tried to get to Hail. He’s missing.”
“I will find your brother.”
“If you’re here, at least that means he’s safe. I need to find the god weapons; the demons are ready to attack.”
“I know. The Guardians have spent the
last five years spreading word of the war and figuring out how to protect their people from demons. Nobody wants to point to demons, but over the last year, people of Malta, Enep, Dayo, and Kahún have been attacked. Kahún needs a Guardian.”
“Azenoth is working on it. How are our demons doing?”
“They are despised by both sides. How do you think they’re doing? I was going to give this to your father, but I think you need it more.” He pulled out what looked like a locket on a thin gold chain. “This can help you find the god weapons.”
“Are they all on Earth?”
“From what I can tell, there are five weapons; a sword, a dagger, a bow, an axe, and a wand. Vretial has the sword, which I believe is the only one that has been altered. Vretial got ahold of the sword and tried to disarm it to protect it from Rasik, but you know how well that turned out. The other weapons are on other worlds, but exactly where, I don’t know. Hopefully, you will have the instincts to use this,” he said, passing the necklace to me.
I recognized the symbol etched into the metal charm as the symbol of Earth. Energy pulsed from it lightly, but I didn’t know what kind it was. “What magic is this? It’s not mortal or Iadnah magic.”
“It’s void magic.”
“Demon magic,” I scoffed, slipping it into my jeans pocket.
“You are your father’s child, so I know you can use demon magic.”
“Have you figured out what Dad is yet?”
“Unlike Vretial, I really don’t care what Dylan is. I know he can use all forms of magic. Find the god weapons, because I’m afraid we might have something worse coming than demons.”
“You think Zero might be working with them?”
“I think Zero is on nobody’s side. I think that if he comes back, we might all be dead.” With that, he vanished.
Sen finally woke at that point, so I helped him to sit up. “Are you hurt anywhere?” I asked.
He shook a little as he tried to stand up. “I’m okay.” He took my hand. “Are you? Did you get hurt?”
“No. You pushed me out of the way.”
“Come inside,” Drake said. “Mom would be happy to see you again. I’m sure she’d be happy to let you two to stay here tonight.”
“English?” Sen asked. Although Emiko stubbornly refused to learn English, Mordon taught the young mage the language just in case the boy ever needed it. For members of our family, we never knew what to expect.
“Yes. Sen, this is Drake Reagan, half human, half fae, and speaks English. Drake, this is Sen Kaori, half dragon, half mage, and Mordon’s adopted son. Now, I can use magic so that both of you will understand me no matter what language I speak, but Drake doesn’t know Sudo, so, Sen, you’ll have to speak English.”
I pulled Sen up and helped him to Stacy’s apartment, which was exactly as I remembered it; pristine and boring with white walls and leather furniture. I sat Sen on the couch while Drake went to the kitchen. He returned with a bottle of water for each of us.
“What did Zeb give you?” Drake asked.
I pulled the necklace out of my pocket. “There are only four more weapons. We need to find the dagger, axe, bow, and wand.”
“You’ll let me help?”
“If your compulsion power works on people of other worlds, you can be a huge help. Sen is a mage, which is like a wizard who can do magic with stones, so if my power fails because I’m not with Hail, he can get us out of trouble.”
“Shouldn’t we find Hail?” Drake asked.
“He’s safe right now, or Zeb would be with him. Unfortunately, I don’t think we could find him because if I can’t flash to him. I’m afraid we may be running out of time really soon. If we don’t find the weapons before the darkness takes over or the demons attack, we might all die. Are you both sure you want to get involved?”
“Absolutely,” Sen said.
“Of course,” Drake said. “You’re my friend and you shouldn’t have to do this alone.”
“Ron!” A screaming four-year-old burst out of his room and crashed into me with nearly enough force to knock me over. Unfortunately, it seemed any child younger than me gravitated towards me… like a zombie attack.
Kyle was an excitable miniature Drake. The child had all the freedom his older brother lacked, since Drake was diagnosed with cancer at a very young age. Although Stacy was cautious as hell when she was pregnant with Kyle, or maybe because of it, Drake’s brother was a picture of health.
* * *
The darkness stirred beneath my skin, irritated. Although it knew something was missing, the balance was not exactly sure what. I knew it was my own balance that was upsetting the darkness, for without my brother, I was nearly as destructive a force as my father.
The balance of the universe was not a presence that could be reasoned with. Anything that acted against the natural order of the universe was acting against the balance. Nominal energy is created by the universe; it never acts against it, while Iadnah energy does.
I could feel the demons. To my astonishment, it was with disdain; they were acting against the balance. Demons were creatures of the void that were compelled to obey the force of the universe when they were inside it, yet this war was absolutely damaging to the balance. They wanted to dominate the universe, not rid it of the foes of the balance.
I could feel my dad as well. He wasn’t with Mordon and it was already starting to affect the darkness. In order to stop him from doing something disastrous, the balance wanted to kill him.
“He will die.”
There was no light, no warmth or chill, no wind… I felt nothing, heard nothing, except for Mordon’s creepy whisper. The darkness inside me settled, as if Mordon’s words were soothing… no… it wasn’t his words.
“Who will die?”
“Dylan.”
“How? I can stop it.”
“You are too late. You and your brother have chosen a path that ends in his death, and then your mother prevented Dylan from saving the only person who could have saved him.”
“Sydney… A dragoness is the only person who could stop his death? My mother is the god of Earth. If she isn’t powerful enough, I will be. I can save him.”
“You are not listening. Too late…”
* * *
I woke with my eyes already adapted to the dark. The soft air mattress under me was nice, though Drake’s heavy breathing disturbed the quiet peace of the night. I looked up at the bed, where he slept.
“Hail… please hear me.” I called to my brother for the hundredth time since he left and, predictably, received no response. Seeing as how it was still very dark outside the window, I settled back down to try getting more sleep. Truthfully, I was just hoping I would see Hail in my dreams.
* * *
It was bright, causing me to cover my eyes with my hands. Although I knew I needed to see where I was, the light stung my eyes. I was sitting on something hard and rough so, keeping one hand over my eyes, I searched out my surroundings with my other hand. It was a large, flat rock I was sitting on with a patch of moss.
I leaned over and felt the grass, which was thick and wild. When a woman screamed, I forced my eyes open… and found myself alone. Shading my eyes from the bright sunlight, I saw that I was in a field of grass and bright blue flowers. There were snow covered mountains at all but one side of the large field. Built high into the sky was a castle unlike those of Duran. This was a castle like the ones drawn in Earth fairytale books.
“Where am I?” I asked aloud.
“Does it matter?” a young voice asked playfully. An instant later, she appeared.
“Hello, Alice.” Her white dress went down to her knees, but there was dirt on the skirt of it, as if she spent a lot of time kneeling in the soil. As always when I saw her in Hail’s visions, she was barefoot.
“Hello, big brother. Why does it matter where you are? You can flash here because you can see it.”
“You can’t just flash anywhere in the universe without knowing where you’re goin
g.”
Alice approached me and sat beside me on the rock. She gathered her black hair over her shoulder and pulled her feet up. “You have to save him.”
“Is this a dream or a vision?”
“You’re wearing the demon charm that helps you find the god weapons. This is like a Guardian warning dream, where the power comes from the charm instead of a book.”
“So it’s a vision. Why are you here?”
“Because I’m your sister and you love me. There’s a very good probability that I’ll never be born, so I should be here now, while I have the chance. This is a vision induced by the demon magic; I’m just in your head.”
“You’re a hallucination?”
“Hail is missing, so you need me. You need to find the god weapon. Flash here. You don’t have any time to waste.”
Heat spread over my chest, not painful. When I looked down, my blue t-shirt was soaking with blood. “Why am I bleeding?”
* * *
A heated argument outside the room grew in volume until I was forced to either get up and deal with it, or unleash a blast of energy that would inevitably cause the entire building complex to collapse. Since destroying Stacy’s home would have been rude, I decided to display mercy and just beat her child instead.
Drake and Sen were having a screaming match in the living room over something foolish, which I didn’t bother to interpret. Drake’s parents and brother were nowhere to be seen. Instead of exacerbating things by trying to yell over them, I went quietly and calmly into the kitchen, hunted down a glass, and filled it with water in the sink. Just as calmly as I entered the kitchen, I returned to the living room and tossed the water over them both.
Both boys froze with shock for a moment before turning to me. “I’m going to take a shower, fix my hair, and get dressed. When I return, you two better be civil and ready to go. If you are very good, I will make breakfast.”