by Amanda Churi
Terrified, Ryze and Aponi bolted away from their failed mission, racing over to Laelia as she held Eero’s skeleton of a soul against her chest, fighting against the wave of demons and running to take refuge in another part of the mind where they would not target her. Thankfully, the demons paid the three foreign souls little to no attention; they were too absorbed in the ultimate prize, striving to get to the core no matter what.
“Laelia! Do you know what you just did?!” Ryze exclaimed as they weaved through the axons in the higher regions of the brain, gaining as much distance as they could acquire.
“Quit whining,” she retorted, glancing over her shoulder as she processed the aftermath. “Of course I know what I did.”
Where the subconscious used to stand high and proud, the fledglings now dwelled. They dived for the core—tore their claws and fangs into his own soul, wanting to destroy him without even the slightest bit of mercy for all of the pain his arrogance had caused them.
But they underestimated their foe. Perhaps it was one versus a million, but even so, not all of the fledglings were awake, and even more than that, the ones who racked the knees of Ryze and Aponi were nothing compared to what emerged from Eero’s soul—a demon unlike anything that the three had ever seen, towering above all and initiating battle with the fledglings, destroying dozens with the simple lash of a tail.
Laelia smirked, happy that her risk had paid off. “What I did,” she reiterated, glancing down at the remains of Eero, whose blue eyes were seemingly dead as they stared at her, “was retreat now…
“But allow the brat to live and fight another day.”
***
A wail, a screech, a cry, a call… So many words could describe the sound that came from his mouth, from his heart, but none could possibly reflect how desperate it was… How empowered, angry, righteous…
How necessary.
The coils were nothing. Their armor was nothing. Their bodies, weapons, willpowers, brainwashed minds… It was all nothing when they released him—released their worst nightmare.
Like children squealing over a lost toy, they could not do anything but scream as his skin ignited a dangerously bright gold before expelling an atmosphere-shifting wave unlike anything that the world knew. Everyone within a three-meter radius, enemies and allies alike, was launched back through the air at such a speed that air resistance was nulled, their bodies only able to be halted when they smashed against the walls, leaving nothing but a pile of bones and organs in place of them.
The luminance lingered, coating his body in a radiant sheen as Eero rose to his full height, staring out at the frozen crowd of bystanders. Many could not see anything besides a cloudy form of his being, but that itself was all that they needed to retreat.
“PROXEZ! DON’T JUST STAND THERE AND PISS YOURSELVES! TAKE HIM DOWN!” Typo ordered frantically, the new form of his target being too much for him to take in. He had no heart or soul, correct, but he had common sense, and he knew that regardless of what Gannon said, taking Eero alive was impossible. Even he could not restrain him at the moment without surely getting himself killed.
The remaining Proxez on the ground forced themselves to overcome their shock, some continuing to swipe members of the rebellion while others went straight for Eero, all while the few Encryptors that could still function properly took to evacuating, abandoning their prophet in fear of just what he had become.
Eero turned his head to the only one near who had not been blown away by the release of his powers as the Proxez charged him. She was barely awake and could not move, but his powers spared her for a reason.
She hoped that it was nothing more than a hallucination from all of the chemicals, but upon seeing the collateral damage—the blood-drenched walls, the steaming skin, and the drawback of those left—she knew what exactly had happened.
Standing in the swirling gas with his Essence igniting the vapors like that of a horrific sunrise, he stood tall, staring straight at her, oblivious to the chains and grapples diving into his skin. His face was freakishly sharp and thin, his skin taking on the texture of stone and turning a deep bronze. That boy, who was once nothing but skin and bones, was chiseled into a demon of hardcore, steroid-bound muscle: a broad, carved chest; a stomach rampant with muscles in locations that she didn’t even know they existed in; and thighs so solid that she could see the pull of each muscle and tendon. Golden blood throbbed against his massive veins, flushing through his body as he flexed his fingers and toes that were readied with black claws serving as daggers. His ears belonged to a dragon, holding the same stiff texture of stone, but they were perfectly mobile, fanning out and pointing away from his face. His golden tail lashed against the ground, the tip no longer a tuft of hair nor spikes, but the very blade of Coruscus itself, burning with a light so bright that it was blinding to look at. He held the height of nearly seven feet, his crushing muscles masking Mabel in a blanket of shadows as two narrowed, golden eyes rested on her immobile body.
She was frightened to death… The body may have been unrecognizable, but his eyes… The feminine almond shape and the pattern of his iris—
They were the same. Those eyes that she loved were never truly Eero’s. The blue iris was the only human part of him—the structure was controlled and contorted by his core demon, who had always been lying in wait.
And now shining gold instead of blue, Mabel could only wonder if Eero was still there at all.
The Proxez relentlessly targeted him. The Elites sank their grapples into his abrasive skin, trying to tear him apart, but once lodged within the depths, their weapons could not escape his demonized form. The Elites growled, ignoring Mabel as she lay there, trying to recapture their weapons or at least drag Eero to the ground, but he could not be moved.
Several Haxors joined in on the assault, aiming their deadly guns and shooting at the demon, but again, there was no effect, even as the lightning wrapped around him like a cocoon. It could not permeate the surface; if anything, it made his terrifying aura gain strength.
Eero’s eyes suddenly shifted away from Mabel and to the onslaught of men as their numbers grew, a blood-curdling wail shooting from his mouth as Eero pushed his shoulders forward, tearing out the grapples in his arms and back. He threw his large, bulky arms forward, his hands wrapping around the neck of an Elite as he yanked the enemy towards him, quickly evaluating the circling vultures. Releasing another violent screech, Eero spun around in a circle, holding the Elite by his neck and using his body as a club as he plowed into the wall of enemies around him, bringing them to the earth with such force that the tiles below their bodies cracked, as did their armor.
One Elite aimed straight for his eye, the hook of the grapple sinking into his pupil. Enraged, Eero wailed, rounding on the select Elite as he released his current prey, flinging him into the mass of Proxez and nailing them like pins. Screaming, he grabbed the chain bound to his eye, yanking it out of his socket before pulling the chain towards him and bringing the dazed Elite with it. The Elite shrieked, Eero scooping his body into his hands when he was in reach, his black claws elongating and wrapping around the Elite’s chest like a cage.
Eero snarled, holding the Elite’s face to his own as the enemy cowered for their life.
He released another ferocious cry in the face of his victim as the Elite winced and lurched back, Eero’s mouth growing in size until his teeth nearly reached his ears. In one fell swoop, he brought his massive jaws down on the Elite’s head, his razor-sharp teeth shattering his skull and causing fragments of ice to fly throughout the room like arrows, striking several Proxez and causing either their forms or armor to fracture from the drastic speed and force behind the execution.
Throwing the Elite’s headless body to the ground, Eero looked back at Mabel, who was stricken with horror. His jaw remained in its primal form, twisting into a smile when he saw how helpless she was, and in one burst of energy, he shot forward as a golden blur, dragging many Elites with him who kept a strong hold on their chain
s.
Mabel could not scream nor move as Eero charged her; her heart could only beat uncontrollably as he approached, imagining how he would take her life.
Eero reached for her once she was within range, whipping her body up from the ground and bringing her into his solid chest, holding her protectively as he immediately veered away from the Proxez and towards a long foreboding hallway.
Mabel lightly groaned, looking up at his face as he tore through the base and away from the threats, never looking back. He… He wasn’t going to eat her?
“INCAPABLE FOOLS!” Typo raged, leaping down from the platform high above and soaring towards Eero as he proceeded to race through the tunnel, shattering the floors that he tread across. A large number of Proxez pursued him, specifically those drag-racing with their chains and grapples, but such posed no threat to Eero, even as Typo himself joined in on the hunt.
Without ever looking behind him, the rumble in Eero’s chest brewed at a greater rate as he digested their positions. His tail gained a mind of its own, lashing behind him with the blade of Coruscus tearing through the Elites and Haxors like butter, coating the air with blood and crystalized mist as their bodies were ripped apart. Immediately, the party giving chase drew back as the remains of their comrades piled at their feet.
“Guess I’ve got to do everything myself!” Typo screamed, romping through the bodies of the deceased and closing in on Eero from behind as he continued to bolt down the hallway.
Once Typo got within reach, Eero sensed it, whirling around on his heels and jumping towards him with his foot outstretched, whamming Typo right in the face and propelling him back through the air so that his ghostly form slammed into his allies and brought them all to the ground.
Eero huffed in satisfaction, grinning as he watched the flustered spirit struggle to rise. He turned his back on his bested opponent, silently continuing on his run until he reached a set of stained glass doors, pushing them open with his shoulder and kicking them shut.
Confused, Mabel looked around, hardly able to believe where he took her. She had only seen this place once upon passing by, but it definitely unnerved her when she tried to think of why he brought her here.
His movements stiff and slow, Eero walked forward, his eyes ignoring every piece of Pinion’s room except for one item in particular.
He stopped before the tall blue crystal in the center of the room, staring down at its core and the iridescent waves of light flowing through its interior. Mabel’s eyes struggled to absorb the item that he was interested in, and her mind certainly could not compute why this drew him here. Still, impaired from speaking, she could only wonder without any true answer.
For what seemed like an eternity, Eero did not move, the only sound being his ragged breathing as he continued to stare at the strange stalagmite. Mabel could not help but shift her gaze to and fro, not only lost but worried as the sound of pounding footsteps began to encroach down the dark hall. What was he doing?!
Mabel’s eyes veered from the door and back to the crystal, the shock to her system being enough to make her jolt and squeal, regardless of the state of her body.
A stuffed bear stood in the heart of Pinion’s crystal, blue flames flying off of its fur and making the inside of the stalagmite glow all the stronger. The base of the crystal began to ripple with unnatural blue flames that held the hues of sapphires and aquamarines, flares of electricity entwining with the inferno and reaching out of the large stone as the translucent minerals parted, creating a tiny stairway from the center of the crystal to the now gaping spire. A deceptive, dark smile was threaded to make the bear’s lips, the eyes that of an endless abyss that destroyed any light around it, almost pulling her in by an invisible force.
She tried to move; she tried to run, but Eero kept her close, leaving her to silently cower in his chest.
Eero must have registered her distress, his eyes finding hers as Mabel’s sight began to blur, a demented, childish laughter blaring in her ears as the bear climbed up towards the peak of the crystal. “Maeve…” he said quietly, his voice low and cold. “Do you trust me?”
Mabel grunted in surprise, trying to move her body and escape but failing yet again. Maeve? What… What was he talking about? Maybe she had part of her soul, but that wasn’t her! Did he not know that?!
A cocoon of blue fire spewed out from the opening of the crystal, entrapping the two and actually causing Mable to sweat from the strength of the heat.
Scared, she looked away from Eero’s narrowed eyes as he awaited her answer, wincing as she focused on the bear, her vision flashing with frames of black. With each frame that went by, the laughter and roar of the fire became stronger, the bear appearing closer and closer to compliment the crescendo of terror both in and around her.
Setting her jaw and preparing for whatever was to come, she looked back at Eero, searching his familiar eyes and wishing that she had some reason to trust him.
Her heart throbbing as the witchcraft gained strength and the roar of the Proxez came closer, her lost eyes stumbled upon three things, one at a time, that gave Mabel her answer: The Star of David; the tattoo of Aponi; and now, a golden bracelet on his right wrist—Laelia’s.
They were still there—that meant that somewhere, Eero was too.
Whimpering as she came to her decision, Mabel commanded her mouth to open as she briefly overpowered the possessive fumes in her blood, weakly projecting the only word that she could make as she signed the deed on what could possibly be her life. “…Yes.”
With her consent given, the bear was suddenly on Eero’s shoulder, eye to eye with Mabel as he glared into her soul with his jaw gaped wide in satisfaction. The laughter rose to a deafening wail, and with one fluid motion, the bear swung its mouth down on her face, her soul and very being flying into the flames as the other dark, perilous side to the universe opened up, destroying Mabel on the spot.
*End of Book II*
-Acknowledgments-
My second book… Wow, someone pinch me because I must be dreaming! I can honestly say that starting my journey as an author and taking that giant leap of faith was one of the scariest things that I had ever done. The world isn’t always the kindest, and I am positive that everyone can relate to at least one time when they were utterly terrified about being judged. It really can eat you up, and pushing out this trilogy, I really wasn’t too optimistic about it doing well, but I have to say, for me being so young, I am truly and utterly blessed on every front.
No, I’m not only talking about my family. No, I’m not only talking about my penguin. And no, I’m not even only talking about my friends. I am talking about whoever is holding this book right now, whoever looks at my fanpages, whoever glances at my art, and even those who just mention who I am and what I have done. Support comes in endless forms, and with the wonderful help of anyone and everyone who has ever even given both me and my profession a thought, thank you, really and truly.
Some special shout-outs to those who continued to push me, especially through this first year of college when I found myself on a terrible time crunch!
Kevin (Penguin): you get the first as usual. Thank you for listening to my rants on Skype, helping me fill the plot holes, being my editor/illustrator, and keeping my head level whenever I decided to go back and rewrite something for the umpteenth time. Really, I love you with all of my heart and soul… And I know you do as well if you can somehow put up with me. Penguins forever!
Current and former Franklin High School Marching Panther Regiment: all of you are by far my largest support group out there! Thank you for continuing to bug me about each book because it honestly does make me move a bit faster when I’m lacking motivation—don’t want to disappoint my band family!
My parents (Marc and Colette Menichello): thank you for continuing to support my longshot of a dream and put up with my many hours of silence when this book consumes my life. I love you both for all that you do and so much more; it took me a while to realize it, but thank you f
or always looking out for me…
Isabella: you are a crazy young lady, but I still could not have done any of this without you! Thank you for always lending an extra hand and for being a major support beam, as well as a lifelong friend and role model.
Alex Bumgarner: thank you for allowing me to use your poem (463-464). It is truly beautiful, and I adore the message. You better make this world a better place and continue to chase your own dreams as well!
Again, thank you everyone for all of your support, and keep a look out for the conclusion of the Twisted Trilogy, “In Eden’s Shadow,” in 2018! Stay twisted!