“And there you have it,” Hatchet announced, “The winner is Veronica of Class Neptune.”
Jonas was stunned. Spoiled brat Veronica stood before him as a disciplined sorceress. If she was here to help defeat the calamity, then without a doubt, they’d succeed. Jonas hoped this was the case.
“Pila already decided,” Zeus said as he approached the podium minutes after all classes settled in their corners. “She’s eliminating Ceres of Class Neptune, Sif of Dragon, Axis of Ark, Sol of Fire. That is all. Dismissed.”
That night, Jonas’s thoughts refused to let him sleep. He felt very disappointed that he couldn’t catch up to Veronica after the test. There was so much to ask. He felt bad for Sif’s departing, a great friend trapped by an unfortunate fate. Finally, he couldn’t take his racing thoughts and hurried to the balcony.
Medusa was sitting. “You sure took your time,” she said.
“I’m sort of confused and conflicted at the same time,” Jonas said as he sat next to her. She looked at him, her red eyes seeming to peer into his soul.
“Let me guess. It’s about the test.”
“It’s more than that. It’s about—”
“The prodigy girl,” Medusa finished. “I’ve heard about the matches. She a friend of yours?”
“She’s from my village,” Jonas said.
“Your village is producing quite the troublemakers. That girl may be breaking destiny. The night air tells me something radiates from her, a power on par with the Twelve.”
“That–that’s impossible! How?”
“You’ll have to ask her that,” Medusa said. “The power could be a gift from someone, or as natural as yours. You and I will eventually have to face it. There is no running from it.”
“But . . . if she’s here, maybe she’s going to help stop the calamity,” Jonas said.
“Let’s hope so,” Medusa said.
Chapter 41
“nitwit, wake up!”
Jonas jumped to the voice of the panicked lemming, early morning. The eruption of a large explosion made him jump again. His heart pounded heavily.
“What’s going on?” Jonas bellowed.
“The palace is under heavy attack. All candidates are to go to the arena now.”
“Is it the Sabers?” Jonas asked as he quickly dressed.
“Probably, and in a large group. Zeus will have no problem wiping them out. Just go to the arena and wait until you’re told by an instructor that it is safe to return to your room. I have to meet with the other lemmings, so I’m trusting you to get there on your own.” Lare flew toward the door only to stop. “Open this please.”
“How do you get in here anyway?” Jonas said as he opened the door.
“Athena usually opens it for me but closes—never mind that; get to safety.”
Jonas hurried to the latrine and cleaned up. Despite Lare’s warning, he knew that Fragment would protect him. The urgency to run out in the open didn’t overcome him.
After washing his face, Jonas grabbed Fragment and left the room. As he walked the empty hall that would eventually lead to the arena, he felt something. This feeling was like fear, night, darkness, despair, hatred, frustration, and death all in one mixture. Jonas stopped as he noticed something strange. The floors turned black. Millions of black roses spawned out of the walls like parasites, creating hundreds of tiny cracks. He turned around and saw two people. One was a tall man with long, black hair, dressed in black robes. He felt nearly all of darkness itself oozing from the vibes of this man. He had to be extremely dangerous. The other person was a beautiful girl with long, blonde hair. Jonas’s eyes didn’t miss her bat-like wings.
“So it is true; a human has gotten ahold of the Holy Sword,” the man said in a nonchalant voice.
Chapter 42
“Who are you?” Jonas challenged, his hand gripped tightly on Fragment’s handle. The man chuckled.
“I am rather intrigued that you, a mere human, has not collapsed from my aura. Maybe the curse has weakened me more than I thought.” The man shook his head. “Jonas Ariel, I am what your kind call the Grim Reaper.”
“Abaddon,” Jonas said.
“Let’s make this easy,” Abaddon said. “For impressing me, give me the sword and you will live.”
Jonas unsheathed Fragment. “Like hell I will.”
“Flow.”
The girl unsheathed a familiar, jagged, black blade and dashed after Jonas. He blocked her first two swings and attempted to counter. Flow predicted his attacked, moved back, and pointed her sword at him. Jonas knew magic approached and took aim. He fired lightning. Flow fired a jagged beam of magic as dark as midnight. The magic exploded upon contact. Jonas followed his attack by firing several blue magic bursts. Flow dodged them all.
“Flow, I know you’re having fun, but we’re short on time. Stop teasing him.”
Flow darted at Jonas and swung her sword. Had Jonas blocked a half-second late, he knew that would’ve sliced him in half.
“This is a waste of time,” Jonas said. He knew Abaddon was the true threat. If he claimed to be weakened by some curse, now was the time to end him before he rose to be an even bigger threat. Jonas sidestepped Flow, kicked her to the floor, and then raced toward Abaddon. He placed as much strength as possible into his swing. An unthinkable thing happened. With just a single hand, Abaddon blocked Fragment. The blade didn’t so much as pierce his skin. Aghast, Jonas’s eyes widened as he held the sword in place. He didn’t have much time to think, Flow nearly stabbed him in the back. Jonas blocked just in time. Flow attacked Jonas very fast and relentlessly, keeping him on the defenses. Abruptly, she knocked Fragment out of his hands.
They both watched—Jonas in horror—as Abaddon picked it up.
“At last.” He lightly laughed. “After years of searching for it, for fate to give me another chance at life.” He stabbed his arm without flinching. Black blood oozed from the wound as Abaddon pulled out the blade. The wound immediately healed. “Flow, I can feel the curse lifting, but it will take a little time to completely fade. That wretched White Witch put too much time into the seal.” Abaddon’s gaze lowered at Jonas. He grew pale, his knees weakening from the weight of Abaddon’s overwhelming power. It flowed through the air like a poisonous gas. Though Abaddon claimed his powers were not fully revived, Jonas did not feel confident enough to stand up against him by himself. “Despite getting caught in the middle of titan affairs, you still killed Aaron. Blood for blood. Prepare yourself.” Jonas grew even paler, his hands naked without Fragment. He would surely die.
“Call it,” a feminine voice whispered. “Take back your sword!”
Jonas held his hand into the air and yelled, “Fragment, return to me!”
Fragment vanished and then reappeared in the grasp of Jonas’s raised hand. Fragment’s power engulfed him in its possession, producing surrounding light that outlined Jonas.
“Flow, toss me your sword,” Abaddon ordered. She obeyed. He caught it with one hand. “Even a mere human could use a suitable ending. Death by the Grim Reaper’s hand is yours.”
Chapter 43
The blades of Jonas and Abaddon created a clash so tremendous that glass from nearby picture frames, vases, and windows burst. The walls shook with the fury of one million earthquakes. Air pressure in the hall felt amplified, as if growing heavier by the second.
Jonas’s face trickled with sweat and exhaustion, despite Fragment’s Possession. He hurled three lines of lightning at Abaddon.
Abaddon swiped each bolt away using a single finger. Jonas found himself at that moment barely blocking his sword. He couldn’t avoid the kick that followed. Before Jonas could muster the strength to stand, he felt five simultaneous stabs in his arms, legs, and neck. However, Abaddon still stood in the same place. Jonas could still move. He didn’t see any blood. The pain, however, felt real. Abaddon walked toward him, still expressionless. Jonas, realizing that fighting the Grim Reaper was a terrible idea, backed away. Abaddon stopped.
“It is too late to lose your will to fight,” he said. “Did I not offer you one chance to live? If you must die, die with dignity, not like a coward.”
Jonas took a deep breath and let out a battle cry, charging Abaddon. Lightning spiraled from Fragment as he swung. Abaddon blocked the attack and the two clashed, swing after swing. Jonas decided to try another attack. He pulled back Fragment and swung at the air, unleashing a blue magic burst. It smashed into Abaddon. He simply shook his head.
“I’m a bit disappointed. You could attempt to ask for a power that you think can kill me, but the second you try, you’ll be dead. As if I’ll let that happen.”
Jonas gulped. Could he be alive simply because Abaddon allowed him to live?
“You used to be the Grim Reaper, right? Jonas said. “Did you lose your title over a thirst for power? Even if you kill me, karma’s going to come back to you in the form of Zeus annihilating you.”
“You speak out of pure ignorance,” Abaddon said softly. “A human who is caught in something over his head, asking for answers at the sight of death. You remind me of someone who fears not death. I guess that’s why I haven’t killed you yet. I may be a little amused.”
Abaddon held a hand into the air. Swirling colors of white and black electricity-like magic danced madly across that hand. The magic towered Jonas—the size of seven men. He could feel intense heat flowing from it. “Do not bother running. Not even Zeus can escape this.”
Jonas knew running was pointless. Instead, he said softly to Fragment, “Please provide a way to overpower that.” No response. “Fragment, I beg of you.” Still no response. The answer Jonas feared at that moment was that his own strength could not overpower Abaddon’s magic.
“I’ll make sure to find you in the land of the dead and throw you into hell.”
Suddenly, Abaddon’s magic ceased, every trace of it gone. “That wretched White Witch. Well, it matters not. There’s no need to overkill you.”
Before Jonas could react, he found himself gasping in pain as Abaddon’s blade slid through his chest. He felt tearing as the blade was removed. “Quite a waste for a human that fears not death. Good-bye.”
No. No. No. Jonas refused to fall, coughing blood, losing breath rapidly. He weakly aimed Fragment at Abaddon. A miracle nearly happened. He unleashed enough lightning to cover fifty men. The blast hurled Abaddon backward, but he still caught his balance, fifteen feet from Jonas.
“Fragment . . .” He didn’t finish his sentence. Fragment had already closed his wounds. The great pain still beat upon Jonas, swirling his insides, making him feel sick.
“That sword was always good at making the impossible happen,” Abaddon said as he walked toward Jonas.
“Damn,” Jonas whispered. “I can’t keep fighting him.”
“Lord Abaddon, Zeus and his titan lackeys are very close!” Flow yelled.
Abaddon cursed under his breath. “Very well, I have what I came after.” He looked at Jonas. “You may be useful as a warning, kept alive. Remember this, boy. We are forever bound. I will always find you and kill you, in whatever realm you hide.” Flow and Abaddon vanished right before his eyes, leaving Jonas with more relief than he could handle.
“Jonas Ariel, just why are you not at the arena?” Zeus said. Jonas sat down and explained the encounter. “This is . . . he sacrificed them all just to distract us.”
Jonas stood up, enraged. “With all due respect, Your Highness, we need more guards at every corner of the palace. I thought I would die for sure. I know I’m human, and many of you care not for my well-being, but—”
“Calm down, child,” Zeus interrupted. “I agree with your suggestion and will recall Ares’s men to patrol the palace. And do not feel as if you’re uncared for just because you’re human. You and that girl are the most powerful humans I’ve ever met. Not even sorcerers could do what you do. Jonas Ariel, you nobly faced trials of fate and survived them so far. You literally looked death in the eyes and still stand before me. You are on your way to becoming a legend.” Zeus turned to the instructors that stood at attention behind him. “Take him to his room and make sure he’s healed. I will search the palace one more time for any intruders.”
Chapter 44
Jonas slowly walked through a field of black roses, covered in a bloody mist, hope nonexistent. The sky was but an empty void of white nothingness. The air still. Flames appeared on the roses and danced across the field. Jonas saw him standing, wearing a black cloak, holding a scythe, his face barely visible. Abaddon’s dark, almost unseen gaze paralyzed him.
“I will always find you, and I will always kill you,” he said softly. “I will pull your soul from the land of the dead and drag it to hell.” A grotesque hand emerged from the ground and clutched his leg.
Jonas’s eyes snapped wide open, his face covered in cold sweat. He looked around, sighing in relief at the sight of his room. The full moons’ rays illuminated his room through the window. Jonas did not want to go back to sleep. He headed to the balcony. Medusa stood on top of the rails as if she debated whether to jump or not.
“I see you’re craving danger again,” Jonas said.
Medusa climbed down. “You’re the one to talk.”
Jonas laughed. “Maybe you’re right. I crossed swords with Abaddon and somehow lived.”
Jonas hoped for a reaction from Medusa, but she remained expressionless.
“It is hard to believe that you are simply human,” Medusa said, “yet you are. Not a drop of titan blood can be found within you.”
“A lucky human I am,” Jonas said. “I know I asked about Abaddon before but . . .” He paused “What will happen if he gets all of his power back?”
Medusa reacted this time, her eyes widening, face flushed. “Did he break the White Witch’s seal?” she asked.
“He did, using Fragment,” Jonas said.
“Fragment?”
“That’s the name of my sword.”
“I’ve heard that that seal cannot be undone so rashly or else it may take time to gain back all of his power.”
“I see,” Jonas said. “It sickens me that he vowed to kill me with that power.”
Medusa walked over to him until they were face-to-face. “He’s pretty careless, perhaps overconfident, to not just take the sword, undo the curse at his home, and hide this knowledge. So how about this? I will help you.”
“Help me? How?” Jonas asked.
“There are many secrets to . . . Fragment. I’m sure we can find something within it that will allow you to triumph over Abaddon should he decide to come after you. If not, you will definitely die.”
“Let’s just hope that I live,” Jonas said playfully.
Medusa pulled forward as if she was about to kiss Jonas but stopped. She pulled back seconds later, whispering. “I doubt even the Great Abaddon could truly defeat you.”
Chapter 45
Three days later . . .
Jonas ate his breakfast with the uncomfortable whispers and stares of other competitors. They probably wondered how he still walked among them after crossing swords with Abaddon. The ignorant fools. If only they knew how small Jonas felt compared to Abaddon. If only they knew the feeling of being triumphed by someone who claimed to not have all of their power. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He abandoned his breakfast and stormed down the hall to his class.
“Test three will be coming up soon,” Larius said. “You might have lost once. Don’t let that discourage you.” He pointed at Able. “Do you believe you have what it takes to control Pila?”
“I do have what it takes,” Able replied. Jonas glanced at Sif’s empty seat, tuning out everything around him. Her defeat crept into his mind. He thought about Veronica, her tremendous power, which Medusa described as being on par with the Twelve. He wondered how she handled herself in this strange place. Did she face discrimination? What if something happened to her? What would he do? How would he explain the situation to the village?
“Jonas. Pay attenti
on!” He nearly jumped. Larius glared. “Look, if I’m boring you, then leave. Go back to the human world. I have no use for anyone who ignores my brilliant lectures. And being human, you know you’ll need them if you intend to survive here. Anyway, Mathis, describe the purpose of the Twelve.” Jonas swallowed as he tuned into the lecture.
“The Twelve are executioners, supposedly from the Unknown. They take orders from realm rulers to catch and kill the most dangerous criminals.”
Larius chuckled. “Well, that’s the brief version of who they are, but that will do for time’s sake and our human friend’s curiosity.”
Jonas grew nervous as the arena suddenly darkened like a blown-out torch or dimming sun. He noticed that black roses were sprouting from the walls, floors, ceiling, door, and windows, producing a true dark. Just as quickly as it came, the darkness left, and light returned. Flames licked across some of the roses. Jonas felt his heart drop as he noticed him in the center of the arena. He looked right at Jonas, eyes dark, expression of amusement, smug. The faces of Class Dragon shifted to looks of terror.
He turned to Larius. “It’s good to see you again, old acquaintance.”
“Ab . . . Abaddon,” Larius said softly.
“Worry not; I’m not here for you.”
Jonas felt cold chills as Abaddon switched his gaze to him. Miasma outlined him, like the glow of an ominous aura.
Jonas prepared to run.
Chapter 46
Jonas leapt from his seat, sprinting toward the exit as fast he could. A mystery force bashed him from the door. He landed on his back. He looked up to see Abaddon walking toward him, appearing as if he was somewhat amused.
“Jonas, get out of here. We can’t move!” Larius yelled.
Jonas unsheathed Fragment and hacked the roses from the door with one swift strike. The door opened. He sprinted into the hall, black roses covering each surface as he progressed. He stopped when he saw Abaddon appear in front of him just feet away.
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