by Zy J. Rykoa
Chapter Twenty-Six
The difference between good and evil is interpretation.
March 8, 997 R.E.
The air was still, the storm above strangely silent. The great tear in the sky remained, but it was cold and grey. Jaden walked slowly through the grasses of the dream, allowing them to cling briefly to him as he passed, as if to celebrate his return and let them know that he had not forgotten. He allowed energy to run free from the endobraces, causing the grasses to grow beneath him. Like them, he was still alive, and now he shared his power with them in this forsaken place, where all was a dream, but a dream he somehow felt was more real than it seemed.
He was here now to find someone—the boy with black hair who would not speak to him. He wanted to face the danger, to stand strong against the paralysing fear. He would not be a slave to it anymore. He had realised this while within the crystal's realm.
All he had to fear was himself.
The boy was a part of him, a long lost piece of his childhood. He was a symbol of what Jaden had been years before—a child, helpless in the great and unforgiving world where disaster and greed ruled. It was what would cripple him and bring him to his knees, for no matter how powerful he became, he was mortal and at the mercy of the planet and universe.
As Jaden reached the top of the hill, the boy came into view. He stood several yards behind him and waited. A slight breeze began to blow in from the sea of oil to his right. He turned in its direction to see the military unit was now far in the distance, almost invisible on the horizon. They would be nearing their next conquest while the boy simply stood and watched, unmoving, helpless to do anything more. Jaden remembered the first day after the attack, and knew he had been like this not long ago.
‘They’re going to your home, aren’t they?’ he asked.
There was no reply at first, but the boy soon turned to him, revealing his face for the first time. His features were different to what Jaden had looked like at that age. Jaden wondered why he didn’t recognise himself, or if that he had tried to hide from it so much that he had forgotten what he had been.
Tears welled in the boy’s eyes as he nodded, and then all faded away as Jaden woke to the pilot’s call.
‘Sentinel, we have arrived.’
‘At Waikor?’ asked Jaden sleepily.
‘As near as we can get. You’ll have to walk a few miles east to get there.’
Without protest, Jaden stood and jumped out of the opened helicopter door. It was afternoon, and the sun was high, but he could find shelter from its heat in the shade of the trees as he walked.
‘We will wait here for you,’ said the pilot.
Jaden paused, but did not turn to him. He faced directly east, as if he were able to see his destination from where he stood.
‘I’m not coming back,’ he said. ‘Tell General Daiyus that I am sorry.’
The pilot did not seem to have any argument as Jaden disappeared into the forest ahead, while the helicopter lifted and flew back north.
Jaden moved deep into the forest, thinking of what was to come and what he would do when he reached Waikor. He knew that his life could come to an end this day. The anger and hurt from losing Alyssa would be too strong to contain. He would exhaust himself getting the revenge he had sworn upon the Alliance so long ago. He would break the Daijuarn code, without care as he fought against those who had taken everything he had loved from him. They had first taken his home and family, and now if they had taken Alyssa, he knew that he would find no reason to hold back. A distant whisper came to mind, of a promise he had made himself when he had discovered Alyssa was still alive. He had promised he would never give in to death or suicide, as he could offer no protection deceased, and more innocent lives would be lost.
But if he had failed to protect Alyssa, despite his better judgement ... he would not be able to forgive himself.
There were constant stabbing pains in his stomach. His heart seemed to be caught in a vice that closed slowly upon it. He was desperate, in need of something, anything that would make it all stop. He began to run, as if it would allow him to escape what was inside. For two hours he did not rest, forcing himself to take the hardest routes he could find as he climbed small cliffs, swam across narrow rivers and jumped down rock ledges and over fallen trees.
He slowed when the hum of helicopter blades in motion became apparent, as well as other familiar mechanical sounds of Alliance vehicles. He knew he had to be close. Waikor was just beyond the trees. He skirted the area, trying to get as close as possible so that he could plan his attack. He avoided the fields, not wishing to be in the open for too long, and found his way to the thickest area of trees, shrubs and vines. Among them, he was able to hide the white of the Daijuarn garments, and he sat waiting, peering from a small gully behind a mess of tangled vine leaves and its host tree’s limbs.
As he had expected, there were soldiers wearing Alliance uniforms roaming everywhere, the helicopters now on his right and tanks and other vehicles lined to his left. But there was no sign of the city of Waikor. All he could see was a giant wall of grey. He searched further, trying to get a glimpse of something that would reveal his true location, but beyond the wall, even the great mountain of Waikor would have been invisible. His first glimpse came when he saw a part of the city through a damaged section of the wall. It was far from him, but an entire section had been broken down, giving the aggressors access to the inner rings and confirming that the city was in fact under Alliance control. There was no sound of gunfire or any form of resistance. The Alliance had captured Waikor as they had Callibra.
The Waikorian people would either be rounded up in its centre or dead. He had to find out which answer was true. He had to get in there himself. But he would not find a way of climbing over the wall this time, nor would he attempt to sneak in. He was powerful now, and he knew it was time to show the Alliance just what they had created in him by taking what he loved.
The endobraces ignited and he stood to run out from the vines and onto the field, but as he got up, a strong force gripped him and pulled him backward, dragging him down to the ground where he was held. Jaden struggled, fighting his attacker, but quieted as the attacker’s arm pointed just ahead of them, past the leaves. There Jaden saw the same black device and dim red light as he had outside the fort in Callibra; it was from the same type of landmine that had exploded when the guard fell onto it.
He hadn’t seen it. He hadn’t even thought to look.
His attacker had saved his life.
Soldiers came to investigate the rustle in the leaves, and a black cape was thrown over him, the one who saved his life now hiding them from the soldiers.
‘What was it?’ asked one of the soldiers.
After a long pause and a further rustling of the leaves, the other responded. ‘Just a rat.’
The two soldiers walked away, and then Jaden’s saviour spoke.
‘Don’t move.’
The voice was masculine and the accent was somehow familiar. Both of them remained completely still for some time before the man lifted the cape and told Jaden to get up.
‘Walk back the way you came, then go north.’
‘I have to get into the city,’ said Jaden.
‘You need to go north first,’ responded the man.
Jaden complied. The man had saved his life. He deserved to be listened to for now. Jaden would argue with him later.
Both made their way from the vines with Jaden leading the way. Each time Jaden attempted to turn, the man shoved him in the back, telling him to keep walking, but Jaden needed to know the man’s identity before he went any further.
‘No,’ he said, skipping two steps forward and turning to face him. Jaden was momentarily stunned as the face became clear, framed by long dark hair. ‘You!’ he shouted.
The man gave no reply as the two soldiers burst through the vines nearby.
‘Sentinel!’ they shouted.
‘Run!’ yelled the man with black hair.
Jaden now saw that there was a beast from the palace in their way, and the man had no means of defence or escape. Jaden rushed forward, using the energy shown to him by Raquel to levitate the beast and slowly push it away. It screamed as it fought to break free, but without leverage, its superior muscles were of no use. Jaden threw the beast away from them with a final burst of energy, and he called for the man to follow him. But the man’s face had turned white. Five more of the beasts had surrounded them.
‘Trust me,’ said Jaden, and he sent waves of white energy outward, pushing the beasts away and clearing the path for them as they went.
They could hear bullets being fired, most likely to make Jaden and the man think they had been seen, but the soldiers did not know that the beasts were near, and the random gunfire soon became aimed. There were screams then of man and beast alike, the Alliance soldiers walking straight into the centre of where the beasts had congregated. Orders to retreat were then shouted, and the battle continued as the gunfire moved slowly into the distance.
When he was satisfied they were safely away from the beasts and the soldiers, Jaden halted the man, refusing to go any further.
‘I know you,’ he said. ‘You were in Callibra.’
The man looked confused.
‘I saw you. You are their leader. You killed Don,’ Jaden continued.
‘I have killed no one by that name,’ said the man.
‘Who are you?’
‘Who am I, or who do you think I am?’ asked the man.
Jaden stared at him with hatred rising. ‘You gave the order. You destroyed my village. You had him killed with that weapon of light.’
‘The plasma cannon?’ asked the man, now seeming to remember something. ‘Ah, yes. You were inside the fort then.’
Jaden ignited the endobraces at the admission, causing the entire area to turn blue as white flares began to circle around them.
‘Give me one reason why I should let you live,’ said Jaden.
The man shrugged. ‘I saved your life.’
‘Give me another!’
Calmly, although puffing from running, the man walked to the side and sat down on a rock. ‘You would kill us both by doing that,’ he said.
‘This power cannot harm me,’ said Jaden. ‘Only you.’
‘Then I will tell you what you wish to know. Listen, child.’
‘Don’t call me child!’
The man put both his hands up. ‘My apologies. But, will you listen, or will you continue to threaten one who has saved your life? There is no need for this.’
‘You killed my family!’ shouted Jaden.
‘You’re giving away our position. We need to be quiet and ... without this energy. Please, take a seat. If you wish to kill me after I have had a chance to explain my actions, then so be it, but first, listen.’
Jaden was cautious, unsure of what to do. Everything now seemed a contradiction. This was the man that had been behind the attack on his village, that had given the order to kill a helpless old man. And yet the man had saved his life, spoke to him at ease and knew his language. Was it a trap? How could he not be an enemy?
‘I am unarmed, Sentinel. There is nothing I can do to you.’
The blue light began to fade as Jaden breathed, visibly relaxing and allowing the energy to subside as the forest returned to its normal colour. The man motioned for him to take a seat nearby on another rock, but Jaden did not move.
‘Or you may stand,’ said the man.
‘Who are you?’ asked Jaden.
‘My name is Alkon Zaccarah, once General of the Alliance.’
‘You gave the command,’ concluded Jaden.
‘I did what I had to do. This is war, your hands will not remain so clean for too much longer. Your home and family were doomed even without me. I’m not sure you know this, but your people were betrayed by one of your own. I was little more than the one who took the mission.’
‘You lie to me.’
‘No,’ said Alkon. ‘I have no reason to lie. If you listen, I will prove my innocence. You might even class me as a hero.’
Jaden furrowed his brows. ‘You?’
‘Yes. And even though you almost cost me my life, I still saved yours.’
‘I’ve done nothing to you.’
‘You have. Let me tell you my story. Then you can decide.’ Alkon waited a moment for Jaden’s response, and when none came, he continued. ‘It is true, I was once a general for the Alliance. I have led them to more victories than I care to count, and I was decorated for each of them. I was respected even by the High Council, and none dared challenge my authority.’
‘Then why are you here?’ asked Jaden.
‘Because, my young friend,’ said Alkon, picking up a stick next to him to start drawing in the dirt, ‘you prevented my escape. I have been trying to return home for years, that is why I accepted the mission here. It was my chance to flee unnoticed and the only safe opportunity to do so. When you entered the fort, you risked more than your own life. You risked mine and the lives of those who were helping me.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Jaden.
‘Although I am born in Ordear, my allegiance is with the nations in the east. We planned an attack on the fort in Callibra to confuse our enemy. While they repaired the damage, I was to make a quick exit. But you were being watched, and you used the same route out that I was planning to use. Do you have any idea how long it took me to make sure that tree hung over the fort? I had to pretend I was in love with trees. They thought I was mad.’
Jaden stood silently in thought, thinking back to when the fort had been attacked.
‘The black jets I saw,’ he said, ‘they were under your command?’
Alkon nodded. ‘I was to make sure the defence was unmanned, and then they would have a helicopter waiting for me not far from the fort.’
‘I saw it,’ said Jaden. ‘I thought it was a patrol sent to find me.’
‘No. I sent men after you, but that is another story. It was by luck that the High Council did not find out that I had left the fort unguarded, otherwise I would not be here before you now.’
Jaden took a seat on the rock next to Alkon, looking at what he had drawn in the dirt. It was the outline of one of the blue-flamed fighter jets that had attacked the village. Jaden recognised it only vaguely, as it had been dark when they attacked, but he remembered seeing the design of what looked to be two triangles.
‘How did you escape?’ he asked.
‘By letting an arrogant man believe in his own brilliance,’ said Alkon, now drawing another symbol in the dirt. ‘I knew it was only a matter of time before I was found out like my father. For decades we have caused the Alliance to fail without detection. But I could not risk execution, so I made them believe I was incompetent, no longer able to fulfil my role as general. It all went to plan. I knew there were men that wanted my position of power, so I used them. I was to be outcast, like my father, but my second-in-command gave the order for my execution instead.’
Alkon unlatched a compartment on his glove, revealing a
device underneath the black leather. ‘I had hoped to use this on the arrogant one, but I had a feeling I might have needed it another day. It saved my life. Do not fear, Sentinel, this weapon cannot be used against you. It needs to be recharged. I used it to get away from the men who would have seen to my execution.’
Jaden looked at the device on Alkon’s arm, but couldn’t recognise anything about it. He then tried to understand the symbol Alkon had just drawn in the dirt. It looked like a tree with a single line showing the trunk, and four curved lines for the branches. There were two dots to either side of the curved lines.
‘This is the symbol of my true nation, Arinta,’ Alkon explained.
‘So if I am to believe you, you have escaped, but what are you going to do now?’ asked Jaden.
‘Return there. If the Resistance falls at Corsec, they will need to know what I have learned.’
‘It’s a long way to walk,’ said Jaden.
‘That is why I will fly.’
‘How?’
‘By stealing a helicopter from the Alliance. I had been hiding in the trees for hours before you turned up, waiting for my chance. But I have no weapons. I needed to rely on stealth alone.’
Jaden looked ahead of them, thoughtful, absently kicking the rock he sat upon with the back of his heel. The air was silent again, without gunfire or the screams of the beasts. It seemed the beasts had helped him. They had killed many of the ones he wished dead. But it was not yet enough. He wanted to learn of Alyssa’s fate, and then he wanted to see those who had attacked Waikor die by his own hands. If they were allowed to continue, they would go on killing the innocent. Even if Alyssa was still alive, he now knew he would need to end the killer plague that was the Alliance, so that he would not have to protect Alyssa or anyone else from them.
‘I can help you,’ he said.
‘How?’ asked Alkon.
‘I will kill any who come near me. They will try to attack me. Then you can take a helicopter.’
Alkon shook his head. ‘A Sentinel cannot kill anyone, is it not against their code?’
‘I am not a Sentinel,’ said Jaden.
‘Then why would you risk your life?’
‘It is complicated. I have come to avenge the deaths of the Waikorian people.’
‘Deaths?’ asked Alkon. ‘The people of Waikor are not dead.’
Jaden turned to him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘They fled,’ said Alkon. ‘They went east. Only the Daijuar were here when the Alliance attacked.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I was in charge of the first attack,’ said Alkon, putting the stick back down. ‘I sent a trusted man into the city to speak with my allies. I said that I would allow them to defeat my army, but that they must leave as soon as they had won. I told them I would meet them along the way in exchange for this. I knew they would offer to leave transport, but I did not want to risk it. Without being able to command scouts away from where they would wait, it would have been suicide.’
‘You let them defeat you?’ said Jaden questioningly. ‘You could have been killed.’
Alkon grinned. ‘There was always a risk,’ he said. ‘Your most dangerous enemy is the one that claims to be your friend. Why would a general allow his unit to be destroyed? He would not. That is the answer even the High Council would give, no matter how much suspicion there was, as it is true, no sane man would put himself in that situation.’
‘Then you are insane,’ said Jaden.
‘I will not claim otherwise, but I will say that it is part of the fun, and I had no other choice, because of you. But you do not need to foolishly throw away your life if it is to avenge people who are still alive.’
Jaden nodded. And then his heart began to race. The people of Waikor were still alive. Alyssa was still alive. He could still get to her, to find her and stay with her. He could still save her from anything that might harm her.
‘You said you would meet them on the way,’ he said.
‘Yes, but first I will need a way of getting transport.’
‘If you promise to come back for me, I will protect you.’
Alkon considered the proposal. ‘You are not a Sentinel,’ he said.
‘I can do it.’
‘Have you ever done this before?’
Jaden shook his head.
‘Then I cannot allow it,’ said Alkon. ‘We will both end up dead.’
‘What other choice do you have?’ asked Jaden.
Alkon was thoughtful. ‘Wait here,’ he said, and quickly ran back toward the city.
Jaden wondered if Alkon was finding some soldiers to help kill him, but dismissed the thought. Alkon’s story seemed true, for now, and for some strange reason, he felt he could trust him more than anyone else in the world. He wondered if it was some twisted and evil charm he used to persuade people to do his bidding, but there was something about him, something genuine and rarely seen. He was a man of sharp wit, but he knew his place, and his heart was on the side of good, no matter how much evil seemed to be attached to his name. It sounded crazy to Jaden, but it seemed that if anyone was going to be a true friend to him, it was the man that had saved his life without need, even after he had destroyed Jaden’s home and could have been killed by Jaden for those crimes. His most recent actions and words explaining what had happened spoke much louder than his past. And with that selfless act combined with the story, Jaden was now starting to feel completely at ease. Alkon’s calm manner was contagious.
Alkon returned almost half an hour later carrying an assortment of weapons and ammunition. ‘They won’t be needing these anymore,’ he said. ‘Follow me. We should get further away first.’
‘What are we doing?’ asked Jaden.
‘You’re going to show me what you can do,’ said Alkon.
‘We could use those to get the helicopter,’ said Jaden, pointing at the weaponry.
‘And we would be shot down as soon as we took off. No. I like your idea better. You will distract them and then I will pick you up later.’
They walked for almost ten minutes before Alkon seemed satisfied with the distance.
‘We’ll start easy,’ he said, putting the weapons down on the ground. ‘Make a shield. I’ll throw these knives at you. Slowly at first, then when I am convinced you cannot be harmed, I’ll try to hit you with them.’
‘Where do I stand?’ asked Jaden.
‘By that tree would be best,’ said Alkon, pointing fifteen yards away.
Jaden took his place and ignited a white shield around him as he had seen the Daijuar do.
‘Ready?’
Jaden nodded, and the first knife was thrown. It penetrated the shield for a second, but was then thrown out of it, as if it had bounced off something inside.
‘You will need to be stronger than that,’ said Alkon. ‘Here’s a faster one.’
Again the knife bounced away, this time before it had even made its way into the shield. Alkon proceeded as he said he would, throwing them harder and faster, and soon directing them at Jaden’s heart.
Jaden was starting to pass the tests without a problem, and Alkon decided it was time to make them a bit harder.
‘How about a bullet?’ he asked, picking up one of the rifles.
‘Try it,’ said Jaden.
‘I will aim to the left of your right hand.’
Jaden nodded, and Alkon took aim. He fired a single shot to the left, but unlike the knives, it passed straight through the shield and hit a tree behind it. Jaden let the shield fall away as he realised he had failed to stop it and Alkon let his shoulders slump.
‘It was a good idea,’ he said regretfully, ‘but we may need to find an alternative.’
‘No,’ said Jaden. ‘I can do this. Try again.’
‘I do not wish to kill you, Sentinel. I have wronged you enough already.’
‘I can do it,’ said Jaden strongly.
‘Are you sure?’ asked Alkon.
Jaden nodded.
‘On
e more time,’ said Alkon, picking up the rifle again and taking aim. ‘If you fail to stop this, we will not try again. Where is your shield?’
‘Just shoot,’ said Jaden.
Alkon looked at him curiously.
‘Don’t hold back,’ added Jaden.
With a slight increase of pressure on the trigger, Alkon adjusted his aim a final time, and then collapsed it entirely. The rifle burst with bullets streaming out of it, but the sound of it firing was drowned out as Jaden became hidden behind a wall of fiery light, crackling and sizzling as each bullet struck. Alkon began to move around Jaden, firing from all directions, but no bullet was able to get through.
Suddenly Alkon found himself on his back, the gun thrown far out of his hand by a pulse of energy that had knocked him over. The wall of fire disappeared as Jaden stepped forward.
Alkon looked up at him from the ground. ‘How did you know where I was?’ he asked.
‘I could feel your footsteps,’ said Jaden, giving him a hand up.
‘How?’
‘I don’t know.’
Alkon dusted himself off as he got to his feet. ‘I have never seen a shield like that before. How did you do it?’
‘I’m not sure. I have trained under different masters,’ said Jaden. ‘They all teach something different. Now I just do what I feel is right.’
‘You have become this powerful in a few months since I last saw you?’
Jaden shrugged, ‘It’s the sickness. I think I’ve had the power for a long time, I just never knew how to use it.’
‘Quite impressive. Could it stop a grenade?’
Jaden looked at both of his hands. ‘I don’t think anything can get past it.’
‘How long can you make it last?’
‘Ten minutes, maybe twenty,’ said Jaden.
‘That should be enough,’ said Alkon. ‘But how high can it go?’
Jaden stepped back away from Alkon and ignited the shield again, making it reach fifty feet in the air as it burned through the branches and leaves above him to go even higher than the tree.
Alkon smiled widely. ‘This might just work,’ he said.
‘I will not fail,’ said Jaden, his conviction absolute.
Alkon nodded. ‘We will attack at dusk. The change of guard won’t take place for another hour after that.’
‘Shouldn’t we attack during the change of guard?’
‘Not unless you want double the number of soldiers after you,’ said Alkon. ‘I know you entered the fort during a change of guard, but they had been given orders to be at ease. We do not have the luxury of my incompetence this time. We will strike well before the change.’
‘What do we do until then?’ asked Jaden.
‘We’ll see what else you can do,’ said Alkon, and he took the pin out of one of the grenades and lobbed it high into the air toward Jaden.