by Yi Zhu
Suddenly, though, the matriarch’s heart froze, like the air in front of her. A barrier of ice appeared before Lucia, and blocked the path to freedom.
Chapter 31: Champion
Vince did what he was told, and kept lookout for his sister. There were a couple of times when he left Isha to stand at his post while he went to check on Lucia. He knew there was nothing to worry about, but physically seeing that his sister was okay put his mind at ease.
Little Isha was once again up to her mischief. She leaned against Vince’s side and clawed gently, hinting at the fact she wanted to be lifted. Vince shook his head in concession and picked up the girl.
Isha leaned against his chest and rested. The girl’s soft breathing felt like a gentle breeze, but also tickled just a bit.
Someone approached from the end of the alley, and Vince quickly set down the kicking and protesting Isha. The Dragon took a respectful bow as he approached. “Champion, you should get away from here. Soldiers are coming.”
Vince nodded. “I know. Don’t worry, they won’t be here for a few hours.” He looked to the east, just to make sure, and turned back, smiling.
“But you don’t understand,” the Dragon continued. “They are already here.”
“What?”
“They came from the north in force; one of our scavengers warned us, and we barely got all of the gang away in time.”
“Go get help!” Vince howled at Isha, and took off running toward the west.
The last time he had checked on his sister, Lucia was just entering a slum. He only hoped she had gotten out of there quickly. With all the speed he could muster, Vince traced Lucia’s steps.
As he ran, he noticed something hiding in a pile of crates nearby but ignored it, not willing to spare even a moment to investigate. If Lucia was in trouble, time would be of the essence.
There!
Two soldiers were standing guard outside a poorly maintained building, their weapons drawn and eyes alert. Without hesitating, Vince maintained his pace toward the open door.
“Stop!” Vince yelled, and ignored the weapons now trained on him. His eyes met that of a soldier, and recognition dawned on the man’s eyes.
“Tryout Champion,” the surprised soldier exclaimed, and they let Vince pass.
Vince went inside the building to find a man standing imposingly over Lucia and someone he guessed was the tinker.
Everyone in the room turned at Vince’s entrance, and he watched as Lucia’s expression contorted into one of horror.
“Leave!” she screamed. “You idiot! Get out!”
Vince ignored Lucia’s pleas, and stood protectively in front of his sister. “This is a misunderstanding. She is not with the tinker,” he said to the man with an Ivy Sigil brandished openly on his chest.
“I know you,” the Elite replied with amusement. “I lost quite a lot of money because of you.” He flashed a wolfish grin.
“I’ll give you money, six thousand Rudium Marks, if you let her go,” Vince pleaded.
To Vince’s disappointment, the Elite appeared completely unfazed. “And how does someone like you come into so much wealth?” he asked and cracked his knuckles.
Lucia put a hand on Vince’s shoulder. “Vince, just run,” she whispered.
Vince had never seen his sister so afraid before; he could feel her hand tremble. Part of him agreed with Lucia. This situation couldn’t possibly end well. But the Great Divide would turn pure the day Vince left his only family behind.
“Six thousand Marks. Just her,” Vince repeated, and forced himself to sound calm.
The other soldiers had all entered the room at this point, and observed the standoff curiously.
“Please,” Vince begged again, and his voice cracked.
“You competed in the Tryout,” the Elite mused to himself. “What exactly are you hoping to accomplish? Are you trying to earn this?” The man patted the Sigil proudly.
Vince’s hand sought out Lucia’s, and the siblings locked together for support.
“I have no interest in your money.” The alchemist waved his arm, and a ball of flame appeared in his hand. Without warning, he flicked his wrist, and the projectile zipped through the air, and exploded in the tinker’s face.
The unfortunate soul collapsed without a sound, already dead before hitting the floor.
Satisfied by the efficient killing, the Elite turned toward the children. Other soldiers behind him raised their weapons, and sparks sizzled near the tips of their cone-shaped alchemical devices.
“Stand aside, boy,” the alchemist warned, and another ball of flame sprang to life in his palm.
Vince felt Lucia’s strong hands attempt to shove him away, but he stood his ground. He looked at the swirling ball of fire and hardened his resolve. “No,” he declared, his voice firm and unwavering. The siblings had survived terrible odds and thrived in a world that was built on the bodies of the lower class. Now, for the first time, they had tasted the finer things in life. No matter what, Vince refused to let their future end right now.
There must be something I can do!
As Vince’s mind raced, time slowed to a crawl. He looked around frantically for a way out for the both of them. The door was too far away to make a run for it, even though the orphans were quick.
I have to buy some time, he decided.
“Please, once I graduate, I will be able to give you so much more. I’ll give you everything I earn after,” the boy offered.
The Elite shook his hand abruptly, and the flame dissipated. He opened his mouth and let out a hearty laugh. The soldiers behind kept their weapons aimed and ready, their faces impassive as ever.
Vince squeezed Lucia’s hand and turned toward her. Neither of them dared to speak, but her eyes pleaded for him to save himself. Lucia stood firm and looked as she always did, noble and wise beyond her years.
The familiar questions leapt out in Vince’s mind. “Would you save me if you could?” Minzy's voice whispered. This time, it almost sounded real.
As the Elite’s laughter continued, Vince felt Lucia’s firm embrace wrap around him. She leaned in close to his ear.
“You are such an idiot,” she said quietly.
A wet sensation spread across Vince’s shoulder as tears flowed down Lucia’s face.
Behind the siblings, the alchemist finally settled down. “Once you graduate?” he taunted. “Did you think just anyone can earn this Sigil? I have seen so many talented women settle for becoming a Specialist, and brilliant men end up Scholars. Kids like you? The past champions? Even the lucky ones only ever end up becoming Fists and joining the army.”
The Academy!
Vince whipped around and looked the alchemist in the eyes. “As a recruit, I am under the protection of the Academy.”
Instead of replying, the Elite summoned another ball of flame, one even bigger than before. “I am doing you a favor, kid.”
“What?”
“You really want to become an Elite? Well, you can’t. Do you really think an orphan without any education can catch up and master academics? And let’s assume, by some miracle, you become an alchemist, do you really think we would let you live?”
“I…” Vince’s voice quivered. He knew that no Lowborn had ever ascended to Elite status before, but Vince was determined to be different. He was going to make it, no matter the cost.
Even if they tried to come after him, Vince would survive; he always had.
“Instead of having you go through years of struggle—and believe me, it was some of the worst years I have ever spent—I’m saving you a lot of pain,” the alchemist finished with a smirk.
“Leave! Vince!” Lucia screamed out and desperately pushed against Vince’s chest.
“If it makes you feel any better,” the Elite smiled toward Lucia, “we never intended to let him leave here alive.” He turned back toward Vince. “Lucky for me, association with tinkers falls under treason. Even with the protection of Academy law, all you will be is a pile of paperwork on my d
esk.”
Having finished what he wanted to say, the alchemist waved his hand, and the flames once again surged forth.
Vince closed his eyes and tried to think even harder, as images from his life flashed through his mind.
There has to be a way!
The smell of metal filled his nostrils, as his senses sharpened. The taint of Fye was more prominent than ever.
Despite his eyes being closed, images began appearing before him. In an instant, his nightmare sprang into existence.
Chapter 32: Torment
Vince watched with horror once more, as Minzy fought for his life on the other side of the barrier. Like he’d done so many times before, Vince rushed up to the invisible wall, and prepared to push his way through. To his surprise, Vince met no resistance, and he stumbled and fell forward to the ground. When he lifted his head, Minzy stood alone and extended a hand downward to help him up.
Gratefully, Vince accepted the assistance and stood.
“Where did he go?” Vince asked.
Minzy simply returned a smile.
“What can I do? How can I save her?” Vince continued. “There must be a way.” He clawed at his sides out of frustration. “Help me!”
“Survive,” Minzy replied, the smile on his face not wavering at all.
“There must be a way to save her. We have survived everything else, damn it! All those times people were after us, when they wanted us dead!”
“Survive,” Minzy repeated.
For the first time in the nightmare, Vince noticed that he could smell. The metallic flavor lingered in his nose. “She saved me so many times. I used to be such a useless kid. Just a stupid kid who made mistakes.”
Minzy’s face remained frozen in the eerie smile.
“She got all those scars because of me. I made so many mistakes…” Vince punched himself in the legs out of frustration. “I just want to save her. I need to save her!”
Anger swelled up inside Vince, and he felt the world around him warming up.
“I’m sick of it. I’m sick of this world. What did we ever do to deserve this life? Why must we suffer? All those high-class children get to have everything handed to them!” Vince pulled at his hair. “It’s not fair! Why do they have all the power?”
Vince’s grip tightened, and he was pulling so hard that he felt his hair almost snapping. “They have all the power in the world! Yet they abuse it. They use it to get things they don’t need. THINGS THEY DON’T DESERVE!”
An image of Lucia appeared behind Vince. She looked just as beautiful and composed as the way she had earlier, when addressing the gang.
“Lucia!” Vince rushed over to her side. He reached out, but his hand passed right through her.
Slowly, Minzy moved toward the siblings and, to Vince’s horror, the Dragon enforcer ignited. Fire sprouted out of all of Minzy’s orifices, but he seemed not to notice. Slowly but surely, the burning boy continued on his grim path.
“STOP!” Vince demanded, and moved forth to intercept his friend.
A painful heat forced him to recoil.
“Stop it!” Vince repeated.
The flame moved closer.
Defeated, Vince walked next to the image of Lucia, and wept.
“Survive,” the burning apparition said once more, and reignited the anger within Vince.
“That’s all we have ever done. Survive. We are good at it; that’s all we do. All the people in this world.” Vince laughed bitterly. “That’s why we bowed to the empire, to the alchemists. All we want is to survive. Maybe that is why we never earned our freedom; we were too busy surviving.”
Images flashed across Vince’s mind. The public executions happened frequently and kept the people in line. All the adults clasping their fists in anger and whispering hints of dissent behind closed doors. Elites went around as they pleased and executed the Lowborn on nothing but a simple whim. Throughout all of it, there were always others who stood by and watched.
“The worst part … is that I’m no better,” Vince admitted. “That’s how I remembered all those horrible things. I just stood there and watched with the rest of them.”
The flame was getting closer now, and Vince felt heat all over.
“Survive,” the humanoid flame repeated with the same lifeless tone.
“Enough!” Vince screamed. “Shut up! I’m sick of surviving. FUCK SURVIVAL. FUCK LIFE. There are things worth dying for. If the world is going to kill me, then I won’t live as a coward! NOT ANYMORE! If I can’t save the world, I’ll save her!”
Vince walked forth, directly toward the flame. He reached out with both hands. Contact with the fire brought with it unbearable pain, but the boy forced himself forward. Blood dripped down from his nose as Vince inched forward. His hands changed colors slowly, except instead of burnt red, they turned a sickly gray.
“Survive,” the fire in front of him repeated in Minzy’s voice, but this time … it pleaded.
“Take my life, my friend. Let me die, but let me save her,” Vince forced out as pain shot through his entire body. “Let me save her.”
Vince collided with the burning flames and met no resistance. The fire passed through his hand, and went inside his body.
The pain was worse than anything Vince had ever experienced before in life, but the boy held on. An unbelievable amount of burning energy filled his body, and threatened to consume him. All the volatile heat boiling inside begged for release, but Vince wrestled for control. Every effort brought nothing but agony, but Vince soldiered on, as he knew this was the last thing he could do to protect Lucia. He turned to face the image of his sister, of the person more important than life itself. “STOP!” Vince howled with all his might, his cry fueled by the pain and desperation.
The world behind him turned into ice.
Chapter 33: Lucia
Vince looked back in shock at the giant wall of ice that had suddenly appeared. Reality rushed back and washed away the fragments of his encounter with Minzy. The burning sensation faded away, but the pain remained. He looked down, and realized that his skin was losing its color. Drops of crimson splattered the floor, as a spray of blood gushed out of his nose.
He turned toward where Lucia was standing, and found the same image smiling back at him.
“I did it,” he whispered and coughed out even more fluid. “Lucia, I saved—”
The image burned away, and his sister was no longer there.
“I don’t understand,” Vince said, struggling to draw breath.
Slowly, Vince turned around and looked at the scene before him. The wall of ice was melting after stopping the blunt of the explosive energy. It fell away to reveal the other side.
The Elite stared at Vince with a face frozen with shock. Soldiers behind the alchemist hadn’t fared any better, and one of them even dropped his weapon in surprise.
Vince’s vision began to blur as a ringing began in his head.
“You … awakening … what,” the alchemist stuttered, all of his former confidence and smugness nowhere to be seen.
The boy consciously fought to maintain his footing, but only managed to catch himself after stumbling forward a step. As he looked back up, his eyes beheld the image that would be etched into his mind for eternity.
There, between Vince and the alchemist, lay a smoldering corpse. No… As much as Vince wanted to deny it, part of him knew who it was and what had happened. While Vince wrestled for a solution, Lucia had dove in the path of the fire in a last-ditch effort to protect him. Somehow, when Vince had finally found a way to protect her, it was all in vain.
“Ah … I—” Vince tried to scream but couldn’t find the words. His mind raced, but could no longer find reason. The body failed all over, but it no longer mattered. Vince’s being cried out for answers, but found only rage.
Heartbroken and filled to the brim with anger, the boy looked up to meet the Elite's eyes.
For a moment, neither spoke. The alchemist was the first to regain his wits and crie
d out for action. “Kill him!”
Vince’s vision had become so unclear that he no longer knew where the others were. Something in his body began to shut down all of his organs. Part of the boy’s reason returned as the rest of him struggled to adapt. Vince knew the pain hadn’t simply faded away, but all of a sudden, he lost all sensations.
The soldiers raised their weapons, while the Elite took a deep breath. At any moment, another attack would come, and put a swift end to Vince’s suffering.
Maybe that is what I want. But they are still here, the ones who extinguished my light.
“All of you. Die.” The words floated out of the boy’s mouth, and Vince’s failing body moved to obey. Fye from every direction answered Vince’s call, and filled his already poisoned lungs.
“It’s not working!” an unfamiliar male voice said frantically, and shook his techno-gear in frustration.
A soldier. I can’t see you, but it no longer matters where you are.
Vince’s wrath manifested as a maelstrom of lightning. Without a shred of resistance, the electricity blossomed outward in all directions, and consumed everything in the room. Metallic objects crashed against one another as the machine parts all became temporarily magnetized. For a brief second, the screams of dying men echoed around the room, but were quickly drowned out by the crackling of thunder.
He didn’t know how long the burst of energy continued, but the next thing Vince knew, he was lying on the ground. Despite no longer being able to feel, Vince’s hands fumbled around, hoping to touch Lucia’s body one last time. Sadly, no matter how hard he tried, his limbs quickly stopped responding.
The smell of burnt flesh registered faintly, and Vince felt a feeling of peace wash over him. Even though his body was failing, Vince struggled to stay alive.
Let go, stupid body. You did well, now stop fighting.
A female voice flowed into Vince’s ears. “Hey! You! Don’t die! Hey!” the voice urged, and something pushed against Vince’s chest.
Go away, Lucia, stop it; we’re both dead. Just let me sleep.