Tides of Empire

by C. S. Harte

“Not for another six months. I told you, I’m fine to go on this little scouting mission.”

  “Let’s get to our rental car and out of this heat.” There was a quivering feeling in Ren’s stomach that he tried to ignore. It was his nature to worry, especially about things not in his control. He started to sweat through his white dress shirt.

  Ren turned on the ignition in the rental car and pulled out of the parking garage.

  Crystal entered the GPS information into the car.

  St. Vincent’s Hospital, Wolf Creek, TX

  She unlocked her datapad and opened the file on Kayla Odachi. Her eyes lingered on Kayla’s photo. “Have you noticed how much this girl looks like me?”

  “Yes, that thought did occur to me.” Ren showed a wry smile.

  “You don’t think that’s freaky?” She pinched her lips together.

  “I try not to think about it.”

  Crystal went through the rest of the file before turning toward Ren. “You know I thought it was odd that you would make this trip personally when so many others could have gone. At first, I thought it was because of the high level of importance of this Kayla girl.” She leaned in close. “But could it be because you see me in her?”

  Ren furrowed his brow. “That's a little conceited of you." He sighed. "Look, let’s keep this simple. We’re only here to scout. We have no idea what someone who is both an Ergokinetic and a Telekinetic is capable of doing. That’s world-breaking power and the very reason why the Jin-song exists.”

  Crystal shook her head and returned her attention to the datapad. “According to the initial accident report, the girl should be unconscious. She might still be when we get there. If we have the chance to capture, we’ll take her?”

  “No!” Ren yelled. He didn’t intend for it to come out so harsh. His eyes glanced at Crystal who seemed hurt. “Sorry, I meant, absolutely not.” He softened his tone considerably. “We don’t know the extent of her abilities, how far she has progressed with her talents, and whether she's had training. The risk is too great.”

  Crystal kept her stare forward. Silence replaced their conversation. They drove along a stretch of highway with a bright blue ribbon of flowers along the center divider. “Even after all these years…”

  “All these years what?”

  “You think you can hide something from me. I can see that you’re uncomfortable. We don’t have to talk about it.”

  They passed a dead deer along the highway. Three vultures were picking at the carcass.

  “You know I’m so proud of you, Ren Yi, Master Alchemist of the Jin-song, the man who took the Jin-song to the 21st century,” Crystal said in a delicate voice. “I still remember the little boy that would sleep in my room for a year after his brother died.”

  “Longevity Potions do wonders for your memory.” Ren slumped in his seat.

  “You know what I mean. You and the Jin-song have come a long way. You're not the only person fighting this war." She placed her hand on his thigh. "And sorry, didn’t mean to bring up Chin.”

  “No, that’s not it." Ren shook his head. "We’re almost there. Let’s stay focused.”

  Crystal nodded and remained quiet.

  Ren glanced in her direction. She looked the same as she did when she was 16, the age he lost her to Meng. For many years after, Ren avoided interaction with his Huoban and escaped the sensation of needles pricking his heart whenever he saw her. Time had not dulled the sharpness of his desires for Crystal. What he wanted to say to her, that he still loved her, could never be spoken out loud.

  In these moments of reflection, Ren often thought back to the inciting incident, the point where the combined forces of Crystal and Meng came into existence and overpowered those of Crystal and Ren. Her relationship with Meng seemed innocuous at first. They were classmates studying the same discipline. Then they were friends that enjoyed being around each other. Somehow from there, Ren's heart shattered into pieces.

  As they pulled into the hospital parking lot, an overwhelming sense of dread surged inside of him, threatening to drown him in fear.

  “You don’t look so hot.” Crystal held his hand. “What’s wrong?”

  Ren took his time breathing, trying to measure each breath. These anxiety attacks, while not as frequent as before, appeared to strike Ren whenever he felt close to losing his Huoban. “It’s just the heat.” He used a handkerchief to wipe his forehead.

  Crystal bit her lip. “I want you to tell me if something is wrong. You don’t need to protect me all the time.”

  “Maybe I’m just having second thoughts about bringing you.”

  “Is it because I’m pregnant? I told you I’m fine. Way too early to worry about that.”

  Ren looked at her while shaking his head.

  “Talk to me, Ren. You used to open up to me. I worry about you more now that you’re Master Yi instead of just apprentice Ren Yi. There’s no reason why you need to carry the weight of the world alone. I’m your Huoban. Let me shoulder some of the load.”

  Ren looked at the clock on the dashboard. “We have to get going.”

  They exited the car.

  She pulled out official-looking state IDs. “Do you think these will get us past reception?”

  He shook his head. “Let’s not talk to anyone we don’t have to. Only use the IDs if we get stopped.”

  They entered the bustling hospital. Every chair in the waiting room was occupied. The nurses and other staff seemed too busy to notice Ren and Crystal.

  “If only these people knew a supremely powerful gifted was somewhere in this building, hiding amongst them,” Ren said as he scanned the faces in the crowd.

  “Do you want to split? I’ll take the first two floors. You take the top two?”

  At first, Ren wanted to answer no. But there was a danger of being there longer than necessary. “OK. Splitting up seems optimal. We’ll meet back at the car in an hour, no matter what.”

  Crystal nodded and turned to walk away.

  Ren grabbed her hand as she did. "I mean, let's not take any chances while we're here. No more than an hour, OK?"

  "No chances, got it the first time." She smiled and pulled away from him.

  Ren headed for the stairs. A large room assignment board greeted him as he exited the third-floor stairwell. His fingers scrolled down the list as he looked for Kayla’s name. Not here. There were two Jane Does. I wonder. He headed for the first Jane Doe’s room.

  Ren knocked softly, careful not to alarm anyone inside. He removed his Texas Child Protective Services badge in case someone greeted him. No one came to the door. Slowly, Ren turned the knob to enter and closed the door after he did.

  He found two teenagers inside, sleeping. The girl in the hospital bed matched Kayla’s photo. Found you! Even with the swelling around her face, it was unquestionably her. The level five gifted. Ren grinned. His pulse quickened.

  The teenage boy in the chair next to Kayla had to be her foster brother, Tommy, according to Kayla’s dossier.

  Tommy shifted in his seat.

  Ren froze in place, holding his breath.

  He didn’t wake.

  Ren exhaled. After waiting a few seconds, Ren shadow walked to the sleeping Tommy. He removed a small capsule from his jacket pocket and broke it underneath Tommy’s nostrils.

  Tommy’s body fully slumped as if every one of his muscles relaxed at once.

  Kayla coughed but didn’t wake.

  “Let’s give us some privacy.” Ren closed the curtains around Kayla’s bed. He removed a medical kit from his jacket pocket and began swabbing Kayla’s cheeks. With a small scissor, he took a tiny lock of her hair. “I apologize for what I’m going to do, Kayla. This may be unpleasant for you.” Ren removed a scalpel from his kit. He pinched an area of skin on her forearm, intending to take a skin biopsy.

  Voices came from outside the door. Two people were talking to each other.

  Ren quickly grabbed his tools and ducked behind the hospital bed.

  The tal
king stopped. The doorknob twisted. The room brightened as more light entered.

  Ren heard footsteps heading his way.

  The footsteps stopped in front of the curtains.

  A bead of sweat dripped from Ren’s forehead. Ren watched as it splashed on the floor.

  9

  Hunted

  Ren unsheathed the Silverlight dagger. He wrapped his fingers around the ornate hilt and closed his eyes in concentration. In an instant, Ren faded from view.

  The curtains around Kayla’s bed flew open.

  “How are we doing there?” asked a deep and warm voice.

  Ren looked up at the man dressed as a doctor, presumably Kayla’s attending physician.

  The doctor grazed Ren’s leg as he shined a light into Kayla’s eyes and checked her vitals on the telemetry machine. He left after jotting down a short note.

  Ren sharply exhaled as he stood. The effects of the Silverlight dagger lasted precisely five minutes before needing a 24-hour recharge. He looked at the clock on the wall. Almost an hour had passed. Crystal could be waiting for him at their rental car. He still needed a skin biopsy from Kayla.

  A nurse came into the room. “Still sleeping, huh?” She walked to Tommy and placed a blanket on him.

  Ren took the nurse's arrival as a sign to leave. As he entered the stairway, he saw a tall, burly man with leathery skin walking up. The man had a horizontal scar on his chin. Ren instantly recognized him as General Jungsai of the White Lotus faction, one of the most ruthless gifteds in the world. Jungsai was number six on the list of the Jin-song's gifteds to avoid list, a roster dominated by the White Lotus and Golden Horde faction members.

  The stairwell shook with each step General Jungsai made. A dull echo filled the silence, growing louder as he neared.

  Ren looked at his watch, forgetting that his watch and everything worn by him was also invisible. Crap! This is not good. I’m guessing I have three minutes left. Need to hurry and get to Crystal. Jungsai would not come alone. He tasted a sourness in his mouth.

  General Jungsai turned the corner and was one flight of stairs away from Ren.

  Stunned by fear, Ren froze in place. Going back through the door from which he entered was not an option. General Jungsai had a Photokinetic in his faction. He would be suspicious if the door opened and closed by itself. Down was impossible with the wide monster taking up the entire breadth of the stairs. Ren’s only option was up. He shadow stepped to the next floor.

  General Jungsai stopped at the third floor and placed his hand on the rail. Something changed his mind. He quickly looked up and directly at Ren.

  Confused, Ren looked at his hands. Still invisible. Ren turned around to see if there was something else the General saw. Nothing, but drab hospital walls.

  What could he possibly be looking at? Two minutes left.

  Slowly, General Jungsai crept up the stairwell, like a giant predator stalking his prey.

  Ren squatted in the corner on top of the stairs, shrinking himself as small as possible.

  General Jungsai reached the top floor of the stairway. He sniffed the air.

  He knows I’m here! Ren held his breath. His skin began to tingle, an indication that his invisibility would soon fade and expose him to the monster currently stalking him.

  There’s no way I can win against him in a one-on-one fight. General Jungsai was a Megethoskinetic, a sizeshifter. He could expand or contract his body size at will. The immense size also meant greater strength. The Jin-song recorded videos of General Jungsai collapsing entire buildings by himself.

  In Ren’s pocket was the DNA sample of a supremely talented, Level 5 gifted. The Jin-song had never encountered one before let alone taken physical samples of her biology. Kayla’s genetic code represented a possible shifting of the tides of the battle against gifteds. Ren had to find a way out at any cost.

  General Jungsai stood motionless as a bright yellow aura enveloped his body. Within seconds, he expanded to three times his previous size.

  Did he get bigger or did the stairwell get smaller?

  General Jungsai reached out in Ren’s direction with his mammoth hands. Had Ren been standing, General Jungsai would have crushed his skull.

  Ren began feeling lightheaded. The invisibility was wearing off.

  The door beneath them opened. Two females voices came through, a mixture of talking and laughing, unaware of the giant monster lurking above them.

  Ren used the distraction to escape from General Jungsai by leaping over the railing. He landed on the first floor and rolled to a stop. A shot of pain surged from his ankles. Sprained. He looked up to see General Jungsai rumbling down the stairs.

  The two female voices screamed as he stormed past them.

  Fighting through the agony, Ren pushed himself up and hobbled out of the stairwell. The only thought on his mind was Crystal. His Huoban was in immediate danger. He was driven by an overwhelming desire to find her. The White Lotus always traveled in groups.

  As Ren hopped onto the hospital parking lot, he saw a woman dressed in black leaning against his car. How did they know we were here?

  Ren crawled underneath a white SUV. At that moment he saw his Huoban, lying on her back, unconscious, an apparent wound to her head, blood pooling around her body. “Noooo…”

  A black boot rested on her chest.

  Ren clenched his fist. His nostril flared as his eyes widened. I'm going to kill these gifteds.

  Just as Ren was about to reveal himself, he felt the ground vibrate.

  General Jungsai ran past Ren’s hiding spot, straight toward the woman in black.

  Ren crawled and sneaked his way toward them, stopping two cars away from their conversation.

  “Did you find Kayla?”

  “No. Someone else is here,” General Jungsai sneered.

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know. A Photokinetic, I think.” General Jungsai tapped Crystal’s body with his foot. “Who’s this?”

  Ren gritted his teeth.

  “I thought it was Kayla at first. She looks a lot like her. But then I realized that’s impossible since Kayla was in a car accident. Her ID says she’s some state social worker.”

  “She looks like Kayla. It’s an incredible coincidence. Too incredible. Don’t you think, Kendra?”

  “I don’t know. We should bring her just in case.” Kendra crouched down and stared into Crystal's face. “Did Kayla have a twin?”

  General Jungsai scooped Crystal into his massive hands before throwing her over his shoulder. “If she doesn't know anything, we can just kill her.”

  “I agree.” Kendra stood up from her crouch.

  No! Ren had to stop them. Two gifteds. What to do? What can I do… His hand grazed his jacket pocket, reminding him of Kayla’s DNA sample. But if I try to save Crystal, I might lose what we came for. A small, sliver of a chance to save Crystal versus the potential future of the Jin-song. She’s my Huoban. I swore that I would protect her no matter what. That is the principle the Jin-song was built upon.

  Ren pulled out three silver vials from his vest.

  Ice Philter.

  Fire Philter.

  Geo Philter.

  Not enough. None of these would be enough against two gifteds. And not by himself. Certainly not against General Jungsai. But I have to try. She’s my Huoban! She’s carrying a child! I’ll be saving two lives! Ren held Kayla’s DNA kit in his hands. Kayla Odachi, a gifted that could ironically be the savior of the Jin-song.

  Never once in Ren’s life had he been reckless. Daring, bold, but never reckless. Reckless implied crossing a line that could not be uncrossed. Yet, Ren stood at the edge of that line with one foot hovering in the air. At stake, the life of his Huoban versus the potential lives of every Jin-song Warrior.

  There was only one rational choice to make, but Ren loved her. He always had. She was there for him when his brother died. She was there for him in all his most important life events. He was not there for her wedding to Meng. I was a
coward then. Ren made an oath to Crystal when they passed the Kaoshi and chose each other as Huoban. He pledged his life to her. Ren’s face hardened. If she’s going to die today, she will NOT die alone.

  General Jungsai was the sixth most powerful gifted according to the Jin-song database.

  It doesn’t matter.

  Kendra defeated Crystal, a powerful Jin-song Warrior.

  It doesn’t matter.

  The DNA sample in his pocket was crucial for the long-term survival of the Jin-song.

  She’s my Huoban. I love her…

  He uncapped the Ice Philter and drained the cerulean blue liquid.

  He uncapped the Fire Philter and downed the entire crimson red liquid.

  He uncapped the Geo Philter and guzzled the entire sepia brown liquid.

  Reckless.

  Ren dropped to his hands and knees as his vision turned black. He held in a scream as every muscle in his body contracted to the point of tearing. Every inch of his skin alternated between the sensation of burning and freezing. So much pain. Ren wanted death to be near. He dropped to the ground as his body went limp.

  After a few seconds, blue veins of light spiderwebbed along the left side of his body. Brilliant scarlet capillaries blazed along the right.

  His left hand pulsated with an azure and white light. His right fist flared with a red and orange light. His feet glowed yellow with ribbons of amber and bronze twisting along his legs. Ren’s vision suddenly returned. Movement restored to his limbs. He placed his icy left hand on a nearby car and helped himself up. A layer of ice spread along the exterior like a fast-moving glacier.

  Ren raised his hands to his chest and squeezed them into a fist. Each hand intensified in color and brightness. He felt an energy that he never thought possible to experience. “Fascinating,” he whispered to himself.

  General Jungsai stood 100 feet in front of Ren with Crystal hanging over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

  I can do this. I can save her.

  10

  Nihilikinesis