by C. S. Harte
Five minutes. All the time Ren had before his Chi Philters wore off. He set the timer on his watch and exhaled. I can do this. I’m going to save her. Ren surged from his hiding spot. His arms and legs rippled with a prismatic energy, casting an iridescent glow on the surrounding parked cars.
A third gifted, a female dressed in white joined General Jungsai and Kendra. They grouped around a cedar tree and watched as a white light poured out of the new gifted.
A portal summoner. She's going to open a portal… Ren sprinted toward his enemies.
“STOP!”
They ignored Ren and continued as if Ren was meaningless in their eyes.
Ren had seconds before Crystal could no longer be saved. “STOP!”
The portal summoner began the motions of opening an ASP. Kendra stepped forward and stood in between Ren and the others. Her face carried a blank expression. General Jungsai had his back toward Ren with Crystal still draped over his shoulder like a hunter with his prized kill.
It was brief, but Ren saw Crystal slightly lift her head. She’s not dead… If I can just reach her... With his right hand, he sent a river of fire at Kendra.
The fire bloomed around her, engulfing her entire body in flames.
One down. Ren ran past the smoldering conflagration when an arm stuck out of the fire and clotheslined Ren to the ground.
Ren rolled backward as he landed, then struggled to get up. What? How did she… He grimaced as he positioned himself into a fighting stance. His forearms were still blazing with blue and red energy. He looked at his watch.
Four minutes left.
The flames disappeared off Kendra’s body as if her skin was impervious to fire.
The portal summoner gestured for General Jungsai to step through the ASP.
Think! What can I do? With his left palm, Ren shot orbs of ice at Kendra.
She stood still as if she knew Ren couldn’t harm her. The ice orbs exploded upon impact, creating a flurry of snow and frost.
Without looking back, General Jungsai casually stepped into the portal, taking Crystal with him.
“No…” Suddenly, Ren was the one frozen in mind and body. Part of him knew that could very well be the last time he would see his Huoban.
“Kendra, meet us at the rendezvous point when you finish with him,” said the portal summoner.
Kendra raised her arm without looking away from Ren, acknowledging her instructions.
A second after the portal summoner cleared the edge of the ASP, it shrunk to the size of a marble and vanished.
At that moment, Ren’s legs went weak. He wanted to die or at least a part of him did.
“Were you worried about your friend? We promise we’ll take great care of her,” Kendra said with a smirk.
Three minutes.
He still had a chance. If I could capture Kendra, I can interrogate her or exchange her for Crystal. Renewed hope fortified Ren’s resolve. “You think we’re weak because we don’t have talents. We outnumber you tens of millions to one.” Ren pulled his shoulders back and puffed his chest. “And we fight till we die. I will show you what it truly feels like to crash against a wave.” The three elemental auras around his limbs flared with more intensity as if matching the level of his determination.
Kendra slowly walked toward Ren seemingly unfazed by his display of bravado or Chi energy. Her face had an expression of amusement. “You’re Jin-song? Haven’t we exterminated you by now?” Her lips curled into a smile as she laughed. “Here I thought you were a gifted. You little rodents are funny. You think that by drinking your little Philters, you have a chance against us. Against me.”
Each word out of her mouth pushed Ren further along the edge of rage. You people. That was always how gifteds looked at non-gifteds. Different. Inferior. Existing only for their amusement.
Ren blasted Kendra with a solid beam of ice. It struck her squarely in the chest, yet she didn’t flinch.
She started to yawn. “I have to kill you now. The only reason why your death will be quick is that I have somewhere to be.”
Two minutes before the Philters wore off.
Ren held out both palms. Orbs of ice and fire exploded from his hands in quick succession.
Using her forearms like a shield, Kendra absorbed every pulse.
Ren growled as he charged at Kendra. Elemental orbs continued to stream out of his palms as he sprinted. As he neared, Ren jumped into the air and delivered a dragon kick directly at Kendra's chest. Streaks of amber swirled around Ren’s legs, giving the appearance of a bronze comet shooting toward her.
Kendra's stoic face cracked for the first time. She backflipped twice, landing in a crouch, and slammed her palm into the ground. A black aura emanated from her body, enveloping them both. The parking lot, the cars, the trees, and the entire sky faded into darkness.
Only the glow from Ren’s Chi-infused body provided illumination in the impossibly dark, empty world. He could barely make out his opponent.
“What did you just do?”
“Does the darkness scare you?” Kendra snickered. “It should.”
Ren searched his memory for any talent that could explain this effect. There’s no way she could be an Essokinetic. She would be on the level of a Creatore! Maybe she could be some type of Illusionist. That doesn’t explain how she can absorb my Chi attacks… From a lining in his jacket, Ren removed a glass dart filled with an emerald gas. After shooting a series of ice orbs as cover, Ren threw the poisonous dart at Kendra.
She caught the dart which instantly broke in her hand. Poisonous gas began spreading, covering her in a swirling green cloud.
“Jin-song and their toys. Cute.” She laughed as the mist dissipated around her. “What else do you have for me?”
Ren unsheathed his Silverlight dagger. He charged at Kendra again and slashed at her with a combination of high and low attacks.
She deftly danced around every swipe. “Is this how the Jin-song fight? It’s a wonder you’ve been around this long.”
Ren’s attacks began to slow as his limbs felt like they were wrapped in lead. His lungs burned.
“You looked a bit winded,” Kendra said with a smug face.
Ren dropped to one knee and looked at his opponent. His chest was heaving. Absence of light. Chi energy completely absorbed. The air feeling thin. Only one talent can erase matter and energy like this gifted can. “You’re a Nihilikinetic. A Voider.”
Kendra clapped twice. “Congratulations. You’re just slightly above stupid. Too bad you figured this out too late.” She began walking away. “Enjoy the few breaths of life you have left.” She turned around to show a wry smile. “And know that your Huoban will die a painful death as we torture and take her apart piece by piece as your kind so fondly loves to do to us. Except, she will be alive when we start dismantling her.”
“No…” Ren could barely muster the breath to speak. He read about a Voider once in the Jin-song Analects. There was no strategy to fight a Voider other than to run. The Jin-song classified them as Level 4, a tier below Creatores — gods walking among mortals.
Kendra continued moving away into the darkness. Only a faint outline of her remained.
Ren stared as she grew fainter with each step. His chest felt tighter and tighter. This can’t be the end. Think, Ren. A Voider absorbs all matter and energy. How do you fight someone like that? Ren thought back to his strategy and war classes.
To beat a superior opponent, you must be unpredictable.
There were only seconds left on his Chi Philter. He began to feel the side effects of dizziness and nausea. His muscles felt tight, on the verge of cramping.
How much can she nullify at once? With his last bit of strength, Ren chased after Kendra, alternating streams of fire, ice, and earth with his hands and feet.
A barrage of blue, scarlet, and amber orbs zoomed at Kendra, like shooting stars against a darkened backdrop. She absorbed the first volley with ease.
Ren was relentless in his onslaught.
Ren continued firing orb after orb even as his lungs emptied of air and his muscles roared in agony.
The fifth wave finally broke through.
One fire orb struck her in the face.
He had one volley left in him as his timer ticked down. With all his remaining strength, Ren fired his last ounce of Chi reserves at Kendra.
Like cluster bombs, Ren heard a series of explosions as each projectile hit launching Kendra backward from the point of the blast.
The cloak of darkness quickly faded.
Ren dropped to his knees as the view of the parking lot returned. After a few seconds, he collapsed onto his back and looked up into the sky. His chest stilled burned as air rushed back into his lungs.
The sky blazed with bittersweet shades of orange and red as the last remnants of sunlight seared across the sky.
“Crystal…” Ren whispered as he tried to turn on his side. He failed in saving his Huoban. Tears flowed from the corner of his eyes.
The scorched remains of Kendra crawled away from Ren on her belly, leaving a trail of blood as she dragged herself away.
Ren’s body no longer responded to his will. His eyes felt like lead curtains as he tried to keep them open. With no strength left, Ren conceded and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry… Crystal,” he whispered as the world once again returned to darkness.
11
A Song for the Past
A bloodraven sat outside Ren’s infirmary room window. In between careful preening of its iridescent ruby red feathers, the bloodraven warbled a melodic song, rousing Ren from his week-long sleep.
Slowly at first, Ren’s eyes fluttered open. An empty feeling dispersed inside his chest, filling his heart with a sharp ache. His arms and legs felt heavy and tight. Any attempt to lift his head and shoulders resulted in throbbing pain and instant fatigue.
I’m in the Jin-song infirmary. How did I get here? It took all his strength to turn his head toward the window. He saw his faithful assistant Xie asleep by his side. “Xie…” Ren said in a hoarse voice.
Xie woke and jumped at the sight of his master finally conscious. “Master!” His eyes grew wide. “You’re awake!” He started to cry. “I’m so sorry. You should have let me gone with you. I knew I should have gone with you.” The words continued to stream as fast as his tears.
“Stop, Xie.” Ren tried to move his hand toward Xie, but his arm did not follow his command.
As if understanding his master's intentions, Xie reached for his master’s hand and held it with both of his.
“It’s not your fault.” Ren squeezed his apprentice’s fingers. “How did I get here?”
“We came after you when you didn’t check in. We found you in the hospital where you fought. Don’t worry. We erased all records of you ever being there, video and all.”
Ren blinked his acknowledgment. “How long have I been unconscious?”
“A week, Master.”
"A week?" Ren sighed. “There was another gifted. A female, dressed in black. Her name was Kendra.”
“We didn’t find any gifteds.” Xie lowered his forehead to Ren’s hand. “Please, Master. Don’t be so reckless in the future. You took three Chi Philters at once!”
“They captured… Crystal,” Ren said, finding the words difficult to speak.
“We know, Master. Meng has been leading the search for her.”
“Meng…” Ren prolonged his blink. “How is he…”
“He’s very angry with you, Master. But we don’t know what happened. We were waiting for you to wake and tell us. We found scorch marks all over the parking lot where you fought. The pavement was torn up like a bulldozer went through and demolished everything. What… What happened?”
Ren sighed. “I fought a Nihilikinetic.”
“A Voider?” Xie gasped. “And you survived? Wow, Master!” He exclaimed with a raised chin.
“Are you sure you didn’t find her body?”
“We’re sure, Master.”
Ren tried again to lift his head, but a staggering pain forced him back down. “Can you help me up?”
Xie gently placed his hands underneath his master’s head and upper back.
Ren scrunched his face in agony as Xie lifted him. “Any leads with the search for Crystal?”
Xie hung his head. “No, Master.”
A tear fell from Ren’s eye.
Xie began crying again. “Don’t worry, Master Yi. We’ll find your Huoban,” he said.
Ren shook his head. He knew they wouldn’t. The White Lotus most likely tortured and killed her by now, the doomed fate of every captured Jin-song Warrior.
A knock sounded at the door.
Xie went to open it but closed it immediately.
“It’s Meng,” he whispered. “What should I do?”
Ren rolled his eyes. “He obviously saw you, let him in.”
Xie opened the door and gave an awkward smile at Meng.
Meng entered and said to Xie, “Give us some privacy.”
Xie looked at his Master while shaking his head.
Ren nodded at Xie.
Xie bowed to his master and then to Meng as he left.
“How are you feeling?” Meng said as he sat in the chair next to Ren’s bed. He promptly buried his head in his hands while releasing a deep exhale.
Ren didn’t answer and waited for Meng to ask the questions truly pressing on his mind.
They stayed silent, listening to the bloodraven singing its sad melody. After a few minutes, the bird suddenly flew away as if it had fulfilled a duty.
“Tell me what happened. Every detail.”
Ren took three deep breaths forcing air into his lungs as if doing so would make him inclined to talk. It didn't work. He wasn't ready. Not now, perhaps not ever, certainly not to Meng. Crystal always wanted the two to be friends. Ren forced his lips to move, his tongue to speak. He began his story from the beginning of the fateful day, repeating every word spoken as best as he could recall. Each detail a haunting reminder of how he failed his Huoban.
Meng had a tightness around his eyes as Ren relayed his story. He nodded at some of the details, shook his head at others. When Ren finished, Meng didn’t speak. He lowered his chin and sighed.
Ren avoided eye contact with Meng. He wanted to apologize and console him for his loss, but his own grief felt just as insurmountable.
“You knew she was pregnant.” Meng stood and walked to the window. He stared down into the courtyard below where the peonies were in full bloom. From his vantage point, the flowers looked like a carpet stitched from rainbows. “We didn’t want to tell anyone just yet. Not until we knew the sex of the child.”
Ren turned his head to look at Meng. “I’m sorry.” The words came out quiet, like a breath.
“It didn’t seem like there was much else you could have done.” Meng interlocked his fingers and rested them behind his head.
“I could have tried harder.” Ren balled his hand into a fist. “I’m still alive. And she’s…” He lacked the courage to finish the sentence.
“Look, you might be seeking my forgiveness.”
Ren closed his eyes.
“And you’re not getting it.”
Ren felt his heart drop.
“You don’t need it. You fought a Nihilikinetic and survived. Level 4s can wipe out a whole legion of Warriors. You fought one alone and survived. You brought back a DNA sample of a potential Level 5.”
None of that seemed to matter to Ren. There was only numbness inside. It was as if part of him died along with Crystal. He remembered the feeling of his heart stopping when he saw General Jungsai enter the ASP with Crystal draped over his shoulder. He remembered seeing her head lift, pleading for him to save her. The last part didn’t happen since she was unconscious, but it seemed like it did to Ren.
“You know she loved you, right?” Meng went back to staring out the window. “In a different way, of course. S
he always worried about you. Even when you became Master Alchemist. Maybe even more after you did. You have a bad habit of putting the world on your shoulders. There are others in the Jin-song willing to fight, die, whatever it takes for our cause.”
The challenge in front of Ren was to rescue Crystal. Or at least retrieve her body. His thoughts locked on that singular goal. “They probably took her to their base in Hong Kong.”
Meng shook his head. “We’ve been watching their base. She never passed through. I don’t want to admit this either. But we know what happens to captured Jin-song Warriors.”
* * *
After a few of healing sessions, Ren returned to his duties as Master Alchemist. The battle with the Nihilikinetic illustrated the gap of power between the gifteds and Jin-song. If there were to be any hope of one day achieving the Great Victory, Ren understood the Jin-song needed to modernize further. He implemented numerous new directives for his Warriors and Researchers.
The combination of Chi Philters proved more potent than one Chi Philter alone. Ren ordered his Researchers to combine different Chi energies and test their effects.
All Jin-song Warriors were to undergo espionage training with the principal goal of discretely acquiring an accurate as possible database of all gifteds and their talents.
Every battle with gifteds had to start from a position of strength where the Jin-song either had a superior number advantage or a surprise advantage. In all other cases, Warriors were instructed to retreat.
* * *
A month passed since Crystal’s disappearance. Usually, the body of a captured Jin-song would have been discovered by now. Gifteds tended to waste little time in carving up Warriors. The uncertainty seemed worst for Ren. Uncertainty was a prison for hope where it lived a meager and tortured existence. Ren prided himself on his ability to choose logic over emotion, mind over heart. With each passing day without confirmation of her death, the hope inside Ren’s heart became more and more frail, a painful scar on his soul. He felt the stares of pity and sadness from his followers wherever he traveled in Kunlun. His dreams often devolved into nightmares that replayed the day he lost his Huoban.