Titans: Revelation (Book 4 of the Titans Saga)

by C. J. Lloyd

  Jennifer walked toward him, strong, confident, with hope radiating from her like the heat from a burning flame. Elric’s smile intensified to a greedy excitement. He could feel the darkness flushing his insides. Erebus was beyond ecstatic.

  He raised his hand and released a large blast that hit her in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. She coughed and struggled to get up. If anyone else were hit by that attack, they would be nothing but a pile of dust and bones.

  “I’m impressed, Jen. You came back in time to save your friends, and now you have enough power to withstand my attacks. You have no idea how excited I am.”

  “I don’t understand, Elric. What happened? How can you be this far gone? It doesn’t seem possible. I feel your pain so much, but you won’t allow anyone or anything to help you.”

  “This pain is the only thing that comforts me. I don’t need you or anyone else to understand that. There is only Erebus and me.”

  She screamed, releasing a blast of light that threw him to the ground. Through all the attacks and attempts to hurt him, almost nothing got through the blackened scales, but that last one burned through his scales and seared his flesh.

  He groaned, feeling pain for the first time in a while. He went to stand, but she stepped on his chest. She mounted him and began punching him. Both her fists glowed with light as each hit burned his skin away.

  The pain was everlasting, but he enjoyed every minute of it. Her sorrow overflowed as tears fell from her golden eyes. Maybe she did feel his pain. The look in her eyes was identical to his own back when he missed her. The days when Elric wished he were dead, the days when he thought he deserved death for letting her and her parents die.

  He released a wave of darkness blowing her wildly and took the sky. The ground cracked then concaved below them, and with a loud explosion, she burst toward him with a trail of golden aura behind her. Elric’s eyes widened, catching a glimpse of her large wings pushing her toward him.

  He used his aura to slow her down, but she smashed right through, knocking him into the sky. They were surrounded by blackened clouds as the negative energy condensed everything around them.

  Elric worked his long scaly fingers, stretching them. “We’re dead even, don’t you think?”

  “Seems like it,” Jennifer said sharply. “Let’s make this interesting.”

  Elric tilted his head and smiled. “I’m listening.”

  “Me and you, away from the others, away from civilization. If you win—”

  “You mean when I kill you,” Elric spoke sharply.

  She nodded. “Yeah ... Then there’s no one to stand in your way, right?”

  Elric thought about her proposal, wondering why she would do such a thing. He looked down at Violet and the others. They were all in bad shape; some of them could barely stand. She was right. If he destroyed Jennifer, the others wouldn’t be able to stop him. He looked back at Jennifer. “Why?”

  “Because this is between you and me, Elric. Everything, our lives, our powers, our feelings for one another. It all comes to right here, right now. Let’s finish this . . . just you and me.”

  Elric’s left eye twitched. Something in his insides made him falter. It made the spikes down his spine shiver and filled him with warmth. He heard a voice deep within him, deeper than even his inner world. The voice familiar, gentle, but weak. Jen, it whispered.

  In frustration, he blew black smoke from his nostrils and tightened his claws, fighting the voice. “Fine. Where did you have in mind?”

  “Let’s go back to Lexington,” she said with a smile, tears of light rolling down her cheeks. “Where it began for both of us.”

  He looked down at Violet and the others. “And what about them?”

  “What about them?” Jennifer shrugged. “I told you this is me and you, right?”

  “Follow me then.” Elric bolted over the desert that was once the largest and busiest area of Boston. He was still at a loss by her request, but she was broken, lead astray by love and desperation to see him be brought back to normal.

  That would be the reason she dies.

  There was nothing left of the city, nothing more than an apocalyptic version of its former glory. Peering through the clouds, flashes of explosions and gunfire lit up the darkness below. Large columns of smoke trailed all around, and helicopters hovered just a few feet out of reach.

  Jennifer wasn’t far behind.

  They had been flying for a while, and the chaos stretched on for miles. The skies were still blackened by Elric’s power, no moonlight, no dazzling stars.

  They had just made it over New Hampshire and were now entering Maine. The air was wet and brisk. In the distance, there was a small section that didn’t have any light or life. Elric darted down, maneuvering through the aerial crafts and landing in the fire-scarred land. He looked up to see the gold aura closing in as Jennifer landed a couple of yards away.

  Rain began to pour down from above, soaking his hair. He looked down and coupled the droplets as a black puddle formed in the center of his claws. He looked in her direction, and as the rain touched her aura, it created a black steam that rose to the sky.

  “Does this look familiar?” Elric asked, looking to the sky.

  She looked around the blackness, studying it as best she could. “Where are we?”

  “The place where our lives began for the most part.” He smirked. “Lexington. It’s so peaceful now and quiet. Complete blackness.”

  “It hurts to think about the past, doesn’t it?” Jennifer closed her eyes as she allowed the streams to fall from her face. “Did you have those awful nightmares too? The ones that keep you up all night, making you scream into the darkness? I hated my memories because I knew that’s all they would ever be. That’s all I thought you would ever be.”

  His smile faded as he lowered his head, glaring deep into her eyes.

  Jennifer wiped her face. “I guess that’s one of the main reasons you focus your hatred and pain toward me. It’s not because of me being the Titan of Light, is it?”

  That odd shiver returned, gripping him as if something deep within was trying to claw its way to the surface just like back in Boston. He fought it back with the darkness, with all of his pain and hatred.

  Jennifer continued, “You’ve been going through life suffering, thinking about the past that you lost and the people you cared about who were killed.” She looked up with widened eyes that glowed with fury. “Well, I have too.”

  The light caused an intense wave of energy to whip all around them, howling like his powers did when his emotions took over. Elric watched her every move. She’s powering up .... She’s not holding back.

  Jennifer began walking toward him. “You think you’re the only one who had their parents taken away or watched the people they cared about die right in front of their eyes?” With each step, the ground cracked from the pressure surrounding her. Her wings opened, glistening with particles of light hovering around them. “I’ll beat you half to death, then you’ll realize how exactly the same we are. And maybe you’ll see how much I love you.”

  He stretched out his left hand and manifested a long slender black scythe, the blade as black as the shaft and engrained with red markings. His claws wrapped around the weapon, and he twirled it effortlessly as he slashed the air toward her.

  Jennifer shook her head and scoffed.

  “You have battle experience. You have the powers to manipulate your energy, but I promise you, I am more tactically sound than you’ll ever be,” she said as a golden light burst around her, so bright it was white. The light cascaded down her shoulders like a fountain, splashing to her feet. “I have more combat experience than you’ll ever have. You’re a damn fool if you think you can handle a weapon—of any kind—better than me.”

  Her eyes were on fire, burning through the slits of a crowned helmet, her long locks spilling from the back.

  Elric stepped back in awe, eyes widening by the sight of her transformation. She dawned golden plate
d armor that covered her neck, hands, chest, and torso. A golden pair of thigh-high armored boots and three pairs of magnificent wings spread over her. A pair above her shoulder, a pair at her middle back, and another pair covering her legs. A crimson sash wrapped around her waist, swaying in the ominous wind of warmth that flowed over the area, and strange red wordings glowed from the pieces of armor. At her side in an intense orange blaze was that sword, and he could see the writing on the blade clearly. SPIRIT

  “Well, it sounds like one of us will die today, Jen. You better come with the intent to destroy me. Otherwise, the world will meet a fate worse than death.”

  With an intense battle cry, she ran at him, and he did the same. Each slash and parry by their blades caused a heavy crackle of thunder. The ground rumbled and ripped open. Elric slashed the scythe into the air, aiming at her throat, her sword caught the edge sending the tip of the scythe digging into her cheek. Blood rolled down to her chin.

  She pushed Elric back, swinging her sword with intensity and power. With his body covered in armored scales, he didn’t take any chances. He jumped back, and lunged again swinging the scythe down upon her.

  The fiery blade halted as Jennifer held strong. She was a master with her weapon. She kicked him in the stomach, and with her blade, she ripped the scythe out of his hands, sending it twirling into the sky. A dark hand formed from the darkness, snatched it out of the air and brought it down upon her helmet. With a spark of blue light, the scythe’s blade dug deep.

  Up close, Elric could read the red engraving on her armor. Across her breastplate read RIGHTEOUSNESS. She kicked him in the face with a golden metal boot that had GOSPEL engraved down the left leg. She rose to her feet, strong, and her face streaming with tears.

  That wretched feeling came crawling from within again, warm and concerning. Then the voice, Jen ...

  Elric stumbled, hesitating as a yearning for her caught him off guard.

  Before Elric knew what happened, the scythe fell to the ground, the arm wielding it along with it. A golden spiked gauntlet came across his face, and another armored hand grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground. Jennifer stepped on his chest, looking down upon him with a right leg that had PEACE engraved in it in red. The tip of the fiery blade was at his throat and flames licked at his face.

  She could’ve ended it right then in there, but she didn’t. He admired the beauty of her tears, the brightness of her eyes, the shape of her face. Why did he admire her? Why did he find his enemy beautiful? Why were his insides filled with butterflies like he was a boy in love?

  No, it isn’t me. It’s her. She’s the one with this delusion, this ridiculous addiction, this unquenchable thirst to save me! His tail wrapped around her throat and slammed her to the ground. His arm regenerated, the puddle of black blood washed away by the rain.

  Jennifer rose from the crater that she lay in and glided to the sky. She breathed heavily, shoulders shaking, as her body seemed to slump in the air.

  Elric could feel his power starting to fade from within. A sharp pain raced through his left hand, and on instinct, he snatched hold of it. He could barely move the fingers anymore.

  “It’s starting to get to you, isn’t it?” she asked, breathing heavily. “With all that power, you can do a lot, maybe even pretend to be a god, but it’s at the cost of your life and your body.”

  “Yeah, that’s true.” The darkness seeped out of Elric’s body, and he found himself encased in a large and protective aura of energy. “That’s why I’m going to end it all now.”

  The pressure in the air changed around him as the ground shook beneath his feet. The dark energy manifested into Erebus, and Elric closed his eyes, entering his inner world.

  In the darkness, his entire body was monstrous like it was outside, no longer human. He smiled, submitting himself to Erebus’s will. “It’s your show now. Will you be able to win with the power you have?”

  “You’re making it sound like you’re not going to be conscious, watch and see. We’ll crush her,” Erebus growled.

  Elric smiled, thinking about Erebus hiding the truth. “Whatever. Let’s go.”

  He opened his eyes just in time to see black streams pulling him into the chest cavity of a manifestation of Erebus. From Elric’s point of view, the manifestation took up the entire sky. He couldn’t feel anything anymore. It was like his spirit was being dislocated from his body and cast into the sea that was Erebus.

  “Elric, stop this!” Jennifer screamed.

  If you want to end this, then stop me, Jennifer. Wait, I’m not talking. I see. It’s just me and my thoughts. Elric’s voice was an echo in the blackness. So, this is death? Is this what it felt like for Mr. Lee on that hospital bed? For Mrs. Lee when she bled out in the field? For the Reeves? My parents? I-I wonder if I’ll see them .…

  Jennifer faced the immense beast. She descended, from her entire body. She couldn’t fight the tears that flowed. The air stung even against the warmth of her aura. She smiled, thinking about what Queen Savanna of the Pride Empire taught her about facing larger opponents. But hand-to-hand combat and regular attacks wouldn’t work here.

  She couldn’t believe this thing was inside Elric. It roared, shaking the air, the ground, the sea, her soul. Even its gaping maw was filled with pitch-black emptiness.

  The queen’s words echoed in Jen’s head. “Fight, even in Hell. Fight, even when you know you’ll lose. Fight because you have the arms, legs, and head to do so.”

  The massive dragon had horns all over its face. The two largest ones on its crown reminded her of the ones Elric had. In fact, even its physique reminded her of Elric, its appearance frightening and sinister.

  It threw its head back and began sucking in all the negative energy from the sky. The blackness swirled into a tornado from above and concentrated into the jaws of the large, gigantic beast. Its throat swelled up like the bullfrogs she and Elric used to chase down as children.

  She wiped a tear away. “It’s because of you. It’s because of me. It’s because …”

  She couldn’t finish. She tried to find the reason why Elric was consumed by darkness, but it didn’t matter now. No more blaming, no more placing responsibility, Jen. Just fight. Fight for V and the others. Fight for the ones who can’t fight anymore. Just like Sam said.

  “Have you finally accepted your circumstances? Have you finally let go of trying to have control over everything, Jennifer Reeves?” the thundering voice from her insides spoke.

  “I have. I give it up. I give it all up to you.” She wiped the tears away, allowing peace to consume her from the inside. Like a flood or the heaviest spring rain, Jennifer felt the light roll over her. She shivered in her armor and gripped her sword.

  “Now, think of the person you most love in this world. Someone you would lay your life down for, and focus their image on your thoughts,” the voice echoed within.

  Elric was the image that popped into her head. Not the twisted monster he’d become, but the boy she remembered at the football game their last night in Lexington. The boy that she sat next to on the bleachers.

  “Done,” she whispered.

  And the voice within her answered with the softest, warmest voice that echoed and bloomed from within. “Go!”

  Everything slowed when Jennifer opened her eyes.

  The stillness, the silence of the end of existence. She could feel the encroaching blackness reaching up from the maw of the beast, consuming its insides. She knew what she had to do. The light inside gave her everything she needed to know.

  The darkness in the sky vanished. The moon was bright, and the stars dazzled like a beautiful evening as if the world weren’t about to end. Blackness oozed from the jagged serrated teeth of the beast before her. In comparison, Jennifer thought of herself as a gnat to an elephant. But she was confident, holding Spirit ablaze in her hand, ready to rain justice.

  The beast cocked it’s head back with its massive crimson eyes intensifying. A memory flashed back of
the last day of summer in Lexington, the last summer the town would ever have. Jennifer remembered how warm it was and how beautiful the stars were. Elric was there too.

  They watched fireworks from the shore. The dazzling colors and the crackling of the explosions filled her heart with hope. The moon shined upon them, destiny never playing a factor then. Now it was the heartbeat that kept her going in the end.

  “Remember when we were younger how we used to look at the moon?” Jennifer whispered, looking up at the beast. “Remember how amazing the stars looked back then? They still look that way now . . . even without Lexington.”

  The beast vomited a mass of blackness. Jennifer felt the earth shake, she heard the booming of the sky, and she saw the world around her fade to black.

  “Go! Now!” the voice thundered within her.

  She fought back the fear deep down inside. The voice of the light had brought her this far. It helped her survive in Ermak, and it helped her survive many battles and brought victory to the empire. So, she trusted the voice now, and she went head-on into the black mass, Spirit leading her into certain death.

  She refused to back down. She pulled back and slashed into the mass with all the power the light gave her. From the blazing light of the two powers connecting, the sky thundered a deep blue.

  The wings pushed her through the explosion and through the chaos. She looked up just in time to see she was entering the mouth of the beast, entering the empty blackness. Blackness cold and terrifying, but she had peace within.

  Chapter 31

  Two Sides to Every Coin

  Jennifer found herself in a strange cavern. The place reeked of sulfur. A wet stickiness permeated her arms and hands as the air seemed to exhale like the room was breathing. Maybe I’m in the belly of the beast?

  Her light, the armor, her wings, everything was gone. She was just herself with no protection, no Spirit. Just her torn jeans, black t-shirt, and this urge to move forward.