Chrysalis

by Kayne Sampson

  Inferno was not amused by this display. “Indeed,” he said simply, and he ran at his former apprentice, sword in hand. Keta stepped to intervene. His sword slashed at the air where the Demon had been, but had leapt back to avoid the strike.

  Inferno’s entire body was on fire, the flames lapping in the wind. He stared at Keta with cruel eyes. But they turned to a look of utter surprise a moment later. Keta followed his Master’s gaze to the sword he carried in his hand.

  “This cannot be...that was Kataro’s sword…” Inferno managed to sputter. He was silent for a moment, his brow furrowing. “How did you come into possession of Reikon?” He asked at last.

  Keta flourished the weapon in front of him. “I had to find a new weapon after the sword you gifted me started corrupting my mind,” he said. It still felt odd to be without Abyss. He had been with the blade for nearly three years. It had felt like an extension of his body ,but he could not ignore the sword’s cravings.

  Reikon felt calming in his hand, as if he had been meant to wield it. It must be due to his Kitaan heritage, but he almost felt that with it, he could even take on Inferno.

  Inferno had not taken his eyes off the sword. “Kataro Tiansia...he died because he did not take the threat of Humanity seriously. And in the end, he failed his goddess.”

  Within the weapon, he could feel Kataro’s emotions, both sadness and regret. The Kitaan spirit agreed with Inferno.

  “Regardless, I will not make that mistake. I will kill all the Humans who seek to destroy my people. And I will restore the goddess. And that path begins with your deaths.”

  Inferno was fast. Keta was faster. He dodged to the side to avoid the cut of his master’s blade. He evaded the follow up lunge and made distance. Alone, he could not defeat the Demon. But together, perhaps they stood a chance.

  “Max! Xuan! We have to work together.” Keta called out to his allies. Max had been oddly silent since the start of the conflict, looking unsure of what to do. The sound of Keta’s command snapped him out of it.

  “I’m sorry, uncle. But I can’t have all those deaths on my conscience,” Max said, and he moved to join Keta.

  Xuan had retrieved his weapon and had joined Keta by his side. “Just like old times, eh?” he remarked, holding his weapon at the ready.

  “That it is, old friend,” Keta said with a grim smile. He could not relax. His opponent was the man who had taught most of them how to fight after all. Even though their odds were better together, he was wary.

  But if the three of them together had made Inferno uneasy, the Demon did not show it. His eyes darted from Max to his two students. “Am I supposed to be frightened of children?”

  “We aren’t children anymore!” Xuan said, and he charged at Inferno. He ran to the right, pulling the sword behind him. And Keta remembered; that was the signal for their special maneuver they had used back in the day.

  Keta nodded, and advanced. It was a simple but effective tactic. One went right and high, and the other went left and low. Both Master Inferno and Master Xehemoth had never let he or the others work without a partner.

  “Fools! I can see everything!” With a giant bound, he crossed the distance to Xuan and raised a hand, catching the sword arm with a rising block. He used the opportunity to hit him in the stomach with a closed fist.

  “Not everything!” Xuan exclaimed, and Keta saw a look of genuine surprise on Inferno’s face. Xuan had absorbed the blow and dropped his weapon. He grabbed onto his opponent's hand with both of his. Xuan had trapped the man. “Now!”

  Max went first. He had followed their lead and made his way to the melee. Closing his hand into a fist, he caught his uncle across the face with a powerful punch that drew blood and snapped the man’s head back.

  He wasn’t done either, as he brought his left up and hit Inferno in the gut. The impact was so powerful that Keta could almost feel it. Max proceeded to hit the older Demon, blow after blow.

  “What are you waiting for, Keta?” Xuan asked, his voice ragged as he struggled to keep hold of Inferno. “Hurry up and finish this while we have the chance!”

  Finish it...is that my only option? he wondered as his hand tightened around Reikon’s hilt. Was this the only way? To stain his hands with blood again? The blood of the man who had raised him?

  The sword you carry into battle is not a toy, a symbol of peace. It is an instrument of death!

  Pent’s words still resonated with him. But how could he claim to save people when he would kill them? Would he need to kill so that others could be protected? Perhaps...but not this man. Not his Master.

  “You always were too soft for this, Keta.”

  Inferno had recovered from the ambush. With his free hand, he reached out with a fist and hit Max in retaliation for his previous assault. The young Demon crumpled from the force. With his captured hand, he swung Xuan into Max like a stick, sending the two tumbling in a heap.

  In an instant, the Demon was upon him, but there was something that neither of them had accounted for. Keta was as skilled a swordsman as there could be. And with Reikon in his possession, the knowledge of the Kitaan sword fighting style (that of Kataro Tiansia) were now his to bear.

  As the two clashed, Keta had not even noticed this revelation. But Inferno had been quick to pick up on it. “Those movements...it has been many, many years but I recognize them. Those were Kataro’s preferred techniques. What sort of sorcery is this?”

  Keta ignored this. “Master, please. I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to have to try and kill you.”

  Inferno laughed loudly. “Kill me? You think you can kill me? Don’t underestimate me because you caught me unaware once.” And with a terrible blow that would have cut him in two had he not reacted, Keta’s guard was broken and his sword flung away helplessly.

  Had he not been using Reikon, his sword would have been shattered on impact, Keta concluded. Max and Xuan had begun to stir from their collision, slowly getting to their feet and seeing Keta disarmed with a blade pointed at his chest.

  Keta realized now that the greater Demon had been toying with them. Reluctance to kill them after all? Regardless, it was over now. Max and Xuan were yelling and running, but they would not make it in time.

  Keta saw it clearly now, looking into Inferno’s eyes. His master was crying. Keta was glad. He had not been wrong. Master Inferno was not a monster, not completely. “How I wish you could be around to see the new world. Goodbye, my young apprentice.”

  “It’s time to stop, Michalis.” Keta heard the voice, so near. Too near. It was right beside them. He had not noticed another presence. But then, he had been engaged in a battle to the death.

  Inferno had clearly not noticed it either. It seemed that the words had enraged him. A hand had appeared on his. “Who...who dares to…” he began, his head whirling to the side with fury. But he stopped, and his mouth hung open. When he found his voice, he could only stutter, “You…”

  “It’s been quite some time, elder brother.”

  Keta followed his master’s gaze. The newcomer was a woman, a head smaller than Inferno and slender, with hair the color of fire. Just like Inferno and Max. But in contrast, she had a gentle face and a calming smile. She had an aura of peace around her, accentuated by the simple blue dress she wore.

  And she had called him brother.

  “M-mother…” Max sputtered, who had come to a stop as soon as the woman had appeared.

  The woman turned to them, her magma colored hair tumbling over shoulders. “Hello Max. It’s time you and your friends left,” she said, and she walked wistfully over to Keta and put herself in between him and Inferno.

  “But…”

  The woman looked back, past Keta to Max. Her face still held the smile as she said, “Sorry, but this is not a request. Leave now. I must have a few words with my brother.”

  It was only then that Keta realized that the gods must be looking out for them after all. “We have to escape!” Keta agreed.

  T
he words seemed to have snapped Inferno out of his trance. “You will not be going anywhere! Huh?” His outburst had been diffused when the woman placed a hand on his shoulder.

  She was still smiling. “As I said, Michalis. We must speak.” She turned to Keta, her red eyes urging him on.

  And so Keta turned and picked up Reikon. And ran. He didn’t wait for the others, but he made sure that they were at least able to follow his trail. He kept running until he could not run anymore.

  Somehow, against all odds, he was not dead.

  “We’re alive!” Xuan cheered, echoing his own excitement as he caught up to Keta, who had collapsed onto the ground. Max joined them shortly after, flopping on his stomach beside Keta.

  Keta stared up at the sky. “I’m not entirely sure how,” Keta said truthfully. There was an elephant in the room. “That woman is the only reason we got out of there.”

  Max sat up at this. “She is his sister, my mother.”

  Keta had heard their exchange and noticed the similar appearance. Even so, it was a revelation to him. Master Inferno had never spoken of Max during their time together, and he had especially never mentioned a sister. He wondered why.

  Xuan was incredulous. “What the...but she’s so young. And so pretty. How can she be related to you?”

  “Hey! Don’t talk about my mother’s looks. And what do you mean ‘how can she be related to you?’ I’m better looking than you,” Max growled at the other Demon.

  “Better looking than me? That’s a good one!” Xuan said, laughing.

  There was a flash and a pillar of light descended from the sky next to them, and the three of them jumped to their feet. When the light dissipated, the woman was standing before them.

  “Hello, boys,” she said with a smile.

  “Mother!” Max rushed forward to embrace the woman. And then he pulled away. “How did you do that? That’s not normal! Even for us!”

  The woman laughed softly. “I don’t think that is what we should be discussing right now.” Max frowned, but he didn’t retort.

  Keta stepped forward, possibly the only one aware of the fact that this newcomer had displayed some highly potent spirit magic just now. He had to mind his manners. “Thank you. I don’t know why, but you saved us.”

  The woman turned and let her crimson eyes rest on him. “It is because my goddess willed it.”

  Xuan scratched his head. Keta too was confused. “Goddess? Are you talking about the Goddess of Shadows?” He was wary of the situation now. If she and Master Inferno were both trying to revive the goddess, to what end was she helping them?

  “The Goddess of Shadows? No, she’s been sealed for a long time,” the woman said matter of factly. She held the edge of her blue dress and made a curtsey. “But allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Magiran. I serve the goddess Lachesis.”

  “What? Another goddess?” Keta asked. He had always heard the tales from the old Master, but he had never given the gods their names, merely their titles. Was it a sign of respect, or…

  “Mother, what are you on about? Why are you...I mean, the way you are dressed and this whole business about a goddess. I haven’t seen you in years and this is the first I hear?” Max said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

  The woman glided over to Max, who looked apprehensive. She took his head in her hands, despite being smaller than the young Demon. Max’s fury seemed to melt away.

  “My dear, sweet child. Forgive me. I was unable to return to you for some time. You see, I have been called to a higher power.”

  And Keta noticed it now, something he had missed from their early interaction. It was subtle, but he saw it in her eyes. The look of utter fanaticism.

  She was staring at him now. “I came to confront my brother and ascertain his goals. The goddess willed it to me, as her avatar. If those goals were to deviate from the path of fate, I was to put a stop to it.”

  Right, because that is an easy task, Keta thought to himself, rolling his eyes. “So will you help us?”

  Keta’s heart sank when the woman shook her head. “No. My brother explained he plans to revive the Goddess of Shadows. He plans to right one of the mortal’s wrongs when they murdered her. This is destiny.”

  She said this very calmly, despite the implication. But Keta knew better. What she was saying was that they were to reap what they sow. And if they met their end because of it, so be it.

  Keta was so deep in thought that he must have missed Magiran walking up to him. When he looked up, she was an arm’s length from him, a look of sadness on her face. She was staring directly at Reikon.

  “I heard stories of Kataro’s bravery. He was the one who defeated the Goddess of Shadows during the war of shadow and light. We were very sad to hear of his passing,” Magiran said.

  Xuan frowned. “Hang on a second. If there was another goddess around, then that means she’s been sitting around this whole time watching all this unfold.”

  “Xuan, I don’t think…” Keta began, but his friend silenced him with a thrust of his hand.

  “No, I need to hear this. The Goddess of Shadows was keeping tabs on the Humans, that was why they killed her. And yet, this new goddess has sat back and done nothing. She has watched as my people were almost destroyed,” Xuan said, his hands curled into fists.

  Magiran regarded Xuan with a look, their gazes locked. “Your goddess is one of actions and fire. My goddess is one who respects the flow of time and nature. She remained neutral during the war of shadow and light. As such, she had not been sealed into the Realm of the Heavens.”

  Reikon was speaking to him, Kataro’s knowledge being transferred to him. “Lachesis, the Goddess of Destiny,” Keta whispered.

  Magiran nodded. “She is an observer. She watches over the races of the Mortal Realm. She must make sure that the world does not deviate from that destiny.”

  Destiny. The old Master had always used words like that. Keta had never understood it. What person was there to stay your hand when someone was suffering in front of you, because of some unforeseen will.

  “Hang on, are you telling me that all of what has happened is destiny? And that's why your goddess never intervened? If that is true, then she has forsaken us all,” Xuan bellowed, turning to face the others. “Say what you will, at least Inferno attempts to aid our people.”

  Keta glanced at the Demon swordsman, suddenly tense. Xuan seemed to be getting more and more on edge. He rarely saw his friend emotional. He knew better than most that his cheerful smile hid much sadness.

  But this did not deter Magiran, who strode over to Xuan. She reached towards the Demon with those delicate hands and took his own hands, gently. Xuan’s eyes widened with surprise, but he did not pull away.

  “My dear boy, I understand your sorrow and pain all too well. I felt it too, in my youth. I was shattered and broken, until I was saved by my goddess. She made me her champion and shared with me the world’s destiny. And suddenly, everything became clear to me. I was reborn,” Magiran said, her voice whimsical.

  Keta took a good look at the woman. There was something off about her. But it was more upsetting to know that she was this way because of the influence of a divine being. The old Master had always taught him to revere the goddesses, but what were mortals to gods anyways?

  Magiran noticed Keta staring and smiled at him. She was quite lovely, almost radiant. He wondered if that was because of her connection to this goddess Lachesis. She released Xuan’s hands and made her way to Keta.

  “You and I are not so different, Keta. Granted, I may not have your divine features,” Magiran said, moving her gaze from his eyes to his hair. “But we both seek the greater good. You are a Kitaan, after all.”

  “Um, mother?” Everyone turned at the sound of Max’s voice. He had been eerily quiet. Even now, the look on his face was different from what he normally portrayed. “You saved us from uncle’s wrath. Does that mean you will aid us in fighting against him?”

  Keta groaned. Had his
friend really not been listening to anything they had been talking about?

  “I am sorry, Max. But I cannot interfere. I am...unable to make moves on my own. My goddess guides me. Even when I…” she trailed off. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Even when I wish it otherwise. For your sake and my own, please do not fight your uncle.”

  Max seemed disheartened by the answer, but he said nothing. He was too simple minded to realize that the woman was hiding something from him. Did she know what fate had in store for them?

  Magiran began to glow, rounding on Keta. “Regardless, Goddess Lachesis will respect the dispute between you and the Brotherhood of Shadows. She has seen the outcomes and has deemed them both appropriate for the world’s future, whether you choose to pursue them or not. Our involvement has come to an end. Until we meet again.”

  And with a brilliant flash, she was gone.

  There was an awkward silence as the three of them stood around, each waiting for someone to break the uneasy tension. So much had just transpired. Keta was more concerned with what this meant for the world.

  Lachesis was the Goddess of Destiny. If she was taking an interest in the affair, it meant that perhaps they stood a chance. Or at the very least, there was an outcome that ended in their favour.

  Right. It’s time to bring all this to an end, Keta thought, turning back towards the Human city in the distance. He had Reikon now, and he would be able to fight back.

  “Keta? What’s the plan?” Max asked from his side.

  “Master Inferno confirmed that whatever he is planning is coming to a close. This is the final stretch. We’ve got to get this information to both the Xegin and the Humans,” Keta said.

  “Eh? Why are you trying that again?” Xuan asked, “You saw what happened the last time you attempted that? They will kill you for what you did to their general.”

  Keta had to acknowledge the truth behind those words. It was very likely that the Xegin would be hostile towards him for his part in the previous battle. Keta had done what he did because General Delta was trying to annihilate the Humans.