The End of the Fantasy (Book #6 of the Sage Saga)

by Julius St. Clair

  It was only at that moment, that he considered that maybe…he really was destined for greatness. For with all of those thoughts, he gave none of them serious consideration. The moment they were born, they were cast aside like unwanted children. Forgotten and neglected until they starved and faded into the ether from which they were born.

  He realized at that moment that many people would not do what he just did.

  They would dwell.

  They would weigh the pros and the cons of each horrible decision, and the scary part was that these same people entertaining such horrible acts would likely carry them out if they only had the ability or the opportunity.

  Bastion had it all. By his actions, the world would live or die. He could let it burn by simply doing nothing. He could decide to take over an entire city if he wanted to, just because the thought entered his mind. When he was in Languor, under the illusions of Orchid, he was angry and scared. He knew that he had to run away from them all, because if he had let the rage kindle, he might have lashed out against them without cause. He might have taken Languor for his own…just so they would no longer look at him as an…an other.

  He had the power. He was like a child god, wondering if he should put the puppet strings on the backs of his creations, or let them fend for themselves as he watched in amusement.

  All of these thoughts terrified him.

  To the point that he quickly picked up Lily in the form of a stone, and then pressed her against his chest, closing his eyes as she melted into him. It felt like water being poured out of millions of microscopic pitchers, directly into each pore of his body. A strange sensation in which he knew he was feeling something, but it wasn’t strong enough to register any kind of reaction but wonder. He felt nothing as Lily latched onto his heart, but once she settled down, again, he couldn’t help but wonder if this would be his end.

  After all, she was no ordinary stone. Whoever her masters were, they could have made her with the sole purpose of assassinating him. Could stones commit suicide? It didn’t seem likely, but if she was designed differently, she could take his heart now, and there was nothing he could do about it…

  “Hellooooooooo,” Lily practically yelled. Bastion opened his eyes and looked around him but he saw no one. “I’m inside of you, dummy,” she laughed. Bastion pounded a fist over his heart.

  “Don’t call me dummy.”

  “I was playing around,” she said from within his mind, sounding sorrowful. “Are you okay? Hold on. Let me do something. You want to talk to me face to face, right? I can’t do this without your permission. You’re…kind of in control of me right now.”

  “I do want to see you,” Bastion said, with little emotion in his voice. His eyes closed instinctively and when he opened them again, he found himself in a dark vast room that felt like it extended for miles. There was a spotlight coming from an unknown source in the middle of where they stood and that was all that was visible. Everything else was pitch black. Lily was back in her normal attire—lacy white dress and all—while she stood with her hands on her hips, studying him meticulously.

  “What’s wrong with you?” she asked him. “And what took so long for you to pick me up?”

  “I’m sorry. That was my fault,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “You scared me,” she said, her lips trembling. She took a step toward him and reached out for him but then she dropped her quivering fingers and clasped her hands together. “I thought you were going to abandon me. I didn’t know what you were doing. I thought that—”

  “—I’m sorry,” he said, practically throwing his arms around her. He hugged her tight as she wept into his shoulder. He didn’t even know it was possible for her to break down like this. She seemed so confident and sure of herself. But like him, no matter what she was and how much strength she possessed, she was still bound by the fear of abandonment and objectivity.

  “I won’t do that to you again,” Bastion said, whispering into her ear. He could feel her face scrunching up against his shoulder. She was trying hard not to cry more.

  “What happened?” she asked, pulling away suddenly. He had forgotten how strong she was physically.

  “I was having doubts,” he told the truth. “I was wondering what the best course of action for me was.”

  “And that included what?” she said, waiting patiently. She wiped her face with the palms of her hand and tried to readjust her dress so that it didn’t look so disheveled.

  “When I saw you like that…as a stone…it made me think things I didn’t want to. And it made me realize…just how much I could change the world.”

  “Way to keep a girl waiting. What are you saying?”

  “I think I’m ready,” he said with a heavy sigh. As soon as the words left him, he felt more confident. Of course he would still have to be careful with whatever decisions he made, but he was determined to do all he could to restore the balance. Whether the Yama’s intentions were noble or not, it didn’t matter. They were going about it the wrong way. He saw that clearly.

  “You’re ready to fight the Yama?” she asked. He nodded, keeping his jaw clenched tight.

  “Then let’s see what we can do together,” she said as she reached her fingertips toward the ceiling with her eyes closed. Thin lines of lighting blue shot out from each of her fingers and flew up toward the air. They eventually reached the ceiling and began crawling along it, covering the top, the walls in the far distance, and eventually coming back to them, running around their feet and connecting with one another like one big intricate system. Bastion watched in awe as she took long and heavy breaths.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, and she smiled but didn’t open her eyes.

  “I’m evaluating your body and mind, searching for solutions to our Yama problem.”

  “You can make me stronger?”

  “No, but I might be able to show you a couple things. When one fuses with their stone, they can do things that no one else can. Think of Catherine for example, and how she was able to form butterfly wings in the Old Prattle battle. Or how she was able to create a powerful suit of armor in the fight against the dragons. With the stone lending you energy, your manifestations become more than illusions and empty shells. They gain substance.”

  “Manifestations have substance.”

  “They can be given substance at the cost of more energy from the summoner, but that requires a lot of practice. You’ve summoned pillars before like your friend Daisy tends to. You also noticed how exhausted you got from it. Even in the fight against Lakrymos, the swords that you called forth took a big hit on your pool of energy. It shows that even you aren’t invincible.”

  Bastion frowned as he looked at the lines on the floor. She’s literally learning everything about me. My thoughts. My memories. My weaknesses…everything.

  “I’m not the bad guy,” she said suddenly, her voice becoming somber. “I’m just assessing you because I need to know what’s best for us.”

  “Still…it doesn’t feel right,” he said. “It’s not like I gave you permission.”

  “If you could do the same for me…help me…I would allow it.”

  “But I can’t. That’s the problem.”

  “Fine,” she said. She opened her eyes and the lines of blue vanished in an instant. “I’ll respect your privacy.”

  “Now that you’re all done exploring,” Bastion laughed. “Find anything good?”

  “I like that you didn’t decide to stomp me into the ground,” she said flatly. Bastion winced.

  “I’m sorry those thoughts came to mind…but there was no way that was going to happen. It’s how we humans are. Random thoughts float around in our heads but acting upon them is what determines if we believe in them.”

  “That doesn’t speak very highly of human beings in general then.”

  “No, I suppose is doesn’t,” he said. “And that’s why I think we might be able to make a difference. Even with all I’ve been through, I’m not going to lo
se myself and compromise on what I know is right. The Quietus tried unintentionally to turn me into a monster. Lakrymos wanted me to be a King. For Catherine and James—a weapon. And Orchid—a harbinger of death to the Yama and a tool for her daily use. They all tried, and they all failed. It’s time I start doing things on my own terms, and I want you with me while I do it.

  “You understand me, and what it’s like to be used. So you’ll be able to tell me if I’m going too far. I’ll listen to you, as long as you are always open and honest with me. All we have is each other.”

  “And if I betray you?” Lily asked.

  “Whatever happens I’ll get the respite I’ve been searching for. And besides, when I said that you understand me, the reverse is also true. I’m all you’ve got. Betraying me won’t help you at all. We’re in this to the end.”

  “I’m certain that end won’t be a good one, no matter what we do.”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Bastion said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s never about the end. It’s about the journey, and where our adventures take us. Enjoy the days we have so that when we reach the end, there are no regrets. Something like that, right?”

  “Right,” she said, giving him a half-smile. “Then you’re going to need to know a few things. I’ve taken the liberty of compiling together a few techniques that might be beneficial for us both.”

  “Oh? Do tell.”

  “Well, the biggest advantage you have over many others is your energy. The thing is, it’s dense, not vast. Let me put it this way. If you could measure energy in inches, many people would think that you have a mile while they only have a half mile. That’s not true at all. As far as the amount of energy available to you, it’s quite average. That’s why you get so exhausted after an extended battle, whether it was in Languor or with Lakrymos.”

  “So how am I different then?”

  “It’s a lot denser, meaning you hit harder. Instead of thinking in length, you have to look at it in width. When you fought Lakrymos, it wasn’t the amount of swords hitting him that took him out, it was how hard they hit when they connected. If most humans can punch through wood, you’re punching through rock and metal. What this tells us is that it’s best if you get the job done quickly. Short bursts. No extended battles. I think that’s why the Yama are sending an army to this land. I’ve been evaluating them from a distance the best I could. I can’t sense their energy as far as how strong they are, but I did find it interesting that there was so many of them.”

  “They want to take me out with numbers,” Bastion replied, crossing his arms.

  “You will be a formidable opponent,” Lily said, stretching her arms above her head. “But they’ll win in the end if you just keep attacking.”

  “Here’s the problem. If the Yama are your masters, hypothetically, then they must have realized that you telling me this is a possibility. They may be too proud to realize their weaknesses but I want to give them more credit than that.”

  “That’s true…maybe it all goes back to what we’ve talked about before. They’re keeping us back through the fear of the unknown. We makes no moves and they get to do what they want.”

  “Or they might think it doesn’t matter what we do,” Bastion replied. “They know I’m a threat to a degree, but as long as they had planned for my involvement, everything will go their way.”

  “Won’t know until we…” Lily let her hands fall down to her sides as she looked up to the black ceiling.

  “What is it?” Bastion asked. “What happened?”

  “You’ve got to move NOW!” Lily screamed as he found himself back on the outside of the dark room, in the crater where they had stood before they fused. Bastion stumbled forward just as a large, thick steel blade glowing with a red aura cut through his hair, shaving a thin line off the top of his hair. Bastion took in a mouthful of dirt as a cloud flew up from his fall. He didn’t waste time turning around to face his attacker. He rolled to the right and then propelled himself onto his feet awkwardly, coming face to face with his enemy.

  The Yama had arrived, and under the moonlight he could see that that the entire crater was covered, crawling toward him in a swarm that rivaled that of ants, coming to tear apart their prey limb by limb, piece by piece. Bastion didn’t have time to gather his composure.

  The Yama that had made an attempt on his life leapt toward him.

  Chapter 9 – Run or Die

  “Watch your left!” Lily screamed, the shrill of her voice sounding like it was echoing through his skull and bouncing off the walls. Bastion winced as he ducked, and another Yama’s blade, also glowing red, narrowly missed his neck.

  “Not so loud next time,” Bastion said aloud as he punched one in the face behind him, sending it reeling back into a dozen others. He noticed that they were slowly closing in on him, taking one step at a time. He could barely see them all, even under the moon. He could only make out the first few rows before their collective body disappeared into the dark, and it looked as if the crater floor itself had raised and begun moving.

  Bastion took a deep breath and thought of his options, but there was really only two before him.

  If he fought, he might win, but it was a long shot.

  If he ran, he would still have to fight, and he wasn’t sure how that would end.

  Being on the defense, he might end up being wounded because he would be too focused on flight over fight. And if he did get wounded…he was sure that would be the end of him.

  “What should I do?” he asked Lily, pivoting in a circle over and over as they all waited for their opportunity—that one moment in which he would drop his guard.

  “Run,” she said softly, remembering his previous request on keeping her voice low. Bastion didn’t need any further coaxing. He leapt into the air toward the Quietus forest as his Sage robes appeared over him, so fast it was like the wind had clothed him. The Yama leapt upwards to catch him but he had already summoned pillars from the ground below to catch his fall, right before he had jumped. He landed on it with one knee and paused for a second as they crawled up the dirt pillar hungrily, clawing at it and chipping away at the foundation as fast as they could. Bastion looked ahead and saw the edge of the crater, also covered in the enemy.

  But one stood out above them all.

  He was tall, and lanky like the others, but he didn’t snarl or thrash or attempt to fight him. He merely stood among his people, watching the Young Sage carefully. Once he noticed that Bastion was looking at him directly, his lips parted.

  “We don’t need to do this,” he shouted, and the Yama surrounding Bastion quieted down, lowering their voices, and halting their assault on the pillar. Bastion stood to his feet and glared at the Yama before him.

  “Then why are you here?” he demanded. The Yama clasped his hands together.

  “My name is Eiko. I come to talk.”

  “With an army?”

  “It’s a precaution.”

  “Some of them tried to kill me.”

  “They were overzealous.”

  “They are part of your command.”

  “Fair enough,” he said, nodding. “But now that we are speaking with another, I must tell you that there is no end that is not beneficial to us. Your involvement, one way or another, will not impede our plans.”

  “Then why don’t you tell me what they are?”

  “That’s unnecessary. But what I will say is that you have an opportunity before you. One that will determine your happiness in this lifetime…join us.”

  “Not a chance,” he snapped. “It’s time to go,” Lily whispered to him.

  “That’s okay. You will. Do you remember Languor? What you did there? That pain in your heart, that deep guilt and anguish that overwhelmed you so much that you felt sick to your stomach…that will be multiplied a hundredfold if you continue to combat us.”

  “You know nothing about what I feel.” Bastion retorted. “And you’re underestimating me and everyone else on this land if you think we’ll be so easi
ly defeated.”

  “Languor has already fallen by our hand,” he replied. “And soon, the others will as well.”

  “Again, you know nothing about us.”

  “We’ll see. This army here was tailored specifically for you. Let us see how you fare.”

  “Let’s,” Bastion replied.

  “Are you nuts?” Lily screamed at him.

  “Don’t worry about me. Just help,” he replied. Eiko raised an eyebrow in confusion as the Yama began clawing at the pillar under Bastion again. It was beginning to wobble.

  “Well,” Lily said from inside of him, “if we’re really going through with this then we need to be smart about it. I suspect this Eiko guy is going to use his heavy hitters toward the end, after you’re already exhausted.”

  “In other words, I should attack Eiko now?”

  “Yeah, and anyone else that seems out of place among the horde. Also, remember what I told you earlier. You have to focus on taking them out quickly. That means you can’t be running to one Yama at a time with your Gladius hoping your stamina outlasts them all. You have to use crowd control. You know whips?”

  “Yeah,” he said, as the pillar began to veer off to the left, toward Eiko.

  “Use that. Two swords, both equal in width but whip like in length. Make sure they’re nice and dense and then get to work.”

  “Will do,” he said as he ran forward and leapt off the pillar. It crashed down onto the ground as he was still in mid-air, heading straight toward Eiko. Eiko took a step back just as Bastion landed a few feet in front of him with his Gladius appearing in hand. Bastion leapt forward and aimed straight for the Yama’s neck but Eiko dodged it with a quick snap of his neck to the right and then he let the masses go in front of him.

  “Missed my window,” Bastion said as he leapt backwards so that he wouldn’t be overwhelmed. Besides, he needed a little time to prepare for the real show.

  Using Lily’s advice as a template, he sheathed his eidolon into his ribs and then stretched his arms out on each side. Enclosed in each fist, a large ring appeared, about a foot in circumference. Slowly, the lightning blue swords began to extend from the top of the rings, until they hung off the rings as if Bastion was holding the head of a snake. They continued extending, past the feet of several Yama who tried stomping them out but were unable to. A few Yama tried to hit Bastion while he fashioned his weapons, but they were far too slow and generic to pose any kind of threat. With a few quick kicks to their faces, he was able to keep them back. It only took a couple more moments for the blades to complete, and then, as Lily commanded, he got to work.