Eternity's War (Books 1-3) (Eternity's War Boxsets)

by Ruben Stelliswolfe

  “I'm well,” she said as she looked up at him with a smile. “I've come to the river almost every day since I've been here.”

  “It's one of my favourite spots too,” he admitted, sitting beside her on the grass and staring up at the orange sky.

  Shin sat too, staring disdainfully at the children playing in the river.

  Karatsu caught sight of his critical gaze. “You shouldn't think any less of them, Shin. They are only young, as you yourself once were.”

  Shin rolled his eyes and lazed on the riverbank.

  “You just mentioned that you're waiting for Raien to return,” Kitsune said. “Did he go to Athenia to speak with Kai and Hana?”

  Karatsu nodded. “He did. I assumed you would've already known that. Have you not spoken with Raien recently?”

  She shook her head. “I haven't spoken with anyone. I've been alone for three months caring for Kai and Hana's residence.”

  This caught Shin's attention. The boy sat up, a large grin spread across his face. “Master, that means Kitsune doesn't know what I did in Athenia.”

  Kitsune frowned. “You were in Athenia? When?”

  “Shin, what you did is nothing to be proud of,” the boy's masked mentor said. “You need to be humble when taking someone's life.”

  Kitsune's eyes widened. “You killed someone?”

  Shin nodded enthusiastically. “I killed one of our enemies.”

  The news hit Kitsune hard. “When did this happen?”

  “Shin and I went to Athenia shortly after Kai and Hana did,” Karatsu explained. “Raien ordered us to start eliminating the enemy.”

  Kitsune gasped. She looked away from the others as she tried to process what was being said. “Why would Raien give such an order? I thought the Tianzu were only going to monitor the Athenian clans.”

  “I thought you knew,” Karatsu shrugged.

  She shook her head again. “No. I've been here the entire time.” She turned her gaze back to her colleagues. “Why didn't you tell me any of this?”

  Karatsu dipped his head slightly. “My apologies, sister. I was under the impression that Raien had informed you.”

  Kitsune sat in silence. The information was difficult to comprehend. Why did Raien neglect to come and see me, she thought.

  The group of three continued watching nearby families on the opposite side of the river. A young girl looked across at them and smiled. Shin watched her with contempt until the girl's smile eventually faded. She looked away and continued playing in the river.

  “They're always afraid,” Shin said proudly. “She must know that I'm a god.”

  Karatsu shot the boy a frustrated glance. “Shin, don't be arrogant. Your job is to protect them; not make them afraid. Know your place in the Tianzu. Don't speak that way again.”

  Shin groaned loudly, restless. “I don't want to wait around for the others to come to us. I want to return to Athenia and fight them now.”

  Kitsune cringed. The boy had only been present for a few minutes and was already disturbing her, despite her best efforts to remain mindful. She often pondered how Karatsu was able to endure his constant moaning. Shin always seemed so eager to kill. She had wondered on many occasions how he would act if he ever had the opportunity to take another's life.

  “Brother, do you think Kai and Hana are safe?” Kitsune asked. The Shizuno branch of the Tianzu shared a close bond, and thought of themselves as family.

  He nodded. “I do. They're strong and formidable warriors when provoked. I can't imagine that any harm has befallen them.”

  Kitsune stretched her arms outwards and breathed in the clean air. “I must admit I'm a little envious they live here. It's such a beautiful city,” she said, changing the subject away from the impending war that Raien had seemingly started. Her head was still spinning from what she was just told.

  Karatsu laughed softly in agreement. “I assume you don't miss Azuma-jo?”

  “Not yet. I've enjoyed my time here.” She closed her eyes and lay down in the grass.

  “I like Azuma-jo much more than Kitadera,” Shin added. “It's too boring here.”

  “But surely you can appreciate this city's value and meaning,” Karatsu said. “Kitadera plays an important part in our nation's history.”

  Shin shrugged and began twiddling his thumbs. Time was passing at an agonisingly slow pace for him.

  Karatsu removed his hood, allowing the summer warmth to touch his face. “You're right; it is a beautiful city. So are our orders to wait for Raien to return?”

  Kitsune nodded. In Raien's absence, she was the leader of the Shizuno Tianzu. “As you said, they should be returning soon if the inauguration was scheduled for today. I'm very curious to hear what Raien has to say about the Athenian clans. Although I'd prefer it if we didn't have to eliminate anyone.”

  Shin sat up, the conversation rousing his attention and curiosity again. “I disagree. I'm looking forward to killing them.”

  Karatsu looked at his junior indignantly. No matter how many times he'd tried to train the boy in correct and righteous ways of thinking, it never seemed to have any effect. Shin was young and overly protective of his comrades, and relentlessly insisted on killing anyone who stood in the Tianzu's way.

  Kitsune turned her attention down to the peaceful flow of the river. She tried to fight her worries, but it was no use—she knew that if Raien had indeed ordered the deaths of the Athenian clans, the three groups would be vying to kill one another. Her months of mindfulness and solitude had been interrupted with the worst news possible.

  The Tianzu were about to go to war again.

  Sixty-two

  Ren stood in the doorway to the dormitory, glaring at Skye as he shoved clothes into his bag. “I can't believe you're doing this,” she hissed. His betrayal had left her completely dumbfounded.

  “Neither of us want Tango's and Foxtrot's deaths to be in vain. You're the one who's wasting her time by trying to find the president. We had months to find him and we failed. Do you really believe we'll be able to stop him now that he's hiding in Government House?” He glared back at her, feeling much brighter after sleeping for the remainder of the afternoon.

  “You and Sierra are fast enough to break into Government House. The two of you could easily get in without being seen.”

  Skye frowned at her and shook his head. “No one's able to get in. Just forget about it, Ren.” He resumed packing his bag.

  “You don't need to do this!” she yelled. “Nikolai and Tahlia can fight the Tianzu by themselves, and if they die in the process, then good riddance to them both!”

  “And then what? Nikolai's nothing short of immortal. If the Tianzu manage to kill him, what chance do we have of defeating them?”

  She stared at him blankly. “The Tianzu are a threat to us, not society, whereas Archie is a threat to all of us and Athenia.”

  “We have different priorities, Ren,” Skye said, a little more calmly. “I understand what you're trying to do, but it's impossible. Nikolai has rigged this game from the beginning, so there's no point even trying. However, we can fight the Tianzu and try to make a difference.” He placed the final items in his bag and walked past her.

  “Are you ready?” Sierra asked impatiently, standing by the front door to the warehouse and waiting to leave.

  “That's not coming with us to the trainport,” he said sternly as he pointed to her crossbow. “You'll get us arrested on the spot. Leave it here. Charlie and Delta can help us find new weapons when we arrive.”

  Neither enthusiastically, nor reluctantly, she unfastened the lethal crossbow and placed it on the bench. It was a deadly weapon, yet it had proven all but useless against Tahlia.

  “I can't do this alone, Skye,” Ren spat. “What about Tango's and Echo's bodies? If they're not claimed, the state will cremate them, just like Foxtrot. They deserve to be repatriated and offered a proper burial back in Alexa.”

  He turned around and shrugged with uncertainty. “There's nothing we c
an do. I agree that their remains don't deserve to be filed away in an unknown government building, but there's no way we'll be able to claim them without questions being asked.” He turned and headed back toward the door, wanting to end the conversation as quickly as possible. He felt tortured by guilt, but also knew they were, once again, trapped in a hopeless situation with no easy solution.

  “I know why you're really leaving,” Ren called angrily to Skye as he made his way to the front door. He stopped walking and turned around to face her. “I remember how you used to be when you were friends with Nikolai.” She approached him and stopped inches from his face. “I'm warning you, Skye—if you don't stop this, you'll become just like him.”

  Skye laughed sarcastically. “I'm nothing like him, and I never will be.”

  “I saw that look on your face earlier,” she said. “You were actually excited about leaving. You were excited about endangering your life and the lives of your colleagues.”

  He looked into her eyes and listened to her theories. While some of her recent decisions had been questionable, she was indeed an astute and observant individual. “Nikolai and the Tianzu need to die. I consider them to be a higher priority than stopping Archie.”

  Ren bit her lip. “Admit it, Skye. Nikolai's leaving Athenia again, and you can't bear the thought of being left behind. You're thrilled to be playing the game with him.”

  Skye's face became grave for a moment, but then his lips curled upwards. He made no attempt to hide his satisfaction. “There's truth to your words, Ren. We've dedicated everything to hunting down Nikolai. We don't live normal lives, we don't have friends, and we never rest. Even if we were to stop Archie, what would be the point of it all? We would accomplish nothing. I can't stay here and wait for the world around me to decay while I go on living for an eternity. And if we don't savour our time in this life, our existence will have been meaningless.”

  She stared at him, wide-eyed and disgusted. His confession had taken her aback. “You always act like a hero, but now you admit you're doing this for fun. You are just like Nikolai.”

  His smile broadened. He leaned in closer. “Everything I have ever done for White Shadow has been for the greater good. I have done all I can to keep us safe. Don't make the mistake of assuming that just because I enjoy this lifestyle I'm also maniacal and reckless like Nikolai.” He turned around and walked to the front door, standing alongside Sierra. He tilted his head back to Ren one last time. “If playing this game with Nikolai gives my life meaning, then so be it. But I'll always do what I believe is right, and I have no doubt you'll do the same.” His smile faded as he stormed out of White Shadow's warehouse, walking away from the life he had built for himself.

  “Are you ready for this?” Sierra asked as she walked alongside him.

  “I think so.”

  They turned and began walking down the street, heading toward the city on foot.

  She looked up at him with inquisitive eyes. “How are you feeling?”

  He pondered the question for a moment. Skye gazed up at the pink clouds high above, breathing the tropical air in deeply. He was diving straight into the unknown, uncertain if he would ever have the pleasure of returning to the island he had called home for so long now. He had no idea if what he was doing was right or wrong, but the next journey awaited, and every fibre of his being knew it was time to move on. The prospect of death was a frightening one, but far less so than the thought of living a life without purpose.

  His smile returned. “Excited,” he finally said.

  BOOK THREE

  ETERNITY'S REDEMPTION

  One

  The First Day

  Delta sat on the bench at Nishihama International Station, impatiently trying to pass the time. It was early, long before sunrise. The station was relatively empty, with the exception of those who were on their way to Sujian for work.

  “They're coming,” she said into her headset. Her face was concealed underneath a large hood, and she kept her head down, away from the view of any passerby.

  “Finally. Keep me updated,” Charlie said.

  Delta took a deep breath, uncertain what was about to happen. It had been a restless day and night for her. Ren's call about the deaths of both Tango and Echo had hit hard. She hadn't slept at all that night.

  Ren also told them that the Tianzu would be on their way home, as Skye had heard Raien mention it the day before. They had been at the international trainport for the past two hours, waiting for their enemies to arrive.

  Delta turned her head left and saw the lights of the train in the distance. She could sense the three Tianzu aboard the locomotive, and the sensation grew stronger with every metre it flew toward her.

  “I see the train,” she said.

  “I'm ready.”

  The long train pulled into the station. Delta tilted her head up. Inside the carriages were at least a few hundred passengers, all of them just arriving from Sujian, the port city that linked Shizudera to the mainland. Some wore suits, whereas many others were tourists with oversized backpacks. She looked past all of them and kept her gaze fixed on the only carriage that interested her.

  “There are a lot of people aboard that train. We'll need to be careful.”

  “Agreed,” she whispered, watching the train gradually slow to a halt.

  Once the long, bullet-like machine had completely stopped, the doors opened, and the passengers climbed off in an orderly fashion. Some walked straight for the exit, already knowing their next destination, whereas some reunited with friends and family, or met their chauffeurs.

  Minutes passed. The crowd slowly dispersed. Delta cautiously turned her head and saw a Shizuno man in a blue shirt. Walking on either side of him were a man and woman. All three of them strode slowly, yet gracefully. Kai, Hana, and Raien had arrived.

  Delta's heart rate began to escalate as she tried to fight back her rage. She'd never before seen the man in blue, but she had sensed him once before in Athenia, just before she left. Ren told her that he was the one who murdered Tango. The very thought of her friend being killed made her lip tremble with fury.

  The three Tianzu continued to walk at a leisurely pace, not in any apparent hurry. They were the last of the commuters, gradually making their way to the exit, leaving an empty platform behind. Delta, the only person remaining, rose from the bench and removed a small pistol from beneath her jacket.

  She walked quickly, but silently, along the concrete platform, ensuring that none of the Tianzu would see her. She turned the corner and watched them in the distance still dawdling toward the exit. She'd have to be cautious with her attack. If she could get close enough without any of them detecting her presence, she may just be able to take the three of them out from behind. From what Ren and Skye had told her, Daye was the only Tianzu they knew of who could track others, which gave her an unmistakable advantage in this moment.

  “You'd better move quickly. They're leaving.”

  “I know,” she admitted, her voice nervous. “But I'm only going to get one chance at this.”

  Delta took a quick breath. The trio seemed to be completely unaware that she was behind them, but they were a lethal group, and could easily realise they were being followed.

  She started moving again, creeping after them before they escaped her view.

  “What's the meaning of this?” a voice asked behind her.

  She froze, having barely walked a few metres. She'd never heard the voice before, but instantly recognised the accent. Delta slowly turned around to see Raien standing behind her. Confused, she turned her head back toward the three Tianzu and watched as they still walked away from her. How is he in two places at once, she wondered.

  Without thinking twice about it, she raised her gun, ready to kill her enemy.

  In the blink of an eye, the gun had vanished. Delta gasped. She looked straight in front of her to see Raien casually holding the weapon. Her mind raced as to how he was able to disarm her so effortlessly.

  He l
ooked down, glaring at the handgun. “I remember the first time I ever saw a firearm,” he said. He rotated it, studying its design.

  Sweat began to bead on Delta's forehead; she wondered if he would use it against her.

  “I was only young back then,” he continued. “I remember how my country changed so dramatically in such a short time.” Raien threw the weapon back to Delta, much to her surprise. “I've never cared for them. A true warrior has no need for a firearm. It supersedes all qualities of typical human strength and gives one an unfair advantage. Where's the honour in that?” he asked.

  She spun the gun around in her hand and fired it at the man in blue. Her jaw dropped as the bullet flew straight through him and embedded itself in the side of the train behind him.

  “You didn't answer my question,” he said.

  Delta gritted her teeth and shot the man a menacing look. In this moment, she could see exactly how Tango had fallen to him; he was clearly a powerful enemy.

  “You murdered a friend of mine,” she hissed. “You killed him, unprovoked. So where's the honour in that?”

  Raien smiled. “I don't think you have the right to speak of honour. You affiliate with a clan who justifies killing innocent civilians.”

  Delta had heard enough. She removed a small blade and launched herself at Raien. She went straight through the man as though he wasn't there.

  “Not a good idea,” he said, then grabbed her hood, stopping her from stumbling to the ground.

  Delta's eyes widened as she tried to comprehend how she could fall right through him, yet he was able to grab her so easily. She regained her balance and saw that he was pointing his finger up at the ceiling. She tilted her head and noticed a camera looking down at them both.

  “I'd be careful,” he warned. “You should ask your friends what happens when they try to attack their enemies in public.”

  Delta knew he was referring to the lockdown of Shangwu in Athenia. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to end his life.

  Charlie landed on the platform and held his gun straight at the warrior.