Ascension

by Christopher De Sousa

  If this is all an illusion, then it’s been a phenomenal one, Katherine decided, stunned with how these events affected her other senses.

  She soon after witnessed the impressive extent of an Indigo’s power. She saw Robert take the initiative in the conflict and strike the beleaguered Corrupted with a series of explosive lightning bolts. The wraith, his cloak smouldering from being hit with numerous volts of electricity, knelt with his palm clasping the damp soil.

  The wraith cackled. “Let us see how you fare with this newfound speed of yours …, when the solid ground you stand on becomes a sheet of ice.”

  Instantly, the wraith froze the plateau’s floor, and the guardian immediately lost in his advantage. The wraith then went to to bind Kusarikku in a frozen tomb and claim his bullish head with one foul sweep of his scythe. But before the wraith could carry this out, much to Katherine’s relief, a powerful blast of fire scorched his back and set his cloak alight.

  “How dare you interrupt our fight,” she heard Robert cry, his dark brown eyes glaring back at Monica. “Kusarikku and I will be the ones to defeat him.”

  “Robert, it is time we fought this fiend together,” Walter finally conceded, his guardian also stepping up into the fray. “We cannot afford to take this Corrupted so lightly.”

  Katherine watched as Mamitu recited an incantation from her tome. The words healed of Kusarikku’s many wounds and shielded the giant bovine guardian in an orb of light.

  “I must agree with your colleagues,” said the wraith, stomping out the few flames that lingered. “Indigo of the sky, you and your guardian have fared well in this warm-up. But it is time we got to the main event.”

  “What’s he doing…?” Katherine asked as the wraith appeared to sculpt duplicates of himself from out his own cloak.

  “Let us see how your feeble organisation matches up with the shades of my being.”

  Before she could even blink, her surroundings had become a battlefield of armies. Forged from the shadows, these copies seemed to carry the same characteristics as their creator. They then moved to confront the many operatives that were present atop the precipice.

  Valiantly, the operatives toiled to defend themselves and one another in face of the countless shades, but many quickly succumbed and painted the icy floor red with their blood. Katherine desperately wanted to reach out and provide comfort to the mortally wounded, but deep down she knew this was impossible. No matter how real these images appeared, they were merely living projections. She wanted to scream out, and implore Justin and the masked Corrupted to bring this horrific re-enactment to an end. But when she glanced over at the young man, she only saw a sadist in place of the boy she once knew. He just stood there, laughing and cheering at the bloodshed as though it were all a magnificent spectacle.

  She finally gathered the nerve to cry out. “Why would you even show me this? How is this supposed to impress me and make me want to join your cause?”

  “To fully understand a story, you must know how it both begins and how it ends,” he replied, licking his lips. It was a cryptic explanation,

  She looked on helplessly as the organisation’s Indigos and their guardians fought this spectral horde. It brought her some relief to witness the Indigos and their guardians were now faring much better with this foe, for they repelled many of these shades and began to focus their energies upon the wraith himself. But the wraith was not to be deterred by a few Indigos’ sudden dominant display, and to Katherine’s surprise, the wraith suddenly rose into the air on the head of a winged serpent.

  “He has a dragon…, impossible?” She heard Walter wail, peering up at the wraith as both he and his guardian sought to banish the roaming shadows with potent bursts of light.

  Is there no end to this Corrupted’s power? She wondered. For through its coal-black, and ragged wings, the serpent made of shadow, conjured up a blizzard that engulfed the precipice.

  Pressing forward through the falling snow and heavy winds, she caught a glimpse of the Indigo alongside their guardians. She saw them counter the wraith’s advances and bombard both him and his new pet in a battle of the elements. She could see the streams of Zu’s fire light up the night sky, melting the wraith’s hail as it poured overhead. There was also the surging of Mamitu’s luminous rays that intertwined and carved numerous shapes in the darkness. Katherine heard the crackling of electricity, coupled with the clapping of thunder. The rising temperature scorched earth and the steam of rainwater vapours smouldered in the air. Neither the guardians and Indigos, nor the wraith of Atlantis, had surrendered of any ground to the other; both parties’ resolved to remain strong in the face of the growing intensity of the overlapping elements. But the longer each side was forced to endure the ferocity of each attack, the sooner there were those who tired under the strain.

  Katherine believed that Kishar was the first to show signs of tiring, for she wheezed heavily and her little shoulders were now drooping. Physically spent, it would be only a matter of time before she’d fall backward with a crunch against the frost covered turf. She also noticed that Kusarikku was also showing signs of fatigue, for his legs wobbled beneath the weight of his stocky frame, and it wasn’t long before the bovine guardian lost his composure. He too then fell, snout first within the snow.

  With two guardians having fallen, Mamitu ceased her attack and focused upon replenishing their lost energies. But it was then that Katherine saw the organisation for the first time lose a guardian to the wraith’s deathly touch; for Namtar dashed forward with his ghoulish scythe and shredded both flesh and bone. The scent of charred skin and hair made her eyes water, and she couldn’t avert her gaze from the pool of blood that now swelled beneath the goat-like guardian’s lifeless body. She looked on, helpless, as Walter stumbled forward on all fours, cradling his mortally wounded guardian’s head as the blood dripped from his fingertips.

  “She’s gone…,” she heard Walter whimper, kneeling down beside his fallen guardian. “I’ve outlasted my usefulness. It no longer matters whether I live or die…”

  The wraith sighed, his dragon lurched its head. “What a disappointment…Now you will all perish before the god of death.”

  The dragon exhaled its cold, cutting breath toward them. With no means to evade the dragon’s attack, the width of its frozen icicles sprawled across the plateau’s diameter, and most operatives had only time to brace themselves in anticipation of the worst. But as they cowered before this attack, Katherine quickly recognized Zu’s timely intervention. She burst through the dragon in a vengeful vortex of fire. Fragments of shadow rained down on the operatives like ash, and the graceful navy blue feathered gryphon crouched with her wings fully extended. Enshrouded once more within a blazing inferno, the gryphon soared toward the Corrupted and bore a hole through his exposed ribcage. It had now become clear that their hope of survival hinged upon Monica’s weary shoulders, as she and Zu continued to advance, fighting this ruthless wraith without mercy.

  The wraith let out a shrill cry, and grasped at what little was left of his chest. “Simply remarkable, such power. Not since Lord Ra himself have I seen one control the element of fire so masterfully…”

  Katherine could not believe what she’d seen. She admired the way Zu had launched herself at the Corrupted: her execution was so precise. It was a flawless offensive. Then there was Monica’s energy control: so calm, and yet so quick had the fires raged, searing the bones of this Corrupted a burnt black.

  She observe the poised and graceful way Monica and her guardian composed themselves, and she believed that Monica and Zu were a perfect match for this most feared Atlantean wraith as the celestial elements of fire and wind clashed effectively with the ghoul’s ice-based offense. Katherine began to see clearly why the organisation saw such promise in her and respected her own potential, but also saw how polished and confident both Monica and Zu were in their celestial bond: leagues ahead of hers and Anzu’s talents. It was staggering to realise that they could have lost this battle, and i
t validated for her the fear that the name Namtar engendered in everyone’s hearts.

  “Monica and Zu…, you’ve both grown so strong,” she heard Robert acknowledge, the brash Indigo attending to his exhausted guardian. “You must keep him occupied a little while longer, and see that our own guardian’s regain their strength.”

  “No..., you just need to have faith we can do this,” Monica asserted with a grimace. “I can sense what you’re all doing. But to channel so much of your life force, to sacrifice your very essence…”

  “What exactly does she mean by ‘sacrifice’?” Katherine asked, thinking back upon what Monica had told her of the risks involved with forming a celestial bond.

  “She’s referring to the strain an Indigo takes upon body and mind in order to share so much energy with another,” Justin explained, gazing down at his own palms. “We give up so much of ourselves to those whom we serve, and their energy can overwhelm the frailties of the human form…”

  Monica bustled toward the wraith and hurled a plasma grenade before his withered feet. “Robert…, you must trust me. I promise not to rest until I’ve defeated him. You mustn’t throw your lives away so needlessly.”

  “It’s a shame that such power is used by one with yet so little experience…,” the wraith responded. “Your friends are willing to sacrifice themselves because they can see what you cannot.”

  Namtar spun about his scythe, summoning the many roaming duplicates that still littered the battlefield to reunite and become one with him again. Katherine looked on as the shades crashed into his skeletal body, patching up the hole left from Zu’s attack. With the head of his scythe, he severed the excess shades into an array of finely cut barbs.

  “Behold… Chaos,” the wraith boomed, as a sea of needles swept across the plateau, piercing the many operatives, guardians, and Indigos in their path.

  Such a cold and horrifying energy…, Katherine thought, shivering.

  As she observed the conflict, and despite finding the sight of Namtar’s power terrifying, she grew captivated by the wraith’s control. The wraith controlled his potent, celestial energies seamlessly and then seemed to possess limitless possibilities. There was no foreseeable end in sight. The scope of his power left her overwhelmed. As for Monica and Zu, neither had yielded or flinched amidst the assault. They had even redirected many barbs by using their elemental energies – Zu’s gale-force winds tore through the countless shadows, and the raging fires of Monica’s energy immolated the barbs, reducing them to a powdered dust.

  But alas, despite Monica’s and Zu’s best endeavours, some barbs successfully passed through their defences and wounded their fragile bodies.

  Monica grimaced, removing a barb from her leg. “Blast. I’ve lost all feeling in one side of my body…”

  “They tend to have that effect, for they siphon away spiritual energy and reduce it to waste within the nether,” the wraith explained, sneering back at her, proud of his ability. “However, they are less than ideal. That is, they do nothing to satisfy my unquenchable thirst.”

  “I’m going to kill you,” Monica cursed aloud so that all could hear her, before both she and Zu staggered forward and attacked the wraith within a flurry of wind and flame.

  “You’ve indeed fought valiantly, and for that, I thank you,” the wraith responded, easily extinguishing the flames and calming the winds. “Never before has a mere mortal wounded me in such a way. You’ve both inspired me to seek for a way to reach beyond my current limitations. I have decided, I shall begin my search with you.”

  The wraith hurtled toward the pair with his skeletal fingers outstretched, and if not for the lightning fast reflexes of Kusarikku, he would have had her.

  “You’ve tried my patience for long enough, earthen guardian,” the wraith scowled, before he thrust upward with his scythe and tore the guardian in two.

  “Stop this, I don’t want to see anymore,” Katherine pleaded, praying Justin and Alu would bring these visions to an end.

  Distraught and feeling sick at the sight of so much blood, Katherine scrambled toward them. It had become all too unbearable. But Justin would have none of it, and salivated at the prospect of further carnage, and the history on display did not disappoint him. Next, the wraith disposed of both Margaret and Kishar, sending them flying in a cloud of dust and snow. Then there was Robert. In a blind rage, the Indigo had unleashed a volley of thunderbolts and plasma grenades upon the wraith. But he too soon met his end. Namtar had darted at Robert and plunged his cold skeletal fingers through the Indigo’s chest.

  “Lance…, my son,” she heard Robert splutter, the blood staining his lips as he lay there dying in the snow.

  Katherine shrieked, bustling over to the wounded illusions of Monica and Zu. “No more! Please…, I’ve seen enough. I already know how this all ends. I thought you were going only to show me what happened to my mother…”

  “I have seen this many times myself since probing Monica Hawthorne’s memories: they are the memories of a woman to whom it seems you’ve become quite attached. It has been through bearing witness to my lord’s great power that I’ve derived the most from this ordeal,” the masked Corrupted said, pausing of the ‘Project’s’ history and bringing the illusions to a standstill. “The only purpose of all this is my lord’s young Indigo’s belief that you’ll join our cause…, once you’ve seen what fate befell your mother. But I also wanted to show you what you will be up against, if you were to choose poorly.”

  Katherine whimpered. “Why on earth would I want to join you? Your master is no more than a monster.”

  “For fear that you will suffer the same fate as those he’s destroyed,” Alu coldly replied. “My young Indigo here also believes that if you were to witness this organisation as they truly are, you’d be less inclined to think of them as the ones who are just and true.”

  “You may find it hard to believe, but I have only your best interests at heart,” Justin asserted, motioning for Alu to continue. “Together, we shall build a new and greater future.”

  The illusions showed Monica and Zu as they recommenced their efforts to subdue the wraith. They were spurred by the loss of their Indigo and guardian comrades, and Monica and Zu fought him with all that remained of their very beings. Helpless and with her pleas ignored, Katherine looked on as turrets of fire like a series of lava plumes burst upward from the icy floor; Monica moved to shape this surging heat into a wide reaching wall of flame and ash.

  With relative ease, Namtar had appeared to dice through the wall of fire with his scythe and descend. But Monica had other plans, and reformed the wall, seeking to entrap the wraith in a dome-shaped prison of writhing flames. So meticulously crafted was Monica’s energy, the half globe kept its shape and intensity as the heat melted away and overpowered all the conflicting elements.

  “Zu, it’s now or never,” she heard Monica cry, as the young Indigo mounted her guardian and rushed toward the scorching prison of her own creation. “Together, this is where we shall end it all.”

  Katherine gasped in dismay as the figures of both Monica and Zu became enveloped in an immense ball of fire. The pair plunged forward into the dome shaped prison with such ferocity that the ground trembled and the night sky was illuminated in a nova of light. Even within the realm of illusion, the energy of this assault was so blinding that Katherine had to shield her eyes to watch. Once the flames that lingered had petered out and she’d regained her sight, she spotted the lifeless body of Monica’s guardian lifeless on the cold earth. Once again, and as in her dream, she saw the cloaked Monica crouching down at her guardian’s side, stroking the gryphon’s dishevelled and charred feathers.

  “Oh Zu…,” Monica mumbled, her breathing laboured. “Wait for me my friend. I will be with you again soon enough.”

  “As the victor, I shall now claim my rightful prize,” whispered the wraith, raising Monica up by the scruff of her collar. “Your celestial spirit young Indigo, now belongs to me.”

  Although
Katherine had seen this before, it wasn’t any easier to see it a second time. The foul stench of burnt flesh and bloodied corpses was thick, but it was seeing the young Anzu flutter to his mother’s side that made her heart ache. She could feel what he could feel. His sorrow was her sorrow. With the wraith’s cold and coarse fingers wrapped about Monica’s neck, the organisation’s hopes seemed to have been extinguished. Had it not been for the timely emergence of a new hero, Monica would have died then and there. Suddenly Katherine heard the booming blast of a plasma grenade, and she saw a puff of smoke rise up from the back of the wraith’s cloak.

  “Let my sister go!” cried another young woman from out the organisation’s ranks, her eyes ablaze with fire. “Take me instead.”

  Chapter 29

  As Anzu bounded deeper within the depths of this Corrupted’s creation, the air had become so humid and stifling. No sooner had he believed he’d adapted to these conditions, then the temperature would suddenly fluctuate and he’d find himself nearly frozen half to death.

  Katherine, where are you? He asked, seeking to defy this realm and communicate with his young Indigo. I must hurry before it’s too late.

  “And where do you think you’re going? Can you not see that you’re trapped within my realm?” Alu whispered, sneaking up behind him. “There is no escape; you only waste your precious energy.”

  If what the masked Corrupted had said was true, Anzu realised the only way he might escape would be to defeat him. He swiftly turned to face the Corrupted with his talons raised, pressing forward and slashing through his cloak.

  The Corrupted sighed as Anzu’s attacks harmlessly passed through his shadowed body. “You can’t kill me when I’m in my own realm. If you will not accept my proposal; then I shall lay claim to your essence forthright.”

  And if I cannot kill him here, then I have no choice but to keep running, Anzu decided, promptly spinning round and dashing along a narrow corridor.

  But as soon as he set off gliding with haste, he could sense the masked Corrupted drawing closer in pursuit. At each pass thereafter, Alu would materialize in thin air and blocking his path. If that weren’t enough, he also had to avoid the spectral horde that lingered and tried to ensnare him as he weaved his way forward.