In Creation's Heart

by Jason Hamilton

  In response, another rush of flames erupted from Seph’s mouth, hitting the ceiling, then the walls as Seph thrashed from side to side. His tail beat against the stone as he tried to whip it around to bash at Cain. Yet the demon king merely disappeared in a burst of speed and reappeared on Seph’s other side, repeating the process of electrocuting the dragon.

  “You will not touch my husband!” Jak screamed at the top of her lungs. Without even pausing to think about what she was doing, she used the Pillar of Space to propel her forward. Even though Cain and Seph were only a few feet away, she would need the magic to get to Cain before he escaped using his own Pillar.

  She appeared just inches from where Cain stood, but his reactions were too quick. Immediately he froze time and used it to get out of her reach.

  Suddenly he was behind her, and Thunder lanced into her as it had into Seph. All her limbs ceased to function as torrential power coursed through her.

  She activated her own Thunder brand, using it to absorb what Cain threw at her. Cain stopped shocking her just as she turned on her back and shot a fireball at him. It missed, and slammed into the ceiling above.

  A low rumble shook the place. Jak spared a glance at the ceiling, then widened her eyes and rolled out of the way just in time as a stalactite hit the place where she had been. This cave was not stable.

  A fireball collided with her where she lay. The force was enough to crunch her into the ground beneath, and singe away part of her clothing and flesh as well, though that began to heal itself the moment the flames dissipated.

  Regardless, Jak was winded. But the moment she caught her breath, another fireball blasted into her. The rumbling in the cave was growing stronger.

  Cain stood over her, sending fireball after fireball at her. And it was working. With each recovery, her flesh was less and less healed by the time the next fireball hit her.

  A roar from Seph and more fire shot into Cain, accompanied by fireballs from both Skellig and Naem, about whom Cain had all but forgotten.

  The collective firepower slammed Cain backward into the distant cave wall, near where Marek’s body still lay. Was he dead? Marek probably wasn’t as resilient as Cain, at least as far as Jak knew. But she couldn’t worry about him right now.

  Rising to her feet, she didn’t waste time. Using the Pillar of Space, she propelled herself forward so she was next to Cain. She reached for him, but immediately he sped out of her reach. He knew that if she touched him, she would take him away to a place where she would hold all the advantage. So he wisely avoided her grip.

  Seph lumbered forward, peering his head around the corner to where the starship lay. With another bellow, he shot fire out of his maw towards the ancient Relic.

  “No!” said Cain, appearing in front of the starship, and throwing up both arms. A wall of Telekinetic energy burst forth and immediately blocked the onslaught of dragon fire. Instead of going straight, the fire scattered in every direction. Cain set his feet, holding the barrier above his head, straining as he did so.

  Jak could understand that strain. She had done the very same thing to protect the Pillar of Space from dragon fire. It had taken all her concentration, and had ultimately cost her mother’s life.

  Yet even as dragon fire spread out from the shield, heating the rock on all sides of the chamber, and causing more stone to fall from the ceiling, Jak felt triumph fill her.

  Cain’s need to preserve his parents’ craft would be his undoing.

  Using the Pillar of Space, Jak brought herself past Cain’s barrier, to stand opposite him. Then she sped forward and wrapped her arms around him, using all her strength to hold him like a vice.

  Then she transported both of them out of there.

  Once again, she had a brief dispute with the magic of the Pillar of Eternity. It would be so easy to take Cain to the very depths of the ocean, or the vacuum of space. She had the power. The Pillars possessed such abilities. Abilities far beyond their own self-imposed limitations.

  But the Pillar resisted. Perhaps she could break its will, do with it what Cain had done to the Pillar of Time. She was powerful enough that maybe she could do it. The Pillar of Space seemed to sense her thoughts, stilling its magic and waiting for her verdict.

  No, she would not stoop to Cain’s level, even if it meant making the job a lot harder.

  The Pillar brought them to the same place as before, hovering over the ocean on the other side of their planet. Jak stared at Cain who stared back. Then Cain kicked at her, trying to get loose.

  The kick took her by surprise, and he broke away from her. Then with incredible speed, he flew away. Jak stared after him. Cain was smart, she realized. He knew that if he were to get away here, he would stay alive. He still had a chance while on Earth.

  Jak called on the Pillar of Space to propel her forward, straight into Cain’s path.

  Unimaginable pain lanced through her as Cain rammed into her. Stars shone in her eyes, and she stared down to see Cain’s entire fist embedded in her gut. His eyes met hers and he grinned.

  He had been ready for her. He had planned this. Cain extracted his fist, and immediately reached for the Pillar of Space in Jak’s hand. Jak was so distracted by the pain, even with her Healing brands working to help, that she almost forgot about the Pillar. As Cain tugged on it, she tightened her grip. Cain pulled, but she did not budge. She held onto the Pillar of Space for all she was worth.

  A blow landed on her thigh with such force as to break all her bones. She cried out, and watched as Cain raised the Pillar of Time for another such blow.

  She winced as the Pillar came crashing down on her thigh again and again. The Pillar did not pass through her leg completely, though it broke skin, even with her Toughness brands, and that wasn’t to mention the bones that broke, realigned, and broke again.

  It was pain unimaginable. Yet she could not let go of the Pillar of Space. She would not.

  The Pillar remained in her hand even as Cain tried to practically tear her fingers off to get at it.

  As the Pillar of Time came down for another hit, this time Jak’s arm shot out.

  She felt her fingers break and reknit themselves as her palm came in contact with the Pillar of Time for the first time in months. And she held it.

  Cain tried to swing it away, to take it back for himself. But Jak put all her effort into holding on to both Pillars.

  Cain did not miss a beat. This time, instead of physically trying to wrench the Pillars out of her hands, he tried another tactic.

  Mentally, she felt both Pillars respond to Cain. The Pillars were held by two beings of equal power, but opposite temperament. Cain was trying to use them, to convince them to work for him.

  Jak fought back.

  It was a mental battle every bit as difficult as the physical beating she had just endured. The Pillars were torn between two masters, and it took all her willpower to keep Cain from wrestling them from her mind. “Don’t deny me what is mine by right,” Cain shouted through the rushing air. Only then did Jak realize they were falling through the sky, their concentration so focused on their mental battle that neither paid attention to keeping them aloft with Telekinesis. The ocean below grew closer and closer.

  “You lost your birthright the moment you killed innocents.” Jak shouted back. And with a burst of mental energy, she called on the Pillars once again.

  The air pressure around them rippled, and the world changed. They were in an unfamiliar environment, still flying through the air, but the sky was red. The air was heavy, though she could still breathe.

  Cain did not seem to notice, but continued to fight for dominance over the Pillars.

  Jak kept fighting.

  Once again, the air around them rippled, and this time Jak’s skin prickled as they fell through an icy atmosphere, this one so devoid of light that Jak could no longer see Cain in front of her. Her skin began to freeze as wherever they were was so cold it began instantly turning their warm bodies into solid ice.

&nb
sp; Ripple.

  They were moving through other planets. That much Jak was sure of. This one looked a lot like Illadar or Earth, but instead of green trees, everything was a beautiful yellow. Giant waterfalls fell from cliffs that looked high enough for three Mt. Harafasts stacked on top of one another. It was beautiful.

  Cain was beginning to realize what was happening, for his concentration broke. Jak seized the opportunity. She transported them away to Illadar, but Cain realized what she was doing at the last moment, and brought his will back to fight her.

  Ripple.

  They were on another planet, this one so hot it scorched them both, and would have likely vaporized them had they not both had Healing brands.

  Ripple.

  Jak got her first look at alien life, great, tall beings that looked much like Yewin and the Bright Elves, but without their characteristic glow. They stood in vast halls, and several heads turned to look at the strangers that had just appeared falling through their enormous chamber.

  Ripple.

  This planet was full of tall trees that looked oddly like giant, purple jellyfish.

  Ripple. A planet with nothing but enormous green boulders.

  Ripple. Another with rainbow skies.

  Ripple, ripple, ripple, ripple, ripplerippleripplerippleripple.

  Tuning out what was happening around her, Jak closed her eyes and concentrated. There was more going on here than just her will being pitted against Cain’s. The Pillars were trying to tell her something, or at least the Pillar of Space was. The Pillar of Time seemed oddly dormant.

  There was somewhere where the Pillar of Space wanted to go, someplace relevant to her and Cain. But it couldn’t get there while Cain and Jak tried to force it to do what they wanted. It needed the freedom to take her away, just as it had helped her find Cain even when he was using the Pillar of Time.

  So she stopped trying to lead them to Illadar, and instead surrendered to the Pillar’s magic, adding her will to its own.

  It was enough.

  Ripple.

  They materialized on a dead world. Their falling ceased as they crashed into its gray earth, and rolled over and over. Jak instinctively let go of the Pillar of Time, letting Cain take it back, while simultaneously kicking out at Cain’s other hand holding the Pillar of Space. Between that and his surprise upon hitting the ground, Cain’s fingers slipped from her Pillar, and the two of them separated.

  Jak got to her feet and felt her vision swim. She had not used this much power from the Pillars of Eternity since taking her army from Illadar to Earth, if even then.

  Cain got up on his arms and knees. “Did you see all of that? That’s what you and I could have had. You could have ruled by my side across worlds, and yet you squandered the opportunity, for what? To create a world for a people who will one day forget your part in their salvation. To save new races that will rise up to threaten humanity one day.”

  “What they may choose to do one day does not have any bearing on the here and now,” said Jak. “And right now, you are the threat. And we will crush you, just as heroes of the future will crush those who threaten peace, freedom, and equality.”

  “You deceive yourself!” he yelled. “You have no vision, no foresight. You will never create lasting peace.”

  Jak closed her eyes, but spoke anyway. “Maybe not. But lasting peace doesn’t have to be my goal. I can set laws in place, I can eliminate threats, but in the end, people are responsible for themselves.” She reopened her eyes. “Self-responsibility. I will make sure they get that privilege. Let them do with it what they will. And if peace does not last, I will trust that others will rise to the occasion, and do what I have done.”

  “We could have made our own peace. Where you and I would have lived forever, and ensured that no one would ever step out of line.”

  “And that is exactly where you fail to see. Forcing people to be good isn’t freedom. In order for true peace to flourish, it must be a choice.”

  Cain scowled, knowing it would do no good to argue further. Instead his eyes darted around them. “What is this place?”

  Jak followed his gaze, seeing nothing but boring, flat land in every direction. The sky was also gray, full of enough dust and perhaps other things that blocked out the sun. Only a pale light shone through. She coughed as a mouthful of the dust choked up her lungs. This place was not hospitable. Yet, this was the place the Pillar had chosen.

  “This is where the Pillar wanted to take us?” she said, steadying herself on her feet.

  “It must be faulty,” he replied. “There’s nothing here.”

  There was once. Jak started as a voice sprung up in her head.

  “What was that?” she said, looking around.

  “You’re losing your mind,” said Cain, looking at her with tired eyes.

  Jak stared down at the Pillar of Eternity. Had it just spoken to her for the first time since plucking if off the top of Mt. Knot?

  “What was here?” she said aloud, directing her comment at the Pillar.

  Cain remained where he was, his eyes narrowed and staring at her, though looking tired enough to not be an immediate threat.

  This was once the origin, said the voice in her head. This was once the land of the ancestors.

  Jak’s eyes widened and she looked up at the world around them, suddenly understanding.

  “You always wanted to return to your home world,” she said, looking at Cain.

  “What are you talking about,” he said, squaring his shoulders and looking like he might attack her again. “Who told you that?”

  “Marek did,” she said. “When he first showed me your starship.”

  Cain’s face grew dark. “I will kill that boy.”

  He might not have to, but Jak ignored the comment. “He told me your ultimate goal was to return to the civilization that gave you life.”

  She waited for a reply. He stared at her with those stone cold eyes. “My father and mother were fools to think they could never return. To grow complacent with the pitiful planet they landed on. Our ancestors were capable of so much, and yet they would rather work all day for no more than a mouthful of food.”

  “And yet,” Jak said, feeling understanding flow into her from the Pillar. “This is what all that capability brought our ancestors. Ruin.”

  Cain’s head swiveled in every direction. “My ancestors would never have lived in such a place.”

  “It wasn’t like this when they lived here. They did this to the planet. This is all that’s left.”

  “No, you lie!” Cain shouted.

  “Then you accuse the Pillar of lying. It knew you wanted to come here, so it brought you. And now this is where I will leave you.”

  The runes on the Pillar of Space began to glow. There was a certain irony with leaving Cain in the land of his ancestors, a land they had destroyed. Her part was done. She would return to Illadar, even if it meant abandoning the Pillar of Time. Cain would not hurt anyone else here.

  “No, you cannot!” Cain flew through the air at her, covering the close distance before Jak could even blink.

  Ripple.

  19

  They were falling through the sky once again, but this time Jak knew exactly where they had gone. A glimpse of two moons in the blue sky confirmed it. They were back on Illadar.

  But Cain had come too, she had underestimated him again. He clutched at her leg, having barely caught it as she had transported them away.

  Jak kicked at him, but he held on, reaching for the Pillar of Space, whilst still somehow managing to hold onto the Pillar of Time.

  Jak waved the Pillar of Space out of his reach. There was nothing more than to continue with the original plan now.

  She activated her Telekinesis brand, using it to guide their landing. Glancing at the ground, she could see their destination. The Pillar had brought them close to their settlement, exactly where they needed to be.

  With a crunch, they landed just outside the cave. Cain broke away and rolled
, but to his credit, still managing to throw a fireball in her direction as he tumbled.

  Jak threw up a hand and deflected the fireball with Telekinesis just in time. Then she sped forward, catching him in the gut and hurling him backward, closer to the cave. But he managed to get his feet underneath him, activate his own Telekinesis brands, and use them to stop their momentum.

  “So this is Illadar,” he said, glancing around. Jak swallowed. He must have caught a glimpse of the settlers who remained, and put two and two together. “I’m going to enjoy burning it all to the ground after I finish you!”

  With the last word, he threw a punch at Jak, but not just any punch. Fire sprouted from his fingertips, and came to a point using what Jak could only guess was telekinesis. Her eyes widened and she sidestepped the blow, catching her first good look at a telekinetic blade full of fire coming out of his hands.

  She could have probably used a weapon right about then. Perhaps her father’s spear, which had been branded to be more resilient. But she couldn’t wish for that which she could not have. She punched back at him, throwing every bit of strength she had into the blow. It connected, but only barely, throwing Cain off balance as it clipped his shoulder.

  It felt odd to Jak, who had literally created a world, and wielded some of the greatest magic in the universe, to resort to something as simple as a punch. Granted, it wasn’t just a punch. It held all the power of each of her Strength brands behind it. But it was still a simple act by comparison to all she had done.

  Nevertheless, it was all she needed. With Cain off balance, she jumped forward, grabbing him by the waist, and pouring all her energy into her Telekinesis. They flew forward, straight into the nearby cave, which opened wide to receive them.

  Jak felt her powers weaken, and she tumbled to the ground, Cain tumbling with her. They came to rest in a small cloud of dirt.

  Jak’s muscles protested as she tried to push herself upright. She’d underestimated how much she needed all of her Strength brands, though she still had some power left. Yet if she felt tired, it was nothing compared to how Cain looked.