by Andrew Ly
Paul hesitated slightly before finally dropping his arms back to his sides. He scoffed at Nick, obviously frustrated that he couldn’t finish the job. He stared down at Nick, with intense expression of utmost contempt. Paul looked back at the remaining spectators and bowed politely, delighted by his victory.
“The fight is over. Paul wins,” Bartholomew said.
Nick looked at the aftermath weakly, turning his head to see Lucius pull Daniel from the wreckage and help him onto a stretcher. He felt terrible now that Agrian was out of his head. It was like all sense of morality was repressed when he tapped into his demon powers, as if he had no conscience. But now that it was over, he felt the full force of the consequences. The coliseum was in shambles, he had frightened off everyone, and he lost to Paul all in a single afternoon. He was on the ground, but he couldn’t feel much lower than he did now.
“You okay, bud?” Matt asked, as he came over. “Paul messed you up pretty badly.” Nick was a bloody mess as he struggled to sit up before falling flat again on his back.
“I’m fine.” Nick turned his head away from him. His pride was shattered.
“I don’t want you bleeding to death out here. I’ll be right back, I’ll go to the infirmary and get someone out here,” Matt said.
Nick waited. He had finally learned that the true extent of his demon powers was wrapped inside an angry and uncontrollable part of him. The more he gave in the more he became further intertwined with the evil side lurking deep beneath his soul, a side so evil it could even hurt the people he cared about. It had him thinking about how he wanted to fight Daniel so badly, that he’d go through anyone. At that time, Gabriel was just an inconvenience that he was willing to kill just to satisfy his own desire. What if Matt had pushed his buttons, or worse, what if Quinn had been there? Could he distinguish the difference between friend and foe? To what lengths was the demon inside him willing to go? He shuddered at those thoughts. From this trial alone Nick understood how little control he had on his own actions when he was using his powers, and it frightened him.
6. Tower of Graves
Guilt was all Nick could feel the next couple of days. Being holed up in his room for a few days was his official punishment, but he didn’t think it was nearly severe enough for what he had done. He’d been violent, disrespectful, and openly antagonistic towards his peers and his superiors. For that, he deserved much more than a few privileges revoked and solitary confinement. However, today was his last day, and now that he just about finished serving his time, he was about to embark on his first mission as a knight.
Beating Daniel garnered him his knight title, but doing so in the manner that he did was something that was unforgivable. He made his way to the strategy room to find the people he offended and only hoped his sincerest apologies would be accepted. As he walked passed some of his fellow knights they made sure he acknowledged their opinions with sounds of disgust or fear, and some had a mixture of both. Those who disliked him before because of rumored favoritism and past follies now had a genuine reason to hate him. It was unnerving to say the least, but it was to be expected. He was a demon, the enemy.
On the bright side, his hands made a full recovery within the night. He now had a better threshold for pain and increased durability thanks to Agrian, but he wasn’t quite invincible. That much was proven in his bout with Paul. The way he looked at him during their match, it was almost as if he intended to kill him.
He arrived in front of the closed doors, he took a deep breath before pushing it in. In a stroke of either luck or misfortune, everyone was inside discussing a new mission. Peter, Matt, Paul, and the archangels were all together except for Daniel, and they were talking among themselves when he entered. Then it suddenly became quiet.
“I’m glad you guys are all here,” Nick said. He made sure he gathered all their attention’s before he continued. “I just wanted to apologize for my actions before. It wasn’t able to control Agrian and I hope this won’t affect our team dynamic.” His eyes slowly rose to meet Peter’s who was sitting in his usual spot.
Peter’s solemn expression transformed into a smile and then he was suddenly laughing. The rest of them followed and erupted in laughter. “No need to get sentimental, boy. We all know you feel bad. Now stop blubbering like a baby and take a seat.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t your fault.” Gabriel was taking everything in stride, despite the exchange they had before. “You’re adjusting to being a demon. Everyone already knew the risks. We just didn’t expect things to escalate so quickly like it did. Besides, you passed the exams and you beat your opponent fair and square.”
“How is he?” Nick asked.
“Daniel still needs time to recover, but he’s taking it all in good humor. I must say, you did quite a toll on the little guy. Then again, he must have known he had it coming to him. He admitted he exchanged less than friendly banter throughout the match,” Lucius said.
“I’m just surprised you didn’t tell me,” Matt said. “I mean, it makes sense now. There’s no way you could you have beaten me in a race without any supernatural help.”
It was Nick’s turn to laugh. Even knowing he was a demon didn’t change Matt’s opinion of him one bit, and he was grateful. Everyone else also seemed to have forgiven him, which alleviated some feelings of guilt. He had been afraid he could never face them again, but apparently it took a lot more than hospitalizing another soldier to fall from their good graces. The only person in the room who didn’t seem amused was Paul, who left abruptly as the laughter subsided, making sure that Nick caught his glare as he passed him by.
Matt made a mock shudder just as the door closed behind him. “Is it just me, or did a cold draft just blow through here?”
Gabriel waved a hand of dismissal. “Let him be. He’s a little mad because he thinks you got off easy. You wouldn’t believe how he wanted us to punish you, Nick. I never thought I could meet someone as brutal as Bart!”
Bartholomew growled with annoyance.
Nick couldn’t help but feel it was a bit justified. But he was glad he was getting the silent treatment from Paul because he wouldn’t have to try to rebuild a relationship with somebody he hated.
“Now that this whole debacle is over, let’s get on to new business. Pete? What is the run down for our newest knight?” Gabriel said.
“Are you boys up for a mission?” Peter asked.
Nick and Matt nodded at the same time.
“Excellent. Your task is to bring the sword shards you collected from Sir Marcus’ tomb to Garreth Graves in Hyperion. Only he has the knowledge and skill to restore it. Time is ticking. We need to act fast so we can strike first. The tremendous power of that blade alone is enough to slay a Crowned Prince,” Peter said.
“Strike first? I thought you didn’t want to cause a widespread panic by keeping things under wraps,” Nick said.
“That was our original intention, but with the explosive combat trials that showcased one of our own as a fire wielding maniac, people were starting to ask questions,” Lucius replied. “And so during your little isolation punishment, we took the liberty to host an assembly where we divulged everything and officially announced the attacks in Fyria.”
“It was better received than we expected. Most of the kids were more pumped to fight than anything else,” Gabriel said. “We sort of lucked out with the generation of today. Zero fear because you guys weren’t born during their reign. A blessing because if any of you had only seen some of the atrocities we saw…well, you wouldn’t have this death wish.”
“Over time, Nicholas’ cultivation of skills will be a huge asset,” Peter said. “However, right now we need to press every advantage we can get. We need to fix that sword immediately.”
“I’m sorry, I still don’t understand why we need Garreth. We have plenty of great whitesmiths here in our own Garrison,” Matt said. “Last time I checked, Garreth left because he hated us.”
Nick knew very little about whitesmiths other than they wer
e a part of the Wisdom Unit. As far as he knew whitesmiths were weapon forgers that specialized in blessing weapons for the Garrison armory. Every soldier and knight had their weapons crafted and imbued with holy magic because it was the most potent weapon at their disposal to vanquish demons. However, very few people chose to spend their lives training to be a whitesmith because it seldom offered glory. Also, many considered spending hours or days crafting equipment for other people to be boring. Then there was also a strict policy for whitesmiths to work in the confines and the safety of the Garrison, which outwardly made them appear as cowards.
“Unfortunately there is no one remotely as skilled as a whitesmith as Garreth Graves. Though it’s true he left our Garrison for his own personal reasons, it has become both your responsibilities to convince him to make an exception for this one instance. Every member of Sir Marcus’ family has long since been deceased. We can’t turn to anybody else,” Peter said. “I trust this request is simple enough for two knights to handle?”
Nick nodded. “Of course.”
“Good. We’ll have vehicular transportation available for you both in thirty minutes. Take this time to properly equip yourselves before you leave,” Peter said. He adjourned the meeting and Nick and Matt left to get prepared.
Even though he had a new uniform, Nick was more comfortable in his own attire. He put on a simple, white V-neck shirt with black pants, combat boots, and his signature jacket had the Glenhaven sigil sewn on the left arm, with a red Brave Unit patch on his right. He strapped on leg holsters and fitted them with knives. There would probably be no battle with Graves, but it never hurt to be prepared for the trip.
As he finished, Matt walked into his room, wearing his full uniform as usual. His sword, Wolfsbane was sheathed at his waist.
“Let’s get this show on the road,” Matt said.
They went to the garage facility where all the cars were located. Every car ever manufactured could be requested or delivered for use to their Garrison. However, they all had to be painted in a variation of the same white and gold color scheme with their Glenhaven crest located somewhere so that people could identify them. Nick passed over some of the fancier cars because he already had his choice in mind.
“The usual?” Matt said.
Nick nodded as they jumped into his favorite silver sports car and sped along to the industrial city of Hyperion. However, an idea suddenly crossed Nick’s mind.
“We’re going to make a quick pit stop somewhere,” Nick said.
“Where would this be exactly? You know Peter wouldn’t like it if you brought someone along, especially a civilian,” Matt said.
“Since when are you the voice of reason?” Nick said.
Matt chuckled. “You know I don’t care about bending some of the old man’s archaic rules. I just don’t think he’d be happy with you taking some girl for a joy ride around town.”
“She’s not just some girl, Matt.”
His time was well spent into solitary confinement, as his punishment allowed his relationship with Quinn to blossom with daily call transmissions. He told her the good news and about the events that occurred in between, but omitted the details about his demonic side. It was a nice treat to hear her voice, but he longed to see her in person. Now that he was promoted, what better reward than to spend a day with her on his first mission?
The sound of his engine was loud enough to alert her of his arrival. She came out just as Nick pulled up to her driveway. She looked absolutely stunning in a simple black tank top with a red patterned flannel over it and jean shorts. He stepped out to embrace her as Matt took the liberty to switch to a seat in the back. Once they were all settled in, they headed on their way to Hyperion.
“I was beginning to think we were never going to see each other again,” Quinn said.
“It really has been too long Quinn,” Matt agreed. “I think Nick here feels the same way. Poor guy just can’t stop talking about you.”
“Really, Emberson? You’ve missed me that much?” Quinn teased. Her green eyes seemed to brighten as she smiled her dazzling smile.
“Just a little bit,” Nick said. It was an understatement however, as seeing her in the flesh reminded him exactly how much he missed her, especially the little things, like way she always called him Emberson.
“So where are we off to?” Quinn fumbled with the radio, looking for a station. “I mean, why are we going to Hyperion? It’s a civilian city, nothing but concrete jungle. What business would two knights have there?”
“Our mission is to find some guy to help us rebuild this sword.” Matt unveiled the shimmering blade pieces from the gold bag it came in. Nick blinked a few times as he caught the reflection of the blade. He gripped the steering wheel, remembering the painful experience the night he made the mistake of handling the blade. As a demon, he was extremely sensitive to holy weapons. This one in particular was seemingly more dangerous to him than others.
“So you guys are going to a whitesmith?”
“That’s right…” Matt nodded, as he exchanged a look with Nick in the rearview mirror. “I’m pretty impressed. I never knew civilians knew about whitesmiths. In fact, I didn’t think it was very common knowledge.”
“It’s not,” Quinn laughed, “But I’m not a stranger to what happens around the world, as Nick has probably told you. I’ve moved around my whole life, meeting people and learning new things.”
Nick raised a brow. He had no doubt she was well educated and worldly, but curiously, Quinn was very well researched when it came to Garrison. Considering everything on base was sworn to secrecy, how did she know so much?
“That’s good, but it’s best to keep that information to yourself. You never know who might hear, and if somebody found out, it could spell a lot of trouble for you and us,” Nick said. “Garrisons have many enemies in the shadows. Namely demons, but there are also a great number of human supporters.”
“Lighten up,” Matt said, “you’ll scare the poor girl! Besides, does she look like she’s one to tell?
Nick glanced at her, the wind blowing gently through her fiery red hair as she brushed it away from her face. She was no longer listening. She was lost in her own world, gazing out the window in the distance at the grand scenery surrounding them. She was absolutely breathtaking. Whether or not Matt was right or wrong, he’d like to believe that this perfect vision was a reflection of her true self.
“No, I guess you’re right.”
As soon as they arrived within city, they found Graves Tower rather easily. It stood out as the tallest and most recognizable building. Garreth’s family spent no expense to set themselves apart from the competition. At the very top was a structure shaped like a capital G which was also a light fixture that shone brightly. The Graves were an illustrious family, renowned for discovering the formula and device that created the Holy Shield. However, Garreth’s parents had passed away during the Second Coming, leaving their only son a hefty inheritance and a multimillion empire to run alone.
“Wait, what are we doing at Graves Tower?” Quinn asked nervously as they parked in the underground structure.
“I thought we told you, Garrison business.” Matt turned to Nick. “You got to tell your girlfriend to listen to the stories because I hate repeating myself.”
“I think you guys should just go on ahead without me,” Quinn said.
“Because?” Nick asked.
“It’s not important, really,” she said.
“Well then, just tell us,” Matt said.
“Everything I know about whitesmiths?” Quinn pointed up to the top of the building. “That’s how.”
“So what, you knew Garreth Graves,” Matt said. “He’s a pretty well-known person in general. You’d have to be living under a rock to not know the name behind the creation of the Holy Shield.”
“Actually, we used to date.”
“Oh.”
Though he didn’t let it show, those four words hit Nick harder than Paul’s Luxilight beam tim
es a hundred.
“Come again?” Nick said.
“That’s how I know about whitesmiths and the Garrison. We used to date, but it was a long time ago. I wonder if he still remembers me.”
Quinn was speaking so nonchalantly Nick wasn’t sure whether he should be concerned or relieved. He knew she wasn’t shallow like most girls, but to have dated a man of his stature and vast riches was a little daunting for him. Needless to say, it felt like the boots he needed to fill as a boyfriend suddenly grew twice as big.
“Well if you put it that way, maybe it’s not such a good idea that you come in with us. We don’t want to open up old wounds,” Matt said. “What do you think, Nick?”
“Up to her.” Nick tried to maintain a level of coyness. He didn’t want to admit that he was slightly jealous.
“Just don’t take too long, okay?” Quinn said as she climbed back into the car.
Nick and Matt went straight to the elevator and rode it to the first floor. To his surprise, Matt didn’t mention a word about Garreth and Quinn. He must have already known how it made him feel.
As the elevator doors parted, they found themselves in a beautifully decorated room. The floor and everything else was seemingly made of marble. There was some simple furniture, with a few couches set out for people to wait and couple plants placed randomly. At the center was a single square desk, with a receptionist sitting with a phone to her ear.
Nick and Matt made their way to the front desk, just as she finished her call.
“Hello, and welcome to Graves Tower,” she said cheerfully. “What can I do for you today?”
Her nametag read Abigail. She had shoulder length brown hair, curled at the ends like a doll. She wore a light grey blazer and matching pants. What made Nick feel a bit uneasy was what seemed to be permanent smile on her face, as if putting up a pleasant facade for so long had ruined her ability to express her emotions naturally.
“We’re looking for Garreth,” Nick said. “We need to speak to him. It’s very important.”
“Everyone is, honey,” she said, with that same forced smile, “but I’m afraid Mr. Graves is quite busy this afternoon. Maybe you can schedule an appointment for the next available time.” She opened a notebook and flipped through a couple of pages. “How about the fifteenth of this month, let’s say around, next year?”