“I was hoping to stay back as much as possible to oversee the battle,” said Albert. He looked over at the red Neikan Demon. “This threat is too much to overlook.”
“What about the dark creatures?” asked Sheridan.
“Trust me,” said Sheridan. “Those monsters of darkness are mere playthings compared to the destroyer of worlds.”
As he spoke the Neikan Demon roared. It was a tremendous growl that sent ripples of power coursing through the air. Friend and foe alike were thrown back, their mangled bodies falling in a pile of corpses. It turned its attention to the city. It beat its chest and took off in a slow and determined run. Every step sent a tremor through the ground.
Albert spoke. Hiromy drowned out his voice. A fear swelled within her unlike any she had ever experienced. The city was doomed. There was no way anyone could stand up to the terrifying presence looming toward them.
“Hiromy!” called Sheridan. He gripped her by the elbows. “Are you ready?”
“Y… yes. Yes.” She blinked, trying to regain control of herself. “Ready for what?”
“To take out the dark creatures. Albert ordered us to aid the water wielders. Don’t you remember?”
“Yes, I remember,” she lied. The last thing she needed was for him to think she wasn’t ready, which in all reality she wasn’t. Her head was pounding. Her legs were trembling, and the voices were beginning to talk to her again.
“Let’s go, Phantom.” At her side, Albert had just mounted a dark horse that had appeared out of a black hole. It had red lines sketched across its muscular body. The steed stood on its hind legs, and with a mighty whinny, it took off after the Neikan Demon.
She took Sheridan’s hand and gave him a quick kiss. His mere presence drowned out the voices enough for her to regain some control. Still holding his hand, she rushed onto the battlefield, sure that this was the last time she would ever feel his touch.
~~~
Thick droplets of water echoed around Aya as she moved deeper into the cave. She had initially thought that it was going to be pitch dark down here, but the walls had thousands of crystal minerals embedded in them, which shined brightly, illuminating the path with a translucent blue glow.
She had been walking for some time now, expecting to run into some type of Suteckh scouts or battalion. Instead, however, she had walked in relative silence, with only her thoughts and footsteps to keep her company.
She turned another corner and headed down a steep path. The soft gravel under her crunched softly.
The path led out into a domed room. It was large, and unlike the rest of the cave (which carried the aroma of water), this section had the unmistakable scent of earth. Once again, the lights provided a clear view of the room in its entirety. There were boulders scattered throughout. Two dried husks of shed skin rested against the walls. There were a number of small holes in the walls.
This had to be place the worms used to nurse. She did recall the books mentioning that Dharati, the Golden Wielder’s pet worm, had a two offspring.
Suddenly, the pleasant aura in the worm nursery turned vile, as if all the good in Va’siel had just been extinguished. Aya stood at the ready, certain that she knew what was behind this shift in the environment.
Her suspicions were confirmed when, directly before her, a woman with dried blood running down from the eyes of her mask emerged. She did not wear the dark cloak she had been wearing the last time they’d met. Instead she had a black, sleeveless tunic, exposing her slim figure. Her pants were of the same color, as was the hilt of the sword that hung at her waist. She had silver and black tattoos on her arms. Most appeared to be of wild animals, but a few were insignias Aya did not recognize.
Selene! She had been cloaked, which would explain why she appeared out of thin air. Strangely, the soldiers she had expected to be accompanying her did not emerge at her side.
“Did you think that the Blood Empress needed guards escorting her as if she were not a master of darkness?” asked Selene, apparently reading Aya’s questing features.
Aya felt a sudden burst of pain. She was standing toe to toe with the little sister she had loved so much. Even after years apart, that love had never ceased. The rush of emotions coursed through her body, threatening to overtake her.
“Selene,” she said in a strained voice. “I’m Aya, your older sister.”
“There is no Selene,” said the Suteckh Empress. There was no anger in her voice, nor any sign of any other emotion for that matter. “There is only the Blood Empress, ruler of Suteckh, and soon to be ruler of Va’siel.”
“No,” pleaded Aya. “Father and Mother had you brainwashed. You’re no Blood Empress. You’re Selene.”
“Shut up!”
Aya barely had time to react as her sister dashed at her, sword in hand. She reached at her waist and took out her katana. Usually, Aya preferred to bring her batons, but those had been given to her by her traitorous father. So instead she now relied on a katana and wakizashi, a smaller sword.
The swords clanked against each other as they met with ferocity. Time after time the weapons clashed. Their sword skills were near identical, with neither one having a clear advantage over the other. Aya noticed that Selene was slightly faster, but she was stronger by a hair. At this rate, the battle was going to take an eternity to finish.
Selene’s sword whooshed past Aya. Instead of blocking, she took a step back and reached for her wakizashi. Two weapons would be the tipping point of this sword battle, she was sure of it.
Before she could put her new plan into action, Selene also stepped back.
Aya was certain her sister was about to wield. Aya readied for the elemental attack that never came. Instead, Selene threw the sword forward. Two sharp ends split up from the sword, turning the weapon into a triple edged menace. A long chain emerged from the hilt.
That was too close, thought Aya, barely dodging the trio of blades that wheezed over her crouching head. She took a step forward, but Selene pulled the iron chain back. This time Aya hopped over the attack.
She feigned a move left, but at the last moment dashed to the right. Selene took the bait, but as soon as she saw Aya switch postures, she pulled on the chain, arching the weapon back to cut across Aya’s path.
Water surrounded both the katana and wakizashi as Aya parried every attack that came her way. She was at an impasse. She couldn’t get closer to her sister. Selene was a master with the iron chain, using it to defend, attack, and cut off her advance as she cut through the air in graceful sweeps.
The iron chain swept over her and down, threatening to cleave her head. Aya’s katana met the attack. She felt the hit register on her blade, which shook violently. With her left hand she ran the wakizashi directly into the hole in one of the chains. She twisted the small sword. The sound of the chain breaking in half did not come. Instead Selene pulled her iron chain weapon back, forcing the wakizashi out of her hands.
Selene grinned with satisfaction as she took Aya’s wakizashi in her hand. “You should really be more careful how you handle your weapons. Giving them to your opponent is a poor strategy.” Then she was upon her. Up until now Selene had remained very stationary. Now she ran and took to the air. Suspended in mid-flight she front flipped countless times. Her weapon spun with her, creating a loud whizzing sphere.
The long chain came down hard.
Aya, knowing full well that there was no way her katana could take such a blow, moved to the side.
The trio of swords clanked on the ground, splintering the earth and raising a cloud of dust.
Squares of ice blew from Aya’s hands, only to have Selene shatter them in mid-flight with her weapon. Before the ice fell, Aya softened it into water and pushed it at her enemy.
Selene weaved masterfully between attacks. The water hit the ground and dispersed out of view.
“My turn.” Selene flipped and spun in a series of acrobatic maneuvers. Her iron chain danced around her, like an extension of her body.
; If it wasn’t for the fact that she was fighting for her life, Aya might have stopped to admire the display of swordsmanship.
The iron chain whizzed across the ground. Aya jumped to avoid the attack. Selene kicked the air. A burst of dark energy emerged before her feet. It was too late for Aya to dodge, and the attack connected directly on her torso. She fell to the ground but quickly grounded her hands and pushed up, back flipping back onto her feet. It was becoming apparent that she needed to get the weapon away from Selene. But how? Every move she made was countered immediately. Keeping her head focused on the weapon, she fired a volley of water spurts. As she had expected, Selene moved her weapon to intercept the attacks.
Aya followed behind her water, coming in high over Selene.
Her sister grunted as Aya drove her fist into her belly. She didn’t go down. Instead, Selene grabbed Aya’s arm and twisted it.
Hot, searing pain ran down Aya’s elbow as it twisted forward in an unnatural arc. With her right hand, she brought her katana forward, forcing Selene to let go.
She’s trained as a grappler. The revelation didn’t exactly surprise her. Nonetheless, it did mean she would have to be more careful whenever she landed a physical hit. Any part that connected could be used against her.
Selene danced from side to side, her weapon still firmly clutched between her hands.
The water wielder decided it was time to try a different strategy. She called on her usual water gloves. An aqua lion formed on her right hand. On her left hand a screeching hawk made of see-through blue liquid had taken form. The water animals were some of her favorite weapons to use. They were light as a feather, but as soon as she made contact with her target, they would harden. It was this mix of soft and hard that made them her go-to ability.
The iron chain came down again. Aya brought both hands up, and the animals crashed into it. She skidded back a few feet, not expecting the power behind the attack. The trio of swords lifted and came down once more. This time Aya didn’t challenge the attack. Instead, she moved her hand and put her fist over the end blades. With all her might she pushed down, giving the attack more power. The blades dug into the hard earth.
The empress grunted as she struggled to get her weapon free. Aya pressed her advantage, closing the distance between them. Selene let go to meet the incoming attack, but it was much too late.
Aya rocked punch after punch into the mask. The mask pulsed with adrenaline as she took out its frustration on it. The mask represented everything she hated about the Suteckh. It had to be destroyed.
The white mask fractured through the middle. A punch later it shattered into a dozen pieces and fell to the ground. Selene rubbed her head, struggling to remain on her feet.
Aya brought down her fist one more time, sure this would be the final attack.
Rage in her eyes, Selene surrounded her own hands with a dark aura. The black mass intercepted the animals. Aya watched in horror as a black mist leaked into the water, turning the water into dark energy. Aya dissolved the aqua animals a second before they were fully overtaken by the dark mist.
That was close, she thought. Had she allowed the darkness to take over, it would no doubt have corrupted her energy.
Now that the battle had slowed down, Aya finally got a glimpse of her sister without the mask. The same features from when she was a little girl remained. The years, however, had given her a rough edge that had been absent when she was a child. She had long almond eyes, and a scar running down her right cheek. It looked to be the work of a sword. Her lips and her eyes were rimmed in a jet-black line.
Seeing her sister’s face after so many years caused something inside her to stir. She wanted to hold her close and protect her from the evils of the world. To protect her from the monster they had made her into.
“Please,” Aya pleaded. “Our family may have betrayed us. The Suteckh may have brainwashed you, but you’re not alone. You have me. I love you, Selene.” She extended her hand. “Let me help you.”
“I…I…” Her sister clutched at her head.
I’m getting through to her. Aya continued to talk. . “The sister I knew would have never hurt anyone. She loved Va’siel an every living thing in it.”
“Why is the bird on the ground?” asked three-year-old Selene. “It should be up the air flying with all the other birdies.”
Aya examined the strange way the white bird hopped from side to side. It flapped its wings, hoping to lift from the ground, but every time it was rewarded by crashing back down after lifting a few inches into the air. The culprit seemed to be a small cut under its right wing.
“It’s hurt,” said five-year-old Aya. The sisters were out playing on the prairies of Ladria. Their game of hide and seek had been interrupted by the discovery of the dove hopping along one of the many rocky paths that cut through the grass.
The younger sister said softly, “We have to help it.”
“We can’t take the bird home. You know father will not let us bring it into the house.”
“He doesn’t have to know. I won’t tell him. Neither will you.”
Aya’s lips twisted as she thought about it. The truth was that she didn’t want to leave the bird out where a predator could snatch it.
“Preetttty pleeease,” begged Selene.
“Fine,” said Aya, giving in, “but not a word about this to father. You know how he gets about this kind of things. Deal?”
The youngest Nakatomi took the bird in her hands, caressing its feathers gently. “Deal.”
Aya took one step closer to her sister, drowning out the vision of long ago. “Take my hand.”
Selene whimpered and mumbled under her breath. A moment later she became eerily silent. When she looked up, all the doubt was gone from her face. Only a hateful gaze remained.
“I am the Blood Empress! You cannot trick me with your mind games.”
“Mind games? I’m a water wielder, Selene. I know nothing of mind wielding.”
“No… no. You must be a dual wielder.” The Empress’s voice was frantic as she ranted in an uncontrolled, breathless gibberish of connected words. “Yes, that’s it. You’re a dual wielder. You’re planting images in my head that aren’t really there.”
“No.” Aya lowered her voice. She needed to get through to her sister. “Being close to me is obviously waking up something inside you. Don’t fight it.”
“Aya,” said Selene. Her voice was pleading. She screamed once more and clutched her temples. “It hurts, Aya. They opened me up. They… they…”
“Don’t listen to her, Great Blood Empress,” came a sudden voice Aya had not expected to hear. Standing behind her sister was the man she had once called father. He put his hands on Selene. “She’s an enemy who wishes to rob you of what is rightfully yours. You mustn’t allow it, your highness. Finish her off.”
Aya ground her teeth as she moved toward the councilman. “Don’t you dare touch her!” A sudden whip of dark energy forced her back.
Mr. Nakatomi’s cruel lips twisted into a smile. “I’m glad I followed the Blood Empress. I was certain you would find a way to interfere, Aya.”
The introduction of her father had reawakened the trance Selene had fallen under. Her hands were covered with a black mass. She moved toward Aya, focused on finishing her.
“So be it,” said Aya, realizing that in order to help Selene, she was going to have to defeat her alter ego first. It was time to finish off the Blood Empress once and for all.
“It’s flying,” said the young Selene. “We did it. We really did it!”
Aya looked up at the bird, who had now taken off and joined a nearby flock. It had been three weeks since they first found the bird and, against all odds, they had managed to nurse it back to health, or at least that was what the younger sister thought.
“Do you think it will be fine, Aya?” Selene looked up at her with begging eyes.
Aya felt an ounce of guilt as she spoke. So she looked away, hoping that not seeing those sweet, tender blu
e marbles would make lying easier. It didn’t. “Yes. It will join his bird friends, and they will fly through Va’siel. She will live a life of fun and adventure.” She did not have the heart to tell her that the bird they had found died a week ago and that she had snuck to the market to buy another one to replace it. As Selene hugged her, though, some of the guilt drifted away. Selene was her baby sister. She would do whatever it took to protect her.
“Die!” screamed Selene. Spit of rage dripped from her lips.
“Kiya!” thundered Aya. Water sprang up around her.
The dual screams rang off the thick earth walls as the sisters took after each other, each determined to end the other at all costs.
Chapter 34
Falcon sat motionless, holding Faith in a tender embrace. He faintly made out the sound of footsteps beside him, followed by heavy breathing. The person moved closer. Falcon remained motionless. He knew who it was but didn’t care. All he wanted was to remain close to her.
“What is the meaning of this?” sneered Shal-Volcseck.
The young Rohad did not bother to turn. He was certain that the chaos lord had discovered that the emblem he took from Faith held no more holy energy.
“You killed her,” he said. “She was my friend and you took her from me.”
“It is the way of the world,” said Volcseck matter-of-factly. “People kill for land, love, lust, power, greed, or any combination of those reasons. It is a vicious cycle that I set out to stop long ago.”
“Stop!” For the first time, Falcon forced his gaze away from Faith and to the murderer. The faint light of the moon distorted his hard-to-see features, making him appear more monstrous than Falcon had envisioned. “You who have murdered thousands of people throughout your life have no right to speak of how you tried to stop it from happening.”
“But I have. All those murders were only done for the greater cause. I needed to get hold of an element of every emblem. I did what I had to do to attain them, and I would do it again.” Falcon and Volcseck’s eyes met, and for the first time he saw what had always been there. A lack of humanity long lost by centuries of killings. An impossible desire to save the world from something it could not be saved from. It was this idealistic view that made him such a menace. For in Volcseck’s eyes, everything he’d done up until now had been for the greater good. His next words further confirmed that. “If I could only get ahold of each element, I could bring forth an ability that would destroy all of Va’siel in a single day.”
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