by Oxford, Rain
The door reappeared.
I couldn’t leave her there to starve to death, but I didn’t know what else to do with her. Edward would, but I couldn’t take her with me to find him. I searched chest, which was filled with sharp weapons, and pulled out a dull dagger. As quickly as I could, I cut a large X into the door, and then left it open just a little so the light could make the edges of the X more visible. I hurried away from her angry screams.
When I got a few hallways away, I stopped and sat down. The growing unease was starting to make me paranoid. My body wasn’t supposed to move like it did; it was supposed to move under my control.
“You let the girl off easy. You could have tortured her,” a voice whispered, sending a chill up my spine.
“No, she was just a little girl,” another, lighter voice whispered.
“Shut up,” I said to the lighter voice. “Continue, darkness.”
“All that pain and threatening. Use your imagination. You could have cut little designs on her skin so she’ll never forget her sins. You could have hid her shoes somewhere she would never find them again. You could have made her scream and cry for her brother and he wouldn’t hear. Go, Dylan, torture her. Don’t leave her for your master to deal with. Torture her. Torture her.”
I stood up. “Alright. Which way did I come from?” Of course, I was joking, but so was my hallucination.
“Left, Dylan, Left.”
I turned to my left and got goose bumps. Something crossed the hall behind me, about fifteen feet away. I looked and saw nothing there. Of course, I had seen too many movies to go and investigate, and instead looked up. Nothing… then the torch flames began to flicker.
That narrowed it down to mummy, zombie, ghost, or alien/mutant monster.
My bag slipped off my shoulder and onto the floor. I faced the left again and again I felt something behind me, only about five feet away. Again, nothing there…
That left Japanese ghost or alien/mutant monster.
Suddenly something stood only a foot behind me, but I could feel no breath. I could sense its presence, but felt no body heat. “Blood, Dylan, blood.” I turned to see the one who would eat me, and as I did my foot caught on my bag and I stumbled to the ground.
He looked so powerful and dangerous, staring down at me with a cruel grin. There was so much energy in him it was like he was glowing with it, though it wasn’t sickening like Vretial’s. His dark eyes glittered with dark thoughts in the torch light. His light skin seemed to absorb the light while his dark hair absorbed the dark. A Greek sculpture wouldn’t have been as idealized as him. Although I knew his face so well, it was shocking and seemed entirely inhuman. This time I didn’t mistake him for Edward, and I knew he wasn’t Shio. It was undoubtedly Ronez who stood before me.
He wore a black satin, button-up shirt, black jeans, and black boots. He was about the same build as Edward and, though the face was structured the same, it looked very different because Edward wasn’t as pale, and I never saw him look as joyful and devilish as Ronez did. After a moment, he laughed, as if my fear had amused him greatly.
Then he held out his hand, which I found myself taking without thought, and he pulled me up easily. “Sorry about scaring you, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I couldn’t pass it up.”
“No, I get it. All my hallucinations have to mess with me or I feel neglected. I’m sure I saw your body running around here, but I can’t really tell you where.”
“That’s alright; I’m done with it anyway. I came here for you.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not done with mine.”
“Oh, that’s okay, too. I’ll wait. Mind if I follow you around until you are?” he asked.
I reached down and grabbed my bag. “Not at all; I could use the company, and none of the voices in my head are on speaking terms with me.”
I started down the hall, but Ronez stepped in front of me and gestured to the left. “Let’s go this way, it smells nicer.”
“Okay. So, how’s everything going?”
“Oh, fine, I guess. It’s a little boring, being dead and all. Of course, watching you fight bad guys is fun. Watching Divina fight villains is even more fun. How are you enjoying my sword?”
“It’s wonderful. Were you helping me fight Tomie?”
“When you give it energy, which you unintentionally did, you gave it power to protect you from her magic. I did give you a little nudge, but she really wasn’t a powerful opponent without her magic, and mostly I just gave you some emotional support. This way, please.” He led me down another hall.
“So, how and why are you here?”
“Well, something not many know is that when your name is in one of the twelve books, you can’t really die. Exactly what happens, I’m not sure. Not even mortals enter the land where the dead rest. Furthermore, I am immortal. Or I was. This is all new to me. I don’t really know where I was.”
“So if you weren’t dead, why are you only showing up now? You’re not just teasing your brother, are you?”
“No, of course not. I wasn’t able to come before; I really am somewhat dead. Remember that meeting Divina went to many hours ago?” I nodded. “Well, now I can be here, but I’m not like a ghost or something. Really, I’m soul and energy. The problem is that I’m taking up so much energy with magic so unnatural that I’m disturbing the balance. I can’t be here for long, but the closer I am to Vretial, who has insane amounts of power, the longer I can stay. You have a question for me, don’t you?”
I didn’t even pause to get my thoughts together, and I wasn’t quiet because I didn’t care if anyone overheard us. “Why am I your successor? Why am I so powerful? Why was I chosen? Divina said it was because I was the right person, not that I was chosen, but why?”
“You were chosen, Dylan, by me.”
“Why? You have so many descendants.”
“I knew you were powerful, but I also knew how you think. You have a natural bond with nominal energy that not even Kiro and I have. Even the way you used magic to talk to your friend was something far too natural and far too powerful for a new Guardian. You learn quick and you adapt well. I made the right decision. I do have many descendants, but you’re different. Dylan, I am your father.”
“Um… what?”
My father… I have a father. No; I had a father. Edward had been telling me about my father the whole time. Edward’s… my uncle. But this doesn’t make sense. How could someone so powerful and “wise” fall for Mother?
“You’re my last child, and you’re the only one I knew who would be the right Guardian. You know why you’re so unlucky? The universe has to balance. Even without your Guardian power you were very powerful, so much so that you created an unbalance. To correct this, bad luck hindered you every chance it got. The universe was constantly trying to kill you. When you became a Guardian, you were supposed to be powerful, so it evened out. In all reality, Dylan, we couldn’t both live. You were meant to be a Guardian; you’re too much like me. It’s one of the reasons why Shio was able to kill me… It’s just unfortunate that it wasn’t the right time. I should be the one to fight this battle, Dylan, but fate was sick of me and now you have to fight untrained and my brother has to take my revenge.”
“So it’s my fault you’re dead?”
“No. I was meant to be replaced, and I knew it the moment I met you.”
“You mean the moment I was born? ‘Met me’ makes it sound weird.”
“Actually… yes. That’s exactly what I meant. The hurricane was absolutely not your fault either. I really wanted to be there to raise you, but we couldn’t be close. Even before you were born you were in constant danger of everything from the flu to earthquakes. The night you were born, your room caught on fire. After a week of constantly defending your life, I knew I had to get away, where you couldn’t draw my energy. I wanted to tell Kiro about you, but I was afraid of what he would do.”
“You were afraid he would kill me to save you?”
“We
’re twins; we can’t help it. If he had a child who would replace him, I would do something I’m glad I never have to. With proper training, especially from Kiro, you can be far more powerful than I ever could be, but you might always have bad luck.”
“It’s alright if I have bad luck as long as I have the power to protect myself and others from it.”
“You will learn to. Until then, you can rely on Kiro to help you. Unlike me, you won’t naturally draw your energy from him.” He stopped and turned to me, making me halt. The look he gave me was warm and slightly apologetic. “When you were young, you would ask your mother if I was doing well. You wouldn’t ask her who I was or why I left. How come?”
“Well, I figured that you probably didn’t know about me. My mother is very loose. I still wanted to know, though, a little about you. I mean… you gave me life.”
He reached out to touch my face, but then faltered and dropped his hand. “I wish I could have given you a childhood. I wanted to be with you, but every time I saw your mother neglecting you I wanted nothing more than to take you and go off to Duran. I didn’t take apprentices like Kiro did. He’s had some very bad experiences with his children, but he treasured his apprentices. I loved women, but I didn’t have so many children. I couldn’t be there for every one of them, but I did everything I could for everyone. After I had to see so many of my children die of old age, it became horrible, so I had less. You were fate.”
“I knew it! I was a mistake. Thanks, that really helps me.”
“You weren’t a mistake,” he laughed. “I wanted you, I just didn’t learn until you were born that I had no choice. You were different from the others. The night you were born, you fought and struggled your way into this world, and hated the doctor’s cold touch. You had a strong kick. The doctor handed you to me and you stopped struggling. You just looked up at me with your wide, curious eyes, completely calm in my arms. I carried you to the nursery and we created a bond. I loved you so much more than I could have ever imagined. You would sleep, listening to my heartbeat and I hated sleeping because I wanted to watch you. I never wanted to miss a second of your life. But I had to. I watched over you every day, but I couldn’t do anything to help you, even though I was alive. It ticked me off that your mother wouldn’t pay for your college.”
“You caused that ‘government mistake’ that gave me a lot of money for the death of my great aunt twice removed or something?”
“Yeah, but you still had to get a job, and you shouldn’t have had to.”
“I don’t know what my life would have been like with you. It got really hard when my mother left me without food or brought home an abusive boyfriend. But I understand that us being together was dangerous. It wasn’t fair and that isn’t your fault. When Edward… Kiro… was telling me about you, I had no idea he was telling me about my father. I wish I knew you growing up, but I really don’t know how I would have turned out if you were there. I’m glad you weren’t just another one of my mother’s one-nighters.”
The look in his eyes was safe, and warm, and even familiar. We would have had a great relationship… if we could have. I looked away. He seemed so loving and fatherly that I was afraid of reestablishing that bond he spoke of. It could turn out horrible and lonely to bond with someone who was already gone. On the other hand… better late than never.
“And also… That tiny little perverted instinct that says pretty women are better than anything else and that you can get them all if you find the right tactics… Sorry for that.” And he walked away.
I followed in silence for a few minutes until we turned a corner to find Krael, leaning against the hall, waiting for me. He grinned slyly and Ronez didn’t look surprised at all to find him there. Since Krael didn’t appear to notice Ronez, I quickly decided that only I could see dead people.
“I was hoping you would get around soon. Are you ready to fight or do you need a minute?”
“Fighting really isn’t my strong suit. Can we just play a board game, or some cards, and the loser gets locked in the room?” I asked.
“Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. I really don’t prefer to fight, but the thing is, I have to do what I’m told.”
Ronez approached Krael and waved his hands in front of Krael’s unseeing eyes, then made indication of poking Krael’s eyes out. “I command you to sleep. Sleep…” Ronez said in a deep, hushed voice.
Good to know Ronez had his priorities straight.
“I can’t really do much in the way of backup in this form; I’m just haunting you.”
“I don’t have my book, I’m lost, I can’t even find Edward, and there’s no way I could defeat Vretial. What could you possibly accomplish by beating me?”
“That’s great, son, play the defenseless role. Really makes him shake with fear,” Ronez cheered.
“Shut up,” I said. Krael frowned. “Not you, I’m talking to my hallucination.”
“I’m not a hallucination. You’re not psychotic; you’re neurotic, which makes it less likely to be my fault. Less likely passed on by genetics. Don’t be afraid. You’ll win this fight, I know, for three reasons: One, his attacks are weak, I’ve watched him, and he’s in his solid body right now; two, there is nothing you can’t defeat with that sword; and three, you’re far prettier than him. You have my blood in you; that makes you powerful, smart, and good-looking.”
“You’re quite vain, aren’t you?”
“Sometimes, yeah,” Ronez answered with a smirk.
Krael sighed and drew his sword. “You really should focus on your opponent instead of your delusions. Draw your sword and let’s get this over with.”
“What if, instead of fighting, I ran as fast as I could back the way I came from?”
“I would use magic to squish you. As it is, I prefer to use the sword instead of magic. Feel free to use whatever you have,” he offered.
As Ronez examined Krael thoughtfully, I drew my sword and pushed energy into it. Krael didn’t draw energy, but there was a lot of it in him already. And I had no idea why I could suddenly sense that, so I just chalked it up to the wild energy swarming the compound.
“Block,” Ronez said.
I didn’t think, I just moved. My sword clashed against Krael’s before I realized he had moved.
Krael’s eyes widened slightly and he smirked. “You were able to block. Good; maybe this won’t be so boring,” Krael said.
I didn’t really feel worried about Krael beating me. I was worried about Edward, who was surely safe, instead of me, who was less capable. Perhaps it was because of Ronez’s serenity or his three reasons I would win.
However, I wasn’t completely tranquil. Tomie was a psycho-killer, but she was also a little girl, so it was difficult to fight her. Krael, on the other hand, was a man. I didn’t like how he leered at Divina like a toy and I didn’t like how he looked down at me. There was a very small part of me that wanted to fight him, and that part could not lose to him. It wasn’t the annoying hormones that made me want to fight men away from Divina or even self-destructive pride. This was something I haven’t had to deal with before. Maybe it was a feeling a Guardian gets when facing an enemy.
He pushed with his sword and I had to step back. As I did, he turned the blade and thrust down, cutting shallowly into my leg. At the momentary distraction, his fist slammed into my cheek. It wasn’t a great angle, so it didn’t hurt too much, but it made me turn slightly and trip on my own feet. I immediately rolled over and saw the blade nearly miss me. I tried to kick his feet out from under him, but he stepped back, which gave me the opportunity to get up.
“Let me fight,” Ronez said, stepping up beside me. “I can’t do it for you, but I can help, and I can teach you moves you can learn later. I know moves that you can even use on Kiro if you wanted to show off. You haven’t had enough training and I want to help fight him.”
“Okay,” I said. Ronez stepped behind me and I felt something very unnatural. It was energy being forced into me, not drawn in, and it was co
ld. The energy made me jittery, not quite like physical energy, but all my uncertainty washed away and left unwavering confidence. The will to fight Krael grew. I let my own energy go because Ronez’s was plenty.
I understood for the first time why Edward and Ronez both said Ronez and I were so alike; I could feel his thoughts and emotions. We were raised very differently, but had we been raised and lived the same, we would have been the same. Still, he was ancient to me, inhuman. He had knowledge, power, and experiences I couldn’t dream of, emotions I didn’t know existed. Misery that was so great it couldn’t even be called pain. Joy that could kill. We were the same, except for where our experiences have changed us. My sword suddenly raged with energy and the black metal glowed reddish-orange.
Krael raised his sword and I raised mine. He seemed to move so quickly and slightly to the left it was like a twitch. I reacted instantly. The idea to intercept left entered my head as I moved to the right. My body wasn’t moving on the mighty brain’s command. I didn’t have time to think when fighting him. I didn’t see him move until I was already intercepting him. His twitch was a fake. My sword blocked his strike against my chest and I stepped forward, throwing him off me. Krael turned away and brought his foot up in a back kick that caught me in the stomach. However, as I fell, I grabbed his boot and took him down with me. I rolled over onto my back and kicked downwards into his side. He turned onto his back, sat up, and reached for my neck. I blocked him only long enough to wrap my fingers around his neck.
Ronez was giving me his instincts, but he had more control over me than suggestion. Forcing away his control, I let go. I didn’t want to choke Krael and Ronez didn’t fight me.