by Clayton Wood
“There's Chosen in the crystals!” Kyle exclaimed. He turned to another crystal, then another, seeing more contorted bodies within, their eyes facing inward toward the center of the chamber. “They're everywhere!”
“Yep,” Ampir replied. The man turned away from Kyle and Ariana then, resuming his walk down the narrow platform. Kyle watched him go, then sprinted to catch up with him, Ariana following close behind.
“Jesus,” Kyle swore, staying as close as possible to Ampir's back. Ariana frowned at him.
“What?”
“Uh,” Kyle began, realizing what he'd said. There was no way he was going to be able to explain that to her...certainly not now. “Nothing.”
“They're alive,” Ariana whispered in horror, staring at the crystals as they passed. “All of them.” She swallowed then. “Like me.” She put a hand on Kyle's shoulder from behind, pressing up against him. He wanted to say something to comfort her, but no words came. He imagined her trapped in one of those crystals, unable to move, a prisoner for eternity...and shuddered. The idea that Sabin had done this to his Chosen, had sentenced them to this horrifying fate, a fate worse than death...it was unthinkable.
Kyle walked behind Ampir silently, his eyes glued to Ampir's back, trying hard not to let his eyes stray to the countless Void crystals around him. Onward they went, their footsteps clanging on the metal platform below, the sound echoing through the long tunnel. Minutes passed, and still the tunnel stretched forward and slightly downward, a never-ending straight-shot into the bowels of Hell.
Kyle felt his eyes wandering to the side, fixating on the Void crystals as he passed them by. How many had they passed already? Thousands? Tens of thousands? All of them with Chosen, each very likely as powerful as the Dead Man. And the Dead Man alone could have faced the armies of the Empire and defeated them. Even with Ampir, what chance could they have against thousands of Chosen? Or even millions?
Suddenly, Ampir stopped.
Kyle bumped into the man's broad back, and Ariana in turned bumped into him. Kyle leaned to the side, peeking past Ampir's shoulder, and felt his body go cold. He heard Ariana gasp behind him, felt her hand grip his shoulder.
There, not ten feet from Ampir, an old man stood on the metal platform, hunched over a wooden cane. Not just old...ancient. His thin, white hair hardly covered his pale, wrinkled and spotted skull, two cataract-glazed eyes peering from under drooping lids. His skin was thin as paper, and deeply wrinkled, his mouth twisted into a sickening grin. His breath hissed from the yellowed, broken stumps of what teeth remained.
“Welcome, Ampir,” the old man rasped, resting both of his hands on his cane. His revolting smile curled into a smirk. “You're late.”
* * *
Kyle backed up a step, feeling Ariana press against his back, her hands clutching at his shoulders, fingers digging into the armor there. Her strength was enormous, the pressure beyond description, but he felt no pain.
“Kyle...” he heard her whisper harshly in his ear. He could feel the panic in her voice. She pulled him backward a step, away from Ampir.
“Sabin,” Ampir replied coolly.
“I expected you days ago,” Sabin croaked in that leathery voice.
“Been busy,” Ampir stated.
“Quite,” Sabin murmured. “Visiting my Chosen all over the world. A remarkable discovery, your ability to teleport.”
He vanished.
Kyle blinked, staring at the space where Sabin had been.
“I have to thank you for showing it to me,” he heard a voice behind him say. He spun around, and saw Sabin standing behind them, not five feet from Ariana. She backed up into Kyle, pushing him backward as well. Sabin vanished again, and reappeared in front of Ampir. He smiled again. “It wasn't hard to extract the pattern from the useless noise you tried to hide it with. You'll find my mind is far more powerful than it once was.”
“Congratulations,” Ampir replied, his tone flat. “I figured it out when I was twelve.”
“That's how you rescued me from Nespo's prison,” Sabin deduced.
“My mistake.”
“Yes, well,” Sabin replied. “I've since learned not to be anyone's fool.” He sighed then, tapping the butt of his cane on the platform below. “I still regret that Vera had to die for me to learn that lesson,” he admitted, lowering his gaze. “I'm sorry, Ampir.”
“I know.”
Sabin turned around then, standing at the end of the platform. Beyond it, the tunnel extended as the eye could see. The Void crystals were longer, however, extending so far into the tunnel that their sharp points formed a channel barely more than a foot in diameter. He gestured at the crystals with one gnarled hand.
“Welcome to my home,” he stated, turning around to face them again. He smiled apologetically. “I know it's not much to look at, but I don't get company often.”
“I'll renovate it for you,” Ampir offered coolly. Sabin laughed, a barking, wheezing sound that ended with a rattle in his throat.
“Always the warrior,” he observed. “Solving your problems with violence.”
“You're one to talk.”
“I suppose I deserve that,” Sabin admitted ruefully. He turned his sharp eyes on Kyle then, making Kyle lower his own gaze. “Sorry about the boy,” he added. “I was merely attempting to extract information from him.” He turned back to Ampir. “Although I admit I still don't understand your devotion to these children.”
“He's Vera's grandson,” Ampir stated.
Sabin stared at Ampir, then at Kyle, his eyes widening. He took a step back then, his mouth falling open, then snapping shut. He regained his composure quickly, returning his gaze to Ampir.
“Impossible,” he retorted.
“He is,” Ampir insisted.
“How?”
“Long story,” Ampir replied. Sabin stared at Kyle for a long moment, studying him. Then his eyes widened.
“I see it,” he murmured. “He has her eyes.” He straightened his back then, as much as his twisted spine would allow. “I regret every wrong I've committed against you,” he stated firmly. “I will never again raise a hand against you, and I will see to it that anyone who does will wish they had never been born.”
Kyle stared back at the ancient man, hardly able to comprehend what was happening.
“He can fight his own battles,” Ampir countered.
“He will never need to,” Sabin retorted. “I failed to protect Vera. I won't make that mistake with him.” He turned to Ariana then. “And her...what is her significance?”
“She's Kyle's girlfriend,” Ampir answered. Sabin arched one eyebrow.
“Is that so,” he murmured. “I regret any pain I might have caused you by harming her,” he added, nodding at Kyle. Ariana's grip on Kyle's shoulders intensified.
“No,” she blurted out. Sabin turned to her. “No,” she repeated furiously. “You don't get to apologize for what you did to me.” Sabin said nothing, turning back to Ampir. Ariana's eyes widened. “Don't ignore me!” she shouted. “Look at me!”
Sabin turned to her, his expression suddenly flat.
“You murdered my parents!” Ariana accused, stepping forward suddenly. “You murdered me!” Kyle put his arms around her, trying to hold her back, but she was far too strong. She pushed past him, and was about to squeeze past Ampir when Ampir held up one hand, turning to face her.
“Stop,” he commanded.
Ariana froze.
Sabin sighed, leaning on his cane with both hands again.
“I've helped – and hurt – a great many people in my life,” he admitted. “Sometimes the greater good demands a lesser evil.” He smiled sadly at Ariana. “Perhaps one day you will understand that.”
Ariana opened her mouth to reply, but Ampir stopped her with one hand on her shoulder. Then he turned back to Sabin.
“I'm here,” he said, removing his hand from Ariana's shoulder. “Where are you?”
Sabin's smile faded, and he stared at Ampir for a long, s
ilent moment. Then he chuckled, the low, grating sound issuing forth from between his rotted teeth.
“Ever observant,” he murmured, the corner of his mouth twisting into a smirk. “I've actually been looking forward to seeing you with my own eyes,” he admitted. He turned around then, his stooped back facing them. He stepped to the edge of the platform, and suddenly the Void crystals beyond retracted, creating a wide tunnel ahead. Sabin turned back to face Ampir, gesturing at the tunnel. “This way,” he rasped. Then he stepped off the edge of the platform. His feet dangled above the deadly peaks of the Void crystals below, his body levitating above them. Slowly he flew backward through the tunnel, still facing them.
Ampir paused, then strode up to the edge of the platform, the crystal-lined tunnel beyond reflecting off of his visor. Then he stepped off the platform, levitating forward just as Sabin had. Ampir gestured for Kyle and Ariana to follow.
Kyle hesitated, then followed Ariana as she stepped up to the edge of the platform. She stared down at the glittering spikes below, then turned to Kyle.
“Together?” she asked, holding out her hand. Kyle paused, then grabbed it.
“Together,” he agreed.
They turned to face the edge of the platform.
“On three,” Ariana said, bending her knees a little. “One...two...three!”
They jumped off of the platform, falling toward the vicious tips of the Void crystals. They stopped in mid-air a foot above the crystals, levitating above them. Then they floated forward through the tunnel, Ampir and Sabin a few feet ahead. Kyle saw Sabin drop down suddenly, and moments later, Ampir did the same. He tensed up, holding on to Ariana's hand. The floor ahead of them opened into a vertical, crystal-lined shaft.
“Watch out,” he warned. “I think we're gonna-”
They dropped.
Ariana screamed, and Kyle felt his breath lock in his throat, his stomach flipping as he entered into free fall. Void crystals zipped past them from all sides as they plunged downward. Faster and faster they fell, until the points of the crystals were a blur, air rushing up all around them. Suddenly the tunnel ended, opening up into an enormous cavern. They dropped into that empty space, their limbs flailing, their screams echoing through the air.
This is it, he realized, his guts twisting with horror. We're going to die.
And then he felt his descent slowing, felt the G-forces pulling on his body as decelerated. He looked down seeing a floor hundreds of feet below, utterly saturated with softly glowing white Void crystals, their tapered ends pointing upward at him. He noticed a flash of green to his left, and turned to see a large ring of green crystals there. The green crystals surrounded the base of a huge, translucent white cylinder easily fifty feet in diameter. He followed the cylinder upward, saw it rising hundreds of feet to meet the ceiling above. Void crystals, some over a hundred feet long, hung from the ceiling, surrounded by normal-sized crystals. The entire chamber was bathed in a soft white glow emitted from each and every one of the crystals.
And in each and every one of the millions upon millions of crystals, a Chosen lay contorted within, its eyes facing into the cavern.
“My god,” he heard Ariana gasp.
He saw Ampir and Sabin floating below, and he continued to decelerate until he was floating alongside Ampir. Sabin levitated before them, the massive crystalline cylinder a mere fifty feet behind him.
“Welcome,” Sabin stated, spreading his arms out wide. “...to my masterpiece.” He lowered his hands. “You are the first to see it since its completion.”
“I'm touched,” Ampir grumbled.
“Yes, well,” Sabin murmured. They began to move forward through the air then, Sabin still facing them, until they were only ten or so feet away from the huge cylinder behind Sabin. He smiled. “You wanted to meet me...”
He floated off to one side.
Ariana was the first to gasp, her fingers squeezing Kyle's hand. Kyle shifted his eyes from Sabin's stooped form, looking at the cylinder before him. He saw a darkness there, deep within, and squinted, peering inside. A soft glow appeared within the cylinder, illuminating the shadow.
It was Kyle's turn to gasp.
There, suspended in the center of the translucent cylinder, was a body. It was gruesomely thin, its arms and legs not much more than skin and bone. Its flesh sank into the spaces between its ribs, pale, purple veins crawling across its paper-thin skin. The rope-like tendons of its neck jutted out, leading to a wrinkled, sunken face. A sparse white beard surrounded its grotesque mouth, frozen in a toothless snarl. Thin white hair capped its skull.
And there, within its sunken sockets, two eyes stared outward at them.
Kyle stared at the man suspended in the cylinder, goosebumps rising on his arms. Sabin sighed.
“As you can see,” he stated, his eyes on Ampir. “...I didn't age as gracefully as you.”
“You look like shit,” Ampir declared. Sabin chuckled.
“You always did have a way with words.”
Ampir stared at Sabin's true body for a long, silent moment, then shook his head.
“Why?”
“Necessity,” Sabin's avatar explained. “As a mortal, I was afflicted by a disease of the brain...”
“You don’t say,” Ampir interjected. Sabin grimaced.
“...that led to me being incapable of moving. Trapped in my own body, as it were. Even immortality could not change that. My only recourse was to use this,” he continued, gesturing at his stooped, ancient form, “...and the bodies of my Chosen to continue my work.”
“Your work?”
“Originally it was to create this,” he replied, gesturing at the huge chamber. “At first I only wanted to create my Chosen, and guide them to continue my research. Over time I realized the limitations of my consciousness, the limitation of any single consciousness.” He turned around in the air, facing his own emaciated body. “Then came my epiphany: I could take over the minds of my Chosen to control their bodies...why not also use their minds as my own? Why not use their minds to create the greatest single consciousness ever to exist?”
“They're your slaves,” Ampir observed. Sabin shrugged.
“Servants to a cause,” he corrected. “A sacrifice of a few to ensure a great future for the many.”
“Ironic that you should say that,” Ampir grumbled.
“Yes, I am aware that Nespo used the same justification,” Sabin replied evenly. Ampir shook his head, then gestured at the millions of Void crystals lining the chamber.
“This is beyond Nespo,” he retorted. “Beyond Gunthar. They never trapped millions of people in stone prisons, imprisoning them for eternity while raping their minds.”
“I guarantee you,” Sabin responded coolly, “...that I have suffered, and do suffer, more than any of them.” He gestured to his true body. “I do not ask them to do anything that I haven't done. They sacrifice themselves as I do, to see that their descendants have a life greater than their own.” He stared at Ampir disapprovingly. “What parent would not make the same sacrifice for their children?”
“You didn't give them a choice.”
“A few gave themselves willingly,” Sabin countered. “But yes, most were...drafted into service. And most are only half-aware, as if in a dream.”
“That doesn't make it right.”
“That,” Sabin retorted sharply, “...is a matter of perspective.”
“You should worry about my perspective,” Ampir shot back.
“Oh, I doubt that,” Sabin murmured. “My mind can think a thousand thoughts for every one you have. I've already considered every possible way for this meeting to conclude, and I've planned accordingly.” He smiled grotesquely. “I'm not afraid of you anymore, Ampir.”
“You should be.”
“I didn't bring you here to fight you,” Sabin countered. “I brought you here to share my work with you.” He smiled. “We're two of a kind Ampir...no one else can understand us. No one else has lived twenty centuries, seen empires ris
e and fall, entire civilizations be born, then die. No one else understands Man for what he is, and what he can be. With my guidance, and yours, Man will grow beyond his limitations, and achieve true transcendence.”
“They don't need you,” Ampir retorted. “Or me.”
“Oh but they do,” Sabin argued. “Without a god to guide them, they're nothing but savages, blindly living one generation to the next, repeating the same mistakes over and over again, never learning, never caring what came before.” He shook his head. “Ask any man about history, and you'll see how ignorant they are. They have no concept of what came before. In a few generations, no one will remember that they even existed.”
“You haven't seen what they can do.”
“I have eyes everywhere,” Sabin retorted. “I can see every continent in the world at the same time, every government. I created half of them.”
“Let them go, Sabin.”
“I can't do that,” Sabin replied.
“Then I will.”
Sabin stared at Ampir silently for a moment, then gave him a tight smile.
“I should remind you that you're two hundred feet above the ground,” he stated, his voice deceptively mild. “And that I can drain you of magic instantaneously, at any time.” He shook his head. “No one can weave magic in this chamber,” he declared. “Except me.”
“Try me,” Ampir shot back. Sabin shrugged.
“So be it.”
The blue light of the gravity fields surrounding them vanished. Kyle felt his heart leap into his throat, and gripped Ariana's hand tightly, expecting to plunge down to the vicious-looking spikes below.
But nothing happened.
“Impressive,” Sabin murmured. “Let me guess...your armor insulates against magic loss, and you've woven gravity fields inside of them?”
Ampir smirked.
“Your armor must have the same insulating material the Reaper vines have,” Sabin deduced. “No wonder your armor is black.”