Awakening

by Hayden Pearton

  *

  Meanwhile, less than a hundred feet away, Barsch was walking in silence, behind a trigger-happy Kain. The man, who physically looked younger than him, was exuding an air of glee. Unlike Alza, who was incapable of emotions, her brother seemed to revel in them, going from one extreme to the other with no logical pattern. From his angry outburst to his current jubilee, only minutes had passed, and yet is was as if he had already forgotten about Barsch's transgression.

  “You don't have to do this, you know,” said Barsch, taking advantage of Kain's good mood.

  Kain said nothing, but there was something in the way his shoulders bunched up that should have warned Barsch, but the boy did not notice.

  “I mean, even if he is your father, that doesn't mean that you have to do everything he says.”

  Once more, there was no reply, but Kain's pace slowed slightly, and his hands began to contort into fists. However, Barsch was not willing to go so far without getting an answer, so he pressed on with his questions, despite the alarm bells going off in his head.

  “You could try and be like Alza, and just do what you want, instead of having to rely on someone else to tell you what to do.”

  The good mood had vanished, leaving Kain in the same state he had been in before: psychotic rage. Without warning, he stopped and turned to face Barsch. His eyes were glowing, with an intensity that Alza had never produced. Kingston and Maloch, somehow sensing what was going to happen next, leapt forward to shield Barsch, but they were too late. With his strength augmented by his gene-given powers, he grabbed hold of Barsch's shirt. With a mighty tug, he lifted the bewildered boy into the air, before throwing him towards the distant wall. Barsch, moving faster than a bullet, could not react in time. He hit the wall with a tremendous force, which drove the air from his chest. However, so great was the force, that instead of stopping, he continued to travel... through the wall.

  As he flew by, Barsch briefly caught a glimpse of the room he had just entered. It was a large room, with a row of terminals on one end and a monstrously large structure on the other. In the brief second he had before his body impacted the hard floor and he lost consciousness, his brain figured it out. The structure before him was a hybrid nuclear-coal reactor, built in an age where pollution was a myth and the environment could withstand anything man threw at it. And if that was the generator, then the room they were in could only be one thing... The Reactor Room.

  “Get up!”

  A familiar voice was screaming at him, as he hung suspended in the void.

  “Get up Barsch!”

  I want to get up... I want to fight! But... it hurts to much... everything hurts.

  “Weren't you going to use me? To allow Kingston and Maloch to escape? Is this how it ends? Will you just lie there, and patiently await death?”

  But... the pain... it's too much. I can't even lift my hand, let alone raise myself up... I can't do anything!

  “Then you are a disappointment. Did you not promise Alza that you would protect her? Did you not swear to save her? Were those just empty words?”

  No... NO! I want to protect her! I want to save her!

  “Then stand up and fight! If you don't, you will never be able to face your mother in the afterlife.”

  But I'm so weak... and he is too strong...

  “Then I will be your strength. If you give into the violence, and let it become a part of you, I will lend you my strength. With the two of us in unison, there is nothing that can resist us. So call for me. Scream out my name, and lose yourself to the bloodlust.”

  Yes. I will do it. For Alza. For Kingston. For Maloch. For Mother and Father. I will give you control. I will call your name!

  “Well then, what are you waiting for? DO IT!”

  “LANISTA!” Barsch screamed, with all of his might.

  “Barsch!” Came the reply, as he snapped his eyes open. In that second, everything stopped. In that timeless space, Barsch could see everything. From Kain's leaping figure, with his glowing, crimson eyes and the fire forming in his palm, to Maloch and Kingston's anguished forms. And finally, his eyes found what he had been looking for. The frozen form of Lanista, stopped in mid-tumble, it's wrapped handle a foot away from the one who had thrown it; it's polished blade aiming for the heart of it's one true owner.

  A moment later, time resumed, and the chaos continued. Kain, now a slave to momentum, could only watch as the blade flew past him. It's black surface momentarily gleamed red as the growing flames in his hand warmed it's savage teeth. Barsch, in a move that should have been impossible for someone in his condition, sprang to his feet. His outstretched hand looked so empty, compared to Kain's ball of crimson fire, but that changed a moment later, as Lanista was reunited with its owner. Without a moment's hesitation, Barsch brought the black blade up, ready to guard against the coming flame. Kain, having realised that his current future was looking very unfavourable, chose to do the only logical thing, and fired the glowing orb at the ground. The resulting pressure wave propelled him just far enough to avoid Lanista's wide vertical arc, which, if the gods had been kinder, would have cleaved him in twain.

  For ten heartbeats, no one moved. Barsch, still in shock, could do nothing but stare at his saviour, who had appeared as if by magic. Kingston and Maloch, on the other hand, were transfixed by the scene they had just witnessed. From Maloch's quick thinking and accurate throw, to Kain's last minute dodge, it was all too much to take in. As for Kain, he could only lie there, on the cold floor, and dwell on how close he had come to defeat.

  Unfortunately for nearly everyone present, Kain was an incredibly arrogant individual, and moments later had already convinced himself that Barsch's swing had been nothing more than a one-in-a-million fluke. With his self-confidence regained, he stood and pivoted to face his foes.

  “Not bad, for a human,” he said, sneer in full force. With that, he dusted himself off and began walking towards Barsch, who was still rooted to the spot. “For a long time now, I have wanted to fight a human. My Father has told me, since I was old enough to understand, that I was stronger than humans, and that it was my birth right to stand above them. But I have often wondered, just how much stronger am I? So I was glad when Father said that I could fight you... and finally find out just how superior my race is to yours! Come, Ruination!”

  As he spoke, the burning in Kain's eyes grew more and more intense, until it felt as if fire should have been shooting out in thin streams. From the hand that had created the ball of flame, another was beginning to take form. However, unlike the first, this flame did not grow into an orb, but rather lengthened on either side, as it gradually took on a familiar shape. By the time he had finished speaking, Kain was holding a long length of burning air, which looked far too similar to Lanista to be an accident. The only difference was the absence of the rotating hook-like barbs, although their exemption from Kain's sword did little to diminish it's deadliness.

  “I will teach you the difference between us, human scum. And I will make it so that you will never again utter a bad word about my Father. Now, beg for mercy, cower in fear... and die afraid!” As he uttered his strange war cry, Kain leapt forward, bringing his burning blade down in a wide arc.

  Barsch, however, had been expecting this, and was able to raise Lanista in time to guard. The flaming sword connected with the real deal in a shower of sparks, surprising Barsch. He had been expecting the blade to pass through his defence, similar to how a flame dances through the air. But Kain's blade was solid, having been formed from a hardened rod of air, and then set alight by his unnatural abilities. Barsch knew, somehow, that if that blade touched flesh, it would burn just as much as it cut.

  With a strong shove, he pushed the enraged Kain back, to give himself some much needed breathing room. Even after letting the Beast loose, he did not truly believe he had a chance of winning. Mustering up the violence that had dwelt in his heart since birth, he pressed forward, with a flurry of swift stabs. Kain deflected them w
ith ease, as if he had been trained in sword fighting since he was old enough to stand. Kain repaid his assault with one of his own, which was deflected with a lot less grace than before.

  “Don't forget why you are doing this.” The Beast was right. He was not fighting to win, he was fighting to protect.

  “Kingston! Maloch! Run! Get out of here!” he cried, when Kain gave him an opening.

  “No,” came the quick reply.

  In that instant, Kingston -wielding his fully extended solar staff- and Maloch -with his weapons charging- entered the fray. Together they struck, Kingston with staff and Maloch with beam.

  “Don't interfere!” screamed Kain, as flames blossomed from the ground around his feet. The flames roared up and began to twist into twin jets of crimson fire. The jets crossed once, before arcing off towards their respective targets. One struck Kingston in the chest, throwing him back, while the other absorbed Maloch's beam and impacted against his right leg. The metal titan fell to the ground a moment later, as the smell of burning metal filled the air.

  “Kingston! Maloch!” cried Barsch, as he watched his friends crumple to the floor. Kingston was still breathing, somehow, and Maloch was still active, but neither were in any condition to continue.

  “So weak. So pitiful. Is this truly the might of the once great human race? A boy, a bot and an old man? I am growing tired of this nonsense. Perhaps I should finish this, and go to my Father. He should be almost done with dismantling sister by now.”

  “KAIN!” roared Barsch, as he struck out, the Beast screaming in his ears. His rage was his fuel, his body an engine of death. With a ferocity that he could scarcely believe, he attacked, again and again, until Kain was forced to fall back.

  “You are getting better, perhaps I shall keep you as a pet? Or a sparring part-

  “SHUT UP!” With trembling fingers, Barsch reached down and felt for Lanista's ripcord. The smooth, almost leathery length of cord was there, right where he knew it would be. With a grunt he grabbed it tightly and ripped, praying that it would catch on the first try. Mercifully, the blade responded, and began to hum it's sickening song. He could feel it, every scratch and groove on its length. He could feel the bloodlust, the ache for destruction, in every single one of its teeth. From the tip of the blade to the blood-stained handle; everything was a part of him. He had finally become one with the blade, by letting it become a part of him. With the Beast let free and his rage giving him strength, there was nothing he could not do.

  With an animalistic roar, he brought the blade down, aiming to split Kain's skull into a thousand pieces. When the higher being dodged, he was ready, as he quickly reversed his hands, letting the blade fall to the floor. A split second later, the churning blade touched the polished surface of the reactor room floor, leaving a deep groove. However, he did not let the blade fall completely, and, in a motion that would have impressed a master swordsman, changed the angle of the blade and brought it across, into a diagonal cut. The strange movement caught Kain by surprise, and earned Barsch a long, thin cut across his foe's chest. While not deep enough to end the fight, it was enough to give Kain something to think about.

  Unfortunately, Kain was not about to play fair, especially when facing a member of an insignificant species. While his mind screamed in pain, Kain's body moved. He brought his free hand up and formed a fist. As Barsch readied his next volley, Kain punched, although it was obvious that he would fall far short. However, with the help of his man-made powers, he was able to form a wall of moving air, which originated from his fist before rushing towards Barsch at an unbelievable speed. The gale of wind hit Barsch square in the chest, forcing him back and giving Kain enough time to strike. The flaming sword left a wide patch of burnt skin across Barsch's arm, while the sharpened air cut a deep wound into his forearm.

  Immediately, pain began to radiate outwards from the wound, but Barsch, using his innate violence, blocked it out. He could still feel it, although it was not as bad as before.

  “You are afraid. I can see it in your eyes!”

  The sudden, foreign thought had come from nowhere, and had destroyed what was left of Barsch's concentration in one foul swoop. It had not been one of his own, of that he was sure; and he highly doubted the Beast would say something so crushing when he had already achieved his goal. And that left only one possibility, which was the worst of them all. If Alza had not done it to him before, he would never have thought it possible, but nothing had been impossible since he had met her.

  If it was not him, and it was not the Beast, that left only... Kain.

  “Ah, I'm so glad you figured it out! You really are quite something, you know. From this 'Beast' that fights with you to that... thing... dwelling in your heart, you really are special. In another life, under different circumstances, we might have been friends.”

  Barsch was snapped out of his thoughts by another bout of pain, this time coming from his leg. While he had been listening to Kain's mental projection, the real thing had gotten close enough for a strike. Trying to focus his thoughts, he jumped back, narrowly missing another swing in the process.

  “What's wrong? What happened to all of that ferocity from earlier? Don't tell me, you aren't actually scared, are you? Ha ha! Your thoughts are a mess, you know. Instead of focusing on me, you are wasting time on thinking about those useless friends of yours! And... what's this? Oh what do we have here? You're still thinking about my sister? Shame on you! By now, she is long gone. Aww, don't be sad. There was never any chance of you actually fulfilling your promise. 'I will protect you' ha! Don't make me laugh! Although you have talent, in the end, you are still nothing more than a lowly human! You are too weak to protect others, let alone yourself!”

  Another wound, this time across his abdomen. Barsch was struggling, trying to fight two battles at once. He knew that he was a match for Kain physically, but he lacked the ability to fight him mentally. And on top of that, his thoughts were scattered, just like Kain had said. He knew that he could not worry about everyone and still fight at the same time, but, somehow, it felt as if his thoughts of them were the only things keeping him alive. With that theory in his mind, he let his body fall to the Beast, as he concentrated on his memories of his friends.

  Immediately, he could see the effects. Kain's voice, previously unblockable, had become muted and ignorable, letting Barsch drive forth. His attacks quickly returned to their earlier speed and strength, and in no time at all, he had scored several hits. None of them were deep enough, but each one gave Barsch a momentary burst of confidence, which in turn helped him to tune Kain out.

  And then, everything stopped.

  “Sister?” Kain said suddenly, in the midst of blocking one of Barsch's swings. Taking advantage of Kain's hesitation, Barsch struck, his roaring blade diving towards his opponent's heart. However, against all logic, it fell short. The blade hung in mid-stab, while the furious teeth gradually ran down. In a nonchalant way, Kain turned to Barsch and, with a slight push, sent him sprawling across the floor. Barsch was too surprised to react, but his boiling blood let him spring to his feet, despite the renewed pain coming in from his various wounds. Before Barsch could reach down and retrieve Lanista, Kain turned to him and, with a cold, dead voice, spoke.

  “Goodbye.”