Divulgence (Song of Sophangence Book 2)

by E. I. McAllistair

  Unconcerned about the racket made by the shattering dumpster, he grabs the man from the rubble, barely cognizant as his body had already suffered a state of hypothermia. Pushing his body against the wall held by his throat, he savagely beat the man, already unconscious by this point, until his face was barely recognizable. His mind flashing back to himself on the floor in the darkness as something similar happened to him, he continued until his hand was caught by a member of the medical team. With trained reflexes, he delivered a standing back kick to the woman, hitting her so hard she left a small impression in the wall on the other side of the alley before she fell face first to the ground. Releasing the unconscious man, he turns his sights on the woman, as a barrier forms over the man. Before he could reach the woman a similar barrier forms over her, and a gruff male voice with a thick accent rings out to Phavian’s ears.

  “Mr. Ingraham. If you continue this assault you will be disqualified from the event, and stripped of your class rank. Do you understand?”

  With only the slightest of turns, he sees the world renowned Defender, Kaswin Osadi, with a barrier around himself as he focuses on the others. Finding it sad they had to send someone of his repute for something so simple, he gives a small grunt, leaving the scared staff covered by barriers to their work.

  Feeling unsatisfied he was stopped before he could finish his work, he moves quickly yet quietly, with purpose as he searches for his next quarry. No one had even given him the slightest hint of release, no matter how much he hit them. With every new victim, he pushed just a little harder, finding that it was still not enough. The one person who could have given him a challenge, decided he was too much of a danger, dispatching him before he could fully unleash his fury. He would not make the mistake of letting someone get the better of him like that again.

  To his delight, he found something that looked like fun, a group of people all hammering away at one another. Checking his Vizer, he saw there were 24/88 people remaining which meant that these four should entertain him a bit. Taking out Haymana, he rushed into the fray, a whirlwind of kicks and blows from the ends of the heavy staff.

  One of the sweeps of his leg caught a girl in the knees, the sickening crack letting him know that she was no Titan. As her entire structure crumbled, he ended her screams with an axe kick to the top of the head. Worthless. From the corner of his eye he caught another woman poised as if she was about to take flight. Fairly certain no one had that ability in their class, they must simply be preparing to leap, possibly to the top of the building they were next to.

  Leaving the other three behind, as there was another that he had not accounted for initially that was trying to escape, he manages to grab her ankle in a flying leap just as she became airborne. Unable to move further, the woman screams in panic as Phavian, holding her thin ankle like a stick, slams her into the ground repeatedly over and over, red liquid pooling on the ground as he continued to pick the limp body up over and over again. Finding he was getting no response, he dangles her, still held by her now floppy ankle, then proceeds to toss her to the side far down the street as he realizes the other three men who were once poised to strike as a unit, turned and began to flee.

  Dashing after them, he catches the largest and slowest of them with one end of Haymana, it wrapping around so that he could catch it, the center section being pulled tight against the man’s neck choking him. Not pleased that the others would think about escaping, it only took him a second to freeze one of each of their legs, causing them to tumble, drastically slowing their escape as they howled in pain.

  Noticing the green Vizer, he was fairly certain that he had caught himself a Titan, which meant that there was no such thing as excessive force. Riding the large man’s back like a mount as he collapsed to the ground, he rammed his face into the ground repeatedly, even activating his Adrenal Trance when his assault was not enough to make the man bleed. Getting the result he hoped for, blood began to pool from the man’s mouth, as the sputters and coughs indicated he was not yet ready to be put down. Pulling his head up, finding it limp and lifeless, scrapes all about his face from the concrete, he dropped the man’s head as his other prey had moved too far away for comfort. Pouncing forward like a beast, he lands on the smaller of the two men’s back, taking note of the blue Vizer.

  “Let’s see how fast you heal!”

  Pulling backwards on the man’s arms, there is a disgusting crunch as both arms twist at horribly unnatural positions. Stomping on the other leg, he can feel the bones shatter beneath his foot. With portals opening behind him, he jumps off the man’s back, then proceeds to punt the other larger man, feeling ribs crack, launching him through the glass doors of the building nearby. Picking up Haymana, he slings the vermillion beauty over his shoulder, sauntering away merrily, all while whistling.

  More and more medical staff spill from the portals as they survey the bloodbath. Doing their best to triage those in the most need, they find it difficult as no one is left conscious.

  “Holy fuck! I know he is number 1 in his class but was all this really necessary?”

  “I’ve never seen this kid act so… savagely. If this had been any situation other than the Melee, he probably would have immediately been taken in for intentional critical harm.”

  “Yeah, I wonder sometimes. I think they are way too lenient with this event. At the end of the day these are still kids, you know? I’ve seen warzones that looked better than this.”

  “No kidding… We have our work cut out for us if he keeps this up…”

  ◆◆◆

  Everyone sat in stunned silence as they bore witness to the scene that played out on Phavian’s screen. When it was finally over, one by one, they all turned to look at Anaar, questions in their eyes.

  “Why is everyone looking at me?”

  Stefani jumps up far more passionate than he is used to seeing her. “Hello! Did you not just watch the same thing we did?! That was like watching some gruesome horror film except we know the crazed serial killer!”

  “What does that have to do with me?”

  “Out of all of us you are by far the closest with him! That is your mentor! Shouldn’t you be reprimanding him or something?!”

  “Ok, for the record, he has been through a lot recently. Also, it isn’t like I can just call him up right now, their Vizers are disabled. Even if I could, what exactly would I say? ‘Umm hey, everyone is concerned, can you please stop feasting on the blood of innocents? Thanks.’ Don’t think that would go over too well. Could you imagine if you tried scolding Ripp for her actions? She would find some way to shoot you through the Vizer! Wait, she is a Transporter who makes portals! You would definitely be getting shot!”

  Hearing his argument, and his disturbing glimpse into the potential future if she did try to do something so brazen, Stefani sits down, disturbed but quelled.

  “Stef has a point, Anaar. I know it is risky, but this is abnormal and quite honestly terrifying behavior, even for the Melee. With his difference in strength he should be capable of easily dispatching people without mauling them like a feral tiger. Are tigers ever not feral? Like even ones at zoos? They have to be angry at being caged all the time, right? Sorry, got a little sidetracked there. If anyone is able to get through to him and have a chance to survive it in this state it would be you. I know he is your mentor, but you have just as much a responsibility to him as he does to you. Right Dan?”

  “I jest like seein’ bitches get fucked up! Where dat bottle at?” In a sluggish haze he begins looking around. As he is about to get up, Maggie pushes him back down.

  “Yeah no, you are cut off mister. You need to sober up.”

  Despite his speech, Anaar knew everyone, barring Dan had a point. He knew that he mirrored their sentiments, but he could not help but understand Phavian’s behavior. Not even a week ago he had gone on a rampage of his own, and for those people there was no timeout, or barriers to save them. As he watched what was happening with Phavian, he began to wonder if everyone had t
heir own dark side, or if this was a result of his darkness infecting others.

  The Phavian he had come to know and fallen in love with was always smiling, cracking jokes, and putting people’s safety above his own. This person he saw now was all too familiar, and he knew better than anyone else what it was like to live with the consequences of actions done while in such a state. He could not help but feel the whole thing was his fault, and even though his friends did not know the story, they could feel it too, perhaps just from his guilt alone. Setting his resolve, he decided Ixnes was right, and Phavian would need to be dealt with sooner rather than later, as currently he was a danger to everyone around him.

  ◆◆◆

  Sun sagging deeper and deeper toward the horizon, Codi was well aware the time for the heavier hitters was upon her. Racing past two people in a firefight, she stopped, backpedaling just long enough to leave both of them slumped on the ground, rendered incapable of moving. Though she could have done something flashier, there were no points for showmanship, and she knew that she would need to conserve her energy for the inevitable battles ahead.

  Despite what people might have come to believe about her, she honestly did not like purposely inflicting pain on others. She had enough experience with that from her family, so she would not wish it upon anyone else, and certainly not be the one to cause it. It was due to this that she first came up with the idea to use her abilities to disable people so she would have no need to cause them physical harm. Sure there was the potential emotional or psychological harm from the embarrassment and understanding that they were rendered completely helpless, but that seemed like it was much easier to overcome than scorching someone’s flesh with high voltage.

  There was also the fact that her powers in some ways mimicked human bodily functions, so she had her first experience Freshman year when she found out she had fried a student’s nervous system, causing damage that even the Medics at the school could not fix. Because she had not intended it, she had not gotten into any trouble after the review, but she was cautioned in the use of her abilities, as many maladies that were considered functions of the body’s natural process were somehow immune to the effects of Medics, even those with direct healing abilities.

  Remembering how there used to be 89 students in her class rather than 88 was something that always haunted her as she went throughout life. It was not until this incident she came to understand why things such as cancer and other autoimmune diseases were still so prevalent. It had nothing to do with the lack of Medics in the world, though that was definitely an issue, but rather the seemingly arbitrary laws that governed phenomena in the universe.

  Severed limbs, broken bones, even brain damage could be healed by a Medic talented enough. Birth defects, Alzheimer’s and a number of other things however were considered natural occurrences, just a part of life. Who set these parameters? Why have healers that could not heal? Even the extremely rare Earth attuned Medic, gifted with the power of Reversion, who is speculated to control time in some capacity itself, could not fix some of the issues the normal process of life caused.

  Here she was, with a power that could effectively end a person’s life. She understood why she was so introspective about this suddenly, but it did not change the fact she wanted to win. With luck, she would be able to use her trump card to secure her place as number 2 in their class. All she knew was being just in the top ten found itself quite lacking.

  With the wind kicking up to a gale around her, she knew exactly who she was facing. Living on the same floor, she remembered having a fling with the plucky Aerokinetic once during Freshman year, though that had as most things been for her a one-time deal. Ever since, the cute girl had it out for Codi, somehow surpassing her in the rankings if only slightly.

  Not the same person she was the year before, she could feel the girl around the corner, and cut her nervous system. Though the gale stopped briefly, it seemed much like Phavian, simply incapacitating the girl’s movements was not enough to stop her powers. Turning the corner, she pumped the girl full of voltage, stopping the rising winds before they became too much of an issue. The one problem with people whose powers worked even when they could not move was that rather than just give up, they simply decided to open the floodgates, hoping they hit something.

  Leaving the girl for the clean-up crew with a smirk, she found herself somewhat pleased with how easy all of her fights had been. At this rate she very well might have a chance at the number 2 spot. Her confidence was her undoing however, as she failed to take notice of the mountain plummeting from above her before it was too late. Crashing into her frail body, she reeled in pain as the heavy man fell on her from an impossible height.

  Feeling herself be hoisted up, she came to face one of the top Titans in the class, Mischka. Releasing a stream of current that would have taken out most people, for him it barely tickled. Grabbing a handful of her butt in the tight vinyl pants, cut out in the sides and strung together he laughs as he wraps his arms around her in a tight bearhug.

  All of the top Titans were indistinguishable from professional bodybuilders, even the females. Though they did not have nearly the strength of a Juggernaut, their size combined with their trained bodies made deadly compliments to their impressive resilience. Continuing to squeeze the life out of her, the shocks she was putting out having no effect, she knew she had no choice.

  “It seems I have caught me an electric rat. Rats need to be exterminated.”

  Finally slipping her hand into her bag, she is able to free a metal sphere the size of a baseball. For months she had been pouring electrical energy into this device which managed to recycle and store it. Though it cost a fortune, it was nothing to the Aya’s coffers. All thoughts of the permanent damage she could possibly do had gone from her mind by this point, as she squeezed the sphere as tight as Mischka was squeezing her. Barely conscious and able to breathe, she is able to wheeze out one final sentence.

  “You forget rats bite.”

  Connecting to the sphere and opening herself up, she unleashed her entire payload into the man in one dazzling display that was enough to illuminate the dank alley they found themselves in. Eyes rolled back into his head, foaming at the mouth, he collapsed backwards, serving as a human cushion to break Codi’s fall. As they hit the ground, she loses her grip on the sphere, it rolling toward the wall, coming to a stop with a metallic clink. Hand outstretched, doing her best to move to recover the sphere, she finds it is no use, as something in her back has cracked, and the sheer expression of raw energy she just handled, left her pushed to her limit. Almost as if planned in a typical Codi style ‘fuck you,’ she passes out just as her crotch covers his face.

  ◆◆◆

  For years she had been relegated to second best. It was always, ‘You’re strong for a girl,’ despite the fact she was stronger than any non-Juggernaut in her class, male or female. It was always ‘You’re pretty tough for a girl.’ Despite not being a Quintessence, no one in their class could match her resilience.

  Always smiling, never condescending, beautiful, and a champion for her people, it annoyed her to no end that even though she always fell short of him, she had no reason to hate him other than he was just better than she was. At least if there was arrogance, or if he had been one of the people who always counted her out because she was female, she would have even the smallest of justifications for why she should feel so much loathing for him.

  Alas, there was none of it. Always a good sport, he recognized her strength, but it was never enough to supersede his. They often said nice guys finish last, but why this guy could not just follow the damn rules was a mystery to her. To be a Juggernaut and a Titan was just unfair. Titans were for her people, he had no right to steal that from them, but he also did not choose what he was any more than she chose what she was.

  There he stood, as always, waiting to hand her the inevitable 2nd place ribbon as usual. Completely unbothered, he was not even searching for the last person he would need to defeat ret
ain his title as king because he knew they would have no choice but to come try to take the crown from his head with their own strength.

  This year was going to be different. This year, he may not finish last, but she would die before she let him finish first for another year in a row. She had studied his moves, and practiced countless hours of simulations against him. She knew what he was capable of and she was ready. She was ready because she knew how much that staff of his hurt over time. She knew that even without it he was formidable in martial arts. She knew because in an effort to be fair, he did not use his powers against his classmates.

  If it had only been her, she would have had reason to resent him, but it was everyone, so once again she could not let the same fuel that pushed her past others push her past him. It was time for the king to fall and the queen to rise. It was time for the class of Titans to have a real Titan as their leader.

  Taking aim, she fires three times in quick succession, each at his chest, none of them having any effect. It was wishful thinking, but it would have been sloppy to not at least try. Holstering her gun, she puts on her gauntlets, racing toward him with a growl, wondering where the normal, happy yet competitive smile she had grown sick of was. Not even moving, she catches a glimpse of his face, now up close, and what she saw shook her to the foundation of her being.

  The man she knew, the man she came prepared for was nowhere to be found. There was a smile, but it was more maniacal than competitive. It was as if he had things planned for her that she did not dare think of. Kicking him directly in his face, the perfect height given the stoop he was sitting on, it felt like her foot simply lost its nerve once it neared his head.