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“You’re a monster,” he shouted as James leapt up to the top of the arena in his white Sage robe. Down below, Warrior Seven was slowly losing the battle for his soul.
“No less than you,” James said as he approached. He saw Ten glance back at his cohort—the one that could bring his family and friends back. Ten grabbed him and put him in a headlock. His comrade’s eyes went wide as the old man’s cane transformed into an eidolon and was subsequently placed to his neck. James halted his approach.
“Yes,” the old man replied. “If you get closer, I’ll kill him. And then where will you be?”
“I would be alone.”
“Yes you would.”
“And maybe that’s what I deserve,” James said. “With all of the horrors that war will bring, it might be best if they don’t have to see it.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“You said yourself...it’s a lot of darkness I’m consuming. Maybe I don’t care what happens to my friends anymore.”
“You don’t believe that,” the old man said nervously.
“Yeah, I don’t,” James said with a twinkle in his eye. “And that’s because with my new surge in energy, my sense are increasing by the second, and I see through your ploy. They’re not dead at all, are they?”
“No,” Ten smiled. “No, that was just so that you would do exactly what you’re doing now. We needed you to be tainted so that you would be better persuaded.”
“It’s possible that might have worked,” James winced. He rubbed his eye vigorously. “But the thing is, with the Quietus form, the absorption is slow. So it’s going to be a little while before the warriors I took will have any kind of influence over me.”
“It was a risk I took,” Ten said, stabbing his comrade in the crown of his head.
James scowled at him. “What’s that for?”
“It would appear that we’re done here,” Ten sighed. “I gambled, and I lost. I’m not too proud to admit that. Still, I won’t allow you to absorb him and attain his unique ability. Nor mine.”
Ten stabbed himself in the stomach and twisted, falling onto his knees upon impact. James watched him in silence as he and the partner he had killed cracked and turned to ash, blowing into the wind.
James sighed and looked down at the arena floor.
Warrior Seven was gone.
James leapt off of the top of the wall and landed in the black ooze, taking it into himself. He closed his eyes and tried to assess how much his strength had increased. He wouldn’t get a full read right away, but he could tell that Warrior Seven was no push over. Without the tactics he had pulled, he wouldn’t have won.
James opened his eyes, and he saw Arimus and Catherine standing before him. The rest of the group was rising slowly from the ground, rubbing their heads and muttering under their breath.
“James,” Catherine whispered, staring at the ooze that was sinking into his pores.
“I know, Catherine,” he said. His eyes glanced over at Arimus, but it was only for a second. He couldn’t bear the judgement.
“You absorbed them all?”
“All except Ten and the man who resurrected you. Ten killed him, and then himself. They’re not the Ancient Knights. Not in the way we think. They’ve been kidnapping people from Terra and using them as breeders for a new generation. There’s a hidden wall over there,” James pointed, “and it leads to a walkway. Underneath the walkway are the people. We have to free them.”
“We’ll do that,” Catherine said.
“I can help too,” he said.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, you need to go.”
“What?” James said in disbelief.
“You promised me...you said you wouldn’t do this. I couldn’t even believe you did it the first time. I can’t take this...what’s stopping you from doing it again?”
“I did it because I had to. It was the only way that—”
“If we died, then you should have left it at that. Where’s the line now? There’s going to be worse situations than this, and if we’re not cut out to figure out a way out of them, then we weren’t prepared. We should have kept out of it and set up shop somewhere. Become a merchant or a chef. We don’t have to fight, but we chose this life, and we understand the risks. The one thing we can’t do is compromise on who we are. That’s the only thing that separates us from the people you just absorbed.”
“I...I won’t do it again,” James said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see another way.”
“That’s why you have to go. You have to decide what you want. If you care about me, you’ll go. Please.”
“Catherine...”
“She’s made her decision,” Arimus replied with tears in his eyes. “Now be a man and accept it.”
“What am I? Achan now?” James shouted at her.
“It has nothing to do with you being part Quietus and you know that,” Catherine said. “Now stop trying to resolve this. Nothing you say right now will change my mind. Go.”
James shook his head and looked at the others.
“Anyone coming with me?”
There was no answer.
“Fine,” James replied, turning his back to them. “I’ll go. I’ll...I’m sorry.”
James leapt up into the air and on top of the ledge. He stared at the forest in the distance under the moonlight. For some reason, it felt inviting, and since he didn’t want to feel, nor did he want to think about leaving Catherine behind, he ran toward it.
So it was true after all.
He really wasn’t a Sage anymore
***
“YOU CALLED?” KYRAN asked as the rigging reached the top floor. Elian stopped looking out of the large windows and ran over to greet him.
“So glad you’re here,” Elian said. “I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things.”
“Such as? I’m supposed to be leaving in the morning.”
“Yes, I heard about that. Listen, the mission is changing. Something unexpected has occurred...the Sage Academy has been destroyed. Blown out of the sky by Cimmerian forces.”
“The war has begun?” Kyran asked, frowning.
“Essentially, yes. It might take a few more days still for it to be officially declared, but for anyone that’s been paying attention, they know that that was a great blow to Paragon. I can only imagine what they must be feeling.”
“This just happened?”
“No,” Elian replied. “It was a couple of weeks ago actually.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because you weren’t Delilah then. I’m sorry for withholding that information.”
“Okay, so if the Academy was gone weeks ago...why are we changing the mission now? What else has happened?”
“A Sorcerer has been seen heading toward Cimmerian. Confirmed sighting, and it was the same woman that another Delilah scout had described from before. Also, Cimmerian troops have started moving forward. And not a scouting party or a small militia. I mean the major army. They are headed toward Paragon right now. They will arrive there in no less than a couple of months.”
“Then the Delilah are going to be heading out.”
“Unfortunately, yes. We’re not ready just yet, but we can’t wait.”
“And what are we supposed to do?”
“The Sages are scattered,” Elian replied. “I want you and Chloe to usher as many that are willing back here. After some time has passed, and we’ve assessed their willingness to become a Delilah, we will offer membership. I will leave it up to you to determine who is worthy and who isn’t.”
“Why are you trusting me with so much?”
“Because you’re experienced,” Elian said. “And you saved our lives from Krystal. We are indebted to you, and also, only a former Sage would be able to convince the other Sages that we aren’t their enemy.”
“I agree,” Kyran said.
“And one more thing,” Elian said. “After you’ve brought back the Sages, I need you to complete a mission for me. It’s...I wouldn’t ask you to do it, but it’s good for all of us.”
“What is it?”
“We’ve been keeping tabs on James and his group ever since they left the Sage Academy.”
“They left?”
“Yes, to seek out the Ancient Knights. They found a few, but from what we understand, James has given in completely to his Quietus side. He...he’s started absorbing people to increase his power.”
Kyran couldn’t believe his ears. “I’ll have to confirm this for myself.”
“Of course, but we’re more terrified by this recent development than the Cimmerian forces moving forward. The Quietus have always kept their absorption ability in check, looking at it as a cheap way to win a battle and we all know how proud they are. They only use it when they are extending their lifespans. But someone like James doesn’t need to extend his. He hasn’t inherited the genes that lowers the lifespan of most full Quietus. So why is he doing this? More power is the only thing that makes sense.”
“James has been in terrible situations before,” Kyran said, closing his eyes. “I don’t know why he would get desperate now. I knew he was able to use this ability in the past, but I never thought he would use it.”
“Our scouts say that he already absorbed four former Ancient Knights and his strength has nearly doubled. You can only imagine what would happen if he comes up against an army like the Cimmerian one.”
“Ideally, he could become invincible.”
“And if he is somehow able to absorb a Sorcerer?” Elian shuddered. “This is not good, Kyran.”
“So what is the mission?” he asked while opening his eyes, sure he already knew the answer.
“I need you to kill James,” Elian said with a pained expression on his face. “You’re the only assassin we have, and you’re very good at—”
“I’ll do it,” Kyran said. Elian stopped talking and said nothing more.
Kyran glanced out the window and shoved his hands in his coat’s pockets. “But I want to take Chloe with me.”
“Chloe?” Elian said in confusion. “Why her? Is she an assassin too?”
“Not yet,” Kyran said. “But she will be. I want her with me.”
“You don’t think she’ll get in the way.”
“She wouldn’t,” he said. “You can trust her. There was a time that I wouldn’t ask for something like this, but to be honest, she needs it right now.”
“Okay,” Elian said. “I trust your judgment...um, are you really okay with this?”
“There’s a lot of things we’re going to have to do that we’re not okay with, but this isn’t one of them. I’ve always thought of James as dangerous ever since I met him. It doesn’t change the fact that he grew on me though.”
“So...you’re able to put your personal feelings aside for this mission?”
“Of course,” Kyran said, shrugging his shoulders. “It’s just business.”
***
JAMES SAT ON THE THICKEST branch he could find, but it was barely holding his weight. He sighed and jumped down to the ground. The memories flooding through his mind were fragmented and random. They didn’t make sense, and he was sure that all of the memories of the warriors he had absorbed were mixing. They were driving him nuts and he couldn’t sleep because of it.
He punched a tree in rage, leaving a dent in it. He dropped to his knees and the tears came. He didn’t want to be alone, and once the stories spread about him, no one would accept him. He belonged nowhere. He was a nomad. An outcast. And the war could start any day. How was he going to make it without Catherine?
“I can’t,” he sobbed into the grass, clutching a clump of dirt as he fell onto his belly. He burrowed his face into the dirt and screamed. The memories were getting worse, and his body was beginning to ache from hunger. He had left his knapsack at the castle, but he dared not go back there. Not after Catherine had been so adamant about him going.
The only thing he could do now was fight.
It was all he had to keep himself from dwelling over what he lost.
He would fight. Yes, he would fight.
And he would end the war any way possible. It didn’t matter what he did or if he had to absorb an entire nation. He would do this for them. All of them.
That’s how much he loved them. That’s how much he...
He broke down crying again, but the snap of a branch startled him back to the present.
He jumped to his feet with dirt caked on his face and looked around him.
And he was shocked to see Catherine slowly walking toward him with her hands up in surrender.
“Are you there?” he asked. It felt like a dream.
“You look like a crazy man,” she said.
James looked down at himself and laughed. “That’s because I am.”
“Yes, you are,” she said. Her face was stoic. But he didn’t care. He was so happy to see her face once again, even if it was just to hear her final words to him.
“Why are you here?” he asked, wiping away his tears with a dirty forearm. “You told me to go.”
“I’m here to stay by your side.”
“What?” he couldn’t believe his ears. “You’re going to stay with me?”
“It’s what I said,” she sighed. “I’m never going to leave you, James. But I had to tell you to go back there because I needed you and them to realize how serious this situation is. What you did was terrible, and I swear, if you do it again, I’ll put you down myself. At that point, I’ll realize that you are no longer the man that I married. That you...became something else.”
“I understand,” he said, closing his eyes. “And...thank you.”
“Don’t get too excited. We have a lot of work to do. A lot of memories to sort through.”
“What do you mean?”
“Those guys inside of your head possess a wealth of knowledge. We can go through it all and see if there’s something that can help us win this war.”
“Good thinking,” he said.
They stood there awkwardly, staring at each other in silence when Catherine stepped over and hugged him tight. She burrowed her face into his chest and he began crying all over again.
“We’ll get through this,” she said as the tears began to flow down her cheeks. “We always do. You’re still the man I love.”
“And I always will be,” he said, hugging her tight. He kissed her on the forehead and wept with her.
As long as he had her, it didn’t matter what happened to him. Taint his heart, damn his soul, ruin his mind. What did it matter? As long as she possessed all three, they would never be damaged, broken or destroyed.
She was all that mattered.
***
THE SERVANT APPROACHED the back of the throne carefully, ensuring that he stepped exactly the way he had been ordered. His master was a man of order, and any disruption meant annihilation.
“Master,” he whispered. His master did not move. The servant considered asking for him again but he decided to wait. His master knew everything.
“Yes?” he asked, his voice booming.
“The war has begun. Cimmerian has destroyed the Sage Academy.”
“I know.”
“Yes, of course,” his servant said. “You know everything. You said that you wanted to be notified of all current events regardless.”
“And the other Sorcerers?”
“They are ready to begin.”
“They know the stakes?”
“Yes.”
“Then fire.”
“Sir, I must remind you, per your request, that this will destroy everything. Literally everything.”
“If I win, and I will win, then it won’t matter. You won’t even remember all of this happening.”
“Yes, but...it doesn’t make it any less pleasant to experience.”
“No, I suppose not,” he sighed. “But it is necessary. Destruction before rebirth.”
“Then my job is finished?”
“Yes, my servant. You may go. Thank you, Thorn. You have done well.”
“You’re welcome.”
