26.
Rainbow in the Dark
Cliff’s eyes lit up with anticipation as he watched Azuka leap onto the
golden throne at the end of the room. He’d only ever seen Captain Azuka angry a
few times before, and it had never ended well for the opposition.
Azuka’s vengeful eyes glared at Mephistoclessia, who still hung from the
rafters, controlling Vance like a puppet. "You killed my own allies and
used them to ensnare me...and now you will pay."
The Knight leapt into the air. Letting out another war cry, she swung
twice with her bamboo sword and slashed out two arcs of yellow psynergy.
Mephistoclessia kept still and hardened a psynergy barrier around her
body. The two clashed, dissipating fractions of their aura into the atmosphere.
Azuka landed swiftly back on the ground, while Mephistoclessia immediately
unleashed a stream of green psynergy threads, attempting to give the Knight no
time to recover.
In response, Azuka spun her sword around and enveloped her body in a dark
blue barrier. The Rat's threads hit her barrier with ample force, but they were
unable to break through.
Just behind the violent clash, Eden stood frozen in Vance's sights.
Somehow, Mephistoclessia was able to keep Azuka at bay and still retain control
over the teenager’s body.
What can I do? Eden
thought frantically as Vance began charging another attack. I won't be able
to run past him in time...
A violet explosion crashed out from Vance's hands. Eden could do
nothing but place her hands up in fear and try to defend with her own psynergy.
The blast struck, and her guard held, enhanced by a smooth citrus shell that continually
flowed out around her body.
After a moment, she realized she could step forward and nullify Vance's
power no matter how much he tried to throw at her. As long as intense physical
exertion wasn’t involved, Eden never seemed to tire from simply channeling her
psynergy. Her shell swallowed up blast after blast, stronger than anything
Vance could throw at it.
Blocking another upward strike from Azuka, Mephistoclessia loosened her
psynergy straps and somersaulted off to the side of the room. As Azuka ran to engage
her, she used the split-second of reprieve to make a decision about her remaining
puppet.
The rat raised her pinky finger and a sharp snap echoed through the chamber.
Psynergy seeped back into Mephistoclessia's hand from her puppets, freeing them
and giving her the extra power she needed to keep another one of Azuka's slices
from cutting her in two.
"Such a shame..." Mephistoclessia commented. "You would
have made such a nice addition to my collection. But if I can’t have you, then no
one will!"
Phlegm-colored slivers of psynergy rose from her body, thinner and sharper
than the threads she had been using before. She let one loose on the nearest
pillar, smoothly cutting through the gargantuan slab of rock as if it was made of
foam. The upper half toppled down onto the dead, further cluttering the ground.
Vance stirred as Eden roused him to consciousness. She gently placed
her hands on his face, trying to comfort him and bring him back to reality at the
same time. After a few seconds he awoke, found himself eyes frozen within Eden’s
soft gaze, then frantically pulled his body away.
"Wh-what are you doing?!" he shouted.
Eden smiled. "Good. You're alright..."
"Of course I am." Vance stood up. "What happened back there?
Once minute I was falling, and...wait, what the hell?!"
Vance froze as he set eyes on the clash between Azuka and
Mephistoclessia. Each of them looked tiny compared to the monstrous waves of
psynergy they fired at each other. Azuka tore through the sky with her blade, body
aflame with psynergy as she shot out a red slash. Its speed was clearly faster
than any other colored slash Azuka had sent out thus far, which took the Rat by
surprise. Mephistoclessia opted to take the attack head on, smoldering her
clothing, then leapt out with her own kick that sent the Knight flying backwards.
In mid-air, Azuka managed to straighten her body out and kicked off the wall
instead of crashing into it, then sailed down to the ground.
"Insane," Vance gasped.
"Come on, we need to get out of here!" Eden grabbed Vance
once more and pulled him back toward the center of the room.
Vance seemed to agree. "Hey, Cliff! Our mission wasn't to fight the
Zodiac, right? Grab your captain and let's beat it. I've had enough of this place."
"It won't be that easy," Cliff murmured. "The only
person she obeys is the Seneschal."
Vance sighed in frustration. Not far from Cliff was Averyl. His eyes
followed the two women as if they were tennis balls.
"Hey, Averyl!" Vance yelled. "C'mon, isn't there something
you can do about this? She's your teammate, right?"
"Must you insist?" Averyl frowned. "This was just getting
interesting..."
"What's Captain Azuka doing?" Eden asked. "Her aura always
seems to change color."
Cliff grimaced briefly as the two women clashed again. "A large
factor in what determines one's aura is genetics. If your father or mother had
a certain type of innate psynergy ability...chances are, you'll have something
similar to that. In Captain Azuka's case, her family's psynergy has always
dealt with colors and light in some way."
Another one of Azuka's war cries interrupted Cliff's explanation. Slashing
her sword upward, she vaulted a brown crescent of psynergy up toward a fleeing
Mephistoclessia. With a quick jolt of psynergy, the Rat instantly changed direction
mid-air and landed safely out of harm's way. The crescent slammed into the
ceiling above, shaking the foundation and loosening the thick bars that kept
the cave from collapsing in on its inhabitants below. Iron, dirt, and cement began
to rain down on Mephistoclessia, so she used more psynergy threads to hook the
largest chunks and redirect them away from her.
Cliff continued. "Azuka's true aura is fluorescent white, but only
when it reflects a neutral amount of multicolored light. By channeling one shade
of light, such as red or green, she can alter the properties and shapes of her
attacks. The only problem is when we’re underground like this. Those dim light
bulbs on the ceiling are all she has to rely on, so she's at a huge disadvantage
right now."
Mephistoclessia flexed her fingers, sending a volley of phlegmy slivers
toward Azuka. In response, Cliff's mentor laced her sword with inky black psynergy,
and a pitch black rectangle swallowed her up. The Rat’s wiry psynergy whipped the
shape, but no matter how hard they hit, Azuka wouldn’t budge.
"The more light she absorbs, the blacker her aura gets..."
Cliff murmured. "She’s charging up!"
In the next instant, Azuka propelled herself out from the dense amalgamation
of color and light. A trail of black psynergy ran up her body to the tip of her
sword, pulsating with might. Azuka and Mephistoclessia collided with a bone-shattering
sound, and Azuka's psynergy nearly smothered the entirety of the Zodiac's dark
attire.
Unable to sustain the weight, Mephistoclessia's body went flying across
the room and straight through the far wall. She picked herself up shakily, a
few seconds before the foundation crumbled in on itself.
The masked woman coughed and brushed the rubble from her glowing body. "This
has gone far enough."
"Ooh..." Averyl stepped forward, looking antsy. "This
isn't good."
"What are you talking about?" Vance turned to him. "Azuka's
just about to kick her ass!"
"No, no..." Averyl smiled. "You don't understand what's going
on here..."
"What are you talking about?! What's Mephistoclessia going to
do?"
"It's time for you all to say goodbye now..." Averyl stepped
past them, turning his head back to look at Vance once more. "I'll see you
again, Vance. I enjoyed your company. As a parting gift, I shall let you four escape
from here with no further distractions..."
The phantom was off in a flash. Then, Azuka felt a hand on her shoulder.
The next thing she knew, she was flying through the air toward the rest of the
group.
Cliff’s eyes widened. "He just threw Captain Azuka?!"
Azuka caught herself in mid-flight and managed to turn her body
right-side up. Dropping to the ground, the Knight skidded backward on her sandals
and came to a stop right in front of Cliff. The expression on her face was a
mixture of confusion and anger.
Slimy green psynergy poured out from Mephistoclessia, developing into a
small cyclone that engulfed her body completely. Averyl sighed and calmly
stepped up to his ally.
Vance couldn't help but notice two shiny blades once again within his
grasp. "Where the hell does he get those things?!"
"Come on," Cliff waved his arm toward the exit.
"And abandon this battle?" Azuka responded sharply, eyes
still focused on Averyl. "No...our allies must be avenged!"
"I feel your pain, Captain," Cliff said, "but we need to
think about this rationally. Not one, but two Dark Zodiacs stand over
there...and by some stroke of luck, one of them has decided to assist us. We're
all exhausted, and we have an exit route open right before us. The proper
course of action should be obvious."
Azuka hesitated, then reluctantly turned around, still trying to make
sense of the unforeseen turn of events. As they dashed back through the base,
hammering explosions sent tremors down the corridors. Once the noise died down,
the quartet slowed to a brisk march.
"Who was the man in black?" Azuka asked Cliff. "And who
are these two?"
"We're not sure," Cliff sighed, "All we know is that
he's a Dark Zodiac. I don't really understand, myself. But more importantly:
say hello to Eden and Vance, two new rookie Knights in our division."
Azuka craned her neck to get a good look at them, and for the first
time, Vance and Eden saw a gentle look appear on her face. "Nice to meet
you both. Thanks for the assistance back there."
"Same here." Vance gave her a sly smile.
"Of course." Azuka nodded. "You were in trouble, so as a
captain – your captain – it is nothing but my foremost duty to protect
you."
"Oh man." Vance couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Now I
know where Cliff gets it."
Cliff sent Vance an angry glare and hurriedly changed the subject.
"I’m only sorry we didn’t make it here sooner. We’ve lost so many good
Knights from the 4th division over the past few days..."
"The Zodiacs are getting desperate. But you completed your rescue
mission with flying colors, Vice-Captain Walden. Allow me to be the first one
to commend you on a job well-done."
"It was nothing, Captain." Cliff's smile returned. "It
was an honor to come to your aid for once. Most of the time, it's the other way
around."
"Such is my duty," Azuka immediately replied. "How long
have I been missing?"
"A day or two, I think," Cliff replied. "I'm not even
sure what time it is. Boy am I tired..."
"Vance, it’s time to tell us the truth," Eden spoke up.
"How did you make friends with a Dark Zodiac?"
"Averyl?" Vance raised an eyebrow. "That guy followed me...I
told him to leave! He just kept saying how interesting I was. It was really
creepy, you know, now that I think about it. Anyway, I'm glad he stayed back there.
He was kind of annoying."
Cliff chuckled and shook his head. "So Vance thinks the Dark
Zodiacs are annoying, huh?"
Vance shrugged and turned his head away, trying not to smile.
Azuka's mind was on other things. "That masked woman...Dark Zodiac
or not, she may have been the most powerful being I've ever faced."
"Was she really that strong?" Cliff asked. "You seemed
to be on equal ground with her from what I saw."
Azuka turned to face Cliff, looking mildly surprised. "You obviously
weren't watching her very well, were you, Walden?"
"What did I miss?"
"I can't exactly put my finger on it, but the way her psynergy was
flowing seemed unnatural. Perhaps inhuman would be a better word. It was unlike
anything I've ever felt."
"What?" Cliff said faintly. "But..."
"She was as powerful as she was evil," Azuka continued. "I
fear the abilities of the Dark Zodiacs extend well beyond any of our
imaginations."
Cliff's head drooped with trepidation, and he pressed further. "Captain
Azuka, if your fight had continued...do you think you would have won?"
"It's hard to tell, because she seemed to be holding back."
Azuka brushed a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes. "I guess...it could
have gone either way."
"Either way?!" Cliff shouted. "We should have run a lot
sooner, then!"
A serene laugh escaped Azuka's lips. "But where’s the fun in that?"
*
Exiting the base, the band of four found the dismembered body of Black
Rylan waiting for them outside. Vance had little doubt about who the culprit was.
After briefly surveying the area for any other possible survivors, Captain
Azuka activated her tunneler and opened a portal back to the Guild using a
nearby wall.
"Go get some rest, all of you," Azuka ordered. "We'll
figure out everything else in the morning."
By the time Vance made it back to his guest room within the Guild, he
was on the verge of collapsing. Allowing himself to fall onto the bed, he rolled
over to face the ceiling and slid his sore body under the ample covers.
These past few days have been insane. His eyes were already beginning to droop as he
recounted what had happened But the thing that shocks me the most...even
more than finding out that I'm not an Earthling...even more than being able to use
psynergy...is how Averyl saved me not once, but twice... Why?
Vance slipped into unconsciousness, beginning one of the most satisfying
sleeps the teenager would ever experience in his life. He dreamed that he was
flying through a starry sky with Averyl – chasing after his mother, of all people.
For some reason, although he didn't know why, it gave him a warm, familiar feeling...as
if he had finally returned home after many long, forgotten years.
Next: The Distant Horizon
