78. A Human Creation
Sweat poured down her tired face as Eden blocked another staggering
blast. Both she and Madeleine commanded a staggering amount of psynergy, and neither
had yet to show any signs of wear. Madeleine leapt on to the offensive again, transforming
into Bruce's body and attempting to use his massive arms to knock Eden away.
She dodged past them, then shot a swift kick into Madeleine's behind, knocking
her off her feet.
"I know what you're doing," Madeleine growled to Eden, "and
it's infuriating. You feel sorry for me, so you’re trying to wait for me to
tire out, since you don’t want to kill me."
"You don’t seem like a bad person," Eden said. "Why would
I want to kill you?"
"You're spitting in the face of your comrades," Madeleine said
with a smirk. "They gave it their all in those battles, and for what? Just
so you could stand up here and act all innocent?"
"Why do people have to kill each other?!" Eden argued.
"What's the point?! It doesn't make you feel better! It doesn't solve anything!"
"The real question is: why not?" Madeleine retorted. "When
an insect annoys you, you smash it! When you see a mistake, you erase it! That’s
what it means to be human, isn’t it?"
The crowd exploded with cheers, applauding Madeleine's rebuttal.
"Would you look at that!" Trunculo's voice rose above the noise.
"It seems as if Madeleine has just gained herself a whole crowd of fans! Will
this sudden popularity lead her to victory? Only time will tell..."
"What is Eden doing out there?!" Vance fumed from the waiting
room.
Averyl chuckled. "You're very worried about her, aren't you?"
"Shut up. Madeleine doesn't have any other special tricks beside
shapeshifting, right? If that's so, then Eden should be able to finish this easily!
She just has to go all-out, and..."
"Indeed," Averyl said. "If only she wasn't so stubborn."
Outside, Madeleine grit her teeth and shot another massive orb of psynergy
toward Eden. Pink death engulfed the arena, demolishing the platform and the grass
below it.
But Eden dodged the blow, blazing with power. This is more than just
a physical battle. I want to open her eyes...
"I won't stop shooting until you fall!" Madeleine screeched. "Die,
Eden!"
A pink volley came rippling down toward the Daughter, who ran through it,
feeling each blast disintegrate as it touched her barrier. With every step, Eden
pulled out more citrus psynergy from within and rekindled her flame.
Then, she reached Madeleine. Before the Dark Zodiac could respond, Eden
wrapped her arms around the little girl, embracing her.
"Wh-what are you doing?!" Madeleine screamed.
"I don't know," Eden whispered, "but it feels right."
"No!" Madeleine shouted, then quickly transformed into a fly and
flew out of Eden’s grasp.
The Daughter retaliated by letting raw orange psynergy surge out from
her – far more than anything a small animal could possibly withstand.
Panicking, Madeleine transformed back into the 9-year-old girl and shielded
herself with pink psynergy.
The wave of orange psynergy crashed into Madeleine's makeshift shield,
shattering it. In such close range, Eden could have easily pummeled the little
girl with all the psynergy that coated her body. Instead, Eden finished what
she had started and embraced Madeleine once more. Propelled by her own power,
Eden spun off the platform, and the two women fell into the grass.
"Oh no!" Trunculo took a flying leap from the top of his white
booth and scurried across the grass. "It seems as if both fighters were blown
out of the arena by Eden's last burst of power! Who landed first?!"
Madeleine wrestled herself out of Eden’s grip and sat up. Beside her, she
could see Eden’s flesh repairing itself as the teenager smiled warmly.
"You..." Madeleine growled. "You went easy on me...why?!"
"I told you, there’s no point to fighting. We can both heal our bodies
whenever we want..." Eden said softly. "But we can't heal our souls on
our own."
"Wait!" Trunculo's eyes darted between the two. "Because
of all that light and smoke from the explosion, no one could see which one of you
two landed first! We haven't declared a winner yet!"
Madeleine stared intently at Eden. Her psynergy still burned as brightly
as it had since the battle started.
The girl stood up and let out a tired sigh. "Alright, I give up.
Arguing any more with her is just going to be a waste of time."
"Well, you heard her, everyone!" Trunculo announced. "Since
Madeleine has forfeited, the winner of this round is Eden Gardener!"
Madeleine and Eden moved back across the arena, accompanied by boos and
jeers from the audience. By the time Eden made it to the door, her body was in
pristine condition again.
"Eden!" Vance shouted, as the door to the outside opened up
and let the two women inside. "You’re okay..."
"I just did my best," Eden whispered. "Like everyone
else."
Vance bit his lip and desperately kept his relief inside. Madeleine snorted
in disgust, then turned to leave the room.
"Madeleine," Vance said, with his back turned. "Averyl wants
to talk to you."
"Now what?" Madeleine grumbled, glaring over to the tall phantom
in the corner.
"Well folks, you saw it all right here!" Trunculo announced
from the table in the southwestern corner of the arena. "Contestant #4003,
Eden Gardener, will be going on to the finals! Coming up next is the second semi-finals
match: Saffron Morrigan vs. Vance Darcouver!"
Shadowing Eden with concern, Vance followed her over to the Regeneration
Tank.
"Are you okay?" Vance asked. "I mean, you look fine,
but..."
"I don't feel hurt," Eden explained, "but my body feels
exhausted. I don't know how to explain it. Even though my power allows me to
transform and protect my body, it still exhausts me."
"Vance, maybe you should let me help her." A gleam flashed
into Averyl's eyes. "I’m good at dealing with delicate items."
"Don't touch her!" Vance commanded. "I’ll..."
"Let me do it," Madeleine muttered. "I doubt she’d want
you two watching her strip."
"Huh?!" Vance stammered, as the little girl moved between him
and Eden "Hey, hold on, I–"
"Vance." Averyl put a hand on Vance's shoulder and led him over
to the window. "You're up next."
"I know, I know," Vance sighed. "Just make sure you keep
an eye on things around here."
"I meant it when I said I gave up. I'm not going to do anything to
her," Madeleine said from behind the curtain. "Averyl, you need to make
some new clothes for her for when she gets out."
"Yes ma'am," Averyl answered jovially, as he got to work
materializing a new white outfit for Eden.
Through the window, Saffron could be seen stepping up to the arena platform.
Vance took a deep breath and approached the door.
"This is the final battle, Vance," Averyl murmured. "Win
this, and everyone's sacrifices will have been worthwhile. This will surely be
the greatest challenge you’ve faced thus far."
"Stop trying to scare me," Vance said. "I dealt with Winslow
fine."
"That mindset will only lead you to death." Averyl said firmly.
"This time, words will not save you."
"Okay." Vance pushed open the door and walked out.
Averyl watched his nephew leave. "I have faith in you, Vance. I must...otherwise,
I would be merely sending you to your death."
"Well now!" Trunculo called out as Vance stepped up to his side
of the platform. "So nice of you to join us, Vance!"
"Forsooth." Saffron's blond locks outlined his eager face.
"May we battle gloriously together."
Vance nodded with an awkward scowl and gazed at his opponent. Two hilts
poked up behind the shoulders of Saffron's glinting armor – one ruby, and one
emerald.
Saffron reached behind his back and unsheathed his ruby-crested sword. "Thusly,
our bloody course doth continue, Rosencrantz..."
"It's getting quite late, gentlemen..." Trunculo noted,
"so we'll begin immediately! Don't go getting drowsy on us now! Make sure this
one's nice and bloody!"
*************
Heavy shadows permeated the committee room as Trunculo's voice sliced through
the silence. The committee members remained huddled under the table, shivering
in silence, while Van Kaen watched over them with red eyes. Near the window that
outlooked the arena below, Roufas and Grayson stood side by side.
"Saffron looks excited," Roufas said, as he gazed out. "Looks
like it’ll be him and the Daughter for the final round."
Grayson smirked. "If he hasn't bitten off more than he can chew, that
is."
"You really think that boy can beat Saffron?" Roufas turned
to stare at his partner. "I know he's the son of Victoria...but from the
looks of it, he's had hardly any training. How could he possibly win?"
"There's more within that boy than meets the eye." The Snake's
eyes glimmered from behind his glasses. "I’m surprised you don’t have more
faith in him, considering how highly you respect his mother..."
Roufas sighed. "Really? That again?"
"You never saw her as a threat. You never thought to check and see
if she had any other family or relatives alive before she was killed...did
you?" Grayson cocked his head. "No, you seemed far more concerned
with Tao and Sasuke during that little affair. Why is that, Roufas? What did
you really hope would happen?"
Roufas's face drooped. Slowly, his eyes thinned and his mouth sunk into
a demonic scowl. "What exactly are you accusing me of?"
"You were once a good friend of hers," Grayson continued. "As
you were with Tao. Did it help you to sleep that night knowing that Victoria’s son
survived her and lived a life of peace?"
"Grayson... I don’t like your tone."
"Really, now? Are you going to try and discipline me, Master
Roufas, as I know you've always wanted to do? Always pretending like you were
my mentor, my role model...as if I owed my life to you...like a father?"
"You're talking nonsense." Roufas raised his head to stare
through the blond man's gleaming glasses. "We were partners from the very
beginning, and you know that. From the day we met, until the day we die. We're equal,
Grayson. And that's all there is to it."
"Equal?"
Grayson spat the word back into Roufas's trembling face. "Humorous, to say
the least."
"What are you bitter about?" Roufas asked. "Tell me, and
then maybe we can talk about it."
"Oh, no, I'm just astounded. Even after all this, your pride keeps
you blind to the truth." Grayson shook his head in awe. "It's no wonder
I was able to keep so much from you. How could a killer like you be so ignorant
and survive this long?"
"Pride is the wrong word," Roufas growled. "It's trust.
I put all of my trust in you, Grayson. Now what haven't you told
me?!"
"Trust," Grayson snorted. "Why would you ever trust a criminal?"
Roufas stepped backward, moved his right arm to his back and fingered
the end of his violin. "Grayson, I'm giving you one last chance to explain
yourself. I won’t say it again."
Then, Trunculo's voice echoed through the arena again. "I bet I'm
not the only one waiting to see these two go at it! The suspense is killing me!
Aaaaaand fight!"
*************
Saffron outstretched his blade above the arena platform. "I am
Saffron Morrigan, 10th of the Dark Zodiacs. 'Tis my honor to enter
mortal combat with thee...son of Victoria."
Vance carefully sized up his foe. The 10th...does that mean
he's only one step higher than Winslow? Maybe he's not that–
The young man's thoughts were instantly erased from his brain as Saffron
cleared the distance between them in a single leap. Then, Rosencrantz swung
through the air in a shining arc and came down on Vance's defenseless right shoulder.
Like a knife through butter, the blade cut through flesh and dug into his bone.
"All that idle talk and discussion hath ruined my patience..."
Saffron whispered. His face trembled with excitement as blood oozed from Vance's
wound. "Ill-befitting of a contest of strength...dost thou not agree, son of
Victoria? Let us cut ourselves up...let us beat each other within inches of our
wretched lives. And even though they deserve it naught...let us show these weaklings
the meaning of a true battle!"
Next: The Brilliant Bloodshed
