85. The
Blood
Wreckage, blood, and human viscera tattooed the dark, vacant arena.
Trunculo remained frozen in a corner, trying to minimize his presence, while Bruce
and Rose marched angrily toward Averyl in front of the clock chamber.
"Bruce..." Averyl uttered his words calmly, as the Tiger
struggled to stand on quivering legs. "You must listen to me..."
"Listen to you?!" Bruce screamed in a hoarse voice.
"There's nothing more I need to hear. Those eyes of yours say all I
need to know!"
Averyl watched as Grayson approached him, and consequently, the chamber
behind him. "Bruce, Rose, you must understand...I was not the one who
killed Roufas!"
"Don't you ever say his name!" Bruce shouted as he lumbered
over to Averyl. "You have no right to say the name of such a great man!"
Averyl easily sidestepped Bruce's weak, desperate tackle, and watched with
an irritated scowl as the Tiger fell to the ground again. As Bruce tried feebly
to lift himself up, Averyl’s hands shot to his shoulders.
"Get out of here..." Averyl muttered. "It's for your own
good."
With that, Averyl lifted Bruce’s massive frame up and tossed him in a high
arc over the tournament complex walls. Shrieking curses, Rose splashed up next,
but Averyl had already shot behind her. Rose tried to turn her body into water,
but the tired killer was far too slow. Averyl fastened a hand around her head,
and then, with one swift flick of a psynergy-laced wrist, sent her sailing into
the air as well on the end of a massive purple blast.
When Averyl turned back to face the arena, Grayson was nowhere to be
seen.
*
Within the ransacked entrance to the tournament complex, Nathan let out
a shriek of pain as Phileas quickly sliced a long, jagged line down the boy's arm
with a silver scalpel. Juicy red blood covered the tool as Phileas brought it back,
admiring the tantalizing liquid.
Nathan stumbled backwards with a cry, clutching his arm and shivering
as tears began to brim in his eyes. "No, please, God!"
"I simply can't resist any longer..." Phileas closed in on Nathan
and raised the scalpel once more. "It's time to begin the operation,
my dear boy."
No... Nathan thought
desperately, tears welling up into his eyes as he tried to will some sort of
power out from within. I need to be brave! Like Vance, like Captain Azuka...I
need to protect the Seneschal!
Left with no other choice, Tao rushed in and tried to wedge himself
between Nathan and the mad doctor. Phileas whipped his free arm out angrily,
swatting the old man away like a fly. With a yelp of pain, Tao went crashing onto
the floor, hearing the snap of a rib midst the suffocating pain.
Phileas's scalpel shot into Nathan's stomach and dug deep as the doctor
tried to scoop out as much meat as he could in a single slash. The boy screamed,
and red waves splashed out onto the Rat's arm like a fresh coat of paint. Nathan
ran out of breath from shrieking, and unconsciously stopped to suck in more oxygen.
But for some reason, it sounded like his scream was still going. His mouth was closed,
yet a tortured shriek still rang out through the room.
Tao let out a gasp.
Heaving and panting, Nathan passed his eyes over to the doctor, and realized
that it was now Phileas who was screaming. The Rat stared down at his outstretched
arm in horror as Nathan's glowing blood began to eat through the man's flesh
and bone.
"What is this..." Dr. Phileas moaned, watching as his entire
arm melted away. "Acid?!"
Nathan scooted himself farther away from the doctor, watching as his
own blood hissed on the man's arm just like a corrosive fluid. As he shifted
his body, he felt the pain of his new stomach wound, and more blood spurted out
from within.
It covered Nathan's body, yet he felt fine. Meanwhile, Phileas fell backwards
in horror, clawing at the tiled floor in agony and hurriedly fashioning a psynergy
barrier as the blood ate through muscle, bone, and everything else it touched.
"What the hell are you?!" Dr. Phileas shrieked. "How...how
did you do that?!"
"This is my ability," Nathan spoke in wonder. "After all
this time, I finally found it..."
He closed his eyes and tried to sense his blood, then lit it aflame with
his own sanguine psynergy. Tao watched in awe as the blood flowing from Nathan's
stomach and arm slowly began to rise up. The boy took the reins of his awakened
power, and drenched his blood all over Phileas' lower body before the old man
could ever recover.
The doctor's voice was like a piercing spear, and every bloodcurdling
scream of pain sent shivers down Nathan's spine.
Unable to bear it any longer, the boy turned away. "Seneschal! I...I..."
Tao slowly rose to his feet and joined Nathan. "You've done enough.
Let’s go."
The Seneschal moved Nathan toward the door, and this time he obeyed. As
he coagulated his own blood with psynergy, Nathan stepped shakily into the cold
night. And so, Tao led Nathan, Edward, and Frank outside, while the gruesome screams
of Mephisto trailed behind them.
*
Eden couldn't remember exactly when she had found herself on the sandy
beach. All she knew was that she was sitting cross-legged before the salty sea,
with Vance lying in her lap.
It was nighttime in this dimension, and the dark sky glowed with a radiant
full moon. A soft breeze rippled over the water, washing over her ankles as she
knelt on the sand. She sat and watched grass blow lightly along the inland bluffs,
all alone on the sparkling white sand with her companion.
"Looks as if our day of excitement isn't over just yet," she whispered
to Vance. "But I'd rather walk with you than carry you. Are you willing to
cooperate now?"
"Where do you think we are?" he asked faintly.
"I don't know." Eden stared around the desolate sandy beach. Next
to her, a crab struggled along the bumpy ground as it journeyed closer to the
deep, dark ocean. "But if the portal brought us here, the next clock must
be nearby."
"It feels weird to be in such a quiet place after all that
fighting." Vance slowly picked himself up, then let out a sigh. "He
wanted me to run because he thinks I’m still not strong enough, didn’t he?"
"You can ask him about that later," Eden said. "For now,
let’s just focus on the clock."
After a few moments of silence, Eden and Vance climbed over the rocky
bluffs by the sea. Eventually the hills flattened out, and they found themselves
at the foot of a thick, shadowy forest. Strong evergreen trees curved around the
small peninsula as far as the eye could see. Vance turned back to scan the horizon,
but spotted no boats. All he could hear were the calm undulations of the ocean.
"I still remember the first time we met," Eden said, staying close
to Vance as the two of them entered the deep forest. "It was in Despair.
You were in bed, and when you woke up, you were in such a bad mood. I thought
you were a total jerk."
Vance couldn't help but chuckle. "I thought you were stuck-up and
annoying."
The inner forest was thick and overgrown with shrubs, forcing them to
walk side-by-side along the twirling path. As she pushed a branch out of the
way, Eden's hand accidentally brushed Vance's face and felt him flinch.
Soon, they reached a small glade in the forest. Ahead of them, the path
continued into a maze of hanging vines and jagged roots. As they walked side by
side, Vance was suddenly struck by an impulse. The next time Eden's hand brushed
his, he reached out and took it in his own. To his surprise, she returned the
gesture and squeezed back. A warmth penetrated Vance's soul, and he was surprised
by how good Eden's soft hand felt against his. He’d never really thought about it
before, but the sudden physical connection tugged out a longing from deep within.
They continued on for a few more steps, until a cramped passage through
a thick tree and some bushes caused them to both duck under a branch at the same
time. The two teenagers’ faces lined up, and for a moment they froze, looking deeply
into each other’s eyes.
It felt as if time stopped, and both teenagers felt something tighten
in their necks, making it a bit hard to breathe. Nothing but the wind through
the trees and the pounding of two hearts could be heard. As if pulled toward
each other by some invisible force, Vance and Eden kissed. She squeezed his
hand, and he squeezed back.
They remained like that for a moment that seemed like an eternity, connected
and frozen, two lost teenagers in an alien forest. Finally, Eden pulled her lips
back and let out a deep sigh, eyes full of adoration.
Vance, on the other hand, stood paralyzed, trying to keep himself from
blushing as he pushed down all the passion that had burned up from within.
"Oh, come on," Eden said with a smirk. "Don't tell me that's
the first time you ever kissed a girl, Vance."
"Wh-what?!" Vance stammered. "Well...I'm sorry that I'm
not as experienced as you, Eden!"
"Really?" Eden stared in shock. "You’ve never had a
girlfriend?"
"No," Vance answered flatly. "Is it really that
surprising?"
"Yeah." Now it was Eden’s turn to blush. "It is."
An awkward silence followed, until Vance stammered: "You really feel
something for me? Even after all we’ve been through?"
"I don’t really understand it myself..." Eden replied. "But
there’s something special about you, Vance. Sometimes, I can’t get you out of
my mind. I worry about you. I feel happy when I’m around you. It’s not just puppy
love...it’s something different."
Vance felt his mouth go dry. "Like soul mates."
Silence fell over the forest as Eden and Vance continued to stare at
each other, communicating with only their eyes. For the first time, something
on a deeply emotional level finally felt right.
"Stay with me, Vance," Eden whispered. "I know I'm strong...but
I feel stronger with you. Like as long as we're together...we can overcome anything."
"We can, Eden. As long as we're together..." Tears welled up in
Vance’s eyes as he moved forward to hold the third person he’d ever hugged in his
entire life. "No matter what happens, Eden...I promise. We’ll always be
together."
The two joined hands once more and continued their walk. After they
broke through the vines, the fir trees of the forest slowly began to thin. Had it
only been five minutes since they had left the beach, or five hours? Neither of
them could tell, for all other thoughts had been blocked out by their budding emotions.
Vance pushed through the last of the thicket, holding onto Eden carefully
as he slid out from the depths of the forest. Before him was a clear, grassy
expanse framing a wide field of pumpkins. Off to the side of the field he saw a
small log cabin, with smoke lazily puffing out from its tiny chimney.
"It's beautiful," Eden gasped, but dared not to move and risk
removing Vance's strong arm from her waist. "This must be it."
"It looks like a painting," Vance agreed. "You really
think the clock’s in there?"
Dozens of large orange orbs dotted the grassy field, with curly green
pumpkin vines weaved through them like beads on a giant's necklace. Vance and Eden
stepped across the field, taking care not to step on any of the vibrant jewels.
The soft light of a candle glowed through a screen window on the right side
of the cabin. Next to the quaint shack was a small lean-to filled with all sorts
of farming equipment, spare candles, and old rusted digging tools. Vance couldn't
tell what some of the items were, although there were measuring tapes and other
items he recognized from his own dimension.
Then, a click sounded out from the ancient-looking cabin door. The door
swung open, and Vance and Eden crept closer, itching to get a look at the inhabitant.
As he saw them, the man let out a startled gasp and backed up a bit, obscuring
the light from within so that the two could get a better look at his face. He looked
to be in his fifties, and his white hair was pulled back into five small ponytails.
A golden-bronze contraption with lenses full of detailed adjustment dials
covered his forehead, while a ragged grey beard adorned the bottom of his face,
tied in three different places.
"Jesus Christ...it's you," he murmured, staring at Vance and
Eden as if they were ghosts. "In all my years...I never thought I’d ever see
either of you again."
"What?" Eden asked. "But I've never met you before. Who are
you?"
"We've met before," the man said with a smile. "Although
you might have been too young to remember. I am but a humble archeologist, and
also a man who knows you both very well...the name’s Edgar J. Caskett."
