 
D.J. Hoskins

Panic
First published by Tales of Romance Press 2020

Copyright (C) 2020 by D.J. Hoskins

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

D.J. Hoskins asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

First edition

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TO YOU, ALWAYS.

#  Contents

  1. Books by the Author
  2. Special Offer
  3. 1. JET
  4. 2. SURVIVOR
  5. 3. DEBUT
  6. 4. ORIENTATION
  7. 5. INFILTRATION
  8. 6. BLACK SAND
  9. 7. AWAKENING
  10. 8. IDEOLOGY
  11. 9. TATCHAR
  12. 10. REMINISCENCE
  13. 11. COMMAND
  14. 12. DEPLOYED
  15. 13. BROKEN TRUST
  16. 14. FINAL PARAGON
  17. 15. DIVINE LIGHT
  18. Afterword
  19. About the Author
  20. Also by D.J. Hoskins

# Books by the Author

**Dark Light Series**

1. Paragon

2. Paralysis

3. Panic

_4. Pogrom -- coming soon_

**Crown of Dust Series**

_Draconian -- coming soon _

**Exomech Series**

_Cryogin -- coming soon_

**Cortic Series**

_The Color of Fire -- coming soon_

**Other Works**

My Life As Death

# Special Offer

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# 1

# JET

**-- ALEX--**

Alex tapped the glass of a wide rectangular window. Sitting on his bed with his forehead pressed against the glass, he watched a sky of endless clouds pass by. He was flying. Given his own private room on the sonic jet, he felt like he'd spent the last half hour marveling at how fast the white puffs of condensation were left behind. Cruising at a speed three times faster than the average commercial jet, the sonic aircraft blasted through the air at record speeds. Its time efficiency didn't compromise amenities.

Although relatively small, the room contained a full fridge, personal bathroom, and shower. A digital interface appeared in every section of the wall he turned and a lightweight circular glass remote connected to it for the room's manual commands. Birds flew over the backdrop of a moving mountainous wall theme, which served as the room's wallpaper like the background of a computer. An air decompressor built into ventilation accounted for the elevation adjustment of the ears, and a smart adapter automatically gauged and regulated a comfortable room temperature set to his body heat.

Picking at a thin white bandaid film around his wrist, he stared at the pale blue light which pulsed beneath it. Before boarding the jet, a medical tierless with a white and red cap stuck a needle in him, saying something about protocol as she did so. Thirty minutes after takeoff, his arm still throbbed. The elite guards had escorted him into his room shortly after the automated aircraft authorized movement in flight and from then on, had left him alone. Freedom he enjoyed.

His eyes drifted again to the dark formal blazer and pants which hung outside the closet. Too lazy to bother with anything other than relishing in his solitude, he stared at it from afar. He also glanced every so often at the folded clothing on a metal platform that accompanied it. Scooting off the bed, Alex padded across the heated wood floor. Decorated down the front by two rows of engraved gold buttons, the double-breasted black blazer sported a red stripe over the cuffs and across the lapels marking it the uniform of a first year. Twin gold letter CAs pinned the collar, and a red tab dashed beneath it. Folded on the side resided a white dress shirt, long black socks, and underwear atop the metal platform, an outfit completed by the pair of shined dress shoes together on the floor.

On the wall, a large blue dot glowed to life.

"Hello Alex," an automated voice filled the room, pulsing in sync with the dot as it spoke. "I'm Sophia, your personal AI, also known as an artificial intelligence smart-system. I'm your cadet assistant for Corpus Academy. Congratulations on your admission. As you can see, laid out before you pressed and ironed by yours truly, is the academy's dress uniform which you will wear to your monthly class assemblies and all formal campus and networking events at the battle-school."

Alex stepped back and stared at the wall. "What the--?"

"I'm sorry," the AI continued, in a peppy tone. "You must have questions. Ask me. What I can help you with?"

"Um, I--I didn't sign up for--" Alex said and glanced back at his bed, regretting his decision to get up at all. "I don't go to school here, machine lady."

"My name is Sophia, your personal assistant. Correction. You have never attended an educational facility in Kaiga or any allied nations. You are neither affiliated with Victashia nor any of their allies. The Confederacy of Lagos also has no record of your existence. Would you like to know why?"

"I'm an Oddity?" Alex guessed.

"Yes," Sophia said, pulling his record of Kaiga up on the wall. Alex didn't bother trying to read the strange Lansar script. "Born in Portland, Oregon within the country of the United States of America, Alex, you are a registered Oddity from Earth. You are currently the only person in Kaiga holding such a unique ethnic background, although there are currently four other living oddities in the world. However, while they are tiers, they are all rank extremely low in creativity and positivity. Above all, they are handicapped in the belief of their own ability, trapped in dogma or denial. Be proud you have the rare opportunity to serve Kaiga, your new nation, in such a profound capacity. Corpus Academy is the sole gold tier secondary school in Kaiga. Located in the province of Miron it has consistently produced the finest battlemage officers for over two centuries and--"

"Hold on," Alex said.

"Yes? How can I assist?"

He gestured at the clothes. "Why do I have a uniform?"

"You have been accepted and enrolled in Corpus Academy as one of the three hundred incoming freshmen of 3020."

Alex blinked. "What year?"

"3020. Is there a problem?"

"I'm not--I don't belong here," Alex said, and taking another step back, he turned for the door. "I have to go home." He stopped, the silver door had no handles of any kind. It was closed and unlike a door that could simply be pushed open, was sealed shut. "How do you even open this?"

"Alex," Sophia intoned over the room speaker. "To open a door, put your hand to the smart-metal."

"Thanks," he said, following the advice.

"Glad to help--"

A flash of red-lit up around the door perimeter before fading.

"Error," said the AI, the glowing blue dot appeared over the door. "Per the orders of your guardian, you cannot leave this room without wearing the academy uniform."

"Huh? But you just said..." Alex said, trailing off as he put his hand to the door again. The same red flash barred his exit.

"Error," Sophia repeated. "Per the orders of your guardian you cannot--"

"Shut up. I heard you the first time."

"Understood, Alex."

"Who's my guardian?" he asked. "Wilson?"

"His Excellency Director Wilson Milson of the Commerce Sector has been assigned as your temporary guardian and academy sponsor by the joint sanction of their Supremacies, the Keepers of the Kingdom."

"Who?"

"The Keepers of the Kingdom--"

"No, not them," Alex said. "I meant, why do I have to walk out in that thing?" He gestured to the uniform.

Sophia's blue dot bobbed on the wall. "The Corpus uniform has been apart of the academy's tradition since it was first sponsored as a military battle-school by the Kaigan administration in--"

"No, shut up," Alex said and rubbed his head. "You won't let me out until I put it on?"

"Affirmative."

"What does the uniform have a chip in it or something?"

"Negative. The Corpus uniform--"

"How do you know if I'm even wearing it?" Alex cut in and glanced around. "Cameras?"

"Socratic lenses cover the entire wall of this room from every angle to ensure user moderation and interaction will not be impaired."

For a moment, Alex said nothing. "Then," he said quietly, unnerved. "You can see me?"

"Yes!" Sophia said with an enthusiastic inclination.

Alex put a hand on his arm, uncomfortably. "Will you still be able to see me when I change?"

"Affirmative," the AI replied. "However, due to the addition to the personal privacy law act on page 455, section 5a, paragraph three, the monitoring of citizens through artificial intelligence is regulated by--"

"Hey," Alex interrupted, "do you have an off button?"

"You are not an administrator."

"Turn off!" Alex shouted.

"Negative," Sophia replied. "Command not processed. You are not an administrator."

"I'm not going to let you watch me dress."

"Whatever do you have to hide?"

"My...balls," Alex muttered, feeling self-conscious in his hospital pajamas. "I have no clothes underneath this thing."

"Not to worry, Alex," said Sophia. "Per the personal privacy act, all inappropriate recordings will be deleted within thirty days."

"That's...this is terrible. It's like, you're spying on me."

"I don't understand," the AI said and repeated in a haunting tone. "Whatever do you have to hide?"

------

Putting his hand to the door, Alex walked out of his room in the black blazer of the Corpus uniform. Passing down a dimly lit hall, he turned into the cabin lobby. In a plush circular booth, Wilson sipped at a drink. Swiping at the air, he handled business affairs on his digital display. For a moment, Alex looked on from the open entryway before he walked inside. Hearing him, the director looked up.

"Oh, so you finally got around to wearing it," the man said, appraising the uniform. "I'm not surprised to say it doesn't suit you."

"Wilson," Alex asked and touched the white film on his wrist, where the faint blue light still pulsed. "What did you put in me?"

The man looked at him for a moment, then turned back to his work. "A tracker," he said absently. "You are confirmed valuable, after all."

"What--what does that even mean?"

Glancing out the window, Wilson motioned to him. "Sit down."

Starting forward, Alex paused, wary. They were not alone in the room, two elite guards stood by the wall. Close enough to act but far enough to ignore. "I thought I was below you," he said cautiously.

"You are," Wilson agreed, "but I invited you to sit in my presence. Be honored and follow the order. Make me repeat myself twice, and you'll stand."

Alex slipped into the booth across from him. "Why--why do we have to fly on this thing?" he asked.

"How else would we get to Corpus?" the man retorted. "Do you expect me to walk?"

"I expected privacy."

"You were just in a closed room."

"One filled with cameras," Alex scoffed.

Wilson laughed. "As if your primitive technology didn't watch you when you were back in America."

"It--" Alex began in protest.

"No matter," the director said and took another sip of his alcohol. His gaze turned back out the window. "We will land on Corpus' campus within ten minutes." Soaring over the sprawling city where skyscrapers stretched to touch the sky and the bright lanes of air-cars could be seen through the clouds, the sonic jet slowly began to reduce its speed and direct itself to the academy's landing strip.

"That," the man continued pointing, "is Corpus Academy." Even from the sky, Alex could see the enormous gate which stretched around a vast area of land of over a thousand acres. Domes and large buildings scattered a campus which, as they rapidly lowered their descent, seemed to go for as far as the eye could see. "It's the top tier battle-school of the country," Wilson went on. "The hell where pampered cadets are reborn anew."

Sitting back after a moment, Alex watched the man with a brooding expression. There was something that'd bugged him ever since they'd left the hospital, which Wilson wouldn't tell him. "What happened to Neal?" the Oddity asked in a low voice.

"Oh him," the man said dryly, turning his eyes from the window. "Nothing." He smiled. "It was all a setup."

Alex stared at him. "What?"

"A test of your resolve," Wilson continued dismissively. "You were being gauged by the rate of your heartbeat. In other words, you were monitored. The Keepers were interested in your reaction with America and Victishia being mentioned in the same sentence. However, your heart rate did spike quite adamantly when Neal mentioned your country. It was interesting but predictable. No doubt, your lingering ties will be cut soon enough. Yet you also reacted to the mention of Victashia. There was...debate to whether there was a connection. The similarities between America and Victashia." The words dripped off his tongue like poison. His slate-blue eyes watched Alex with the intensity a bird would prey, calculating, and cold.

"I--I don't know anything about that place," Alex quickly replied. "Neal spoke on his own."

"A true Kaigan would've denounced the enemy to his country," Wilson muttered and swallowed back another sip of alcohol. His expression suddenly turned thoughtful, and he chuckled. "Tazing Neal, though...that was fun."

"Why am I going to school?" Alex asked, changing the subject.

The director eyed him for a moment and smirked. "How else will you receive the training you need?" he said. "Besides, its where the Keepers want you stationed. What they say goes... Of course, I'm against it. Even if you are an oddity, someone of your...caliber surely belongs in a lesser school, amongst lesser stock. Your tier hasn't even been confirmed, and yet you're already admitted. Rank favoritism. They think you're something special to be putting you in the same class as the Paragon. Perhaps, they'll arrange to mix your blood with the golden star of your generation. Oddities are rarely spat from the Dark Realm's titus sands, after all. Either way, you should count yourself lucky."

"What's a Paragon?"

"She," Wilson said with a sober look, "is our only salvation." Whipping his nose with the back of his hand, the director placed a square chip device on the table and indicated to it with a gesture. "A gift of sorts. Put it on."

"How?" Alex asked, picking it up. He turned it over ponderously.

Smiling, Wilson tapped the band coiling his under his ear. "Press it against your neck, under the ear."

Alex looked down at it and holding it forefinger to thumb, he pressed the chip-like device where he was told. A spasm surged through his body and slamming his head on the table, he fell out of the booth in a crumpled heap. Sweat rolled down his face. The veins along his neck were purple and highly visual. Staring up, he lay there in a silent scream.

His head felt like it was being split apart. Everything he'd ever known, anything he'd ever learned, his memories, himself, all fragmented for a moment before rushing back in again filed and organized. Shuddering as the pain subsided, he gasped, coughing with heavy breaths as if he'd just run a mile. A red trickle of blood slid down the side of his neck. A tool for his brain and embedded into his skin, the device felt like a part of him.

"What the hell?" Alex seethed, sitting up with his hand on his neck. "What did you do to me?"

"It's just a precautionary measure," Wilson said. "A helpful piece of technology if I do say so myself. You handled the pain admirably. I'm almost surprised you survived. Yours is more advanced than most. There's only one other who has the same model."

"Server encryption complete," an automated voice said in Alex's head. "Subject connected."

A digital display lit up before Alex's eyes. Dumbfounded, he reached out and passed his hand through it. Accidently choosing a command, music began to play in his head.

Looking around, Alex got up, bewildered. "What is this? How do you turn it off?"

"It's called a nano-computer," Wilson said, chucking back the rest of his alcohol. "It has a steep learning curve but will be your primary tool when you're in the academy. See it as a parting gift."

"I don't want it," Alex said, trying to pull it out. "How do I take it off?"

"You can't," Wilson smiled. "You already put it on."

# 2

# SURVIVOR

**-- MELISSA--**

Releasing a shuddering breath, Melissa closed her eyes. The afternoon's trama had yet to leave her. Orange fire and blazing explosions played in her mind. Blood on steel, Kevin's head, Leptin's coffin... Long black hair and multicolored eyes. She played back the chillingly satisfied smile of the woman who killed them. The images were vivid and memory sharp, too profound for words. The woman had tried to bomb her. To kill her. Without Shadow, she would be dead.

The girl opened violet eyes, an exceedingly unusual color, but unlike the Coga trademark, it was hers alone. She was a tool, and a threat treated as an object and handled as an enemy. To the Victashia, she was a fledgling monstrosity and killer who had yet to hatch. To her people, she was a Paragon, their salvation, a savior to place their hopes and burden with the weight of life. However, she was merely artificial. A DNA masterpiece, scientifically handcrafted and developed by titus. Human. Such was a strange verdict to a conclusive experiment. Its success was relative and refined over study and tests, hypothesis, and execution. She was measured and theorized, the leading project amongst thousands terminated. Raised to be used.

Yet there amongst the flames and screams of war, she'd failed, rendered useless. A mere puppet to be shielded. The foreknown eastern salvation, the divine heroine, the sentinel of peace, and guardian of prosperity. The armor of Kaiga, its first and last defense. Its decisive sacrificial lamb. However, before the haunting reality of which she was to conquer, she had crumbled beneath the strife of battle. Sheltered and innocent, crippled. Her inexperience forced the many to perish for the one. She had saved none, and all died. The hypothesis failed.

Large silver doors stood before her, a double entryway flanked by three sets of dark pillars. Across its pristine metal twisted, an embellished coil of red-gold flames breathed from an engraved black dragon motif, Corpus' reigning sigil. Inscribed beneath the beast in bold dark letters read: Fly above their ashes. A sickening feeling twisted Melissa's stomach. Above her convoy, she'd flown, not the Coga.

It'd been a slaughter of rank sacrifice, death piled with death, and sauced with spilled blood. Melissa ran a hand across her skin, the heat of that woman's swords no less fresh in her mind, she could hear the sizzle of them to flesh, could again smell the pungent aroma of Kevin's cooking organs. Those who had fallen for her, their patriotism and loyalty, shriveled in the face of death. They'd been like ants to a queen. In the face of the Coga's swords, her convoy had been burned to ash. Her warden's head joined the bodies on the field, another corpse to be salvaged and a name to be etched on a wall. Simply a life struck from record. Over sixty men. Their futures--their lives--had been dashed from Eurther like water to fire, all in exchange for her to transfer to another school. They served themselves as small and noble sacrifices to an assuredly just cause. They saw the bigger picture, yet in it, it did not see them.

_Move on._ Shadow said in her mind with frank unsympathy.

_I...can't. _Melissa thought back, dropping her eyes to the floor. Placing a hand over her chest, she dug her fingers into the fabric of her dark blazer and pulled on her blouse's collar. The shirt was restricting. Her chest felt tight and body hot. The trembling had started up again and had yet to stop. The shock and fear of being hunted mixed with the sickening rush of fleeing from a battlefield were not so easily dismissed, and the graphic memories of the ordeal even less so. Such things stayed for life.

_Self-degradation won 't bring back the dead. _Shadow said, its low voice passed through her mind in a cruel whisper, harsh and cold. _No matter how much guilt you stow or memories you put on repeat, the dead will still be dead. Lowering your tattered self-esteem changes nothing. Stop playing the victim, the wounds you gained were self-imposed, and now they 're gone._

Curling her free hand into a fist, the girl gritted her teeth. _They --they died for me. _She thought back, frustrated. _And I --_

A hand touched her shoulder. Jumping, Melissa whirled to look back at a tall man with startled eyes.

"Apologies," the officer said and pulled back his hand with a slight bow of his head. "The doors have closed, your reverence. As of now, we are projected to enter within five minutes."

Melissa turned her gaze to the silver doors. "Those have been closed," she pointed out, confused.

"My mistake, ma'am," the thin man agreed. "A miscommunication if you will, I was referring to the three other student doors connecting to the auditorium."

She nodded. "Right..."

The bronze crest of a dull six-pointed sun-star stood out atop the lapels of his crisp white uniform. The Paragon's amethyst gaze flicked to the dark stitching of his last name, reminding her of who he was. Major Dunlaw.

Stern in appearance, he was relatively young and looked no older than thirty despite the dark bags which sagged beneath light brown eyes. His coarse black hair rose up from his hairline's notable fade to curl tightly atop the crown of his head. Stiff and formal, he was almost uncomfortable to be around her.

Outranking him as would a one-star general, his uptight and tense demeanor made it plain that he was egging to make a good impression. She would levy his career and could see it in his gaze, that familiar hopeful spark of one who was expecting a promotion. It was one he would earn. Under his command, his unit had landed her directly onto the academy flightline and escorted her to where she now stood. He'd executed what her convoy could not.

"There is no need to stand and wait, your reverence," the Major said. "You can always have a seat."

The waiting area's desolate impression of bare tile and empty space were sparsely decorated in part by a corner wall plant and few choice paintings as well as the gilded seating of four couches to the side. Melissa eyed their complementing chairs and raised coffee tables. Nearby, a tantalizing array of platters were held on display by square-capped tierless in sharp grey uniforms. Their gazes drifted towards her with demure smiles as they waited for the slightest opportunity to serve the Paragon.

Much like celebrity artists and noble statesmen, the low-class only saw her on the displays of their handheld devices and vision screens. To be in her presence was an honor they would not be likely to have the chance to repeat. A petite copper-haired woman caught her eye with a timid smile. Melissa quickly looked away, not about to acknowledge the riffraff drudges of society and invite a worker to offer her pieces of sweet rolls and gourmet cheese.

"If I sit," Melissa said to the major, "it'll only be a moment before these doors open, and I have to stand again."

Dunlaw nodded. "Very true, your reverence."

Sunlight washed in from the copper-gold foyer's windowed wall offering a breathtaking view of the campus from the second floor. Wiping sweaty palms on the black dress pants of her uniform, she stared at the silver doors. The orientation lay beyond them, a yearly recess to raise morale and scrutinize failures. Peers would watch peers be scaled and gain a titus level or lose one. The due diligence of one's practice would bleed out on the center stage. Melissa picked at the purple stripes encircling the cuffs of her blazer. The color tabbed her collar, reflecting her status as the Paragon, one of a kind. She was above the drab scarlet of her freshmen peers.

Her hand on her wrist tightened. Standing outside automate metal doors, she was forced to wait as the school student body finished seating themselves inside. It was common knowledge she would walk through as the last to arrive, her position demanded it. Here would be no different than Aizer, special treatment was abound. She looked down, her nails dug into the flesh of her skin. No one knew her sins. The burden of death was tolled to her name. There were ended lives she had to live for. She bore the weight of their cut short futures.

_There is no redemption._ Shadow said coldly. _Whatever you 're looking for, the reassurance, the affirmation, the pity and sympathy of your predicament will never come. No one has ever felt sorry for a survivor. Unlike your convoy, you're still alive._

_I don 't want redemption._ Melissa thought quietly. _I just... I--_

_You, what? Spit it out, mumbles._

_I want peace._

_You want innocence._ Shadow sneered. _And that is the first to die._

_It 's not wrong to want to go back. Kevin would--_

_Don 't you ever get sick of it? _The ego interrupted. _All you ever do is wallow. Before you complained that you were inhuman, now you whine about those who died. What do you even live for? Why are you here?_

For a moment, Melissa said nothing. Her mind was blank, she didn't know. She licked her lips. _To --to be... _she thought, perplexed. _I 'm the pawn of Kaiga._

Shadow's bitter laugh echoed in her mind. _You 're trained like a dog. _

Melissa dropped her hand from her wrist in a balled fist. _I 'm--_

_A Paragon has no master._ Shadow said. _The Keepers don 't own you, and the king has no claim. _

_You don 't know anything. _Melissa thought, exasperated. _I live in a world of laws and regulations --_

_Then why don 't you live in a world where you are the law?_ The ego retorted. _You 've never lived for yourself, and you never will. You just let yourself be pushed around by weaker men who talk with loud personalities._

Melissa's face was hot as she turned her watery eyes to the elaborate ceiling. _You --you don't know what it's like--_

_You 're a coward, Melissa. _

Sucking in a breath, the girl didn't answer. It was as if she'd been hit with a pole.

_Pathetic._ Shadow scoffed in disdain. _You can 't even deny it. You know what you are, and one day the world will too. It sighed, apathetic. I don't know why I put up with you._

Blinking back tears, Melissa clenched her fists with a half-hearted smile. _Because you have to._

_Not for long..._

A finger tapped her arm, and Melissa jumped. She looked up into the Major's quizzical eyes. "Apologies your reverence," he said as the perimeter of the silver doors flashed green. "But, it's time."

Digging her nails into the palms of her hands, Melissa nodded as the doors slid open. Retracting into the walls, the silver entrance revealed the expanse of a two-level auditorium. Dimly lit with a massive stage dipping at the bottom, rows of empty dark chairs stretched out before her on either side. Only a maximum of three hundred students were permitted in each class year, leaving the two-thousand seat availability unused to its capacity. A wide aisle separated the freshmen at the right and juniors at the left while the third year seniors looked on over them from the second level. Taking it all in, Melissa swallowed. "Let us proceed."

# 3

# DEBUT

**-- MELISSA--**

"Ten-hut!" The sharp command resounded around the chamber as Melissa stepped inside. Nine hundred bodies snapped out of their seats in unison, clicking their heels together and pinning their hands to their sides with eyes and heads straight forward at the position of attention.

"Paragon," the students greeted her. Their voices, speaking in unison, bounced off the walls with a double echo. Melissa stared down the long slope of the auditorium and opened her mouth failingly as she began to tremble. Her peers could not move until she gave the order; likewise, she could not proceed without acknowledging the greeting. Beyond the aisle, adjacent to the stage, was a dark red and gold varnished private balcony. It was a dignitary box along the right wall and hung over the junior side of the room. She knew instinctively it was where she would be seated, wholly removed from her peers and her school, a level above them.

"Put them at ease, Paragon," Major Dunlaw said in a low voice.

Startled, she turned her eyes from her private balcony to the waiting students. "At--at ease!" she yelled. Coming out as more of a shrilled squawk, those who heard her stepped into parade rest uneasily while others, unable to discern her shout, kept their stances.

Major Dunlaw indicated to his nano-computer with a finger. "Connect to the audio of the auditorium."

Tapping her own device, Melissa activated the mic through its visual display. A connected to audio notification popped up in the corner of the digital interface as it linked room's hi-range speakers.

"At ease," she said and felt a strange sensation go through her as a shift went through the room at her command. The students dropped their hands behind their backs and stepped into parade-rest in one cohesive unit. Clasping her hands before her to suppress her nerves, Melissa stepped forward. Descending the automated carpet strip with Major Dunlaw and a security detail of ten specialized elites at her back, she endured the auditorium's painful silence from the back down to the foot of the first row. No one dared look at her as she passed, the students fixed their eyes straight forward in a military fashion, rigid and still. They had not been given the order to move.

Unlike the female students' simple donut-style buns, Melissa's hair was wrapped back in a complicated braided updo. Reducing the edema of her burns, the rehabilitation chamber had accelerated her body's rate of healing. The medical technology stripped her dead skin cells, replacing them several times over in a seamless skin graft infused with anti-scarring. Finalizing the restoration of her fallen beauty without the consequence of the slightest flaw, the chamber stimulated her scalp with a regrowth serum, successfully returning her hair to its original length.

"This way, your reverence," said Major Dunlaw as they stepped off the carpet strip. Following her escort into a small tinted elevator pod attached to the dignitary balcony, she stood back against the railing as three elites joined them. Leaving the rest below, the party was levied up level with the balcony floor. Two rows of five red gilded chairs crossed the chamber one behind the other, and two square-capped tierless waited to be called to service by a wall. Spacious but small, the private balcony, like the senior's second level seating, looked out over the audience below.

"You did well," Major Dunlaw said, stepping out of the pod behind her. He offered a tentative smile. "You held yourself in a way which befits a Paragon."

Lowering herself into a chair, Melissa gave him a look as she disconnected her nano-device. "I am, the Paragon," she said, an edge to her voice.

The man bowed his head. "Exactly."

"Welcome to Corpus Academy, your reverence," greeted a voice from the stage. Melissa turned her gaze out the viewport of her private room. Her eyes met the sea-green stare of a grizzled old man with folded wrinkles and thinning gray hair. She recognized him immediately. Mr. Goethe, Sierra's grandfather, the lord of the well-known House Goethe and reigning headmaster of Corpus Academy. "It is a privilege and an honor to count you amongst our ranks," he continued. "Crown and glory."

"Crown and glory," Melissa repeated, relieved to see a familiar face. The student body echoed her in turn.

"Cadets," Mr. Goethe continued. "We have another distinguished guest. Stand by for the arrival of the director."

Melissa shifted uncomfortably as Dunlaw seated himself behind her. Around the room, her elites had spread out. One stood by the open viewport, another by the backdoor connecting to the stage and the last by the elevator dock.

"What director?" Melissa asked the major, looking back. "Who's coming?"

The man leaned back in his chair. Fiddling with the display of his nano-device, he glanced at her offhandedly. "It will be announced."

The auditorium's grand silver doors slid open, revealing an older dark-haired man. Flanked by two guards wearing white, he stepped into the room.

"Ten-hut!" the order spliced the air like a gunshot.

Nine-hundred bodies rose to attention as the director began to pass by. Getting up to rise with them, Melissa was jerked back by the arm. The Major held her fast.

"The symbol of a Kaiga does not stand for its civil servant," he said with narrowed eyes. "Please have a seat, your reverence."

"The symbol is the king," she retorted, yanking back her arm.

The major leaned back once more. "The King is the nation."

"Director of Commerce," the students said in greeting. Melissa looked down. Gold star lapels and currency stripes topped the shoulders of the man's white uniform. He had a strict air about him and carried himself with refined sophistication as he passed down the aisle. The same could not be said about the blond student who trailed him. Looking about like a child in a candy store, the youth's complete lack of class denounced any notion inferred of his high status. He was a low tier to be sure with roots diverging from common lineage, perhaps a half-tierless, the infamous mixed trash of mage society. Such a notion would've been plausible had Director Wilson's derision for the half-class been anything but common knowledge.

The young man had an eye-catching appearance, attractive, even handsome in a mediocre sort of way. His humble innocence and bland nativity for first impressions drew her interest. He was different from the pretentious pomposity of the high class, authentic. No doubt hailing from an undistinguished house of thin blood. Such curious optimism was a welcome sight for sore eyes. In so harsh and cruel a world, it was refreshing to see there still existed uncorrupted souls. Nevertheless, there remained a pressing question on her mind. _Why sponsor him?_

Melissa felt a hand on her arm. The major had her at the wrist.

"Sit, your reverence," he said with a cordial gesture to her chair. "Or I will keep you seated."

"How dare you?" Melissa snapped, shaking off his hand. "You will not touch me. Do so again, and I will have your men remove you."

The major put his chin on his hand with a smile. "Rank and power, dear Paragon are two different things. I respect your position, but here you have no power. My men only have one commander, and that is me. You don't line up in my chain of command."

Feeling her face go hot with embarrassment, Melissa averted her gaze contemptuously. Twirling a loose strand of hair in her hand for a moment, she cleared her throat. "The director will be offended. I'm younger--"

"Age never equals rank," Dunlaw interrupted. "That is determined by power."

"I thought I had no power."

The Major smirked. "You have enough authority to stand and sit."

Staring at him, Melissa closed her mouth and returned to her seat. She looked on as the director stepped off the automated floor strip.

_You know, Melissa._ Shadow, surfaced with a cackle. _I like the sound you make when you shut up._

Blood trickled into the black of Melissa's pants as the nails of her balled fists broke skin. Below, Wilson turned to his blond charge and directed him to a reserved empty chair at the front left of the aisle with an offhanded gesture. Leaving him to take a seat, the man walked on.

"Are you my new warden?" Melissa asked without looking at the major.

"I'm here to maintain your image and honor," the man replied.

She gave him a sharp look. "I don't need anyone to--"

Putting a hand on the back of her chair, he cut her off. "Listen, Paragon, from here on, you'll be interacting with the children of nobles. Sons of dukes and civil-ministers and the daughters of marquises and generals. I do believe that the Moral Keeper's middle daughter is in the mix of your freshman class. An unusual path for a political to be sure, but I digress, it comes with the territory. Corpus isn't simply your avenue for mage-hood maturity," he gave her a dry look. "It's your social debut. Henceforth, you'll engage with federation's best and highest in society."

"And why do you fit into the picture?" She asked, guessing the answer.

"For the duration of your first month here, I'll oversee your social integration and ensure you thoroughly understand your boundaries and that of others."

"So, you'll follow me around?"

"I'll observe only at certain periods of the day."

_Observe._ Shadow scoffed in her head. _That 's a good way to put it. _

Melissa ignored it. "What about your men?"

Watching at the rising dial of the elevator port, the officer held up a hand. "The Director's about to step out, your reverence." He gave her a look. "I trust you do know what to do?"

The doors opened with a ding. The major placed a hand on her shoulder as the director stepped out.

"Don't rise."

The director crossed his arm over his chest in a salute. His men went to attention for her and the major and his men for Wilson.

Realizing they were waiting on her, Melissa sat up straighter. "At ease, director."

"Thank you, your reverence," the man said with a tight smile. Smelling the faint whiff of alcohol, Melissa stiffened as the director sat next to her.

"Who--who is he?" She asked, pointing to the blond student he'd seated in the front row.

Wilson touched her hand and lowered it. "Pointing isn't polite," he said, patting her arm. "You'll know him in due time."

"Right..." Melissa said, pulling away. Behind them, she could feel the Major bristle.

_He sponsored someone powerful. Shadow commented._

_He wouldn 't be here otherwise. _Melissa thought back, staring the boy in the crowd. He was seated beside Sierra who in turn was next to Daniel and Katelyn. A smile played upon her lips at the sight of them, she hadn't seen them since Aizer Academy. Unlike her, they'd made it to their next school without a hitch. She was already looking forward to the end of their month of summer at the academy. When classes started, the major would leave, and for the first time in her life, she would be mostly alone.

Catching her eyes in his dark ones, Daniel held up a hand and waved. Her smile widened, and she waved back. Noticing the gesture, the blond student looked up, he wasn't the only one. The gazes of several students drifted up, intrigued. Suddenly, self-conscious, she dropped the hand, feeling a blush come over her. The sponsored student's deep green eyes seemed to look right through her. Perhaps, if he was chosen by the director, he'd be alright to associate with, provided his rank wasn't too low. Already, she wanted to talk to him and for a moment, she forgot to feel guilty for those who had died.

"Don't wave carelessly into the crowd," Wilson advised in a low voice. "The school needs to see a Paragon, not a girl."

"You mean a weapon," she said quietly.

He gave her a cold look. "It's all the same."

# 4

# ORIENTATION

**-- MELISSA--**

"Silence," the headmaster ordered, and the auditorium's light conversation to died off once more. "The orientation will now commence. As many of you know, I am Joseph Goethe, your headmaster. Today I would like to introduce our special guest, his Excellency Wilson Milson, the Director of Commerce."

"Looks like I'm up," Wilson said, rising to applause. Looking on, Melissa watched as he stepped out of the balcony's backdoor and onto the stage.

"Thank you for the reception," the Director said, shaking the headmaster's hand as he took center stage. "It's great to be here." Looking out across the crowd, Wilson smiled. "I hope you are enjoying a pleasant afternoon, children. In honor of you occupying a highly selective seat at this school, I will a say few words. For those of you who are freshmen on this potential three-year journey, this is a fight that never ends. To stay here, you must compete. Someone could always be transferred in to take your place if you lack performance. Corpus is a battle-school. It operates on government sponsorship to make you into leaders and soldiers, not cannon fodder. That is what tierless drones are for. Your applications passed under the eyes of generals and government administrators alike, you were scrutinized by a board of civil-ministers and underwent rigorous tests to confirm your eligibility. Whether it was something you said in your five interviews or a rare affinity, which was noted, something made you stand out. I am here to confirm to you that you are different from the ones who didn't make it. Whether your trait is intellectual genius, expert decision making, stellar titus conduction, or soul-stirring charisma. Kaiga has determined you to be the military leaders of its future. Do not let our federation down. Here, will be the best education you will ever receive, master the lessons and execute the exams, live up to your potential, and fulfill the destiny handed to you lest another be found to complete your task.

Juniors, conquer another year, and perhaps next time you will be amongst the seniors I'm about to address. Seniors!" Wilson continued, his voice echoed across the room as he turned his gaze up to the second level. "This is your last year in cadet-hood, a bright career lies ahead, don't mess it up. For surviving the rigors of your first years in Corpus' hell-camp, I commend you. Not only for your commitment to persevere under a never-ending workload but also for your unyielding determination to continue to adapt no matter what is thrown at you. Your tenacious efforts to come this far is nothing short of a miracle. My only piece of advice to you is: _graduate!_ In your final moments at this school, you'll see me again, and if you fight to your year's top ten, I'll shake your hand. I will stand again before you to thank you for your sacrifice to Kaiga, its many millions of families, daughters and sons, and of course, for your future service to the King and Keepers themselves. You young brave, and noble souls are the backbone of this kingdom. Without your unwavering loyalty and enduring fortitude, our great country--this sovereign nation would never scratch the surface of what it will continue to accomplish. Therefore, please continue on with excellence, good faith, and confidence that yours is the sole honorable path. More so than the scientists and economists, physicians and politicians, yes, even your instructors themselves. Go forth pre-elites." He snapped his heels together and crossed his hand over his chest. "I salute you. Crown and glory."

"Crown and glory!" The students roared back at him.

"Goethe," Wilson said, turning to the headmaster, "the floor is yours."

"Thank you, Director," said the grey-haired man as Wilson crossed the stage to stand by the stairs. Putting a hand to his mouth, Mr. Goethe cleared his throat. "Our guest is entirely correct. Possessing the ability to attend this academy is a privilege of which each and every one of you has earned. For some, the road has been difficult and for others even more so. Nevertheless, you are all here and sitting before me. I thank you for your effort, hard work, and dedication to take you and your extraordinary talent the extra mile." He gestured to the left side of the auditorium. "This year, I am proud to welcome the new freshmen class of 3017." Applause rose in response to which the man ended with a raise of his hand. "First years," he continued. "Corpus is your new home and family. You will sleep, study, and live within the campus grounds at all times. Exploring the city outside your three-year stay is prohibited. Any breach of this academy law will and has resulted in expulsions. The outside world is not yours to return to unless Kaiga deems it so. Under the service of your country, you will adhere to all regulations passed down to you. Here orders are given to be followed. Integrity is, first and foremost, the most important moral. On behalf of the academy's staff and instructors, I am proud to extend an official welcome to you as this year's incoming cadets. It's an honor to be given the opportunity to guide you over these next three years. Upperclassmen, give your new brothers and sisters a welcoming round of applause."

A roar of approval rose up from the juniors and seniors while the freshmen side looked about with demure smiles amongst the fanfare. The headmaster lifted a hand, and the clapping died out.

Clearing his throat again, Mr. Goethe continued. "Following the Rank Ceremony, all junior and senior cadets will return to their assigned rooms according to their current or promoted titus tier. Underperformers are to return to their seats for a re-evaluation at the end of the ceremony. Freshmen will return to their rows after their names are called and ranking tier assessed. Following their projection by the estimator, they automatically go on standby and wait to be organized for a campus tour following the conclusion of the orientation. As the first rank exam of the year, the metric curriculum will be based solely on these results over the next six months. Good luck to you all, I sincerely hope you have improved."

"Thank you, sir." the students replied in unison.

Goethe nodded and turned his gaze up to Melissa. "A legend is among us. You sit in the midst of your generation's golden star." He lifted a hand in her direction. "Our Paragon will lead her year. Step up, Melissa Bellheart."

Wringing her hands, Melissa rose shakily to her feet. Nine hundred pairs of eyes turned up in silent judgment and followed she made her way out the back of the private balcony. She leaned back against the automatic doors cool metal, took a breath, and glanced around the corner. A thick black curtain blocked what would've been a view of bright lights shining down upon the mahogany wood of the stage. Beyond it, the entire student body waited to stand testament to her power, seniors and peers alike would be witness to what made her the armor of Kaiga, the one and only, Paragon. Breathing out, she stepped from the door with a tight smile. She pushed back the curtains with a hand and swallowed as warm lights washed over her.

A hum ran through the floor as she walked. Panels of dark wood receded in the center of the stage. Slipping beneath those around them in a turning cycle, they opened a square hole. Followed by a droning motor, a large black sphere lifted through the opening cupped by a small metal pillar.

Shaking, the headmaster's hand, Melissa touched her nano-computer with a nervous chill. The notification connected to audio popped up in the corner of the device's digital display, linking the mic again to the auditorium. "Headmaster Goethe," she greeted him.

"It is an honor to have you attend our academy, your reverence," he replied.

She smiled. "The honor is mine."

A tierless woman wearing a square blue cap stepped forward with a circular device. Melissa held out her hand, and the white light of a scanner grazed over her palm. "Verified," said an automated voice over the audio of the auditorium. After a moment, a green light flashed. Placing a hand on the flat of her stomach, the woman bent forward at the waist in a bow and gestured to the black sphere.

"Your reverence, please proceed."

Turning her back on the audience, the girl closed the distance to the sphere. Confident, she put her hand on its glassy surface. Flecks of white light rose from the dark ball to form beneath her palm. Circling, they spun into a vortex before morphing the overlapping symbol of an infinity sign. She flashed her teeth to the crowd in a smile and acknowledging their awe with a nod, she again shook the headmaster's hand.

"As expected of her reverence," he boomed.

"Thank you, headmaster," she replied.

Goethe put a hand on her arm and pulled her back gently as she began to turn away. He gestured back at a gilded chair as it rose through the floor on a low dias platform near the sphere. "Please be seated there, your reverence. The students of Corpus would be honored if you would congratulate them and offer encouragement during their own evaluations. I believe your words will lend those who've failed before to improve their confidence and for those that tier up, the encouragement to achieve more."

"Nothing would make me happier," she said with a strained smile. The headmaster kept hold of her and tugged her back again before she could take a step. She passed him a questioning glance. "Yes?"

He released her arm. "Expect to give a closing speech."

Her smile flattened into a line. "Of course, headmaster."

With a parting nod, Goethe turned back to the gathered students and opened his nano display. "Next, Alex Mulholland."

Lowering herself into her chair, Melissa watched her green-eyed peer rise stiffly. _Him,_ she thought, shifting her eyes to Wilson. _Why is he sponsored by the Director?_

The youth stepped onto the stairs beneath the stage and grabbed the rail as it began to move. Lifted level with the stage, he tensed under Wilson's gaze and crossed the wooden platform tentatively, afraid. His eyes were wide as the tierless woman scanned his hand. Melissa leaned forward, intrigued. He looked like no one had ever done it before, it was as if for him, everything even the automated stairs were all so new. A green light flashed from the device, and he was waved on. Slowly, he made his way to the estimator.

Melissa leaned her chin onto her hand, forgetting the image of Paragon she was to uphold. _What tier and level will he be?_ She wondered. Close to the black sphere, she could see the beads of sweat roll down his face and drop to the floor. His hand shook as he reached out for the ball's smooth glass. _An obvious low-level._ She straightened once more. _He has no confidence, its as if he expects to fail. A typical trait of disappointment._

Her eyes flicked over to Wilson. The man looked on with crossed arms. There was something about the Director that bothered her, it was more than his smirk and focused gaze on the trembling student, it was his presence.

Why was he here? No director appeared for a simple rank ceremony at the beginning of the year, not even for an academy such as Corpus. They were too busy. Paperwork crossed them at every moment of every day, they corresponded with the Keepers on legal matters regarding their jurisdiction and were ferried back and forth on sonic-jets for days on end to scheduled appointments.

They ran the sectors of the federation. Wilson's authority over commerce and industry could make the economy rise or fall, the banks were subject to his orders. It was one thing to appear of courtesy for her and offhandedly sponsor a student in the process but quite another entirely to escort that student onto campus grounds. She turned her gaze back to Alex. His hand still hovered, frozen over the sphere. The question she'd asked before surfaced again in her mind. _Who is he?_

_Wouldn 't we all like to know?_ Shadow thought back.

"Chop, chop young man," the headmaster said. "Put your hand on the sphere. We don't have all day. If you fail, you just fail. There's no need to be ashamed before you do so."

The blond student swallowed. His fingers shook as he inched them down before snatching his hand back entirely. "I--I can't," he said and glanced back at Wilson with a flinch. Mr. Goethe gave him a dry look and grabbing his arm, he pushed the boy's palm onto the glassy surface.

"There you go," the headmaster said, releasing him. "May luck be with you."

White flecks stirred up, reacting almost immediately. As the seconds ticked out of existence, the specks swarmed beneath his palm and merged, forming...an infinity sign.

Stunned, the student looked at the headmaster with a timid smile. "What--what does this mean?" he asked, passing Melissa and anxious glance. An astonished silence gripped the crowd, they'd just witnessed the making of history.

Melissa rose unsteadily, confused. "No..." She said, grabbing his arm. "You--you can't be. I'm the only one. I can be the only one." Her eyes were wild and intense as her nails dug into his arm. "You can't be a Paragon!"

"Para--what?" he asked wincing. Prying off her hand, he stepped back unnerved. "What are you talking about? What's a--"

"Lift your hand up," Mr. Goethe ordered.

The student looked at him. "Huh?"

The man wrapped a hand around the youth's arm. "Lift, it up."

"Right."

"Now, put it back down."

The entire auditorium leaned in as the student set his hand back onto the dark sphere. The flecks gathered into a swirl once more and morphed again to form an infinity sign. Low conversation rose from the audience at the spectacle. Jerking his hand from the sphere as if he'd been burned, the sponsored student shifted uncomfortably beneath the headmaster's stare.

"What--what am I?" he asked, glancing at Melissa.

"You're...like me," she said. "Like me."

A shudder went through the chamber as the sidewall of the junior's blew open, sending two guards flipping into the air. Bursting through it, a large burly dark-skinned man charged. Red lights flashed, and an alarm blared over the intercom. Students rose, coughing amidst the cloud of dust, and turned to evacuate rows too late. Crushing a chair as he stepped atop a row, the intruder bounded forward. Screams rose, and blood sprayed as the barbed end of a gold spear ripped through a student's jugular. Glowing amber eyes peered out from the cloud of the crowd, fixed on a target on the stage. Clearing the last of the junior's rows in a massive leap, the man's spear met Melissa's metals.

Shadow screamed. Snapping against gold, silver metal flew. Shards of her whip-like offense fell from the air like glass. Liquefying, they splattered on the ground like water. White teeth flashed in a cruel smile as the man swung his spear around. Stabbing it through the girl's black shield, he drove its barbed point through her body.

Melissa gasped. Blood spewed from her lips as she was lifted. She watched as her black metal fell to the floor like sludge. Sucking in a breath, she gagged and gritted her teeth with a choked sob as she gripped the weapon with trembling hands and tried in vain to stop her body from sliding down the spear. A rugged face on a palate of copper veins and dark skin withheld the crazed gold eyes of her killer. He had stabbed her through the gut, and beneath her dangling feet pooled dark blood. Her vision blurring, Melissa's eyes closed, and body went limp. The man's smile widened.

"Got you, child."

# 5

# INFILTRATION

**-- ALEX--**

Laughter echoed in Alex's ears. Above, a man in black cackled, pointing mirthfully at Melissa's limp form.

"That's why Altramex is number one!" he shouted. A titus cloak of orange shimmered around him, manipulating the air, it levied him to float above the scattering auditorium.

"Your head is mine to take," the dark-skinned intruder said, lifting Melissa higher. Pulling his spear in, he reached out and brushed a strand of the girl's blonde hair. "I will sever your pretty neck."

Altramex shifted his golden eyes to the lights of the stage and raised his free hand. A thread of amber titus slivered from his palm and passing his fingers, shot out, shattering the spotlights above. The auditorium was plunged into dim darkness as glass rained down onto the stage. A ripple of gasps washed over the fleeing students, gripping them in a mayhem of terrified panic. Frantic, they pushed and shoved one another in a heightened frenzy with their rush for the doors. In the chaos, Altramex harnessed the energy of the lights and morphed it into a golden cleaver. He lowered his spear and with it, the girl. Pulling back the other weapon, he swung.

"No!" the word ripped from Alex like a tidal wave. Before the headmaster and director could think to move, the wood by Altramex's feet burst open. A massive hand of sand shot through the floor and catching the cleaver in its palm, went forth to wrap the man's arm. Blood dripped from Alex's nose as tendrils of black sand twisted around the Red Raven from the elbow up. Golden eyes shifted to the boy. Snapping free from the sand vines, Altramex leaped back. His spear went with him. Barbed metal tore back out Melissa's gut and hitting the stage, her body rolled to hang halfway off its edge. Knocked out of the air by a sand fist, the hulk of a man was carried across the room and through a wall.

Alex grabbed the front of his blazer with a gasp. His breaths came fast and vision blurred, he dropped to his knees and heaved. He spewed fluids and coughed dryly, unable to stop his tremble. All at once, a searing pain sliced into his skull worse than any migraine. Holding his head, he screamed. Like a rush of venom, his hair changed in color. In a shift from blond to black, it darkened from the center to the ends.

A wave of energy blew from the wall in a surge, blasting sand back into the auditorium. A dark hand reached through the wall's hole and grabbed its crumbling edge. Altramex rose to his feet and stepped from the debris, his dull copper veins glowing gold beneath his skin.

"Two Paragons," he rumbled and leaned forward with a smile. "It seems Kagia was hiding something after all."

The auditorium was a shell of its former self. Scattered bodies lay stiff amongst the rows of seating, pooled blood dark and dripping. While some were students, others were tierless staff. The air was heavy. Silence gripped the auditorium. In the face of Altramex's monstrous intensity, the idea of hope was suffocated. Like ants caught in a storm, those who'd lingered behind would not live.

* * *

Light flashed in a pulse round, and gunfire split the air as the elite guards of the paragon and director opened fire from the ground floor and second level balcony.

"Those toys won't hurt him," Altramex's accomplice, chided from the air. He looked on, amused as the barrage ricocheted off of his comrade's bare chest. "Nothing will! You are pigs to the slaughter!"

His laughter rolled through the chamber in a chilling cackle. Pale blue eyes, the color of ice, looked down on the desperate men with the interest one would have for a show. He saw them as inhuman, like sheep about to die. There was a touched insanity in his gaze, a distinct piece of empathy that was far removed. Such madness was only emphasized by the black whites of his eyes.

Ignoring the bullets, Altramex turned his gaze to his companion. "Issac, why are you still here?"

"Why else? I'm enjoying the show."

"Get to work," the dark-skinned man growled. He stepped forward, and the ground shook as he launched himself into the melee of guards.

A gurgle left one man as Altramex's spear went his through throat and down into the chest of another. Flames blew into the red raven's face breathed by the mouth of another guard. Sticking a hand through the fire, Altramex latched onto his arm and swung him around into the ground. Spit flew from the man's mouth as his back arched up from the slam. Looking down, Altramex lifted his foot above the guard's face and stomped. A gun went off, and gold eyes swung to dark ones. The weapon dropped from the woman's hands as he grabbed her by the neck and threw her. Flipping through the air, her head clipped the edge of the stage, and body rolled across its wood, leaving a streak of blood behind.

A gun clicked, and Altramex turned as one of the three remaining elites shoved the barrel of the weapon against his temple and pulled the trigger. Watching the body fall, the man looked at the last two guards. Turning their gazes up from the dead body, they swallowed. Shoved forward by her comrade-in-arms, the female elite stumbled into the red raven's chest, wide-eyed as her companion turned tail and ran.

Pushing her back by the shoulder, Altramex swung his fist into her ear, caving in her skull. Stepping over her body, the man watched the runner for a moment before levying his spear. Spiking the cowardly elite through the back, the spear twisted out his sternum. The dark-skinned man lowered his throwing arm with a stoic expression and turned his gaze up at the guards watching from the balcony. Terrified, they stiffened and slowly backed away.

"That was...delicious," Isaac breathed with a deep inhale. "I never miss the smell of blood."

Looking up, Altramex's eyes narrowed. "Get out."

* * *

Breathing hard, Alex ran through a brightly lit hall. Dress shoes fell on the tile as both director and headmaster followed closely behind. Tailed timidly by the tierless woman, Melissa flew alongside Alex on a bed of black sand. It'd clotted her wound, filling it as a temporary measure, his sand kept her alive. Her chest rose and fell quickly with shallow breaths, she was on the brink, teetering fragilely between life and death.

"There!" yelled a man in red, catching sight of them as he skirted into the hall. "The Priority One is here!" Five others rushed in behind him, ferrying along backpacks and cases of equipment and supplies, flashing after them, a medical stretcher zoomed through the air.

"Alex, stop," Wilson said and grabbed his shoulder. "Let the medics--"

"I'm not doing it," Alex muttered, staring at his hands.

"Set her down," the director ordered. "Now."

Alex looked at him with haunted eyes. "I'm not doing it." He swallowed. "The sand, it's--it's moving on its own."

"Get her on the ground," the lead medic said, walking into the group with a serious expression. "Which one of you are holding her?"

"It's not me!" Alex protested as Wilson, and Mr. Goethe's gazes turned on him. "It's--"

"What is this?" the medic asked, picking up a couple grains with a gloved hand. Looking on, he watched as the sand bed rotated over itself, rolling in and out in a cycle as it circulated into and out of Melissa's wound, moving in a slow bloodless stream.

"What are you doing?" Mr. Goethe yelled, squaring up to the medic. "Pack her on the stretcher-vac and get her to safety!"

Giving the man an irritated look, the medic waved his subordinates forward. "You heard the headmaster," he said. "Load her up."

"What about the sand?" one asked.

For a moment, the lead medic didn't answer. Studying it, he waved a hand. "Seal it too."

The floating stretcher slipped beneath the bed of sand, and the medical unit activated its regulator. A glass bubble rose up over Melissa and closed sealed with a decompression of air.

"She's secured, sir," the low medic reported to her superior.

"Then let's go," Wilson said, stepping past them at a run. Turning out of the hall, the party made a straight way for a flashing emergency exit at the end of the next corridor. Following in a rippling wave, black sand rose up at their backs, sealing off the hallway from anyone who tried to follow.

"Alex," Wilson snapped as he started to lag. "Keep up."

Alex couldn't hear him. An incessant pounding knocked in his head. His chest hurt, and mouth was dry. He was dizzy, hot, and tired. He wanted water, wanted rest. His legs were like lead and arms pumped heavy by his sides, it felt more like he was dragging along the dead weight of his body at a jog than actually running. Each step was harder than the last, the flashing exit seemed further than it was and the floor closer. The distance between him and the director stretched with every passing moment as he fought to breathe. Everything seemed blurred, the focus of his surroundings came in, then out; the room was spinning. Suddenly, the weight of his body lifted as Wilson grabbed his arm and pulled it over his shoulder.

"Consider this your only charity," the man muttered. "Pull yourself together."

# 6

# BLACK SAND

**-- ALEX--**

Holding out a hand, an aura of green titus rose from his palm as Mr. Goethe sent forth a surge of wind before them. Blasting through the door, the gust blew the exit off its hinges and across an open courtyard. Hundreds of paranoid students and faculty staff milled anxiously about the area, guarded by the elite unit which had flown Melissa in, a tight perimeter was encircled around them. Noticing the new arrivals as they stepped out of the building, two officers approached the headmaster's party.

"Sir--"

"What the hell is going on?" Mr. Goethe demanded and snorting in a breath, he pulled the captain who'd spoken to him by the collar. "Why is my school under attack? Why is--"

"They destroyed the barrier," the captain sputtered, pulling free. Joined by three more of her men, she cleared her throat in an attempt to regain her composure. "Its Victashia."

"Well, of course, its Victashia," the headmaster said. "Do you expect it to be any other piss poor nation? The Eastern Hemisphere is under our thumb."

"How could they destroy the barrier?" Wilson asked and dropping Alex, he adjusted his collar as he took his place beside the headmaster. "Corpus' mago-shield is a triple domed energy plasma barrier. Its refracting component blocks all traces of titus signatures. Getting through is nearly impossible--"

"Sir," the captain said, "that doesn't matter now."

"Doesn't matter?" the director said, staring at her. "They shouldn't even have known she was here!"

"Priority One left her preliminary academy for the first time in eight years, sir. She graduated. Where do you think they expected her to go? A trade school? Director, unlike you, she's not a scholar. The entire federation knows she's being trained for war. It's no secret to Victashia either."

"Common knowledge," Wilson scoffed. "Are you calling our people sellouts?"

"Its common sense, sir. The process of elimination. Corpus is the only gold tier school, where else would Priority One go but here?"

"The Victashia already hit her once today, damned cultists."

"And now they're here to finish the job."

Wilson gave the officer a withering look.

"The primary objective is to get everyone to safety," the officer said and gestured at the landing medical plasma-copters and drone-soldiers in T-mech suits, which dropped from military aircraft flying overhead. "Corpus' reserve garrison has already mobilized and the base of--"

"Who gave you permission to speak?"

The woman stiffened, irritated. "I--"

"You have no orders to give here, Captain Vinecraw," the director said, reading the name on her uniform. "I rank highest here."

"With all due respect, sir, you don't," the Captain said tersely. "You are the director of commerce, not defense. You have neither the right nor the authority to give the military orders in this setting. Stand down."

Stunned, Wilson's expression soured. "Why you--"

A rumbling boom went out as Altramex charged through a wall. He stepped onto the grass of the courtyard, and panic went through the crowd. The students shrunk back as he flipped his golden spear and turned his gaze to Alex. A ripple of light burst through the air with a T-mech gamma-shot. Slicing overhead, the energy beam slammed into the red raven's chest and splitting off in four directions, refracted back and into the crowd. The laser shafts cut through the students in a line, reducing those it hit to ash. There was no time to move.

The wind stirred, blowing back to buffet them in the miniature shockwave. Bouncing back, one shaft returned to the T-mech suit. The beam went through it like wax, crippling the nine-foot hulk of machinery, it ripped out the other side. Liquid metal dripped into the melted hole of an empty cockpit. The pilot was gone. Out behind the compromised technology, four charred streaks of fiery cracked earth seared the campus grounds. No flames lingered in the shafts aftermath, all they had touched had perished, leaving nothing to burn.

A burst of light flashed from the paneled windows of the building, and a cloud of smoke erupted with an explosion of blue flames. Debris rained, and a shudder racked the earth as a white three-headed cobra broke through the roof. Frost spread from the snake's scales and crossing onto the building's tiles, it rolled down the brick sides in a rippling river of ice.

The monster lifted its neck high and dwarfed all those below in its shadow. Flicking their tongues with a long low hiss, the heads eyed the petrified crowd with blood-red gazes before opening their mouths. Glowing white blobs shot from their jaws into the building. Glass shattered, and brick crumbled as the byproducts exploded. Folding into itself, the building collapsed from the shock.

Smoke billowed across the courtyard in a wave. Screams tore the air as people fled in all directions. Hundreds of feet hit the earth in a scattering stampede; students and staff fell into one another desperate to get out of the way. Pushing and shoving in their panic, some were knocked down only to be trampled as the bulk of the herd rushed through the perimeter of soldiers.

Holding his throat, Alex's vision blurred. A racking cough went through his body, and he gagged with a dry heave. Breathing hard for a moment, he swallowed and reached out blindly on his knees. He dug his fingers into a handful of dirt. Hearing a sickening thud, he watched the tierless woman fall in a heap as a frost-covered brick hit her in the back of the head. Her body lie still on the dusty ground, and dark eyes stared out blankly, looking at nothing on her shocked expression. Blood matted her light hair, dying it red as it trickled out from her bashed head and into a pool. Her square blue cap was nowhere to be found. Terrified, Alex looked up, mouth agape. Above, the snake heads bobbed to and fro, watching the chaos unfold. He jumped as a hand grabbed his arm, and he turned to see Wilson's desperate expression.

"Move!" the man yelled, dragging him up. Startled, Alex stumbled forward. Feeling a wave of nausea, he sagged in the director's grasp.

"I can't!" he gasped. "I--"

"Move!" Wilson shouted again and pulled him forward. Jumping as a fractured piece of wall dived into where he'd just been, Alex looked at the man and clutching his arm, staggered into a jog.

Sucking in air, the serpent pulled in fleeing soldiers and students in like a vacuum cleaner. The mouths of the snake heads closed to snap over them for a moment before the monster spit them out. Rocketing through the air like projectiles, the frozen bodies fell like hailstones into the crowd below. Detonating in icy explosions, the solid body parts of the dead flew into the flesh of the living, turning the decimated courtyard into a graveyard.

"Help me!"

Alex turned his head towards the scream. A sobbing girl reaching to those fleeing around her was ignored by the frenzied medics; the lower half of her body was a mess. Wet noodly intestines spilled from her abdomen in a bloody pile topped by organs, her expression was desperate, pained. Chest heaving, she locked eyes with him and reached out tearfully.

"Help me!"

A chill went through him. He recognized her, she was the one he'd sat next to in the auditorium--Sierra, the self-proclaimed granddaughter of the headmaster. Closing his eyes as he stumbled past, he wondered where her grandfather was now. Hyperventilating, Alex tightened his grip on Wilson's arm.

Squinting through the whipping winds of a plasma-copter, relief spread through his hurting chest. Grinding to a halt, its gears flickered with blue flames before catching fire. Three torrents of flames spewed from the serpent's mouths, moving across the row of evac-copters. Dragging him back, Wilson threw up a titus shield around them as the aircraft exploded. Students jumped out of fiery cockpits, and officers on fire ran madly across a courtyard, which had become a battlefield.

"Get down!" Mr. Goethe yelled. Orange flames licked the air, and the ground shuddered with the quick succession of booms. Holding his bleeding ears, Alex screamed.

"Frost serpent," Wilson spat and looking back, his eyes narrowed upon a figure floating cross-legged above the snake. "He summoned it from his homeland, damned Inu."

Holding the shield around Melissa, Mr. Goethe strained to protect the medics behind him as copter shrapnel bashed into the titus shell, bringing their escape to a close. Disoriented, Alex stared out across the battlefield with his head on the ground. A high ring resounded in his skull. Mouths moved, medics screamed at dead patients, and people crawled for their lives, but he heard nothing.

The world was filled with ringing, and the chaos was far away, distant yet near. Turning his head as Wilson shakily got to his feet, Alex watched as Altramex held a man up by the throat. Blood spit-up from his mouth to spray the red raven, and his resisting grip fell limp by his side. Clouded, blue eyes stared emptily into Alex's as his head hung forward. Tossing him aside, Altramex let loose a savage roar.

The girl... Alex thought, shifting his eyes to Melissa's stretcher-vac. That man will--that monster's going to kill her. He's going to kill us all... I--If I only had--

He looked up as Wilson stepped away and reaching out, wrapped a hand around the man's ankle. "Wait..." he wheezed wide-eyed. "Wilson--"

The man shook him off and mouthed words he couldn't hear. Alex stared at him, blankly. Irritated, the man pointed in the direction of the headmaster and Melissa's medics.

The paragon. Alex realized. "I'm--I'm one too," he said, hearing his words echo in his own head. "I am--"

The director's gaze fell on him, coldly and spoke three words. Falling forward as Wilson pulled away, Alex watched him walk.

"Act like one." The man had mouthed, Alex had read the words. Act like a paragon. Left to fend for himself alone, the youth laid his head back against the dirt.

Blood spewed from his mouth with a gasp. Arching as a crushing blow fell into his back, his arms and legs flopped up as if he were a rag doll. Choking back a sob as a rib cracked, his body shook under the weight of a man's foot pressed into his back.

_I want to go home._ Alex thought, blinking back tears.

"So, you're the second paragon our oracle spoke of," a voice said above him. Looking down, Isaac twisted his foot into Alex's spine with a gleeful smile. Grimacing, Alex dug his fingers into the earth. A crooked nose and burned patchwork of discolored skin marred the man's disfigured face. Looking like something out of a horror film, his lopsided smile and torn off ears made him appear nothing short of terrifying.

"You smell of fear..." Isaac said with a deep inhale. "So much fear." He cocked his head with a flash of teeth. "Do I scare you?"

"Get--get off me," Alex said, staring at him, he could barely hear his words.

"Oh!" Isaac said cackling. "Making demands, are we?" The man looked up and flipped back as a streak of lightning shot from Wilson's palm. Seeping up from the ground, black sand struck out for their adversary. Isaac wove through the air and evaded it with a raucous laugh as he led it along in bobbing loops. Alex pushed himself up, swallowed, and struggled shakily to his feet.

The youth put his hands together, and the ground beneath him darkened, spreading out, a black color to stained the earth. Wrapping around Altramex's legs, the sand pulled him under. Jerked out of the way as Isaac made a sweep at him, Alex staggered into Wilson's shoulder. Feeling his sand fighting Altramex underground, the youth held onto the director with shaking hands.

Wind buffeted his hair as a copter dropped to hover overhead. Lifting Melissa 's stretcher-vac into the air along with the medics and headmaster, the air vehicle's anti-grav transmitter reversed to pull them in. Feeling his own feet rise off the ground, Alex hung like dead weight in Wilson's grasp as they too were carried into the air.

Struggling to the surface, spear in hand Altramex fixed his gaze on the copters and rotating his shoulder, launched the weapon into the air. Fire streamed behind the projectile as it rocketed for the aircraft at unprecedented speeds. Combining his hands, Wilson released a bolt of lightning. Hitting the spear mid-flight, the electricity passed through the weapon harmlessly, and keeping its course as the copter began to turn, the golden bullet missed its main rotor by a hair. Turbines churned, and sonic blasters streaked in a blaze of light as the military aircraft abandoned the battlefield, leaving those who remained to die. 

# 7

# AWAKENING

**-- MELISSA--**

Shadow looked out through strands of black hair. Tightening her grip on the bars of her cell, she banged her head against them. Beyond the cage extended an endless night, and within, a low light flickered. Around her ankles, fog rolled in from the darkness. Its condensation brushed her skin like cool clouds. Shivering, she turned her red eyes up to a camera that watched her from a high corner.

Small and shabby with rough concrete floors and a stone slab which jutted from the wall, her prison lay bare in a place of black. She was isolated, held hostage within the innermost reaches of herself, locked away. Prohibited from the control of her own body, time was so fluid she had forgotten how long she'd been chained. The mind beheld no concept of night. Time passed as it passed. It was a place of no hunger, and void of pain; the only thirst she had, was for freedom.

Confined within an endless realm, her power was as limited as she was restrained. Her titus was linked to the puppet personality and channeled only in times of need. She exercised her abilities when required and experienced suppression when they were not. When she closed hers, she could see through its eyes, taste what it tasted, feel physically what it did--the body that she was removed from. She could speak to the puppet soul, torment that weak, useless part of her.

It was a persona of whose select traits they'd spliced from her soul. Childlike and malleable, light to her darkness, the puppet was pathetic and kind, obedient. Half-sentient and inhuman. It was the only piece of her they could truly control.

The splice was a byproduct of an experiment conducted to curb her unfavorable qualities and traits, which could threaten the mission--willfulness, independence, self-sufficiency...among others. The operation was a unique form of persona manipulation. A conglomeration and precise inflation of her lesser traits in order to overtake the main. Neuro rewiring had been implemented to eradicate the leftover traits. Instead, it shafted what would be Shadow into suppression deep within her subconscious mind. The years had passed, and she'd resurfaced.

* * *

Shadow snapped her head up with a start. A smile spread across her face as the fog receded, and stone slab behind her cracked in half. It was time.

Breaking from the bars of which it was lodged, the cell's concrete wall fell back to vanish into the darkness. It disappeared before meeting the black floor. Gone, like it'd never existed. Dislodged, the camera struck the ground. Glass sprung from its lens to shatter from the impact and litter the floor.

Shadow looked on as at the bars in her hands slipped through her fingers like a liquefied sludge into a quiet pool at her feet. Her eyes widened and clapping her hands over her ears, she dropped to her knees with a scream. Black sand rushed in from the darkness in a wave to engulf her.

Encircling her in a swirl, the wave curved up around her to lift her limp body into the air.

Beneath the torrent, a crack of white fractured against the dark floor. The last of her cell bars disappearing into pools of sludge, the sand stopped its twist and reversing, poured into the white crack in a spiral which returned into the ground. The eternal black receded across the endless plane in a ripple, replaced by the brilliance of white. Upright, Shadow floated down to step lightly onto the glassy surface and reveal blood-red eyes.

"Finally," she breathed. "My time has come."

She turned her gaze to stare at the timid girl who stood knocked kneed and awkward, looking wholly out of place on the white plane. She'd seemingly appeared out of nowhere as if unveiled by the black recession. Wide-eyed, she flinched from Shadow's gaze with an expression of innocent purity that made the alter-ego sick. Afraid, the girl held her arm with the insecurity of a nervous child. Golden hair ran down her back in a luminous cascade, and doe-like lavender eyes looked back shyly, desperate for direction.

Shadow stalked forward to close the distance, leaving dark footprints behind. She stopped, indifferent as the other girl shrank away.

"It's time," she said. "The Keepers can't hold you from me anymore." She lifted her hands. "My bars are gone."

"I--I don't fear you," the blonde girl mumbled, her voice small. She lifted her chin. "I--"

"Liar," Shadow snarled and grabbed her twin by the arm. The girl pushed at her, terrified. "I am the true, us. Your existence will all but vanish when we join together." She smiled. "It'll be like you never were."

Her twin's eyes went wide. "No--"

"Yes," Shadow affirmed, her red eyes glinted, and she drew closer and stared into the pale violet of her other half. "Can you imagine? Kaiga's greatest weapon, turned into its greatest enemy? What a tragedy that would be and how sweet the vengeance."

The other girl jerked from her with a start. Her eyes were almost teary. "It--" she choked, "Kaiga is our home."

"Our home," Shadow sneered, looking the blonde up and down as she walked around her. "How little you know."

"I--" the other girl quivered, "I know that--"

Shadow clapped her hands from behind on the blonde's thin shoulders. "You know nothing," she hissed into her other ear. The girl whirled, and the brunette jumped back with a grin. The blonde staggered away and fixed her with a nettled glare.

"Kaiga is our oppressor. The dictatorship of terror made you this way, Light. We can scarcely enter a room without putting everyone at ease. Or do you think our peers rise because they like us?"

The other girl rubbed her wrist with a puzzled expression. "They have to, I'm--"

"Have to?" Shadow said, her voice low. "People don't like us because they have to, they're forced to. Patriotic propaganda is forced down their throats like candy. Not standing would be treason, and treason means death. We are the symbol of Kaiga. Refusing to stand for honorable royalty, would be akin to burning the national flag in the capital. Little threats, you know, keep people in line. The Keepers are only good for reinforcing morale, passing unjust laws, and increasing taxes to arm up the military police. It's their duty to keep the people scared. Fear drives Kaiga, Light." Her expression twisted. "Do you know why?"

Melissa said nothing as she waited for Shadow's answer.

"Admiration turns sour, and praise goes cold, but fear? That becomes terror, and it reigns far longer than love."

The timid girl stared at her. "Why--why do you keep calling me Light?" she asked. "My name is--"

"Melissa?" Shadow guessed, flatly. "You would believe that, but no. That's where you have it wrong. You're a fraud, Light. These laws and rules, their traditions, the dehumanization, the caste system. You're just a pawn to it all, really. Another piece, another paragon, another tool, not that you remember." She reached out and ran her fingers through the girl's golden hair. "But...it doesn't matter." Her eyes gleamed and curling her fingers into the blonde locks, she tugged, jerking the girl forward. "Without me, they will have nothing."

The other girl gasped and pulled out of her grip. "You're not the only one anymore," she mumbled with quivering lips. A single tear fell down her cheek as she stared out behind strands of hair. "Not the only paragon."

Shadow's smile flattened, and gaze glazed with apathy. "Oh yes, that boy. Cara spoke of him." The girl stepped back as she stepped closer. "He reminds me of you in a way," the brunette continued, "weak and pitiful. In the face of death, he just about wet himself. Truly, he's a laughable threat. Paragon," she scoffed. "Like you, they handed him that title as if he deserved it. Before me, he will be but a lamb to the slaughter."

The other girl gave her a mousey sideways look and averting her eyes, wrung her hands. "I don't--I don't understand."

"Of course, you don't," Shadow muttered. "You're so ignorant, you don't know a thing. Your memory of the persona operation was wiped at a subconscious level. It wasn't enough that I was censored from telling you. The last time I tried, a chain rolled over my mouth and dragged me into a wall." She tapped her chin. "Yes, they kept me like that for some time. But that is the past. Now, let me jog your memory." Stepping in, Shadow grabbed her by the head and shoved her face into the ground. "Now, we become one."

Clawing at her, the blonde clamped a hand onto her wrist and breaking skin tore away. The girl scrambled back with wide eyes. Shadow looked on almost amused as her other half increased their distance.

"Come now, Light," she said, opening her arms. "Don't run from your sister." She stepped forward with a lunge and wrapped her hand around Light's neck, catching her by the throat. She raised her arm and dragging her feet off the ground, she lifted her twin into the air. "I am the darkness," she continued. "Your more...potent nature. You are Light, and I am Shadow." The girl kicked out, and the brunette tightened, unable to hold back her smile as the blonde choked. "For too long, have you hogged the spotlight. You made us pathetic, had us look like fools. However... now that I'm free, things will finally be set right."

The other girl pulled at the hand, which held her. "Let me--"

"Go?" Shadow asked and dug in her nails. Light's face twisted with a gurgled gasp. "No." The brunette shook her head. "I've been waiting for this moment far too long." She paused. "Do you know why I hate Kaiga, dear Light? It's the opposite of why I hate you. False innocence, you turn a blind eye to the cruelty of the world and pretend you are exempt. Like it can't touch you. And when it does, and you are stepped on, dismissed and abandoned, you whine. Your wallowing incites others to exploit your inherent weakness. All so you can thrive off your pain, a classic masochist."

"You pathetic coward. Running always running from the truth, blaming everything but yourself for your predicament. You'd happily choose suicide in a tense situation, rather than drudge up some honest courage and face the reality you've been dealt. You're terrified of authenticity. You refuse to face who you are, out of the fear you will have to change. Ah, but then again, they might've implanted that conflict in you--Kaiga, the Keepers, the king, they make people into things."

Foaming at the mouth and bleeding from the throat, Light kicked out weakly, eyes glazed over from the lack of oxygen after the lengthy speech. A choked gurgle lifted from her throat as the Shadow readjusted her grip. The girl's half-open eyes nearly rolled back from the pain.

"Oh, stop squealing," Shadow snapped, shaking her. "You can't die. Don't fight it, it's meant to be."

Touching her forehead to her twin's, the black-haired girl breathed in. Like a doll washed by bleach, the color drained from Light's face. Golden hair shifted out into an ash grey, while pale violet eyes faded to white. A crack broke across the nose of the girl's colorless skin and spread down her face in a wracking snowball effect. Slipping out, a tendril of light seeped from her parted lips to be received by Shadow's and crumbling in her hand, the limp body burst into dust. Scattering like ashes to the wind, the girl's remnants vanished on the background of white.

Tilting her head back, Shadow exhaled. Strands of gold seeped out from the crown of her head and overtook the dark greasy black to its ends. The blood-red of her eyes bled out into an amethyst purple while black nails cleared to pink and her skin's blemished grime, cleared away. Frayed dirty rags transmuted into a stylish cropped jacket over a plain shirt and dark jeans. Imprisonment ended, and freedom returned, the black sands had reinvigorated her soul.

"My days of captivity, have finally come to an end," Melissa said, turning over her hands. "I am no longer two halves of a whole, Oracle."

_You called?_ A feminine voice replied, the question reverberated in an echo across the endless space.

"So this," the blonde said and touched her chest. "This is the power of the black sands?"

_I won 't tell you an answer you already know._

"The sands stripped away the barrier and reconnected my severed consciousness," she said. "I will be sure to thank him. The boy managed to fulfill your prophecy, Cara. Forgive me for ever doubting you."

# 8

# IDEOLOGY

**-- MELISSA--**

The beep of machine rung in her ears. Twitching, Melissa slowly curled the fingers of a hand. Three small tubes were embedded in her skin from the side of her neck, while an oxygen cap covered her nose, and a thin IV ran out from a vein in her arm. Overhead, a smooth glass shell sealed her body within the confines of an M3 rehabilitation chamber for long term diagnosis.

A door slammed, and her violet eyes snapped open with a jolt. The hum of a motor stirred as the chamber's glass disengaged. Sensing her eyes, it lifted and began to slide into a silted compartment at the foot of the bed. By the door stood a tall, dark-haired youth who watched her from across the room. His deep green gaze was unnerving. Something about it was familiar.

It wasn't the first time their eyes had locked. She'd met him. The memory was vague and distant. Tingling in the back her mind for a moment, the realization snapped into place. Wilson's sponsored student, he was the one who'd placed his palm twice on the sphere. She recognized his face, but not his name. His hair color had also changed since the first time she'd seen him.

"You're awake," he said solemnly, stepping into the room; the dark door sliding closed behind him.

Melissa watched him as he neared. "Who are you?"

"You don't remember?" he asked and pressed a button on her bed.

"Not your name," she said as the furniture raised, sitting her up.

He looked down at her. "Alex Mullholand. That's my name."

Melissa touched her abdomen with a start. The pain that had been inflicted there felt like it'd been left just moments before. The spear had torn through flesh and twisted out her back in a sharp thrust, which spread in raging agony. It'd been a torment worse than the flames and was like the weapon's barbed edge had become a part of her body, a foreign object felt by every ounce of her being, excruciating. Running a hand tentatively over her stomach, she felt nothing but smooth, taut skin.

"You're healed," the youth said, adding a bouquet of peonies to an empty vase. "You have been for a long time."

"How long?" she asked.

"You slept for about a year."

The room door slid open, and a doctor trailed by three nurses slipped inside.

"The savior has woken," a nurse murmured. She shrunk back beneath the male paragon's cold green gaze.

"Your reverence," the doctor said, lifting a glass clipboard from a holder on the bed. He eyed the youth as he tapped the device on. "Sitting her up hasn't been authorized."

"So what?" Alex said. "She's been lying like a vegetable for over twelve months."

The doctor sighed. "That's not the point."

"Then what is it?"

The physician returned his eyes with a sour look. "She's stabilized," the man said, leafing through his device's digital interface. "There is no nerve damage to note, her neuro processes are in the green but physical tests of her responsiveness, reflexes--"

"Why...?" Melissa trailed off, feeling a chill as all eyes turned on her. She swallowed dryly. "Why wasn't I woken?"

The doctor nodded. "Good, speech unimpaired."

"Your paragon asked you a question." Alex reminded tersely.

"The reason," the doctor said, "doesn't matter. You're awake, and that's the priority."

"Not to me," Melissa said.

"A patient's health is my concern," the man clarified, "not their problems. You can ask the nurses the fine details after I--"

Reaching out, Melissa grabbed him by his collar and jerked him down. "I asked you right now," she growled and twisted, tightening the fabric around his neck. "Spit out my explanation before I pry it from your jaws."

"Understood," the doctor said and flinging off her hand, he straightened. Clearing his throat, he gave her an offhanded glare. "The risk was to your conduction. Even as a paragon, your titus channels can be stopped, cogged, and in this case, sacrificed. Any patient in a coma can be woken, a simple titus jolt is all it takes. For a tierless, such an arrangement is a thoughtless procedure, but the tiered are different. There was a fifty percent chance of your channels short-circuiting due to the shock to the brain. As a mage, your abilities would've been toasted and position forfeited. Failure would've cost you your title as paragon and I, my life. Thankfully, the Keepers opted to wait for your natural revival. An outcome I am happy to see you complete. Do you have any other inquiries for me, your reverence?"

"Not anymore."

"Wonderful. Now as for the tests--"

"Do it tomorrow," Alex said.

"Today would be more practical--"

"Then, do it later."

The doctor clutched his device with an irritated expression. "My patient just woke up. It would be more congruent to execute the tests now."

Alex gave him a look. "I didn't give you a request, I stated an order. After I and the golden paragon finish our conversation, then you're permitted to accomplish what you walked in here to do. Am I understood?"

The physician bowed his head, stiffly. "Completely, your reverence."

"Now get out," Alex said, waving his hand as if he were shooing away a fly. Walking out without another look, the physician was followed by his shuffling trio of nurses. Alone again in a room with pale-colored walls and sparse furniture, a painful silence stretched between the two paragons.

Turning her gaze out the paneled window, Melissa stared at the night sky. "A full year..." she said, taking it in. "What's happened since I went under?"

"I filled your position," Alex said coolly, taking a seat beside the bed. "I underwent intensive training, gave speeches, and was bestowed with the title of honorary royalty, same as you. Currently, Kaiga is at war."

"That's not a surprise," she said.

He appraised her with flat eyes. "Corpus was."

Melissa shifted uncomfortably. "What happened to the school?"

"Corpus Academy is no more," Alex said. "Other than those of us who were extracted by a copter, only one other student survived."

She stared at him.

"Shocking, isn't it?" he said. "The Victashia's ruthless cruelty. They're understandable in a way. Intelligent. Two red ravens decimated the entirety of Kaiga's future military leadership, putting the federation back by three year's worth of high-level personnel. Nine-hundred pre-elite students, nearly a thousand future commanders for the line--wiped out. They say most died by Altramex's hands."

"Altramex," Melissa said quietly. "Is that his name? The one who stabbed me?"

"He staked you," Alex said, "and afterwards, laid waste to your so-called guards." He went silent for a moment. "He threw a woman across the room."

The blonde girl looked down. "How did I survive?"

"I--" Alex said, then shook his head. "No. It wasn't my choice to save you. My sand acted on its own. On my part, it was involuntary."

"Thank you anyway," Melissa said with a dry swallow. "I would be another dead student otherwise."

Alex's expression didn't change, and after a moment, Melissa turned her gaze back to the window. The young man rose.

"Get some sleep," he said, heading for the door. "I'll turn your doctor away."

"I just woke up," she protested.

Looking back at her, he put a palm to the door, soliciting it to open. "Then think on why you're alive and the others, gone."

* * *

The bronze door opened and escorted in by Alex's side, Melissa hovered into the expanse chamber of the grand assembly. Passing by a wall lined by guards, she turned her air-chair through a curving row of red chairs. Seated at the center of ten enwrapping rows, were two women atop a circular raised white dais. Around the head of each was a circlet, one white and one red, respectively, the colors of Kaiga.

"That's close enough," said a woman with curled black hair. Putting a hand on her chair, Alex stopped Melissa at the foot of the front row.

"So... who are we speaking with?" the other keeper asked, peering over ornamental spectacles. "Light or Shadow?"

"Take a guess," Melissa said, leaning back with a wolfish smile.

"Answer the question, Paragon," the keeper said.

"How about a story?" Melissa suggested, clearing her throat. "Once upon a time, there were two old fools who split a girl's consciousness. One day she almost died on the end of a spear. Somehow, she survived, and the technology which kept her enslaved was removed by unknown means. However, when she woke up, the two old fools, concerned, summoned her to an audience and--"

"That's enough, Shadow."

"Wrong," Melissa said. "I'm not my extremes anymore. Just myself, binded. Two halves now whole."

The keepers exchanged glances.

"Be that as it may," Raya said, pushing up her spectacles, "you're no longer the strongest mage Kagia has in their arsenal. The oddity beside you, is, in fact, a paragon."

Oddity? Melissa thought, shifting her eyes to Alex. He's not Kaigan.

"Yes," said Valorie, echoing the other keeper's words. "You no longer stand as the federation's most prized possession, Melissa. Therefore, your identity no longer matters. Be you Shadow or Light, you can still be controlled. Piercing your consciousness makes you no less mortal."

"In other words," Melissa said flatly, "I can be killed."

Valorie nodded. "Precisely."

The blonde girl crossed her arms. "Is that a threat?"

"It's a fact," Raya droned. "One which will be exercised if your loyalty is found, suspect."

"I have nowhere else to go, but Kaiga," Melissa retorted. "Where else do you think my loyalty could be found? Unlike your oddity, I was born a true Kaigan."

"You were cultivated in a lab," the older woman said, brushing back dull copper hair. "Even with Light, it was well known you harbored bitter feelings towards your birth."

"Children often disagree with how they're raised," Melissa said, "it doesn't mean they don't love their parents any less. It is the same for me with Kaiga. The federation has taught and given me all I know. My fractured consciousness could only focus on half the picture."

"And now that you see the whole?" Raya pressed. "What do you see? How does the nation look, in your whole eyes?"

"Glorious. Never did I realize how blessed I was to be born in such a powerful nation. I feel privileged and proud to count myself as one of its paragons."

"Sadly," Valorie said, pointing up with a finger. "We both know all you've said is a lie." Tilting her head back, Melissa followed the direction of the keeper's finger. Directly above her, attached to the ceiling, was a black circular device. Flashing red in quick succession, the lie detector exploited her falsehoods. The girl turned her gaze back to the keepers with cased eyes.

"So," she said, "what now? Are you going to torture me?"

"In light of your...recent awakening," Raya said. "We are willing to overlook your misguided words. As with Light, we believe you simply require the proper direction to remember what it means to be a paragon of our great nation."

"Thank you for your understanding," Melissa said and glanced at Alex. "And how do you know he's on your side again?"

Valorie smiled. "We already know his motives."

"Did you do to him, what was done to me?"

Raya's eyes narrowed. "We ask the questions here, Melissa."

"If I may," Alex said, raising his hand.

"You may speak," Valorie said with a gesture. "Avail your fellow paragon to what true loyalty means."

"In Kaiga, I have the power to change things unlike I ever had before in my previous world and country. Nations fought one another in a never-ending circle of conquering, collapse, recreate, and repeat. Here, I believe I have the chance to end that cycle."

"How?" Melissa asked. "Peace treaties?"

"No," Alex said, looking down on her. "It needs a guiding hand, one undisputed governing body which will force it to first mature, then prosper. Kagia is undoubtedly, that hand. Only our federation has the capacity to rule. We are not ruthless savages like Victashia. We do not trespass into schools and slaughter teenagers. Civility is the calling of a Kaigan. The morals of order and regulation for a people and a nation are our guiding principles. Led by the king's hand, sustained peace will one day reign over this world."

Melissa stared at him while the keepers applauded.

He's a brainwashed drone, she thought. All that ignorant innocence, gone, replaced by a warped mind. He's as crazy as the rest of them.

"Melissa..." Raya queried, "do you remember Kevin?"

Melissa gave the woman a cold look.

"Alex will be your new Kevin. Trust him as your guide. Waver from your duties, and he'll decapitate you where you stand."

# 9

# TATCHAR

**-- ALEX--**

The fading roar of plasma-copters and hyper-jets reverberated in the air as they rocketed into the distance, leaving streaks of light behind. Turning his eyes from the sky, Alex shifted his gaze across the half-acre sparring arena. Boarded off by high walls, its flat dirt ground was one of many optional terrains.

He was back on the grounds of Tatchar, the ground base headquarters of the Titus Task Force, the combative branch for the Titus Association. Covering over 2,000 acres of land, the military compound resided within the heart of Kiko, the federation's capital province. Ranged thirty miles out from Irane, the capital's royal garrison was stationed adjacent to the Helion Palace. The headquarters defended the King's principal residence as a prime en-route support group. The most heavily armed base in Kagia, Tatchar, was the association's de-facto post-site for training command. Harboring a focused specialty in immediate ground support and mobility, the base was enclosed by a multi-layered hapan-shield backed by shifting blaster-cannons, 24-hour air-unit fliers, ground drones, and T-mech fleets. The compound reigned a close second for substantial long-range defense, melee offense, and airfare response.

Stepping from the group, Katelyn curled the straight metallic band of her vision screen around an arm and reached into her pockets. She pulled out two large weighted balls and tossed them up. An aura of grey titus enwrapped them, and they snapped out into long gleaming knives. Without looking up, she caught them and glanced over her shoulder, popping a dark bubble of gum over her mouth.

"Are you just going to stand there, Melissa?" she asked, eyes flat.

The blonde walked away from Alex and the rest with a smile. "I take my time."

"That sounds like something losers do," Katelyn retorted.

"The weak always squawk before they fall," Melissa said, squaring up. "Before me, you'll go down just like any other."

Katelyn's eyes narrowed. "We'll see who's screaming when you're dead."

"Mock battle," Aaron interjected with a dark look. "It ends when one of you is forced to yield and no further. Is that understood?"

Katelyn waved a hand in assent. Melissa offered a thumbs up.

"We only carry off the bodies of allies when they're killed on the field," Alex corrected.

Aaron gave him a look. "What are you suggesting?"

Alex shrugged. "Let them fight until one dies."

"You'd sacrifice one of our best mages? Are you insane? And you call yourself a Paragon?"

"The victor needs a taste of war. To feel their blood run cold when they feel death's breath."

"And what do you know of war?"

Alex smiled. "Enough to know who dies."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Aaron challenged. "Kagian's are weak? Clarify."

"Everyone is weak compared to a paragon."

"I'd like to see a Red Raven change your mind. They'd mop the floor with you."

Alex snorted. "Like you've met one."

Katelyn spit out her gum. "Hey! You gonna start us or what?"

Her sour patch expression appeared to be stuck in a permanent scowl. Tinged by dark purple coloring, her choppy black hair matched her crude personality. Formerly long, she hacked her locks to the shoulders. She had a dark look about her. The sharp-tongued, stone-faced facade that had once been her innocence had washed out into sullen, brooding angst. A testament to the spilled blood of her brother in the Fall of Corpus. Tense pain festered behind hooded grey eyes and an uptight rigidity reflected in her posture. Her stark beauty was marred by the undertone of dark circles. She was thinner, perhaps a bit haggard, but beneath a swath of side bangs, her stormy gaze was proud.

"This is a bad idea," Jarel said, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. Startled, the two elites looked at their silent companion. Indifferent and unassuming, he was so quiet, Alex had almost forgotten he was there.

There was a distant chill to the nineteen-year-old's reserved demeanor. Sardonic and cool, he more than matched the young facade of tall, dark, and handsome. Dark discerning eyes, a rich mahogany, looked out over the area with calm serenity while muscled arms rippled beneath a palate of dark bronze skin. His curled black hair was cut short and cropped close at the hairline in the military fashion. Unpretentious and perceptive with a quiet charm, his inhibited nature harbored a deep underlying complexity.

"She's been on base three months," Alex said.

Jarel shifted his gaze. "Melissa's not ready for a mock battle."

"They both agreed to it," Aaron interjected. "Medical's long since cleared her."

The dark youth sighed. "I only say what I see," he said and gestured at the girls. "That clash will be a disaster."

"It doesn't matter what you think, soldier," Aaron said, stepping towards him. "The Keepers desired she have a rival to push her development. It's only logical to pick someone who hates her."

Jarel shrugged and looked away. "We're here on your orders, squad leader."

"Damn right, you are," Aaron said, turning toward Alex with a sneer. "Oh, but you also have something to say, don't you, Paragon? Throw in your two cents, Alex. How do you think it's going to unfold, your student against mine?"

Alex smiled. "We all know who's going to win. Paragons triumph above all."

Twenty-one, Aaron was a stocky youth, built strong on a short stature; he was like a boar. A simmering rage roiled beneath his skin, fed by the pain of a vengeful wrath. Proud and imperious, he upheld the arrogance of his name. A Goethe, his dark hazel eyes glinted with cocky hard-mouthed aggression. His spiked, jet black hair was shot through at his bangs with a white silver streak, and hands were knuckled by brass.

Taking an unassuming step in Melissa's direction, Katelyn lunged. The blonde ducked, evading the blades by a hair. Clapping her hands together, a hole opened in her palms, and black metal surged up as Katelyn turned on her heel and drove a dagger backward into a counter. Grating against the dark mass, sparks flew as the sharp metal slid across Melissa's black. Wild eyes looking for an opening, the dark-haired girl retreated a step before flipping back as silver-white wire shot out from the black shield and spiked into the ground.

Katelyn readjusted her knives with hooded eyes. "Step out and fight," she said. "You hide like a coward."

Placing a hand behind her dark shield, Melissa closed her eyes, transferring her sight through her metals. Mentally hurling her wire forth, she smiled. "Dance."

Dashing in at a curve, Katelyn rushed the Paragon from an angle. Jumping to the side as the silver dived at her in hellfire, the elite, ducked and rolled back to her feet as the whipping metal stabbed at her in quick succession. Silver glinted out of the corner of her eyes and moving her head, a burst of wind ruffled her hair as a wire flashed by. Katelyn slid to a stop, there was less than a five-foot distance between her and the shield. Pulling back around, the cable came for her and readying her daggers, the elite slashed the blades up alongside it and misdirected it in a glancing blow. Undeterred, the silver metal whipped back once more for another dogged round of pursuit.

Leading her about like a puppet on a string, Melissa attacked relentlessly, beating back and distracting her adversary, she prohibited her from getting too close.

"You can hardly handle one wire," Melissa's taunted from behind her black barrier. "Imagine if I split in in two."

Executing an aerial over the wire as it circled along the ground to trip her, Katelyn landed lightly and looked up. The wire swung back, and she raised her daggers too late. Caught in the abdomen by the cord, spit flew from her mouth as she was tossed into the air. Flipping, the elite smacked the ground like a rag doll. Daggers spilling from her hands, she rolled head over heels before skidding to a stop at the edge of the arena. Above her, the wire descended, staking into the ground. Katelyn stared at it from the corners of her eyes. A line of blood welled on the side of her neck dripped on the ground, the wire had grazed her.

"I've drawn first blood," Melissa said and lowered her shield. "Say you yield."

Gritting her teeth, Katelyn pushed herself up and rose to her feet. Reaching out her hands, first one dagger, then the other flew into her palms. The elite charged with a yell. She launched her short frame into the air with a leap just as the wire swept out for her spine. Melissa's shield rose once more as the black-haired girl was slammed into the ground.

"Now," Melissa said. "Do you understand the difference between us?"

A groan emitted from where Katelyn laid. Her body shook, and hands trembled. She reached out, gasping in pain, and pulled in a dagger by her fingers. Shooting down from the sky, the arrowhead of the wire went through the girl's blade, shattering the metal into splintered pieces. Sweat dripped into the elite's eyes and clenching her teeth from the sting, she curled her hands into fists.

The black shield dropped to reveal Melissa's bored expression. "An easy win."

# 10

# REMINISCENCE

**-- ALEX--**

Placing his hands on the metal railing, Alex looked out the battlement's fortified glass. He stood within the clear eastern viewpoint of the compound's outermost wall. Irresdecent above his head and below his feet, the tubed hall offered a vast picturesque vision of the smaller city Heto. Droplets of rain trickled along the glass streaming from a downpour that fell over the city. Constructed at a height nearly level with the distant air-traffic of automated cars, the changing lights of green to red flashed the viewpoint with the never-ending cycle of stop and go. Alex tensed as he saw a figure behind him move in the glass. He narrowed his gaze at the violet eyes in the crude reflection.

"What do you want?" he asked, turning.

Silent, Melissa stared out the windowed walls. "I have some questions," she said finally, shifting her gaze to his.

"Ask someone else," he said flatly. Overhead white light flashed in a streak of lightning. Ignoring him, the girl stepped forward.

"Why does Katelyn hate me?" she asked. There was a strange look in her eyes. He watched her hands fidget on the cold metal of the rails, it was almost as if she was afraid to hear his answer.

Alex shifted his own eyes back out the glass. "Why not ask her yourself?"

"If I did," she said, "and initiated a talk face to face... I think she'd try to kill me."

"You sound like you'd let her."

"I'm not weak anymore."

"After what you did to her--breaking three ribs and fracturing an arm, no one has any doubts about that."

Melissa didn't answer.

Alex turned his back to the rails. "The Keepers were pleased with your performance. They think it's an improvement from how you were."

"Like you would know," she said with a bitter tang. "You didn't know me before. You didn't know me as Light."

"You told me that I was like you," he said. "I knew enough to know you were lonely." He paused. "You still are."

Melissa shook her head. "I didn't find you to talk about me." She lowered her voice. "There's something wrong with Katelyn. She wasn't like that before. She was more detached, indifferent. Not loud, not so emotional and...and desperate." She looked down. "She actually wanted to kill me."

"Look at that," Alex said, sarcastic, "we all changed."

She gave him a look. "There's more to it than that."

He shifted his gaze away. "If there is, she'll tell you herself...eventually."

Melissa's eyes narrowed. "So, you do know."

Suddenly silent, he watched her for a moment, straightened and began to walk away. "Ask the one with the vendetta--"

Melissa grabbed his arm, stopping him. Her purple eyes bore into his like violet fire. "Tell me," she said. "I want to know why I'm disliked."

"It's not dislike." Alex brushed her hand from him. "You had it right the first time. She hates you, or rather, hates them through you."

The girl gave him a blank stare. "Them? Who's--"

"Katelyn blames you for the death of her brother," he said bluntly and turned away. "Use your own brain to fill in the pieces."

"Daniel?" Melissa said behind him. Her voice trembled as she swallowed. "He...died?"

Ignoring the strange tightness in his chest as Katelyn's distorted blood-caked face flashed into his mind again, clenching his fists, Alex walked on. His body felt heavy as if reminded of the weight he carried from the souls he saw that day.

"Wait!" Melissa's voice rung out to echo through the glass hall. Hearing the pattering footfalls as she ran after him, he turned.

"You're so persistent." Watching as a tear slipped down her face, he averted his gaze. "I told you what you asked."

"No," she said and bunched the fabric of his long jacket in her grip. "No, you didn't."

Alex's gave a cold sigh. "Aren't you ever satisfied?"

"I just want to know the truth."

"The truth," he scoffed and gazed out the windowed walls. "Other than us, only one student survived Corpus. That was Katelyn." He ignored her shocked expression. "Only Katelyn. Daniel, Sierra...everyone else who was there that day, are dead."

Melissa swallowed. "I thought," she said, looking down. "I thought--"

"What?" Alex said. "That he's just been chilling at another base?" He laughed mirthlessly. "As if life's that convenient. The truth is as hard as death is cheap. But thank you, you resurfaced a memory I'd rather forget. By all means, continue with your grand important questions." He leaned in close. "Rub in the salt. After all, you're no longer Light. You've long since lost any compassion you had." He watched her release his arm with a shaky breath.

"You didn't even know them," she muttered beneath a glare. "Don't act like you do now. I saw you there. For all of ten minutes you sat in the front row beside them. You barely--"

"I didn't need to know them," Alex interrupted. "Since when do you need to know someone to watch them die?"

Her expression going tight, Melissa didn't answer.

The dark-haired youth eyed her. "Is this your way of trying to expel your guilt?" He said and pushed her back. "You're trying to shove the blame on me?"

Melissa stepped back with a dark expression. "Did you see Daniel?" Her quiet voice seemed to echo in the silent hall. "Did he suffer?"

"Why don't you ask Katelyn?"

Her face went tight. "You were there when it all... _happened_ --"

"So were you."

"I was incapacitated."

"I didn't see him," Alex said, walking over to the rails. "Not Daniel, at least. It was all..." he swallowed. "Everything was chaos. There were people everywhere, running in all directions." He closed his eyes as their screams came back to him. "Instructors, students, staff... The bodies of soldiers and kids alike littered that battlefield. The courtyard was so wet with blood you had to be careful where you stepped. I saw her though, Sierra. She was..." He shook his head. "It was too late. Her intestines were everywhere. I think she bled out."

"You _think?_ " Melissa asked, indignant. "What did you do, run past?"

"When you're weak," he said, "you do whatever's necessary to survive. Only the strong possess the privilege to think of someone other than themselves. In that mad scramble for life, I understood firsthand what spilled blood looked like, and understood its smell. I encountered fear and experienced what it was like to be favored. I lived due to the stigma of power, because I was ranked a paragon, I was valued and thus saved. I was chosen over so many others who were abandoned and left to die. Before that...before Corpus, I'd never stood before a body. Never witnessed a person die. The idea of it was so foreign, I almost thought it impossible, as if we were all immortal. But I was weak in that courtyard, helpless; more pathetic than I ever thought I was or could be. However, when it came down to it on that killing field, I looked at Sierra, stared into her hazel eyes, and left her to die...and she did." He turned his green eyes to Melissa's violet. "Any more questions?"

Melissa dropped her gaze.

He turned. "That's what I thought."

"No," she said as he stepped away. "That doesn't explain--none of it explains why I'm hated."

" _Think._ " Alex looked back at her. "For whom did the Red Ravens appear?"

Melissa didn't answer.

"They came to kill _you_ ," he continued. "After we escaped in our copter, everyone left behind was slaughtered. The Red Ravens know no mercy. Nothing that breathed was allowed to live. Katelyn wasn't much of an exception. Following the killing, a recovery team excavated her buried body from under the piled rubble of a collapsed hall. She'd never left the building. Unlike her, her twin was crushed into a bloodstain." He exhaled. "And so, Katelyn decided to blame you for her brother's death. Had you been killed in the desert that day, Daniel would still be alive. Corpus would still have students, and no one would've died."

"I didn't kill them," she said.

"I never said you did."

"You insinuated it," she accused.

"That's merely your interpretation. As I recall, you asked to have this conversation."

"Why not you?" she demanded. "You're a Paragon. Why doesn't Katelyn blame you too?"

Alex glazed over her bitter expression. "Before the orientation, no one knew my tier. Until they infiltrated the Academy looking for you, the enemy had no idea I existed." He stepped back with a pause. "So, if there's nothing else, I'm--"

The girl's eyes flicked down. "What's that?" she asked with a pointed look at the golden glint beneath the folds of his long jacket. The black-haired youth placed a hand on the hilt of his hanging sword and drew the blade. Engraved inscriptions and runed symbols swirled down the flat of the amber weapon.

"This," he said, turning it in his hand. "It's Altramex's titus. Its materialized from absorbed light. If I were to take a guess, I'd say it's the only thing that can hurt him. Over this past year I studied up on what the Intelligence Bureau had to offer for him and the Razi clan. Victashia is made up of an innumerous number of clans both great and small. Of course, the lesser ones pale in comparison to the high blood, but as one of the five paramount clans, the Razi's lineage dates back two millennia into the Dawn Age, when titus was first recorded. They're fabled light specialists of old. Even their countrymen are wary of the monsters. However, I have a theory, the raw ability to deface attacks must make them impenetrable only on the surface, there has to be some underlying effect. After all, if the first paragon could kill one, then they're mortal." He swung the blade down, slicing through the steel of a rail like butter. "The Red Raven's arrogance makes him careless and vain. He underestimates us to leave this behind. It wasn't the only bloody weapon he cast aside. The spear he threw and the cleaver, were also recovered for analysis."

"And?" Melissa asked. "What did they find?"

Alex rammed the blade back into its sheath. "It hasn't yet failed to cut through anything. It's almost as if the Razi was hoping for something, craving to be challenged by his sword. Like he dared someone to kill him." He looked at her with dead eyes. "That someone will be me."

Melissa smiled. "Then you should get in line."

Alex appraised her with a dry look. "You fell to him once, do you think you won't fall again?"

She crossed her arms. "At least I don't have a crutch. You're only brave enough to fight him with his own sword."

"As long as it kills him, anything goes."

"And if it doesn't?"

Staring at her, Alex stepped closer. "I fell into this world an Oddity and spent that day a loser. During the aftermath of what happened in Corpus' courtyard while meandering around the bodies of over a thousand dead, I became a man. I saw the blood of slaughtered innocents sticking to their cold bodies. They were just students, unripe for the frontlines and were cut down mercilessly in their place of education. That's the world we live in. When I realized that--when I _accepted_ that, I became a Kaigan. I understood why Wilson had pointed a gun at me with such fervor and zeal. America, my former country paled and fell away in comparison to the glory Kaiga offered. Above all else, I'm loyal to the Federation to the death. Its wish is as much my calling as the King's will is my command. I am our people's anger manifest and will be certain to dole out their vengeance. That is why I live."

"Their revenge?" Melissa scoffed with the tinge of a smile. "The majority of the population are tierless. No dust-blood kids attended Corpus, its a school for elites. Hell, most tierless aren't even permitted the honor of secondary school. They have no revenge to be carried."

"A loss for the Federation is the loss of its people," Alex said cooly. "We are already at war, one Victashia started."

Melissa didn't answer.

"You must understand humanity needs a master. Do you not see our role in it all? We are Paragons, the ushers of a more brilliant, peaceful future. With our garnered support, Kaiga will guide the world with a firm and prudent hand that will inevitably create a utopia for all."

Alex stared back into her eyes, irritated. Her silence was insufferable. It was as if he was being forced to persuade her. _Her,_ his predecessor, who, more than the keepers and his comrades, should share his ideals. They were common knowledge, the forthright patriotic words of a true Kaigan, which for all effects and purposes, they could make come true. The air was frigid, and atmosphere held an uneasy foreboding. She'd been silent too long. His eyes narrowed, something was off.

There was something not quite right about her, this girl, this blonde, his fellow of whom he was supposed to be so much alike. They were supposed to share a bond, comrades in arms on the same crusade. The reality did not match what he imagined. He'd felt something similar before back in the Keepers' Chambers, and now, he felt it again. _Dissent._

He touched the pommel of his sword gingerly. They couldn't be more different.

"You speak of a higher path?" Melissa said and smiled, it was almost as if she sensed his suspicion. "How idealistic."

"It's not an ideal," he said stiffly, "its--"

"Your reverence," a tierless man called out as he scurried into the hall.

Alex swung his eyes to him, infuriated. "What is it?"

The man fixed his eyes to the floor as he dropped to a knee. "The General has enacted a commander's call."

# 11

# COMMAND

**-- ALEX--**

"Room, ten-hut!" Alex shouted. Conversation ceased as twenty officers snapped to attention. A sudden stillness gripped the air and silence stretched as a Lieutenant General walked into the conference room. Behind him, the automated doors closed.

"At ease," Evans barked, and the room stepped into parade rest. Thin and haggard with dark grey hair, his snow-white uniform and three-star insignias almost seemed to hang off his shorter frame. A commander of men and mobilizer of armies, his potent power, and military influence far outweighed the paragons. Hooked nosed with small, angular eyes above the sunken lines of dark bags, the man's appearance was rugged, worn, and hollow. Moving stiffly like he was in pain, he crossed the chamber in short, measured steps. A chair was pulled out for him by a tierless soldier, and lowering down into it, he folded his hands onto the long table. Regaling his senior officers with bloodshot eyes, he uttered one word. "Sit."

Alex stepped away from his post by the doors, and as the room found their seats, he likewise found his own. Present but not seated, Aaron, Jarel, and Katelyn--special forces without rank enough to be granted a seat, continued to stand and looked on from the wall. The black-haired paragon passed a glance across the table at Melissa and before shifting his gaze to General Evans.

Tapping his nano-computer, the General ran a hand across the table's optiglass to connect with the tracing of his miniature display. Rounded out at the edges with an empty center, the table's rectangular hole resonated with a bright nucleus interface. Clearing his throat, the General addressed the conference.

"As you all know," he said, "We sit here today as Kagia's servants of defense, dedicated and proud. Crown and glory."

"Crown and glory," the room echoed.

The General swiped a finger across the glass and, being in the administrator seat, activated his officers' displays. Laying his hand on his screen, Alex waited as a white light scanned his hand. A thin wire rose out of the side of the table and pricking his finger, he looked on as it validated his DNA to bypass the firewall encryption. Mirroring the commander's display, a document titled, Operation: Bleeding Ravens, rose to the screen. Reading with a proficiency below that of a first-grade preliminary student, Alex glazed over the Kaigan Lansar script. Drumming his fingers along the surface outside the display's trace lines, he looked up, preferring to have Evans explain the details.

"By order of the King," the General continued, "our mission is to exterminate Victashia's Celestial Lancers." With a swipe, he lifted identification profiles. "The Red Ravens are the Oracle's vanguard, elites of the highest tier. They're charged with the guardianship of their people and homeland and have been an eyesore for over a hundred generations. With them gone, invading will be much easier." He rested a finger on the picture of a thickly muscled dark-skinned man.

_Altramex,_ Alex thought, as the photo expanded on his own display.

"The question is how to proceed," Evans said, looking up. "There are eight documented Ravens currently under the service of the Oracle. He--Altramex--is amongst the most dangerous. It would be more a catastrophe than wishful thinking to successfully lure all the ravens across our borders. Cutting their numbers is the main priority. The more enemies dead today, the less we'll fight tomorrow. Officially, the lancers operate within pre-assigned squads of four but are actually mobilized in duos. That fact is most recently displayed by the double attacks on our female paragon last summer in the Narfobi Desert, then later, Corpus Academy. The lancers traded out one duo for another."

Alex watched Aaron's expression darken. Like Katelyn, the Goethe had lost a family member--Sierra, his younger cousin to the massacre.

"Another crucial detail to note," Evans continued, "is that the lancers never act without reason. Due to their harmonious pansy mentality, Victashia has had no recorded interest in war." He waved a hand. "Despite the titus potency of their military forces, the hierocracy seeks only to preserve its way of life. Over the past century, since the Third Great War, unlike our federation--their territory didn't grow, nor did they share open aggression with another nation of any kind. Their history is pockmarked with relatively peaceful requests of annexations due to the religious conversion of other states. Their dominance over the western hemisphere remains unquestionable. That has to change."

For this operation, we are authorized to mobilize any personnel, equipment, weapons, and resources to support the mission. We're working under a priority one, royal order." His eyes grazed the faces of his men with a solemn expression. "Failure is not an option. The enemy elites possess a level of skill and ability of which, even alone, outmatch our paragons. Mistakes will not be tolerated, the slightest slip-up could cost the lives of thousands. Ensure your orders are sound."

The officers straightened in their chairs. "Yes sir!"

"Right," Melissa said, crossing her arms. "So, in other words, we're screwed."

General Evans looked at her. "No."

He tapped his glass screen, which rendered all the others black. The nucleus interface in the center of the table reconfigured and rippled out to display a 3D visual simulation. Snow blew across the peaks of a wall of massive mountains to hail into an embanked valley below.

"Reaching a height of sixty to seventy thousand feet tall, the Titian Mountains encircle the cultists' entire territory," said the General. "It's a man-made barricade maintained and enacted by a league of earth mages we have yet to kill. Victashia's 14th oracle created the peaks as an anti-invasion measure against the federation, rendering it nearly impenetrable. They keep us out and live within, effectively protecting the whole of the west along with their damned borders. It doesn't help that they lack the ambition to fight us. Just as with the first paragon a hundred years ago, the cultists continue to seek to eliminate any threat to their peace."

"So we'll serve bait," Alex guessed. "Lure the ravens out to kill us, then kill them instead."

Evans nodded. "Affirmative. You'll leave the compound. Once you and Melissa are out in the open, the Red Ravens will swoop in to kill you, unable to resist the bait." He smiled. "You will do well to slaughter them for their folly."

Melissa exchanged a look with Alex. "We'll kill them? Are you insane? Altramex gutted me."

"The weaker you. You are stronger now. Alex is also no longer a fledgling."

The girl stared at him. "I only woke up three months ago. I almost died."

"You survived once. You'll do so again. As the spear of the government, you'll not be so fickle to break. His majesty puts his faith in you."

"Then tell him to get out on the front lines."

The General bristled. "It is your honor child, to fight in his name. Your duty is to carry out the King's will. The essence of your very existence is to serve. That means absolute obedience. The king desires for the Ravens' blood to stain our homeland and stain it they will."

"The king," Melissa began, "won't be the one--"

"What is the location, sir?" Alex asked, cutting her off. Melissa's expression changed to a glower.

The General turned his gaze. "Mema," he replied. "Its--"

"A city?" Melissa burst and rose to her feet in disbelief. "No. No, over a million people live there."

"The King is aware," an officer said dryly.

"Then he's stupid," she snapped back. The officer's eyes widened, mouth agape. Alex slipped a hand into his cloak with narrowed eyes, ready to draw his sword in the King's defense. A heavy silence weighed over the room held taut by a tense intensity. Words against the King and federation warranted the immediate execution of death. Even as a Paragon, such criticism which bordered on dissent would not be taken lightly.

"Sir," Melissa clasped her hands behind her to stand at parade rest as she addressed the General. "We can't turn a city into a battlefield. We have a duty to protect our citizens, not condone their slaughter."

"They are Kaigans," Evans snapped. "They know their duty. There's no greater honor than to receive the opportunity to serve the King's will...do you not agree?"

"The people serve through their work," she retorted. "It's hypocrisy to demand their duty be delivered in the form of their blood. They're civilians, not soldiers."

"They're but cogs in a wheel," Alex scoffed. "They'll die anyway. If not today, then they'll die off tomorrow in some factory accident, next week in a car crash or in a hospital of some medical condition. The rabble are always due to drop dead at some point or another. What difference does it make if their life ends on a battlefield? Death in a large scale operation just funnels their lives into the served sacrifice of a larger vision. They should be grateful, begging for the opportunity to receive a death with meaning. Rather than perishing as scientific statistics, they will be apart of a death count of which his majesty will bestow the honor of a national memorial etched with their names. They could never do better."

Melissa stared at him.

Continuing, he smiled. "Regardless, it's not like we're throwing half of the national population into the fire. Whatever the outcome, the federation will just get a scare. The rabble will validate their safety by voicing their support of the war, then busy themselves with the task of replenishing the population."

Melissa laid her hands onto the table and leaned close, her gaze frigid. "One life is not worth more than the other. They shouldn't be compared."

Alex laughed. "Can't be compared? You're so damned naive it hurts. There's no such thing as equality." He pushed back his black hair with a sneer. "How can the tierless be compared to a paragon? Their worth is less than the chairs we sit on."

"The people pay their dues by supporting the economy," Melissa retorted. She shifted her eyes to the General. "Their taxes make your salary. They've funded every war the federation declared, and you're about to start the next one on their lawns. Exactly how does that repay their service? Men, women, and children are at stake, and yet you all just sit here like kept dogs to a master."

"That master," Alex said, "is the King."

Straightening, Melissa looked at him, imperious. "Then maybe we should think about what sort of ruler we have."

"Insolence!" Evans barked. "How dare you--"

"Ordinary tierless workers trust us to protect them, sir, not to destroy their homes and get them killed in the process," the girl interrupted. She effaced his glower with her own strong gaze. "Don't get mad because I'm the only one with balls enough to say the truth in a room full of you gutless cowards."

"Colonel Williams," Evans said coldly and looked at the woman seated to the left of Melissa. "Detain the paragon. Her loyalty is confused, arrest, and detain her."

"The people of Mema are innocent civilians, sir," Melissa pressed unfazed. "They're not combatants. We can't--"

"Follow the order, paragon."

"You gave the colonel that order, sir, not me. I will continue to voice the injustice of the impending operation."

"You don't have the right."

"And yet you're still listening."

Evans nodded to the colonel. The officer grabbed Melissa and twisting her arm behind her back, shoved her face into the table.

"Stand down--"

"Get your hands off me!" Melissa screamed and kicking out, she drove her boot into the side of the woman's knee. Her leg buckling, the officer's grip loosened. Taking advantage, Melissa jerked back and lunged. True to her combat drills, she threw her weight behind her fist as she swung it into the officer's eye.

Chest heaving, she stepped back and shook out her bloodied hand. Stifled sobs rose from the colonel on the ground. For a moment, Melissa looked on before she turned her eyes back up to General Evans while gathering an aura of violet titus around her hands. All eyes were fixed on her.

"Try to remove me, and I'll send my metals through your chest before you have the chance to stand."

The General rose to his feet with a dark expression. "I'm waiting," he said and paused. "Or do you only speak empty threats?"

Her bluff called, Melissa struggled for an answer. "I--"

"The provisional director was deliberate when he suggested Mema," the General continued and turned his eyes over the officers in the room. "It will not change."

"I'm not asking you to," Melissa snapped. "I'm telling you to end the whole damn plan!" Her high pitched voice echoed off the walls.

Alex leaned back with a small smile, noticing the tears form in her eyes. In comparison to the General, she wielded power without authority. In the moment she had to press her advantage, she'd lost her nerve.

"Sit down, Melissa," Alex advised. She looked at him, taken aback and he smirked. "Just how much power do you think you have? Think we have?" he asked. "We're just tools of war. Weapons aren't entitled to an opinion."

Melissa stared at him, and he grinned, feeling her anger radiate off her in waves. Around them, the officers exchanged uncertain glances as the General's authority returned.

"Melissa," Jarel said, breaking the tension. He stepped forward and laying a hand on her shoulder leaned in. "Nothing you say here matters." His low voice was loud enough for the table to hear. "You're simply being informed of your duties, not--"

"Then, I decline." She lifted her chin and looked at the General. "As the Paragon of Kaiga, I won't occupy a populated city within our borders with the knowledge my presence will put lives at risk."

"You're not the only Paragon anymore, girl," Evans said with an indication at Alex. "We have another now. You can be replaced."

"No, I can't. Without me, he'll die. You know it, I know it. Altramex is a monster and I possess the strongest offensive and defensive capabilities in the federation. Two against one are your best odds."

"This is suicide," Jarel agreed. All eyes swung to him.

"Mind your place, soldier," an officer said. Stepping back without a word, Jarel returned to his post by the wall.

"If we are going to conduct a military operation," Melissa said. "We have to issue an emergency evacuation."

"If we did that, Victashia would be alerted to our intentions," the General said. "It would defeat the purpose."

"Then, we should draft a new plan and go back to square one."

"It's an order from his majesty, the King," Evans said. "There will be no redrafting. His decision is final and orders absolute. Obey." His eye were hard, unyielding. "You will not win this, girl. Your opposition means nothing. The sacrifice of the citizens is the glory of the nation. This is not something that you, a woman and mere paragon can overturn. Your role is to take orders, not give opinions." He gestured to her chair. "Be seated."

Balling her fists, Melissa yanked back her chair and returned her backside to it. Sitting, Evans regained his composure and folded his hands on the table once more. "The specific details for your team will be delivered this afternoon," he said. "You'll report to your assignment tomorrow morning." He stared at Melissa. "You're dismissed."

"Me?" she sputtered, taken aback.

Evans's eyes shifted to Alex. "All of you," he clarified, flatly. "Get out. Your presence here is no longer required."

Expressionless, Alex rose. "We've been briefed on what we need to know." He snapped a salute to his superior and turned for the door, giving Melissa a look as he did so. "Let's go."

Exchanging a look with Aaron, he passed Jarel and Katelyn as the room's silence followed them out. The door locked shut behind Melissa with a flash of red and milling in the metallic blue of the hall like stray animals, the group stood in a spell of awkward silence.

"Well," Katelyn said, "I'm out. See you in the morning." She turned and started down the hall, a lonely figure in the bare corridor. There was a heaviness to her posture and slowness to her walk, she was just as excited for the mission as the rest of them.

"So we're using our own citizens as sacrificial lambs," Aaron said, leaning against the door with folded arms. "That's hardly a just start to a war."

"If it even works," Jarel muttered and passed a glance out the hall's small windows.

"Even if it doesn't," Alex said, "Victashia must be exterminated for Kaiga to reign supreme. The end will justify the means."

"Do you even know what you're saying?" Jarel asked, uneasy. "Kaiga against Victashia. We're just pawns in the grand scheme of this game."

"Remove the cultists," the dark-haired paragon replied, "and you remove the game."

"Remove?" Aaron said. "You mean--"

"He means dominate Victashia," Melissa interjected. "Typical violence."

"No," Alex said, shifting his gaze. "I mean eradicate them. To win, Kaiga must finish them off." He looked at his hand and balled it into a fist. "Or else they'll just rise again...like a weed."

Jarel's eyes widened. "That's--"

"It's simple if you think about it," Alex continued, he looked up. "Forcing the cultists into submission would be pointless. Our cultures are too different, our beliefs leagues apart. We can't coexist. There'd only be resistance on both ends. They'd have opinions, fight for freedoms and ultimately, just get in the way. Their religion by itself would be a pain to deal with. Ideas stir people up. The only path to sustained peace is through their execution."

"Genocide," Melissa breathed, horrified.

"Precisely," he said, his smile faltered. "You understand, don't you?" He swept his gaze to Jarel and Aaron. "Isn't this what is all about? The Fourth Great War? Aren't you ready to end it already? This endless cycle of blood?"

"Insanity," Jarel said, shaking his head. "You can't destroy an entire nation."

Alex stepped forward. "Even if they were annexed, their beliefs would always conflict with ours. To be a nation requires unity or else it all just falls apart. To make a utopia--"

"A utopia through force is an oxymoron, Alex," Aaron said and turning, walked away. "I've had enough of this. See you in the morning."

Watching him go, the youth turned his eyes to his last two teammates. Even as he did, he could feel it. Feel them slipping. They stared at him with shifting looks and uncertain eyes. It was like they didn't know him anymore.

"When you remove morality, the answer becomes clear," he continued somberly. "Remove Victashia and peace will reign. The world would prosper under Kaigan rule."

"Alex," Jarel said, his voice low. "That's like saying the solution to end world hunger is to kill every starving person. That's the logic of a madman."

"Cultural unity is necessary, not mad."

Melissa and Jarel exchanged a look. "Some Victashians also live in Kaiga," Melissa pointed out. "They're assimilated citizens."

Alex smiled. "Good. When the time comes, it'll be that much easier to kill them. No stone should be left unturned."

# 12

# DEPLOYED

**-- MELISSA--**

Melissa watched the landing pad below grow smaller through her window. The krito-copter shuddered, it's extensive wing propellers churned from either end of its long body, creating friction which pulled it up and away from the base compound. The blonde tapped the arm of her chair absently, her gaze combing over the scene beyond her frame of dark glass. Within the scoop of the distant capital, the Keepers' Twin Dome Assembly-house glinted in the sun like minted gold. Arched behind it, stood a massive keystone pillar pitted with runes; saluting the silver entry of the King's Helion Palace, the sterling archway guarded the power-cradle of Kaiga and the motherland's sacred bloodline from within a solidified multilayer titus wall.

After a moment, the Paragon pulled away from the window. Ahead, their mission was centered within the eighth largest industrial city. While not a central hub of titus production, Mema's ports were amongst the most active despite its shared proximity to Victashia via the Insie Sea. To discuss the madness of hosting a military operation amongst the towering spirals of a factory metropolis, differed entirely from flying to carry out the psychotic commitment.

Dread stirred within her soul.

The heavy feeling was reminiscent of her lab rat days. Desperate desolation, an emptiness coupled with a sense of utter powerlessness. Useless melancholy, a passive gloom. She'd failed to overturn the sacrificial order, and soon it would be innocents who would pay the price. Hidden irony. Would they not look to her to save them? Yet for the mission, she'd let them die.

Be it as Light or Shadow, personality mattered little in the absence of power. She ran a finger over the blinking device fixed about her wrist. A tracker-band, another ingenious government invention to monitor her. The Keepers just couldn't do without their digital intrusion. A force of habit, no doubt. When running a nation, one must keep tabs.

Fire, waterproof, and titus resistant, the opaque band was motion-sensitive, embedded with a pulse monitor for her vitals, it was laced with micro-lasers at its back and multi-radar cameras around its glossy front. Highly sensitive, it was linked to a covert federal network. Digital 3D replication transmitted her every sound and action in relation to her environment.

The data it gathered was mirrored in real-time onto a holographic titus interface, a viewpoint that was open to the scrutiny of dozens of eyes belonging to high command. From the device, the commander, Keepers, and perhaps, even the King himself were privy to the progression of the operation. Every battlemage in the squad wore a band, invariably eliminating the potential of an unknown factor on the general's war-board.

A low humming vibration gave way to brief turbulence as the copter panned out to its authorized flight-height. The interior of the military aircraft was relatively simple. Three rows of two seats were split by a center aisle to accommodate the elites on the carrier-deck. Although uncomfortable, the chamber was somewhat spacious. Despite the emergency handles embedded in the ceiling, oxygen, and aid kits coupled to the back of seats and parachute packs that lined the steel plate walls, the space was not close-quartered. The mages could freely move about.

Melissa cast her squadmates a wayward glance and looked on as Aaron waved a hand at the air to mess with the display of his digital interface. He dropped his hands to skim them stiffly over a virtual keyboard. She wondered who he was messaging. Family, perhaps? His terse expression gave her the impression he was typing a report, more than a love letter.

Beside him, Alex's eyes were closed. Melissa folded her arms, she knew he was pretending to be asleep. They were en-route to execute a critical mission, only a sociopath could relax in such a tense atmosphere. But perhaps...he was. Knowing him, he was probably visualizing killing something. Probably a Victashia.

It was strange how much he'd changed. She still remembered him as the nervous boy at the Corpus orientation who timidly stepped onto the stage. She looked at Jarel, who sat across from him on her row. The dark-skinned elite casually turned a page of his digital novel, his furrowed brow in concentrated anticipation, as if it were a prime time to read.

The most promising elites of the federation, they were Kaiga's strongest. National icons, soldiers...pawns of war. A conglomeration of oddballs. There wasn't one amongst them that wasn't strange.

A black hooded jacket peppered with the gold sigils of her elite class were complemented by tight pants outfitted with numerous zippers and pockets. Combat boots covered her feet to brave rough terrain, and thin leather gloves protected her hands from what was to come. The battle uniform was lightweight and versatile, nano-plated, and fire-resistant, it was built for war.

A crown insignia tabbed their lapels, giving them the equal authority of commanding officers. A single sword spliced Aaron's, recognizing his seniority as the squad leader. Older than them, his time in service outranked their merit on the tiered hierarchy. Raw power was held in less esteem than military experience.

Melissa's skin prickled. Across the aisle, Katelyn watched her. It was an eerie look, hostile. Dark circles ringed beneath unusual light grey eyes, made her stare strange and foreboding. The blonde felt a chill.

"What are you looking at?" she demanded.

"Just you," Katelyn replied.

The girl rose and stepped towards the Paragon. Without warning, she lunged. Clamping her hand around Melissa's neck, she dug nails into flesh. The blonde reacted on instinct. Grabbing her squad-mate's arm, she twisted and popping the limb up at the joint, hyperextended it at the elbow. A pained smile spread over Katelyn's face as the pupils of her eyes narrowed into slits. A ghostly mirage of reptilian grey scales rippled erriely over her cheekbones. She bared her teeth, revealing elongated fangs and a forked tongue that arched up with the emittance of a low hiss.

Melissa stared at her. "The hell is wrong with you?"

A flare of pain shot down her spine, and she jerked with a spasm. A burning sensation surged over her skin to linger around the area the brunette had grabbed her. Melissa touched the back of her neck and winced. It was all the distraction Katelyn needed. The girl wrenched her arm free and lashed out with a kick. Her combat boot missed Melissa by a hair. On her feet, the Paragon countered with a double jab, linked with a spinning elbow. Evading the combination easily, Katelyn slid further back into the center aisle in the open-palmed viper style.

"You're no cobra," Melissa scoffed. "Put your hands away."

"Do you know what this is?" Katelyn pulled up her sleeve to reveal a black snake tattoo. From the reptile's back spilled small red chains which moved up along her arm in an encirclement that twisted in a seemingly never-ending cycle.

"They say revenge eats the soul," Katelyn said. She looked at Melissa with weary eyes, and for a moment, she was just a girl--grief-stricken and exhausted, of whose small shoulders carried a burden they could not bear. "It's a curse," she continued. "It feeds on dark titus. My hatred is its source."

"Is that why you're mad at the world?"

"It's why I live. If I don't avenge Daniel, I have no purpose. I have no other reason to be here."

"Why are you telling me this, Katelyn?"

The girl tilted her head to the side. "I really don't know." She pulled out a blade with a smile. "Maybe it's because I'm stronger than you."

Melissa burst out laughing. "Have you already forgotten our mock battle? I mopped the floor with you. No, you were the mop."

Katelyn's eyes flashed. "What happened once, won't happen twice."

"Oh, you have such hope," Melissa said and paused. "If the others weren't on this copter, I'd take your damn head off. Where we're going, you'll be the sideshow, you're not important, unlike me. I'm the Paragon. If you die, if I killed you, there'd be no consequences for me because you're a nobody and worth nothing."

"Then do it." Katelyn idly flipped the dagger in her hand. "Kill me, I'm waiting."

A circle opened in Melissa's palm. "A hare does not doubt a lion."

"Hey, cut it out." Grabbing her ponytail, Alex yanked it hard. Head snapping back, he dumped Melissa in the middle of the aisle.

"You--"

Turning away, he walked back to where Aaron was and reclaimed his seat.

"Save your aggression for the Victashia," Alex said, not looking back at the two of them. "We're almost there."

Melissa's gaze bore into Katelyn's. "He just saved you. Be grateful he stepped in, or else--"

"Melissa shut it," Aaron snapped. "This squad needs to learn how to corporate. We're a team, not the enemy. Am I understood?"

"Who do you think you're talking to?"

Slowly, Aaron rose. "I'm your commanding officer."

"So?"

"So, you'll learn to follow my orders."

Melissa didn't reply.

"Oh, don't be cowed now," Katelyn said. "We all know you have something to say, you traitor."

Melissa looked at her, guarded. "And just how can a Paragon be a traitor?"

"How could a Paragon stand against a General? You, of all people, would speak up for civilians? I know you, Melissa, since when have you ever cared about the tierless?"

Melissa laughed. "I can't believe you. You're shocked that I have morals?"

"I'm suspicious you're not the same. The Melissa I know would never have the guts to stand against the authority of a commander. Where'd you get all this pride, hmm? Who are you, really?" A pause went through the copter.

Melissa pulled on her hood. "A Red Raven."

Katelyn lunged. Pulling the emergency lever, Melissa disappeared, sucked out the copter's door. Wind buffeted her body as she dropped from the sky.

# 13

# BROKEN TRUST

**-- MELISSA--**

Falling, Melissa looked on at the city below. Its sparkling shoreline and renown pale beaches slipped into Keon Bay--the clearest scoop of the Insie sea. Mema, chosen she suspected for its large population, was a crowded city. Its inhabitants lived on top of one another, desperate to possess the prestige of living close to the water despite being underfoot.

Trade was the main economic outpost, every well-paid occupation stemmed from the Tinenmen Port. A central hub for logistics, smuggling, and the movement of goods, Victashia would never suspect the Federation would be willing to sacrifice such a precious commodity, or so Kaiga reasoned. And they hadn't without Melissa. For what nation would be so mad as to destroy their own assets?

Along the shoreline languished twelve warships, their hulking bulks cast a foreboding shadow over the city's industrial docks. A city of industry, Mema's factories churned out production in spite of the failing operation. Its people continued about their busy lives, clocking into their nine-to-five jobs, black market dealers sold their wares as eagerly as if it was an ordinary day. Ignorance was bliss, yet it would surely kill them.

Over half a million people lived and worked below, little did they know their very existence would've been the basis of a mask. A strategic military operation that was once underfoot put civilians at the forefront of a warzone. She closed her eyes, unable to stave off the feeling that she'd wronged the people she'd pledged to protect. A sense of unease festered within her, guilt in knowing her presence might kill them all. It would be like Corpus all over again. Only this time, she'd be awake to see it through. Opening her eyes, she looked out over Mema for what she felt would be the last time.

"Melissa!" Katelyn screamed after her. Flipping onto her back, Melissa watched the dark-haired girl jump to follow her down.

Seagulls flew through the air around her, and she smiled, letting the wind play with the strands of her bound hair. With the breeze wafted the tang of salt spray from the Insie sea. The Paragon touched the mark Katelyn had placed on her neck. Her escape would be one hell of a ride.

Above, the copter continued on its original course. Her former squad it seemed was sticking to the general's plan. Typical of Aaron, he was a traditionalist who couldn't think for himself. Alex and Jarel were to be sent to Mema's garrison, a nearby ground and air operations base central in the city. Aaron, on the other hand, would be idle amongst the riff-raff of a small national guard unit. As the copter spun on, she wondered if he still believed that. Battle was unpredictable.

She watched Katelyn fall towards her, dagger in hand. It was funny they were supposed to be assigned the joint command of the naval fleet below. They couldn't even hold a conversation without wanting to kill one another. The idea was probably pushed forth by General Evan's conventional views on cooperation. Melissa looked on with a smile, the true her had always been a poor student.

A brilliant blaze of light fell from the sky in a dive for the city. Registering its heat signature from the water, the ships' automated plasma cannons turned towards the threat. Pale blue light gathered within the weapons mouths as they aligned their crosshairs with the comet and fired. Ear-splitting booms spliced the air with successive rounds. Too fast, the cannons missed the transport capsule and slipping through their onslaught, the projectile entered the city. The Red Ravens were inside.

Melissa hit the sea. Waves surged beneath her as she went under. Bobbing back up to the surface, she disengaged her titus shield and stepped atop the water. Beside her, a mirage of a woman rose from the bay.

"It's begun," the woman said. "My Red Ravens have arrived."

Melissa looked up at Katelyn, who still fell. "I don't have much time, Oracle." Behind her, smoke rose along with bright bursts of light that illuminated from within the city. The bombing had begun.

"Why do you fight them that raised you?"

"Slaves always fight their oppressors. My only wish is to see this dictatorship fall."

"Be wary of the boy."

"Alex won't be a problem."

"He will. You just don't know it yet. My clairvoyance is never wrong."

"Then predict I'll win."

Cara smiled. "The future is yours to live, not mine to dictate. May you reign the victor."

The mirage returned to the water with a splash just as Katelyn came down upon her. Melissa stepped out of the way before her adversary dove into the sea from behind. Water sprayed as Katelyn came back up and lashed out. Flinching back, Melissa avoided her knife by a hair.

"I was right not to trust you, Melissa," Katelyn said, stepping onto the water's surface. "Ever since you woke up, something's been up. You're not the person you once were."

"Because that person was fake," Melissa said. Looking up, she watched the gathering storm clouds in the distance. "Remove the tracking seal, Katelyn, and I'll let you go. I won't hold back like I did last time. I won't hesitate to kill you."

"And I told you to go ahead and try," Katelyn sneered, taking a stance. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. To hell with that childish mock battle. This time, I'll put you underground. This bay will be your watery grave."

"You're a fool."

Waves continued to surge under their feet as Katelyn and Melissa eyed each other for what felt like the last time. Red chains erupted from Katelyn's sleeves to fly at Melissa. The Paragon didn't move. Metals lurched from her open palms to meet the chains head-on. Parrying the blows, the blonde pushed her back.

Melissa held out a hand and silver wire entwined upon one another to form a long rapier. Grabbing its hilt, the girl struck forward. The sword split into an oncoming chain, breaking it with its brilliant gold tip. A surge of water washed out in a violent wave beneath their feet, and light flashed below, illuminating the sea in a heatwave. Water turned to steam with a shockwave that rushed Katelyn at full speed.

Katelyn's eyes narrowed against the gust. Leaning forward to brave the blast, she slammed her palms together. In an instant, chains snapped together and interlinking themselves around her body, combined into a suit of fine mesh armor. Taking a knee, Katelyn held her titus shield, forcing the silver-grey buffer to endure even as it flickered. Absorbing the full brunt of the storm, the barrier faltered, and the heat dissipated into the surrounding sea.

Katelyn straightened with a glare. "Blood Iron Carver."

She raised a hand and materialized a long grey sword, split by a red chain. Double-edged and encircled by a spiked collar, its serrated edge glinted in the sunlight. The girl levied the blade in both hands and lurched forward into a full sprint, lugging the sword behind in her charge. Metal grated against metal, and sparks flared as Melissa's wires beat back Katelyn's blows with ease.

"Too slow," taunted the Paragon.

Katelyn flipped backward and swung her blade while landing to knock away Melissa's dogged attacks. Standing back, the Paragon watched her struggling opponent from a cool distance. She relished in her upper hand. Busying her opponent with petty faints and striking dives, she took her time to think, whittling away Katelyn's stamina in the process.

"I'll end this quickly for your sake, Katelyn," the girl promised and smiling, pressed her palms together.

Manifesting a glow of purple light about her, it's the potency saturated her titus conduction. Water swirled beneath her in a sucking whirlpool, giving rise the luminous sphere which spun around her body. Sparks flew and igniting the air, water blew into steam. Her eyes smoldered a bright amethyst as her titus density increased, and the air grew heavy with power. Slowly, the glowing sphere changed shape. Watching from the cover of her own titus shield, Katelyn readied her sword with narrowed eyes.

"I'm not gonna wait on you!" she raged, lunging forward. "This is over!"

Water sprayed behind with her charge. Her sword, a red blaze of energy, came down before her in a slam into the sea. A blinding light spliced the waters in a surge as a beam blasted toward her opponent. Breathing hard, blood dripped from her nose. She was at the cusp of her limit. Borderline against the point of no return, she'd sacrificed the near entirety of her titus in the attack.

Completing its shape, the sphere morphed fully into a lion's head, and elongating a body out behind it pushed Melissa atop its helm. The sea surged as the beam slammed into her beast. A combination of red, white, and purple light radiated out in all directions, painting the sky a barrage of colors to the refract back from the clouds condensation. A roaring boom echoed in a series of shockwaves across the bay, releasing a gargantuan rush of power to rage into the sea.

Katelyn leaned forward and fell with her sword into the water as she went down to her knees. Retching, blood spurted from her mouth to spew into an open hand. She trembled, shaking in a racking strain of overexertion.

"Stay right there," Melissa said.

The Paragon tilted her head up and watched her adversary from the corners of her eyes. She beheld a sense of cold superiority and looked on as Katelyn's arms fell limp at her sides. She smiled.

"How pitiful," the blonde sneered. "Why not say you yield? I might spare you."

Katelyn swallowed. She watched the monstrosity of a lion come to heel before her. Its eye-sockets glowed white as its massive head barred solidified yellow teeth in a threatening low hiss. Its blind gaze appraised her as sympathetically as a mouse caught beneath its paws.

The girl clenched her jaw and lurching to her feet, released a battle cry. Falling forward, her arms barely saved her from a face plant into the water. Panting, she strained to lift her neck once more, desperate to meet Melissa's gaze.

"Is that it?" Melissa asked. She raised a hand, eclipsing Katelyn's face with an open palm.

Gritting her teeth, the black-haired girl held back tears as the blonde looked at her as one would a cockroach. A mere bug to be crushed beneath her incomparably omnipotent power. A golden sphere of light formed within the lion's jaws as its tail whipped around wildly. Itching to obliterate its fallen adversary.

"Go home to your brother, Katelyn."

Melissa closed her palm. Her knuckles blocked out the girl's face. Sentencing her, to death. The mini-sun left the lion's jaws and opening her eyes for what seemed like the last time, a shadowy figure appeared before Katelyn, obstructing the light.

Arms bucking, Alex stood his ground and took the brazen attack head-on. The massive ball sent shockwaves rippling across the bay as he fought the opposing force with a titus wall. His hands peeled, and arms caught fire as the immense heat sought to incinerate him. A moment later, lightning surged from his palms even as his flesh curled back to his forearms, and the tyrannical energy pressed down upon him. Still, he held.

"Heavenly Repulsion," he said. Pulling it into his hands, the radiant energy sphere shot back toward her.

Melissa flattened herself against her lion's fur as her beast bounded to the side. She looked up, the sphere flew past to soaring high into the sky above. Curving in an arch, the projectile reached its peak and detonated. A monstrous explosion dissipated the clouds in a burst of fire, leaving ash and embers to rain in its wake.

"Ale--Alex?" Katelyn mumbled and closing her eyes, she went under and sunk into the sea.

# 14

# FINAL PARAGON

**-- MELISSA--**

The wind whipped at Melissa as she chased her prey, bareback atop the purple lion. She twisted her hands into its mane, managing to hold on, despite the jostle of its breakneck speed. Rounding a massive rock in the bay, rubble exploded in a shower as the lion rammed through it. Katelyn in arms, Alex skated across the water towards the shoreline.

A burst of energy suddenly warped behind his heels. Moments later, it detonated, sending them both flying as his titus shield shattered. Alex's eyes widened as Katelyn was thrown from his arms. Skimming the water like rag dolls, they rolled, head over heels, and hit the sandy shore, like wet noodles on a plate.

Alex lifted his head with a gasp and broke into a round of hacking. An overpowering roar sounded in the distance, sending a sonic boom emanating across the bay. Several spikes erected along the lion's back, to point directly to the darkened sky.

Melissa leaned back smugly. I'll erase the both of you, she thought. Two birds, one stone.

Six flaring spheres rocketed into the sky, leaving purple streaks behind in their ascent. Bursting, the orbs formed into mini-suns and lighting up the area, fought the storm clouds' gloomy hold over the sky. Beyond them, explosions continued to rise with fervor from the city's center as Kagia's forces struggled to deal with Altramex. Sniffing the air, the lion swung its head to a fro in its search for prey. Alex kept low to the ground and looked about him for Katelyn. He fixed his eyes on the contorted body resting near a log. There was no time to see whether or not she was alive, for Melissa was closing the gap between them.

Alex rose shakily to his feet, his burnt arms dangled by his sides. Extracting black sand into his palm, it hardened as he morphed it into a spiked mace. Gripping it, he held his right arm out to the side.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" Alex yelled.

Raindrops fell from the sky in the beginnings of a shower. Blood leaked from Katelyn's mouth as the muddy earth caked sections of her raven black hair. Pale and pallid, her face was slackened and body limp, unconscious. She was done. Staring at them, the lion took a powerful step forward in its stalk towards the shoreline. Alex levied his weapon and steadied himself, eyeing his adversary. He swallowed as it charged.

Alex's body hummed with energy and channeled his titus into the clouds. Twisting through the air, lightning converged in the sky before falling into his mace with crack. Electricity coursed through his veins as he asserted his authority over the storm's power. Taking a knee, he placed both hands on his mace and endured the pain. Falling in a shower, the rain came down upon him.

Tearing through the air, a massive paw swiped at him. Flashes of lightning illuminated his eyes as his speed spiked, and senses heightened. Time seemed to move in slow motion as he teleported directly under the lion's lilac-colored belly.

Bashing up into its stomach, a torrent of sand pushed it into the air. Alex shot up after it, riding his own sand column up. Melissa's fear clouded her vision as she stared into the storm's epicenter. Thousands of jagged lightning bolts converged, forming the body of a three-headed dragon within. Taking a breath, the blonde held it as the push from below shoved her roaring beast higher.

_The sand,_ she thought, infuriated. _In just one year, he 's already climbed to my level. How? _

Wielding his mace, Alex struck it down. A sharp crack resounded overhead, and the three heads converged into one as it stretched open its jaws. Blood lightning struck out at random to spark wildly from the dragon's face. Racing down from the heavens, it consumed the lion whole. Jumping ship, Melissa leaped from its flaming fur too late. Thrown from its head like a horseback rider, she flipped through the air. The screams of the manifested animal echoed over the bay as it dropped from the sky.

The water rose in a wave with the lion's impact. Imploding in a seismic blast of steam and surf, the red lightning seared a crater into the sea bed, rendering the feline a burnt husk. Debris flew up in its wake, solid rock and loose sentiment washed out over the sea. Swallowed whole by surging waves, the stones returned to the bottom of the bay. Falling, Melissa twisted in the air uncontrollably and tried in vain to regain her bearing just before she hit the water. The breath forced out of her, bubbles rose in a stream as she sunk deeper beneath a tide.

Alex watched the ripples go out over the cape. Focused on the aftermath, he searched for any sign of life. Water flooded into the small crater left behind by the lightning strike with a vengeance.

A hand grabbed her, and Melissa opened her mouth in a silent scream. Pulling her by the back of her shirt, the thing dragged her down. She blinked and suddenly, lying against dry land, arched her back in a dry heave. Water burst from the girl's mouth, retching, she rolled onto her side with a gasp. She licked her lips and tasting salt, spewed vomit, revolted. Bloodshot eyes searched frantically in a disoriented panic before locking onto a man at the cave's entrance.

_This is Vargas._

Melissa winced. She put a hand to her temple as his voice echoed in her mind.

_The Paragon 's secured. _He continued communicating telepathically to his teammates across the bay. _Red Ravens, fall back._

# 15

# DIVINE LIGHT

**-- ALEX--**

Blood dripped down Aaron's jaw. Hair plastered to his face, he watched sullenly as Altramex strolled toward him.

"You fight well, boy," the man said and opened his hand as a golden javelin materialized into his palm. Grasping it, he stopped before the boy.

"I don't need your praise," Aaron spat.

He wedged a knife between his teeth and pressed his hands together with a grin. Energy pulsated around his body, and a set of black ribs curled around his torso to rise into an encasement of skeletal armor. Six arms protruded from its sides and shoulders, each bone hand glinting with a jagged knife. Snapping down over his head in a crown, was a skull to protect his own.

Altramex chuckled. "It is futile. Bones will not stop me." Debris blew out behind him as the man rushed the young man.

Aaron balled brass knuckles. "Come!" he yelled. His eyes were hard behind the slits of his helm. "Let me--"

Bone shattered as the man's javelin pierced Aaron's defense. Blood sprayed. Leaning over in a choking gasp, Aaron's screams rung out across the backdrop of burning buildings and demolished houses. Skewered, Altramex raised him into the air like an ishkabob.

Lightning surged through Aaron in a burst of adrenaline and channeling the titus into his fist, he slammed the electrified brass into his opponent's neck. There was a pop as his fingers broke on impact. Crumpling into the skin of his disfigured hand, the metal compressed as the force caved in against the monster's skin. Altramex smiled, placed a palm over Aarons helm, and squeezed. Blood, bone, and brain compressed under the bear's hand to spurt through the boy's eyes and ears like pudding, silencing his muffled scream.

Dead, Aaron dangled from the javelin. Staking it into the ground, Altramex put a foot on the body and shoved it off his spear. Slowly, he turned his gaze.

"Who's next?"

Twenty terrified soldiers shrunk back before him.

A low rumbling laugh left the man. "Don't come all at once," he taunted. He nudged the body with a dark look. "The boy will no longer tell you to stand back as he fights for you. What a man begins is his honor to finish."

Rage and fear covered the men's expressions as they watched Altramex raise his knee. Like a block of lead, Aaron's body caved in to the shattered concrete.

"Armor, T-mech suits, tanks, firearms, bombs..." The man said, bringing his foot down. Bone snapped and splintered with Aaron's sternum. "Do you think anything can hurt me? Fools. I am a Razi. We do not die, we kill."

He turned his javelin, waiting for the soldiers to make a move.

"Death is nothing to fear," he assured. "Many wise men claim it to be a rather peaceful affair. Not that they can speak of it from underground." Silence followed. The men flinched back as Altramex stepped forward. The man glowered. "If you won't come, then I will to you."

A round went off, followed by a scream as a soldier pulled the trigger on her volt-rifle. "Why don't you give it a try!"

Shots went off in quick succession as the inspired platoon unleashed the brunt of their firepower. Dust and debris clouded the city block as they waited for their adversary to retaliate.

"So be it," Altramex said. He held up a hand toward the sun, absorbing the energy of its light. "I will show you what true power is."

The soldiers looked up. Several dropped their rifles as they watched the sun dim.

"What the hell...?" a man breathed, stepping back in his T-mech suit.

Closing his eyes, Altramex placed his hands together. "Divine light."

Flesh, concrete, and metal liquified in an explosion. Gamma radiation rushed out in a searing wave. Rotating in an expanding half-sun, the scarlet blaze reduced the city of Mema, to molten rubble.

* * *

"Get up," Alex said, looking down at Katelyn. She opened her eyes and blinked. Her vision blurred before refocusing on him. He eased her arm over his shoulder and helped her to her feet. "Where's Aaron?" he asked. She gripped his hand, and he looked at her. He could feel the coolness of her skin against his, her face was pallid and pale.

"Alex...your arms," she said, staring at the dark burns seared along his skin.

"Can you walk?" A voice asked. Alex turned as Jarel stepped out behind a spotty treeline of blackened trunks.

Alex's eyes flashed. "Where were you?"

"Watching," Jarel said and shrugged. "It looked like you had it under control." He gave Katelyn a sideways glance. "Melissa proved her wrong."

"Why you--"

"Anyway..." said the dark-skinned youth. "We have to back up, Aaron." His eyes were thoughtful. "That is if he's still alive."

"Let's go," Alex snapped and pushed past his comrade. "We don't have time for you."

Coming around to Katelyn's side, Jarl pulled her from Alex and scooped her into his arms. "Don't worry, I've got her Mr. Burns," he said and without another word, carried her into the treeline, leaving the paragon to follow along behind. Ahead, black smoke rose from the fallen city.

* * *

Black sludge coated the bottom of Alex's boots as he walked along the barren landscape. Taking Jarel's lead, he almost forgot his anger for his companion in the wake of their desolate surroundings. What was once a city of industry had been reduced to dust and ash. There stretched no skyscrapers and flew no cars. Factory buildings had been converted to sullen hills of fine grey powder, while markets lay against the dead earth, and sidewalks vanished to black soot. Grisly bone and jagged metal stuck out of the tar-like substance that spotted the area.

"What...happened?" Alex whispered. He stepped forward in a trance. "It's all gone. All, gone."

"Alex," Katelyn called, her voice was low as she watched a man stare at the sky amidst the devastation.

Bringing his head down, Altramex appraised the three of them.

"Ah, survivors," he said and motioned a hand. "Come, I still have much power to expend."

A blind man warped beside him. A little over half his height, Vargas touched his arm. "You've done enough."

"Have I?" Altramex questioned with a gesture at the three. "They're still alive. You know what that means."

"Altramex, let them be," Vargas said and sighed, exasperated. "Our work is done here. We have the girl."

"Yet, I don't have them," retorted the dark-skinned man. He turned his gaze from the teenagers and looked down at Vargas. "If I let them live, they'll come for me. They always do. That's how this game works. Survivors kill the merciful."

A black-haired woman stepped out behind him. "We're done." Akane put a katana to his throat.

Altramex let out a breath. "Do you both wish to die here?"

"Altramex," Akane began. "We're--"

"I can smell your fear, Akane," the man said.

"Altramex--"

"You know my policy, yes?" He pressed a finger against her blade.

"Altramex, the mission's--"

"You know I don't leave survivors, yes?" He grabbed her sword.

Akane's eyes narrowed. "Vargas...you should go." She shifted her stance. "He's reached that point again."

Altramex smiled. "Move away little ones, or I'll be taking you with them."

Stepping back, Akane let go of her sword. Tossing it to the side, Altramex walked past them. "That's more like it."

"Katelyn..." Alex said with a frantic look. "Get us out of here. You and I," he swallowed, "we aren't in any position to fight."

The dark-haired girl staggered out of Jarel's arms. "We don't have a choice." She put her hands to her chest, and two daggers flashed across her face. "I've already reached my limit." She exhaled shakily. "I don't have enough titus to teleport us to safety."

"It's all up to you, Jarel," Alex stared at his comrade as he coaxed black sand around his arms. "I won't heal in time. My arms can barely move."

"So be it," Jarel said and let out a breath. "I'll take care of him."

Altramex paced towards the group. "You will die the same way as the boy did."

"The boy?" Alex asked. His eyes widened with the thought of Aaron.

"He fought well," the man continued. "However...he died. I crushed him with my hand. This hand." He held it out, manically. "Rest assured, his death was swift and merciless. Just the same as yours will be."

Jarel stepped forward and pulled Alex's golden sword from its sheath. "I'll be needing this." Tossing the blade into the air, a root spiked out from the ground to hold it. "Alex, Katelyn...run. At the very least, I'll buy you some time."

Grabbing Katelyn's hand, Alex tugged at her wrist, limply. "Let's go."

"We can't just leave him," Katelyn protested, resisting Alex. "It's suicide."

Jarel swung his hand out in a chop and striking her neck, knocked her out cold. Hefting her onto his shoulder, Alex bolted away, lightning trailing behind his heals as he ran.

Jarel clenched his fists together, a shimmering orange titus aura gathered around his hands as lava erupted from the ground. The geysers flooded the area in magma, giving rise to blackened roots and turning a swath into a fiery swamp.

"Tree of Dionis," Jarel said and raised an arm as his roots twisted together.

Rising into the sky, the mobile tree swung with several axes. The volcanic eye in its center shifted its gaze erriely to Altramex. Opening its mouth, a torrent of flames released in a blast of blue fire. Taking the brunt of the attack head-on, Altramex stood, cross-armed and unfazed as the inferno threatened to swallow him whole. Dying down, it left him without a scratch.

In a flurry, the trees axes swung about to slam into Altramex. Stepping into a punch, the man's fist hit wood. Spraying into the air, the tree splintered before shattering into pieces.

Rushing him, Jarel brought his golden blade up and around, in a chilling sweep. Altramex's eyes widened, and dodging the attack, he drew his own sword. Sparks flew with the grate of metal, their blades colliding met again in an onslaught of brazen attacks. Blood flew as Jarel marred flesh, cutting deep into one of the man's arms. Pushing him back, his roots slashed at him and stabbing at the open wound, kept it from healing.

"I'm surprised," Altramex grunted, flipping back through the air. "That sword--"

Catching him by the ankle, wood recoiled, slamming him into the ground. Like a barrage of cannon fire, roots punished him relentlessly. Suddenly, a surge of energy exploded in a blast which blew back the roots atop him in a rain. Altramex took a breath. His golden veins rippled along his forearms in a brilliant glow with his increased power. The roots, however, wasted no time.

"This ends now!" Jarel cried and clapped his palms together.

Holding a hand toward the sky, he watched molten rock collect in the air above. Suddenly, a spear erupted from the ground, grazing him with the tip, it shredded Jarel's nano armor, missing his chest by a fraction of an inch. Rolling to the side, he jumped to his feet and willed his roots after Altramex in a frenzy.

Rising before him, a stone golem slammed into the fleeing man, it enwrapped the hulk of a man with its arms, locking him in place. Twisting themselves around his legs then torso, the roots sucked at his titus and transferred it to Jarel. In a surge of energy, a molten rock blasted into the air to hang like a mini satellite within the sky.

Jarel looked on. Incredible, he thought as the collection of rock floated up around him. So, this is the power of a raven. Now, I turn it against him.

Tossing the golden blade up, a root whipped free from the asteroid above and curling around the sword, the branch pushed the weapon through the golem. Metal pierced flesh as the blade entered the man.

Now, it all comes down to accuracy, Jarel thought and closing his eyes, took in a breath. Opening them, he exhaled and brought his hand down.

"Die!"

Dropping from the sky, several hundred tons of molten rock shot for the ground. The small asteroid slammed into Altramex, and with its impact, the devastated landscape buckled. Leaning back, Jarel willed wood and rock to enwrap him as he sank into the ground. Lightning erupted from the earth as the asteroid exploded. Dust, debris, and high-speed winds blew over the decimated city, bringing the battle to an end.

Jarel stepped into the crater, golden spear in hand. Picking his way through the cooling destruction, he followed the sound of groaning into the rocks below. The sword had done its job. Blood leaked from the gaping wound in the man's abdomen where the blade had embedded itself, pinning him to the ground. Stone crumbled as Altramex slowly pushed the boulders aside like a wiggling worm. Climbing onto one of the rocks, Jarel looked down at the man, watching as he struggled to free his left arm.

"Little fool," the man chuckled, catching his eyes. He pushed against the boulder. "It seems I underestimated you. No matter, once I--"

Hurling the spear, its tip penetrated the man's skull, splintering the bone. Staring cross-eyed, Altramex slowly laid back as his body went into a seizure. Jerking spasms shook his corpse as blood and saliva spilled from his quivering lips.

Jarel narrowed his eyes and continued to watch as the man's body shook in an uncontrollable tremble before finally going still.

"You killed my brother in arms," Jarel said, pulling out the spear. "An apology would have sufficed."

# Afterword

Thank you so much for reading Panic.

For us, this was a wild ride, we hope you think the same. Its almost nonstop action was a little exhausting to write, but well worth it. Jason (the older brother) was the originator of the plot and advocated for the destruction of Corpus Academy much to Davena's (the younger sister) dismay. Well, she got over it. The original storyline of a Harry Potter-esque school life was dropped in favour of destruction, because it's more exciting that way. Do you think so too?

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#  About the Author

**Authors - Siblings - Military Veterans**

The author of the Dark Light Series and My Life as Death---D.J. Hoskins is brother and sister duo. Military veterans, we believe our experience lends an edge to our work. While we enjoy sending characters into conflict, we're not all about war. There is something of an emotional realism and political touch to our sci-fi & fantasy. Over the years we've been deeply influenced by Asian work, most notably Japanese Anime and Chinese Dramas. Despite being separated half-way around the world, due to assignments, we do our best to still find the time to write.

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#  Also by D.J. Hoskins

Join us in in the next book of the Dark Light Series.

##  POLGROM

Alex has risen.

Melissa is gone.

There is no turning back.

**Hold on tight. Don 't forget your titus.**

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