Chapter 21

Golden energy erupted out of Mendell’s body creating an aura of radiance around him. Nate also released his spirit energy. It had been stifled for a long time while he was playing the role of a student at school. Now, he didn’t have to hold back. He let it all out and reinforced his altered demonic body.

Mendell spread his hands and suddenly two pieces of equipment appeared. A very hefty mace in his right hand, and a rectangular shield on his left. His eyes turned golden and it spilled onto his face, covering it with lines of gold.

They both charged at the same time. To anyone watching, they would only see two blurs of energy going at it as they were moving too fast.

Nate lunged with his spear which Mendell deflected with his shield before countering with the mace. Nate turned the spear to the side and caught the mace head shoving it away from him. Then he let go of the spear and threw a punch covered with lightning energy. The punch caught Mendell in his sternum.

There was an audible crack as Mendell was sent flying. His body soared for several yards before crashing into the wall. A second later Nate’s golden spear came hurtling towards Mendell.  Mendell crashed against the wall then quickly fell forward to avoid the spear that was coming for him.

He was on his feet instantly. Golden light rose around him and formed a cube. It materialized a second before something clanged off of it. Mendell looked back and saw the spear was circling behind him like a snake. It would’ve struck him in the back if he had been a second late in creating the barrier.

Nate recalled the spear. Mendell sighed a breath in relief and quickly went to work. Threads of golden light came out of his chest and connected with the golden wall until it became like metal. Once the barrier was secured he awakened his spirit avatar.

A fully armored knight appeared before the cage. Its shield and mace similar to the ones Mendell was using. Nate wasn’t alarmed though. They’d learned in class about how some spirit users could form contracts with spirits and judging by the very light condensation of spirit energy, Nate could tell Mendell formed that contract recently.

“You couldn’t do anything against me, what makes you think this thing will fare any better? After I crush it, I will break into that little barrier you got there and end your life with my bare hands.” Nate clenched his fists to emphasize his point.

The energy was done forming as the spirit knight’s image became more corporeal. He was a little cautious, but he was confident in his victory. He charged the knight, but before he could do anything, the spirit knight sprouted four wings and with a single beat of its wings it was up in the air.

The spirit knight came crashing down at him from above. He dodged the mace by jumping to the right and thrust his spear into its side but before he could connect, the spirit knight’s wings hit him like a truck.

He was knocked upwards and the spirit knight swung back around with the mace sending Nate flying like a baseball. Before he could hit the ground, his spear came flying behind him, supporting him as he landed on his two feet.

There was a sharp pain in his side. Although the knight was a spirit, it’s mace was very real. If it wasn’t for his demon body he probably would’ve had shattered ribs. Instead there was minor bleeding and a few scales missing.

There was a clear difference between Mendell’s combat skills, and the spirit knight. Most spirit users who forced spirits into a contract were often mindless like robots. The spirit user would have to manipulate that spirit like a puppet in order to get anything out of it.

But there were some spirits willing to work with humans as partners. Those were the most dangerous because they retained consciousness. They could think for themselves and use their own combat experience to supplement their master’s.

“I was a little worried, but it turns out there was nothing to fear. You don’t even own an avatar.” Mendell chuckled.

Nate turned to the golden cage from where Mendell was talking shit. The cage was light enough to see through. “Why don’t you say that from outside the box, bitch?” Nate tried to goad him but he knew Mendell wouldn’t bite.

Mendell ignored him as his eyes began to glow. More golden liquid spilled out of his eyes, this time covering even more of his face until he wore a mask of pure gold.

The spirit knight’s shield began to glow. Its stance widened and it raised its shield as if it was about to receive an attack. “You can thank Master Andrea for sending you to your death.”

Before Nate could process Mendell’s words the shield exploded with light. Hundreds of tiny little beams flew out of the shield at different angles but they were all headed towards him as if they were locked on to him.

Nate formed hundreds of mental threads. Half of them took control of his arms and legs like a marionette, while the other half went towards the beams of light heading for him. With each thread, he was able to sense all of the beams, and he manipulated his body using the strings to dodge each one accordingly.

Another burst of the shield sent hundreds more heading his way. Nate closed his eyes as he focused solely on his threads to sense his surroundings. It was easier to concentrate that way. He dodged right then jumped up flipping sideways until his body was parallel with the ground. Then, with a burst of mental threads, he pushed himself off the ground and launched himself thirty feet into the air while calling the god’s spear to him.

The spear came flying by like a rocket and Nate grabbed onto it for dear life aiming it towards the ground. Once his feet were back on the floor he exploded with lightning spirit energy and infused it all into his spear until it was trembling with power.

Nate sprung forward to attack. He focused half the mental threads on his body and the other half on the surrounding area. But even with his increase in speed and control he was unable to break through the spirit knight’s expert defense. Between the shield, mace, and two pairs of wings, Nate found it too difficult to find an opening.

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The battle raged on for what seemed like hours. Although Nate could sense what the spirit knight was going to do, he couldn’t get past its defense. It was shutting down any attempt he made to strike a fatal blow.

If he wanted to end this, he would have to commit. Nate backed off and gathered all the mental threads available to him, and focused it solely on his body. His speed and control doubled as even the tiniest movement was manipulated carefully. He went on the offensive and began dancing around the spirit knight with his faster speed.

Finally, Nate found the chance he was looking for. In an effort to keep up with his speed, the spirit knight was turning more often then it should’ve. Nate feinted like he was going to dash one way, then went the other and found himself behind the spirit knight. The spirit knight tried to adjust its shield to meet Nate’s attack but it was too late.

Nate stabbed the spear deep into the spirit knight. The spirit knight flicked its wings and soared into the sky to gain some distance from Nate, the spear still lodged into its torso.

“Die!” Nate shouted. The lightning spirit energy infused in the God’s spear exploded into a barrage of purple and gold sparks that filled the night sky like fireworks. 

Nate experienced a brief bout of vertigo. The God's spear was shaped from his mental energy, and exploding it had hurt him as well. He quickly shook it off then rushed towards Mendell.

Now that his spirit knight was out of the way, Mendell would have to wait several hours before being able to recall it. He’d be dead before then, Nate would make sure of it.

The golden cage wouldn’t take long to break through. Except, the golden cage was no more. Instead Mendell stood there with a golden aura surrounding him and four wings sprouting out of his back. His arms were once again loaded with the mace and shield.

It did not bother Nate. Mendell wasn’t as combat experienced as the spirit knight was. And even though Nate wasn’t much better when it came to combat, he did have his mental abilities that gave him an advantage.

Half of his mental threads were focused on controlling his movements. With the other half, he spent a few threads re-creating the God’s spear and sent the rest over to Mendell to exploit any weaknesses it could find. The threads were repelled by the golden aura surrounding Mendell. No matter. He thought as he focused the remaining spirit threads on his body making him run faster and with more control.

Mendell prepared for combat, but when Nate suddenly threw his spear into the sky he was caught off-guard. Nate threw a punch which Mendell barely managed to block with his shield before countering with his mace. Nate easily caught the mace at its shaft and pulled, extending Mendell’s right arm.

The God’s spear came down on Mendell’s elbow, severing his arm. Mendell stumbled forward. Nate lunged in. His hand was as straight and rigid as possible. He infused it with lightning and pierced Mendell’s chest.

Schlik!

Mendell found himself staring down at Nate’s eyes. Liquid surged up his throat making him cough out blood that splattered all over Nate’s face. Mendell reached up with his remaining arm and pushed Nate off of him.

As he pushed Nate away he could feel Nate’s arm slowly dislodging itself from the hole it created in his body. The squelching noise it made seemed so loud at the moment.

Nate watched Mendell’s movements with a calm look, but deep down inside the demon was howling. Reveling triumphantly at the victory over its nemesis. The joy it felt was slightly disconcerting to Nate. But that feeling was quickly washed away by the demon's jubilant mood.

Mendell was no longer a threat. The gaping hole in his chest guaranteed his death. It was the type of wound only a demon could survive, barely. Mendell fell down on his side then struggled to sit up. After seeing how much trouble he was having, Nate helped the man by lifting his body and leaning him against a tree.

“Thanks.” Mendell said.

“No problem.” Nate replied.

They stared at each other and Mendell chuckled at how absurd they sounded in that situation. Mendel’s laugh turned into sputtering coughs that spewed blood everywhere. Once he was done he settled back on the tree gasping for breath.

“You didn’t have to kill me.” He rasped.

“Someone had to, for what you did to those prisoners. All those unwilling people you experimented on that were taken against their will.” Nate replied.

“You think me some maddened scientist that heartlessly experiments on others? Are you really so naïve?” Mendell laughed. “The world is full of suffering. Why me? Why have you set your sights on me when so many others do the same?”

“You’re right. The world is full of people like you and if they were standing before me I would kill them just the same.”

Mendell shook his head. His breath was getting weaker, he didn’t have much time left. “No, not like me. I serve a far more nobler cause. What I’ve done was for the advancement of humanity, to prepare them for the new world that will inevitably come.”

“That doesn’t excuse you for what you’ve done. It’s not right.”

“Right? There is no right and wrong, boy ... only opinions.” Mendell had to pause to catch his breath. “You think you’re right to end my life but one day … when the bigger picture is revealed, I will be seen as the visionary leader humanity … so desperately needed … and you’ll be condemned … as the demon who … tried … t-tried … to get in the way … of ...”

Mendell trailed off. His eyes glazed over, and he exhaled his final breath. Nate reached out to the man with a blood-stained hand and closed his eyes. To him, Mendell’s last words were the ramblings of a mad man who tried to justify his actions. But deep within, Nate couldn’t resist the flicker of doubt that took root in his heart.

A flash of light on Mendell’s finger caught his attention. The ring on the man’s hand was glowing vibrantly. Before Nate could do anything the light enveloped Mendell’s whole body then disappeared, taking Mendell’s body with it. All that was left behind was a crimson pool of blood where Mendell once sat.

“… ring of life.” A voice spoke from behind him.

Nate turned around still confused by where Mendell’s body went. Ahri was walking towards him casually even though he was still in his demon form. She didn’t even flinch at all the blood everywhere.

“W-what?” Nate said distractedly.

“He was wearing a ring of life. It’s a rare treasure crafted by angels. I’m surprised they gave him one considering how stingy they are with their craft.”

“What does it do?”

Ahri shrugged. “I’m just a student so I wouldn’t know, but I have seen pictures of it in old lore books. The writing is in an archaic language though so I couldn’t tell you what it does. But judging by its name, there might be a chance that Mendell is still alive.”

Ahri watched Nate carefully to gauge his reaction. She thought he’d be angrier at hearing Mendell might still be alive, but he didn’t look phased at all.

“I doubt he’ll live with a hole through the chest.” Nate shrugged. “Besides, I saw him take his last breath.”

“Well it doesn’t matter. The instructors will be here soon. I suggest you get out of here before they come.”

Nate walked past Ahri when he suddenly recalled what Mendell had said to him earlier. About how he was being used as a pawn. It got him thinking about Ahri.

Does she have anything to do with it? He wondered. She looks so calm despite seeing me this way.

Nate knew he was being paranoid, but it was only normal considering how he barely knew the girl, yet she was so friendly towards him. And the fact that she showed up now, not flinching at the sight of him was throwing up red flags.

He paused in his footsteps. In some ways,  he was glad about his lack of emotions when in his demon form. It became easier to make the hard choices.

“Nate?’ He heard Ahri say.

Nate turned around and rushed her.