CHAPTER 10
MYSTERY OF THE STORM
Exiting out of a passage and into extensive forest, both Amber and Hikaru stood exactly where they’d once struggled against the businessman Yuki.
“Why did you bring us back here?” Amber complained.
“Haven’t you noticed any differences about this area?”
“Only thing I see is a crazy moron who dragged me into this forest again.”
Hikaru angrily glared. “Actually, if you pay close attention loser, you’ll notice that it’s spring time here, which is weird because I changed the season to autumn, remember.”
“Isn’t it better off that our power’s don’t affect environments permanently?” Hikaru paused while contemplating this question. “Alright, here’s the deal,” said Amber. “I’m tired, and if you find us a place to sleep, I’ll forgive you for wasting time.”
Hikaru used his sixth sense to prowl around without moving.
“You’re right Amber, it is good our abilities don’t have a long lasting effect on nature, otherwise it would be disastrous for earth… but take into mind that this is only one of many places where we’ve fought.”
“What are you talking about?” Amber muttered. “We’re standing right here and everything’s fine.”
“But Elitist blatantly told us they desired mastery of the storm for world domination,” Hikaru continued on. “And this leads me to believe that our new found powers will begin affecting earth at some point.”
Amber’s expression went from exhausted to completely stunned in a matter of seconds.
“Look, we’re both very ignorant when compared with most warriors who’ve survived for years while fighting. If we truly fancy staying alive, it means learning about the storm as much as we can.”
Hikaru created another passage, guiltily backtracking to California’s wilderness, and they stepped inside for further investigation. In truth, he hated bringing Amber back to a place chalked with bad memories, but knew its necessity, for this was where their most recent battle previously occurred. Hikaru used his sense to check around the forest for anything suspicious.
“As you can perfectly see, our fight had no effect on this place either,” Amber quickly mentioned.
“You’re wrong, take a look… over there.”
Hikaru walked through the forest with Amber following closely behind. After pacing for a few yards, he stopped in front of a large broken tree. All that stood was its short brittle trunk, and in front of this familiar tree trunk lay a dirt patch on earth’s surface.
“Here is the exact spot where I pulled us underground with my powers,” Hikaru said. He knelt down, observing more closely, touching his palm against loose soil. “The crevice is filled in because I also shifted dirt around to push us back out.”
Amber remembered awkward sensations of being lifted upward from the hole. To her, it’d felt like a quick elevator ride, but now, facing the disrupted patch, she realized why Hikaru felt so worried.
“Now do you see, something about our power is changing,” Hikaru said.
“But what do you think it means?” Amber posed.
“This is only a theory, but I think hakq has some type of healing or restorative property— that would clearly explain why we heal so quickly, and how geography is restored after we’ve demolished it— but for some strange reason, now these effective properties are weakening, which would coincide with this disturbed patch of dirt, and explain why my leg healed much slower than my arm.”
Hikaru stood on both feet, then turned and faced Amber eye to eye. “Look, there’s something that I need to inform you about,” he said hesitantly.“It’s why I think the thirtieth storm warrior keeps attacking us…he might be after you…”
A jolt of fear ran through Amber’s legs, causing them to tremble slightly. Her face looked pale, and her eyes filled with worry.
“For what reason do you think he’s after me?” she faintly asked.
Hikaru took his time, thoroughly thinking before he spoke. “Perhaps he wants revenge against the girl who left him for dead— or better yet— maybe he thinks that you and William Hunter were both behind certain chain of events that took place inside the dark room.”
Amber shook her head in agreement, but many thoughts crossed her mind. There were things about Hikaru’s theory that didn’t add up perfectly.
“Wait,” she shot back, staring wide eyed in confusion. “If this mystery thirtieth fighter’s after me, why is it you he keeps attacking first.”
“That’s obvious, it’s because I’m allied with you, and now he must surely believe I had something to do with assaulting him as well. Remember… before we fell through black liquid inside the white room— you, me, William Hunter, and Kamari were all in one inclosed vicinity.”
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“Which means?”
“Which means, the thirtieth storm warrior probably sensed us together, and more than likely thinks we were an alliance.”
Amber still didn’t believe that Hikaru guessed accurately, and stubbornly felt a need to rebut.
“Then why didn’t he kill us when he had an opportune chance?” she posed.
“He let us live because Elitist is hot on his trail,” Hikaru answered. “After I beat Yuki, those power hungry monsters knew it, probably because they can sense when a warrior’s been destroyed. In the short period of time between us fighting William Hunter and me defeating Yuki, this mystery fighter’s power grew exponentially, which in turn made him a target after he defeated Elitist’s least strongest members.”
“Alright, I get it,” Amber blurted out, slightly infuriated by Hikaru’s reasonable logic and comprehension. “You’re saying he didn’t kill us because Elitist would’ve detected him.”
“Exactly!” Hikaru fired back. “Which means you better believe that he’s coming back again!” Hikaru smirked vindictively, pleased about successfully getting under Amber’s skin for every time she’d picked on him for being fearful at the restaurant, but when he looked deeper upon her truly worried expression, his conscience made him unable to continue ridiculing unrelentingly. “Don’t fret over it, you know I’ll protect you.”
“Huh, protect me, he beat you in like three seconds!” Amber loudly pointed out.
Hikaru’s left eye twitched with anger, and suddenly he wished he’d continued his initial onslaught. Instead, he tuned every ungrateful remark out as Amber continued rounding on him.
“And another thing, I shouldn’t have to save your butt in every fight, if that mystery guy can get stronger fast, you should be able also!” Hikaru opened a portal to the Amazon Rainforest, then walked inside sluggishly with Amber still nagging about his lack of enthusiasm about gaining strength over knowledge while she followed. As the passage closed behind them, he materialized a large tent over softened damp soil. “And you can ignore me all you want, but you know that I’m right… When you’re fighting physically with an enemy, I’m book smart doesn’t work,” Amber finished. “Now I’m going to bed, so let what I said marinate inside your disorganized mind.”
Amber materialized a sleeping-bag over her shoulder and paced off. Hikaru sighed in relief after she finally stepped inside the tent. With daylight just peeking out, forest shrubs moved with animals as night slowly dissipated. Due covered moist lushes green leaves of every exotic plant, while Hikaru stared at clear droplets of water that fell from thin edges of yellow petals from an unidentified flower. It’d been four days since his world turned upside-down, and after going through more life threatening situations than he had fingers, Hikaru felt delighted finally receiving a break. With his thoughts growing lighter and his eyelids seeming heavier, he leaned against the trunk of a small tree while standing, knowing that sleep wasn’t an immediate option. As Hikaru stood up straight, he heard sniffly sounds coming from the tent. He paced toward the large camp setting and hesitantly entered inside to find Amber crying while sitting atop her sleeping bag. She wiped her face at first sight of him, but failed at stopping more tears that fell from her eyes. Hikaru paced over, then sat down on Amber’s sleeping bag across from her in silence, unsure about what should be said. The girl that he became accustomed with for these last few days maintained a sassy mature smart mouth, but as he thought back on when they first met, Hikaru remembered how much she’d cried, which reenforced another sudden epiphany about her age.
Thirteen, in their world of teenage angst, three years of separation in age made a huge difference on how they reacted within harsh unnatural circumstances. Amber stared at him with sulky features, completely giving up on making any attempt of appearing happier. Being sixteen himself, Hikaru didn’t know what to do, it proved difficult for him communicating with what he felt were girly emotions, so he pat her on the head while she continued sobbing, unaffected by his efforts at improving her rainy disposition.
“Why are you crying?” Hikaru bluntly asked.
“It’s everything,” replied Amber.
Hikaru’s expression screwed up. “It’s not me, is it?”
“No,” Amber responded quickly. “It’s just, I miss my mom— all of the fighting— Kamari dying.”
This being all Hikaru needed hearing for attaining complete solidarity, he could instantly gravitate toward empathy after she mentioned Kamari’s death.
“It’s always been like that,” said Amber. “Every time, I run away. And every time I run someone suffers because I’m not strong enough.”
“I understand that you miss your mother, but don’t beat yourself up about not helping Kamari… I know that you care because he gave his life for yours, but all in all, you didn’t know him well… He never would have wanted any help from you, he never would’ve wanted you risking your neck…”
Amber brushed away moist tears with the back of her hand, then arose forward on both knees, and embraced Hikaru tightly.
“See, this is why I hate getting emotional,” Hikaru sighed.
“Shut up.”
Amber released her hold, then waved for him to raise off her sleeping bag. Hikaru got up, and paced toward the tent’s exit. He looked back for a moment, zealous about his unexpected ability at helping. Amber gazed up with an appreciative smirk, then lay down peacefully as he stepped back outside. Hikaru knew that if they were to have any chance against Elitist, he would need far more power. He thought about what Yuki’d said amid their extreme battle: Those flashes of light you managed getting a quick glimpse of was my incredible hakq that I flex constantly around my body, making my attacks even stronger. Yuki claimed that he constantly flexed his hakq to make himself stronger, thought Hikaru. I should be able to do the same, but I also need a quicker and more effective way.
Hikaru stepped a few feet distance from the tent, preventive measures taken so Amber wouldn’t be disturbed. He focused his hakq all around himself, which felt very different from regular usage of it through hands alone. His storm force curved and churned all around him, its intensity causing stable plant life in close vicinity to sway. The ground under Hikaru’s feet began submitting, forming a crater, growing deeper beneath him. He could feel it, his power had grown stronger through persistent battling, much more formidable than when he’d first received them. But it still wasn’t as intense as what he saw Kamari achieve, nor could it have been a match for Yuki’s storm force category, so he kept reaching deeper and pulling out more energy until his hakq became brightly visible.
Now flaring up wildly, Hikaru realized why every storm warrior he’d fought against never released powers beyond their metaphysical limit of control. His storm force swirled around wildly like currents moving in many directions, some reversing against him, causing an overwhelming amount of compiled pressure on top of his body. Hakq whipped everywhere and Hikaru found himself unable to suppress stirring energies he’d conjured. His power kept growing stronger, now swaying against the tent violently. Amber awoke after hearing the tabernacle flapping, while ropes that secured it against firmly staked pegs snapped. With the weight of storm-force growing heavier against Hikaru, he felt his body fall completely through the ground— everything went dark, then he slipped into nothingness.