PART 1

Kaladin gazed over the walls, taking in the overwhelming scene before them all. There were over a hundred thousand soldiers in Xerixes now but no one could hope to defeat that.

Thrak, as far as you could see, completely surrounded the city in every direction. Their last was from Sashix, informing them that they were being overrun. As for Unari, the city had already been taken and no word had come from it since.

Millions of Thrak grouped up, waiting for something. Normally they would attack head-on but as they waited, seemingly patiently and still, Kaladin, more than ever now believed there was a mastermind behind all this. Someone controlling them from the shadows.

“What are you thinking?” Yvlana asked. “Kyburn and that boy are dead.”

“Perhaps,” Kal said softly, still staring at the aliens. “I was thinking how the Thrak are behaving strangely. They know we are utterly outnumbered but yet they wait, why?”

“They got bored.” Yvlana joked, trying to make him smile.

“No,” Kal said seriously. “They are being controlled by something. They are responding to orders.”

“How do you know that?” Yvlana frowned. “They could just be waiting for more of them to come before attacking.”

“I don’t… it's a hunch.” Kal said. “All of this is extremely odd. Did you ever see them hesitate when they first arrived? On Votis they didn’t hesitate, nor did they on any of our colonies. They attacked and destroyed without remorse.”

“What does that mean then?” Yvlana asked. “Someone is targeting Emarine, humans, and Vog?”

“Well… yes.” Kal shrugged. “What else?”

“Why?” she asked. “Why would someone do that?”

“I don’t know,” Kal said. “I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

“Great… how bout-” Yvlana stopped short as king Xerath approached them.

“Kaladin Valhorn.” he locked eyes with him. “There’s something I have for you.”

“King Xerath.” Kal nodded. “And what might that be?”

“This.” Xerath held out a bundle of cloth. “I was told by a wise old man that you would need this.”

“What is it?” Yvlana asked.

“Open it,” he said simply.

Kal peeled the cloth back until it revealed a shiny glowing dagger. It had marking etched into it and the silvery gold glow glinted off their eyes.

“Woah,” Kal whispered. “This… isn’t from Isulia. I've never seen anything like it.”

“I thought not,” Xerath said. “I’ve never seen anything like it either and honestly looking at it frightens me.”

“It’s beautiful,” Kal whispered. “Where did you get this?”

“It was given to me.” Xerath shrugged. “Jebbin gave it to me.”

“Jebbin?” Yvlana frowned. “Who is that?”

“He was… Erik and Cara’s father... sort of.” Xerath pursed his lips.

“I see. You don’t know where he got this from?” Kaladin asked.

“No. Unfortunately, Jebbin was very mysterious and hardly made sense sometimes but he knew this would happen.”

“He knew this?” Kaladin gestured to the Thrak. “Would happen?”

“I believe so,” Xerath replied.

“That’s ridiculous.” Yvlana scoffed. “You humans and your predictions.”

“I do not claim to know everything, but everything he has said has come to pass.” Xerath countered. “Believe it or not… I was to give this dagger to you.”

“Very well.” Kal raised an eyebrow. “I will keep this dagger. Thank you king Xerath.”

“Kaladin!” Felkuru yelled into his thoughts abruptly. “Look at the palace!”

Kal whipped his whole body around, scaring Yvlana and making Xerath jump. Looking to where Fel showed his vision, Kal spotted the figure atop the palace on the balcony edge. Black clouds formed overhead and thunder boomed with such force it made every man cower in fear. Even Xerath kelt to the ground, clutching his head, his face contorted in pain.

The sun, blocked out by enormous black clouds, disappeared leaving them in dim darkness.

“What’s going on?” Yvlana shouted over the thunder.

Kal only pointed and her gaze fell on the figure far above. A moment later, another figure appeared, being dragged by the first and lifted into the air. Both were human, but from this distance, he couldn’t make out who it was.

Activating his helmet, Kaladin zoomed in on the two humans and was met with shock. A man he didn’t recognize held the queen in the air with one arm, her body was limp and he knew, she was dead.

“Here is your queen!” a demonic voice blasted over the city as if the clouds themselves spoke. “You’re chosen one is dead!” he hissed. “You have failed them, Malik! I have won!”

“What is this?” Xerath asked, his voice loud but barely audible over the thunderous demon voice.

“I do not recognize the man, but I doubt he is human,” Kal responded. “Lamir,” he spoke into his com-link. “Come from your side and I head straight for him. There is a chance the queen is alive. I’ll go for the man and you get Cara.”

“On it,” Lamir said after a moment of pause.

“Yvlana.” Kal turned to her. “Stay here and protect the king,” he said as he leapt off the wall.

“But…” Yvlana started to say.

Kal fell from the wall and landed on the stone roads below. The brick shattered from the weight and Kal immediately jumped off the stone, cracking it even more. With one arm, he pivoted onto a roof and started hopping from building to building. Sometimes jumping over twenty feet to clear a road below and kept going.

“I’m almost there,” Lamir said over the com.

“I see you both.” Yvlana cut into the conversation. “Kal is right behind you. Lamir, climb up from the north side and Kal climb up the east.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Lamir chuckled.

“Thanks, Yvlana,” Kal said, smiling in his helmet.

“Don’t mention it.” she huffed, obviously annoyed at being left out and on guard duty. She could, however, still guide them from her vantage point and still protect the king. “He’s on the move. He’s about to drop Cara off the edge. Lamir, get back to the south side.”

“I’m almost there.” Kal dug his fingers into the stone as he started climbing up the side of the castle and toward the palace.

More thunder shook the ground and screams echoed through the city as the citizens panicked.

“Only those who remained loyal to me shall live!” the demonic voice boomed again.

“That’s Cassius.” Xerath bellowed in fury.

Everyone on the com-link heard his voice through Yvlana’s side. His anger and pain, clearly visible in his voice.

“Keep him away.” Kal huffed as he drew nearer to the top. “Xerath is our last hope of unifying Isulia.”

“Will there even be an Isulia after this?” Lamir mumbled.

“Just worry about yourselves,” Yvlana shouted at them. “Kal, you're almost there. Another twenty feet and you’ll be above him. Lamir, stay there in case he drops the queen.”

“Anyone else find it odd that that human is effortlessly holding her body in the air like that?” Lamir asked no one in particular.

“It is,” Yvlana commented. “I’ve never seen a human with that kind of strength, especially judging from the size of him. He looks scrawny.”

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Definitely not normal.” Kal pulled himself up.

Cassius seemed to be having a conversation with someone but there was no one around him. His mouth and body moved and he gestured to something in front of him but nothing was there.

Kaladin, kelt over the side and looked down at Cassius. “Going in,” he whispered.

Dropping nearly thirty feet, Kaladin landed directly onto Cassius, slamming his knee down and crushing his body to the marble floor. He heard a crunch and Cara’s body flew into the air but Kal quickly snatched it and held her tenderly. If he could return her to Xerath, he hoped that would bring him some sort of peace.

Cassius lay still, his back was in an odd position and he guessed the knee slam had broken his back. Looking over the side, he saw Lamir shrug at him from below.

“Guys,” Yvlana said. “The clouds are still here and the thunder hasn’t gone away. “Whatever this is, it isn’t over.”

Kal quickly turned to Cassius as he heard the marble shift and the body, previously broken, stood up and faced him with an evil grin.

“Hello, Kaladin.” the demonic voice said. “I must thank you for everything you have done. Without you… I would have made a terrible mistake.”

Immediately, Kal knew this man was not human. His eyes were pure black and his body was completely healed.

“Who are you?” Kal squinted his eyes.

“Why… I’m Cassius.” he laughed with a sick grin.

“You're the one controlling them.” Kal frowned, putting some of the pieces together and daring a guess. “You attacked my homeworld. You drove the humans away. You are the one feeding off the worlds.”

“Well done.” Cassius chuckled. “I can’t believe it took you Emarine three thousand years to figure it out.” he mocked. “Here I thought you all were so smart.”

“You will pay for every life you have taken.” Kal clenched his fist.

Before he could react, Cassius bolted forward, arm outstretched, and smashed him in the face, cracking his helmet and making him drop Cara.

Her body fell and he didn't have time to catch her but he hoped Lamir was there to catch her. Kal brought his elbow up and landed it on the side of his head. Cassius went flying and crashed against a wall before stopping. His head was indented from the blow and his right shoulder was crooked and broken.

A moment later, he stood up again, his head made a sickening crack and popped back to normal along with his shoulder. The fist he had used to break Kaladin’s helmet was limp like a noodle, every bone shattered but it too healed and snapped back into place.

“That one hurt.” Cassius laughed. “Any more damage to the head and you would've killed my host. You’re gonna have to do a little better than that if you're going to kill me.”

“What are you?” Kal growled.

Static, then a crackle of Lamir and Yvlana’s voices flicked in and out trying to reach him but his helmet was too badly damaged. Commanding his suit, the helmet folded back onto itself and rested behind his neck once more.

“Ah.” the demonic voice hissed. “Your face, finally up close. Where is your big old friend? Isn’t here to help you this time?”

He spoke of Felkuru but Kal couldn’t understand how he knew them all. Kal was dealing with someone or something he didn’t understand in the slightest and now that his com was broken, he had to fight by himself.

He could easily defeat him but with him healing faster than he could break the human, Kal frantically thought of a way to incapacitate him but saw few options other than killing him outright. Again, Cassius lunged for him, his movement fluid and precise. The speed was inhuman and Kal dodged the attack an instant before a kick landed.

Blocking a fist, Kal caught it under his arm and brought his left fist down hard, straight into his nose. Cassius’s face seemed to burst open from the impact but the body kept moving. The demon controlling the human landed a blow to the chest which shattered his arm again, damaging his energy shield slightly. His F.S.A.P. suit was otherwise unharmed.

The force of the punch sent him sliding backward but he quickly recovered and waited for another attack.

Again, Cassius’s arm was limp as a noodle from punching him but it once again snapped back into place. His face, however, squished bits of bone, and blood splattered everywhere as it fixed itself.

“Ahhhh.” he hissed. “Almost got the brain.”

“Then I’ll just rip your head off.” Kal countered.

“You could.” the demon laughed, “But you’d only be killing Cassius.”

Kal froze at that. It was the first time he thought that the human was being controlled without consent. “What if he could save Cassius?” he thought.

Cassius grinned evilly as he knew what he was thinking. “Decisions. Decisions.” he waved a finger at him.

“Shut up.” Kal barked. “I don’t know what you are but I will kill you.”

“I’ve had enough.” he frowned. “Let’s end this fun.”

Cassius lunged forward and Kal pulled out his Frostrium steel sword and swung for his head. It was regrettable but Cassius was being controlled by a demon and he had to go.

Moving like a snake, Cassius ducked under the sword and dive kicked him, smashing him against the wall and breaking furniture in the process.

Immediately, Cassius lunged forward, seeing the opening but Kal pulled up his sword just in time for him to impale the demon-possessed man.

Eyes wide in shock, his body went limp. A final grin was followed by the black eyes fading into human eyes, blue.

Cassius looked at him in pain and sorrow. “Forgive me,” he whispered.

Kal felt sick at ending his life like this, he simply didn’t know what was happening and the death of this human was on his hands now.

“Tell… Cara… I’m sorry.” Cassius breathed. “I never wanted this. If I could… go back… I would change everything.” he coughed up blood. “Thank you… Emarine.”

His body slumped further onto the sword and he sighed as his eyes closed forever.

Kal pushed him off and slid the sword out, gently resting his body on the floor. Confusion and fear slipped through his walls and he felt sick from being forced to kill him.

PART 2

Yvlana saw Kal get slammed in the face and drop the queen’s body. Xerath shouted in horror as her body fell from the balcony. A glance up at Kaladin showed him disappearing into the room, no doubt continuing the fight with Cassius, though Yvlana couldn’t imagine Cassius, a human, holding his own against an Emarine.

An instant before Cara’s body hit the ground, Lamir leaped through the air in a blur and snatched her midair.

“Please be alive.” Xerath cried. He could hardly hope she was still alive due to her unmoving form then being dropped off an edge like a sack of grain. Yvlana knew... she was already dead but didn’t say so in front of her husband.

“I got her,” Lamir said through Yvlana’s helmet.

“I lost contact with Kal,” Yvlana said, her voice tense and worried. “What can you tell me about Cassius?” she turned to Xerath. “How is he this strong?”

“I-I don’t know.” Xerath stuttered, his mind unstable. “He was our friend… h-he was my trusted advisor. He killed my son… and now Cara.”

“What do you mean he killed your son?” Yvlana asked.

“He is the assassin in black,” he mumbled. “He’s the one who killed Armin and Brinna. He was working with Halden and Astrid. It all makes sense now. We’ve all been deceived this whole time.”

“What is he talking about?” Lamir breathed heavily as he jumped from roof to roof.

“I don’t know.” Yvlana sighed. “I think he’s lost it.”

“Where are Trygve and Hazam?” Lamir asked. “We need someone to lead the humans.”

“Trygve is with Felkuru.” Rayman came out of nowhere. “I’m here to help. What can I do?”

Yvlana noticed his eyes were puffy and red from crying as he had lost his family in Qutreth. For a moment, a stab of sympathy racked her body as Rayman forced himself to function rather than to lay down and die. He had mourned for several days, hidden away from the world as the Thrak drew closer but he had finally snapped out of it and Yvlana couldn’t help but feel sorry for the man.

“We need the Vog to circle the outer walls and every man capable of wielding a weapon on the walls. The Vog can protect the archers and take out the stragglers getting inside and chase them down if need be. You soldiers can form your shield walls and keep them at bay, while the archers from behind the wall can rain down hell upon them.” Yvlana ordered, her voice commanding. “Lamir I need you to go and check on Kal whenever you can. We don’t know what is happening up there and we will need him when they attack.”

“What of the storm?” Rayman asked.

“There isn’t anything we can do about that,” Yvlana said bluntly. “Whatever is causing it, let’s hope Kaladin is working on it.”

“Yes… ma’am.” Rayman hesitated with her title, unsure what to call her as she barked orders.

Xerath was still crouched on the ground in a heap, weeping. Again, a stab of sympathy touched her because she could feel his pain at the loss of a loved one. But there wasn’t time for mourning now, the Thrak could attack at any moment and they had to be prepared.

Blasts of horns bellowed over the city, signaling the men to form ranks in certain orders. The archers fell back from the wall and climbed atop the houses below the wall. Most of the soldiers were already in position but their shield wall wasn’t erected yet.

“We need Kal to organize the Vog.” Yvlana shouted in frustration. “Where is Fel-”

Her words cut short as Felkuru, with his massive paws, stuck his head over the wall and looked directly at her, his hind legs stretched out to their fullest length to stand up to meet her.

She felt a hint of emotions from the beast as if she too had a bond with him. She wondered for an instant if her connection with Kal had somehow transferred through him to her, forming a far weaker fusion with the aliens.

His eyes glowed blue and she felt hints of emotions again. “We need you to protect the archers when the Thrak get over the walls,” she said aloud, unsure if he would understand.

To her surprise, he nodded his enormous head and growled deeply then pulled back as hundreds of Vog began to move around the city.

“I… didn’t think that would work,” Yvlana mumbled.

“They understand far more than you’d think,” Rayman said knowingly. “I believe they can understand us quite clearly, it is us, rather than them, who cannot communicate.”

“I think you are right, human.” Yvlana scoffed in wonder.

Four horns sounded in unison, signaling the enemy was advancing, and both Yvlana and Rayman whipped their heads opposite of the city to see the never-ending Thrak army finally make their approach.

“Well…” Rayman chuckled sarcastically. “I think Kal did something alright.”

PART 3

Kaladin closed Cassius’s eyes, still feeling sorry for the man he had killed. Everything was happening so fast and he had left him little choice. Though he was human, the power the demon-possessed gave him overwhelming strength and regeneration. Eventually, Kal knew he would have lost to the man, despite his experience as a warrior.

“Kal!” a voice yelled from outside and a moment later, Lamir leapt onto the balcony. “Kal where-”

“Lamir,” Kal whispered. “It was a demon of sorts. It's controlling the Thrak and humans too.”

“What?” Lamir looked confused. “Demon? What demon?”

“Did you catch Cara?” Kal changed the subject.

"Yes, but what happened h-" he started to ask.

“Good. Where is Xerath?” Kal cut him off.

“With Yvlana but, Kal…” he paused. “He’s not doing so well and the storm hasn’t gone away.”

“I see,” Kal whispered. He racked his brain frantically for a solution but came up short each time. Frustration and anger started to rise in him, there was no way out of this, and they all knew it.

“Yvlana is organizing the humans for-” Lamir was cut short as four loud horns blared across the city.

“They're finally attacking,” Kal mumbled. “I had hoped by killing him,” he gestured to Cassius. “We could avoid a fight of this magnitude.”

“What’s the plan?” Lamir asked, looking nervous for the first time in a long time.

“I-I don’t have one,” Kal admitted. “I don’t know how we are getting out of this one.”