The duo walked wordlessly along the deserted village. Felix was not in the mood to talk, and his companion looked like she would agree with that decision, but a strange headache was bugging him. So he opened his mouth to distract himself.
“Why are you obsessed with the Guardian Council?” His raspy voice barely punctuated the sounds of croaking frogs in the nearby river. “A magi of your power and status can easily get a comfortable, high paying job anywhere. Why put your life on the line by joining a law enforcement organisation?”
“It’s not about the money,” Kleopatra replied. “It’s about what’s expected of me; of someone my social status. I know I’ll never live up to the Vice President himself, but the least I can do is come close enough. My whole family’s in the Council, so it only makes sense that I join as well.”
“Even your mother?”
“Not anymore.” Her voice dropped. “She was killed in action during a mission. Dad thinks I was too young to remember, but I do. That’s why I must get stronger. I mustn’t allow the same to happen to me; Dad won’t be able to take that blow again.”
“Then you really shouldn’t be following me.” Felix stopped in his tracks as his voice softened. “Where I’m going is highly dangerous, even for a trained Guardian. I’m not expecting to return from this unscathed.”
“All the more reason for you to accept my help,” Kleopatra insisted. “I have no doubt that you’re powerful as hell, but you’re not a god.”
Felix clutched his head. The ringing in his brain was ramping up dangerously in intensity, and did not seem to want to leave any moment soon.
“I know, but these criminals are going to wish I was,” Felix muttered behind gritted teeth. He pointed at an abandoned castle in the distance. “There. My sister’s locked up somewhere in that castle. Prepare yourself, Kleo. We’re gonna have to fight our way in- Argh!”
The boy fell to his knees, clutching his head with both hands this time.
“Felix, what’s wrong- Ah!” Kleopatra shrieked as well, her body suddenly flattened against the ground. Cracks began to appear on the nearby rocks as a vibrating force sent tremors along the ground. She tried stretching a hand towards Felix, but was not able to even lift up her head against the immense weight pressing on her entire body.
Thankfully, the force left as abruptly as it came, and the girl was finally able to stand up gingerly to her feet. She knelt down beside Felix, who was already sitting with his knees hugged close to himself.
“I’m sorry, that was me.” Felix shook his head as if to clear it. “I lost control over my psychokinesis briefly, though that hasn’t happened in five years. Guess I have been more stressed out lately than I realised.”
“Of course you are.” Kleopatra helped him up. “Your sister has been missing for days and now you have to go up against a crime syndicate to get her back. I don’t think I’d have the mental strength to go through all of that myself.”
“Well, you do what you have to do to survive in this world as a meta. And besides, I’m not all by myself now, am I?” Felix chuckled slightly. “I really appreciate this, Kleo. But I’ll thank you properly when all of this is over. For now, we gotta take down all these guys. I count about twenty of them. It’s a little troublesome, but it should be no-”
“Wait, there’s no need to go in head-on.” Kleopatra grabbed his arm with a slight smirk on her face. “I got a cloaking rune, but we only have about five minutes before it wears off.”
“Well played.” A wide grin spread along his face as he turned to his magi companion. “Y’know, if you ever need a recommendation into the Guardian council, feel free to use my name.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Pagonis.”
----------------------------------------
Getting into the undercroft was laughably easy now, especially when Felix did not have to carve his way in through a horde of metas. The cloaking charm flickered and dispersed into the air, barely revealing the two teenagers in the poorly lit labyrinth. Felix wasted no time, floating along the intersecting paths as though he had a map that only he could see. Kleopatra followed behind him closely, using a small flame conjured from her finger to light the way.
“Felix, you sure you’re alright?” she asked in a concerned tone.
Felix huffed. He did not have the energy to feign appreciation for her concern now. Not when he was so close.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“I sense about a dozen living bodies behind that wall. That must be where all the kidnapped people are held,” he muttered, pointing at a steel wall that blended poorly with the surrounding bricks. “Self righteous hypocrite… ‘Save our kind’, my ass. Angelo is just another damned thug.”
“Let’s look for a door,” Kleopatra said. “There are no protective charms on that wall, but it looks awfully thick.”
“At least four feet of steel, I reckon.” Felix’s eyes glowed as he held a hand out. “In other words, our door.”
The metal groaned under the immense telekinetic pressure and ripped itself open. The boy dropped it casually to the ground, floating into the room. Kleopatra picked her mouth up from the floor and followed him in.
“By the gods…” The girl covered her mouth in shock as she took in the sight before her. Dozens of cages were strewn around the dark, metallic room while rats scuttled back to their hiding places. Men and women had their bodies contorted forcefully, their accommodation too tiny to house the full length of a grown adult. The children were luckier due to their smaller frame, but reddish rat bitten sores covered their bodies all the same. Some of their bodies heaved slowly, while others were completely motionless. Felix’s sister was not among them, but the scene lit his blood on fire nonetheless.
Monster.
The room started shaking as the psychic raised his hand again, but he put it down and shook his head. Should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy.
“Arcani nullifiers,” Felix stated plainly. “I can’t break their cages.”
“Shit, now what?” Kleopatra asked worriedly. “We’re in the middle of nowhere; I doubt there even are any constables nearby.”
“The constables can’t help you with this.”
The duo whipped their heads back in shock at the intruding presence.
“This is Titus Angelo you’re going up against.” Gaius entered the room, scanning it as an orange glint covered his eyes. “There are more than a hundred hostile metas here, complete with a hierarchy and multiple groups of thugs skilled in different areas of combat. Not even our city’s entire constable force is going to risk starting a gang war they cannot win.”
“What?” Felix glared at him, ignoring his information dump. “How did you find us? And how did you get in here?”
“Your actions are very predictable, Felix.” Gaius shrugged, before turning to Kleopatra. “And you’re not the only one who possesses cloaking runes.”
“Okay, I get it. I’m not very good at being a vigilante.” Felix was losing his patience quickly. “Listen Gaius, you have about ten seconds to get real useful before I blast this ceiling open and take down just about everyone in this shithole.”
“As entertaining as that would be, allow me to propose a much simpler solution to your predicament instead.” The Sorcerer pointed at an inconspicuous orb in the corner of the room and laughed slightly. “I gotta hand it to these imbeciles for leaving the nullifiers’ power source out in the open like that.”
“It’s on the ceiling; I can’t reach it.” Felix rolled his eyes. “My power will just disperse if I touch it with my mind.”
Gaius tilted his head at him, furrowing his eyebrows slightly in confusion. He leapt up, pushing himself against a wall and reached the ceiling in an instant. A small layer of ice encased his feet and fingertips as he stuck to the ceiling like an overgrown lizard. The Sorcerer swiped the power source with his free hand and tucked it in his pocket. He let go of the ceiling as the ice disappeared with soft popping sounds. Gaius landed silently on the floor, brushing the cobwebs from his hair.
“Show-off.” Kleopatra smirked, folding her arms.
“Could’ve just flown up there myself,” Felix said with a slight hint of jealousy in his voice.
The device disintegrated in Gaius’ palm as his fingertips seared slightly red. There was a whirring noise, and the cages lost their slight glow. Felix clenched his fists, shattering all of them easily this time.
“We’ll leave these people here for when the constables arrive,” he said, before floating away to the nearby staircase.
“Pagonis,” Gaius called out in a tone that would freeze most people. Felix was no exception. “Do you know what you’re about to do?”
“I’m about to take down Sirius City’s most feared kingpin and rescue my sister with my colleague and a schoolgirl.”
“That’s a lie and you know it.”
“Look. I got this, alright?” Felix refused to face his companions. “I won’t- I cannot falter. Not here. Not now.”
“You never were good at regulating your emotions, Felix. The last thing we need is for you to lose control out there. What are you planning to do if you don’t like what you see later? Are you really planning to fight Angelo head-on?”
Light flooded down the staircase as the doors swung open.
“That’s none of your business. Let’s go.”