Chapter 12 – Fade to white

Kaj stood ready on his side of the Corral. His calm demeanor was unsettling; I knew Kaj was a brutal fighter capable of destruction. I couldn’t have known he was this level of monster, though.

“Are you prepared for your next lesson, Captain?” Kaj asked as he lifted his scythe and set his legs into a powerful stance.

The sight of the Malakim preparing for battle was honestly intimidating. Kaj stood there, scythe held diagonally in his hands, wings pulled in tight to protect his rear.

“I guess all your cards are on the table now, huh, Kaj?” I asked as I slowly stepped into the center of the dirt-filled corral.

“It was a necessary deception, Captain. While I did fully and knowingly commit myself to you and your cause through the Blood pact, I was not bound to train or teach you, just defend and assist you. I now see that you are no more than a rough, raw piece of metal,” Kaj replied.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I asked, feeling more than a little frustrated at his sudden ability to be so blunt.

“You are a valuable resource. You are capable of dealing damage and, in some cases, even killing your enemy. I have decided to make it my task to refine you, to turn you into a majestic weapon capable of destruction on a scale that our universe has never seen. There is honor in this, I think,” Kaj said as he slightly bowed his head in my direction.

“Well, I guess I can’t be mad at that,” I replied, smiling a bit, “I do think you underestimate me a bit, though, wise teacher,” I joked with a chuckle.

Kaj shot forward before I even realized what was happening. Again, I had played right into his hands, letting my guard down just enough to provide him an opening.

Cracck!

As dust and dirt flew into the air, Kaj shot forward. His muscles tensed and glistened in the mid-morning sun. As he closed the gap he twisted his body down and to the right. Upon reaching his effective striking distance he uncoiled his body into a devastating right hand that caught me directly in my left temple.

“You fail to grasp the responsibility you have been given, Captain. You jest and boast even in the face of a stronger foe. You unintentionally create openings for your opponents. You are strong, you are powerful, these things are true. You are, however, no fighter you lack skill and have no understanding of how to properly attack or defend,” Kaj stood over me once again as his punch had caused me to drop to one knee.

I shook my head trying to fend off the black that was beginning to encroach around the edges of my vision. I felt the anger rise up inside me like the heat of a blasting furnace.

“I didn’t ask for this!” I yelled, as without even realizing it I had summoned my daggers. I looked up and quickly swiped up toward Kaj’s stomach. I didn’t want to hurt Kaj; I had no intention of losing control, but without thinking, I did. The fire inside me burned and took control.

“Good, this is good,” Kaj whispered as he smiled.

In a blink, he had lifted his left leg and blocked my attempt to stab him with his shin. I was fast, I knew that but he had blocked me so quickly that it felt like he knew what I was going to do before I did it.

“Your anger is an attribute, Captain. Unfortunately, you lack the capacity to properly channel the flow into something productive,” Kaj shoved me backward with the flex of his hips as he crammed the same shin into my chest.

The anger burned with an intensity that I had never felt before. All of the emotions that I had tried to keep in check now boiled to the surface as I completely lost control.

“Aaaarrrggh,” I screamed, as a feeling of primal rage overtook me. I rolled backward and up to my feet as Kaj retreated slightly and reentered his fighting stance.

“Your rage burns bright, Captain. What will you do now? I implore you, do not hold back, show me what the mighty Havok Bringer can do,” Kaj said.

I was seeing red at this point. I decided to give him exactly what he asked for. If he wanted to see what I was capable of I was going to give him everything I had. I activated my new rocket boosters and shot into the sky.

“Hmm, that is new,” CJ said to Tiff, as he brought his coffee up to his lips.

“He didn’t mention that to me either. That suit just keeps advancing. I don’t know if Andrew even understands the power of the weapon he has been given,” Tiff replied as she stood beside CJ, arms crossed and a look of unmistakable concern on her face.

“Ah, you seek to take this fight to the air. While I commend your decision to change the circumstances of the fight, I am afraid that you are no more than a hatchling taking his first flight. You fail to grasp that you have entered the domain of predators, of which the Malakim stand at the apex,” Kaj smiled once again as he spread his wings, braced his legs, and shot up into the air with a blast of dirt and dust.

I shot up into the air several hundred feet before I came to a stop, hovering and trying to get my bearings. What was I thinking? Why did I think that I would fare any better in the air? I just needed a chance, an opportunity. If I could get Kaj into the air maybe I could catch him off guard. I pondered my rash decision for a second considering returning back to the corral, but it was too late.

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Whoooosh

I spun, trying to see where he was.

Whoosh

I couldn’t even see him; Kaj was so fast in the air that I could only hear the wind rushing past me after he was already gone.

Crack!

I was flying toward the ground again, a sharp pain in the middle of my back. Kaj had dropped from behind me and, with both feet, kicked me back toward the ground. With an explosion, I landed back in the center of the corral.

“Hey Andy, you need to work on your landings!” CJ shouted and chuckled as he leaned against the corral fence and nonchalantly took a drag from his vape.

I pressed myself up onto all fours and shook my head before I looked over at him and slowly raised my middle finger in his direction.

Kaj landed with the grace of a being who had spent more time in the air than he had on solid ground.

“I commend the effort, Captain. The sky is not a place for the uninitiated, though. For now, let's work on improving your abilities on solid footing,” Kaj said.

I didn’t reply. I consider myself to be a quick study, and I had taken several hits today already by letting my guard down and talking when I should have been defending. I stood and returned to a fighting stance with my right leg slightly behind my left and my hands raised to defend my face and head, daggers in each hand facing down.

“Good, good, you are already learning. Do not let your foe goad you into dropping your defenses. Your first lesson is complete. Do you wish to continue, or should we stop to let you recover from your—”

I flew forward toward Kaj. As I did, I drew back my right hand, ready to release every ounce of strength into this one punch.

As I reached him, I swung at his head. I was going to shut that mouth before he could finish speaking. It was brief, but I saw his eyes widen as I approached. Was it fear? No, surprise. He was surprised that even after the beating I had endured, I would attack. Not only attack but attack with the speed and ferocity that was obviously unexpected.

My blast forward and subsequent attack were so fast and powerful that, once again, dust flew up all around us as my fist made contact. I felt the satisfaction of a landed punch. I couldn’t see him through the thick cloud of red dust, but I felt it; I had done it; I had managed to land a blow.

I was sure I hadn’t managed to hurt him since he had barely moved from the punch, but I had landed it, and for now, that was enough to be excited about.

“A Pity, really, you almost had me,” Kaj said as he stood there with my fist in his hand, completely uninjured.

“You have potential, Captain. I do not dispute that, but you will land no hits today. It is best you take some time now and reflect on the lessons I have provided,” Kaj said, still holding my trembling fist.

Kaj cocked his head as I mentally lowered my faceplate and smiled.

“BIG BANG!!!!” I shouted as energy exploded from my body and blasted him back into the corral fence, denting the fence so badly that the individual steel tubes nearly broke. Kaj landed with his feet over the top of the fence and head in the dirt. He slowly slid off the fence, shook the dirt from his hair and clothes, and stood up, albeit a little shakily.

“It seems we have both learned lessons today; I will not underestimate you moving forward, Captain,” Kaj said, again slightly bowing his head to me as he walked back toward me. “I believe that is enough training for today. We can resume tomorrow if you are willing.”

I stood gasping as Kaj approached.

“Well, I don’t really have a choice for now since I don’t have my armor for the next few minutes. Big Bang is strong, but I am without my armor for a while after using it, and I don’t think taking you on as I am now is gonna do me any favors,” I put my hand out toward him as he approached. Kaj also put out his hand, and we grasped each other at the wrist, much as we had done during the blood oath.

“I am looking forward to it, Kaj,” I said, smiling.

“As am I, Captain,” Kaj replied.

“Shows over everyone!” Dad shouted as he swung his hands up into the air, “Everyone has chores to get done, so let’s get to work.”

Dad walked over to me as I was walking back toward Tiff and CJ.

“You definitely have some work to do before you can best that fella, Andrew, but it is good to see you aren’t completely defenseless,” Dad said.

“Did you not see what I did to those Lacertine troops earlier this morning?” I asked, feigning offense as I raised my hands in fake exasperation.

“Boy, that was a hell of a thing, you taking out those lizards by yourself. Hell of a thing indeed, but if there are monsters out there as strong or stronger than that Kaj fella, then you are gonna need to get better,” He slapped me on the back, “We haven’t had hope in a while, son. I don’t think it's fair to pin all our hopes on you, but that is how it is, so get stronger, fast.”

“I'll try, Dad; that is the best I can do,” I shrugged in response.

“That is all we can ask, son,” he replied, then turned toward the group that was dispersing and started shouting orders.

As I turned to head back toward Tiff and CJ a message flashed across my interface.

Urgent Mission – Seed of Power.

Do you wish to see the parameters of this mission?

Y/N

I stopped walking and focused on the message. Shrugging I mentally selected yes.

The Seed of Power awaits. The universe is ever-changing and ever-expanding. Due to recent events, the Coeus Collective has retreated into a self-created pocket dimension. As architects of past dungeons and creators of system-assigned classes and powers, the Coeus will be irreplaceable. With foresight, only the Coeus Collective could possess, they have deemed it necessary to provide the universe with the tools to progress and protect themselves. Power, after all, is not only to be held by a few inhabitants of the universe.

Mission parameters – You have been tasked with activating the seed of power. This will not be an easy task and can only be completed by those truly capable of testing and pushing the limits of their abilities and strengths. If you accept this mission, you will most certainly place the lesser inhabitants of the universe on a more level playing field with those that have taken and held power for millennia.

Caution – Failure to activate the seed of power will result in the death of the operator who accepts the mission. Failure will also result in no changes to the current political structure of the universe.

Do you wish to accept this mission? Y/N

I mentally selected Yes once again and continued walking. It was time I discussed this with Tiff. I walked up to Tiff and CJ and began to speak, but CJ cut me off.

“Bro, what the hell is going on? You okay?” CJ asked.

“What do you mean? Yeah, I'm fine,” I replied, but they didn’t seem to hear me.

“Andrew? Andrew?!” Tiff shouted.

“He is, like, phasing in and out!” CJ shouted as they both ran over to me.

I could hear their voices fading, and then without warning the world faded away and I stood, once again, in the solid white of the expanse I had visited several times before when I communed with the Coeus.