Descendants of the Ida Dynasty - 10. Chapter 10: Revolt Pt. II

Back in Tygrus...

It felt like a jolt to the system. I had a vision, taking me back to the room where I was healed by the golden-eyed descendant. It was brief, I regained consciousness in time to see him being taken away by the soldiers who conspired to restore me by illegal means. The scandal behind my rebirth laid before me. Barken was likely viewing the same scene.

In the present moment with Rosco and Gage conversing with one another. Rosco found me looking over and put a pause to their conversation.

“You’ve realized something,” he said.

An intuitive elder descendant. “You know why I’m here, don’t you?”

He laughed. “I don’t, believe it or not.”

A few soldiers and villagers were hovering around. Their presence was unsettling, it gave me the impression we were being watched. Descendants and neku regarding each other as casually as this likely rose suspicion.

“The golden-eyed descendant,” I said, “I know you met him. He...may have saved my life.”

Gage’s head tilted as he looked at me. Rosco moved closer.

“So the dreams he spoke of were true: You are the one he’s healed.”

“Then he’s told you of me as well?” Rosco looked away from me and gave a nod. When I turned in the direction he was facing, I could see a woman frowning before averting her gaze.

“Are these allies of yours standing nearby?”

“I could say the same about those armored knuckleheads that follow you.”

I nodded. “Believe me, I didn’t seek their security. I come to you for a favor.” There was a crowd of five soldiers dispersing about, being careful not to be too far from the other. They were readying themselves to charge if the situation called for it. I needed to be brief.

“Please know I don’t seek to harm the descendant who restored me. I have no reason for that. If I’m honest, I’m not sure what I hope to gain from meeting him, but I...”

He gave a smile. “There have been others like you before, once upon a time.”

“Hmm?’”

While facing the soldiers behind me, he spoke low. “You’re not the only neku to have been restored by a descendant, and you won’t be the last. If you promise to protect him, I’ll tell you where they’ve gone next.”

It was a bizarre request. Why would he ask that of me? Has he forgotten the blood that is on the descendant’s hand? These soldiers wouldn’t surround us if they believed descendants were worthy of trust. Then again, I started to question the motive of the Royal Soldiers circling us: was their goal to watch the descendants, or watch me? Deko always saw me as his reckless child. What does he expect, coming from his seed?

“You have my word, Rosco. The golden-eyed descendant will have nothing to fear, and neither do you.”

He nodded subtly. “Thank you, Xandra.”

In a cave in Kyro...

There was heightened excitement in the room with eyes marveling at me. I heard someone humming. Lanterns with green flames flickered on the walls in this cavernous space. Advancing my way was an older elementalist with his cane, shaking with rage and moving quicker than expected. Diego positioned himself in front of me blocking his path.

“We’ve brought in a traitor!?” The elementalist spat, pointing his cane my way. “We'll kill him where he stands! We will not harbor those who impede us!”

“I helped you save a sympathizer of the Royal Soldiers?” the female warrior asked Diego incredulously.

“Barken is not a traitor!” Diego shouted. He turned to me. “He wouldn’t try to hurt any of you.”

The elementalist said, “Then what is this about Princess Xandra? What descendant in the right mind would engage in dealings with her!?”

“I-I don’t-”

Everyone seemed upset and animated. Though I was the topic of discussion, my mind had been racing and I felt so giddy. What a rush!

“Settle down, everyone!” An old clairsentient with mauve skin beside me hollered. The elementalist muttered under his breath, his thick mustache shifting with his moving lips. “I didn’t intend to imply that his connection with the Princess was impure. I would’ve found out that much while restoring him...”

“Is there another explanation for this, Elder Kalo?” the female warrior asked.

“...It seems he's been coerced into healing a neku, the Princess of Deko at that.” Kalo’s arctic blue eyes fell on me. He had a larger build than other clairsentients I’ve known. “My healing of you should’ve cleared up your memories. They might be...hard to look back on.”

I watched him speak but seemed to be in a daze. So he was my healer. I’ve never felt so amazing, this must’ve been a powerful clairsentient! I had so many questions.

“Why couldn’t I remember what happened to me in the first place?” I asked. “I didn’t remember healing the Princess or any aspects of my kidnapping before you healed me.”

The old clairsentient put his hands behind his back. “Based on what I’ve seen, the one responsible for your amnesia is the descendant with the red aura from your visions, the one who brought you to the Royal Soldiers. He’s what we’d call a destabilized clairsentient. ”

“A destabilized clairsentient?”

“Indeed. When a clairsentient loses faith and is unable to fulfill their duties for those around them, their abilities are lost not unlike a warrior without their weapon or an elementalist without nature. Their power begins to work in opposition to their intended purpose. While healthy clairsentients uplift the tired and exhausted, destabilized clairsentients enervate whomever they touch. Clairsentients provide meaning to one’s memories, the destabilized seal them. This isn’t a new phenomenon, neku just happened to be taking advantage of these types of descendants.”

“Destabilized?” Diego said the word as though still processing it. “If what you’re describing is what happens to troubled clairsentients, then how do you explain what happened to Barken?”

Kalo rose an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Barken told me before he went into crisis that his abilities were gone. But you all saw it! The way that Barken fought those soldiers out there, it was unbelievable! He hasn’t lost anything. Are you telling me a sick, destabilized clairsentient, or whatever you call it is capable of doing that?!”

Wait, I was fighting with the neku during my crisis?? How? What was Diego talking about?! At the opposite end of the cave, I heard a knocking sound from above. The female warrior and the elementalist excused themselves to respond.

“Oh?” The clairsentient folded his arms and started lightly swaying. It occurred to me that he was following the melody of the singing descendant. “There’s a difference between a temporary loss of control such as Barken’s crisis and a destabilized state. Crises are a normal response for descendants overwhelmed by the emotions stirred within them. Coming out of one is simple, clairsentients restore descendants in crises all the time.

“Destabilization is long term and looks quite different. You still have some control. Judging by his memories, Barken was attacked by a destabilized clairsentient of sound mind who was not only able to subdue him by touch, but also seal away memories of his kidnapping. Meanwhile, Barken hasn’t performed any of those abilities and I’m willing to bet he’s incapable of it. His loss of abilities before his crisis is a cause for concern, but isn’t a result of him destabilizing; He's confused over his purpose.”

Diego looked at me. “...That’s what he was saying before his eyes turned blank.”

Kalo cleared his throat. “Well, I don’t know how to say this but…seeing his dead brethren coupled with the conflict he has over how he wants to help his people has undoubtedly set Barken off. But if a clairsentient only has himself for support, he’s doomed to fail.”

Diego frowned. At the other end of the cavern, the elementalist was making way for the female warrior and a male warrior carrying a dead beast on their shoulders. I could see the elementalist fussing with the male warrior, who looked to have found the old descendant enduring. Pauline shrunk from embarrassment. They laid the beast out on the floor next to a black and white fur rug, a metal table covered with materials sat nearby.

Admittedly, Diego’s approach to dealing with the neku and the Royal Soldiers wasn’t in tandem to my own, making working together a challenge. I couldn’t blame him for his feelings, but I also couldn’t help having performed a healing ceremony on a neku against my will. All clairsentients form empathy for the ones they heal, and I imagined Diego must find it difficult to accept this change in me.

“Barken hasn’t been on his own. I’ve been by his side the entire time!”

“And that makes a difference. But if you and your partner are not in-sync and you’re the only one he can count on, that causes undue stress for you both. You two ought to get on the same page with each other before heading out. You won’t survive if you can’t work together.”

Diego was visibly frustrated wrapping his head around this. “Are you saying that Barken went into a crisis...because I haven’t been a good enough partner to him?”

The old clairsentient said nothing. Diego faced the floor, avoiding eye contact. His body deflated dramatically. “Could I have a moment, please?” Kalo gestured to the near end of the tunnel and Diego left us abruptly, moving passed the old elementalist with his head down. The flickering green light of the lanterns illuminated his skin. Diego…

I said, “Diego said something about me attacking Royal Soldiers and that you all were witnessed to it.” The female warrior and the elementalist had rejoined the conversation, and it looked as if the male warrior had likely exited.

“You were spectacular!” The female warrior said, her face appearing bright. “I’ve seen Elder Kalo and Elder Rayne in action, but that was extraordinary! I can only imagine how you must fight when you’re of sound mind. I am Pauline, and my uncle Yowson and I were the ones who aided you and your other.”

Yowson the elementalist nodded in confirmation. “You’re one crazy descendant to be going out there alone. Those neku could've dragged the floor with you!”

I nodded. “Admittedly, I don’t know how I could’ve taken them on. How was I able to survive let alone hold my own fighting several soldiers at once? I don’t know how to engage in combat. ”

Yowson and Pauline looked at each other and shrugged in unison. Like uncle like niece I suppose.

Kalo asked, “Did you say you lack any combat abilities?”

“Well, yes. Aren’t all clairsentients absent of the ability to fight? ”

Yowson laughed. “Ha! You and the one you travel with haven’t been out of Deko occupied territory for long, have you? Where do you come from, boy?”

“Orion.”

Kalo nodded in understanding. “Orion huh? You all are located not too far from Deko’s stronghold. In case you haven’t been welcomed yet, you’ve both found yourselves in the city of Kyro, what was once the heart of Deko resistance.”

He folded his hands behind his back again and started pacing around slowly. Yowson gave a menacing look toward Kalo but said nothing. The cave started shaking. I nearly flew off the cot knowing full well that I had no idea where to go, but Kalo put his hand on my shoulder and settled me. Pauline gripped her sword tighter, staring viciously at the ceiling.

“We won’t be able to remain here for long,” she said, though didn’t elaborate. Her face softened when she saw her uncle who, while upset, appeared more nervous than anything else.

It was true that Orion was located near the Royal Soldiers’ main base, and allegedly Deko resided within it. It was hidden behind tall, snow-covered mountains, armored soldiers and ships surrounding it in its entirety. We in Orion knew the amount of neku in that base far exceeded our numbers, and if they chose, could wipe us out entirely. It happened once before, the ruins and abandoned bases throughout our commune were haunting proof.

“Barken, you’ve likely been taught by your Elders that clairsentients should be obedient, pacifistic when confronted with injustice and even violence. While not misguided, it comes from a place of self-preservation when so many of us have passed on. I come from Tygrus and am familiar with this teaching. This leads clairsentients to often suppress our ability to fight back. Your crisis demonstrated that well. You may have performed the abilities Diego, Yowson, and Pauline describe when in an unconscious state, but in actuality, you were performing ancient abilities that are within you and every other clairsentient! To unlock them, you must unlearn the idea that clairsentients are innately pacifist.”

My eyes widened. This was contrary to anything I’ve ever been told. Clairsentients engaging in battle, fighting. How? I couldn’t fathom further breaking my vow of nonviolence that I made with Elder Ramon and Bebe. Reminded of how much blood I’ve shed so far, I mulled over Diego’s words to me: needing to kill to live.

Kalo sensed my trepidation. “Let me share something with you. Pauline, Yowson, it's best you eat while there’s some calm. Rayne, that goes for you too!”

Rayne must be the one other descendant in this cave. I hadn’t seen her despite her voice filling the space with song. She’s yet to make an appearance, but I suspect she’s been listening to our conversation this entire time.

Kalo led me to the metal table while Yowson and Pauline settled down on the rug, their beast laid out on the dirt floor. Kyro was as dangerous as we were told, and I wondered how Kalo and the others fed themselves in these circumstances. It seemed the male warrior who procured the beast assists them with that matter. Diego was hanging out near what I assumed to be the entrance of the cave not paying mind to the beast. He appeared to be pondering something.

Kalo gestured for me to sit. “As I was saying, places like Orion and Tygrus have been successful in keeping clairsentients in the dark regarding the full extent of their abilities. It was only when I escaped out of Tygrus that I learned of them myself.”

I asked, “What led you to flee?”

He sighed. “Clairsentients were being captured. They were taken for the same reason you were, coerced into using their healing on a neku. I didn’t understand that at the time, no one believed us clairsentients could heal neku. Many of us still don’t. To acknowledge it would indicate something that would be very frightening to descendants.”

“...Being blood-related to neku?”

“Exactly. But this scheme of the Royal Soldiers had a severe flaw. The Royal Soldiers came to realize the clairsentients that healed them did more than restore their bodies; they converted them. Dissent was forming within the Royal Soldiers, the growing group of healed neku being opposed to their dominance of descendants. They started developing empathy for us, an aspect of our healing the neku didn’t calculate. The Royal Soldiers believed the clairsentients had been manipulating these neku, tricking them into having this change of heart. This would lead to their conclusion that the only way to convert this growing breed of dissenters back was to get rid of the clairsentients that healed them.

“My brother and sisters were dying, and the denial our people had concerning this scheme only worsened matters. I theorize that captured clairsentients couldn’t relay what had happened to them due to many factors: the role of destabilized clairsentients, hydrocline, or even the mere trauma of the situation affected their memories. Some of us suspected captured clairsentients were traitors for having healed a neku!”

This provided some clarity for why Diego responded the way he did after I met with Madam Callista. If descendants deny our ancestral connection to neku, they can only assume that clairsentients who heal them must be tainted somehow.

“Tygrus was ill-prepared to defend itself from the Royal Soldiers’ plot. I fled because I believed that was the only way of surviving the massacre. I escaped and was branded as a fugitive never able to return. I was incensed! Weren't you? We’re forced from homes made unlivable, then chased down for our insolence. No one should live this way! I needed a way to fight back. That’s when I met Rayne, my wife.”

Kalo gestured near the rug. I finally found the source of the singing. An older descendant with mauve skin and silver hair that fell down her back sat cross-legged on the floor, an aura the color of sky blue emanating from her and touching those around her. It almost had the same hue as Kalo’s eye. She was in her own world humming there, but her presence had been a source of calm for Yowson and Pauline who seemed to finally relax.

“Rayne had been captured by the neku in Kyro. I found her wandering around the Forest of Illusion. I held her hand in hopes of understanding what ailed her, maybe restore her. A destabilized clairsentient did quite the number on her as ordered by a neku, throwing her into crisis and sealing away a large portion of her memories that haven’t been recovered. From her, I’d discover the neku’s plot, and that solidified my decision to join the people of Kyro to finally avenge my fallen sisters and brothers. Kyro was the only territory at the time that engaged in a full revolt against Deko.”

Our attention was brought back to Rayne. She had a grin on her face as she placed a hand on Yowson’s shoulder, nodding her head. Yowson understood the gesture, smirking devilishly. He picked himself up from the floor and aimed his cane at one of the lanterns on the wall. Its flames started to react more violently, growing larger. Yowson swung his cane toward Rayne, with green flames from the lantern shooting her way. I gasped. Diego was removed from his trance, and I could see the green flames flicker in his eyes. With the ball of fire at her reach, she spun to the side with one hand stretched out, barely touching the flame as it shot passed her. The trail of flames led to the floor, scorching the earth beneath it and dissolving in smoke.

I didn’t realize at the time what she had done. Then, I saw her hand glowing. Sky blue rays pulsated from it. She lifted her hand and those rays transformed into a bright sphere cupped in her palms.

“What you just witnessed was absorption, a clairsentient ability,” Kalo explained. “Clairsentients are capable of harnessing the energy of an attack by touching it, or striking perpendicular to your attacker if it’s a close-range attack. Right now, Rayne is carrying in her hand a manifestation of those flames that attacked her, turned into a sky blue ball of luminous light.”

Rayne’s cupped hands changed to an open palm. The sky blue sphere’s glow appeared all around us, aimed right at my chest.

“After absorbing an attack,” he continued, “we can now strike back with the same force. It’s called a counter, another clairsentient ability.”

Rayne’s ball of energy fluttered, looking ready to dislodge. I waved my hands yelling, “Wait, wait, don’t-”

“Barken, hold out both of your hands!” Kalo ordered.

This was unbelievable. I had no idea what I was doing! The sphere of energy shot out towards me, and I held my hands out as instructed, bracing for whatever came. It caught in my palms and I felt myself getting pushed back, with Kalo’s hands on my back to balance me. It singed my palms!

“Try to grasp it, Barken, like you’re healing a descendant!”

“It hurts!”

“It’s supposed to when you first start! Focus on it, feel it out. It’ll become easier to hone.”

The burning was intense, as though I truly held fire in my hands. I did the best I could, and the energy ceased being as reactive. As I held it, the sky blue glow changed into marigold. The energy was becoming my own and I felt great strength being pooled into my palms. Eventually, the reactive energy absorbed into my hands, pulsating now with marigold rays. Diego and Pauline looked at me with awe. Yowson had a triumphant smirk. It was then I heard soft laughter coming from Elder Rayne.

“Well youngin ', isn't it about time you’ve made use of the power you hold?”

Yowson, Kalo, and Rayne worked on my absorption and counter for some time. Kalo left me a notebook to read before joining in the meal, its contents filled with writings from other clairsentients containing spells I could make use of. Pauline’s laughter filled the space as she poked fun at her uncle’s clumsiness, him having fallen over while they patrolled the city long before I knocked him down while I was in crisis. Yowson ordered his niece to cease her storytelling, obviously blushing. Kalo talked of his time with Rayne in the Forest of Illusion where he fell in love with her, making everyone near him listless. Rayne remarked on her disappointment of not having children while Kalo and her were young, Pauline and Yowson visibly showing their discomfort. Kalo and Yowson argued over mundane topics, with Rayne insisting that the two were showing their ages and needed a nap. The quartet appeared to make do with their situation, finding some normality in their extreme situation. Watching them calmed my spirit. It was about time I checked in with Diego.

Diego hadn’t partaken in the meal quite yet. He was still immersed in his thoughts as he paced the cavern. So distracted, he didn’t notice me as I walked up to him.

“Want to talk?” I held his hand and brought him to the cot I found myself on when I regained consciousness. I caressed the back of his hand.

He sighed, then asked, “Have I been a bad partner to you, Barken?”

“Of course not!” I said. “I’m sorry that I worried you. I’ve never been in a crisis like that before.”

“I know…”

He still seemed downtrodden. I knew Diego cared for me, him coming this far was proof enough. We have the same goal of finding safety outside of Deko territory, but the process of getting there has thrown us into conflict. Hopefully, an acceptance of our differences may ease the tension.

“Did you overhear my conversation with Elder Kalo?”

“I did, most of it. I’m sorry I didn’t take heed to your words before. Now I realize how vital it is for me to understand what’s been happening to you if we’re to survive.”

His words brought me great relief. There was no better feeling than having Diego on my side.

His face became serious. “Barken, after what you’ve heard, are you prepared to engage descendants, even neku on this matter concerning our ancestral ties?”

“Of course! There’s no better time to create an understanding between the two races.”

He had a harsh look to him, as though trying his damndest to understand. “...And you honestly feel you could accomplish this?”

“I hope to.” He nodded concerningly. “Diego, we’ve heard from Elder Kalo how allies existed within the Royal Soldiers thanks to the sacrifices of clairsentients like me. And based on my memories, I’ve healed one of the most powerful influencers of the Royal Soldiers’ Deko’s daughter herself! This is amazing! We won’t know her true motives until we meet, but I believe that if we can sway her to be on our side, showing her that the two races were once one, we can change the destiny of every descendant under Deko. We might even prevent more needless war! It’s a tantamount task, and I don’t expect to change everyone’s view, but if I can prevent any more unnecessary deaths...”

“I see.” The tension from his body seemed to deflate. I felt that I’d finally gotten through to him, that my objective sounded reasonable and attainable. “Changing the minds of your enemies won’t occur so simply, and will require going against those who won’t want to hear from you. With your new combat abilities, are you willing to fight possibly to death if it comes down to it?”

I squeezed his hand tighter. “I do. I can’t promise that I’m fully prepared to take another life...but it’s clear to me my pacifism won’t save us. I’ll try, Diego.”

He kissed my forehead and I nestled my head into his chest, feeling his heartbeat. “And I’ll do better supporting you.”

The dwellers’ chatter and laughter echoed through the cavern. The ground shook intermittently, usually mild enough that no one seemed to pay it much mind. However, a strong quake would disturb the cave, with the lanterns on the wall rattling and the materials on the metal table bouncing. Diego’s arm squeezed me as our eyes looked to the ceiling. The dwellers hesitantly rose to their feet, once they noticed the shaking wouldn’t stop.

“The fighting is getting closer,” said Kalo, his expression dour.

Pauline said, “The Deko soldiers aren’t too far now. If we remain here...” Pauline’s voice trailed off as her eyes went to Yowson, who appeared visibly distraught. “Uncle.”

He nodded his head wildly, “We mustn't retreat! We can fight them off! We’ve stood our ground for so long, we can’t-”

Kalo came over to Yowson. “Think of the danger we put ourselves in if we remained here. If we can’t assure that all of us will remain alive standing at this post, then we need to-”

“Don’t say it!” Yowson screamed. Diego and I rose from the cot. Kalo and Pauline were frowning at Yowson, showing pity towards the old elementalist. Rayne came to Yowson’s side, putting a hand on his shoulder. He seemed to somewhat soften from her touch. “No, Rayne. This is our home.” When his eyes returned to Kalo, their fire returned. “You’ve been telling us the same thing for months. It’s easy for you to determine that we abandon this land when it’s not your home that’s at stake. But, Kyro is the only home I’ve ever known! I won’t desert it like this, I won’t!”

POW POW POW POW!!! CRASH!

I was quickly yanked from my spot as I heard crashing all around me. As though instantaneously, the roof of the cave started to collapse. Large boulders and rocks fell throughout the cavern, smothering everything within it. The lanterns on the wall were going out, throwing us all into darkness. Diego managed to assure our safety, preventing us from getting caught underneath the fallen debris. In pitch black, I felt his arms around me breathing heavily.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine. But the others…”

I could hear rocks continuing to tumble down into the cavern. The sound of water from above was cascading off the rubble pouring itself onto Diego and I, its contents mixed with pebbles and dirt. We couldn’t hear the dwellers and the air grew increasingly thinner.

“We’ll need to get ourselves out of here first.”

We felt around in hopes there was some opening we could discover. The debris was slick and grainy. A light, though pale, appeared above and Diego and I struggled to climb ourselves toward it and out of the fallen cavern. Eventually, we could hear commotion happening above us. Pauline was yelling out. The sound of a sword on scepter colliding. The cave continued to rumble as we tried ascending, holding one another up on the damp, slippery rocks. Reaching the opening, we were confronted with a full-on assault by the Royal Soldiers.

It must’ve been an ambush. The soldiers had discovered the dwellers’ base and attempted to extinguish us with the cave-in. Fortunately, the male warrior from earlier along with other descendants had come to our rescue, fending off the blood-seekers.

As Diego and I crawled out, one Royal Soldier approached us and slashed their scepter at Diego. Diego managed to roll away from it, lifting himself and readying his daggers.

“Come and get me,” he challenged them.

The Royal Soldier shot a beam. He got out of its trajectory, ran towards them, and sliced at their leg. She groaned in pain, forced to kneel to the floor. Diego then did a jump kick to her head, throwing her onto the floor where she laid unconscious. As he landed, a soldier struck him with their scepter, flinging him to the ground.

“No!” I sped over to aid him but was intercepted by another soldier blocking my path. All around me was mayhem. I had seen an injured Yowson bleeding from his head while Kalo tried assisting him. A soldier struck down at the men, but Kalo caught and reflected the attack with the healing ceremony shield. When Yowson was fully restored, a soldier shot at the two men. Yowson formed a wall made of rock to create a barrier, and the beam shattered it entirely. Chunks of rock and dust flew out in different directions choking the two descendants. Pauline was alongside the male warrior from earlier fending off multiple soldiers that surrounded them. At some point, the male warrior was hit in the head, and his face smashed into the ground. Pauline was caught off guard by this, and a soldier swung its scepter into her back. She crashed onto the dirt and cried out in agony.

Rayne handled herself as best she could. When a soldier nearly struck her, she mimicked the gesture to form a counter. She shot out the counter like an uppercut, throwing the soldier onto the ground. A beam from a scepter blasted her way, and she stopped it with her palms. It pushed her back some, but she held it long enough for it to change into her hue. She absorbed it, and when she saw Pauline and the male warrior down, she shot the beam towards the soldier that stood above them. The soldier took its scepter and struck the beam away, firing it into a random direction where it exploded in the distance.

The soldier keeping me from reaching Diego charged at me with their scepter. I was scrambling away from his strikes, fear taking over me. It was easy to perform my new abilities in a controlled environment, but doing so in combat proved difficult when I had no time to even think. Suddenly, the soldier slashed at my side.

Searing pain took over me as I was brought to the ground. I tried breathing through it, looking around at all that was happening. Soldiers surrounded Pauline and the male warrior, and I could see their bodies jerking on the ground as the soldiers continued their relentless attack. Yowson and Kalo continued resisting a couple of soldiers that came for them, with Yowson forming boulders from the earth and flinging them their way. It hardly slowed them down as they used the beams in their scepters to destroy them. I tried finding Diego and saw him lifted in the air by one of the neku. The soldier threw a direct punch into his face, slamming him into the ground. They could kill him... we’ll all be killed!

“AHH!”

I screamed, feeling my legs crushed. That’s when I saw the soldier standing above me. “This is it, descendant,” he said, his scepter aimed at me like a javelin. All was looking grim.

The soldier lunged its scepter at me, and my hands came up at that same moment. I managed to wriggle away from its trajectory, the scepter stabbing itself into the ground. When I noticed my hands, I found they were glowing. I absorbed his attack. The soldier pulled out the scepter to attack again, and I pooled the energy from his attack into my hand. I shot a counter into the soldier’s face, the blast of energy lifting the soldier off his feet. He landed hard onto the ground, unmoving.

“Come on, youngin!’” I found Rayne at my side and she grabbed my hand to lift me. Her sky blue aura flowed into me, healing me quickly. “Let’s get em!’ I’ll go to Pauline and Jet, you save your other. Kalo and Yowson can handle themselves for now.” We split directions, and I wondered how she planned to fight so many soldiers on her own. I didn’t have time to think, the soldier attacking Diego had revealed its claws looking ready to lance him. I ran quickly, and the soldier took notice. He retracted his claws and grabbed his scepter quickly, shooting a beam my way. I froze, I had no time to dodge it! I heard Kalo’s voice in my head, “Hold out your palms, Barken!” I lifted my hands towards the beam expecting the worst. The blast was incredible as it shot right into my hands. My feet slid back in the dirt, and my palms were searing as I tried to take hold of it. I shut my eyes, trying to concentrate, and when I no longer fell back, I opened my eyes to a ball of my marigold energy. The soldier paid no mind to me, directing himself back to Diego. Once I could absorb the beam, I charged toward him. I wouldn’t let him hurt Diego any longer!

The soldier held his limp body up and found me rushing toward him. He grabbed his scepter a second time, and I formed the counter quickly in my palms. Once I was in close range, the soldier’s scepter pulled back and ready to strike, I shot out the counter at point-blank range. Diego fell to the ground, and the soldier’s body was engulfed in my marigold glow blast. As the light faded, only the soldier’s legs and part of its torso remained.

My head throbbed. I took in the shock of what I’d done, to be capable of this kind of power, and to cause this kind of harm. I killed another...

“Barken...” Diego said my name weakly. I came to his side and restored him, able to recuperate during our brief moment away from the soldiers. Rayne advanced toward the soldiers attacking Pauline and the warrior named Jet, not a glimpse of fear on her face. A soldier attempted to impale her with her scepter, but was countered and taken out of commission.

“I know you’re scared. But we’re going to get out of this.” My hands shook while I healed Diego, my fatal attack playing in my head.

“Kill this old hag!” a soldier screamed out. Four of them separated themselves from Pauline and Jet, charging toward Rayne. How will she handle them all? One soldier disposed of his scepter and attacked her with his nails. As I found out on my own, I knew our healing shields didn’t work on their deadly nails. Is our counter affected as well?

The heavy armor the neku wore slowed their movements, allowing Rayne to get herself out of harm’s way. Then another attacked her with their nails as well. She was beginning to look overwhelmed.

“OHH!”

I inhaled sharply. Rayne groaned in pain while her hand reached for her left arm. Blood seeped through her hands and fell down her arms.

I yelled to Diego, “We have to save Rayne!” My healing was done and Diego joined me as we rushed over to Rayne’s aid. Another yelp of pain came from her, and I saw her hand holding her abdomen.

“Rayne!!!” I screamed.

Her death was imminent. Finally, a third soldier in the pack planned to finish her off with a scepter. Then, a faint yellow light began to pulsate from Rayne. That was when I realized Kalo had made an entrance. The scepter caught into his healing shield, and his face was defined by his seething anger.

“You were mistaken going after this woman,” he said. The scepter reflected back at the soldier, breaking through his armor. Once she had fallen, the three other soldiers attacked. Suddenly, a large boulder slammed into one of them. It hurled her for a distance before crushing her under its weight. I could see Yowson approaching the two with his cane. Kalo removed his hand from Rayne, who looked to have been restored. Both of their hands were glowing with their aura, Rayne’s sky blue and Kalo’s lemon yellow. The two remaining soldiers came for them, and Kalo and Rayne stuck out their hands, forming a counter the size of the boulder Yowson had thrown. Readying their scepters to strike, the two clairsentients flung their counters to the left and right of the soldiers. They didn’t see it coming as the large spheres collided with the soldiers stuck in between, creating a large explosion that destroyed them where they stood. Once Diego, Yowson, and I could join Rayne and Kalo, we moved together to take care of the last remaining soldiers that surrounded Pauline and Jet. Without warning, two young descendant children appeared, running towards the two warriors.

“Stop hurting them!” they screamed.

“Run!” Rayne yelled out in panic. “You’ll both be killed! Someone stop them!!”

Everyone was immersed in battle, or had fallen during. Bodies laid out on the damp ground. The rain started to cease. Night must’ve been approaching as the sun was covered by dark clouds.

Yowson expressed no fear as he advanced the soldiers. Two moved away from Pauline and Jet, rushing toward us. Yowson put his hands to the ground, rumbling the earth beneath him, and as the soldiers came on top of him, two stalagmites shot out and impaled the two soldiers.

The four remaining soldiers surrounding Jet and Pauline eyed us with trepidation. Then, the voices of the children took away their attention.

“Leave em’ alone!” they yelled.

“Young ones, fall back!” Kalo warned them. Our pleas were ignored. A soldier from the group lifted its scepter, ready to form a beam. Our cries became frantic as we urged the young ones to escape. Then unexpectedly, a soldier stood in the middle of the attacking neku and the children.

“Stop it, Talor, they’re just kids!” yelled out the soldier. The five of us were shocked by his gall and wondered if we heard him right. It was the first time I’d seen genuine fear from a neku, horrified from observing by the actions of his brethren. “This-this is a massacre. We’re killing innocent beings, this is madness!” Even the children, surprised by the Royal Soldier’s intrusion, finally stopped in their tracks. The soldier who dared attack them marched over.

“It makes no difference,” he replied, “their children will grow and seek to kill us. We finish them off now, they won’t be a problem later. You wish to protect the offspring of a lesser race, defy Deko?!”

The soldier who stood in front of the children seemed torn by his disobedience, unsure of what he was doing. He managed to stall the assault on Pauline and Jet, allowing the five of us to move in. One in the group shot a beam toward us. Kalo absorbed it, and Diego advanced with breakneck speed toward the attacker. His dagger cut through the soldier’s neck, and another tried to attack him. Before they could, a boulder slammed into them. I could finally see Pauline and Jet sprawled on the ground motionless. My heart sunk.

“Ugh!”

It was a groan coming from where the children had been. The soldier who defended them had a nail impaled through him, sticking through his abdomen. Blood came from his mouth, his eyes still showing his shock.

“Death is the price for mutiny,” said the soldier who attacked him. “Feel good saving these cockroaches now?”

A soldier who attacked Pauline and Jet swung at me with their scepter. I motioned toward them, absorbing the counter, and shot at them through the chest. A final soldier remained, and when it pulled their scepter back to strike Diego, Kalo shot a counter at them. The counter pushed the soldier back, fracturing the armor, and Diego used his daggers to pierce into the opening, right into the soldier’s abdomen.

“Pauline!!!!” Yowson crouched down over his niece, holding her head towards him. “Kalo-!”

“I’m here.” Kalo pressed his palms into Pauline, but my eyes looked toward the fighting soldiers, one of whom was slumping to the floor. The children backed away from the soldier, his nails dripping of his comrade’s blood. He wasted no time coming towards the children. But, a sky blue blast would shatter the soldier’s armor from the back and finish him off. Rayne shot her counter from some distance away, probably to avoid harming the children.

The quiet was torture. Descendants were regrouping, checking on who was injured, and who had been killed. Pauline had taken a great beating. Miraculously, Kalo’s healing restored her to new, and she woke up in her uncle’s arms.

“Uncle,” she said weakly.

“My girl, my girl!” Yowson cheered, tears running down his face. He kissed and held her, his most honest showing of joy since we met him.

Rayne and the two children joined us, and Rayne put her palms onto Jet. The kids huddled toward Pauline.

“Settle down!” Yowson bellowed. “She doesn’t need you crowding on top of her-”

“What’s wrong, Rayne?” asked Kalo.

Each of us looked down at the elderly woman whose aura didn’t shine as bright as usual. Yowson’s scowling toward the children turned into a neutral expression. Pauline’s mouth was agape, her eyes staring at the fallen warrior but her mind elsewhere. The children fell silent. I moved closer to Diego. Rayne’s aura faded, and she looked toward Kalo with despair in her eyes.

“He’s dead?” Diego asked.

The children looked down at Jet, their eyes swelling with tears. One fell to his knees, sobbing in the dirt, and the other covered her face. Pauline remained motionless on her uncle’s lap, transfixed by the moment.

“It...it couldn’t be,” said Yowson.

As our sorrow took over the moment, a figure in my peripheral vision made sounds of agony. I looked and found it was the soldier who tried to protect the two children. He was face down on the dirt, his fingers raking the dirt beneath him, and I imagined any amount of movement was excruciating. Unexpectedly, I found myself heading his way. The others were presumably preoccupied with Jet. Once halfway there, however, I found myself being tugged by the arm.

“What are you doing?” Diego asked.

“...He saved those children, Diego.”

“And what do you plan on doing about that?” I wasn’t sure at the moment. I seemed to gravitate towards the neku without thinking, almost instinctively like he was one of us. It was true that he was a soldier. Could he have harmed descendants before his change of heart? Killed? There was a way for me to find out, but the risks were mounting. Diego understood where my train of thought was going, and I knew he was terrified by it.

“Barken, here? Now?!”

What other time was there? This would be the proof for all to see.

I stepped and crouched toward the fallen soldier. He held in the sounds he wanted to make, his flesh having been skewered by someone he once called brother. And now his life nears its end. Diego looked down on me with wide eyes, trembling, trying to keep himself from wanting to pry me away from the soldier. The dwellers of the cave would look around for us, and when finding where we were, expressed looks of confusion. Rayne and Kalo had seemingly been the only ones to understand what I aimed to do.

“You gave up your life for those children,” I said to the soldier. “Why?”

The soldier sucked his teeth, bracing to speak. “...How could I not?”

His breathing was labored, trying to crane his head in a way to breathe a little better. I couldn’t stand watching him suffer anymore. My palms were glowing. Finally, I’ll know what it feels and looks like to heal a neku without coercion.

“Barken-”

And my marigold glow flowed from me to the soldier.