Renegade Rupture (51 page)

Gisbo went to open his mouth, but found he couldn’t.

“It’s all right if you cannot speak. Does this not sound familiar?” Drakearon asked. Gisbo’s mind went black, and before his mind’s eye stood the fiery blue phoenix, speaking in the same voice as Drakearon.

“I told you back then to make friends, to make allies, everlasting bonds that you can trust. Now, why would I do that? Why would I tell you, a loner, to go against your nature and make friends? It’s simple. I don’t want to fight with you as I did your grandfather. I want to use your power, not kill it off.

“But for that to happen, you must be broken. You must feel a pain so severe that you will come to me, and beg, to be rid of it. Hence my weapon, a dual-bladed sword. When I strike and it connects, it leaves two wounds side by side. When you try to stitch up one wound, it rips open the other, and eventually your life, bleeds out. Everything in your life has led to this moment, Gisbo. You have become my weapon. Your pain has given you power enough to kill your own Renegade brothers and sisters with little to no effort . . .” Drakearon said.

Gisbo’s eyes went wide as he surveyed the area with a new outlook, seeing black Drakeness blots and claw marks, and a horrible realization came over him.

“Yes, Gisbo. You finally understand. This massacre? This slaughter? You did this, all of it, and it only hurts because of all the bonds I had you make. Killing your friends with your own hands, by my control, was the first wound, the first slice of my blade. The second? It’s still coming, and when it hits, you will be mine . . . and best of all, you will come to me of your own free will.”

Drakearon then lifted his arms high into the air and closed his eyes.

“The portal, it’s now fully open. Witness, the power of a God!” Drakearon said.

Suddenly, there was a fierce rumble across the ground. The portal, the height of it, shot upward into the heavens, and like an infinite mouth, it overlapped into their world, swallowing the sun, the sky, and mixing the Reath’s red sky, with Thera’s blue sky, changing it to a dark, dark purple. The two worlds became one and the sun, was no more, leaving the world in darkness.

The only thing glowing, was Drakearon as he let his hands fall, smiling and satisfied with his work.

"“Fall as One, to Rise as One. Die as One, to live as One. One as all, all as One, for Deity Drakearon, my stars, my moon, my sun. I welcome you all, to your new world. I am the only light now, the only light you need. The world now has but one choice. Join with me, or die in the darkness!”

Chapter Thirty Six:
Code Risinyu

Gisbo fell to the ground, catatonic. His mind barely comprehended reality as the echoes and screams of his Renegade friends dying by his own hands ripped and tore at his mind.

“If you can still hear me, remember this. I’m not the villain here, and neither are you. Neither of us is guilty because guilt is not real. Guilt is only taught. The true villain . . . is free will. That is the source of all of this pain. Free will allows you to love and be loved, and once love enters the equation, so does pain. For peace to exist, free will must be eliminated. Your Renegades will fight, just as they did the last time, and again, I will grant them peace by ending their lives,”

“I know you have paused your men, Narroway, waiting for an opening, but I assure you, there is none. I have no weakness, and I do not blame you trying. Your free will, your pride, it is still corrupting you. Worry not, I have your salvation right behind me,” Drakeron said.

As if sensing an order, a legion of countless black Drakeknights and Drakelings marched over the Reath hillside and down it. Drakearon held up a hand, stalling them for an instant before they crossed the threshold.

Narroway, speechless, looked across the black sea of glinting white teeth and eyes that were once fellow humans, now twisted and lost to the Drakeness, and holding the black ocean back, with one raised hand, was Drakearon and ahead of the army, was a lone man, ready to lead the charge.

The Shininja Traitor Lokin.

Gisbo, still upon the ground, eyes staring off into nothing in deep shock, started shaking. His eyes rolled back and his breath sounded choked as a mix of a seizure and panic attack enveloped him.

“Gisbo! Gisbo! Oh, please, please snap out of it! I’m here, Gisbo, I’m here, I’m right here!” Kennis said, holding him close, tears streaming down his face.

“And for that salvation to come, I must now embrace my other half.” Drakearon said as he raised his other hand and turned his mask, taking on the appearance of a horrible, terrifying monster. Drakearon spoke again, but his soft, charismatic presence was gone, replaced by the deep voice of a mad man.

“Kill them, kill them all!” Drakearon ordered, dropping his hand. The black sea of Drakes poured out of the gateway like a raging river and crashed straight into the remaining Renegades.

Drakearon walked toward Gisbo with a deep, mad chuckle, igniting his blade and activating only a portion of his Flarian essence.

“Gisbo . . . Gisbo . . . Gisbo . . . the final wound awaits you,” Drakearon said. Suddenly, a blue essence charged whip lashed out and around Drakearon’s arm, stalling him and sending up steam as water mixed with fire.

“Get the hell away from him,” Kennis Flora said, her long hair snapping all about from her released power as she stood in front of Gisbo, protecting him. Drakearon stopped where he was and pushed out his power further, causing Kennis to wince. She held her ground, rising up a forearm over her stinging eyes.

“Neither of you understand . . .” Drakearon said. He unleashed a quick pulse of burning fire toward her, just enough to disintegrate her whip and toss her back, but Kennis only rolled and got back to her feet. Tenacity flowing through her, she pushed forward with her Aquarian energy, and kept Drakearon’s raging fire at bay.

“How entertaining! Let’s see just how far your love will take you . . .” Drakearon said. He raised a finger and shot a concentrated blast of fire, shattering her Aquarian energy shield and sending her to the ground again, bouncing the back of her head on the granite.

With a cry of pain, Kennis got back up, the back of her head soaked with blood. Whatever haunted Gisbo’s mind took a back seat upon seeing the crimson in Kennis’ hair.

He understood what the second wound was.

“KENNIS! MOVE! RUN AWAY!” Gisbo screamed, trying to move forward as a crippling pulse of pain flooded his body. Gisbo gritted his teeth, biting his tongue in the process, as he planted each elbow. Slamming them down one in front of the other, he dragged himself through the firestorm. Drakearon relaxed his power.

“Are you not a man? Save her. If I am the villain, stop me,” Drakearon taunted. He fired a host of tiny, explosive fire shots at Kennis, each one landing a hit as they struck her legs, her shoulders, and across her stomach. Her every scream shot through and pierced Gisbo’s heart. It was the only thing allowing him to move forward.

“BASTARD!” Gisbo screamed, tears stinging the corners of his eyes as he dragged himself along.

“She’s giving it her all. All for you,” Drakearon said as he reached out with a fire lasso, catching her and dragging him to her. With one arm, he held her barely conscious form up.

Gisbo’s eyes went wide as he froze.

“One last chance. Get up, save her . . . prove me wrong. Prove all of what I said wrong. Pray to your Phoenix to give you the power, like he did the last time,” Drakearon said.

“I, please, please, IAM, Phoenix! Please! Fill me with your power! Please! Anything! PLEASE!” Gisbo cried.

There was no answer.

“Pathetic . . . It’s time,” Drakearon said. He held his sword blade over Kennis’s throat, and Gisbo felt his body pump a final surge of adrenaline, enough to stand, but not enough to run.

Gisbo lumbered forward, each step feeling as if his legs weighed hundreds of pounds, fighting to stay conscious as he passed through the raging fire. With no essence left in his body to defend against the flame, his hair twisted and curled, only to be grown back again and again by the Drakeness. He didn’t notice, didn’t feel it; all he saw were his love’s bright blue eyes, his beacon in the storm, leading him forward.

He made it; he was now within striking distance. Gisbo moved, threw a fist, and struck Drakearon, only to have the strike rebound back at him, felling him again.

“Look into the girl’s eyes for the last time, Gisbo. Have your final say,” Drakearon said. Gisbo didn’t hear him as he rolled onto his stomach and struck at Drakearon’s shins. The power rebounded again.

“Gisbo, Gisbo, stop . . . please . . .” Kennis said. “Listen to me.”

Gisbo stopped, his face on Drakearon’s boot.

“Gisbo, look at me,” Kennis said. Gisbo felt drops hit the top of his head, and he managed to roll on his back and look up. He saw Kennis’s face through hazy vision, her warm tears falling and splashing on his forehead and dripping down his cheeks, adding to his own.

“It wasn’t, it wasn’t supposed to be this way . . . this isn’t how it ends, Kennis! This isn’t, this can’t be how it ends! Fairy tales are real! Dreams come true, happy endings, they exist! Kennis, I . . .”

“Yes, Gisbo, yes they do. You helped show me that. The time I’ve spent with you, the time I . . .” Kennis said.

“Finish it up,” Drakearon snapped.

“Just know, Gisbo, no matter what, know that with everything I am, I love . . .” Kennis was unable to finish her sentence as Drakearon’s blade made its move and slashed her throat to ribbons, and let her fall.

Kennis dropped to her knees, clutching her bleeding throat. With her last remaining strength, she managed to crawl beside him so that they were eye to eye. She reached out, grabbed his hand, and squeezed it tight, she tried to speak, to finish her sentence, to say that she loved him . . .

She opened her mouth, but no words came. A moment later, the sparkle in her blue eyes died, and he felt her hand go limp in his grasp.

“No . . .” Gisbo stammered, tears streaming down his face. Drakearon turned his mask around and his soft, charismatic voice returned.

“It is complete. From this day forward, you will never be whole again. You now understand. Soon, Gisbo, you will seek me out for peace. When that time comes, I will give it to you, and I will make you whole,” Drakearon said. He turned the mask back around to the monster face. He reached down and lifted Gisbo up by the neck, holding him tightly. The deep, maniacal voice came back.

“But know this, I cannot lie to you. My other half may want to save you, but between you and I, when I stood there, when I held cold, sharp steel over your love’s throat and took her final breath . . .” Drakearon said, getting closer now, leaning and whispering in his ear. Gisbo felt his hot breath tickle the faint hairs within his ears.

“. . . I enjoyed every moment of it.”

With that, he let Gisbo fall and stood over him. More and more Drakelings poured out of the portal as it grew larger and larger, sucking in the Renegade’s deceased essence.

“Has Lokin reached the young man?” Purah asked. Drakearon closed his eyes, then opened them again.

“He’s ready,” Drakearon said. Lokin appeared before them, falling, unable to hold the gigantic weight in his arms.

“I don’t like to complain, but did you honestly think me able to carry this moose?” Lokin asked.

“Of course not. I sensed your plight, and I helped you, just as I sense this boy’s plight,” Drakearon said.

“Very well,” Lokin said.

“I will handle this,” Drakearon said as he walked forward and looked down at . . .

“Ranto Narroway. I heard your prayers from your hospital bed. I have come for you.” Drakearon said.

“Yes, you have,” Ranto said.

“Great, great power flows through you, but do you realize what the Drakeness entails? You do realize that,” Drakearon started.

“What I realize is that one can only go so far with their own power. I learned the harsh lesson of my limitations and training. The Drakeness is the next step in human evolution. I wish to be a part of that. I wish to become fully realized, just as my cousin has. He has shown me the error of my ways, and with the power of the Dragon, my mind, body, and spirit will be cured and strengthened,” Ranto said.

“Yes, yes they will. With your power and my own flowing through you, you will be beneath no man but myself. Power everlasting. Does this suit you?” Drakearon asked.

“More than you’ll ever know,” Ranto said, smiling.

“Then Ranto Narroway, rise, born anew with power and peace everlasting,” Drakearon said. He placed his hand upon Ranto’s forehead. Ranto felt his whole body shudder and shake and he puked up black bile. Drakearon pulled his hand free.

“On your feet, Ranto Narroway,” Drakearon said. Ranto, his body healed from the Drakeness, rose and felt the mark of the Drakeness now upon his forehead.

“Come, let us finish and be off. I’d rather not see any more bloodshed,” Drakearon said. “As for him, we’ll take him with us, restrain him, and wait for him to break. Would you mind carrying your cousin?”

“Gladly,” Ranto said. He went forward, but a globe of golden energy wrapped about Gisbo, protecting him.