CHAPTER 14

  The floor rippled with a thousand blinking eyes, turning red from the spreading pools of blood.

  Screams tore through the chamber as Cinders fell around each other. Red spikes burst from the eyes beneath their feet and punched through skulls and hearts with wet finality. The grotesque sound of popping made me shudder.

  "Don't look down! DON'T LOOK DOWN!" Usiast’s voice boomed across the room. "Eyes up! Anywhere but down!"

  "Agh! Gortug!” Gortag bellowed. I looked down at the man, who leaned over his slain brother. Just two days ago they were trying to cut the line for food.

  “Bastard!” He screamed at Igi-igi, who waved his hand, sending two spikes to silence Gortag.

  The warning spread like wildfire. Veterans urged younger Cinders' heads upward, forcing their eyes away from death below, but it was too late for so many. And Igi-igi was going down the line killing any personally who wouldn’t look down.

  This can't be happening. Fern's panic doubled in my chest, and cold sweat drenched my back.

  We… we have to stop this. I stood up, but Hakashi’s hand pulled me back down.

  Igi-igi's laughter shattered like glass. "Look at them squirm! Look at them—"

  "SILENCE!"

  A scream of steel, wrapped in authority, cut through the chaos. Infernal Lucile Spiderbane had forced herself upright on bound knees. The golden restraints cut deep into her wrists but she remained upright with her crimson hair, darker than the surrounding blood, waving gently like a flag behind her. Even while chained and dying, Spiderbane commanded the room.

  "Shut up, worm," Igi-igi snarled at her.

  Astrifer raised his hand, and his eyes brightened with a golden glow of amusement. "Let the sheep bleat, brother. I love hearing hope die."

  Lucile's gaze swept across the Expeditionary Army. Then she looked up, and for a split second, her eyes found mine in the shadows above. She gave a quick knowing wink that said, ‘Listen up.’

  "Pillar Expeditionary Army!” Her voice rang clear and strong. "We fall today.”

  The cries died down completely.

  “Oh? Acceptance huh?” Astrifer laughed to himself.

  “We fall today, but our flame will not extinguish! The progress we made will echo through Cinder history. We are the ones who cleared the way forward. The ones who discovered the lost city, and the ones who gave their lives so that others may live! As long as one Cinder remains to carry the torch, hope for all Voidbloods endures!"

  My arms got goosebumps, and I heard a sniff behind me. Rinka began to cry. The last words of our leader were impacting all of us.

  "We are at our end, but we are also their beginning! Those who come after will learn from our sacrifice. They keep moving forward! Where magic doesn't run in our blood, resilience does!" Her voice rose, and she stared into Igi-igi’s blind mask defiantly. "Where tyrants rule through fear and murder, people will always rise to fight!"

  "This is our end! But their beginning!” Lucile shouted, raising bound hands skyward. The chains strained and glowed brighter. "They will remember our—"

  SLUNK

  A red spike erupted through her chest.

  Igi-igi had killed the woman. He pulled back his arm, and the spike fell from his hand.

  Infernal Lucile Spiderbane crumpled forward, and blood spilled from her lips as she looked back one last time. Not at her army. But up. At us, hidden above.

  "May I continue, brother?" Igi-igi asked.

  Astrifer turned around and headed back to the table. "Make it quick. I wish to go see sister soon.”

  Igi-igi laughed and raised both arms. Dozens of red spikes erupted from him like crimson lightning. The Cinders cried and struggled and begged to be free, but one by one, Expedition Army died.

  In just three minutes, Igi-igi killed all three hundred of them.

  Gone, Fern whispered. Just... gone.

  "Beautiful," Astrifer said. "Absolutely—"

  A sound cut his words off. High-pitched and involuntary, a heartbroken, shrill cry exposed us.

  Rinka's sob.

  Sora pressed her hands over her twin too late. The sound had already echoed around us like a gunshot.

  Then, the two monsters below snapped their attention upward.

  "Well, well." Igi-igi's mask tilted toward our hiding spot. "We have an audience."

  Astrifer's golden gaze swept up the spiral ramp until his eyes found mine.

  "Erik!" His voice carried impossibly clear. "The green-haired thorn in my side. Come to die with them?” He gestured at the corpse field. "How does it feel, watching your brother's body become my suit? Knowing you failed everyone because you brought me along?”

  I felt movement behind me. Waelid's body began shifting into his Third Form before Bartholomew's iron grip stopped him. Galina's glass skin shifted and hardened as she also prepped herself for Third Form. Tevin moved himself in front of Zenobia.

  “Nothing to say? Eh, oh well. Time to join your brother," Astrifer called, golden energy coalescing around his fingers like yarn. He held up his palm and aimed it towards us.

  "RUN! EVERYONE, NOW!" Hakashi shattered our paralysis. And we all kicked ourselves backwards.

  BOOM

  Golden energy blasted where we'd been standing. The railing exploded into splinters, and we exploded into motion. All five teams scattered. But when I began to take a step, I looked down at Astrifer staring at me with Noah’s face, and I froze in place.

  I heard muffled cries behind me but I still couldn’t move. Fear, guilt, or some combination held me from running.

  Mel screamed my name, and she and Silas reached for me, pulling out of my daze. Their strong hands yanked me sideways as the platform where I'd stood fell apart and crashed to the floor below.

  I slammed into the wall and pushed myself up. The others ran for the exit.

  Erik, RUN! Fern screamed.

  I hesitated for a moment before the adrenaline kicked in and I took a quick deep breath.

  GO! I told myself.

  I pushed myself up and scrambled to run.

  Astrifer's laughter filled the chamber, and he called up to me from below. “Don’t run, Erik! Accept your fate already and die. This happens when mortals challenge the gods.”

  I took two more steps when a colorful heavy arm slammed me into the wall again.

  My back and side exploded with pain as I crashed into stone. I groaned and rolled over onto my knees, holding my bruised ribs. Looking up, I forgot about the pain and felt fear. Infront of me, Igi-igi crouched on a railing and tilted his masked face.

  Paralyzed by his sudden appearance, I stalled, when, thankfully, my friends flanked me. Red hair on my right and cold metal on my left. Mel and Silas had come back.

  Igi-igi's head twisted the other direction with a bone-cracking sound. “I don’t like to chase my food.”

  “Come on! We aren't letting you die here!" Mel's body pulled me away with Silas.

  "We all get out," he said, his mechanical arm whirling with preparation.

  "My blood decides who lives and who dies.” Igi-igi raised his palm, three red spikes growing. "Now d—"

  A metal ball fell from Silas’s arm, and it rolled towards Igi-igi.

  CLINK

  It exploded.

  Smoke shot out like the manifestation of a cloud, and the concussive blast from Silas’s grenade sent Igi-igi stumbling off the railing.

  THUNK THUNK THUNK.

  Three spikes embedded in wood inches from my head as he fell. Mel and Silas pulled me out to the hallway where we ran into Firebrand Hakashi.

  “There you are! Damn it, why are you freezing up, Go!” he yelled.

  I heard the loud thud of Igi-igi’s body jumping onto our floor again.

  “Not today," Hakashi's voice cut steel-sharp. He had a second metal bomb, that Silas had made. He threw it towards the doorway, and it exploded, blinding Igi-igi, and smoke spreading.

  “Get back here, you insects!” Igi-igi cried out. I heard his body slamming into the walls, trying to kill us in the smoke.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  But by then, we were through the window and falling into the night.

  ——

  My legs buckled the moment we hit the ledge.

  "I'm sorry," I gasped, stumbling across rooftops. "If I hadn't kept Noah—"

  "Shut up!" Mel snapped. "Cry later. Run now."

  Behind us, the spire's iron doors exploded outward. Igi-igi emerged like nightmare incarnate. Smoke from the two bombs clung to him like a spectre.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” I said, and ran faster.

  Igi-igi’s Gothic mask gleamed as it scanned the rooftops for us. When he did, he chased after us, hopped onto the side of a building and climbed with inhuman speed.

  “Retreat! Regroup later,” Hakashi commanded, already jumping across another roof.

  We followed, pumping our legs as fast as we could. Behind, I heard a whistle and felt an instinctive urge to duck.

  I did.

  THUNK

  A red spike buried itself where my head had been.

  “Damn, nice one!” Mel said as we kept running.

  Silas shot himself ahead with his grapple and turned around atop the next building. He aimed his mechanical arm at Igi-igi and a white crystal began blazing bright light.

  “Eyes shut!” He yelled.

  The flashbang detonated like dynamite. Even through closed lids, the black behind them went white, and Igi-igi's inhuman shriek echoed all around the tier. Then came the worst sound—the whistle of dozens of spikes tearing through the air at us.

  I turned, and opened my eyes to see projectiles flying everywhere. They punched into walls, shattered roof shingles, and cracked foundations. One passed close by enough that I felt displaced air kiss my ear.

  Hakashi moved like lightning and swung a curved blade, deflecting three spikes from reaching Silas in one sweep. I watched with fear as one spike streaked through the air right for Mel's heart—

  CLANK

  A thrown dagger knocked it aside. Three rooftops over, Firebrand Hyper stood, already drawing another throwing blade from his belt.

  “Get back to your squads! We regroup later!” Hakashi ordered.

  Mel and Silas leaped across the short gaps in the buildings toward Firebrand Hyper and Jessa. "Stay alive!" Silas shouted back.

  The teams scattered—Sora's group went east, Tevin's north with Firebrand Srilick. And Hyper’s went west. I prayed we'd all survive to reunite.

  I followed Hakashi. Nanda and Raine joined and flanked me on either side. Together we ran across several more rooftops. But behind, I could hear Igi-igi still in pursuit, smashing through chimneys and leaping over rooftops like a crazed predator. Raine then suddenly peeled away from us, shimmering into her Third Form.

  “Where are you going?” I yelled to her, jumping to another building.

  "I'll circle around," she called, flying away. "Keep him busy."

  "Raine, get back—" Another spike nearly took Hakashi's cheek.

  "Protocol for enemy diversion!" She said before vanishing behind the chimneys.

  Igi-igi wasn't slowing down. The creature moved like a hunting cat with each leap towards us.

  A whistle whipped behind me.

  “Watch out, Brother!” Nanda yelled.

  I ducked. Then, I heard Hakashi grunt. He had jumped behind us and took the hit.

  A red spike had pierced his thigh, and blood splatted out. He tumbled backwards, and hit the roof hard.

  Nanda and I slid to a halt and turned back to help him.

  “No! Keep running!" he ordered, pushing himself up. "That's an order!"

  But the deaths of those I couldn’t stop flashed through me. Visions of life cut short. I saw Hopsander dying to Astrifer. I heard Lucile's speech cut short by a red spike.

  Not again. I clenched my fists.

  Erik, are you sure? Fern said sternly.

  “I’m sure.” Blood rushed through my veins and I felt my hear pump faster. I clenched my jaw and leaned into the anger. “That’s enough deaths today.”

  The primal rage of the Chimera erupted through my body. The was molten fury of the beast and my anger shot my body into my Third Form. Bones stretched and snapped into place, muscles tore and reformed. Golden and green fur sprouted on my forearms and a small mane grew around my chin. Wings burst through the the stolen guard uniform, and Fern took control of the snake-head tail that grew behind me and coiled above my shoulder.

  I drew the cursed blade with my right hand.

  Agony shot up my arm like liquid fire dripped from the hilt into my palm. The moment I gripped the sword, black wisps coiled around my forearm, and my ears rang until I winced. The blade sang such high shrieking frequencies that I had forgotten how painful they were. But right now, I didn’t care. This creature had to stop, and I wanted to be the one to cut him down.

  Erik, don't! What are you doing? Let me take it! Fern snaked around me and reached out with his mouth but I held him away and shoved lightcutter into his mouth instead.

  "I don't care,” I said. And selfishly, I took matters into my own hand, pushig Fern to the side.

  I launched from the rooftop.

  Igi-igi was closing in, red spikes growing from his fingers like claws. He watched as I flung myself towards him, but he was not prepared for the force of my impact.

  I crashed into him with all my weight, and swung the cursed blade down through his right shoulder. The blade carved into him nearly to his hip. Igi-igi roared and grabbed me by the collar and pulled me off the roof, plummeting down below and through a processing stall for wheat, causing an explosion of dust and gain.

  “Forgeman!” Hakashi’s voice carried from above.

  "Useless effort." Igi-igi stood up and brushed dust off of his patchwork suit. His blind mask had cracked from the impact. "You're nothing. Weak. Me? Watch beast, I am immortal.”

  As I stood up, I watched as his body sewed itself back together, red strands of blood in his body reaching out to eachother and sealing the mortal wound.

  “You see? I—”

  I screamed to block out the screeching song from the cursed sword and swung again, and again, and again. Fern shot out having Lightcutter carve into the Sibling’s chest.

  Make it quick Erik, end this! You are draining us! Fern cried.

  Each strike I made with the cursed sword drained our life itself. And after four swings, my body screamed for surrender. The curse aged our body by months each swing, but right now, Igi-igi was a greater threat than the loss of a few years. I didn't care. But Fern did.

  "Die!" I roared, swinging one more time. "Just fucking die!"

  His mask fell away, and beneath he had no eyes, no nose, and no ears. He was only a pale head with white lips and razor sharp teeth.

  “You’re… a demon.”

  He laughed and his voice clicked louder now that I was close to him. “I am a Sibling, made from the blood of a god himself. You are an insect.” The cuts I had made closed up again, as if he was reverseing time.

  I stumbled backwards, and dropped the cursed sword. My arm felt like it had been ripped off, so it hung dangeling by my side.

  I felt Fern sheathe Lightcutter and swiftly grab the Cursed sword on the ground, before gripping it tightly and coiling himself behind me.

  I stood in disbelief, Igi-igi never once flinched from any of the cuts. He healed almost instantly, and my strength had all but been used up. My legs began to shake. I held out to a nearby wall so I didn’t fall.

  Igi-igi Laughed.

  "Impossible..." I whispered.

  Igi-igi’s pale and contorted, arms twisted, and he realigned his body. He reset dislocated bones, and healed every wound I gave him.

  "You can't kill a god." His voice, said like fallen bones rattling against stone. “Certinely not with that,” He nodded towards the sword Fern held. He held out his hand towards me.

  SWISH

  Five spikes shot towards me. I tried dodging but the sword had drained me. The first spike found my ribs. The next three sunk into my left shoulder and the last one pierced my navel. I doubled over and fell to my knees.

  “I feel a bit silly.” Igi-igi said as a dozen more spikes grew out of his hands. “If this is all you can do, I don’t think we have to worry about that prophecy at all.”

  Shit, I can’t move! I urged my legs to move, to stand up, but when I tried my body screamed in pain again. I looked up and held my breath.

  The spikes launched—

  And a hurricane slammed them away, and Igi-igi sideways.

  Raine descended like a storm goddess, lightning crackling between her fingers. She pinned the Sibling against stone with winds blew from her hand like a firehose.

  “Forgeman Erik! Move!" She yelled. I looked behind me and saw several large barrells of water.

  Good idea. I thought.

  I struggled to stand, so I fell onto my side and screamed as I kicked myself out of the way, and rolled onto a piled of dry wheat.

  Raine then called out. “Firebrand!”

  Something hit the street across from me, near the pinned Igi-igi. A frightening, tall, triple-jointed, monstrosity with a deer skull for a head, rushed over to the Sibling. It grabbed Igi-igi with inhuman strength and held the pale, no-faced being by its neck.

  Raine stopped her wind assault and the gray-furred beast of starvation and horror hurled Igi-igi into the barrles of water. Then rain hit Igi-igi with another furious gale of wind, pinning him into the spilled water.

  The appalachian nightmare looking creature then rushed up to the Igi-igi and inhaled deeply before it blew a wave of frost into Raine’s wind, turning it into a blizzard.

  “Y-y-you damn insects!” Igi-igi screamed over the ice storm. His body started to slow and I watched in awe as Raine’s storm in combination with the deerskull creature’s frost breath freeze Igi-igi in place. The Sibling’s patchwork cloths began to fade with a coating of Frost, and as Igi-igi struggled to raise a hand, he became totally encased in a thin layer of ice.

  Raine lowered herself down and left her Third Form. I did the same and felt myself immediately be engulfed in pain. The red spikes had turned back into liquid and fell from me, but the pain stayed. I grunted and pushed myself up when I felt a hand press on my shoulder. The creature was looking at me and for a second I was scared. Then it shrunk and standing in its place was Hakashi, it had been his Third Form.

  “Are you ok Forgeman Erik?” He asked.

  I looked at my wounds and shrugged. “I think I’ll be ok?” I coughed. “What the hell kind of infusion do you have?” I asked.

  He laughed. “It’s called a Wendirok. Let’s go, that wont hold him for long.” He said nodding back to the frozen Igi-igi.

  I hear a soft thud next to me. “I can carry him Firebrand,” A second hand pressed against my shoulder. Nanda knelt beside me, with his blue eyes inspecting me.

  He pulled out some clottingng gauze and covered the holes the spikes left on me, slowing the bleeding. Then with a shock, he picked me up with incredible east. Nanda was deceptively strong.

  “This is embaressing,” I groaned.

  Nanda laughed.

  Six swings Erik, Fern said. I felt his seriousness in the way he said it.

  I…I know.

  Six swings and we couldn’t even damage him. Six swing! Who knows how many years you just took from me. Why did you not let me use it?

  I, I needed to do it. I said.

  No, you got angry and you wanted to do it. Fern said flatly.

  I fell silent. He was right. I let my anger dictate my actions, and I hadn’t cared if it hurt Fern.

  I wanted more strength, and the fear of losing more people took over me.

  Never again Erik ok? You can’t steal my life without my permission any more. Ok? He asked.

  Right, of course. Never again. I’m sorry. I said.

  Fern did not reply.

  Nanda carried me through alleys to a familiar green door. Jorik opened before we knocked, and when he saw the blood on me, and our grave faces, he knew something had gone wrong.

  “Come in,” He said.

  After Nanda set me down on a chair at the table, they got me some water and Jorik began inspecting my wounds. I lifted my head, and tasted blood. Everything hurt, and internally I felt the shame and weight of all those deaths. Astrifer said Noah was gone, but I couldn’t believe that. What I did belive though, was that if it weren’t for me, Igi-igi wouldn’t have slaughtered the Expedition Army.

  “We lost everything,” I whispered, blood on my lips. "The Expedition Army. All of them. Gone.”

  Jorik looked at me and nodded slowly. “Igi-igi?”

  I nodded, looking off into the corner. “And the thing that took over my brother’s body. Astrifer.”

  The old man’s eyes widened and leaned forward. “You saw the First Son? The mysterious sixth Sibling?” He asked.

  I didn’t answer, his excitement put me off, the deaths and guilt still weighed on me.

  “You said there were five,” Raine said pulling out her notebook.

  “Five Siblings yes, for each of the five tiers, but there is a sixth, one who doesn’t govern a tier, one who supposedly left Paradize to return stronger. Astrifer, the First Son.”

  Raine let out an annoyed sigh.

  Hakashi stepped forward. “That’s nice and all, sir, but can you help my Forgeman? He needs healing. DO you have any bandages or medical supplies?”

  Jorik smiled and looked at me.

  “What is with the look?” I asked.

  “The news of Astrifer brings a smile to my face, you see; he is once again confirmation of the Prophecy. Of your destiny.”

  I shot Jorik a look. I furrowed my eyebrows and felt drained of all hope, and only felt anger and sadness. “Do not mention destiny one more time, Jorik. I am not what you believe. I’m not even strong enough to save one Cinder. I will not join your revolution; I need to become stronger, and we need to leave.”

  Jorik studied my face. He looked at the dried blood, the exhaustion, the anger and the mounting shame.

  “I never said you wouldn’t become stronger. I’ll show you a taste of what you can learn with us.” He closed his eyes, and two small rings of green smoke appeared around his wrists like floating jade bracelets. He took in a deep breath, and bits of green wisps from the rings of smoke flew in his nose. Then he reached out towards my wounds and breathed.

  The holes where Igi-igi had pierced me closed up, with a pleasant warm feeling, until not only were the wounds fully healed, but I felt revitalized, like I had a full night’s sleep and a full meal.

  “How…how did you do that?”

  “Join us, and you will learn powers that will unlock ultimate potential within you. Enough potential to kill Igi-igi and the other Siblings, saving not only Paradize, but your people."

  I looked over at Hakashi, then Raine and Nanda. They were all equally as dumbfounded by what he had just done.

  “What just happened? Is that magic? But…but we can’t use magic; we are Voidbloods. Our bodies can’t use magic.” Raine asked Jorik as she scrambled down words into her notebook.

  Jorik chuckled. “Anyone can use Breath.”

  A thought crossed into my head, and I looked up at Jorik. “I’m in.”