Spring Changes, page 21
I accept your gift, thank you.
“You have changed,” Tiftia said. “You are no longer tainted?”
I smiled. “No, I am not.”
Barsis moved closer to us, and he reached out, placing a hand on my shoulder, joining us in the space between realms.
“How?” They traded glances.
“I fought him,” I replied honestly.
“You fought a being of darkness?” Tiftia asked. “What were the consequences?”
“Hiroto and I fought him and won.” Warmth spread through me. Proud of us. “The consequences could have been worse. At the moment, I’m guessing if Hiroto takes another denti, he will be starting from scratch with his stats.”
Barsis flinched.
“Harsh.” Barsis then sat next to me, his weight shifting the seat. “I haven’t known anyone who fought and won. Mother . . . he has a chance, if he’s that strong.”
“I’m not.” I pulled my hand back from hers, returning to our world. “At least not as strong as I was then. It was a one-time event.”
“Oh.” His eyes dimmed. “Then we’re back to square one.”
“No.” Tiftia took some food off his plate. “We are not. Kyle has already proven himself a valuable warrior out in the universe. Sakrost and the rest of the council believe he’s tainted, the fact he is not is on our side.”
“Will they still challenge him?” Yun asked.
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Tiftia looked at me and nodded. “You may have thought fighting the darkness was hard. I do not know how you will fare with this.”
I didn’t hesitate. “I will do what it takes so Yun becomes the king I know he is, and we have the full support of the Sitha when we need it on the front line.”
Yun stood up and paced the room, his energies fluctuating.
Tiftia glanced at him and then at me. “Whatever you decide, you know our clan will support you. Even if you aren’t king.”
Yun spun to face her, anger flaring. “Do you have any idea what it would be like to live under Sakrost or Ethran?”
“Of course.” She shrank back from him. “It would not end well for many of us. Sakrost and Ethran are of a differing belief to us that. If in need, take what you must to survive.”
“They’d take life force from those who aren’t evil?” Tyto asked.
“Exactly,” Yun said.
“That would be almost worse than the rift. With the power behind the Sitha, they could take the universe on their own.”
“They won’t get a chance.” I swallowed. “I will take whatever challenge they throw at me, just like we did with the mega-merge.”
“Is there somewhere you can train?” Tyto asked. “Help him?”
Barsis glanced at him, then to Yun. “You want me to train him? Now?”
“Ty’s right. If there’s anything you can teach me, help me with before tomorrow, then I’m willing to listen,” I said to them.
“Yun has a personal training room that is guarded with the right energies down below.” Barsis said.”
“I will call on the guarde.” Tiftia said. “We will be enough to guard everyone from you.”
“Even Kyle?” Barsis asked, his brows furrowed.
“That I do not know, but if we have everyone here, then I would hope they’d be enough for him to let loose in full.”
I chuckled, thinking back to the results of Doctor Herin’s testing. “Well, we’ll see about that. I’ll take it easy unless you really think you can handle me.”
“I guess not much I can do,” Tyto said and helped himself to some more food.
“You don’t get away from it. You will join in, watch and learn how we as Sitha command a fight.”
Tyto stood with a grin. “Here’s me thinking I might get a nice bath, some massage, and a good sleep.”
“Ahh, I’m sure you’ll sleep after this,” Barsis said, putting his plate down. “To the training room, then.”
Lenko held up a hand. “If you can shield Kyle till he gets to the training room, I am okay with the move. But if not, then we wait until we have caught the person leeching off his kenosi.”
Tiftia shot him a glare. “There was someone attacking our visitors?”
“Yes. I do not know how they got through our security, but we are close to tracking them now.”
“Good,” Barsis said. “I’ll shield him on the way down. Yun can save his energy for training too.”
Barsis moved in close to me, and he shifted in between dimensions. While like this, his long wisps—like Yun’s— flowed free and almost wrapped around me. “We’ll meet you down there.”
It was almost as if he wanted to talk to me on his own, because he started to walk away, and I couldn’t do much else but follow.
Once we were outside the room, he spoke. “Yun believes in you,” he said. “My mother is a little unsure. But I’ll be the one to test you down there. You will fight me.”
“Okay,” I said. “Whatever you can teach me, I am open to.”
“I’ll show you defence against some of the moves he will try. If you face Ethran, you are in trouble. I’ve seen him fight. I’ve seen how he tricks and handles those he is against.”
“You’ve never fought him yourself?”
“We’re forbidden, as cousins. If we were to challenge each other, it would be to the death. Most likely what you’re going to face tomorrow.”
“To the death?”
We reached another corridor and then headed down a set of stairs. “There will be no leniency from the council. If you can’t take what they’re going to do to you, then death is the only option.”
I thought about it, then said, “You best teach me how not to die.”
He nodded. “I will do my utmost best. You’re the one who will have to follow through.”
“Don’t go easy on me,” I said. “No matter if Yun says anything. Ignore him.”
As we reached the bottom of the stairs, there were four Sitha waiting for us. They opened a large set of metal, double-walled doors.
We stepped inside, and Barsis moved away from me. “You’re sure you want me to ignore my king?”
I met his hazy red eyes with mine. “Ab-so-lutely.”
“Then I don’t want you to hold back either.”
I held my hand out. “Deal.”
Barsis shook my hand, then turned to the room. His hand waved around turning and I followed his gaze.
“This is a dimensional training room,” he said. Before us lay a raised mat. In each corner stood a post, and on top of each floated a black sphere. Barsis harnessed his kenosi, and each sphere spun one by one, a dark mist flowing around each of them till it encompassed us all and the room. “You will not have seen anything like it in your world. Nor are you likely to. Once you’re on that training mat, your whole body will fluctuate between your world and ours. Honestly, I do not know if any denti has been in here before.”
Someone stepped beside us, and I turned to see Tiftia.
“There has never been a denti or a human inside these walls before,” she said. “That is why the council are so perturbed—there are many things down here which are not for other eyes or ears.”
Yun stepped inside with Lenko and Tyto. He stood with Barsis.
“He knows nothing at all of our ways,” Yun said.
I was a little upset at Yun’s words.
I am sure it is not because he didn’t want to, Hiroto piped up. Some of these things were just not relevant at the time.
Yeah, you’re right, I said. I just wish we’d known some of the things we do now, back then.
You and me both. Now get on that mat and show them some of what we really are.
Thanks, Hiro, I said.
I stepped onto the mat at the same time Barsis did. He drew his sword, and it instantly lit with kenosi.
Is there anything you can tell me, Hiro?
Nope, just don’t die now.
I laughed and drew my own sword, igniting it, using the gems inside as a bonus. They lit with my kenosi, and I let him see my strength just be that.
He lowered his head once, and I reciprocated, then he lunged at me.
Barsis was damned fast, and his skills were phenomenal. I wasn’t sure if I’d put him on the same level as the darkness we’d fought, but maybe not far behind. I struggled to keep up with him, but I also noticed something else as he was fighting me. He was also using his skill as a Sitha to take life force.
“Now you see it, you need to stop me taking it,” he said.
I countered two strikes and tried to do both at once. I struggled and missed when he lunged at me. He glanced off my sword and sliced my arm.
Yun tensed without needing to see it.
Don’t worry, we’ll fix the arm. Keep fighting, Xe said.
I focussed back on Barsis. At least while I was healing on the inside. I also cast Medium Heal to help, even though Xe had said she was fine. I needed the concentration and not the pain.
I can numb the pain, Hiroto said.
It’s fine. It feels better now.
I then looked deeper. Soul Split ignited around me, along with Future Insight.
That was new. The two skills working alongside each other hadn’t sparked since that night with the darkness.
Future Insight allowed me to see what he was planning. I started to predict where he was going to strike, and countering was much easier. I tapped into my energy. This was something new. The Sitha core here was very different to that of us denti and kenosi users, even masters which, though hard for me to accept, I was.
But his core was there, bright as ever, and the trail as it snaked towards mine was . . . strong. I needed to push it away and continue to fight him.
As I formulated a plan while still dodging most of his attacks, I tried to shield myself. That wasn’t easy. The shield didn’t work, the strength of the Sitha immense.
When I focussed in harder to try to push that leech connection away, I missed my footing, and Barsis got another strike. This time, his sword penetrated my side, through internal organs and out the other. I cried out because it hurt so much and wondered why. Then when I looked down, he’d attached another connection.
Damn, that hurts, Hiroto said.
I can’t heal around it, Xe said.
I stopped being able to use Future Insight and went down just as he came in once more for another blow.
My soul split, and he saw it. I was able to counter him, and even though we struggled and our swords locked, I was winning.
“You’re stronger than I thought. I’ll give you that much, and you really anticipated my moves. How, I’ve no idea. But you can’t combat the Sitha trait.”
I nodded at him. Our eyes locked just as much as our swords were.
“Tell me how,” I said.
“Enough,” Yun called from the sidelines.
Barsis glanced his way and then back to me.
“Keep going,” I growled.
The energy draw around me deepened. Barsis pulled. “I’ve really got your attention now,” he said. “Good. Ethran will not go easy on you. Just like I am not.”
He pulled once more on my core energy. My health plummeted.
Hiroto screamed in my mind for it to stop. The pain was hurting him as much as me. I didn’t know if it was due to our mind connection now, but I did not want him to hurt.
Pulling everything I had, I almost hit for Crest of a God. Timing? I asked Hiroto.
You are over hours. You can use it now and tomorrow.
I sucked in deeply and ignited my tattoo, reaching for all the kenosi I could.
Barsis’s eyes flickered. “That’s new. I didn’t know that anyone could harness kenosi like that.”
“Good, because if you didn’t know it, then he would not know it.” I pulled energy from everywhere; it came from Tiftia, Lenko, Tyto, and the guards outside.
Lenko dropped to his knees, and I had to back off slightly.
The whirring sound around me gathered in force as much as the kenosi was. Barsis looked confused. I focussed once more on coating myself in a shield. And that’s when I separated. My soul left my body; I could walk around the both of us locked in combat, and I could see all the different energy swirls too. He was attached to me with two drawing strands, making him seem more vampire than he had before.
I moved to the one that was sucking straight from my core, and I leaned over, taking it in my hand. I yanked it out.
Barsis flinched, and I moved around the other side to take hold of the other one. When I pulled this one out, I also got the upper hand on the sword clash. I pushed him off, spun, and sliced down his arm.
He hissed at me, baring his teeth. Dang, they looked sharp as needles. But when he came at me this time with both the sword and his main attack weapon, I was ready for it. The shield covering my body was now impenetrable. It bounced off, and now faster and faster, I could counter as he wasn’t draining me anymore, I was taking everything else around me. When the guards and Tiftia’s energy faded, dangerous to harness, I turned to the planet itself. There were literally hundreds of Sitha around here I could use. But then, I realised, I’d let the cat out the bag. I had to stop. With Barsis bleeding and panting, I pulled back, dropped my sword, my head, and brought everything back to focus inside myself. My split soul retracted, and I once again looked out of my own eyes.
That was something else, Hiroto said.
We’re now able to heal your wound, but it’s going to take a while, unless you can get some specific energy drinks, Xe said.
Barsis lowered his sword and head. Then he spoke. “Refreshments are at the side of the room. We both need them.”
When I moved to look, Tiftia and Yun helped Lenko. I cringed, totally expecting the berating that would come with drawing off those in this room.
When I’d drunk, and things had eased off, I looked back. Lenko was grinning into his drink. “There’s no way Ethran will expect anything like that!”
Barsis slapped my arm. “You’re resilient. Now you know how and what to shield against. I want to see you walk onto that mat next time harnessed and ready to go.”
“I had never seen the Sitha in that way before. I used Molecular Insight and Soul Split.”
I told them all, but it was more directed at Tyto, who had seen my skill sets before. “Molecular Insight?” he asked.
“Yes, it let me see what the Sitha actually do to take life force. Both fascinating and terrifying.”
“It is not an easy thing to witness, nor to actually be a part of. Barsis went too far,” Yun snapped, walking to my side. He lifted my shirt and placed his hand to it, also aiding in the healing.
“I told him he didn’t have a choice; he had to do everything he could to beat me, to teach me. It was mutual.”
“You’re more than just denti, but I’m not sure it’s because you’re human either.” Barsis said.
“No,” I admitted. “It has nothing to do with being human. It does have something to do with this though.” I put the drink down and removed my shirt. It was covered in blood, anyway. I let my kenosi build and then flicker over my body. My tattoo ignited with energy. The pop-up flashed before me once more.
FORTIFIED TATTOO - CREST OF A GOD
Tiftia was before me in seconds, and weirdly enough, she actually got to one knee. “You know what that came from?”
I nodded. “I cannot use it more than once per day, though. But its boosts are astounding.”
Yun stepped closer than he already was, and his face dipped to get a better look. “You’re marked by a god.”
“Lavinia,” I replied. “I wasn’t sure how it would work, or even if I needed it. But I’m glad I had the opportunity other than fighting the darkness to see how it would work.”
“Can I see?” Tyto asked.
“Of course,” I said. Hiroto?
Easy, coming now.
With another thought he brought it up on the screen behind us, and Tiftia read it out.
Spell - Fortified Tattoo - You have been gifted the Crest of a God - When active, this increases your kenosi x 20, and all stats x 20. You may only use this once per day. Lasts as long as your kenosi does, kenosi strength dependent.
“That’s amazing. It works so much harder because you and Yun are connected. Correct?”
I nodded. “I believe so, yes.”
“Did you activate that on the treadmill?” Tyto asked.
“What’s a treadmill?” Yun cocked his head to the side.
“No,” I replied. “I did not.” I looked at Yun. “It’s a test. The doctors on the front line were concerned about my levels, how I performed when I first joined, so they’re watching me carefully.”
“But they do not know you have the crest?”
“Not yet, no.”
Lenko stepped before us now, holding out a clean shirt.
“Thank you,” I said and slipped it on.
“Why didn’t you tell them?” Tyto asked.
“I was worried I would already scare them. If they see I have this as well, I’m not sure they’d ever let me on the front line.”
“Too powerful?”
“I don’t know.” I dropped my head. “This is from a god, for a god. Which I am not.”
“Not yet,” Yun said, and he stood straight next to me. “If Sakrost and his family see this tomorrow and they still wish to go against us, then we will deliver everything we have to.”
I turned to him. “You mean if I have to kill Ethran, I must.”
That stung. I did not want to kill anyone. But if he challenged me with that in his heart and if I had to take the life of a Sitha to prove to everyone I not only deserved to stand amongst them but I was to be feared, then I guess I had to.
Tiftia placed a finger to my tattoo as it faded. “You will do whatever it takes, just as any of us would. We stand with you either way, as I have said before. But I admit, I feel much better you are going into this fight with Lavinia on your side.”
“I am too,” Yun said, chest out, shoulders back. “You are ready to take on anything and everything that can be thrown at you.” He then dipped his head. “I’m honoured.”
