“Someone’s coming,” said Azura. “I don’t know who it is, but we need to be ready for anything.”
Darek got to his feet and looked around. No one else was with them. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been asleep, but it couldn’t have been more than a few hours. “This is weird. Where’d everyone go?”
“They split up to gather things for the camp,” replied Azura. “Stay focused right now and don’t do anything offensive. We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”
A pair of surly faces came from behind the underbrush. Darek observed them. The woman had short unkempt brunette hair and long thin eyebrows. She appeared a bit scrawny, but her rolled up sleeves revealed strong arms. An iron headband was tightly buckled across her forehead, holding up her messy locks of hair. The rest of her clothing constituted of dark gray leather and blended in quite nicely with the early evening. The most conspicuous aspect about her was the giant metal pipe she carried on her back; it looked cumbersome to bring along, yet she walked around with it easily.
The other fellow was calm, but had an unpleasant, steely gaze. A slim metal helmet covered the top of his head to the lower part of his face, leaving only his lips visible. Darek had never encountered anyone like him, but Darek knew what he was through books and stories. The man was a cyborg—a man turned machine. His body was fully plated with wires running through. His breathing was hard and heavy, like he was suffering.
Cybernetics was common within the Federation, though certain people would consider the integration of man and machine to be dangerous and unethical. When it became available for public use, it was believed to be a miracle cure. People who lost a part of their body could now easily replace it. However, it was confined to civilian use and was banned from the military. It was only meant for medical treatment, not for war. All cybernetic enhancements were weakened, allowing people to only carry out basic functions similar to an average human.
But this cyborg was different. Darek only needed to catch a glimpse of its hydraulics in action to be able to understand that his cyborg was built to be well beyond the limits imposed by the Federation. He was a living weapon—something Darek thought he’d never see.
“We don’t want any trouble,” Azura told the strangers. “We’re just travelers.”
The unstable woman stared at Azura for a few seconds without even blinking. “We got something good. Must be our lucky day.” Her voice was low and hoarse, like a scratchy hum.
The armored man asked in a monotonous voice, “Both or one?”
“That girl,” the woman said, as she cracked her neck. “She’s a Hero. I don’t have much data on her. Must be new.”
“Uncertainty is perilous,” the cyborg said.
The strange woman snapped, “It shouldn’t matter. Most Heroes aren’t that great anyway.” She pounded her fist into the palm of her hand. “Like Xavius. It’s surprising how that weakling is an Archlord. He couldn’t hurt an ant if he accidentally stepped on one.” Anxious, she flexed the fingers in her right hand. “The boy is a nobody. I have nothing on him. Scans show his abilities are above average, but that’s not saying much. Kill him only if he gets in the way.”
“I don’t think they’re immortals,” Darek whispered to Azura. “The immortals here shouldn’t know about the Legion.”
“You’re right. I’ve got a bad feeling about them.” Azura gripped her fists and inched her way into a fighting stance as a precautionary measure. Azura said to them, “I don’t know what we did to offend you, but I wish to settle this peacefully.”
“Peacefully?” the woman replied. “It will be quite peaceful…when we have your head.”
Azura whispered to Darek, “It sounds like it doesn’t concern you, but you can help me if you want. I’ve always wanted to see how a Judge handles things.”
Darek stood there, looking confused. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was feeling woozy after waking up, but nothing made any sense. These people, not even natives of the planet, popped out of nowhere and started looking for a fight for no real reason. They even knew Azura was a Hero, and they still wanted to kill her. That just seemed very odd to him. Heroes should be revered and respected for the good that they do.
“The cute Hero wants to play.” The woman smiled at her companion. “Wardon, you’re up. Let’s see what this Hero’s got.”
“As you wish, Kaye.” The armored man crouched over and slammed his fists against the ground, causing a minor tremor. Steam blew out from his joints as he let out a deep bellow.
Darek was startled by the display of force, and though he had the urge to run away, he didn’t. His pride held him firm.
“Hey, kid,” Kaye shouted. “You’re in the way. I don’t really have anything against you, so I suggest you get out of here.”
Darek swiftly whipped out his daggers from his satchel. “What kind of man runs when his friend is in trouble?”
Azura’s stern face broke into a smile. “Thanks, Darek. To be honest, this is my first real mission since I graduated from the academy. I could use the help.”
“No need to thank me,” Darek said. “This is one of those things I have to do.”
Wardon jumped up and landed near them, crushing the ground beneath as he walked. He bolted his iron fist at Darek. Darek tried to block the attack as fast as he could. The block was useless. He was slammed straight into a tree. He heard all the bones in his arms crack simultaneously. Shards of broken bone protruded from his skin.
“My arms!” Darek howled in pain and collapsed on the ground. “Crap…how did he…” Dazed, he tried to stand up, but without his arms to support him, it was an overly strenuous task. Grunting, he squirmed against the tree, working his way off the grass.
“Darek, hold on!” Azura pushed the armored warrior back with furious attacks. She tried to best him with incredible speed, squeezing in two to three punches in a second. But Wardon, despite his bulky size, was able to dodge each attack. Kicking off a tree, Azura jumped into the air. She let loose a flying roundhouse kick, slugging Wardon over the head; Wardon tumbled into the ground. Now that the cyborg was out of the way, Azura ran to Darek’s aid. She gently pressed her fingers on his arm. Darek cried on contact.
“Your arms…” Azura said, grimacing. “I can’t do anything. They’re shattered. I can’t set them back together. We have to find a doctor to handle this—and fast.” She thought for a second. “Maybe Rathos can help. They shouldn’t be far off. If we can just—” Before Azura could help Darek up, Wardon grabbed her arm with a solid grip and swung her across the forest, sending her almost twenty feet in the air. She plummeted into the nearby lake.
There was an initial shock after her bad dive, but Azura quickly recovered. Though in fine condition, she didn’t rush for the shore, thinking it would be safer in the water. Since the lake was rather deep, she figured the cyborg wouldn’t be able to reach her here. This was a good time for a short rest—or so she thought.
Her hopes were unfounded. Wardon plunged into the lake and swam, forcing his way through the water by brute force. He would undoubtedly sink if he stopped moving, and so he swam perpetually like a torpedo, carrying his weight by pulling through the waves. Wardon pierced through the currents and made his way over to Azura as fast as he could.
The two engaged in an underwater battle. Azura gave it her best by following the current and cutting through the water with sharp chopping motions, but even so, the two combatants looked like they were fighting in slow motion. Their attempts to strike one another failed horribly because their slow movements were too predictable.
“Azura!” After stumbling in excruciating pain, Darek finally was on his feet. He ran through the forest to the edge of the lake and looked out, attempting to locate Azura across the rippling surface. Darek yelled at the top of his lungs again, “AZURA!”
Azura made her way up out of the water and Darek breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw that she was still okay. However, he held his breath as she was immediately dragged back down into the water. Darek could still make out the bubbles of air that rose from their position.
Then he overheard Kaye mutter, “She’s much stronger than I thought. Wardon can’t handle her. How could a nameless Hero beat Wardon in a fight? Unless…could she be the Aenarian?”
Azura surfaced from the water with a big splash and flung back her drenched hair. Exhausted from the struggle, she walked up the shallow part of the lake.
“Azura, you’re okay!” Darek ran to meet her with broken arms.
The mud below Azura’s feet suddenly burst in a loud explosion. The blast volleyed her back into the lake, rendering her unconscious and wounded. The gentle waves around her were stained red by her blood. Darek froze at the sight of Azura floating on the top of the lake, motionless. He swung around to see the cause of the explosion. The woman, Kaye, had nestled herself on top of a strong tree branch. Strapped to her arm was the giant pipe that she had been carrying on her back. Smoke and rising heat scattered out of the hollow barrel from the pipe. Darek immediately understood it wasn’t a pipe at all—but a cannon!
“Looks like she’s still breathing,” said Kaye.
Kaye strengthened her grip on the handle and pulled a small lever on the cannon to prepare her large weapon for a second shot. Her stoic gaze was focused on the laser sight aimed for Azura; she slowly tightened her finger around the trigger.
“NO!” Darek shouted. “DON’T SHOOT!” Darek struggled to raise his broken arms. I can’t let this happen! I’m supposed to help her, not watch her die! He grabbed his broken arms with his own hands. Doing so inflicted excruciating pain, but he did so anyway. His hands glowed; a warm feeling flowed through his arms. At that moment, he thought he was going crazy because it felt like the shattered pieces of bones were rearranging themselves. But then he realized he wasn’t crazy when he discovered his broken bones were made whole again. “My arms…they can move!” he uttered in amazement. He didn’t understand what had just happened, but he didn’t care.
In a hurry, Darek grabbed one his daggers and the dagger mysteriously burned bright red. He hurled his dagger up towards the cannon without Kaye even noticing. Kaye fired again but the explosion—caught by the flying dagger—erupted in midair.
“I missed? How’d that happen?” grunted Kaye, disappointed.
She cocked back the cannon, priming it for another shot. But as she peered through her scope, she only caught sight of the pool of blood. The body of Azura was gone. Through her scope, Kaye scrutinized the surrounding area of the lake and found a trail of blood leading into the forest. She sighed. “She got away…”
Kaye jumped off the tree branch and approached the shore. Something emerged from the lake. It was Wardon. Unlike Kaye, who was absolutely furious that her target had escaped, Wardon stayed mellow, not even twitching.
“First we let that mercenary shuttle get away, and now we let a Hero get away!” growled Kaye. “This is really frustrating. Even the boy is gone.” She paused, raising a brow. “Wait, wasn’t he injured?”
“He was…I’m sure of it,” said Wardon. “The boy is a normal boy. Not an immortal. He could not even withstand a single punch. But the woman is different. Her capabilities are strange—erratic even. She is definitely Aenarian.”
“So you’ve confirmed it?” said Kaye.
“Yes. Her strength kept…shifting. She was able to allocate muscle strength at will.”
“This is vital information! There was a rumor about an Aenarian joining the ranks of the Heroes, but I never thought it was possible. This is dangerous. She must be eliminated.”
“What happened to you?” Sorren asked plainly. “You don’t look so good.”
Darek slipped and fell to the ground, holding a bloodied Azura in his arms. He cried out, “She’s coming! You have to stall her while I get Azura out of here!”
“What are you talking about? Who’s coming?” Sorren scanned the forest.
“I don’t know. They just spouted something about Azura being a Hero and started attacking us.” As soon as Darek heard the sound of footsteps behind him, he stumbled along the ground and turned around. Darek was surprised and scared to see that Wardon was operational again; the cyborg walked alongside Kaye as if nothing had happened.
“So there was another one.” Wardon asked Kaye, “Is he immortal?”
Kaye’s right eye flashed like a laser and analyzed Sorren through the computer chip implanted in her brain. “An assassin,” she said, surprised. “Low ranking. Nothing impressive.”
“I’m not at optimal condition anymore,” said Wardon. “He could be dangerous…and they may have other allies around. Should we take the chance?”
“Of course,” said Kaye haughtily. “We need that Aenarian dead.”
Sorren observed them closely. “Normally I wouldn’t care about you, but you’ve already caused me quite a bit of trouble by hurting this girl.” Sorren raised his hand; out of his palm was a black spot. The black spot grew into a hazy shadow that coiled around his fingers like worms. He flicked his fingers at them and the shadow shot forth, hovering across the ground.
“Anti-law…” Wardon dodged the shadow. It wrapped around a tree behind him, forming a thin black stripe around the trunk. Shaken, Wardon stared at the tree as it shriveled up and died. “I’ve never seen that kind of anti-law before.”
A drop of sweat fell off Kaye’s forehead. “The reading on that greatly exceeds normal levels. I must say—I’m quite surprised. This could prove to be an invaluable experience.”
“Not bad,” Sorren said, sounding amused. “Let’s try this.” He wiggled his fingers and waved his hand. Large swirls of darkness came from the earth, rolling around like smoke. The billows of darkness formed a perimeter around Wardon and Kaye and slowly closed in on them.
Wardon and Kaye both put one knee on the ground and ripped open a patch on their left shoulders in unison, revealing a small button. After they tapped the button, a large white force field ballooned around them and dissipated the darkness that surrounded them.
“That was a close one,” Kaye said. “This is the strongest anti-law I’ve seen in a while.”
“A dispelling barrier,” said Sorren icily. “Hunting down Heroes with some powerful devices. I should’ve known. You’re the Anarchists that chased my shuttle down, aren’t you? I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to kill you right now.” He licked his lips.
Kaye said, “But your magic is useless against us.”
“Useless?” said Sorren. “You haven’t even seen the full might of the darkness.” The ground trembled around him as vaporous shadows began spewing out from newly formed cracks. A chunk of the earth split open, revealing vehement streams of darkness; it was like a violent tornado and it withered all the trees and grass within reach.
“Retreat!” Kaye ordered Wardon. “This is not worth the trouble.”
The two Anarchists bolted out of there, desperate to escape with their lives intact.
Sorren took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his brow. The darkness vanished and everything became peaceful again. “I think I went a little overboard. But at least they won’t be back.” Sorren turned around to see Darek tending to Azura.
“Where’s Rathos?” asked Darek. “We need his help! Azura could die!”
“She’ll be fine,” Sorren replied.
“Look at her! She was almost blown to pieces!” Darek snapped, angry at Sorren’s reply.
Azura said softly, “No. He’s right. I’ll be fine.” Azura managed to sit up with her last ounce of strength. “More importantly, we have to help Darek. His arms were shattered.”
Sorren shot her a look of disbelief. “That’s impossible. He was the one who carried you here. There’s no way he could’ve done that with broken arms.”
“What?” Looking surprised, Azura seized Darek’s arms and inspected them. “They’re healed! How’s that possible?” She looked Darek in the eye. “What kind of ability is this? Is this the Judge’s power, or is it some form of anti-law?”
“You’re asking me if I have weird abilities or magic powers? I got nothing!” Darek shook his head, insisting that he didn’t understand it himself.
“That’s fine.” Azura breathed a sigh of relief and fell on her back to rest. “As long as you’re okay…” She broke off. Utterly exhausted, she fell into a deep sleep.
“Is she really okay?” Darek said, sounding unconvinced.
“Of course. She’s Aenarian,” Sorren replied.
“That’s what the strange woman said. But I don’t get it. I’ve never heard of them before. What’s an Aenarian?”
Sorren took a seat next to Azura. “They are humans from the planet of Aenaria. Aenarians don’t rely on modern ways. They live in peace with nature. Their population as a whole is very small. But they’re special. They have the innate ability to control their bodies completely. For example, you can move your arms and legs, but she has control over her own heartbeat. Azura can increase adrenaline flow, regenerate damaged parts, and strengthen muscle fibers all at her own will. Every involuntary muscle can be voluntary for her.”
“Sounds pretty convenient,” said Darek.
Sorren nodded. “It is convenient. Because of their abilities, they make excellent warriors. By disabling nerves, they can dull pain in the heat of battle to keep up their reaction time. By refining the lens in their eyes, they can see for miles at a time. By increasing the growth of their hair, they can keep warm in winter.”
“Sounds creepy too,” said Darek. “Oh—you mentioned something about Anarchists too. Who are they?”
Annoyed by Darek’s questions, Sorren sighed but answered him anyway. “The Anarchists are the perpetrators of chaos. They believe in freedom for all people from the dominance of the more powerful factions. They don’t really care about local governments. But they do harbor hatred against the United Federation. They’ll hunt down Heroes and Judges, but they’ll also attack underworld organizations alike.”
While seating cross-legged, Darek angrily punched the dirt to vent his frustration. “So that explains why they were after Azura!”
“That’s only part of the reason,” said Sorren. “They also don’t like it when people like us travel to primitive worlds like these. They’ve got their own sense of justice.” Sorren rubbed his temples. “Anyway…were there more, or were there only two?”
“Only two.”
Sorren’s expression became grave. “Huh. That’s odd.”
“What is?” Darek cocked his head.
“Every way I look at it, Azura shouldn’t have been defeated by those two. She’s strong…very strong. Even I wouldn’t want to mess with her. Did something happen?”
Darek swallowed. “It might’ve been my fault. I was trying to help her fight, but all I did was get hurt. And then when Azura tried to help me…she was caught off guard.”
“I see.” The mood changed. Sorren stood up and said bitterly, “You overestimate yourself in too many ways. I know you’re a Judge, but it seems that being a Judge is nothing special anymore if someone as pathetic as you became one. You seem to not comprehend how weak you truly are. You endangered the mission and your allies. Azura was almost killed because of you. In fact, if you didn’t find me, both of you would’ve been dead.”
Darek muttered under his breath, “I’m not really a Judge. It’s not like I could’ve done much of anything.”
Sorren heard him. “What?” He scowled. “What do you mean you’re not a Judge?”
“I was framed!” Darek shouted. “Everyone thinks I’m a Judge, but I’m not! And every time I try to explain my situation, no one listens to me!”
“I don’t remember you trying to explain anything to me,” said Sorren scornfully. “You didn’t say anything at all! If you’d told me beforehand, we wouldn’t have gotten into this mess. I would’ve divided the teams more evenly!”
“But I…” Darek wasn’t sure how to respond. He wanted to say excuses. He wanted to blame his failure on his young age, his weak body, and the turmoil he was suffering after running away from the Federation. But were those valid excuses? Why didn’t he explain that he wasn’t a Judge? What was holding him back? Every time he wanted to say something, he backed out. Was it because he enjoyed the attention from Azura? Was it because he thought no one would listen to him just like the judge that ignored his pleas of innocence? Or was he still wishing unconsciously that Sorren would help him end his misery when this was all over?
“I’m going to go find Rathos,” said Sorren. “It’s getting late and we need to set up camp. You can just stay here and watch over her. That’s about all you’re good for anyway.”
Darek watched Sorren disappear into the trees. He slumped to the ground and stared at Azura’s peaceful face. From dusk till dawn, he stayed in that place and gazed upon her.
The next day, as they continued northward, Darek remained depressed. He looked over his shoulder to see Rathos, in wolf form, carrying Azura on his back. Sorren’s words rang over and over again in his ears. It was most likely his fault that Azura was now in this condition. Sighing, Darek regretted it, and the more he dwelled on this regret, the more he came to regret everything he had done.
“Hey, Sorren.” Darek tapped him on the shoulder. “You think you can teach me how to fight? Not that I would fight in that situation again, of course not. I know I caused trouble, so I shouldn’t have fought, but maybe if I could fight and maybe if I weren’t weak then it would have been an option. But you know, if I ever come to a point where there’s no way out and I have to fight, then I think that it would be great if—”
“Please,” Sorren interrupted, “just get to the point.”
“Oh, the point. Right.” Darek dropped to his knees and grabbed onto Sorren’s legs, begging. “Please teach me how to fight! I saw how strong you were! Teach me how to be strong like you! I’ll do anything! I’ll wash your…well, maybe not…that’s disgusting. Okay, I’ll cook for… actually, I’m kind of bad at it. You know what? I’ll make Reza and Drey do something for you! I’m sure they can do something useful! Or at least…I hope so.”
Sorren tried kicking him away but Darek held firm. “I’ll do it. Just get off of me.”
“Really?” Darek said. “You aren’t just pulling my leg?”
“You are pulling my leg. Besides, I was going to teach you as long as you asked. Your weakness will be a disadvantage to our mission,” said Sorren. Then Sorren cleared his throat and told everyone, “It’s getting dark. Even though we’re already behind schedule, Azura would fare better if we rest now. I’ll stay here with Darek to watch over Azura. You guys can set up camp.”
The others left to handle the menial tasks while Darek and Sorren were left alone. Sorren quickly started a campfire. Darek sat down by the fire, facing him.
Sorren said, “This may sound sudden, but are you ready to begin? I don’t want to waste time. We only have a few months to bring you up to a respectable level.”
“Yes,” Darek replied. “Please teach me.”
Sorren sat cross-legged near the fire and Darek imitated him. While the sun descended behind the towering trees, the fiery glow upon Sorren’s face became more apparent, creating new shadows along the curves of his face. Darek watched Sorren intently.
“We’ll do this step by step,” said Sorren. “First, I’ll begin by teaching you about the paths to power. You need to understand this to be able to fight accordingly.” As Sorren spoke, the fire crackled. A strong breeze rushed across, blowing leaves into the wavering fire. Embers, leaping off the burning sticks, rose into the air and faded away. “I will not teach you about all the paths. There are only three paths to power you need to be concerned with: body, mind and spirit. These three elements make up the human being and can intertwine to form our different abilities.
“The body represents physical ability, mind is your mental ability, and the spirit is your inner being. The spirit is something only humans have and thus separates us from the animals and monsters. It is our essence. It is eternal. The path of spirit is much more elusive than the mind and is difficult to gain control of…but can be powerful.”
Darek groaned, “Do I really need to learn this?” Darek wasn’t expecting a lecture. Sorren had only begun speaking, yet Darek couldn’t stop yawning. “Can’t you teach me some moves?”
Sorren whipped Darek in the arm with a stick. “You asked me to teach you and I am doing so,” Sorren snapped, waving the stick around. “Stop asking such pointless questions.”
“Ouch.” Darek rubbed the stinging pain in his right arm, wondering where that stick came from. “Sorry. Please continue.” Darek held a few doubts in his mind, thinking this could just be some superstitious nonsense.
Sorren continued, “Now, one who trains his body will become strong in body, fitting for a warrior. One who trains the mind may attain new heights such as psychic powers where they can manipulate the outside world through their thoughts. One who trains the spirit may even be able to separate the spirit from the body. However, the paths are not always straight. You can cross paths to attain new abilities. I’ll give you some examples.
“The paths of body and mind can intersect. Take Azura for instance. Aenarians are born with this ability. I’ve explained this before, but I’ll explain it again. By using her mind, she has achieved the power over the parts of the body that most people have no control over.
“The paths of the mind and spirit can also intersect. You saw me fight the Anarchists. My power to control the darkness is the result of these paths. Most refer to it as magic since it is something they can’t explain, but others call it anti-law, as it goes against the laws of science. Simply put, this power is a manifestation of the spirit through the will of the mind.
“These are the most basic and easiest to understand paths, but aside from these there are other paths that are harder to use. Take for example the path of soul. The soul is your life. Everything that lives has a soul. Every human is born with a maximum potential lifespan of around a hundred and twenty years. The soul user can shorten his lifespan in order to gain power beyond human imagination. Theoretically, when a soul user is newborn, he is at the height of his power. But even so, few have the innate ability to control it and even fewer dare to use it.”
“How few are we talking here?” Darek became interested in the path of the soul.
“I’d say the chances of finding one would be…one in one billion. At most, only a hundred of them would exist in the entire galaxy. But…”
“But?” Darek wished that Sorren wouldn’t talk so slowly and hold him in suspense.
“It is rumored that the ability to use the soul’s power is available to everyone and only needs to be unlocked. It’s just a rumor. I’ve never seen anyone achieve it.”
Sorren went on, explaining every single aspect of the three paths. But the more Sorren talked, the more Darek became confused; it almost felt like his head would soon lift off and spin around in circles. Darek tried his best to pay attention and acted as if he understood. But the intricate details that Sorren spoke were lulling him to sleep. Slowly, Darek began to weave about. His eyelids soon became as heavy as iron and they clamped shut.
A stagnant mist rested upon his face. It rapidly grew into a massive torrent that uprooted the forest around them. The dirt below crumbled and fell into a bottomless pit of vast emptiness. The sky shattered like glass and was sucked up into a vacuum above leaving only nothingness. Everything, aside from the fire in front, disappeared.
Feeling a nudge against his back, Darek opened his eyes. “What the…” He spun about and saw only the darkness that encompassed him. “Where am I?”
“This is a deep layer of your consciousness. In other words, you’re asleep.” Sorren said as he sprung up from the darkness, “Your will is weak, as expected, but I can use this to my advantage. Prepare yourself.”
“Wait. If this is a dream, then why are you in it?”
“Well, you asked me to teach you and we don’t have much time,” replied Sorren. “From this point forward, I will now teach you as much as possible when we are awake and asleep. The dream is a great place to train. We don’t have to worry about getting injured and I don’t have to hold back. But in a dream you will be unable to train your body, so we’ll focus on techniq