All Things Eternal (Book 2) (4 page)

Chapter 4: Emil and the Angel of Death

Guard your heart, guard your mind. Guard your heart, guard your mind.
The words constantly streamed through Emil’s conscious as he ran through the crowd neutralizing the guards, preventing them from wreaking any further havoc on the people of Everrmore. Like the wind, he parried and evaded enemy attacks, expending minute amounts of energy while at the same time immobilizing his opponents. His exceptional speed and dexterity worked to his advantage. All he needed was a well placed slice or a second to channel his energy through their armor; the former wounding them and the latter rendering them unconscious.

Something isn’t right,
Emil thought to himself as the air around him suddenly grew heavy. A heart-stopping chill fell over him, momentarily freezing him in place as his mind continued to search for answers.
What is this?
Emil’s pulse began to pickup from where it once fell off. Anxiously, he spun around in the square as he searched for the root of the perceived evil he felt slowly approaching. With every passing second, his feelings grew. He was afraid, nervous, anxious. The air was once again blanketed with emotions which magnified his own.
Damn it. It’s him.

Ever so smoothly, he walked, like he was in the least bit of danger. The cloak he wore over his silver hair bounced steadily as he ominously
approached. Fully on guard, Emil kept his distance. Emil’s aura reinvigorated itself and covered him. To his surprise, it seemed to protect him from the mental effects of his potential enemy’s presence.

“It doesn’t have to be like this,” Emil said as he drew his sword. “Whatever you’re doing to the people, make it stop. People are getting hurt. There are other ways to get your point across.”

The mysterious man’s dry face cracked open as he chuckled to himself in amusement. “And what if it was my intention to hurt them? Obedience is hard to enforce through words alone.”

“So you win your battles by attacking the defenseless? I see Legion is as spineless as ever.”

A moment of silence filled the gap that was between them before the hooded man decided to speak once more.

“I do what I please.
Me and Legion don’t exactly see eye to eye.”  He then eyed out a bystander that was in the crowd nearby, and almost instantly, his target dropped dead. “Unless, that is, you can stop me.”

The hooded man’s gaze returned to Emil, accompanied by a coy smile. Emil’s body grew numb as he stood terrified at what he had just seen.
This…this can’t be real. I’ve never seen anything like this before.

“Impressive, yes?” the mysterious man mused as he tasted Emil’s growing fear.

 
How did he do that? He didn’t even move!
“What did you do to him?” Emil asked as he remained on guard.

The hooded man ignored the question as he slowly began to walk towards Emil. “You say it is like us to pick on the helpless and defenseless, so tell me then...what does that make you?” Emil began to back away slowly in synch with his foe’s steps until he finally shook the cold that weighed heavily on his body.

Damn it. There’s no way he’ll let me live, but I have to try something. 
“Take this!” Emil’s blade swung swiftly to the right and released a controlled wave of energy at his opponent. Unaware to Emil, the hooded man’s serpents expanded and folded around him like the wings of an angel, preventing any damage from coming his way. The crooked smile he wore grew as he remained unharmed.

His energy bears similar characteristics of lighting, yet it is his own.
Interesting. For him to channel and send it through an object in such a concise manner shows skill, I do admit.

Emil clenched his teeth beneath his mask as he began to weigh his options.
My attack didn’t even get through. He has a barrier of some sort. If I can break it, then maybe I’ll have a chance.

“
Rahh!” Before his opponent had the chance to progress any further, Emil rapidly sliced his sword in the air, firing a barrage of projectiles at his enemy’s perceived barrier.

Hmm.
He should know by now that an attack of this magnitude isn’t nearly enough. Perhaps if he weren’t desperately afraid of causalities, he could actually do some damage.

Emil continued his assault, but the hooded man remained unharmed. His feet began to move again, pressing closer to Emil as Emil continued to pelt him with his blinding light.

He’s moving again. It’s now or never.
From his hand, Emil fired a wave of his energy that released a blinding spark upon collision. Immediately, Emil’s aura encompassed the hooded man as he rushed forward with blazing speed, concentrating his energy into his blade.
If his power is within his eyes and he can’t see me, then he’s powerless.
Within the second, Emil was well within striking range and was able to deliver a concentrated blow with all his might. His sword met little resistance as it penetrated through the remnants of his opponent’s energy, partly because the hooded man had foreseen the attack. Of his four snakes, only one stayed in place to guard against Emil’s assault, acting like buffer, giving him time to parry his blade at the last possible second.

Well played
,
the hooded man thought to himself as he jumped into the air.
His attacks from earlier were used to test the density of the barrier that he thought I had. His power is formidable.

From the sky, the three remaining snakes coiled together and lunged at Emil. Unaware that an attack had even launched against him, Emil was unable to dodge.

“Ahh!” The viper struck at Emil’s chest but was thwarted by the aura that danced over him. Stunned, Emil jumped backwards, putting distance between himself and his foe once more.

Shit…he didn’t even touch me
an
—, he thought as he fell to one knee and gripped his chest.
But he can be killed. That much I know for sure.
As Emil shakily rose to his feet, he watched as splotches of blood dripped onto the concrete from the hooded man’s clothing.
I managed to get to him, but it’s not nearly enough. I can’t trade off with him again. I’ve got to keep my distance.

The hooded man watched patiently as Emil took his time to recover, all the while wondering why Emil refused to succumb to the odds stacked against him. The hooded man was confused, yet amused at Emil’s tenacity; his undying will to live.

So he managed to do some damage to me, and it wasn’t till I landed that I realized it. He’s quick. If I hadn’t extended my defenses before he charged, his strike would have been potentially fatal. This one is most particular indeed. With the proper guidance, he could join us.

“Why do you stand? Don’t you know when to give up? I haven’t even used my hands and you still believe there is hope?”

“Because,” Emil said as a rush of energy ignited from his core, “I have people who need me.” The hooded man tried his best to maintain a straight face as he watched Emil’s flame-like aura engulf him.

So, he finally decides to show his fangs. Good. But just how far is he willing to go?

“Is that so?” the hooded man said as he extended his hand towards Emil. A tremendous snake shot through the air but remained undetected as it rapidly gained ground. Confused, Emil raised his sword to guard his body but failed to protect himself from the unseen force. As the snake approached Emil, it split into three different entities which struck him simultaneously by drilling into his aura. Emil’s body hit the ground as his aura left him. His body lay still as he struggled to bring back the air that escaped his lungs.

Humph.
Just as I figured. His aura protects him mainly against physical attacks but his defenses against psychic attacks are next to nothing. He should be done now.

“I hope now you understand,” the hooded man said as he overlooked Emil’s body from afar. “Lay there while the ones you fight for fight one another. Watch them. Learn from them. I only started the spark. The rest is of
their own doing. You know how quickly they can turn yourself. That is why you hide your face, is it not? Why protect those who would gladly throw you out to die? Only a fool protects the one who beats him.”

From the ground, Emil reached for his sword and lethargically rose to his feet. “And only a madman kills his own people,” Emil said as he tensed his aching body to remain stable as he stood. “If you want me to stop, then kill me. Until then, I’m going to give it everything I got until you do.” His aura resurfaced as he assumed a defensive stance; a bold front to delay what was to come. The amount of damage he had sustained caused his body to lag. Each time he had been struck, it felt like he meandered on the brink of death. A hot flash of heat exploding from the point of impact followed by a bone-chilling numbness that resonated through his entire system, dulling his senses as the feeling spread. He had been hit twice now, and the inner workings of his body had already begun to exhibit signs of duress. As Emil watched the hooded man raise his hand again, his vision doubled over as he tried his best to remain able.

Once he understands that his crusade is vain, he’ll find me. When he has nothing left, he will gladly find a rank within our domain. He lacks the power to overthrow Arius, but, in time, he will grow to be a fine warrior. Until then, I’ll track his progress.

“I’m afraid this is goodbye, young warrior.” The hooded man extended his hand once more and the serpents that levitated from his back molded into a giant tendril that floated above his head. Spotting the familiar pattern, Emil closed his eyes and braced for the expected impact, but as time passed, no harm came his way.

“Skye?” Emil said as he groggily tried to decipher the silhouette he saw in front of him. The screams and panic of the town mulled his hearing as the world slowly began to turn black. Amidst the chaos, it was indeed Skye who saved him. She stood in front on him and formed a barrier that shielded them from the hooded man’s latest assault. Omari was also there, fighting on their behalf.

After Skye’s successful block, Omari warped in and swiped at the hooded man with the blade he hide in his gauntlet. Omari’s strike grazed the man’s cheek, drawing blood, before reappearing in front of Skye.

“Took you guys long enough,” Emil said as he fell back to his knees. “He’s strong.”

The barrier that Skye forged collapsed as she turned to Emil. The smile she wore faded as she
saw him on his knees trying to stand to his feet alongside Omari. “Stay still! You’re hurt!” Skye rushed to Emil and placed her hands over his head, focusing her energy.

“His attacks are invisible. You’ve got to warn Omari,” Emil whispered.

“I can see them and Omari should be able to sense them,” Skye said as she continued to heal Emil. “He uses psychic energy to attack. To you, it may seem invisible, but to me it is just as visible as you are to me.”

“If that’s so, how is Omari able to sense them?”

“He’s my brother. And, he’s been working with me for a while now, so the sensation of energy being channeled shouldn’t be unfamiliar to him. In addition to that, the nature of his abilities make his body extremely sensitive to changes in the atmosphere around him. When Omari warps he has to create the perfect balance between the planes he shifts between. Essentially anything that is around him at the moment, he has to be aware of and calibrate before he can properly execute his technique. It’s complicated, no doubt, but to him, it’s second nature. Think of it like how your aura interacts with the world around you. Omari, in a way, has one, too. It’s just different.”

“That man, he’s in a league of his own. Omari is strong but I don’t know if he’s strong enough to take him. I feel like he could have killed me if he
wanted to. He was toying with me. Let me help him. He can’t do this by himself,” Emil grunted as he tried to stand but Skye scolded him once more.

“If you go now, you’ll be a burden to him. You have to get better before you can do anything.”

A faint grunt escaped from Emil’s mouth as he calmed himself for Skye’s sake. She was noticeably tired. Unmistakably from working out in the field, keeping casualties to a minimum, and healing whenever she could. Her limit had not yet been reached, but it was obvious from her breathing that her body had been reasonably taxed.

“Skye,” Emil said, “save your energy. You’ve done enough. Please. You need to have some for after this is over.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

The warmth of her energy left Emil as her hands receded from his head. Moments later, the dull pain from before returned but on a smaller scale. Instantly, Emil’s body buckled as the pain bent his posture. Rather than seeing an ally in pain, she raced to tend to him, but Emil adamantly refused.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. You should know by now that I don’t go down easily. You gave me a running start. I’ll be fine in no time. Just cover me until then.”

“Okay.”

As Skye protected Emil from inside her barrier, she watched as her brother stared down the one who was responsible for wreaking havoc on their hometown. Twice the rouge Abnormal had been struck, but it seemed like he was the least bit worried. The cut to his side, he ignored, and the blood from his cheek, he licked whenever appropriate. Skye looked on as his manifestations danced around him, tethered to his back, ready to strike the solemn warrior at a moment’s notice.