Shadow Walkers (6 page)

Isaac lets out something that Allison assumes was
supposed
to be a sarcastic laugh, but comes off as more of a bark. “Always with the games, just give it up. Why on earth would you Void just up and front announce your plans to attack us?”

Valus pauses and glances at his fellow elites. “Because we are here on orders from the Queen. She ordered us to forewarn you without initiating a fight, and we are not to disobey her orders.”

Allison’s father sneers. “The Queen? So she’s finally recovered enough to boss all of you around.”

Valus looks up at Marcus. “Yes. Her power is returning slowly but surely, and soon enough her strength will surpass that of all others. No Void, Walker, or Invert will be able to stand up to her. In fact, the third thing we were sent to tell you is that you should just give up all hope now. Even if you all somehow manage to survive the onslaught that is coming your way, once our Queen’s power returns to it’s fullest extent, she’ll be unstoppable. Lydia Walker and Serena’s powers are long gone, so you have absolutely no chance of stopping the Queen again.”

The Walkers immediately go into a hushed frenzy, their worry of Valus’ threat evident in their whispers. Axus, the third Council Member, shakes his head. “So there is someone from Eros here after all…”

Valus laughs. “Yes there is. And your suspicions are correct, Axus. That boy is the second of his kind- a mix between Walker and Invert blood.”

More shouts come from the Walkers. Nick nudges Allison in the ribs. “Explain this, please. I feel so lost- I’m not very knowledgeable in Walker history.”

Hector rolls his eyes. “Just shut up, we’ll explain it later. Too much info at once and your brain might explode.”

“Nicholas.” Valus yells over the crowd of stunned Walkers. Allison looks between the two- Void and Walker. A hunter and his prey. Valus smiles as the crowd quiets down. The gaze he’s giving Nick gives Allison chills, and she finds herself feeling relieved that she’s not the one he’s after. Valus lets out a small laugh. “I look forward to fighting you, boy.” Valus sneers and holds his arms out wide.

The entire group of Void suddenly disappears, leaving behind a giant cloud of slowly fading purple smoke. Allison instantly finds herself surrounded by a crowd of Walkers yelling unintelligible things at each other. She calmly takes in her surroundings, and spots her father chatting with the other Council members. However, as she makes her way towards her father, he and the other Council members disappear in a puff of black smoke.

“They must be having an emergency meeting.” Isaac says from behind her. “We’ll just have to wait until they have an announcement ready for us.”

Allison clenches her fist, frustrated at all of the things that she doesn’t understand yet. “How can you expect me to just wait? I need to know what’s going on!”

Nick and Hector run over to Allison and Isaac. Nick shakes his head. “Things were just starting to make sense and then this happened. How much stuff do I need to learn before my head stops spinning?”

Isaac sighs. “I know that things are only getting more confusing for you Nick, I’m sorry for that. Let’s just all go back to the training room and then I’ll explain everything you need to know.” He sticks his hand out in front of him. Hector and Nick stack their hands on top of their captain’s, and then they all stare at the reluctant Allison.

She eyes Isaac suspiciously. “Promise you’ll tell us everything we want to know?”

Isaac nods in agreement. “Anything. Let’s just get going already.”

Allison gives in and places her hand on top her teammates. She was determined to get all of the answers she wanted. Whatever was happening with the Void, she needed to know. And she knew that she couldn’t rely on her father to figure things out out. She clenches her fist out of frustration.

And then the team slips into the shadow at their feet.

Chapter Six

Allison

Allison couldn’t keep all of her thoughts in check as she emerged into the training room. Isaac walks directly to the Pathfinder, stopping only a few inches away from the clear crystal ball.

“Come here Nick.” He commands. Nick jogs over to their captain. He still looked dazed from their encounter with the Void only moments ago. Isaac holds his hand up and locks eyes with Nick. “The Pathfinder itself was made using Shadow Walker powers in order to determine other Walkers powers before they’re naturally unlocked. But how do you think that us Walkers actually use our powers?”

Nick stares at the ground. Allison was really starting to feel bad for the kid. Being thrown into this world with absolutely no knowledge had to be stressful. Her teammate shakes his head. “You cast spells or something. How should I know.”

Isaac grins. “Not quite. You see, our powers are just another part of our being. When you run for a while, your legs get tired, right? Well using our powers also drains us, but not in the same way. Using Walker powers drains the spirit- our soul. Because of this, a Walker’s strength is measured by how strong their soul is. One’s will to live, their determination, or even their desire to fight for what they believe in- these are the things that measure a Walker’s strength.”

“So I’m going to use my soul?” Nick asks doubtfully. “What’s next, an exorcism?”

Isaac sighs, obviously as tired of explaining as Allison was of listening. “Quit the jokes, you should realize by now that nothing in this world is impossible. When a Walker releases an ability, they use their ‘shadow energy’. This energy is just a form of strength that is linked to your soul. It replenishes naturally, and comes back even faster in the darkness. If you use all of your shadow energy, your soul will be drained, which will result in death.”

“Ok, but how does this help me right now?” Nick asks, obviously impatient and ready to get it all over with. Allison groans and points at the Pathfinder.

“To find out your powers, you need to pour your shadow energy into that crystal right there. After a while, it’ll start glowing a certain color. Whatever color you create will let us know what your main class is.”

“But I don’t know how any of this works!” Nick says. “I’m a half-breed, right? Do I even have enough energy to do any of this?”

“Oh shush.” Hector says. “Half-breeds aren’t any less powerful than purebloods, believe it or not. Besides, using your energy is really simple. There’s one simple trick that can always be exploited to draw out your energy until you start doing it without even a single thought.”

Nick nods. “So what’s the trick?”

Isaac laughs. “Getting excited now, aren’t you Nick?” The captain stares at Nick with something Allison can’t quite place- envy, maybe. He points at the Pathfinder. “To pour your energy out- to summon your Walker abilities- you can think of three simple things. First off, you can imagine something that you’re proud of. A trophy, a good grade on a test- whatever. The second is to picture your soul leaking out of your body in the form of a black smoke.”

“Second one sounds like it’s for edgy teens. What about the third method?” Nick asks. His hands were now twitching with what Allison assumes can only be excitement.

Isaac pauses, and then speaks without making eye contact with anyone. “Picture something that you want to protect. A family member, your best friend, or even your pet- anything will work, but it has to be something that you’d risk your life for.”

The silence hangs between the four of them for a short moment, then Nick moves to the Pathfinder. He places his hands on the device and closes his eyes.

“You’ll have to concentrate for about an hour or so. Though considering that you’re new to this, it could take much, much longer.” Isaac tells the boy.

Hector suddenly shuffles his feet back and forth. “So, uh… Isaac-”

“Captain Isaac.” Isaac corrects.

Hector sneers. “Captain Isaac- whatever. What exactly just happened?”

Allison's eyes lock on to the captain, ready to study everything he says or does. “Yeah, the Void were talking about a lot of strange things. The Inverts being among us, a Void whose infiltrated the Pit, I don’t understand how stuff like that could happen. And then they said that the Queen of the Void was finally awake, and that they were planning on eradicating the two worlds. If they were telling the truth, then shouldn’t we be a lot more worried than we are?” Allison asks.

Isaac sighs and sits down on the ground, criss-cross style. He looks down at the ground absently. “I’m not too surprised at anything that they said. Although, there hasn’t been any major interactions between the Inverts and the Walkers for about three hundred years. And if what they said was true, that a Walker and Invert hybrid existed here in the Pit, then the Council will have them on a very short leash once we find out who they are. They’ve never been fond of the Inverts, and I don’t think they’ll be so happy about having one share the same blood with them. Like Valus said, this would only be the second Walker and Invert hybrid known in history. And with the way the last one was handled… well I feel bad for whoever this one is.”

“Wait, what the heck are Inverts?” Nick asks. “I keep hearing the word, but nobody has explained it to me yet.”

Allison decides to step in and help explains things to the new Walker. “There are four known races in our universe. There are the regular humans, who live on earth. There’s the Void, who live in their home of the same name. Us Walkers obviously come from the Pit. And then the fourth race would be the Inverts, who come from Eros. Like Walkers, the Inverts are capable of using strange abilities that normal humans are incapable of. Some whackjobs think that there could be a fifth race out there somewhere, but there is absolutely no evidence towards such a thing.”

Isaac nods approvingly. “Correct. The Void are the natural enemy of us Walkers and the Inverts. But there has been a long standing rivalry between the Inverts and us as far as history dates. We don’t hunt each other down like we do the Void, but we also don’t get along with each other. And for the past three hundred years, Walkers and Inverts have completely avoided contact with each other due to a peace treaty created to end the rivalry between our kind.”

“So that’s why a hybrid between a Walker and an Invert is such a big deal. They weren’t even supposed to meet with each other over the past three hundred years. But according to the Void, there could be an Invert walking among us right now.” Nick says.

“Thats right.” Isaac confirms. “For whatever reason this hybrid was created, they’re going to cause a lot of controversy here in the Pit. Many Walkers don’t trust the Inverts, and the idea of mating with our rivals disgusts the majority of Walkers. Most of them will think that this hybrid is here to spy on us so that the Inverts can learn our weaknesses. But this Invert that’s supposedly in the Pit is actually the least of our problems right now.”

Hector nods in agreement. “Yeah, I could care less about the Inverts. Valus said that the Void pretty much planned on destroying the two worlds. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems like more of an important issue than some stupid rivalry.”

Isaac smiles. “I’m glad then, Hector, because that makes you wiser than a lot of the other Walkers here in the Pit. The threat of the Void takes priority over a petty rivalry. If they truly plan on destroying the ‘two worlds’, then they must be referring to Eros and the Pit. After all, Walkers and Inverts are the races that pose a threat to the Void and their Queen. By wiping us out, they’d be free of any hassle.”

Allison begins biting on her nails, her mind focusing deeply on the conversation at hand. Nick begins speaking again, this time saying exactly what’s been on Allison’s mind. “But why would they suddenly want to take the Walkers out now? Couldn’t they have done this a while ago? And if they can destroy worlds, why haven’t the regular humans been wiped out yet?”

Isaac laughs. “Look who’s finally getting to the real questions. To put it simply, the Void is ruled by an all powerful Queen. Three hundred years ago, in a battle between Lydia Walker- the most powerful Walker in history and the founder of the Guard- alongside Serena- the most powerful Invert- and the Queen of the Void herself, the former two managed to put the Queen in a weakened state for all of these years. It looks like she’s finally starting to return to her old strength. I’m not sure why her powers have suddenly returned, but I think that the Void have wanted to get rid of us for a very long time.”

A spark lights up in Allison’s head. “They needed the Queen’s power to destroy the Pit and Eros, and it just so happens that she’s finally regaining her strength now. They’ve waited three hundred years to execute this plan of theirs, because it wasn’t physically possible without the strength of their Queen. Lydia Walker and Serena threw a giant wrench in their plans.”

Isaac’s grin let's Allison know that she hit the nail on the head. "That's my guess too. Who knows what tricks the Void are going to pull out in the days to come, but I’m sure that whatever they’re planning, it’ll completely shock us Walkers. There are no Walkers as strong as Lydia herself, so we can’t afford to let the Queen regain all of her power. To be honest, it would be the best if we could somehow strike her down before that happens. But it’d be foolish of me to think such a thing could be possible."

Hector sighs. "Man this sucks. We become Guardians right before the apocalypse starts. Worst week ever."

"Not necessarily." Isaac says. "I don't think that the Void will be ready to attack any time soon, and even if they are, I have a feeling that their plan won’t be foolproof. Valus himself even said that the Void weren't ready to fight yet. Of course that could have just been a lie, but he’s not usually the dishonorable type. I have a strong feeling that the Void are still preparing for whatever plan they have on the way, and if that’s the case, we should still be able to stop them. And in any case, you three should be done with basic training before they attack. And since
I’m
the one training you guys, you'll be a lot more experienced than your average rookie."

Hector groans. "So we get to get murdered after putting up a fight. Splendid."

"Shut up and quit complaining." Allison barks. "This looks like it could be a life or death situation for all Walkers. We need to be as strong as possible if we have any hope of defending ourselves. Our captain is a member of the Midnight Order, so he’s one of the six strongest captains in the Pit. I wouldn’t feel like we’re doing our team justice unless we try to become the three strongest rookies."

"That's the spirit, Allison." Isaac says with a smile stretched across his face. "You guys will definitely grow to become powerful Walkers. And when you guys are watching my back, I’ll be watching yours. I’d give up my life before I let one of the Void take you three away."

"What about Valus?" Hector asks. "If he’s after Nick, will we really be able to take him head on?”

Isaac jaw clenches, and Allison can't help but feel a little threatened by the motion. But her captain quickly let's out a sigh, relaxing his muscles. "If we run into Valus, then you guy’s let me take him on. I don’t want to give him any opportunities to attack my subordinates. I made it my mission a long time ago to take him down myself."

Allison bites the inside of her cheek. She ponders on whether or not she should dig deeper into her captain’s personal life. Isaac seemed to have some sort of vendetta against Valus, a rivalry even. It was something much deeper than just wishing to destroy the Void. Allison could tell that there was some kind of connection between Isaac and Valus. And her curiosity manages to get the better of her. "Captain, if you don't mind me asking, why do you hate Valus so much? What did he do to you?"

The captain's face contorts, and Allison is sure that she was about to get reprimanded for asking such personal questions. However, Isaac’s face relaxes into a blank expression. "I don't want to talk about it too much. Let's just say that he took something very important away from me, and I've held a grudge against him ever since. Maybe one day I'll tell you guys the whole story."

Hector and Allison give their captain an encouraging smile. Then, Allison remembers something that Valus had told the Walkers. "Isaac," She starts, "Valus said something about two outsiders walking among us now. One is an Invert, and the other is a Void. Why would the Void tell us about one of their own kind being among us? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to keep their presence a secret, especially if they’re planning some kind of attack on us?"

Isaac shrugs. "It’s hard to understand why the Void do any of the things they do, that’s something you three will come to learn firsthand. We won’t fully understand the situation until we find this Void and interrogate them."

Allison heeds her captain’s warning about the Void. They were all bloodthirsty monsters who craved destruction, though nobody has ever figured out what caused the Void to act in such a way. It was the one trait that the Void all had in common. They were all pure evil. So why would Valus help the Walkers out by telling them about one of his own kind being among them? Allison kept rearranging the pieces in her head, trying to make sense of Valus’ warning. But just as she finally grasps onto a logical theory of the Void’s plans, Nick shouts out, causing her to completely lose her train of thought.