The Beginning Ch. 03-07

"Yeah," I mumbled, avoiding her eyes though I could see them twinkling with mirth, "it's beautiful."

"Really?" she asked, with a mischievous smile, "I would have thought my hand rather ordinary. Do you think I could be a hand model, Chris?"

"Gah!" I stuttered, "You know that's not what I meant! I was referring to the ring!"

It truly was a beautiful ring. The band appeared to be silver or platinum or some other silvery metal, and the head was fashioned to resemble the visage of a wolf. It seemed to shimmer as I looked at it, and I could have sworn that I saw the wolf's fur ruffle under a phantom breeze.

"Thank you," she said, picking her fork back up, "perhaps we can get you one made at the same place I got mine. The smith there can craft the head to resemble any animal you want."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, looking at me intently, "but is there any animal you like in particular? One you feel a kinship to?"

"Not really," I replied, thoughtfully, "nothing in particular. Though, I have always liked dogs. Does that count?"

"Oh, not quite," she murmured, and for some reason I got the feeling that she was disappointed, before she smiled at me and resumed eating.

On the other hand, mom and dad who had been listening to the whole exchange looked relieved, and finally dug into the food they'd just been picking at all night. Something gave me the impression that the whole conversation was somehow linked to what they weren't telling me, which meant that Vaishnavi was in on it too. If I didn't find out what it was soon enough, I was sure that I would simply burst!

*****

The next few weeks were a total blur. Randal and Mathias weren't as surprised to see Vaishnavi as I thought they'd be, and neither was Mr Ray. All of them accepted it rather calmly, even the fact that she was staying with me. Weird as that was, it paled in comparison to the way Mr Ray and I had begun interacting. Aside from joining his advanced Calculus class— which wasn't all that difficult, surprisingly— I suddenly found myself being tasked with all kinds of jobs, not unlike those a Prefect would be expected to perform. I guess it had something to do with me finally knowing about him and dad. I didn't quite pay it much heed, just thankful for the opportunity to get out of class and wander around the school.

On the social front of things, my trio had grown by one, as Vaishnavi constantly hung out with us. It wasn't long before rumours started flowing down the grapevine that the two of us were dating. I tried to put an end to it, not because I didn't like the idea— I liked it a little too much, actually— but because I could tell that it made Vaishnavi uncomfortable. It did hurt to consider the fact that she might be uncomfortable with the very thought of dating me, and the thought that she might even be with somebody else back in India absolutely killed me, but I pushed all that aside and decided to bide my time. After all, she was going to be in the same house with me for the foreseeable future. Maybe we would eventually click!

In the meantime, I tried to learn everything about her that I could, but she was as much of a closed book as my parents were. She didn't quite give me the cold shoulder, though. Indeed, she was as friendly as you'd expect, up until I managed to turn the conversation towards her life in India, her parents, friends back home, or anything personal, really. Every time that happened, she'd either clam up right away, or skilfully redirect the conversation elsewhere.

Every single day that passed made me all the more determined to find out whatever it was that mom, dad, Randal, Mathias, Mr Ray, and Vaishnavi were keeping from me.

Ah, if only I knew then that my wish would be fulfilled in a way that I would come to regret for the rest of my life, maybe I would have wished for something else instead.

Chapter 5- Death

20^th January, 2013

7:30 p.m.

Home (#34 Ray Drive, 52^nd and 4^th, New York)

My 18^th birthday was a pretty big event. The house was filled to the brim with friends—both mine and my parents'— and the music playing was loud enough to be heard halfway down the block. Luckily, most of the neighborhood was at the party, so we didn't get snitched on. Things were going pretty brilliantly, and I was having the time of my life. I spent most of the evening just interacting with everyone, getting a whole lot of advice about how my life was going to change within two years or so, and how I should get a head start on shaping it the way I wanted it to turn out. In other words, I was bored out of my mind and wished I was somewhere else.

Midway through yet another lecture on how I needed to find someone perfect to spend my life with, I felt a tug at my elbow. I turned around and saw Mathias standing there, looking visibly shaken up.

"Hey!" I said, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"We need to leave!" he replied, pulling me along, "Now!"

He managed to get me all the way out the back door, before I dug my feet into the ground and refused to move any further.

"Stop!" I exclaimed, tugging my arm free, "Tell me what's going on first."

"Mathias?" dad asked, walking outside, "Is everything alright? Kim said that you pulled Chris away from her rather rudely."

"I don't have the time to explain," he replied, "but we need to leave."

"Why?" Randal asked, appearing out of the blue with mom, Vaishnavi, and Mr. Ray in tow, "What's going on, Mathias?"

"A Cell is here," he said, his voice noticeably louder.

"Here?" Mr. Ray asked, "Where?"

"In the house across the street," Mathias replied, "They know."

"Are you sure?" dad asked.

"Yes!" Mathias screamed, "I saw their faces, Michael. It's Lucas."

"What?!" mom asked, "Lucas is here? How did he find us?"

"I don't know," Mathias replied, "but he did! He's here, Lia."

I was so engrossed in the conversation taking place that I hadn't noticed that the whole house had gone silent. Someone had even turned the music off. Dad seemed to notice that the same instant I did.

"This is bad," he said in a low voice, "This is very bad."

"Dad?" I asked, the look in his eyes scaring me, "What's going on?"

"Now isn't the time for this, Chris," dad replied, "just go with your mother. Ronald, Randal, Vaishnavi, you suit up and stay with Lia and Chris. Keep them safe. Mathias, call Jeff, Jessica, Steve, and Sarah. Tell them to get here right now, armed and ready."

"Yes, Commander!" all of them said, saluting him smartly.

"'Commander'," dad said, in a shaky voice, a sad smile on his face, "that's something nobody has called me in a long time."

"You'll always be our Commander, Michael," Mr. Ray said, clapping him on the shoulder, "no matter what."

Dad just nodded in gratitude, clasping Mr. Ray's forearm, his entire posture changing in an instant. He stood taller, it seemed, and there was something different about him. He looked stronger somehow, more focused, yet calmer.

"One change though, Michael," mom said, as everyone turned away, "you're coming with us."

"What?" dad asked, "Why?"

"In case it hasn't occurred to you yet," mom said, in a tone I had never heard before, "you've lost your magic. You don't even have any Armor! All you'll be in a fight, is a liability. There is absolutely no way that you can stand up to Lucas and whoever he deems strong enough to be in his Cell. You're coming with us, and that's final!"

"Lia-" dad started.

"No, Michael," Randal said, "she's right. As much as I would love to go to battle again at your side, you are no longer strong enough to hold your own against another Wielder. Go with your wife and child. Leave the Darks to us."

"You're right," he murmured, "So be it."

"Now that that's settled," Vaishnavi said, "could we get a move on?"

"No," I replied, "no we can't."

"Chris-" mom said, sounding desperate.

"No, mom," I replied, "I'm not going anywhere till someone tells me what is going on. Why did all of you salute dad and call him 'Commander', and what did Mr. Ray mean by what he said? What was all that stuff about magic? What's a Wielder? What's a cell? And what in the Nine Hells, are the Darks?!"

"Not 'what', little boy," a new voice said, from the doorway, "'Who?'"

I turned around to see a man dressed all in black wearing some sort of helmet standing there, flanked by three others, dressed similarly. The funny thing, was that all of them had swords belted at their waists.

"Lucas," dad said, turning around.

"Commander Michael," the man who'd spoken, Lucas, said, "It's good to see you again."

"Wish I could say the same," dad replied, "I see that you've grown remarkably better at creating a Barrier."

"Healer Lia!" Lucas said, ignoring dad and peering over his shoulder, "How are you, my love?"

"Go screw yourself," mom replied, almost snarling.

"That's not very nice," Lucas replied, stepping out of the house.

"Stop," Randal said, "that's far enough."

"Champion Randal!" Lucas exclaimed, "Fancy seeing you here. And Champions Mathias and Vaishnavi, too! And, is that Master Ronald I see standing in the corner? My oh my, this is quite a gathering we have here. All we'd need to do is send the child away, get Jeff, Jessica, Steve, and Sarah here, and we could have a right old reunion of the Academy's Class of 1576's brightest and best!"

"We're right here, you worm!" a feminine voice said from behind us, and I turned around to see Mathias and Randal's parents, and a woman I hadn't seen before, walking in through our back gate.

"Sarah!" Lucas said, addressing the woman I didn't know, "Still hurling insults, I see!"

"Sure am," she replied, standing next to Mr. Ray, "and if you don't shut up, I'll hurl you next!"

"Temper, temper," Lucas chided, wagging a finger at her, "Is that any way to talk to an old friend? Especially when after centuries, we're finally having that reunion we used to talk about, right in Mikey's backyard!"

"You lost the privilege of calling me your friend," she snarled, "when you forsook us and joined that son of a goat you call a leader!"

"Watch your tongue, woman!" a man on Lucas' right growled, his hand darting to his sword, "Nobody insults Lord Nicolas."

"Stand down, John," Lucas said, placing a hand on his, "there will be enough time for that later."

The man named John nodded sullenly, but kept his hand on his sword.

"Now see what you've done?" Lucas asked Sarah, hands on his hips like a disgruntled parent, "You've gone and riled poor Johnny up. Apologizese to him, please."

In response, Sarah spat at the ground in front of his feet, glaring daggers at him.

"Okay," Lucas said, sighing, "that was a tad too much."

Sarah opened her mouth to say something in response, but Steve, Mathias' dad cut her off.

"What do you want, Lucas?" he asked quietly.

"Ah, same old Stevie!" Lucas exclaimed, "Still asking questions before jumping in. You should learn a thing or two from him, Sarah. It might keep you out of trouble."

"Again, Lucas," Steve said, his quiet tone taking on a sharp edge, "What do you want?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Lucas asked, spreading his arms wide, "I'm here for Michael and Lia, to finish what I started a long time ago. I'm here to kill them and their son."

"We won't let you," Randal replied.

"You dare think you can stop Baron Lucas?" a female voice asked, from Lucas' left, "He is the strongest and greatest of us all, second only to Lord Nicolas himself."

"Greatest?" mom scoffed, stepping forward, "You might be right about the 'strongest' bit sweetheart, but in no way is that pile of guano you praise so much, 'great'."

"Vile worm!" she screamed, drawing her sword and jumping at mom, "You will die for that insult!"

In that second, numerous things happened that my mind refused to process until much later. All of the people around me, shouted and surged forward, trying to get to mom's side in time. Each of them- except for dad - was momentarily shrouded in a mist that was a different color for each, and when it dissipated, all of them were dressed in some black suit, armed with swords at their waists. Vaishnavi was the only one who had a sword across her back instead, and a quiver filled with arrows and an unstrung bow at her hip.

At the same instant, a Gorilla and two Boars materialized out of thin air right next to Lucas, John, and the other guy with them. As if the animals appearing out of thin air wasn't bad enough, all of them were easily at least twice as big as they should be, and each of them was pulsing with a dark glow. As soon as they appeared, I felt a chill go down my spine as a maliciousness spread through the air. There was just something wrong about them, something twisted and corrupted that sent a bolt of terror through me.

A mere heartbeat later, however, a different glow permeated the ground around us, setting it rumbling and shaking, akin to an earthquake. Just as the woman attacking mom got within striking range, cracks spread across the ground, and glowing, translucent white structures rose up around us, separating our side from Lucas'.

The woman rebounded off the wall, crashing into the gigantic glowing Gorilla. dad and the others reached mom at the same time, Mr. Ray grabbing her around the waist and pushing her behind him, into Sarah's arms. Everybody simultaneously seemed to realize what had happened, and time seemed to stop for a moment as they all stood stock still, shock etched on their faces.

The woman untangled herself from the Gorilla's arms, getting to her feet just as a giant Wolf materialized next to her. She was the only one who didn't seem shocked, almost like she knew exactly what was going on.

"Ra's Walls of Protection?" she asked in a bored voice, "Is that the best you have left, Michael?"

"It's strong enough to keep you out," dad replied, "in case you didn't know- which wouldn't be too surprising, since this spell is one that is taught to only the strongest Wielders- it is all but unbreakable."

"I have heard so, yes," the woman replied, "and if I remember correctly, the only one who can break Ra's Walls of Protection, is the one who taught the caster how to use them."

"That's right," dad replied, relaxing at last, a woeful smile on his face, "so you might as well leave now, because you have no hope of ever breaking my spell. You see, the one who taught me to cast the Walls is long dead."

"Is that so?" Lucas asked, drawing his sword, all his companions now standing ready to fight.

"You know it is!" dad snapped at him, "You were there when Nicolas struck him down!"

"True," Lucas replied, "a real pity, too. Master Logan had so much to teach the world. So much knowledge lost, with a single swing of a blade. Well, that is what I'd say at least, if it were true."

"What are you talking about?" dad asked, suddenly wary.

"You see, Michael," Lucas said, swinging his sword in a lazy arc across the ground, shearing some grass away, "and forgive me if I drone on for a moment, but I simply cannot pass up the opportunity to lecture you like you once did me— there is another who knew Master Logan's secrets. One who knew every nook and corner of our Master's mind, one who was a part of him, yet was not."

"Enough riddles, Lucas," Randal said, "get to the point, already. Who are you talking about?"

"For someone who is the Greek Champion," Lucas replied, "you sure are dense, Randal. I'm talking about his Companion, of course!"

"Lupe?" Mathias asked, "She returned to the Other Dimension after he died. I know this, because I was the one who shattered her Totem, dissolving her Anchor to this world."

"Yes," Lucas said, "but that's only half the story. You see, Lupe Bonded with a young girl from the Roman Academy a century later. That girl subsequently found herself abandoned by a young Commander on a battlefield, left to the mercy of a charging army. She was captured by said army, and made the wisest decision of her life. She joined them. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

"No," Sarah replied, "you're just rambling on and on like a delirious baboon."

"Must you?" Lucas asked, sighing, "Those insults are just sad, now. But if you insist that I spell everything out for you, so be it. The girl who joined us that day, Liz, is standing right here in front of you. She is Bonded to the Wolf we once knew as Lupe. After she was past her training, we broke through the enchantments on her Companion's mind that lock away the memories associated with pervious Bonds, giving Liz access to each and every bit of knowledge, and every single memory in there. Memories make a man, or so they say, and Liz now has all the memories Master Logan did. Ipso facto, she is Master Logan."

"Which, of course," Liz said in a sickly-sweet voice, as she walked up to the barrier that surrounded us, "means that I can do this."

She extended a finger and tapped the barrier mockingly. All we could do is watch stupefied, as what was supposedly an impenetrable wall simply dissipated into nothing.

"Now," Lucas snarled, "get them!"

In one fluid motion, all four of them attacked us, moving faster than I would have ever thought possible. Luckily, the people on my side were pretty fast themselves. While Jeff, Jessica, Steve, Sarah, and Mathias drew their weapons and met the attackers halfway, Randal and Mr. Ray flanked me and my parents. Vaishnavi ran ahead, stringing her bow as she went, nocking and drawing an arrow.

"Watch out!" I shouted, as the gigantic Gorilla appeared right in front of her, arms raised to squash her into a stain on the ground, but I needn't have bothered. As soon as it appeared in front of her, another giant Wolf— this one glowing a faint silver— materialized right next to her, leaping at the Gorilla and knocking it backwards.

We ran on ahead, leaving the Wolf and Gorilla writhing on the ground, only to find our path blocked by the Boars.

"You go on ahead!" Randal said, as another silvery giant Wolf appeared next to him, "I've got this."

Mr. Ray and Vaishnavi just nodded, and we followed them out our back gate and into the alleyway that separated our house from the next one. We ran out into the street, and I could see that our house and a substantial portion of the area around it was enclosed in a dark bubble that seemed to pulse with energy.

"That's Lucas' Barrier," dad said, sliding to a stop a few steps away from it, "We won't be able to pass through until he's dead, or he takes it down."

"Damn it all!" Vaishnavi swore, "What do we do now?"

"Now," a voice shouted, "you die!"

Suddenly, dad pushed me to the ground, and time seemed to slow down. I watched helplessly as he stood in my place, right in the path of an arrow that was streaming towards him. I watched as it pierced his chest, the force of the impact bending him backwards, blood spurting out his mouth as the arrowhead emerged out his back, spraying blood all over my face. I watched as his body hit the ground, bouncing once before coming to a rest, his blood seeping out onto the road. He turned his head towards me, the life draining out of his eyes even as the smile never left his lips; the smile that seemed to say, "It's worth it, as long as you're safe."

I watched, as my mother ran to his side, tears streaming down her face as she tried to stop the blood trickling down his chest around the shaft of the arrow embedded there with her hands. I watched, as she was shot in the back with another arrow, this one piercing clean through her stomach, embedding itself into the ground three paces away from me as she slumped over my father's body, her dying breath misting the air with crimson droplets.