Angelos Odyssey

2-1

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Tavon

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Raiko and I are sitting down in metallic, foldable chairs in a room with two bodies. Each body’s got a bullet hole running through its head; I see dried blood splattered across the floor and the wall to my right.

“What do you think’s going to happen to us?” the kid asks me.

I point to the bodies on the floor. Raiko looks at me with a frown. I sigh and tell him, “The Maeja do not sound like people worth messing with. Considering their numbers and that they know how to use zol, we’d be better off doing what they say.”

“So you can’t just kick their asses like usual?”

“No,” I admit. “Not when I don’t know who possesses what ability exactly. Sygdom’s power is different from those of normal zol users, and not knowing about the potential of your enemies can be dangerous. Let’s play it safe, and, if that doesn’t work, I’ll go back to the usual routine.”

what “Kicking ass?”

“Yeah. But I don’t think that will work this time.”

Someone opens the door to the room we’re in and strides toward us while flashing a bright smile. A man with dreads and wearing a suit with no undershirt nods at me and asks, “Are you Tavon, the ‘Knight Killer?’”

“Yeah. That’s what they’re calling me now.”

“I’m Titus,” he points his semiautomatic pistol at me and fires.

The bullet strikes my chest, snaps against my skin, and a burst of red aura erupts around it. The bullet falls to the ground.

“You’re as strong as they say.” Titus loses his smile and nods to himself. Then, he points the gun at Raiko. “What about him?” he asks.

I stand in front of Raiko to block the shot.

“He’s just a kid,” I tell him. “There’s no use in picking off someone who hasn’t unlocked their potential. It’d be a waste.”

Titus lowers his weapon and drops it into his holster while taking out a cigarette from his right breast pocket. He leans against the open door while lighting it and says, “If he’s got potential, that’s another crew member we could use. It doesn’t matter that much to me, but it’d be nice if you were both bulletproof.”

potential“He’s still in training.”

“I see,” Titus says after taking a drag and then gestures toward the lobby outside. “There’s someone out here who’s been asking to see you before the fight starts. Sygdom was going to come in, and then we realized who this cat was.”

A short, old man with a long goatee makes eye contact with me immediately as he walks in and doesn’t break it as he comes to stand a few feet away. Instead, his face grows paler as his eyebrows crease inward, and he says, in a shaky voice, “Do you know what you did?”

“Grandmaster Jia,” I address him with a bow, “it’s nice to see you again. I didn’t know that you were still on the ship.”

His expression doesn’t change. Grandmaster Jia stares at me for a moment longer, then he continues, “You are a fool, you know that? An utter fool.”

“Why am I a fool? What did I do?”

He breathes in and out with rapid breaths. He says, “There’s someone who wants to talk to you, and he’s chosen me as his vessel. Look into my eyes, you rotten bastard, and talk to him. I’ve nothing more to say to you, but he does!”

me I do as he says and look into his two black pupils, which draw me in and take hold of my reality. My vision darkens as I feel time stop around me.

The Grandmaster nods with an angry grin. “Oh yes,” he says, “you know who it is, don’t you? Go on now, go talk to him before he gets impatient. Look deeper.”

As Titus and Raiko remain frozen, I continue staring into two pools of black until I begin to feel my body shake. Static shoots out from my joints, goosebumps ripple across my skin, and I feel myself start to move forward. My mind leaves behind my body and leaps toward two black holes that join into one. I soar, and my spirit flies toward a lake of darkness that envelops me. I pass beyond the veil, and then…

-

I can feel myself drifting down through a grey sky. Up ahead, I see the top half of a black sun on the horizon. Below me are ink-colored streams running along blades of white grass, and my feet touch down on an open canal of dark water which runs as high as my ankles. The wind’s calm, and not a sound can be heard across an expanse of still white; the sun emits a halo that stretches out in claw-like whisps of black.

Across darkened earth adorned with blades of ivory, I can see what looks like several stone fountains with varying tiers; some have only one circular enclosure around their much larger basins while others have up to six or seven stacked upward around several more basins. Alongside each fountain is a tree made up of red and white bark, and each tree also varies in accordance with how many tiers are attached to each fountain. Those with seven tiers are accompanied by tall, broad trunks set below leaves of glowing white, while those with only one tier are placed beside small saplings that barely reach above the ground. Clouds race overhead, and the air feels too heavy to breathe.

“There you are,” I hear the voice of a younger man speak across the expanse, “it’s been too long.”

I look beyond rows of grey fountains, each streaming black liquid that spills across the ground, and I see a masked man approaching me. That mask is familiar: two arched points at the top and one sharp point at the bottom. Two horned creases for eyes set against a background of glimmering white. Around the mask is a mane of thick, silver hair. His body’s incredibly muscular and covered in the black fur of a beast, exposing only a bare grey chest above well-defined abdominal muscles. As he continues to approach, I can just spot the spiked outline of a black aura surrounding him.

“Did you forget who I am? We met when we were just kids, remember?” he bellows with the voice of a giant in the prime of his youth.

“A lot happened when I was a kid. Refresh my memory.”

He stops a short distance away from me and looks me over.

“You’ve grown a lot, Tavon. When we first met, you were running from Cephamatu, and I don’t think he’s forgotten you, either. Take a look around you right now,” he gestures at the entire field of fountain-tethered trees, “what do you see?”

“I don’t know. Dirty fountains? What is this place?”

He takes a few more steps toward me, then he says, “I am the one who rescued your soul from bondage and offered you a deal. This realm is the manifestation of that deal, and this is all thanks to you. Do you know what these things are?” he points to one of the red and white trees.

“No.”

“They’re all the people you killed, Tavon. Did you think I wasn’t keeping track? Once again, you know who I am. My name is Amegdion, the Lion of the Black Sun, and, as you can see,” he glances behind him, “that sun is beginning to rise over a field of all the corpses you’ve left behind. Do you know how many of them there are?”

I don’t respond as I think over what he’s said.

“Over a hundred people. Your number was a lot lower before you left the Citadel. But, when all hell broke loose, you added to your count in a way that I had to take notice of. Look at them all,” he says. “This is your handiwork.”

Amegdion walks over to a fountain with just a slender tower that streams water into a small basin. Next to it is a small sapling without leaves.

“Check out this one,” he chuckles. “I want you to see this.”

He reaches out with one clawed hand and draws forth a line of black liquid toward his right index finger. As he keeps his hand extended, this line builds into a current which circles in on itself as it expands and grows into the shape of a large inkblot. This inkblot stretches itself thin, forming hands and feet and shrinking in places to carve out the body of what looks like a teenager.

“Look,” he says, “it’s the first person you’ve ever killed.”

The liquid turns the color of human skin, creates the definition behind familiar facial features, and I see the face of Dfari looking back at me. Dfari looks around nervously before making eye contact, and, when he does, he sneers as he shakes with an uncontrollable rage.

“It’s you!” he screams. “This is all your fault!”

Dfari points to Amegdion and says, “He kills me every day because of you. He summons me over and over again for his own entertainment—this is all YOUR fault!”

The gun Dfari had on him before he died materializes in his hand, and he aims it at me immediately.

“This time, I’ll kill y—”

I’ll Amegdion wraps one large paw around Dfari’s gun and yanks him close with enough power to pull his arm from its socket. Just as Dfari starts to scream as black blood spurts from his torn shoulder muscle, Amegdion thrusts his other clawed hand through Dfari’s chest and withdraws it just as more blood gushes from his torso. Dfari cries out and then dissolves into a pool of ink-colored liquid before being reabsorbed into the small tree behind him.

“He is, by far, one of the weakest you’ve sent me. When I appeared to you in the form of Anubis, that dog your keeper was so fond of, we’d already forged a bond that was made even more clear when I saved you from being devoured by Cephamatu. When we made our pact, Dfari’s soul was given over to me, and there’s another that you sent recently who’s shown some potential that I’m interested in seeing be developed further. I think you already know who it is.”

I look down and sigh. “Kenji’s brother.”

“That’s right,” he replies joyfully. “Maeda Senzang doesn’t forgive you, and, if you disappoint me, I’ll be sure to send him and a few others after you to make sure you’ve kept our promise.”

I don’t like this. It’s unbelievable to think that he would still remember me after all this time.

“What’s wrong? Are you ashamed?”

“Yeah. I am,” I admit.

“Hah!” Amegdion crosses his arms and says, “Well, I’m not. Look at all the souls you’ve given me. They’re perfect for training! They’ve made me a lot stronger, and I have you to thank for it. When we first met in person, the two of us were just teenagers. Now look at me!” Amegdion gestures to the size of his body with open palms. “You’ve made me more powerful than ever, and all because you wouldn’t give up. You’ve inspired me!”

“I’m not proud of this.”