Chapter 9: Safe and Sound

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CHAPTER 9

Safe and Sound

            Farrah Khalil… she can’t possibly know my father, can she? No, that’s impossible.

            As he stared into the girl’s large, charcoal eyes, uncertain of her sincerity, Eidan could hear the silent clicking sounds of the butterflies growing louder as they swarmed. He didn’t know how he could hear them, or why his hearing had become so sensitive in the past hour, but when he heard the sound of the butterflies clicking, he knew that danger was near.

            There was the distinct scent of fright in the air, a bitter pheromone that Eidan recognized from mammals as well as insects, and he could sense an anxious atmosphere broiling overhead. One by one, the blue beauties were flying away.

            Stay safe, he thought, praying that they could hear him. Conceal yourselves, and don’t come out even if I call.  

            Farrah frowned. “Eidan, are you all right?”

            He averted his gaze from his charming blue friends and shook his head, his eyes scanning the trees. “Something isn’t right here. I sense danger—”

            Not a second later, something sharp and cold sliced through the top of her left arm only to plant itself deep into Eidan’s abdomen. They both released a cry of pain. Farrah stumbled forward, falling against Eidan’s chest, and Eidan was pushed back against a tree. 

            The arrowhead was made of purified crystal, and he could feel its toxic effects immediately. Like a poison spreading all throughout his body, a thin, frigid fluid seeped deep into his veins, clearing his mind of all human troubles, irrationality and inhibitions. In an instant, he didn’t care if the people of the city were murdered. He didn’t care if he was the one to murder them, to rip out their hearts, even that of his brother, and leave the city in ruin. All that he cared about was survival, and he’d do anything at all to achieve it.

            “Eidan?”

            With clenched teeth and perspiration collecting against his brow, he pried open his eyes and looked up.

            In the distance, members of the Elite guard were closing in, taking root within the trees with their bows and arrows at ready. Eidan could barely see them, but he could hear them with impeccable accuracy, and the rapid beating of their trembling hearts told the story of their apprehension.

            For the first time in millennia, the peace between civilization and the Kinetics had been broken. Eidan hadn’t realized this at first, but his presence within the city had the potential to start a war.

            Farrah took hold of his arm. “Eidan. Eidan, you cannot let them capture us.”

            Eidan frowned.

            Of course, the girl was still with him, clinging to his sleeve without a single fear in the world. Sure, her eyes were awfully wide and her body was shivering from pain, but for some reason, Eidan still had yet to detect her fright. Could it be possible that she simply wasn’t afraid? Even with a bloody, limp left arm and a thousand arrows pointed at her back, and on top of that, she was relying on a Kinetic to save her life…no, this girl was only deranged. Eidan had decided this, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t amuse her.

            He sucked in a painful breath and spoke. “Remove this arrow,” he managed to say. “Do this and I’ll… I’ll take you with me.”

            The girl’s smile was stunning. “Eidan,” she breathed, and then a moment later, she frowned. “But where will you take me?” As she spoke, she lifted her only good hand and wrapped her fingers around the arrow’s shaft. Eidan stiffened, the agony easing further in. “I hate this culture, the politics and the ceaseless discrimination. Will you take me far away from it?”

            Farrah yanked the arrow from Eidan’s side and Eidan released a shout. He clenched his teeth and tried to slow his heartbeat as the gaping wound bled out.

            Farrah became anxious. “Eidan, this is a lot of blood.”

            “I know what it is,” Eidan spat. “Just… just tell me where you’d like to go.”

            Farrah’s frown deepened. “I want to go home. If you can do this for me, then I won’t let you regret it. Just get me out of this city and save me, please!”

            Just then, another arrow was fired, but Eidan heard it coming from a mile away. He grabbed Farrah’s shoulder and forced her to duck, and not a second later, a crystal arrow plummeted into the tree behind him.

            “Eidan, you—!”

            “Come on, let’s go!”

            He took her by the hand and dragged her into the forest, panting as his stiff body combatted the venom of the crystal. It was said that exposure to something so pure was fatal to a Kinetic, but as Eidan clenched his throbbing wound, he felt the blood dry up and the skin move beneath his fingertips. Was the wound healing? He didn’t know that was possible. Kinetics were incredibly weak creatures and were supposed to be easy to kill.

            If what they say is true, then I’ll be dead soon, Eidan thought. I can’t let that happen. I need to make it out of the city.

            They made it only forty meters into the woods when the wind picked up and dark shadows moved in to surround them. Eidan had no choice but to come to a stop. He took hold of Farrah’s arm and held her close beside him as he surveyed the scene around him.

            Zuri… so you’ve actually chosen to betray me.

            His brother stood directly across from him, his weapons appropriately secured as he assumed the position of a commanding officer. Eidan had no method of understanding the emotions written within his eyes. He knew, however, that Zuri was afraid, and every Numan at the other end of every arrow was terrified.

            Danger, he thought. Escape, I need to escape.

            It only took a second to evaluate the situation and determine the quickest route to safety. Before anybody could speak or make any sudden movements, Eidan yanked Farrah into his arms and held her against his chest as he grabbed her delicate chin. “Make one wrong move and I’ll break her neck.”

            Farrah gasped.

            Zuri’s eyes widened. “Don’t shoot,” he warned the guards. “Stand down, all of you!” As their weapons lowered, Zuri quickly closed the distance between them, his palms raised in surrender. “Please, Eidan. If you take this girl’s life, your own life will be put in danger. The Darim only wants to speak with you. I told you… I told you not to panic.”

            “You shot me with a crystal arrow.”

            “That was Bartol!” He wildly gestured to a soldier beside him, a trembling Numan with wide eyes and pale cheeks. “He disobeyed my orders and released the arrows claiming it was out of fright. Bartol, I told you to return to base.”

            “I-I-I—” the Numan stuttered.

            Eidan felt the pain in his abdomen increase. He gritted his teeth and forcefully pushed Farrah onto the ground, then he tore apart his rompa, renting it by the buttons, and approached the Numan known as Bartol. “You’ll become the death of me,” he spat. Eidan gestured to his wound. The blood had indeed dried up, and around the torn flesh, his skin was ashen and in some places black. “Do you see this? Is this what you wanted—to kill an innocent man?”

            Bartol looked terrified.

            Eidan seized his bow and threw it on the ground, then he grabbed the Numan by the collar of his pristine white uniform and spat into his face. “I ought to end you for doing this to me.”

            Zuri came between them and shoved them apart. He held a crystal dagger to Eidan’s throat, forcing him to shrink back. Eidan was afraid. It was an emotion he understood, and he didn’t know why.

            “Stand down, brother,” he quietly demanded. “If the crystal had any real effect on you, you’d be dead already.”

            Eidan scowled. “Do not pretend like you understand what’s happening to me.”

            “Oh, I understand, monk.” Zuri smirked. “We followed you today. It was a test, you see, and you failed it when you lost your temper at the bajin shop.”

            Eidan’s eyes widened. He’d been followed? Or was the scenario a set-up all along?

            “And now you’re surprised. I suppose that’s a good sign, but that doesn’t change the fact that something happened to you after your life was put in danger. You’re unstable, Eidan. Your emotions have been unusually chaotic ever since you were discharged from the monastery, and the Darim demands a proper evaluation.”

            Eidan didn’t understand. “An evaluation? Brother, don’t be absurd. Do you truly believe I’d come with you after what you just told me? I’ve been treated like an animal my entire life. I’ve had enough.”

            Zuri glared. “Come now, monk. Saying things like that only makes your situation worse.”

            “I refuse to comply.”

            “Then what will you do? Where will you go? You have nothing, Eidan. For as long as you remain within this city, you are our prisoner.”

            The words came out in a hiss, a silent threat that hung in the air, sinking deep into the well of Eidan’s subconscious mind. It hurt him, and the pain spread throughout his body like a bitter poison, tainting every cell and memory of his being. Zuri was his brother, but he wasn’t his brother. They were related, but they weren’t, and each brother had every right to betray the other because in another reality, they weren’t siblings, and Eidan was the black-hearted villain while Zuri was the gallant hero.

            But this wasn’t that reality and Eidan wasn’t evil. He was innocent, he was still without fault, and at that moment, he was not the true enemy. Zuri was. He’d threatened Eidan’s life, and this single threat set off a chain of events that would haunt them for the rest of their Lives.

            It happened in an instant. Eidan’s body filled with frigid vice, then his mind was set at ease as the arctic fluid filtered the human poisons from his mind—permanently this time. It was simple to overcome his demons. All he had to do was deactivate his conscious mind while his innate self took command.

            No, Eidan wasn’t the villain. He was the hero, and everything he did was justified. Why? Because all his life, he’d been treated like something less than human, but they all knew that Eidan was tenfold more.

            The wound against his abdomen began to tickle and itch, and steam rose up from his flesh as the cells worked hard to regenerate. He was healing, and Eidan knew as if by instinct that Kinetics were naturally quick to heal.

            Zuri seemed to notice this. He frowned and looked down.

            Eidan beamed. Seizing this moment to save himself from further torment, he gathered all the energy within his body and sprang into action.

            Time flew by at what seemed to be slow motion as he knocked the crystal dagger from Zuri’s hand.  He thrust his palm against Zuri’s chest, then as he stumbled backwards, the air knocked from his lungs, Eidan spun and kicked him with as much force as he could summon.

            Time sped up. Zuri crashed into a nearby tree, causing it to shake, and the trembling Numen surrounding them lifted their bows.

            It was a foolish mistake. They were Numen, weren’t they? Couldn’t they just attack Eidan with their mighty nature-controlling powers and neutralize him? No, they thought their crystal arrows would be more effective, but what they didn’t anticipate was Eidan’s own method of defense. Before they could even draw back their strings, Eidan held up his hands and clenched them into fists, imagining himself seizing control of their life-giving souls.

            And it worked.

            There were twenty-one Numen surrounding him, some nearby and others at a distance, but Eidan’s Kinetic senses were impeccable. He detected each and every one of them as if he was standing in their own shoes and seized them by the essence that filled their carnal hosts. This was what Kinetics did, after all. They reaped the souls of innocent humans and ate them as a substitute for food. They were demons, heathen devils, and manipulating energy was their specialty.

            At least, this was what folklore lead him to believe.

            The Elite guards were petrified. At once, they dropped their bows and fell to their knees, the light of life fleeing from their pale Numan eyes.

            Eidan glared at his brother in the distance. He was the only one he didn’t target, mostly because he was already paralyzed. The blow he’d taken when he’d crashed into the tree had disoriented him.

            “Please, brother,” Zuri begged. He struggled to remain on his feet. “You can’t kill them. Don’t take their Lives.”

            “Why shouldn’t I?”

            Zuri gasped.

            “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? I was too normal, too human, and you were afraid because I was supposed to be a monster, but I wasn’t. You’ve always wanted to hate me, brother. You’ve tried to many times, but every time you or father struck me, you saw that I was benevolent and forgiving. It tormented you. Now you have your monster.”

            Zuri shook his head. “I never asked for this. I never wanted you to kill.”

            Eidan smiled, though it was cold and emotionless. “The Universe works in strange ways, brother. You may not want me to kill your friends, but you need to see it happen in order to justify the hatred brewing inside you.”

            At this, Eidan took a small fraction of each Numen’s life force, just enough to make them fall unconscious. It would appear that they were dead, but Eidan had no need to kill them. Taking too much energy was unwise, and reaping a little from each host was just enough.

            Eidan felt the energy drain into his body, warming each of his cells as the erebus against his chest glowed with heat. It was invigorating, rejuvenating, and it made him feel invincible.

            Zuri looked horrified. “Eidan! No, you didn’t!”

            Eidan’s grand production was almost complete. The stage was set, his enemies were crippled, and now all that remained was the grand finale—the elimination of his most daunting assailant.

            Eidan swept forward, quicker than even the fastest of Numen, and seized Zuri by the collar of his shirt. Eidan was stronger than he used to be, impossibly strong. He raised Zuri off the ground with one hand and with his other, he tore apart Zuri’s decorative rompa, grabbed the tainted erebus resting against his chest and ripped it from his neck.

            Zuri released a cry of pain. The erebus crumbled to glittering dust and Eidan dropped his brother to the ground.

            “There,” Eidan said. “You’ve been relinquished of your poisonous abilities.”

            Zuri had tears in his eyes. He was panting, trembling, struggling to keep himself from groaning in agony. “How… why did you….?”

            “You are my brother and I am a Kinetic. I will spare your life, but never again will you be able to harm me. But I promise you now, if you threaten my life with crystals or assassins, I will not hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?”

            Zuri didn’t say anything. He just stared at him, his icy blue eyes wide and glossy as tears streamed down his cheeks.

            Eidan turned around. Farrah remained where Eidan had thrown her on the ground, but it appeared that the human girl had fainted at some point. Her wound was bleeding out. She needed medication and bandages, but Eidan knew he couldn’t stay with her within the city.

            He bent down and scooped her into his arms, then he turned towards the eastern wall looming high above the district’s massive forest.

            “Eidan, wait!” Zuri shouted. “Please, don’t leave me like this!”

            Eidan felt his lips curve into a smile. He turned back to Zuri with a rather human gleam. “Goodbye, brother,” he said, and then he turned and exited the stage.

                                                                  *     *     *     *     *

            There was a series of tunnels carved into the crust of Ecual’s surface. An entrance to these tunnels could be found at two points along Zeon’s southern wall, each leading to the ancient labyrinth that safely guided travelers to the various cities and island ports scattered across Ecual. What many people didn’t know, however, was that there was an abandoned gate along the eastern wall. It lead into the mountains where the Darim could escape to if the city was ever attacked. However, it’d been over one thousand years since Zeon had gone to war. The gate had since then been closed off, and because it had been forgotten, nobody was there to maintain it.

            The entrance to the tunnel was narrow and sharply sloped, surrounded by trees and hidden by vines and shrubberies. The stone that it’d been carved from was etched with intricate designs while gems and various crystals were incorporated into the pattern. Eidan recognized ancient symbols that were once believed to ward off evil, and at one point there was a series of pictures that depicted the legend of the Great War. It looked familiar somehow, as if he’d been there once before. But of course, this must’ve been how he entered the city as a child. Why else would he be so confident that it’d lead him to the outside world?

            The end of the tunnel came sooner than he thought, but what waited on the other side was exactly what he anticipated. Past a layer of thick vines, an ancient ruin cried out in its neglect.

            Eidan looked around him, his eyes wide and his emotions potent as he carried Farrah across the desolate ruin. 

            There were often violent storms outside the city’s protective barrier, so Eidan wasn’t surprised that the roof of the tunnel had collapsed. Various stones of varying sizes were scattered across the wide lot, covered in moss and decorated with an array of vines and ivy.

            Eidan looked away from the devastating sight, instead choosing to study the terrain.

            Rather than following the trend of a deciduous forest, the wilderness of Ecual was a bizarre, tropical biome. Trees of every kind stretched far above him, taller than the city wall, and vines connected these thirsty trees while birds and strange insects swarmed them. The forest floor was similar in its chaotic appearance. It was completely covered in shrubs, fallen limbs and various other plants of the same deep indigo, violet and sapphire. There were so many new scents to surround him, and his ears were gifted with the sound of a living and breathing ecosystem.

            Eidan was in awe. He set down Farrah’s body on a decent sized boulder and continued to marvel at the wonder that was Ecual.

            He’d been here before, he knew this forest, its trees and numerous animals. He’d only forgotten his life in the wilderness because he was brainwashed by the society of Ecual. Eidan was a Kinetic. He’d always been a Kinetic. He was raised in a hut built high up in the trees where he lived with a kind man he called Master, a man that he loved and trusted, a mentor and powerful guardian. Eidan was incredibly young when he

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