Chapter 32: A Prophecy Fulfilled

I ... I think the Lord Corrupter, the source of evil itself, is ... I think he’s afraid of something. That’s why he let me contact you. He’s hoping that I will guide you into doing something ... something that will save him.

Ryan ran and Kevla coordinated the others while linked to Kormal. He ignored the dimensions that the Fallen summoned to slow him, speeding past various battle scenes with the dexterity only afforded to Elementals. Sometimes, he would circumvent the action altogether by simply jumping over the heads of the inhabitants from other realities. Most of the time, the beings from the other dimensions were so in awe of his agility that they didn’t react in time as he passed to another Pathway. Other times, they possessed similar abilities, and gave him a decent chase before he made it to another reality down an adjacent hall.

One time, he even came across a dimension in which two gigantic monsters were in battle, both breathing fire and destroying dozens of buildings in their wake. The monsters looked like giant Earth Dragons similar to Grafael as they had no wings but were still Dragon-like. The only difference was that these creatures were covered in spikes, possessed no armor or intelligence, and stood at least ten stories high. Ryan didn’t pause to get a good look as he was busy running through the dimension and using his Fire Elemency to shield himself from their breath attacks. He had to use his gauntlet hand to hold back their flames as he knocked away falling debris with his sword. The result was similar to a bubble of orange energy as flames coalesced around him while he ran. The effort felt like it would tear his arm off. Burn marks trailed up to his elbow like the time he had summoned fire so hot that it burned even his tough skin. Fortunately, he was through the dimension after a few moments of running. Any longer, and he doubted he’d be able to hold back such power.

As Ryan darted through the next dimension, he was assailed with flying bullets of steel. Having no armor, he was forced to block the bullets with his sword and gauntlet. As he blocked and dodged with some difficulty, he sensed a power fluctuation near Kormal’s position.

Kormal, he said telepathically. A forcefield’s about to appear in front of you.

Acknowledged, said Kormal. Taking an adjacent hallway to circumvent it.

Another fluctuation. Leon, there’s another one, dead ahead. You should try to-

I know, Leon said somewhat irritably. I can sense them, too. I’m already moving around it. Just be sure you don’t crack your thick skull against that one that just appeared for you.

Oh, ye of little faith, answered Ryan with a hungry grin.

Even as he spoke, Ryan raised his sword as a black, shimmering field briefly barred his path. With golden flames now accompanying his usual red flames, Ryan slammed his sword forward. He felt some resistance, but his flaming blade eventually broke through, and he proceeded to the next dimension without much trouble.

Thanks to Galzar, I know how these things work now, he explained through the link. I think that’s how I’m able to break through them so easily.

Just don’t let that power go to your head, Éclair said warningly. Through their bond, Ryan could feel her destroy a forcefield in her path using her Light Elemency with no small amount of effort. Neither you nor I understand these newfound abilities, but something tells me they’re only temporary. We shouldn’t rely on them too heavily when we come face-to-face with the Fallen.

Aww. It’s sweet how you fuss over me, said Ryan wryly, already picturing the annoyed headshake and eyeroll Éclair was giving him.

Another benefit of Ryan’s time with Galzar was his innate connection to the ship. Ryan could now tell when the Fallen would try to create forcefields out of Shadow Elemency to obstruct their journey. With Kevla’s help, he could control these forcefields to some extent now, weaken them just enough to allow him and the others passage. Occasionally, the Fallen managed to create forcefields in his path that he couldn’t divert, and he could feel through his connection to the others when it happened to them as well. Fortunately, both Ryan and Éclair had a way of pushing through the forcefields with their elements. Her with her temporary Light Elemency that Kormal helped her control, and he with his ... whatever was making his flames supercharged at the moment. He didn’t really know why he felt so strong, but it might’ve had something to do with how indescribably furious he was with the Fallen, and how he very much wished to see them dead. Although, he still tried to avoid the forcefields when he could, preferring to conserve his psions for when the Fallen showed up. As for Leon and Kormal, they had to rely on their telepathic skills to sense when the forcefields would appear and move as Ryan coordinated them while influencing the forcefields as best he could.

Thanks to their growing mental abilities, he and Kevla had a near complete map in their heads, one which they shared with the others through telepathy. They knew exactly where to walk so they didn’t bump into the ship’s walls despite not being able to see them. Ryan was even getting a sense of where most of the alternate dimensions were concentrated. They usually occurred in larger hallways, allowing a little more room to maneuver. Ryan soon entered an area of the ship that couldn’t generate alternate dimensions as his reality became that of a cold, dark hallway covered in cobwebs. The trade-off was that the halls also grew more confined, making Ryan wary of the Fallen popping their limbs from out of the walls like earlier. He wasn’t sure why they hadn’t come for him yet. Maybe the flames he blasted them with had more kick than he expected. Whatever the case, he doubted his luck in that regard would hold for long.

Finally, he made it to the node. He had a clear mental image of what he was looking for thanks to Galzar’s instructions. The node was at a junction with many different paths all around, much like many other junctions that led to alternative paths throughout the ship. It was actually quite ingenious of the Fallen to hide the node in a place that seemed so unimportant, a place identical to many other hallways they had already passed throughout the vessel.

Ryan paused only a moment to get his bearings, and then went to the center of the rounded junction and stabbed the floor. He had to make a big hole as even the floor began to slowly repair itself while he ripped at the metal plating with his clawed gauntlet. Thankfully, he didn’t have to look long.

A few feet under the metal-plated floor floated a small crystal similar to the ones that held Éclair and Leon. Only this crystal was completely white with a single point of darkness at the center.

What is it with these guys and crystals? Ryan thought to himself.

If everything went according to plan, the others would find similar crystals near the eastern, western, and southern tips of the vessel. For some reason, that thought struck a chord with Ryan, like someone had mentioned something about those four points, or maybe even that he’d read it somewhere.

Are the others in position? he asked Kevla mentally.

Kevla had to concentrate a moment to reestablish the mental link which became fuzzy with distance. Y-yes. My father just found the junction with a node on the eastern tip. Éclair arrived at the western tip and Leon is at the southern tip. They’re digging into the floors now.

Ryan nodded, readying his sword to smash the node as soon as the signal came. Alright, guys, he said to everyone in the mental link. This is it! As soon as Kevla gives the signal, we smash these things all at once!

Everyone acknowledged their agreement. He could feel their excitement and nervousness as they dug into the floor with their Psionic Weapons to find the crystal nodes. This was it. He wasn’t sure what would happen to them ... if they’d have enough time to get back to Thisimius. But at least he knew that Galsin would be saved, that Hannah would be saved. And, at least he knew that the Fallen would die.

LOOK OUT, RYAN! Kevla and Éclair screamed into his head at the same time.

Ryan jumped back just as a black blade came close to blinding him. The Fallen’s leader stepped out of the wall like a ghost to stand before him, his white opera mask bellowing in silent rage as always.

Ryan smirked. “I was wondering when you’d get here. Wouldn’t be any fun killing you without an audience.”

The Fallen’s head briefly turned down to the crystal between him and Ryan, its sword hanging leisurely at its side. “I see. So Third was right. You did speak with one of our contracts. I can guess which. We should have sent Galzar’s soul into oblivion the moment we knew he refused to kill his traitorous daughter.”

Ryan, said Kevla into his mind. The others are ready, but since only one is here, I’ve told them to assume that the other Fallen are converging on their positions.

Ryan acknowledged silently as he kept his focus on his adversary. “Before I destroy the crap outta you, tell me why. Why would you go so far just to keep Galzar on your payroll? And also, why do you have such beef with me? I’ve never even heard of you guys until you started trying to kill me while screaming ‘abomination’!”

At first, Ryan thought the Fallen would not respond, but then, with a sudden puff of black smoke, its sword vanished. That hardly diminished the creature’s threat, but perhaps it at least indicated that the aberration wanted to talk for now. “Prophecy.”

Ryan grimaced. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Prophecy predicted that Galzar would be instrumental to our designs, and so he was. The brief but violent civil war he helped set into motion has already put our plans into play.”

“Bull!” growled Ryan, summoning up a surge of power as he readied himself to go for the crystal. “That’s no excuse to ruin a family! Even if you hate the Tarrus Empire that much, you shouldn’t treat those under you like crud just to get payback! And besides, it didn’t work anyway! The Ministries are still standing! You lost!”

Though he couldn’t see the Fallen’s face, its demeanor seemed to suggest it was giving him a flat stare. “You assume that our aim was to simply destroy the Ministries, but our master’s true goals will become apparent soon enough.”

Ryan, feeling less certain, felt his guard lower just a little as he considered. Then he brought his blade back up, thinking it must be some kind of trick to distract him.

The Fallen slowly circled the junction room, and Ryan did likewise in tandem, carefully staying directly opposite from his opponent. “You are in prophecy as well, abomination. You and all of your bloodline. Not many are old enough to remember this prophecy, but we Fallen are. If you should live, you are destined to destroy us.”

Ryan grinned. “Well, I guess they got that part right.”

Then he snapped his fingers. Before Ryan had entered the room, he set small explosive psions into the floor at each entrance just in case. He activated the explosion that the Fallen’s leader stood directly over. He knew it wouldn’t kill the thing, but all he needed was a second to get to that node.

EVERYONE! DO IT NOW! he shouted through the link.

Leon heard the signal just as the sad masked Fallen appeared from the floors behind him. Before it could get to him, he smashed the crystal with his blades the instant he felt Ryan do the same to his crystal.

Éclair stabbed the crystal with her arrow the moment she heard the telepathic signal, and a good thing too as the grinning Fallen jumped from the ceiling shortly afterwards, reaching towards her with its gloved hand. But he came too late.

Kormal hesitated only a moment. No Fallen had come for him. He was considering why the last Fallen had yet to do anything up until now. Only three of the Four Fallen had participated in the battle, and they had only encountered one of the three Undying Berserkers. Was there something he was missing? Even as he smashed the node with his knife, no obstacle came to stop him. He thought the last Fallen might appear, but it never did. Why? Was the last one simply recovering from its wounds inflicted by Saria, or did it go deeper than that?

Ryan beamed in triumph as the node in front of him broke apart easily. He felt similar feelings of satisfaction from the others, though Kormal was worried for some reason. Then again, the Sage always felt worried for one reason or another.

Ryan brought his grin up to the Fallen who had been thrown to the ground by his small explosion. As the smoke cleared, the Fallen slowly got up. Ryan’s blood went cold. At first, he thought maybe it took a little while to take effect. He glanced around at the walls, expecting them to start folding in on themselves, but nothing happened.

Ryan made a shooing motion with his hand towards the Fallen. “Go on! Start writhing in agony, or something! Melt! Disappear! Explode! Do whatever it is you guys do when you die!”

The Fallen just stood there unmoving. “The traitor was misinformed. Knowing about the nodes is not enough to destroy Purgatory.”

Ryan thought the jerk might be bluffing, but then something horrible happened. The crystal he had just smashed reappeared, the shattered pieces morphing back together as if being destroyed in reverse like some had rewound a tape. It had all been for nothing.

The Fallen lunged for Ryan. He immediately dove out of the junction and snapped his fingers, igniting all his psions that he left in the room, destroying the Fallen and hopefully the node too. The only question was would they stay destroyed?

Hey, guys, said Ryan, his voice sounding high-pitched within the mental link. We have a bit of a problem here. Please don’t tell me it’s going as badly on y’all’s end.

Hate to disappoint you, Ryan, grunted Leon through the link. Ryan could already feel him in a heated battle with another Fallen on his end of the ship. But your genius plan turned out to be not so genius.

I told you not to tell me!

Behind you! warned Kevla.

A hand appeared out of the wall a moment later, trying to strangle Ryan the same way Torsha had been choked earlier. Ryan jumped back and slashed at the hand, but it vanished back into the wall too quickly.

I don’t get it! growled Ryan through the telepathic link. Galzar said that if the nodes were destroyed, the Fallen would be greatly weakened, and the ship would start to break apart!

Oh! So our old, dead enemy whom we were personally responsible for defeating lied to us! said Leon sardonically into the link. Who could’ve seen that coming?

Now is hardly the time for an ego trip, boys! said Éclair into the link. By the heavy-handed sound of her voice, she was in her own pitched battle at the moment. The nodes were obviously important, or they wouldn’t have been hidden so well. I say we keep destroying them until something happens.

Actually, said Kormal more calmly into the link, as if he wasn’t fighting anyone. I think we should-

Kormal’s voice suddenly cut off.

Ryan heard a yelp of surprise from Kevla. I can’t ... I can’t hear him anymore! Ryan, I can’t feel my father anymore! I can’t feel any of them anymore! The link’s been broken!

Ryan hadn’t heard this level of panic from Kevla since their time in her mental prison. He wanted to comfort her, but noticed something vibrating on the ground. He jumped away just in time as a hand holding a sword swiped the floor in an arc that would’ve taken off his feet. Ryan stuck to the ceiling using the blades on his gauntlet in the hopes of confusing his adversary.

Listen to me, Kevla, Ryan said mentally. I know its distressing to lose your connection with your dad, but I could really use-

I can’t! she yelled in a crazed state. I can’t feel him! I can’t feel him! I can’t feel him! I ... There’s someone else here! There’s someone else in here that’s not supposed to be!

Suddenly, a surge of pain in his head made both Ryan and Kevla scream. Through the anguish, Ryan could see the Fallen’s hand melt through the ceiling. With a grunt, Ryan kicked the roof, pulling free his claws that held him over the floor. Ryan’s back slammed into the metal floor, but that pain was pleasant compared to the storm of anguish in his head.

Ryan barely rolled away in time as the Fallen dove from the ceiling, the tip of its sword diving straight for his heart. The sword stabbed into the floor instead of its intended target as Ryan came shakily to his feet. He backed away slowly, but his head was in constant pain and Kevla continued screaming like someone was skinning her alive. As bad as it was for him, he imagined it was much worse for her.

The Fallen removed its sword from the floor, walking casually toward Ryan. “The Sage was correct. There was a cost to conversing with one of our contracts. That world you entered, it was made by us for imprisoned souls. You thought we would not notice? Third is still connected to Purgatory. He can see everything that happens here, even in the pocket worlds we create for our contracts. Galzar should have realized that his plans would be for naught. We have defenses in place should the nodes be threatened. We also have ways of punishing those who enter the realms of our contracted souls. Since it was by her power that you were able to speak with the traitor, Third must punish her before he can get to you. But the same does not necessarily apply to me.”

Kevla! Kevla, can you hear me? pleaded Ryan as he clutched his inflamed skull. We’ve dealt with pain before, so fight it! Fight it!

Kevla just kept screaming in his head. And then she went silent, though the pain still lingered. Before Ryan could process whether this meant she had died or not, the Fallen advanced. Ryan backed away and attempted to send flames from his sword, but found that he was out of psions. He wondered if the Fallen had done something to his psionic network through whatever means they were using to torture Kevla. Fumbling into his pockets, he found a couple shards of Sun Gems, neither one bigger than his thumbnail. Such a small Sun Gem would only give him a spark, but he hoped it would be enough.

Siphoning what he could from the Sun Gem, the shard vanished in an instant, giving Ryan just enough energy for one more discharge. He bathed the hallway in red fire with a swipe of his Psionic Sword even as its own flames began dying. He felt so weak that he couldn’t summon the golden flames again, nor even remember how he had in the first place. The Fallen didn’t even bother dodging. Its robes and clothes were burned away, but it just kept coming. Part of its mask had been chipped off, but it might’ve just been walking into a minor gust of wind for all the reaction it showed as it continued advancing slowly.

The pain in his head felt like a chainsaw splitting his brain in half, keeping him from focusing his power. Ryan reached into his pocket and pulled out another shard, this one even smaller than the last. This time, he used the last bit of psions it gave him to drench the Fallen in magma. He barely managed a squirt. It was still enough to coat broiling orange magma on the Fallen’s shoulders, but the fiend just kept walking as if it could care less, even as one of its arms burned off and fell to the floor.

Realizing the totality of his failure, Ryan’s spirit sunk in despair as he voiced a single phrase that he hoped the others would hear somehow. “I’m sorry. Everyone. I’m so sorry.”

Hoping against hope, Ryan reached into his pocket one last time. He didn’t find another Sun Gem, but he did find a small piece of paper. Curiously, he brought it out. In the dim light from his glowing weapons, he still remembered who gave it to him. That crazy hag, Nanny Eliza. She said it was a fortune for him, a kind of prophecy. She hinted that she used to be a Seer, and that this fortune pertained to something in his future.

As Ryan backed away with barely enough strength to stand, let alone fight, First of the Fallen walked forward, brandishing its black blade in its one remaining hand. “With your death, abomination, prophecy will be averted.”

Prophecy, Ryan repeated in his head. He remembered what the paper had said. North is First. South is Second. East is Third. And West is Fourth. First, Second, Third, Fourth. The names of the Fallen! Prophecy apparently got me into this. Maybe it can get me out, too.

Another painful buzzing took hold in his brain. This time, a voice accompanied the anguish. Ryan! Ryan! called Kormal’s voice into Ryan’s head. What’s happened? Where’s Kevla?

Ryan looked past the Fallen. The room was still repairing itself from the explosion he had detonated, but the crystal had already reformed. Remembering his lessons from Thisimius, Ryan flicked his sword which still had a slight dribble of magma at its tip. The small orange-glowing glob of lava shot like a bullet past the Fallen, shattering the crystal once more. Ryan was at the northern end. The next one that needed to be destroyed was the southern crystal. Kormal was at the south.

Kormal! We have to destroy the nodes in the right order! Ryan explained hurriedly. I got mine! Yours is next! Then Éclair’s, and then Leon’s! Pass it on now!

The Fallen, finally feeling threatened, jumped for Ryan with its sword extended. Ryan had no strength to avoid the attack. The blade stopped in midair just before splitting his face in half. Ryan could feel it through the link. Kormal had destroyed his crystal as well, and the Fallen was affected. That was the second in the sequence.

With the speed of thought, Éclair received her instructions. She vaulted over her adversary as he grabbed for her. He still managed to get her leg, but she had notched an arrow even as he forced her to the ground. She fired, shattering her crystal yet again.