Blue Nexus #61 - Divinity Rises

            Kyle helped the ailing doctor get to his feet. The man groaned and had to lean on Kyle for support. Trevor looked over his shoulder at the doctor and rolled his eyes. The waiting room had filled up already, and Trevor didn’t even look prepared for even a normal day at the office.

            “Great,” he said. “There goes my back-up.”
            Tania shook her head and stepped up to him. “I may be able to do something about this. It’d be a temporary fix but it may buy us some time.”

            “What do you need me for?” Andreus asked.

            Kyle gestured at him and Kip and Luke. “Round up anyone in the streets, get them here. Or at least get them inside.”

            “Here?” Trevor asked. “We’re running out of room.”

            “And they might be running out of time,” Kyle said. “It’s been like, what, an hour and already everyone here looks like they’re ready to puke.”
            Trevor glanced over to the waiting room and nodded. Kyle didn’t have to check to affirm what he merely glimpsed earlier. Everyone’s faces were devoid of color. Their eyes were glossy and they all hunched their shoulders over.

            The doctor pressed a hand atop Kyle’s shoulder and tried to bring himself up. Instead he wound up pushing Kyle toward the ground. Kyle anchored his left leg.

            “I...I…” he said.

            “Power mage,” Kyle said for him. “Calm down, sir.”

            “Hey,” Trevor said. He walked over to the doctor. “Listen. Inhale-exhale, pal. Come on, do it with me.”

            Trevor slowed his own breathing to be in tune with the doctor’s. Tania ignored them and got to work. She waved both hands through the air, allowing a nearly invisible green mist to hang over them. The little bits suspended for a moment before dissipating among the crowd.

            They silenced their groans, sitting up. Some of them rubbed their arms, legs, neck, hands. Everyone sat confused in the waiting room.

            “I’m feeling better?” one of the citizens asked.

            Trevor looked up from the doctor, who also seemed to be holding up well. So well, in fact, that he was able to stand on his own. Trevor shook his head.

            “You tricked them,” he said quietly to Tania.

            “A temporary measure,” Tania said. “And I won’t be able to hold it for long.”

            “You shouldn’t,” Trevor said. “You’re exposing yourself to this disease more the more you use your magic.”

            “Don’t even,” Tania said. “I’m not some newbie mage, I can handle the fog just fine.”

            “Still,” Kyle said. “Their bodies are still afflicted.”

            “Then fix it,” Tania said. “Get to Magus Forest, or wherever, and find Shield mages. Perhaps they can rid the town of the fog.”

            Kyle nodded. He almost ran out but Trevor caught his arm right as he was at the doorway.

            “No!” he exclaimed. “I need you here. I can only do so much. Do you know how much medicine I may need to distribute?”

            “Do you?” Kyle asked.

            “Yeah, and it’s going to be quite a bit,” Trevor said. “Problem is I don’t know what kind of medicine.” He gestured at Tania. “Besides, magic won’t heal a magic-borne disease. Imagine if Shindari, for example, were to use her powers on Tania. She wouldn’t cure her of her magic, but perhaps suppress it to the point of Tania being unable to access it.”

            “You sure you’re not some sort of mage?” Kyle asked.

            “My mother and father were,” Trevor said. “Two Shield mages. Weird that they made a human and a Deception mage.”

            “Is it genetic?” Kyle asked.

            “It’s not important,” Trevor said. “Look, you said someone was holding down the fort at a pharmacy, right? Get down there and…shoot, let me write this down real quick.”

            Trevor maneuvered through the lobby to the reception desk. Tania held her hands out taut over the crowd.

            The Power doctor looked around, confused. “And can someone explain why I have magic, why everyone is in here?”

            “The fog outside is a disease, manifested after a huge rupture in the balance of magic,” Kyle said. He approached the doctor. “Basically Adelita just got punched in the face and then curb-stomped, and we don’t have anything to heal it. Unless you’ve dealt with…?”
            “No, not a chance,” the doctor said. He shrugged. “But a disease is a disease. Let me start checking out everyone’s symptoms.” The doctor gestured at Trevor, who scrawled down medications quickly on a small notepad. “Who’s that guy, Blue Nexus?”
            “A doctor from East City that has at least some experience with diseases like this,” Kyle said. “He’ll be your buddy for the day.”
            The doctor nodded, but wavered. Kyle caught him. The doctor chuckled. “Probably best not to move my head around that much. Put vertigo down as a symptom, I suppose.”

            Trevor handed Kyle the small list. “Get that, bring it here, we can get to work. Doc, you with me right now?”

            “I was just about to get started,” the doctor said.

            Kyle glanced over to Tania, who nodded. “Their minds will catch up soon. I don’t want to put too much magic behind all this, otherwise I’ll make myself more susceptible.”
            “Okay, I’ll be quick,” Kyle said. He bolted out the door and into the air, soaring through the sky with a single leap.

            He gripped the note tight and adjusted himself for flight. He took a sweeping look around the town. The fog that once blinded everyone thinned out significantly, but there was still no sign of it going anywhere. Kyle let his aura consume him and he blasted off for the pharmacy.

            He slid to a halt in front of the doors, prying them open with ease. The silence of the place threw him off. His footsteps echoed throughout the store. The ruffling of bags, the beeping of the checkout machines, the hum-drum of people just talking, the rolling of cart wheels had just up and left.  

            Kyle meandered over to the pharmaceuticals with speed, though was careful not to burst through the store and wreck everything. He checked the list of items when something pressed up against his back. He held his hands up.

            “Knew it,” the manager said. “Knew you supers were going to resort to this one day. Stealing from the little guy while he’s down.”

            “I’m borrowing,” Kyle said. “The Zanderia can pay you back…somehow.”

            “Yeah, somehow, sure,” the manager said. He nudged Kyle with whatever gun he held. “How much you plan on taking? The whole lot? Think I would just let you walk out of here with all that?”
            “Yeah, because there’s a few dozen people sitting in a doctor’s office pretty much dying from some disease,” Kyle said. “Seems like a good reason to give them medicine.”

            “What about the people who need to come here, too?” the manager asked. “The people who come here first?”
            “Redirect them,” Kyle said. “Adelita is tiny, they’ll be at the doctor’s in seconds.”

            “Which office are you at?” the manager asked. “You got proof? You expect me to just go off of faith that you’re stealing my medicine?”

            Kyle spun, slapping the gun from his grip. The manager sprawled on the ground to snatch it up. Kyle dodged the pistol shot and caught the next bullet in front of his chest. He tossed it away.

            “Yeah,” Kyle said. “And you’re going to help me.”
            Within minutes they had paper signs telling any stragglers where to go and the manager was carrying a couple of bags almost spilling with the various medications. Kyle soared through the sky with most of the haul.

            He landed and sprinted inside. It was far more organized than when he left it, with everyone seemingly in a line awaiting their turn to see Trevor. The main doctor stood in the corridor, and let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw Kyle. He smiled and winced, gripping his left arm.

            “What’s wrong?” Kyle asked, holding the bag of medicine. Tania rushed by and swiped it from him.

            “Starting to hurt more,” the doctor said. “Some throbbing, like—”

            “You’re the doctor, you can diagnose yourself,” Kyle said. “Where’s Trevor, has he started tending to people?”

            “He’s got a couple in there now,” the doctor said.

            Kyle patted the doctor’s back. “I’ll get you some pain meds if you want, then you may as well hop in line as well.”
            The doctor thanked Kyle and wandered over to the line as a few others drifted inside. Kyle nodded to Luke, who escorted them, before Luke sprinted off to find others.

            Tania brushed past Kyle, moving with purpose. They didn’t even acknowledge each other, and she didn’t even drop a snarky remark. Kyle watched her go, worry spreading across his face even more.

            Trevor had a young couple sitting down in front of him as he read off a stream of questions. They seemed perplexed by them, and even more so at the arrival of the Blue Nexus. The boyfriend squeezed the girlfriend’s arm tight. Trevor turned and faced Kyle.

            “How’s it out there?” Trevor asked.  

            “Our main doctor just hopped in line, that’s how well it’s going,” Kyle said.

            Trevor shook his head. “Alright. Just keep sending them my way. See if there’s any more room to fit them, perhaps get more in the waiting rooms. It’s going to be a long, long day.”

            Kyle nodded, feeling the sentiment. A sudden explosion, or so it sounded, only made things worse. Kyle sprinted through the corridor but Trevor stayed in the room, focused on his priority.

            Kyle dodged a wave of shadow as a little boy screamed at the top of his lungs. Both of his arms were entrenched with Demon magic, and his face was red not from screaming, but pain. Kyle rushed up to him and let the Nexus energy wash down his arm and over the boy, giving him some of his aura.

            The aura started to filter off of him and to others in the room. Kyle shut his eyes and cut off his flow of Nexus energy, halting his breathing in the process. The kid sighed and trembled, falling back into his mother’s arms. Kyle stumbled back, gasping as he felt the energy come back around him. He turned to look at the damage; the reception desk was shredded, and the door behind it had been blown in. An older woman stared at her glowing hands, no doubt the case of the first explosion.

            “Everyone, listen,” Kyle said.

            The whispers in the room fell silent.

            “Right now, Trevor is doing everything that he can to help,” Kyle said. “But he’s just one man. For now, I need the next dozen parties to head into the main building and find a waiting room. He’ll be with you in a second.”

            “You just want to keep us away from each other,” one of the men in the room said.

            “Right now your powers are a liability,” Kyle said. “They’re explosive, and it isn’t your fault.”

            “You think we don’t know that?” one of the high school students in the room said.           

            “Don’t tell me you think you’re better—”

            “I’m not,” Kyle said. “Trust me, I’m really not. But right now, I’m in control of my powers, and someone can get seriously injured. Now please, I need the next twelve parties to follow me.”

            Tania emerged from the corridor, gesturing at Kyle. He nodded and followed her. They escorted the parties in together. Kyle ignored all of their grumbles and remarks toward him and focused instead on making sure they were situated. He shut the door to each of them, just like he would for the various people in the Cube.

            He sighed as he shut the final door and Trevor finally emerged. Tania laid a hand on his shoulder.

            “I’ll get them in,” she said. “Maybe I can calm them down with my magic.”
            “You’re straining yourself,” Kyle said.

            “It’s really only a matter of time until this disease gets to me,” Tania said. “You’re basically the only one that won’t be affected by it, thanks to your Nexus aura.”

            “Problem is I’m not great with crowds,” Kyle said. “Just pace yourself, alright?”

            “Again, only a matter of time, anyway,” Tania said. “You get out there and check on your friends, make sure they’re not too afflicted.”
            “You said they would be protected?”
            “For now,” Tania said. “And I said I think they’ll be protected. No guarantees.”

            Kyle grimaced. “Awesome.”

            He used the back door to get out and blasted into the sky, scoping out for any signs of his friends. He fixed his attention on the ground, getting lower to it to try and see better through the thinning fog. He would call out their names, but his friends would be a dead giveaway for anyone, or any drone’s above, listening.

            He spotted Kip just outside a house, where a family wandered back in. Kip shook his head. Kyle touched down in front of Kip, jarring him.

            “Jeez,” Kip said. “Still not used to that.”

            “What’s up with them?” Kyle asked.

            “Apparently they don’t need help,” Kip said. “They’ll be fine, it’s just a weird day.”

            “Make sure to come back around here soon,” Kyle said.

            Kip sighed. “Yeah, might need a bit of a break soon.”

            “Kip.”

            “No, for real,” Kip said. His expression shifted. “I’m starting to feel nauseous, and it’s not from all the running around. Luke must be feeling the same thing.”

            “It’s getting worse for everyone, then,” Kyle said. “Even people at the doctor’s office are losing control. Right now it’s just kids and old people, but the immunity won’t hold up long for everyone.”

            “No sign of Brenda or anything like that?” Kip asked.

            “Haven’t gotten a chance yet,” Kyle said. Kip’s dumbfounded look informed Kyle of his next move. “Yeah, on it.”

            Kip shook his head. “See that’s the difference between you two. You have to call. She comes calling.”

            He gestured above them. Kyle watched a red streak shoot through the sky straight for the doctor’s office. Kyle beamed and nodded to Kip.

            “Head back for the office,” Kyle said. “I’ll let Luke and Andreus know. We may get a new plan going now that she’s here.”
            Kyle shot through the sky right after her, moving with even greater purpose. He found Luke and Andreus near each other and informed them about the good news. The pair agreed to head back to the offices.

            Kyle returned to an office that was shrouded by a red barrier. He entered and saw little bits of magic dust wafting down from the top and dripping on the windows. He rushed inside and saw Brenda, Trevor, and Tania all standing near each other. The others apparently couldn’t see them.

            Tania held out her hand and cast a spell on Kyle. Nobody paid any attention to him, either.

            Brenda had her hand raised, keeping a small stream of magic ascending from it with little strain on her so far.

            “I’ve seen this on other worlds,” she said, clearly continuing a thought. “Though it was far worse.”           
            “And treatable?” Trevor asked.

            “With long periods of time,” Brenda said. She sighed. “And herbs that I have yet to encounter on this Earth.”

            “Damn it,” Tania said.

            “Human medication won’t do a thing?” Trevor asked.

            “Temporary fixes,” Brenda said. “Just like this. I can’t do away with what you think is a disease, because it isn’t. This is magic itself trying to rip out of these people by force.”
            “What?” Trevor asked.

            “Every human being has a certain amount of magic latent within them,” Brenda said. “Human beings and other-worlders, of course. This fog is here as a means of shredding apart the magic from the human. That would be devastating for them.”

            “So everyone in this room has the ability to become a mage?” Kyle asked.

            “No,” Brenda said. “It’s dependent of their birth and their environment. The humans in Magus Forest are surrounded by magic power. Kyle, you received your power from the Nether, which is comprised almost completely of Demon Magic. There are artificial means of obtaining magic, and they lead one down a twisted path.”

            “That’s right,” Kyle said, trying to remember how he attacked Brenda after he awoke from the Nether for the first time. “I went nuts when I got my magic.”

            “It’ll be the same here,” Brenda said. “We would need several more Shield mages to suppress the entire town. I could try it myself, but the fog would infect me as well.”

            “What if we combined your powers?” Trevor asked. He pointed at Tania and Brenda.

            “How so?” Tania asked.

            “There have been some, though not very many, cases of the human mind conquering an infection,” Trevor said. “These are just whispers, rumors basically, but I think we can all agree we’ve resorted to that. Tania, if you cast a spell big enough, amplified by some source of magic, you could create the illusion that the disease is gone. Shindari, you would have to keep healing them. With time, the mind may just get the body in sync and the magic will go away.”

            Kyle shook his head. “It’d break them.”
            “I’m in,” Brenda said. She gripped her arm. Waves of magic pulsed up, but stopped at her hand. “Tania?”
            She looked at Kyle. “If we go nuts, it’s on you to stop us.”

            Kyle shrugged. “I’ll do my best.”
            Tania nodded at Brenda and placed her hand on her back. Green waves of magic washed over Tania’s entire body, but didn’t go anywhere. She sighed simultaneous to Brenda.

            “Three, two, one,” Trevor said.

            SHH-THUM!

            Both mages let their arms drop. Kyle’s face turned pale. Brenda’s barrier shattered all around them, allowing shards of red magic to tumble and break upon contact with the ground.

            Kyle sprinted outside, readying himself to crank up his power. Andreus lay unconscious on the ground again, and Kip and Luke were petrified, practically pasted against a wall.

            Kyle activated Wave Two and readied himself, letting Nexus energy pour into his hands. “You’ve got to be joking.”

            Rafael and Axel approached, stopping on the other side of the street. Axel looked around town, unimpressed. Rafael held his hands out. His hair was even more golden than ever before, and his eyes were a similar color.

            “Demon mage,” Rafael said. “How many people are you harboring in there?”

            “You’ll never know,” Kyle said.

            “Oh, please, you’d never know if I got by you or not,” Rafael said. “I could just send Axel against you to defeat you once more.”

            “Not in the mood, it’s too early in the morning,” Axel said. He yawned.

            Rafael yawned as well. “Ah, yes, indeed. Though not early enough for there to be such strife in this small town. What seems to be the problem?”

            A red barrier appeared between Kyle and Rafael. Axel raised his eyebrow. Brenda emerged from the doctor’s office, keeping a small barrier hovering over her other open palm. Rafael chuckled.

            “Shindari,” Rafael said. “I just destroyed your other barrier, what hopes does this one have?”
            She thrust it forward at him and it broke upon impact with him. Rafael didn’t even flinch. Axel held out his hand and some throwing stars appeared in them. His eyes glowed purple, then his gaze flittered around as he examined Kyle and Brenda.

            “Axel, please, calm yourself,” Rafael said. “You already know everything you need to about them.”

            “I know,” Axel said. “Just reading them to see what their next possible moves are going to be.”
            Kyle clenched a fist. “You sure you’re not in the mood for a fight?”
            “You don’t want me to be,” Axel said, smiling.

            “Gentlemen,” Rafael said. Kyle felt something push him back. What…how? All Rafael did was say a word! Did Kyle seriously not sense what he did? “As I said, enough strife has befallen this town today. This is a dangerous fog for most mages, but especially for the common mortal.” He held an open hand. “Fortunately, I have the solution.”

            “What?” Tania asked. She emerged from the office, sprinting up to Kyle and Brenda.

            Rafael nodded. A small golden ball appeared in his hand. “Oh yes. You see, while I was asleep, I gathered all sorts of magical power from this world. Sadly, Earth is so sparse in magic these days but fortunately I stored just enough of it up so that when I did awaken, I would finally be able to unlock my real potential.”

            “Yeah, okay,” Kyle said. “As if mastering the six magic types wasn’t enough.”

            “It wasn’t,” Rafael said. “I needed to master the seventh.”

            “There is no seventh magic,” Brenda said. “There have ever only been six.”

            “For mortals, indeed,” Rafael said. “But is a man who sleeps for thousands of years still a mortal? Or has he become something more…divine?”
            The golden ball expanded and the very next second exploded, blasting them all in a golden light. Kyle shielded his eyes and waited for the shockwave that never came. Instead, the town cleared up.

            The fog vanished.

            Rafael closed his fist. He gestured at the office. “See for yourself. Those humans in there are fine now.”

            Some of the people in the office stirred. Rafael raised his arms and he began to float up. Axel watched him go, unimpressed.

            Rafael stopped just as the Sun hit him. More people filtered outside, watching the glowing man float in the clear-blue sky.

            “And they will be my first witnesses,” Rafael said, “who are lucky enough to see the first use of my Divine magic. There can only be one in the world who learns such a skill, and thankfully, that someone has enough power to truly challenge the Gods of this universe.”

            A chill shot down Kyle’s back. Rafael smiled down at Kyle.

            Time froze around them. Rafael appeared in front of Kyle, arms behind his back, but a wide grin spread across his face. Kyle was frozen along with everything else. The only thing he could do was fear.

            “Yes, Blue Nexus, those Gods,” Rafael said. “Now you know what it will be like to challenge your kind’s greatest foe: the War Gods.”

            Time snapped back into place and Kyle dropped to the ground, letting his breathing catchup with him. He looked back up at Rafael, who opened his palm down to the people.

            “I’ve cured you all so that you can go and spread the news,” Rafael said. “Divinity has risen. And it shall not fall.”

            A golden flash of light signaled his departure. Axel vanished as well. The people all around the heroes talked, asking questions about Rafael.

            Kyle remained on his knees, bracing himself against the ground. His breathing came out short and fast. He looked to his hand and saw it shaking unlike ever before. A War God...on Earth.

            And he’d just shown Kyle that even the Blue Nexus was just another ant in the dirt.  

Next time: A small portion of Rafael's power has released and the lines for battle are still blurred. Kyle rushes to get as many as he can on their side, but finds that he may be far too late to outwit the Six Pillars of Magic in "Blue Nexus #62 - Recruiting Day"!