Blue Nexus #64 - The Mountain's Call

Dr. Luna stood up, revealing a thin aura around her in the moonlight. Her eyes fell upon Sandy, as if trying to read her. Sandy shuddered. Talk about seeing a ghost. Luna looked off of Sandy and looked toward the Sentinel, whose gaze remained hard as ever. She smiled.

            Sandy took a step forward. “The Nether?”

            “You’ve never heard of it?” Dr. Luna asked.

            Sandy shook her head. Dr. Luna sat down on her desk and crossed her arms. Her focus was back on Sandy once again. Sandy didn’t waver, instead locked her arms in the firing position with her bow.

            “It’s a place for the dead,” Luna said. “Or, possibly, the dying. It’s the source of Demon magic in the universe and exists in a different dimension from our own. I was sent there by Alucard and thought I was going to be sacrificed to it in order to give the Blue Nexus a fighting chance. Now I know that it was pointless.”

            “He beat Alucard, so it wasn’t pointless,” Sandy said.

            “Yes, he did defeat Alucard,” Dr. Luna said. “But Rafael is a whole other matter. Alucard was one of Rafael’s Six Pillars before he was defeated, and if I’ve been informed correctly, it took he, the other Nexus, and the Shield mage downstairs just to defeat Alucard.”

            Sandy almost broke her gaze off of Luna. She could sense magic too now? What the hell even was she? Sandy knew that the woman was dead at the hands of Alucard but didn’t know anything about her self-sacrifice for Kyle. Did she go beyond the Nether, then? Was there anything past that dimension?

            “I still don’t get why you’re here,” Sandy said.

            “For Rafael,” Luna said.

            “I don’t get it,” Sandy said.

            “Because you don’t understand the Nether,” Luna said. “And you don’t understand the conditions of Rafael’s return. Or, rather, his perceived return.”

            “Perceived?”

            “He’s not fully alive,” the Sentinel said. “He’s somehow tied to the Nether.”

            Luna nodded once. “Nobody can fully escape death. Once the soul leaves the body, it fades into the ether of the universe. Perhaps it melds with the Nether, perhaps the Nexus. Perhaps it’s absorbed by a War God.” She gestured at herself. “What you see before you is a cheap imitation of what I once was. My soul is gone and can never come back.”

            “Then how are you here?” Sandy asked.

            “I am a demon,” Luna said. “As is Rafael, though now I sense he’s more of an angel. We’re the two farthest ends of the magical spectrum, ascended after death. If I wanted I could swarm this entire room with the power of the Nether, and Rafael will one day have enough power to consume all magic on Earth. Without a soul, one has no real tether to the world to stop them.” Luna reached into her body and pulled out a thin strand of Demon magic, letting it wave back and forth in the moonlight. “But it means that if the connection is discontinued, it leaves the host without an unnatural connection. I am his connection to the Nether. When I was sacrificed for the Blue Nexus, I wasn’t allowed to fully pass on. Rafael’s immense power stopped me and has used me as a conduit to return, somewhat, back on Earth.”

            Sandy and the Sentinel readied their weapons. The Sentinel took another step closer to Luna. “So if we kill you then that’s it? Rafael goes away?”         

            “No,” Luna said. “Like I said, the two of us have ascended after death. Right now, Rafael stands immortal and has limitless power. Without me, his mortality will come back to destroy him. Angels and demons can only exist after death since the living soul cannot handle all that power. He’ll have limited time on Earth before he, basically, implodes.”

            “Gotcha,” the Sentinel said, and lit Luna up. The bullets flew through her body, shattering the window behind her and sounding the alarms around the building.

            Sandy held tight to her arrow. Luna glanced over to her.

            “Your trivial weapons will have no effect on me,” Luna said. “Humanity holds nothing to angels and demons. Not even your magic, Sandra, would do anything to me. You know who has to defeat me, but she’s not holding up too well down below.”

            Sandy lowered her bow. The Sentinel did the same with his pistols, sliding them into their pouches. The glow around Sandy faded a bit.

            “What’s he got over you?” Sandy asked. “Why would you help someone who wants to do so much evil to the world?”

            “Because we have a deal,” Dr. Luna said. “If I help him, then he keeps the hounds off of Boomer down in the Cube.”

            “Boomer?” the Sentinel asked. “How does he factor in?”

            “I love him,” Dr. Luna said. “And when Rafael does conquer the world and absorb all of the magic we have on Earth, Boomer will be spared.”

            The Sentinel nodded, and moved to speak before rumblings below grew progressively louder. Sandy looked around, feeling the ground below her shake.

            “Ah,” Dr. Luna said. “It seems your visit has come to an end. Good luck, you two.”

            “With what?” Sandy asked.

            KRA-THOOM!

            The ground below the two exploded and a giant man with a great blue aura erupted out from the ground, holding his hands over his shoulder, ready to slam them down once again.

            Both the Sentinel and Sandy had similar reactions, breaking for the windows almost instantly when the giant Power mage appeared. The Sentinel beat Sandy to the window, leaping out the shattered glass and free-falling through the night’s sky.

            Sandy followed him out, but launched an arrow across the sky. It clung to the concrete and Sandy yanked on the string, flying through the moonlight. A belly-laugh followed her all the way to the building. She propped herself against the wall, glowering at Luna’s office. The demon stood, watching Sandy. The Power mage stood next to her as well, and it appeared as if he tried talking to Dr. Luna, but the latter wasn’t giving him any attention.

            “Damn it,” Sandy muttered, and pulled herself up the building.

Robbie had left her far behind, but Brenda could still feel the impact of his attacks against not just her body, but her magic as well. Talk about drained. She tried picking herself up but could only rise to her knees, and even then she felt exhausted. She gripped the rubble around her with what strength she had left, and then tried squeezing harder.

            She loosened her grip when she no longer sensed Sandy’s presence in the building. She was gone, across the street. Brenda sighed and tried getting back up again. Her body’s magical weaves slowly worked their way through her body, though she’d never felt them move so slow in her life. How long would the healing process last? Hours? Days?

            Her arms were exhausted by the time she made it into the middle of the lobby, and by that point she’d basically run out of rubble to grip and pull herself with. Brenda coughed up a bit of blood and clenched a fist.

            She just let him crush her. She tried telling herself it was because she was caught off-guard, with crazy sudden attacks she certainly was not ready for, but she knew that Robbie was just too strong for her. He had to have more raw power than all of the other Six Pillars, and her magic, while Shield-based, was more for healing and could easily counter the Combat or Demon-based mages. John and Axel wouldn’t be difficult for her to deal with.

            But still. Brenda flipped herself over and stared at the gaping hole in the ceiling above her. She was tasked with distracting him and she couldn’t even do that. She shut her eyes and hoped for some other quick sleep; perhaps to let her body heal a bit faster while she was unconscious. It wouldn’t happen, but it couldn’t hurt to hope.

            A gust of wind blew some more dust into the lobby. Brenda ignored it. Probably just a low-flying news helicopter or something trying to record the damage. It would not bode well, Brenda thought with a small smile, to see a member of the Zanderia decimated on the ground in the lobby.

            “You’re not looking too hot, sister,” a woman said. “And yes, I mean that both ways.”

            Brenda’s smile turned genuine and this time she didn’t need help turning about. Lalay helped Brenda get to her feet and then held her up, gripping her wrist tight. Brenda was essentially just a useless mass of meat and magic. Lalay nudged her head to Brenda’s—a gesture her people used to show caring.

            “Back to the base or somewhere else?” Lalay said.

            “Magus Forest,” Brenda said with a hoarse voice.

            “Don’t know where that is,” Lalay said.

            “Near Adelita,” Brenda said.

            Lalay nodded. “Hard to not know where that place is nowadays. Alright, let’s go.” She tapped a few buttons on her communicator and Brenda saw dim shards of light forming around them. “Teleporter’s still a bit on the fritz but we should be fine, we’re not going too far. I’ll carry you from Adelita.”

            Brenda nudged her head to Lalay’s and she saw the fellow alien smile. The shards of light multiplied, grew, and blinded Brenda for just a second before them dimmed down completely and revealed the small town of Adelita, Virgina before them.

            She tried to slink off of Lalay but Lalay wrapped her arm tight around Brenda so that she wouldn’t fall. Brenda grumbled and almost let words out of her mouth, but couldn’t find the strength to push them all the way.

            “Which way?” Lalay asked.

            Brenda nodded in the direction of Magus Forest and Lalay scooped her up again. She swirled winds around them and then jetted them through the sky, maintain flight with her other hand as she controlled the winds beneath them.

            “I can sense it, I think,” Lalay said. “That weird energy…or, magic, I guess.”

            Lalay soared quickly through the sky, exiting Adelita and entering the northern countryside in mere minutes. She wasn’t quite as fast as Kyle or Brenda or Riko, but considering she was carrying a limp, practically useless, body around, her speed was impressive.

            Brenda didn’t have to direct her any further. Lalay found the forest on her own. She flew right through the invisible barrier and went straight for the heart of the forest, where the bonfire burnt bright and all the mages were out and mingling. Some noticed Lalay’s arrival while others continued to just speak amongst themselves.

            They all noticed when the bonfire’s flames wavered and Lalay touched down. The newer mages recognized her immediately as one of the Zanderia, it seemed, while most were wondering what the hell happened to Brenda.

            Lalay scooped her up in her arms and the Grand Elder approached from her tent, followed by her advisors. Brenda reached out for the Grand Elder. The Grand Elder smiled and nodded at Brenda, touching her hand.

            A sudden wave of magic shot throughout Brenda. Her body sewed itself together at an incredible rate. Lalay almost dropped Brenda, probably feeling the surge of energy herself. Brenda groaned. It felt as if someone were stretching out all of her muscles, both physical and magical. She shut her eyes and the sweet pain washed away. She sighed.

            “Thank you, Lalay,” Brenda said, tapping her forehead to Lalay’s. “For everything.”

            Lalay set her down and Brenda braced herself a bit. She felt the connection the forest around her immediately when her feet made contact. She could sense all the roots carrying the magic power like veins running through a body. She breathed in, smelling the fresh air of the forest.

            “No problem, sister,” Lalay said. “Glad you could get the help yourself.”

            “And you look like you could use some as well,” the Grand Elder said, gesturing at Lalay.

            Brenda raised her eyebrow. Lalay needing energy? Sure she carried Brenda over here, pretty fast, but she didn’t seem winded or anything.

            Lalay smiled and shrugged. “Could always go for a boost. It’s been a busy night.”

            “What?” Brenda asked. “Just for you, or everyone else?”

            “Everyone,” Lalay said. She bowed her head, as if thinking over the words. What was once emotional pain was quickly replaced by worry in Brenda’s heart. “There’s been a lot of panic going around lately, and it’s not doing anyone any good. After people saw what happened with Blue Nexus, they started freaking out. Villains, mostly the smaller ones, decided to try and spark up a bunch of riots. I’ve been flying all over the West Coast trying to put them out.”

            “All by yourself?” Brenda asked.

            “Everyone else is on full-time,” Lalay said. “Have you heard anything about Kyle at all?”

            “He’s healing,” the Grand Elder said. “His wounds ran deep, even for one with cosmic energy such as he.”

            “So it was that bad, huh?” Lalay asked. “Damn it. Not what I wanted to hear. He’s probably no better off than you.”

            “I did not just mean his physical wounds,” the Grand Elder said.

            “I know,” Lalay said.

            “I’ll go talk to him,” Brenda said. “Is he here?”        

            “He is elsewhere,” the Grand Elder said. “But I need you here, Shindari. We must speak soon, but not for long.” The Grand Elder turned and nodded to Lalay. “Thank you, wind warrior. May luck be on your side.”

            “Just luck?” Lalay asked.

            She and Brenda clasped hands and Lalay sprinted off, bursting into the sky with a push of wind. She teleported away once she was out of the magical dome over the forest.

            Brenda sighed and faced the Grand Elder, whose smile faded a bit. “Come, child. Join me in my hut. I’ll heal you while we speak.”

            “I’m healing already,” Brenda said, following the Grand Elder. The old woman continued without speaking. Brenda felt her body getting stronger, though perhaps she could use some help. Her feet drudged along the ground. She barely had the strength to stay standing.

            The guards opened the tent flaps for her. Brenda slipped inside and was shown to the throw rug in front of the Grand Elder’s raised stoop, littered with cushions and pillows. Fresh incense filled the room in a great odor that soothed Brenda to her core. She felt another wave, this one a bit more tangible, wash over her as if a bucket of thin water had cascaded over her skin. She wanted to lay back and had to stop herself from a ridiculous smile appearing on her lips.

            “Don’t shut it out,” the Grand Elder said. “Let the magic run through you. Relax. Lay back.”

            Brenda did so without hesitation. Her eyes shut, and when they opened once more, the incense was not as strong and the candles around the room were blown out. She sat up, looking around. The tent flaps outside were still opened, but showed the setting Sun rather than the rising one. Brenda turned to face the Grand Elder, who was perched in the same spot.

            “Welcome back,” the Grand Elder said.

            Brenda leaned forward, running her hands over her skin. It tingled to the touch, but in a good way. Power radiated off her fingertips when she tried to summon some magic. She clenched a fist and red sparks flew.

            “Amazing,” she said. “You knocked me out?”

            “No,” the Grand Elder said. “You slipped into a…recharging…of sorts. I suppose that’s the modern human way to put it. Your body took quite the battering.” The Grand Elder sat up. Her wrinkly smile went away. “You should’ve known that you were no match for that Power mage. He’s not to be trifled with. None of the Six Pillars are.”

            “I stood the best chance,” Brenda said.

            “You stand the best chance against the Combat mage, the Demon mage, and your counterpart Shield mage,” the Grand Elder said.

            The shadowy figure that stood in the doorway while Brenda fought off Robbie, the Power mage. She sensed Shield magic from her, and even Robbie acknowledged her. Brenda shuddered at the thought of how strong she could be.

            “You let the Blue Nexus worry about that Power mage,” the Grand Elder said. “Or perhaps his fellow Nexus. Their brute force will counteract the Power. You, my dear, are stronger in more important ways.”

            “How?” Brenda asked. She knew her power level was on par with Kyle’s, perhaps not when he activated his second wave of power, but what else could she—?

            “You understand what it means to be a mage,” the Grand Elder said. “You’re one of the most powerful of your kind. I dare say I’ve never seen a Shield mage like you. Not just because you’re from another world, but because of the sheer control you have of your abilities. Few threaten you.”
            “Few like Rafael?” Brenda asked.

            “Even he is inferior to you,” the Grand Elder said. She tilted her head. “To an extent. What you must understand is that Rafael is the greatest mage who ever lived because he mastered all magic, but is not the master of those magics. Alucard will always be the most powerful Demon mage since the creator of Demon magic. The great and powerful Heracles cannot be topped in sheer power by other Power mages. Rafael can never attain these heights, but only push himself to others. He can wield all magics, but has not perfected them.” The Grand Elder chuckled. “And will always gloat that he is one of the few Divine mages.”

            “Meaning he’s exposed himself to lessening his power with the other forms of magic,” Brenda said.

            “Indeed,” the Grand Elder said. “But his weakness is not arrogance, nor is it oversight.”

            “Then what?” Brenda asked. “What’s his weakness, how do we defeat him?”

            “Of that I’m not certain,” the Grand Elder said. “Which is why we need you, Shindari, to find out. You are the herald of all magic that is pure, that has come into this world anew. You are the one who can find the chink in Rafael’s armor. You are wise and strong beyond your years, and your time as guardian of Earth has proved well.”

            Brenda bowed to the Grand Elder, but couldn’t believe a word she was saying. Wise and powerful beyond her years? No, not a chance. A wise person would’ve found a way around Robbie, not tried ramming through him. Powerful beyond her years? A bit more truth, yes, but still not strong enough. Not enough to challenge Rafael or even one of his underlings.

            And ushering in the new age of magic? No way! That job was left for the Grand Elder, or Oz, or any other long-term magic users left on the side of righteousness…though those numbers seemed to dwindle by the day. Brenda could help usher in the age and show others the proper uses of magic, but she could not be the one to herald this new era into the world.

            “This is a lot to take in,” Brenda said. She rose. “I think I need some time to think about it.”

            “Time is not on our side,” the Grand Elder said. “I’m not gifting you with it. The Six Pillars have made no moves yet, but know that when they do, you must be on the front lines to stand against them. And you will, I know it so.”

            “Right,” Brenda said. She knew she had to be, but that didn’t mean the fear writhing in her body had to go away. “Thank you, Grand Elder.”

            “And do not listen to him,” the Grand Elder said. “No matter what he says, no matter how tempting, always remember that the snake lingers in the garden waiting to strike.”
            Brenda bowed once again, acknowledging the Grand Elder’s freedom. She exited the tent, and Oz walked in as she did. His appearance had changed a bit. He wore no shirt and what garb he had on resembled some of the guards around the village. His hair was a bit longer, and all the markings along his body glowed. His power radiated off of him gently, like a geyser letting off steam. He nodded to her, and she nodded back.

            The woods seemed more hollow than normal. She took the path to the northwest of the village, one less travelled. Most preferred to travel the forest to the south or to the direct north of the Grand Elder’s tent, since it kept them in a direct, beaten path right back to her. The northwest seemed to be exclusive to the more adventurous of the bunch, and many of those mages had to be sequestered into the forest so that they may keep up with their training amongst themselves. Few went into the forest for isolated training, fearful that Rafael would come and threaten them. Some wanted to be near the village to fight against him, and some, she worried, to stand with him.

            She stepped over a small bush and onto a dimly dirt path that separated two trees and barely seemed to split the forest in two. She stepped on a twig but no sound came from it. She stepped around another tree and the temperature dropped dramatically. Brenda placed a small veil around herself and could no longer feel the cold, but noticed the chill around her. Frost crept up a few leaves and the branches stiffened.

            The setting orange light of the sun darkened, as if someone draped a black curtain over it. She maneuvered her way back onto the little path until she came across a small tree, sliced almost to the roots. The stump had three markings on it: one, in a deep red, resembled a bird taking flight. Another, in green, was of two eyes, both with streaks coming down. The third was one Brenda couldn’t recognize, it was marred by the black coloring.

            She stooped down and reached her hand out, but could feel the cold once again. She looked around and saw the forest gone all around her, replaced by a dark orange sky with nothing but the stars overhead. The stump remained, and this time, the black image was clear while the other two were not. The black image resembled a spiral, spinning toward the bottom of the tree while six other symbols, one for each Pillar of Magic, spun in.

            “I’ve been to one void of magic,” Brenda said. She turned and faced Rafael, who had both hands behind his back. “This one is rather pathetic in comparison.”

            “I imagine it would be,” Rafael said. “I never intended to make an exact replica. But what is one to do when they’re placed with such heavy constraints?”

            “How are you doing this?” Brenda asked.

            Rafael gestured at the stump. “Reality magic. Like all magic, it can be implanted with a spell or hex. But reality magic can warp anything around it, regardless of the surroundings. You could make the tallest tower in the world seem as if it were the smallest building.”

            “Did you create these markings?” Brenda asked.

            “No,” Rafael said. “I don’t even know what they are. But my seal of reality magic lies somewhere in there, so here we are.”

            “Even though you’ve been asleep for…how many millennia?”

            “You must be joking,” Rafael said. He laughed, but stopped when she saw Brenda’s face. “Magical residue is a mysterious thing. You honestly think that when I died my power didn’t pass on to another?”

            “Is that how you were able to be resurrected?” Brenda asked.

            “Your friends have seen to that mystery,” Rafael said. “But, in short, yes. My life was brought in along with another’s, and so we are tied. Until I find a way to sever this and reach immortality, or the closest thing to it, I’m trapped in this world. My anchor had come in contact with one who possessed some of my abilities, though, and it was a simple matter of patience. Alucard was useful for something.”

            “He was your Demon Pillar,” Brenda said.

            “And had you been on Earth, perhaps you could have been my Shield Pillar,” Rafael said. “You still can. Kill Clarke and usurp her.”

            “No,” Brenda said.

            Rafael cocked an eyebrow. Brenda didn’t say anymore. Rafael unfolded his arms from his back. She noticed the little green lights glowing off his fingertips, keeping them in this fake world. Brenda took a few steps away from the trunk and noticed the color in the world began to fade. Incredibly thin outlines of the trees in the real world appeared.

            “Your hold in this image is weak,” Brenda said. “Kind of pathetic. I bet Tania would do better.”

            “Tania isn’t being warded off by the implantations of Magus Forest,” Rafael said. There wasn’t any strain in his voice, or in his stance. “I’m surprised you’re not impressed.”

            “It takes a lot,” Brenda said. “More than you.”

            Rafael sighed. “Such a child.”

            “Says the man who has a god complex,” Brenda said.

            “I am,” Rafael said. “Not by official title, yet, but soon a War God will come and recognize me. I’m fit to be among their ranks, and have my own Demi War Gods all set to be my pantheon. Again, you’re more than welcome to join. It’d be nice to have an extraterrestrial among my ranks.”

            “No,” Brenda said again.

            “Then you’ll settle to being a servant to the Grand Elder?” Rafael asked.

            “Like I’ll be any better under you?”

            “You’ll rule worlds,” Rafael said. “And have the complete freedom to seek vengeance on those that enslaved you. What slaver, what meager person, wouldn’t tremble when they hear Shindari, Pillar of Shield, Demi War Goddess, coming to seek retribution? You’ll have all-new power under me. More than any of my other Pillars.”

            Rafael didn’t open his arms, but he may as well have. He started toward Brenda. Time seemed to slow around them. Brenda’s glower softened the closer he got. A limitless amount of power? Enough to trample the War Gods that hurt her and her friends? Ytu, Cata, the others…they killed so many of Brenda’s friends and imprisoned more. Kyle’s parents were among the slaves she ‘lived’ with. So many lives lost.

            And here he came, the man to save her and be the one to hand her the tools for her retribution. Along a shadow path with an orange setting sun, the day was ending for Brenda to simply stand aside and let those with magnificent power trample over those who were simply unawares.

            Brenda held her arms out, and swung them forward. The sheer force would have knocked anyone away, but the added barriers that she thrust at Rafael crashed into him and shattered the illusion all around them. The forest exploded back into view and Rafael vanished completely. She heard his scream as if he continued flying away.

            “You can hear me, so listen up,” Shindari said. “I’ll get my retribution after I’ve made sure that you and the Six Pillars are off this planet for good. Then I’ll let the other War Gods know just how strong a fake one really is.”

Next time: A great dome of magic has descended over Dubai, and the Shield Pillar Clarke is behind it. Brenda, fired up from Rafael's confrontation, goes to confront her. The two Shield mages go head-to-head in "Blue Nexus #65 - Clarke's Crusade"!