Zero Langham
Julius Ingra didn't look impressed.
The sun hung low over the village fields, casting long lines of gold through the swaying crops. Gia stood beside him, hands on her hips, openly curious. I introduced myself, explained the situation, how Gohan had sent me, and how I was forming a team.
Julius let out a slow exhale, bored. "You came all the way out here for that?"
I put on a smile, cheek to cheek. "You two are strong. You have some experience. You'd be a great addition."
His eyes narrowed. "We were suspended. Which means we're done with the Academy business. Why should we care about your little group?"
Gia shot him a look, annoyed, "You don't have to be so rude to him..." she spoke. Her voice was soft despite the look in her eyes. I noticed their fingers kept brushing against each other as they stood.
"It's fine, I get where you're coming from. Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" I asked. I wasn't going to leave here without getting them on my team. I committed to this, and I can't back out now just because they say no.
Julius stepped forward, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "A duel. You win, we join your rookie team, but you get us reinstated back in the Academy. You lose, you still have to get us reinstated, but we won't be joining, you'll have to find someone else to bug."
Something in his tone lit a spark of irritation in my chest. He didn't take me seriously. Not even a little.
"Fine," I said.
Gia sighed but gave a small, thrilled smile. Julius rolled his shoulder, already turning toward the open field. I hadn't noticed his very built body; his shoulders were the literal size of my head.
"We start now."
***
Dusk fell quickly.
The ground was soft from the day's work. Dirt clung to my boots, dust rising with each breath. My muscles pulsed with a dull ache that hadn't entirely faded since the temple. Julius stood by Gia's side, his coat marked with scuffs and grass stains. Gia tended to a bruise forming under his jaw. My Academy track suit is once again dirty with stains of blood, my own—a tear running down the sleeve of my right arm. I massaged my wrist when a sharp throb spiked through it. We didn't speak of who won. We didn't have to.
Julius let out a low groan. "As our deal states, since you lost, scram outta here and get us reinstated." Gia nudged his arm like she was telling him to watch his manners. She stood up from her position on the fence, and she tiptoed her way past the shriveled, once neatly cared-for, but now destroyed plains. Gia stood in front of me and sat on her knees, creating some thread from her fingertips, stitching up the wounds on my face.
"Again! Fight me again!" I closed my eyes, screaming out. Gia fell back, eyes wide open, in shock.
"Jeez! Calm it down!" She got back up, attending to me again, "You talk a lot, kid."
"Fight me again, Julius, one mo-"
"No! You accepted the conditions for a duel and lost. Hold up your end like a man." He yelled across the field. Gia carefully threaded and stitched my cheekbone.
I clutched the ground beneath my palms, gripping ahold of the dirt, my nails running deeper in. I grit my teeth, "You talk to me about being a man, yet you're the one who fought me, someone who is still undergoing recovery, and only a first year. How is that being a man?"
"It's the way of the world, kid. Not every villain you fight will be on equal footing; it's simply just how unfair this world is." Julius spoke up. His words may have been right, but I still didn't want to accept them. My left eye swells up with a tear; there was so much I wanted to say, but I couldn't get it out. Gia still stood face to face, watching my eyes. She wipes the tear from the corner of my eye.
I open my mouth again, but before I could say anything, Julius interrupts, "That being said, your point is valid." He picks up my sword from the center, "Last chance, same conditions, but..." He uses my sword, puncturing himself through his right forearm. I gasp, coughing up some blood, and Gia looks back due to the sound of a stab. She quickly sews the last end of the thread before getting up and running to Julius.
"What the hell are you doing!" She gently puts pressure on the stab area, pulling out my sword from his forearm, "Oh no, no, no. Why do you always go overboard?!" Her eyes filled with worry. Julius grabs the sword from her arm, tossing it to my feet, "Like I said, last chance, kid." Julius grabs Gia with his left arm and gives her a warm smile, stepping in front of her. He moves forward, towards me, "Come on, fight!"
I sat up, my eyes still pained with confusion. I took hold of my sword with my right hand, but I still couldn't grip it tightly; it pained me, then it hit me, the realization came to my mind, 'My right arm was injured due to my sloppy swordmanship and using the attack that killed Aldren during my Temple Mission. So... Julius noticed that, and limited his right arm.'
I stood up, grasping my sword as tight as I possibly could, my eyes swelling, "Who do you think you are? Who are you... to pity me?"
"This isn't pity, it's me being a man, doing my best to equal the field," Julius spoke up, his voice strained. His eyes are sharp and narrow.
Gia spoke up, "Idiot! You cut through an artery, both of you stop!" She yelled out. Everything went quite. I almost dropped my sword, ready to back down. Julius turned his head, still tightly gripping his wound to stop the blood from gushing.
"It'll be fine, I promise, Gia." His eyes grew. I stood my ground, ready to attack. Despite his injury, this guy's strength is unreal. If I take a direct hit in my current state, I'm sure to drop down again. I really shouldn't do this in my current state, but I doubt I could win without this. I close my eyes and take a deep breath for what's coming. I open them, focusing on Julius. I whisper:
"One Above All... course through me again."
Once again, my power rises. My strength, speed, everything, rise above Julius. I take a step forward and blitz towards Julius. His eyes grow wide in surprise. He reestablishes his footing and raises his left leg, ready to defend. I shift to the right and go in for the strike before he can even react, but...
I collapse forward onto one knee, coughing up more blood, my eyes red. I drop my sword, grabbing my chest tightly.
'Shit! What was I thinking, activating OAA? This means I have to kill Julius to get this thing to turn off, no, no, no!' I grab my chest tightly, spewing up more blood. 'I can't even get up in this state; this was a mistake.'
My body feels like it's being poked with a thousand needles in each spot. Every inch burns with pain. My eyeballs feel like they're going to pop, and my brain is running with thoughts. My ears start bleeding, followed by my nose. I fall on my back and look at the sky. I see Gia run and drop next to me. Julius rushes over. Everything hurts. Is this death? Tears run down the side of my cheek, the thought can't help but cross my mind, 'I don't want to die like this.'
The pain still feels like my body is going to pop, but I close my eyes. Tears running down my face, blood running from various parts of my face. Everything goes silent.
***
My eyes shoot open, meeting a stoned roof. I can't feel anything; my body feels nonexistent. An old lady perches over me, her dark glasses not doing much to hide her eye bags.
"Well, well, dear, aren't you a lot of maintenance." She laughs manically. I roll my eyes down, catching a glimpse of my body, it's still there! It was wrapped in white gauze. My upper body is covered by a dirty tunic, which goes with the dirty peach-colored shorts. From my thighs below, wrapped in gauze, my arms, my forehead, neck, my chest, all covered by gauze, everything still burns, but lighter now.
"You technically died for eight minutes. Your heart stopped beating for eight minutes, from the moment you collapsed in the fields, till I brought you back 14 hours ago.
"H-Ho-" I couldn't get the words out. The old woman places her finger on my lips, shushing me.
"If you're asking me how, well, I was a nurse a long while ago; in fact, I worked at the Academy. My affinity for Lightning Essence enabled me to serve as a human defibrillator. Doing so, I was able to jump-start your heart. I made an ointment from the medicine I have left to ease your pain slightly; however, it only lasts for a couple of hours, and it should be losing its effect by now."
The woman crouched down next to me, she took off her glasses, her eyes were gentle, "Listen to me, sweetie, you'll begin feeling the pain soon. I was able to grasp an understanding of the pain your body is undergoing from whatever you've done during your fight; hence, I can't even imagine what you'll feel. I'm currently making some more medicine, but until it's done, I want you to think of something in your head. Think of a happy moment in your life, replay it, don't miss a single detail, count starting from one, or do something more complex, do whatever you need to keep yourself sane. Just endure it, sweetheart."
Ten minutes passed, and I could slowly start to feel my body again, and with it came the pain. It seemed that my body couldn't handle the strain of One Above All, and in the process, I died. Now that this nurse brought me back, my body is still in this state. What I must be feeling right now is the aftereffects. The pain surged through my body; it felt as if I were being torn from limb to limb. I squirmed around on the mat, tears falling across my face, snot blocking up my nose. My mind ran with thoughts,
'Think, think! Happy moments... Happy moments... I went to the market once with my mother and the butler. Her golden hair cascaded far past her hips. Her violet dress.' I was stuck on that moment, but my mind drifted to the night. The night I found out they perished.
I thought again, the day my aunt took me to the market, right?
'Wait... why can't I remember this? I know it happened; it was one of my favorite things to do with her as a child. Did it happen?'
I remembered the night Toho and I, as kids, got kidnapped... the things I had to do that night. I squirmed harder around the mat, groaning out, my vocal cords feel like they're rattling. I coughed up more blood, and I felt as if I was going to suffocate on that. I began counting in my head, 'One, two, three, four...'. I heard footsteps: 'sixty-five, sixty-six, sixty-seven'. A hand raised my head, pouring something into my mouth. I could feel myself going down again. I dropped, my eyes shut.
***
Quinn - Somewhere Far Away
The fire crackled in Boone's cabin. Shadows danced over Rose's distant expression. Her eyes were hard to read.
"I'm sorry," I told her. The words scraped out like gravel. "For the way the Syndicate treated you. For the way I treated you. I... I was wrong!" I let the words, a tear falling from my eye. I ground my teeth and managed to look up at her.
Rose blinked, stunned. A hollow smile came afterward. "You think an apology fixes those months of cruelty?" She frowned. She was still stuck in that damn wheelchair. She rolled herself forward, wheeling, "Stop... stop crying." She held her hand out, gently wiping the tear from my eye. She continued, "I don't forgive you... not yet. You're not a bad person, Quinn. I know I'll forgive you, give me some time." Her tone was soft and sweet, almost apologetic, as if she weren't the one who had been tortured.
I grab her hands, "Don't talk like that, in that tone. Just forgive me, whenever you can." More tears followed. I hadn't cried like this in a long time. It felt... relieving.
Boone listened quietly, jaw tight. He still hated what the Syndicate made him become, and what they, even he, had done to Rose.
***
Boone and I sat quietly at the small table. The fireplace was burning brightly next to us. I sipped my warm cup of tea, courtesy of Rose. I finally speak up:
"We can do it, Boone. One of the Wonders has finally been found; this is a lead! If we rebuild the Syndicate, then we can complete what we originally set out to do."
"During our time as the Syndicate, we've done nothing but massacre innocent lives, sorcerers, towns, and homes, all in the pursuit of a fake dream. Only one of the Wonders has been found, but the rest could be scattered across the galax-"
I interrupt Boone, "We'll find them all! Our dream wasn't fake, it can be real, we can create it! All I'm asking is for your help, Boone... I can't do this without you."
A long pause takes place. Rose is still sipping on her cup, reading her book. Boone sat in front of me, his expression dark, eyebrows furrowed. He spoke up:
"We find half of them," Boone conditioned. "Then I'm done. Rose and I disappear." I smiled. I knew he'd come around.
"Only half? I'm sure you'll change your mind," I said, half-teasing. Boone didn't laugh.
"And no unnecessary fighting. If you get into trouble, you'll save your own ass," he added. "Rose stays here while we set out."
"Of course." I forced a grin. "This time, we're saving people. That is what our goal was."
***
Morning came cold and silver. Rose planted a kiss on Boone's cheek. Speaking to him, praying for his return. She stood in the doorway as we descended the snowy path. She waved goodbye, not that she had to. We would be back.
***
Zero Langham
It had been four days since I came to this village. I intended to gather Julius and Gia for my team and leave the day I arrived; however, due to my idiocy, I died. The village nurse, Flor Webkankasy, or as the villagers call her, Granny, resuscitated me and healed me. I'm forever in her debt. Currently, it's the fourth day. I was able to get back on my feet after being bedridden, and I stepped out of the stone-brick house, feeling the bright rays of light hit my skin. Outside were Gia and Julius, ready to greet me.
Julius looked fine, already healed. He spoke up:
"I apologize. It wasn't very manly of me to put you in that position." He sighs. Gia stood beside him, a look of guilt on her face.
"It's fine, guys! I'm better now." I hop around, smiling jauntily. I walk closer, giving him a light tap on his chest as I look up at him. "Since I lost..." I laughed sheepishly, "I'll do everything I can to get you guys reinstated in the Academy."
Gia and Julius smiled widely, looking at each other, "Thank yo-"
I interrupt them, "Of course, that means you'll have to join my team..." A pause took place, followed by a puzzled look from Julius. I continued,
"My teacher promised me that you guys would only get reinstated if you recognized yourselves as members of my team; if not, there isn't anything that can be done."
Gia chuckled softly; Julius, on the other hand, was gritting his teeth. It felt as if he was going to pounce on me right there.
"So... you already knew that unless we accepted your offer, then we wouldn't get reinstated?" His eyebrows were crinkled, his eyes narrow, dangerous.
I chuckled, "Join me, Gia, and Julius, and then, and only then, will you guys be able to join the Academy again."
***
Gohan had already been notified of my situation and complications. He talked down the headmistress of the Academy from a harsh punishment, and wished for my well-being. He was oddly nice in his letter, but I bet I have some punishment from him waiting.
That evening, Julius, Gia, and I set out from the village, making our trek back to Celestiala. It took another hour of convincing and almost a brawl, but Gia even got Julius to come around. Although they joined my journey, Julius didn't recognize himself as a teammate, just someone who went along with me. It wasn't enjoyable, but I know I'll get him to identify himself as my comrade.
Truth be told, Gohan told me that they would have been reinstated soon, regardless of whether they joined me. I made up that lie on the spot to convince them to join, and it worked! I chuckled to myself, and Gia and Julius turned around, since they were in front of me:
"Got anything you want to share with the class?" Gia questioned, her eyebrows perked up. Julius still looked annoyed.
"No, nothing at all... I think we're going to make a good team." I'll make sure we all recognize each other as teammates.
I turn around, the sun setting over the horizon, the village left in the skyline. Vast plains surrounded all directions. Far past, you could see the giant walls surrounding the city of Celestiala.
What a hell of a week.