Shadow Walkers (18 page)

“Shut up Damon.” Hector says rolling his eyes. “I could care less who your family is. It crosses my mind as often as thinking of what color my hair is. You aren’t your family- you’re Damon. The Void boy who I met at some stupid store.”

The two exchange smiles and leave the garage quiet until the mystery man coughs awkwardly. “I want to warn you now, Hector, to think about what you want out of things.”

Hector narrows his eyes. “What do you mean? Stop being ambiguous and just spit the message out.”

The man sighs. “You’re special. You are the key to destroying the Void. Because of that, people will want to use you. Manipulate you. The Inverts have held your friends hostage already and forced you to answer their call for help. The Council is suspicious of you and your relationship with the Inverts. In the end, both sides view you as more of a tool than a person. And the Council isn’t beyond stripping people’s power away if they start causing trouble.”

Hector groans and stretches his arms up high. “You’re being ambiguous again. What has the Council done that I should know about?”

The man smiles. “The Council once kept a war weapon locked up and used him as their last line of offense and defense when fighting the Void. Every Walker masters one class, right? Well this man mastered all four of them. He possessed twelve Chains total.”

Hector chuckles. “Yeah right. I think I would have learned about him in school.”

“But why would you!” The man shouts. “You see, the Council members at the time took that man’s power away by using Lydia’s Ring. The man, his name is Xavier Beros, broke no laws. He was just too powerful for the Council to handle. They stripped him of his powers and outcasted him after he started questioning their views. They completely used him. And now, they’re just going to use you. That is why I’m warning you, Hector. Not everyone wants to be your friend. So tell me, your teammates all have a goal. But when you’re helping out the two sides who have both neglected you until now, what goal will
you
be chasing?”

Hector shakes his head. “What do you mean?”

The man laughs again, but for some reason it’s long stopped creeping Hector out. “Nicholas wants to rescue his mother from the Void, but he hasn’t even learned the truth behind his family yet, or the horrors that are to come. Allison wishes to satisfy her father’s expectations and live up to her family name. Her goal is to protect her family's honor, even if it means dealing with her father’s abusive nature. Even your captain, Isaac, seeks out revenge from the man who stole something from him. But you Hector, what are
you
fighting for?”

Hector bites his tongue as he ponders the man’s words. But the question sits mostly in the back of his mind. He’s more curious how this man knew so much about his team, and why some random bum wanted to give him a life lesson.

“We should go, Hector.” Damon says as he grabs Hector’s arm. “This is starting to get a little too personal for my taste. Besides, we need to get to work immediately. This was a complete waste of time. What do you think?”

Hector looks at the man once more and exhales. There was definitely something intimidating about this man, creepy even, but part of Hector trusted him. But Damon was right- they needed to leave. “Thanks for having us, I’ll remember what we talked about here while I go on my mission. Let’s go Damon.”

Damon and Hector begin walking to the only exit, and the man stays quiet until they start opening the door. Even though what he says confuses Hector, he doesn’t dare to engage in the conversation for any longer.

“The Queen is your ultimate goal. But it’s her son- Valus- who will be the one you need to put up with until you reach the Void.” He said coldly. Then he said something that made Hector think of Allison. “And the Council can’t be relied on- especially not Marcus Marxon. That man has no type of morals or regrets. He’s in it all for himself.”

Hector didn’t quite understand what the man meant about Allison’s father, but it didn’t matter. Because as soon as he finished talking the door was closed tight, and Damon and Hector were back on the streets of Eros.

Chapter Eighteen

Hector

Hector clenches his fist as he and Damon make their way towards Zerik’s location. He couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the architecture of Eros was every time they passed a large building. Everything was so simple, yet it all managed to give the impression that the whole place was a piece of art come to life.

But despite the beauty around him, his mind kept going back to the conversation he just had with a complete stranger. At first he thought that he was talking to some crazy homeless man, but the stranger actually knew who Hector was. That meant that, no matter how crazy he seemed, there was more to him than meets the eye. Was his message to Hector to be taken seriously? Marcus Marxon wasn’t Hector’s favorite person, but was he really untrustworthy? He couldn’t imagine how a fellow Shadow Walker could possibly be his enemy. But in any case, he knew he’d be having a talk with Allison.

Damon’s voice pulls Hector out of his train of thought. “I just want to warn you now- if Brutus comes back for us, we’ll be screwed.”

Despite his friends obvious warning, Hector cracks a smile. “Too weak to beat him?”

“Not as weak as you. And you really should be nice to me. Right now I’m kind of your own personal bodyguard. But Brutus is too tough to take on with just the two of us, so if we meet him, run.” The two are silent for a few moments before Damon furthers their conversation. “How much farther until we reach Zerik?”

“He’s just around the corner. Seems like he’s by himself.”

The two of them promptly turn at the upcoming intersection, and Zerik stands alone in the middle of the street. Upon seeing them, the Invert prince slowly walks in their direction, his expression solemn. Hector checks him out for any sign of injury, but not a single scratch marks his body.

“There you are. I was worried sick about you Hector!”

“Thanks, I’m feeling great.” Damon grumbles loud enough for only Hector to hear. Hector suppresses a laugh and nudges Damon in the ribs.

“What happened on your end?” He asks.

Zerik sighs, obviously glad that the battle was over for now. “After a quick fight, he left in a hurry back to the Void. Not sure what happened, but he said he’d have to take a raincheck on our fight.” He pauses and lets a mischievous smile stretch across his face. “But thanks to him, I was able to figure out where the gate is here in Eros. Grab on and we’ll head there immediately.”

Hector and Damon both oblige and grab onto Zerik’s arm. The three of them mirror jump into the glass like material that formed the ground of Eros. Hector feels a little chill along his spine as they jump, and a sudden surge of energy flows through him. Without a doubt, it was the same feeling he gets every time he ate a cube of Shadow Sugar. He realizes that there was barely any difference between shadow and mirror energy. In fact, the only thing that separated them was the source they came from.

When they emerge from the jump, Hector immediately senses the presence of various Void. Though one in particular stands out to him, and he was standing confidently next to a behemoth bigger than all of the buildings surrounding them.

“Great.” Damon says. “Valus is here.”

Zerik frowns. “That will cause some problems, but no matter. Valus knows that he’s outnumbered here. If anything, he’s probably just guarding the Void who is set to destroy the gates of Eros. I doubt he’s here to pick a fight.”

Hector rolls his eyes. “That’s no different than him being on the offensive! If our target is the thing he’s protecting, he’s gonna fight us without hesitation.”

Zerik looks down at the ground. “You’re right, Hector. How foolish of me.” He looks up and studies the giant monster on the street. “That behemoth must be the one that will break open the gates to Eros. I’ve never seen a Void like that before.”

“That’s definitely it.” Damon says. “From the spying and research I did after Valus took me back to the Void, I learned that the monster’s weak spot is his head”

“Just like anything else that’s alive.” Hector says. “What’s the catch?”

“The rest of it’s body is not so easy to damage. His outer layer of skin is basically a suit of armor.”

Hector prepares to fire back a snappy remark, but gets distracted as Valus of the Void swiftly raises his hand. The Void smiles and shakes his head. “Damon, how rude of you to use your Stitch against your very own brother. And then you stole away two of my most sought after targets. I might cry.”

Damon sneers. “Oh please, you’ve never shed a tear in your entire life.”

Zerik suddenly outstretches his hand, and a swirl of silver smoke appears around him. The smoke billows and moves towards one spot, forming a cloud of smoke. But Hector quickly realizes that the smoke wasn’t just condensing- it was forming something. Within a matter of seconds, the smoke has taken on the shape of a lion.

Zerik points at the behemoth Void. “Destroy the giant.”

Hector watches in awe as the lion takes off with impressive speed, leaving a thin trail of smoke in its path. A couple lesser Void appear in it’s way, but the lion just slashes them with it’s claws, turning them into clouds of purple dust.

“What is that?” Hector asks in awe. The lion’s strength was incredible for being a big cloud of smoke. Zerik unclenches his hand to reveal a silver orb resting on his palm.

“Animal Instinct- an Invert power. That lion is an extension of my soul, and has great destructive power. Want to try it out?”

Hector smiles and holds out his hands. “What do you think?”

Zerik tosses the silver stone towards Hector. But before he can catch it, the stone is blown away to his right- directly towards Valus.

“Ella, spread them apart.” Valus commands. Before Hector can process what Valus meant, his group is suddenly dispersed in different directions. Hector smacks against a building and lets out a yelp. Dazed from the impact, he tries to stand up and balance himself. Two more elite Void are suddenly in the plaza, one of them quickly walking towards Hector.

“Not so tough when you have no friends around, huh?” The Void women asks.

Hector bites the inside of his cheek as he realizes how the tables have turned. Zerik and Damon were busy fighting with another Void women yards away. Valus himself fights with the lion that Zerik summoned. Hector was alone, and the fear of facing an elite finally begins to sink in. So far he’s done nothing but be protected by people much stronger than him. He knew that the elite Void were strong, but he figured that Isaac would just protect them when things got too tough. He never imagined himself going head to head with an elite. Knowing that he’s outmatched, he does the only thing that he can think of- he goes invisible.

“So this is one of your Chains, huh?” The woman says. “You must be a tracker. But if that’s the case, then you probably don’t have any other way of fighting me. You’re just a coward who hides behind his friends.”

Hector flinches at the insult, but he doesn’t let it get to him. Unless the Void woman could sense his presence, he was safe. He tiptoes his way to the silver stone that Zerik tried to throw him. But as he reaches down and picks the stone off of the ground, a sudden forces hits him from his side and knocks him back down to the ground. He tightens his grip on the stone and ignores the pain from the mysterious blow, focusing only on turning the stone invisible as well.

The woman laughs. “It doesn’t matter if you turn the stone invisible- it doesn’t even matter if
you
hide from me. Everything is within my reach.”

Hector fights back the urge to taunt the woman and tries to focus on gathering mirror energy. He knew how to manifest shadow energy, so it couldn’t possibly be too different here in Eros. After a few seconds he feels a spark inside of his body- he was definitely pulling in mirror energy. The process was even easier than using his shadow energy due to the setup of Eros. Reflections were everywhere, feeding him power. But the second he feels control over the energy he’s suddenly being pulled directly towards the Void woman. He tries to fight the mysterious force but is unable to even move a finger. Her hand grips around Hector’s neck and she slams him onto the ground. The blow knocks the air out of his lungs, and he loses control of his shadow energy. He turns visible once again.

“What a weak boy you are. And you’re supposed to be some type of threat to us?” The woman says. She raises her hand in the air and looks at Hector with contempt. “Just die.” Her hand comes down and Hector braces for whatever type of impact was coming his way. But only inches from his face, his opponents arm is suddenly encased in a thick layer of ice.

Hector stares, confused, but he quickly comes to his senses. He kicks the Void woman off of her feet and scrambles to stand up. “Nick!” He shouts.

His teammate walks towards him with snowflakes swirling around his right hand. “You go on one adventure by yourself and you almost get killed. I’m supposed to be the no-skill rookie you know.”

Hector couldn’t help but smile. “Shut up, we’re both new when it comes to field work.”

The elite growls as the ice on her arm suddenly shatters and flies away from her. She stands up and holds the arm that was just frozen.“Nicholas Winters.” She says scowling. “I can’t kill you, otherwise Valus would get angry. However, I don’t think he’d be upset if I just broke a couple ribs.”

“Well Valus is a little busy, so by all means go all out against me. I know how your ability works, so you have no way of actually beating me.” Nick replies with confidence.

Hector was seriously loving his friends bravery. “Yeah lady, we’re going to kick your ass!”

Nick’s feet suddenly become encased in ice. “Hector, this girls name is Ella. She’s one of Valus’ lackeys.”

“Yeah I noticed that. Her and the other woman here are the same ones who had us trapped back on earth. So how do her powers work, Mr. Detective?”

Nick suddenly launches an orb of shadow energy from his hand. It flies towards Ella, and Hector watches as it is suddenly deflected to the side. Ella points a finger at Nick, then grunts. Nick breaks out in a small fit of laughter. “Sorry lady, that won’t work on me. Correct me if I’m wrong, but your Stitch has three parts to it, right?”

“Do you think that will help you out here?” Ella asks. “My Stitch lets me repel and attract whatever I see. I can pull you in or send you flying, or even hold you in place. But with a power like this, it doesn’t matter if you know
how
it works. The only way to fight against it is if you can actually overpower my energy with a better ability. Weaklings like you two don’t have that type of power. In fact, you probably think that-” Ella lets out a shriek as a coating of ice suddenly spreads over her body, quickly covering up to her neck.

“You talk too much.” Nick says.

“Woah, Nick! How did you do that?” Hector says, amazed at his friends abilities.

Nick’s feet break out of the ice shell surrounding them, and as he steps away the ice disappears. Hector sees that there are two holes in the ground where Nick’s feet were. “I created a foothold with the ice so she couldn’t move me, and dug my ice through the ground so that it would reach her without me having to visibly attack her.”

“You tricked me.” Ella snares.

Hector smiles. “No lady, you were just too stupid to realize what was going on.”

Ella growls. “Why you cocky little punks. Do you two really think that you can just-” She becomes silent as the ice covers her entire head.

“She really did talk too much. And she had way too much confidence in her own strength.” Nick says as he walks towards Hector.

Hector holds up his hand for a high five. Nick smiles and follows through with it.

“We should go help Allison out with that other Void.” He suggests.

“Why are you guys here?” Hector asks. “I mean thank god you are, but what-”

“Isaac woke up.”  Nick interrupts him. “Long story short, we heard that the Void attacked so we came out here to help. Thankfully we got here just in time to save your life. Now Isaac is fighting with Valus and Allison is helping out Damon and that Invert jerk.”

“Zerik.” Hector corrects. “And he’s actually not that bad.”

“He kidnapped us so that he had hostages to convince you to marry him.” Nick says with an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah, that part is kind of weird. But outside of that he-”

Hector suddenly feels a wave wash over him as the ice around Ella cracks and shatters apart. Nick and Hector are sent flying backwards, and Ella laughs.

“I told you that you two are too weak! Now come here, Winters!”

Nick yelps as his body is suddenly dragged along the ground towards Ella.

“Hector I can’t move!” Nick yells. “Help me out here!”

Hector’s heartbeat kicks up a few paces now that his friends life was suddenly in danger. He grips the silver stone even harder and tries his hardest to focus his energy. Ella grabs Nick by the leg and lifts him off of the ground, then tosses him onto the street, his body being pulled back in as soon as he lands. Hector feels the stone growing warm as he tries to focus his energy. As if to tell him that he’s done things correctly, a veil of smoke suddenly appears around Hector.