Broken: Shard's Tales

Chapter Ten: Spatial World.

The Space Aspect. Powerful.

With it, Luthen could perceive every object around him, in every direction, within a wide radius. Up, down, left and right.

There was no hiding from him.

He could also determine that three figures had consistently followed him from the detention center.

"There's no point in hiding. I know exactly where you are."

Three cloaks came out of their hiding places and positioned themselves around him. Two in front and one at his back. He kept his eyes closed. He could see them in the spatial plane.

A heavy silence settled, broken only by the soft rustle of leaves in the wind.

“Come.” Luthen said. The cloaks looked at each other, confused as to why Luthen closed his eyes. Then they attacked.

Luthen dodged here and there and wasn’t attacking. However, he wasn’t used to fighting with closed eyes so some attacks hit. But with each hit he got better and better. Soon their hits did not connect anymore. Luthen still kept his eyes closed.

The Spatial World he was seeing through closed eyes was beautiful. It was like opening his eyes for the first time. Every detail was sharp, every object in place, and yet everything he had seen before felt new.

Of course, the assassins could not share in Luthen’s euphoria and began to express their frustrations in their attacks. None of it touched Luthen though.

*******

Kane was taken to the headquarters by the ‘escorts’. The place was a large illegal fighting ring where spectators would bet money on fighters to win. The escorts probably thought that he could not take them all down on his own. How wrong.

“You are from Hruun?” the baldy bespectacled boss asked him in his office after inspecting Kane’s dressing style.

Kane nodded.

The boss smiled. Hrunn was known for its numerous martial sects. It explained why Kane was able to execute such precise damage.

“You did this?” The boss said pointing to the stump remaining of the abuser’s arm. Kane nodded again.

“He was one of my best fighters you know, before you reduced him to this. You owe me.”

Kane just shrugged.                            

“My terms are simple. Take his place as my fighter until such time as I deem your debt as paid.”

Kane smiled. What a stroke of luck!

The offer was too good to refuse. Kane could extract information easily. The moment he deemed them useless, they would all die.

“I agree.” He replied.

*******

The fight had gone on for over an hour now. Kane remained passive, and the attackers—drained of stamina—were finally beginning to slow.

“Already?” Luthen said, disappointed. He had hoped the assassins would present a better challenge.

Well, whatever.

He finally opened his eyes. Seeing in two planes at once really was surreal.

He let out his soul energy. His smiling, euphoric expression did not change though, the assassins had started trembling from the killing intent leaking from Him.

Their deaths were swift, agonizing—needless to say.

*******

Sophia came to the safe house first and found it empty.

Where did Kane go?

She had to start planning the invasion of the Archive. It was a goldmine they desperately needed. She started studying blueprints of the Archive she was able to obtain through her connections.

She was on it all afternoon. It was already evening before Luthen came in.

“You could not have come at a better time. I think I have found what we needed” She said.

Luthen wasn’t so enthusiastic. She remembered why he had to leave the safe house earlier.

“How did it go?”

There was a pause.

“I saw my family. They were fine like you said. Thank you for your help.”

“You are welcome”

She looked at his eyes. There was pain. Pain she could not understand.

She thought of Luthen practicing to control his soul energy output. Even Kane had to practice too. Two Shards had to learn control. Unlike her.

She had never struggled with her soul energy. It was as if she had always known how to control it, as though someone had taught her. Instinct?

No matter about that now. She had to get the info on Voyne’s next plan. It was of the utmost importance.

“Did you get anything?” she asked him.

“No. I need to rest now.” he said and left.

She would have to wait for Kane to come back.

*******

Kane wasn’t back that evening or the next morning. But Luthen had calmed down, so she decided to share her plan with him.

“So we have to break into the Archive? Where do you even start reading from?”

“We just have to try regardless. I know that it holds the answers to our questions.”

Luthen sighed.

“What of Kane?” He asked

“If he returns soon, he’ll catch up,” she said,  sounding unconcerned. "Do you know where he went?”

“No. I left him behind too and he did not say anything.”

Where could He have gone?

*******

On a residential building in Fria, a Noble’s region three red cloaks looked at the mundane world from above.

“You sure it is all right, Johann? Usually, master only allows a pair for missions. Plus he’s on training wheels!”

Johann sighed. “It is alright, Venner.”

Johann then turned to the same guy he and Ari – actually, it was Ari that did that - had rescued at the mall explosion. “He needs hands-on experience also.”

It was Venner’s turn to sigh. “I’ll make sure to blame you if we are caught.”

“Just sit tight.” Johann said to the newbie. “What’s the plan?” He referred to the one called Venner.

“Destroy everything around, kill as much as possible….the usual.” Venner replied.

“Why do we do this, though? Take people’s lives?” asked the quiet third cloak , the new one.

“We do that because, this is not our true life. We were separated from our true lives in the ancient past. Back then, we were all one. One single entity. So, by taking this false life, we get to go back to the true one.” Venner explained.

“We are chosen by Voyne, the High Priest. We do this out of love for humanity, so we may all be one. If not for our sacrifice, humanity may never experience the glory of what was, ever. Come, let’s get going, Maron.”

Maron looked on his fragmented memories. He could not remember much except that he had risked his life to save a little girl from…. something. So, he was a hero in his past life. He would be a hero in this one too.