Gothic Opera: Nightmares Labyrinth

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty One

Chapter Twenty Two

Chapter Twenty Three

Epilogue

Thanks to family and friends. Especially my mom, dad and brother Jerry. My editor Crystal. Also, the Gibbs Family, Nathan Mock, Chris Bowyer, Christina Mikulecky, Daniel Fauson, Nicole Boykin, Cory Hill, Chris Collisi, Elizabeth Stinson, John Ellingson, Lee Reich, Elizabeth Paker, Liz Smith, Sydney Saffel, Brian Short, Ken Parker, Sarah Futrell, Crystal Maez, Mandi Davis and my sweetheart, Christina Church. Couldn't have done it without you guys, thanks! If I forgot to mention anyone, please refrain from kicking my ass.

Prologue

THE UNFORGIVEN

General Taurus

April 7, 2072 Universal Calendar

West America

The orchid was burning. This night, everything Shaun Taurus knew about the world had ceased to exist; it was nothing more than a sad thought. The world was a cruel place, an unjust place and, above all else, an insane place. Nothing could ever put right what had happened tonight. His best friend lay dead on top of him and his mom and dad were being carted away into a helicopter, sealed into black zipped up bags that would take them to a place where he’d never see them ever again.

He and his parents were farmers residing in what was left of Kansas in West America. With the massive earthquake splitting the country into two sides and the Third World War’s victors, turning states into sectors and grouping them together for more income and supposed less violence, Kansas was one of the few states in West America that survived the bombing. Farming in a post World War country with what little crops were left after the bombs and nuclear winter had set in was tough work, but decent work nonetheless.

There wasn’t much work out in the country that had both started and lost the war and a recession had no meaning nowadays, for it was a way of life. Unemployment went hand-in-hand with poverty and starvation… all exceedingly high. His family, though, had the benefit of the farm, which was hard work, but his father said it kept food on the table and a roof over their heads; being together as a family was all that mattered.

The boy was a single child, but he preferred that. One-on-one discussions with his father would forever change his view, or rather, be a basis of his life. Hard work, discipline, dedication and, most importantly, survival were the fundamental ingredients to any man who strived to be the best, who strived to live in this post apocalyptic world.

Shaun’s father was a tall, strong and robust man. Very intelligent and unflinching in persuasion. A master in terms of negotiation. He had an inalienable look about him, one that could stop even the toughest of men in their tracks and make them feel uncontrollable guilt for no reason whatsoever, a trait he had picked up from military training years back; he had been a Colonel during the war. Such a strong man… but that night a blaster would change all that.

The group of insurgents had come in the middle of night, they had no need to come to this peaceful farm village, they were just drunk, high on drugs and bored. Stocked with a volley of weapons and an immediate need for feminine lust, they rode in on their beat up trucks and stopped at the first village they saw.

With a burning cigarette from one’s mouth, they lit the stables on fire first. One man stayed behind next to the car and four moved forward, splitting up. The boy’s dog, chained up outside, barked at them. This woke the family immediately. But the closest man stabbed the dedicated friend of the boy. Max yipped in pain and stopped barking forever. The boy’s room was the nearest to the stables. He witnessed from his window what had just happened. Fueled with rage, Shaun grabbed the wooden baseball bat resting on the side of his dresser and ran outside.

Screaming, the boy swung the bat at the attacker, but the man had hidden the weapon he just used on the boy’s dog. With a swift slice across the air, the man held out a blood dripping machete and the boy fell to his knees, crying and bat split in half.

Blades were much more common now and blasters were the substitute for guns. Cheap to make, little cash needed for ammunition and easier to clean, yet much weaker than a gun. It would take many blasters bolts to have the effect a single bullet would, but if many were to hit a target at the same time or a point blank shot to the temple, death would surely ensue.

With a sliced apart bat on one side of the boy and an amputated arm on the other, Shaun dropped to his knees in screams and blood.

The boy’s father ran outside, weaponless. The Marine Corps trained him well and he easily dodged the swing of the blade and made short work of the man wielding the machete. A punch in the ribs, a crack of either wrist and an eye gouge killed the man who had injured his son. The father made sure the man would never get up again; overkill came to mind.

The mother ran out and the father screamed for her to go back inside with the boy. The father picked up the blood stained machete. The boy watched as his father ran at the remaining men. Weapon in hand, he diced away the first one. Yet the insurgent just killed had given a sharp whistle before biting the sword and this alerted his acquaintances to his position and the danger coming for them.

The third, fourth and fifth insurgent caught on and sent a hail of blaster beams into the chest and neck of the father. Bolt after bolt penetrated his skin and caused enough damage. He swung once more at the nearest man before he hit the ground, dead. The men laughed at his failed attempt.

Mother shrieked upon seeing the death of her husband. The men picked up on the scent of the boy’s mother. Like a pack of hyenas picking up the scent of vulnerable meat, they turned around and ran for her and the boy.

The mother pushed the bleeding boy inside the house and locked up the door. She screamed at Shaun to hide. The boy did as he was told and hid under his parents’ bed.

He heard a bang, another bang, then the door crash open. The boy’s mother screamed and he could hear the men telling her to shut up. He heard slaps and laughs and the noise of dishes breaking on the ground.

Get up, stupid bitch! one of the men yelled at the boy’s mother.

The boy was still, motionless with fear. Even at the age of nine, he had learned nothing in a situation like this. Stuff like this wasn’t supposed to happen in the real world.

The bed he hid under flattened him to the ground. Now he couldn’t move if he wanted to. Then the bed started squeaking and the men laughed even louder now.

He could hear his mother attempting to cry or scream, but her mouth seemed to be gagged, either by a hand or something else. The boy was so scared and utterly speechless and the pain in his arm, or lack of, had been dulled out by cold chillness.

This went on for several minutes, then one of the men screamed in pain and he could see feet stumbling backwards. She bit off my goddamn ear. Kill this slut!

A moment later, the blade of a sword slashed into the woman’s chest; the blade cut through the mattress and impacted into the ground mere inches from the boys face.

Loud sirens sounded in the distance, then the sounds of police helicopters landing. The authorities had arrived, but what was the point? Time and life for the boy had ceased to exist.

The men cursed obscenely, then left the house.

A minute later, the authorities dressed in blue and black shielded armor ran through the house, yelling a series of clear and move in.

Arriving in the room one of the men said, Oh, geez.

Another rushed in later and the two footsteps looked to be looming over his mother. Zip her up and get her out of here. Tell them it’s D.O.A.

Shaun knew exactly what that stood for; dead on arrival. He subconsciously knew his mother was dead, but the man saying it had elevated his pain to new heights. And not the pain in his arm, but in his heart.

He couldn’t help it anymore; the boy cried out in agony. One of the shielded men ducked down and looked at the boy. He tried to grab him, but the boy was motionless. His eyes were fixated on the bottom of the bloodstained mattress his mother lay on top of.

It took a while, but the boy was finally dragged from under the mattress and away from his dead mother. Looking back into his mother’s eyes, the boy indefinitely burned an image in his head; the cold lifeless stare his mother gave back to him. But he was away from her now, out of the house, and he watched as they dragged his father away in a bag as well.

The fire had spread from the stables. His dog Max still lay down on the grass, a deep slash gouged in the side of his neck… his once white coat of fur now a lush crimson pattern. No one cared for his friend. Shaun crawled to Max and picked up the lifeless dog, putting the animals head in his lap. He stroked the dog’s face as he watched the men slide the helicopter doors closed to where his mother and father now rested eternally, encased in black bags.

Tears rushed down his cheeks and he continued petting his friend. For a second, his head lowered into the dog’s neck, then he cried, remembering what he was holding. The world wasn’t supposed to be like this. Medical people wearing masks rushed over to the boy in all haste. Shaun ignored them and instead looked up. He now saw the fire had spread and the orchid was burning.

2074 Universal Calendar

The legendary Order of Knights hadn’t allowed him to join. Knights were champions of the people, protectors of the world and upholders of a modern day chivalrous code based on honor, loyalty and courage. An elite independent branch of the military with its own rules, regulations and leadership, only loosely affiliated with its sister branches. A warrior group embedded within the World Sphere Alliance, specializing in individuals highly attuned with kinetic energy.

Following the Nuclear War, more commonly referred to as World War Three, many people were exposed to extremely high levels of radiation. Many died in the war and those who didn’t died from radiation poisoning and cancer years later. The few who lived, though, developed a high tolerance to radiation and after many generations, it rarely affected anyone anymore. But something else happened; though some developed a high tolerance, an extremely small percentage of those survivors also saw that their cells evolved, mutated even, adapting to the highly potent gamma and ultra violet radiation giving way to the next stage of human evolution. As they passed this evolutionary trait to their descendents, these individuals were labeled as kinetics.

The Knights, with two training academies in the world, had the rare power to manipulate such radiation energy still emitted all around. Even though radiation didn’t affect humans like it once had, it was still quite potent everywhere. Though the Knights had many missions around the world, the main one was to prevent wars. The last one nearly destroyed everything.

Following the war and the Alliance’s expansion of territory, many of the different races came out of hiding. Humans, thought to be the dominant race, were shocked when they discovered a large amount of vampires inhabiting different parts of the world. Yet, not just them… ogres, beasts, dragons, orcs, werewolves and anything else besides a regular human. These were all categorized as hybrids.

Individuals possessing high connections with radiation emerged, kinetics who could channel their energy into weapons, into the air around them and into themselves. Witches, warlocks and classes of all types emerged. Kinetics was the name given to those who possessed any unnatural skill a regular human being didn’t. Amongst the wisest and strongest of all kinetics were elf’s. They were few in number, though, for they had been around since time was time. Only a handful remained; seeing one was rare.

Luminous Neo was one such elf. Grand Master of the Utopia Knight Academy in West America, the other Academy being in Trinity, England, the red headed elf was credited with the revival of the Order itself. Following the war that proceeded the Alliance expansion, she knew the world could not endure another terrible war, another disposal of life. With highly kinetic individuals such as her twin sister, she renewed the long lost Order of Knights, an Order that would recruit at a young age when kinetic energy had the highest potential for learning and growing. Luminous Neo and others would teach highly kinetic beings to control their powers through a newly crafted weapon called a switchsword.

With a push of a button, instantaneously, a hollow piece of steel instantly sprang from a hilt, and once it locked into place, another raced through it and another through that, and so forth, until the five steel pieces interlocked together, forming a sword. Then, just as quickly, electrical currents emitted from a diamond inside the hilt, zigzagging through the etchings in the sword and fluidly coursing through the blade, giving it a glow. Steel mixed with electricity made the switchsword nearly unbreakable, deadly and able to ricochet such things as blaster beams and bullets.

The Knights’ mission was simple: prevent wars by negotiations, or, if deemed necessary, deadly force. Through the years, the military and the Knights were so successful in protecting the Alliance that other nations outside the Alliance eventually joined for protection.

The boy traveled to Utopia, a rural and isolated part of West America, and met with Luminous Neo and her Council. These were the most decorated, honorable and prestigious of all the Knights in the Order. Amongst other duties, these particular Knights ruled on the decision of accepting young children to the Knight Academy.

After a single interview with the boy, Neo said that he had too much hate in him and although his cells had been altered, it wasn’t significant enough to fully manipulate radiation. Even if it altered more drastically over time, he would only use the power taught to him for revenge. The teaching of kinetic energy combat was reserved for those of pure heart. Hatred had no place in their organization… it gave huge power to an individual and she knew deep down the boy would only use it for revenge and hate. She was right… she was oh so right.

Five years had passed and he still felt hate. The Knights had stopped his initial dream, but that was only a roadblock. If they wouldn’t teach him, the teenager would teach himself. For five years, he read about the use of kinetic energy, its extremities, its potential, its knowledge and discipline. Every single person possessed some form of kinetic energy, but that wasn’t enough to manipulate it. Your cells had to be altered by them and that was a rare trait. He studied and studied, but he still needed more.

He was unable to perform many of the techniques he learned about; one arm and the other robotic. When channeled properly, high powered kinetics required two hands, two arms. But that still did not stop him.

It was hard work indeed, but the teenager ventured and explored the many sectors that made up America, even crossing ‘Ground One,’ the Damn Grand Canyon. What the locals called the split in the country that made up West and East America, courtesy of the quake that split the land from what had once been the middle of Texas to Maine. Exploring with a cause, though, for now he had all the pieces to build a switchsword.

But no book in any library, at least in America, could tell him how to do it. The Internet was no help, either. Every attempt he made to fit the pieces together was met with failure and frustration. There was a reason only Knights carried switchswords; they were the only ones who knew how to make the powerful weapon.

But she could tell him. Word on the street was she was an elfin Knight, a Grandmaster named Rose Ktulu, or rather, ex-Knight. Grandmasters were the leaders of each Knight Academy, a total of two of them; Rose used to be the leader of the Trinity Knights in England. But the Council had unanimously cast her out. She was said to be manipulating policies and enemies, killing them by their own brutal agenda. Rose argued that Trinity was not like the rest of the world. Displayed killings and manipulation had to ensue to maintain order. But the real reason for the shun was the woman’s betrayal of the red haired elf woman he had talked to. This Rose had done something so hateful, so bitter, that her own sister, Luminous Neo, participated in casting her out of the Order. Her own elfin kind. So the teenager traveled to meet her.

Across many states he traveled and, alas, he met with her in Sector Six, what had once been North Carolina. Immediately he was taken aback by her beauty, he was expecting to find an old woman, an elf wrinkled and old from age. Yet Rose looked no older than twenty-five. She had long black hair and enticing ruby red eyes. Her ears were pointed back at the top; her skin was tan and her figure petite. But aside from her facial beauty, her most defining feature was a red dragon tattoo that lined her right side, from finger tips to ear.

The two talked and together had an understanding. The world had been cruel to them. He was a mere boy when his family was killed; she was cast out of the only family she had, cast out for doing her job a little too well and not being understood. Because her opinion was different from the norm, different from Luminous the teenager was told. She understood the troubled adolescent teenager and he cared for the beautiful elfin woman.

She would make her own life have meaning again. She would teach him how to construct his switchsword, watch over him and train him in the ways of kinetics. She took pleasure in training the boy, despite her sister’s refusal to do so. The boy had much hate and Rose could definitely relate. This was the beginning of a powerful team.

Upon turning eighteen, the teenager had enlisted in the military. No longer did Alliance countries have individual militaries at their disposal; they now had a unified armed forces with its branches of Army, Marine, Navy, Airforce, Coastguard, Space Command and, the seventh independent branch, Knight. If he couldn’t be a Knight, he would be the next best thing… a Marine. Rose wanted him to stay, but the teenager needed to know more about warfare, more about tactical precision. He wanted to learn firsthand rather than from a book or a speech from Rose. Most importantly, he had to learn firsthand the hardships his late father had done for him and his mother.

Basic Training seemed like nothing to the teenager. From the intense kinetic training with Rose, this all seemed like a cake walk. Rose had pushed him to his limits and beyond many times before and none of this could ever compare, not in the slightest.

Though minutes seemed like hours, days seemed like weeks, and the months seemed like years, he never forgot for a second about Rose or what he had learned from her. At night before dreaming and thinking of Rose, he would re-read books on kinetics and the art of different switchsword forms his elfin friend had sent him.

While the teenager was away at training, Rose had become the co-founder of an Academy that was disbanded by the Order of Knights many years ago. A potential school in Sparta, Greece, deep within the League of Nations, a group of neutral countries including the Middle East, Africa, Greece and small portions of Europe that were not under Alliance jurisdiction. This was a school that Neo had deemed unnecessary for its location. An academy not too dissimilar than that of the Knights in West America, but unique on its own and not publicly known. She and a friend had rewritten many books on kinetics and sent every book to the teenager.

The teenager was becoming extremely knowledgeable in the ways of this newly formed identical Knight cult. Although they would never admit to being a cult, that’s exactly what the teenager knew they were. Rose had even told him that’s what it was.

Sleep and food were far too overrated and the teenager easily surpassed his fellow recruits. Awarded the position of guide in boot camp, he was known for the Great Guidon Riot, where he convinced his fellow recruits to rise up and rebel. He convinced them with such persuasion that they invaded the fellow platoon’s squad bay at night. Not only did they take their guidon (the flag that symbolized the life of a platoon), they tied up each recruit in their sleep and eventually, with hand-to-hand combat, took out the platoon’s security protocol droids and drill instructors. Out of the five sergeants, the boy took out three of them at the same time.

Upon graduation, he was named the honor guide of his company, the top recruit in training. But the award meant nothing to him; all he cared about was getting back to Rose and afterwards telling her all the stories. Rose had gotten all the days off the teenager wanted to spend with her. She was at his graduation and she wore a black veil as if coming back from a funeral. Who knows, the teenager thought, maybe she had. Rose was an elf, second in years alive only to her sister Neo.

The teenager would enjoy the next ten days off before reporting to SOI (School of Infantry). Rose was also pleased to have him back.

She never realized how much she would miss the boy, now a teenager, who she now thought of as a man. Rose had fallen for him. She showed him that night when they made love. She had no need to even persuade him into passion. Persuasion was part of the reason she was banished from the Order. Her original Master many year back (pre World War One), had taught her exceedingly well. Few could resist words spoken from the tongue of Rose, the little girl taught by the legendary Rasputin himself. No, the teenager learned her tricks already and he felt the same way, too; he really did love her.

Ten years had passed. The teenager who once was had become a well known man. Still in the military, he had gone through OCS (Officer Candidate School) a few years back and hastily moved up the ranks to Captain.

Rose had taught him very well. Not only Rose, though; through many combat missions and political negotiations, Shaun was known as the front Officer in terms of military strategy and mission accomplishments.

Though always in high demand and deployed out to countless missions around the world and the outlying space colonies, his off time was always found with his wife Rose in Sector Six. Despite planning and building her new academy in Sparta, she had always made time to spend with him back in East America. Their rare time together was hard earned seclusion from society; peacefulness in an unfaithful world.

The beautiful black haired elfin woman had not lost her looks from the decades the man had known her. Not a single wrinkle lined her face, not a slowed down step; she was perfect in every way. An ageless woman as smart as she was gorgeous and strong.

On off days, Rose still practiced her powerful kinetics and so did Shaun. He had adapted to his robotic right arm and improvised what two handed kinetic tactics he could. The robotic arm was now a gift to him. He could do more with it than any other body part. It felt more alive to him than his left arm.

Months more passed and Rose came home one night and informed Shaun he was ready for a duel with her. It had taken many years, but the man would finally put his weapon knowledge to the test against her. He could not use kinetics entirely, but he could manipulate it to a degree. An advantageous degree, which would aid him immensely.

That night they slept, the following morning they dueled. Not a death duel, but a duel on skill nonetheless. Rose’s twin set of electro-red current switchswords flurried with the likes of the man’s single blue-electric blade. The conflicted lasted for hours, but eventually Shaun was bested by Rose. Yet he showed no loss of character. He happily accepted the defeat, if only to learn strategies of how to be victorious in a future fight. Learning from mistakes was what won battles, showed us our weaknesses and let us become stronger from them. Shaun needed the defeat to grow stronger and develop a new strategy for next time. Shaun had lasted longer against Rose than any other alive; he definitely had skill.

Another ten years passed, and Rose and Shaun had a baby girl. Something worried him, though; the girl had strange markings on either arm… just like Rose had on her right side.

Shaun had adorned the rank of Colonel now. Having been ordered to serve in the Space Command, it was given to him after his victory in the capture of the notorious space pirate, Captain Hatoku Nomad, who had been known as a major drug trafficker. In an epic space battle, Shaun had led an undersized and outgunned armada of ships against Nomad’s prized fleet. But, even with all of Nomads ship’s, the Spice Miner was no match to outthink the great military strategist colonel.

Back at home, Rose seemed to be busier than ever. She was once again at the academy in Sparta, training young warriors, one of the few times she wasn’t available the same time as Shaun. But he had been off on space campaigns for far too long this time; he needed to spend time with his precious daughter. Taking a much needed few days off from military duty, Shaun and his daughter rested in their secluded home of their peaceful estate in Sector Six that gave them separation from the rest of the world.

That was when something happened that would forever change his life and his daughter’s.

There were four of them. How they found Shaun and his daughter, he had no idea. They wore their brown cloaks with the seal of the Knight embroidered into the right side of it (a blue dragon with two gold switchswords crossed behind it on a silver shield) and each had switchswords attached to their belts.

Approaching Shaun, the Knights explained the situation to him. Their little girl was kinetic, and a potent one at that. She had been detected by the Academy. They had orders to take her back to their school. The one the man was denied from as a child. The one his wife was banished from. The one that these people weren’t going to take his daughter to, no matter what; they weren’t going to take his little girl. He knew, like all Knights, once admitted, the children weren’t allowed to see their parents until they were the age of twenty-five, the common age when Knighthood was placed on them.

He refused. He loved the little girl he and Rose had made. She had a face like her mother and a personality like her father. She was so precious to him, it was a shame he only got to see her the amount time he got to see her. She was everything to him and Rose.

It didn’t matter if the Knights needed her or not, they wouldn’t have her.

He knew the rules and yet he told them this, and they in turn informed him of the stipulation as to what would happen if he did indeed refuse. Alliance law was clear: a highly kinetic child, when detected by the Knights, went with the Knights.

He held his ground. He had lived a life without a mother and father, and it was cruel and harsh to him. Shaun refused to put her through that, especially to be a pawn in their cult.

His daughter cried out as the four Knights activated their switchswords. Shaun stood tall and breathed heavily in as his fingertips steadily grazed on the hilt of his own concealed switchsword.

Was he really ready to throw his career away, his entire military career, for a little girl?

For a little girl… no.

But for his… yes.

He smiled at his daughter and told her to run inside and lock the doors. Shaun watched from the corner of his eye as she ran inside, then turned his attention to the Knights.

They circled around him with active swords, continuing to shout warnings. Shaun continued to stand motionless, his fingertips whispering on the metal handle of his own weapon. He took in the environment, the wind, the melodic sounds of harmony around him. A strategy had no need to form in Shaun’s mind; he was taught for situations like this. His instantaneous movement would come by pure instinct.

He had the advantage. The Knights could sense kinetics, sense it extremely well. But the man was not highly kinetic. He could not rely on what they could detect. He showed no fear, no emotion. Rose had trained him well. They weren’t aware of what he was about to do, or rather, what he could do with a sword.

Three years had passed. At the age of forty-one, Shaun still had plenty of years ahead of him. He was still young in age, but old enough to value his wonderful family. His daughter was beginning to grow into a lovely young girl and the man was now a proud parent of a son as well. His son had blonde hair like his own and eyes and a face that matched his father. But like the daughter, his son also had strange markings on either arm, they resembled the ones their mother had. He had asked Rose about it, but she had no answers… it was a mystery to her as well, or so she told him. Shaun dwelled on that rather than the current reality.

Rose had convinced him to meet with an old friend of hers. He had a proposition for Shaun. Shaun was now an ex-colonel who had been kicked out of the military for what he had done to those four Knights three years ago.

He was lucky, they let him off easy. Usually, for what he had done, the death sentence was enacted. But they took account of his unprecedented military actions of the years past.

Not to mention that no one was prepared to argue a hearing with him. The man was a master with words and negotiation. Even if they had the deck stacked and all the evidence, the man could out debate them… and they all knew it. No one dared to go up against him.

Instead, they told him to resign, never speak of it again and his discharge would be final. A dishonorable discharge, at that.

But three years later, Shaun was in demand to help a friend of Rose in recruiting potential children for their secretly formed academy. In return, the friend of Rose would enlist Shaun as the lead general in his new League of Nations military, spearheaded by the elite students who would be trained at their secret Academy. There were many who were done with staying neutral from the Alliance; they wanted to see it burn.

This friend of Rose was a man named Vuru. Shaun soon learned that this man was also highly kinetic; an elf as well. Yet, unlike Rose, who channeled her kinetic energy through her switchsword, Vuru channeled his through a wand. Vuru, a powerful warlock, was also the Black Wizard in the worldwide order of magic known as the Prestige. And with being the Black Wizard, sainthood was placed upon him and thus, attached to his name, Saint Vuru.

Unlike Rose who retained her beauty at her old age, Vuru’s age showed. He looked like a man in his late fifties. He was slender and tall. His once black hair, mustache and long beard now had grey strands riddled throughout. He wore a black suit and open white shirt. He too, had a marking, a half sun tattoo under his right eye. He wore a top hat and had pointed ears.

Like Rose, Vuru was slowly being shunned out of his own Order. His ideas for purity of the world were too different to his fellow magic users… much more violently solved.

At first, Shaun declined, but Rose wanted him so much to aid her friend. Finally, Rose and Shaun would always be together and their beautiful daughter and son wouldn’t have to wait months on end to see them.

Shaun agreed to help, if only for the sake of Rose, but he still did not want the title of general afterwards. Shaun was done with the military, done with their thinking, their way of life. He was betrayed by the Alliance and their stupid Knights, but he wanted nothing more now than to lead a peaceful life with his lovely elfin wife and raise their children.

So they traveled all over the League of Nation territories, school after school, playground after playground, searching for potential children for this mysterious academy. Similar recruiting techniques were being used in the Alliance military by loyalists moles of Vuru and Shaun in building the League’s military.

Rose, Shaun and Vuru wanted children who could be pushed to their limits and still not give up, who would fight for what was right, by any means necessary. Not execute mercy or accept defeat as the former American military did, which led to their surrender in World War III… the cause of this new chaotic world. Most of all, they wanted children with heart. Despite Rose’s recommendations, Shaun refused to allow his children to be part of the Academy. If he had anything to do with it, they would live a life without revenge and hate, a normal life. But Shaun’s father once told him there was no such thing as ‘normal.’ People just lived and died, simple as that. Shaun didn’t believe that… he dreamed for his ideal image of normal. Their searched seemed to almost be in vein, until they found one.

In what had once been Athens, a twelve-year-old school boy on recess riding on a swing was pushed off. Angered, the boy jumped up and punched the boy who had done it to him, punched him square in the face. Wrestling on the ground for a minute, Shaun and Rose watched from a distance as the children quickly surrounded them and started chanting, Fight, fight, fight.

Soon, though, the swing pusher had friends. They, too, began attacking the boy who had originally been swinging. But the original boy was relentless. Pushing through the crowd, blood dripping down his face and all, Rose and Shaun watched the child taking on the swing pusher and his three friends. He wasn’t necessarily winning, but he wasn’t giving up either.

Rose nodded to her husband and he intervened. Making his way through the sea of children, he stepped into the brawl that had now found its way to the sand pit and stopped the fighting kids. Prying the child away from the other boys, he was still clawing and kicking, wanting to get free and attack the swing pusher and his friends.

It took several minutes, but Rose walking over finally calmed down the boy and after taking him away from the other children, she asked him a series of questions.

What’s your name? Rose asked the boy, but the boy refused to answer. Don’t you have a name? she asked; the boy remained silent. She looked at her husband and knew from experience with her own daughter and son what to do if a child refused to talk. If you don’t tell us, we’ll tell your parents about what you did here, fighting with the other kids.

Shaun studied the child; dirt on his face with blood dripping from his nose and splattered on either cheek. He had wavy black hair and soft blue eyes, but Shaun didn’t like the boy. He seemed like he was a troublemaker, a blaster about to shoot off. No, Shaun didn’t like him at all. Something about the boy made the man suspicious.

They’re gone, the boy merely said to Rose.

What do you mean? Rose asked.

The boy huffed and looked out to the other kids playing ball. Can I go now, we done?

Shaun became impatient with the child and shook his head, now speaking to Rose. He’s too distracted. We can find better children who listen and respond when told to. Shaun gave a harsh stare to the child. The boy snarled back at the man, catching onto the adult gesture.

Hey… are you mad because they’re gone, your parents? Rose asked the boy. The boy merely shook his head. Do you miss them? the boy shook his head again. Let me ask you, that blood on you, the bruises on your cheeks from the fight you were just in, does it hurt? The boy merely shrugged his shoulders. Rose looked at her husband and nodded.

But Shaun really didn’t like this boy, not at all. He hoped his own son at this boy’s age didn’t end up like this troubled child. The kid was a troublemaker. He hoped his son could forever avoid violence. Avoid the life Shaun had… any member of his family shouldn’t be put through that. This boy had trouble written all over him. Why Rose took an interest in him eluded Shaun.

Rose then reached in her black cloak and pulled out a golden clasp. It was in the shape of the emblem of the Knights, but the dragon and the switchswords in the background were pure gold. These were worn by the Grandmasters of the Knight Academies.

Wow! the boy said.

Rose smiled as she held out the clasp, I’ll give you this if you tell me your name.

The boy thought, then told her hesitantly, Rico. He then swiped the gold clasp from Rose’s hand and ran back off to the playground.

This was the beginning of a long history between Rico, Vuru, Rose and Shaun.

Five years had passed. Shaun was asked to help train the kinetic potentials at the school that had adopted an agoge type training curriculum. The school had three phases of rigorous military training, which taught stealth, assassinations, survival and advanced combat techniques, all manipulated through a switchsword. Shaun once again refused to take part in the training curriculum, but Rose talked with him and he decided to do it, if only for her.

He refused to scream at them like some drill sergeant; instead he was called the weapons expert. He taught countless students weapons training in blasters, hand-to-hand combat and, most importantly, switchsword combat.

A day came when a group of potentials noticed Shaun wasn’t a kinetic, nor could detect those who were and thus, they claimed he was a phony. The lead potential, Rico, tried to take a swing at Shaun when he was being lectured about his deceased parents. In defense, Shaun knocked Rico out with a mere hand-chop to the neck. Rico was in the hospital for three months. No one questioned the man ever again, especially not Rico.

Rico learned from underestimating Shaun. Despite Rico’s incident with Shaun, he learned much from the man and eventually, with Shaun’s guidance, once again became the top student and finest graduate. In time, Shaun eventually began to enjoy talking with Rico and thought of him as a second son.

Upon graduation, Rose personally trained the boy for several months, then sent Rico on a classified mission. Even Shaun had no idea where it was. Rose had told him it was of the utmost importance and secrecy. She informed him it was for his own good not to know. Shaun thought maybe he would have disapproved if Rose had told him why she was training Rico individually or what this mission was. But Shaun didn’t question his wife, the first rule of marriage.

Years more passed and Shaun hadn’t heard or seen Rico. Nor his own children, for that matter. The man realized that his children may not have even known he was their father, let alone Rose their mother, if they were to randomly surprise their children by saying hello. Rose and Shaun had forbidden the children from seeing what they did for a living. They didn’t need to know what their parents did.

For this reason, Rose and Shaun decided several years ago to send the children to stay with their godparents while the two were off working at the school for potential kinetics. The Spartan school was now named after those forgotten in the darkness of the old world; Shadow Academy.

One fateful night at the Shadow Academy, Rose awoke screaming, or rather, shrieking. Sheer fright and terror Shaun had never seen from her. This was some sort of terrible nightmare, as if she were in some demented and warped trance. Rumor had it the entire school awoke that night, potentials and teachers alike.

Rose and Shaun immediately packed their bags and headed out. Shaun had no idea as to where they were going, but Rose kept screaming, The children! They would undoubtedly go to where they were. The man feared only few times in his life, this was one of them. God, he hoped his kids were safe.

The entire helicopter ride to the godparents’ house was silent. Rose’s once tan face was paler than ever. There were deep solemn bags beneath her eyes and she was shaking uncontrollably. She didn’t talk, not once the whole way. The elf merely stared out the window and continued to shake.

Shaun could do nothing in a situation like this. No strategy, no plan; something was wrong and for once he could do nothing. No way to combat nor confer.

Several hours passed and the parents stepped out of the chopper. Their world was literally shattered: house by house, road by road, person by person. Bullets and blaster beams ripped through every square inch of the scorched land in front of them. Metal, robotics and flesh strewn about the environment, as if it were painted by it.

War had occurred here. Total war, total destruction.

Nothing was left of this city, this entire part of Sector Six was completely destroyed.

Their close friends who they trusted as godparents to their children were missing in action and their lower class home was demolished by war.

Before they arrived at the house, a body lied sprawled out in front, rattled with holes and oozing blood. The children’s godfather.

He lay in front of their ripped open house. Rose broke the ten foot wall of concrete in her heart that shielded her from emotions and gasped in shock, dropping to her knees in tears. Shaun gulped in and took a stroll around the wrecked house. An excuse to feel emotion himself. Halfway around, he rested his head on what was left of a wall the children had stayed on the other side of and the wall shattered. Shaun screamed out in unsurpassed pain, cursed and punched through the remaining bricks that were unfortunate enough to stand between him and his anger.

The godmother may or may not be alive, but their children could not have survived this terror. Too young, too vulnerable.

Hours more passed and the broken hearted parents returned to the docked chopper…

But wait! Those were Roses exact words.

How she had heard it, Shaun would never know, but thank God she did… the cry of a child.

Together, they ran for the voice. Then they found the source; a child bloodied and battered on the side of the street under a tin cylinder. Not any child though; theirs. On the destroyed sheet lay their son. Damn, the boy was tough, he must have taken after his father.

Shaun and Rose gleamed with delight for the first time in days, or could it have been years? If he was alive, she may be, too. They searched everywhere for their daughter. Any sign, any trace. Their search yielded no luck, none at all.

While searching, Rose nor the man slept for days, or even ate, for that matter. Their children were their number one priority. Their pilot who was watching their son, tried to reach the Academy for a search party but no one was answering.

But every day, their son’s cries grew louder and louder. The child was sick and hurt and their own medical treatments could only do so much for him. They had to get the boy back to the Shadow Academy. He could be tended to there.

After much petition, the man convinced his wife to stop the search momentarily and return to the school. Much better medical care was there and that was the only place the boy would be seen. For, if Shaun was correct, the Alliance military had set the town ablaze… the way the city was demolished, he had personally written the tactic book on how to do such a thing so accurately. Shaun suspected the military had orders to shoot on sight; it wasn’t safe to seek medical treatment with them. But why? Had they come back for revenge for the Knights members he had killed those years ago? No… that didn’t seem logical; then what? Was this something that Rose or Vuru had done? Confusion played with the man’s head. Looking solemnly at his wife, he continued hearing the coughs and cries of his son and knew they could only pray.

Was this déjà vu? The man thought, arriving back at the school.

The Shadow Academy was in ruins. Burning and shattered like the place they had just come from. Students and teachers alike lay side-by-side, slain on the ground. Not by blasters, but by swords.

Both highly kinetic potential students from their school and Knights from their rivals.

This school was heavily defended, they must have invaded with an army of Knights ranging in the thousands.

Shaun’s initial thoughts were that the Knights had come back for him. They wanted revenge for what he had done. But that was too plain; there was no judgment or reason behind the motive. That couldn’t have been it; what was their vendetta?

Using his heightened awareness, Shaun could smell the exhaust from the switchswords electrifying the air around them, closing in.

He spoke to his wife, Get out of here, Rose, I’ll handle these bastards.

The man unclipped the hilt of the switchsword from his side and flicked his thumb up. The weapon now engaged, five pieces that made up the sword shot up one at a time, each piece narrowing at the top and sliding inside the hollow shell of its predecessor to make the shape of a blade. A second later, a light shone at the hilt of the blade and a spark of blue electricity coursed up and down every crevasse of the blade, making it nearly indestructible.

You must keep our son safe, I’ll hold them off.

Rose hesitated for a second. It was then that Shaun saw fear in her eyes, something he had never seen before from her. That alone told the man what he concluded.

Stay strong my son, he said to his child. He then looked at his wife. She looked more beautiful right now than she had ever had before. He was honored to have had her in his life. Staring into the vastness of her eyes he spoke, I love you, Rose. I always have and always will.

In this life or the next, we will be together, my love. Rose leaned over and embraced her lips onto his. The man lingered for a few seconds more, feeling the warmth of her lips. He had just been kissed by a rose. He would forever miss this feeling, for never would it ever happen to the prideful man again. Parting lips, she gazed in his eyes and stroked his strong chiseled face. I promise.

A tear trickled down her pale cheek and like when the Knights came in many years ago to take his child, his other now cried out.

Shaun watched his wife turn and run to safety with their child. He wanted so much to have this be a dream, nothing more than a sick mind trick. He closed his eyes in a reverse mind trick of his own to attempt an awakening. But silence at this moment was bliss and it was shattered by a swing of a sword.

Shaun ducked from the electric green blade that swung at him. Opening his eyes and upper cutting his own blade as hard and swift as he could, Shaun threw the Knight off balance. A kick to the torso sent the young man flying backwards.

Shaun stared momentarily at his adversary and from researched knowledge immediately knew him to be Christopher Benoit, one of Neo’s most promising young Knights. Trained personally by Neo, Benoit would be someone not to take lightly.

As expected, the young Knight was well trained. Making a mockery of gravity, the Knight put his free hand back and, using kinetics, pushed behind himself and flew back at Shaun.

Despite his short height, Benoit was strong for his size and amazingly fast. Youth it seemed had an advantage.

Shaun parried a horizontal slash, then immediately turned to swing and take the offense, but Benoit had already jumped over his blade.

The young man had skill, no doubt. The group of Knights three years ago hadn’t lasted this long. Then again, Shaun was three years younger and most likely had slept and eaten the four days prior. Excuses make cowards, though; his family would never be that, nor tolerate those who did. This fight was perfectly fair, in every sense of the word.

Blocking and occasionally gaining the offensive, the young man dueling Shaun was indeed in prime form.

Benoit showed it when he ran at Shaun, ducked under a slash and chopped his blade against that of the unprepared older man, sending Shaun to his back. The father rolled up quickly enough, though, and shrugged off the momentary lapse.

But, upon standing, Benoit ran at the man again, but this time slid under his legs. As Shaun slashed at the Knight, he missed and found himself leaning forward. The young man now stood behind him and took advantage. A simple grab of the sides and quick toss from the power of the legs could send nearly anyone flying backwards. The father was no exception.

Landing with a thud, he once again shook off the fatigue, but looked up to see a flying Christopher Benoit guiding his brilliant glowing green sword.

Shaun moved in unparalleled speed as he crouched to his knees first, then exploded to his feet, before catching the young swordsman midflight and hurling him with all his enormous strength into the pillar across the hall.

Moving in for the kill, Shaun caught a kick to the chest and fell onto his back. He looked up to see the Weaponmaster. Though descriptive by title, Shaun knew a Weaponmaster to be the personal assassin of Neo herself… the deadliest of Knights. Sarah Nightingale, the woman standing in front of him, was no different. Her hair was in a black ponytail with a pair of gold braids hanging in front, adorned with beads. Her cute tanned face and brilliant green eyes hid her inner fire of warfare. The young woman was personally trained by both Neo and Rose many years ago. She was deadly with a blade, more so than Benoit, maybe more so than Shaun… he would find out.

Unlike most he fought, Sarah allowed Shaun to stand up and regain composure. Shaun did just that and stared at the young Weaponmaster. Neither one spoke, a respectful trait amongst enemies. In sync, the two met swords and broke apart just as fast.

Swing by swing, they fought. The two warriors showcased why they were the best, but fatigue was building up in both of them and each was tiring. Both had been up for days and fought what seemed like endless battles prior to this one. Unbeknownst to Shaun, Sarah had endured more hell and carnage in the last seventy-two hours than any person should. Because of it, Sarah had killed hundreds, if not thousands, in those hours. He’d find out soon enough why she was here, why Benoit was here and why the Shadow Academy was filled with corpses.

Fatigue had worn more on Sarah than Shaun and after another blow and parry, panting, she was a split second too slow. It cost her and Shaun’s blade tore through her beautiful face, ripping a gouge under her right cheek, across her nose and a skip across her left cheek and ear. The first of many scars to come in Sarah’s illustrious career as a Weaponmaster.

An arch of blood followed the path of Shaun’s blade and Sarah dropped to her knees.

The promising Weaponmaster was down for the count. But Shaun would take no prisoners for this atrocity. Walking to Sarah, Shaun stared at the downed body. The young woman began to twitch and hold up her blade.

Shaking his head, Shaun kicked away her blade and grabbed her by the bloody collar.

Goodbye, Weaponmaster. Ready to strike his electric blue blade into her heart, Shaun heard a scream… an all too familiar scream. My God, Rose… he gasped.

Shaun could say no more as his lower jaw was sliced off. The elite Weaponmaster had taken the momentary hesitation to its fullest vulnerability. Sarah had used kinetics and summoned her sword, then in one swift slash, connected her blade with Shaun’s face.

Eyes grew wide, his sword dropped and unimaginable pain flooded throughout Shaun’s body. In anger, he turned to the Weaponmaster and smashed his robotic fist into her already bleeding face. The young woman spiraled in the air several times before landing unconscious on the ground, sprawled across from Benoit.

On instinct, Shaun tried to scream, but pain only filled his mind. Shaun dropped to the ground and began shaking uncontrollably as he watched his body rapidly becoming engulfed by his own deep blood.

Feeling in his legs ceased to exist, it would soon travel to the rest of his body. There was no way to deny it, the man was going into shock. Uncontrollable, life ending shock.

But he had to get to Rose…

Bleeding out on the floor, he heard another scream. It was either from Rose or from his own mind. Either way, he somehow willed his fingers to claw across the blood soaked floor. Each inch seemed like miles. Seconds seemed like hours. But he finally made it to his beloved wife. She was lying on the ground as well. Her eyes were staring into his. They were both bleeding. But the only difference was, he was moving… she wasn’t.

He reached out for her and used her limp body to pull his own toward her.

She was so cold, God, she was so cold. Her blood splattered face was white as snow. Lips as blue as ice.

He dared not touch any other part of her body. Not her torn off left arm, nor her severed limbs or ruptured torso. He didn’t want to, he couldn’t.

The tears that rushed uncontrollably down his cheeks had no feeling to him. Shaun felt stinging and cold all over his body. He was in a state where he couldn’t sit up to cry. He couldn’t yell out in anger. He now couldn’t raise his hand to brush her once soft hair. He could only continue to stare into her open eyes and nudge his cheek near her face.

I’m sorry, someone cried out; he had wanted to say that for a while now. He had no idea if he had said that or someone else, though it was impossible for him to have verbally said it.

Blood stained black boots stepped in front of him and he heard a child cry.

His twitching head somehow looked up and he saw her. The woman he would never forget for the rest of his life. This wasn’t the first time he had seen her, though. He had first laid eyes on her those many decades ago when he was only a boy. When she had denied him the right to become a Knight.

The red haired pointy eared elfin Grand Master. Luminous Neo, Rose’s twin sister. The woman who was the definition of all evil in the world. That woman who now held his only son in her arms.

I’m sorry, she said one more time. Holding the screaming baby, she stared at him for a moment. As a single tear ran down her bloody cheek, she looked away and turned around.

Shaun couldn’t move his head down to look back at his fallen wife. He couldn’t tell whether his body was still shaking anymore, nor could he tell if he was alive or dead. As Shaun, as the ex-colonel, as the school Weaponmaster, as a husband and, most importantly, as a father, his last image was simple, yet so significant.

His eye line rested directly in view with a faraway orchid beyond the Academy’s walls, one that had been crumbled down from a blast. The orchid was burning. Today, the man lost absolutely everything he had in the world. The man he once was would forever cease to exist, nothing more than a sad thought.

The world was a cruel place, an unjust place and, above all else, an insane place. Nothing could ever put right what had happened today. His wife lay next to him, dead, and his only son was taken by a red haired elfin woman, this very moment being taken away to a place where he’d never see him again. His daughter was missing and most likely dead.

He hated the Order of Knights, the Alliance and he hated Luminous Neo… hated her more than any other person he had ever known. This was past personal… this was hate at its truest and darkest form.

If death didn’t consume him or hadn’t already, Shaun vowed to his family he would get justice for today. For all of his family, he would avenge them. He would take the promotion in rank he had been offered by Vuru, remake the school and one way or another, even if he had to battle through hell itself to come