Of Mind and Magic

Chapter 9

Kimura slid across the floor, jagged pieces of tile buckling up as she passed, tearing into the back of her leather suit, causing her to leave a trail of blood in her wake. She slammed into the hallway wall hard enough to dent the metal.

Pushing away the searing pain in her back, she raised her head, using a gloved hand to push dark hair out of her face.

She stared at the young man before her, rippling waves of dark blue energy writhing off him. As she watched the energy coalesced into something between modern body armor and samurai armor.

The plated armor hugged his body like a second skin.

Glowing blue eyes the color of ice locked on to her, bringing with them a force that nearly pushed her through the wall. A smile reached her lightly tanned skin, her bright red lips curling upwards in a smile full of teeth.

Slowly she pushed herself off the ground, ignoring the broken tiles that dug into her hands, "So, you do have some bite in you." Reaching down to a holster on her leg, she removed the dagger she took from his unconscious form, "Show mama what you got."

Crouching low she shot forward, her feet gliding across the floor as she used her intangible abilities to walk on air.

Harry launched himself forward, Psionic magic coursing through his body, making his thoughts faster his senses sharper, and his movements barely more than a blur.

Kimura slashed the dagger with her right hand while attempting to grab Harry with her left.

Knocking away her left hand, Harry focused his will on the dagger. Just as it was about to cross his armor, the dagger crumbled into dust.

Quick as lightning, Harry through his right fist up, slamming it into Kimura's chin while she was off balance from losing the dagger.

The woman flew into the air, blood flying from her mouth, her back arching as she back flipped and landed like a cat a few feet away.

She grinned, showing off teeth that were stained red. Wiping away the blood dribbling down her chin, she pushed off the ground, landing lightly on her feet.

"I thought it would be fun to kill you with your own dagger, but I would prefer to do it this way." Her hand shot down, removing the Glock from its holster on her hip.

Three shots rang out, but Harry was already moving, leaving a hazy blue afterimage in his wake. He appeared before Kimura in a crouch, throwing his fist at her midsection only for his hand to go through her.

As Harry leaned too far forward off balance, Kimura brought up her knee.

Harry's left hand intercepted her knee, stopping some of its momentum, but causing the back of his hand to slap into his face. Dazed he pushed off Kimura's knee, using it as a springboard.

Sliding back on his heels, he climbed to his feet his chest heaving slightly.

He had picked up quite a bit from the fractured minds of the soldiers, adding to the combat training the ancient one had given him, but he had underestimated Kimura's abilities. Her density control made her a tough opponent. If he wanted to beat her he would have to think outside the box.

He stretched his hand forward; his energy seemed to flow easier as it coalesced into a sword with a cross -shaped hilt.

Sliding one foot forward, he pointed the tip of the blade at Kimura's face.

With a smile Kimura raised her gun.

With a flick of his wrist, everything after the trigger guard fell to the floor.

Throwing the gun aside, Kimura threw a kick at his head.

Harry raised his left arm, dark blue energy coalescing into a two foot wide two foot long octagon shaped shield.

Harry's arm jerked slightly on impact, but otherwise he was unharmed.

Kimura lowered her foot, her head cocking to one side, "What is that energy?"

Saying nothing, Harry danced forward. Keeping his shield raised, he stabbed his blade at her gut.

Kimura tensed, her midsection instantly going intangible. Her eyes widened as she felt the blade pierce her body, a scream tearing from her throat.

XX –

Sarah watched as Laura stalked forward, her teeth grinding together, drool running down her chin as she growled. "Laura, listen to me, it's me Sarah," she hesitated, "your mother."

Laura's legs tensed. With a roar, she launched herself into the air, the two claws protruding out of each hand flashing in the florescent lights above her.

On instinct, Sarah raised her arms shielding her face. She staggered backwards under the impact of Laura's weight, a bright flash of crimson energy piercing her eyelids.

With a growl, Laura struck again, another crimson flash lighting up the hallway as her claws were again reflected off Sarah's barrier.

Sarah lashed out with the palm, striking Laura in the chest. The barrier added extra force behind the blow, sending Laura tumbling two feet down the hallway.

Completing the last role of her tumble, Laura sprang to her feet.

Sarah backed away she knew she wouldn't be able to beat Laura in combat. She didn't think she could hurt her daughter anyway. Especially after what her home life was like. It would be too close to what her father did to her and her sister.

The medallion warmed beneath her blouse. Keeping her gaze locked on her daughter, Sarah pressed a hand to the medallion, eyes widening as she felt it shrink beneath her hand.

Laura ran forward. Spinning on her left foot, she brought her right up in a roundhouse kick, a claw emerging from her boot.

Again the barrier flashed as the majority of Laura's attack was rebounded, but this time, Sarah felt the tip of the claw pierced the barrier putting a minuscule cut in her lab coat.

Not knowing what else to do, and with her only protection fading, Sarah turned sprinting back the way she came, her lab coat flying out behind her like a cape.

XX –

Kimura looked at him, blood dribbling from the corners of her mouth, "How?"

Harry shook his head, "That's not important. What is important is that an unfeeling monster like you can no longer hurt the innocent of the world." With a yank, he pulled his sword free, the blade and hilt shrinking until it became the size of a dagger.

Kimura fell to her knees, her hands clamped over her stomach. This was it; she was going to die, after all the pain and injustice she suffered in her life. Here was this man looking down on her for the hurt she caused others, the retribution she caused others for ignoring her pain.

Gritting her teeth, she slowly pushed herself to her feet. She didn't know how the strange sword pierced her intangible flesh, but she would not die on her knees.

His glowing ice blue eyes looked into her dark brown, he inclined his head, "I respect your strength of will, you could have been a better force for the world, protected others, stopped them from going through what you went through, but instead you decided to cause pain. To continue the cycle you experienced."

He raised the dagger, "Know that your knowledge and skill will not go to waste."

Kimura tensed her legs preparing to jump backwards, only to find herself unable to move.

Harry slowly shook his head, "The people that altered you really should've worked on your mental defenses."

The last thing Kimura saw was the light of the blue dagger filling her vision before its blade pierced her forehead then her world went black.

Harry stood there, his Psionic dagger buried in Kimura's mind. Her training, knowledge of the facilities projects, weapons, security codes, and mountains of other things filled his mind. When he felt he got everything he could, he twisted the blade, blue energy exploding from her eye sockets, turning them into charcoaled pits.

Allowing the body to crumple to the floor, he stared at the woman. Through this experience he learned more about himself, he wasn't a killer, he was the creator, he wanted to experiment with his power, to make things.

Despite that however, he would find the person responsible for his mother's death, he would make them pay, he would protect those he cared about, and the innocent. It would eat away at him otherwise, to do nothing while others were hurt and he had the power to stop it.

"May you find peace in whatever comes next."

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed behind him.

Harry turned wisps of blue energy swirling around him.

Sarah sprinted around the corner, Laura hot on her heels, her eyes red.

Laura drew back her arm to swipe at her mother.

Harry raised his hand, a light blue aura snapping around Laura's body, but not before the claws slashed across the barrier.

In that moment, the barrier failed, the claws slicing through Sarah's clothes like they weren't there. Blood danced on the air. A crimson wave exploded from Sarah blasting everyone backwards.

Harry slammed into a wall, his head bouncing off the steel.

Laura's eyes fluttered open. For a moment, she lay there staring up at the flickering florescent lights, her mind hazy. Then, it began to come back to her, Zander Rice shooting her mother with the trigger scent, her chasing her mother, the slash at her back, the blood on the air.

She sat up looking slowly around her, her eyes landed on a large ebony egg with glowing red runes around its top and base. Pushing herself to her feet, she made her way over to the egg; her eyes widening at what she saw when she was close enough.

In the center of the egg was a detailed carving of her mother's face. Angular runes pulsing with the same red light framed her face in a circle.

She reared her arm back, her instincts telling her to drive her claws through the egg and cut her mother out. She drove her fist forward, her claws stopping just an inch from the egg surface, slowly withdrawing back into her arm.

What if she was wrong? What if by cutting her mother out she hurt her? She shook her head, she didn't understand enough about magic. She glanced around her. In her hazy memories she could swear Harry was nearby.

Her gaze locked onto him lying against the far wall, the gauntlets and chest plate he wore cracked.

She moved over to him, but he didn't move. Not knowing what else to do, she reared back her hand and slapped him across the face.

With a groan, Harry's eyes fluttered open. The moment Laura came into focus, a blue outline surrounded his body, causing his head to pound. 'Okay, note to self, using powers after hitting my head hurts.'

Reaching out with his mind, he found the animalistic rage that was in Laura gone. His shoulders relaxed, the aura around him fading. "Laura, are you alright?"

Laura didn't answer just pointed to something across the room.

Following her gaze, Harry found a large egg with crimson runes ringing its top and bottom. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet, pain flaring in his head and back, causing his world to spin. "Yep, I definitely need to study healing."

Stopping before the egg, Harry stretched out his senses. "Well, your mother's definitely alive, the wound you inflicted on her back created a stronger circuit than I did when I used a hair to bind the medallion to her. From what I'm sensing, she's going through some kind of metamorphosis. The life energy the medallion gathered from the people you killed is being used to change her."

"How is that possible?" Laura asked in a soft voice.

"Some runes have a double meaning, the runes I used on the medallion also mean growth and change. By using a hair to bind the medallion to her, I didn't create a strong enough connection for the energy to change her," he shook his head, "I honestly thought we would have been out of here by now. When you cut her back, her blood mixing with the energy created a strong enough connection for the transformation process to begin."

"Can you get her out?"

"I probably could, but without knowing what condition her body is in, it could be deadly. My suggestion is that we wait until the metamorphosis finishes and deal with whatever comes out."

Laura nodded, glancing around her, trying to ignore the fear wrapping its way around her heart. She can't lose her mother, the only one that has ever truly been nice to her. "We can't stay here, we don't know if reinforcements are coming from the other facilities, or if there's anyone left here."

"Agreed," stretching out his will Harry wrapped his power around Summer Scott's tank. With a sharp pull, and the sound of tearing metal, he brought it to hover beside Sarah's cocoon.

Laura cocked her head to the side, "What's the dead body for?"

"To solve a mystery," stretching forth his left hand a circular portal burst into existence, its edge is glowing with dark blue flames. The portal was segmented by a line of fire going horizontally down its center. One half showed his adequate workspace, the other his living room.

For a moment, he marveled at how much his powers had grown since coming here. He shook his head, "Come on."

Laura tensed her claws emerging from her clenched hands, "Where are you taking us?"

"My home, I have things there that should be able to help your mother."

Laura nodded. Keeping her claws out, she followed him into the portal, the egg cocoon, and the tank holding the dead body floating in before them.

XX –

Laura stepped out of the portal onto a crimson rug. Golden designs decorated it, but the full picture was hidden by an iron coffee table. Her gaze swept over the dark leather furniture and the teardrop chandelier dangling from the ceiling, its light reflected in the glass top of the coffee table.

Harry emerged from the portal, the circular ring of fire sizzling shut behind him.

"Where's Sarah?"

"She's in my lab, I'm going to take a shower and then I'll start researching on what's happening to her and how to help."

His eyes flashed, information filled Laura's brain. She now knew where a guest room in his house was as well as the bathroom and kitchen.

Turning, Harry made his way out of the room.

Minutes later, Laura heard his footsteps echoing off the stairs, she now knew led to the upper floors. Moving over to the couch, she sat down and crossed one leg over the other.

She would give him an hour or two then she was going to find his lab and find out what was happening with her mother.

XX –

Fifteen minutes later, Harry strode into his lab in the attic, his hair wet, turning it an even darker shade of red. A T-shirt and grey sweatpants covered his frame.

He stopped just beyond the threshold, his eyes scanning the room. The tank holding summer Scott and the egg holding Sarah Kinney sat in the center of the room between the two work tables, but something changed.

The room had grown larger by at least two hundred feet in height and width. New bookshelves had been added. The shelves now curved the right-hand wall. The window in the center of the far wall being used as a divider between the books and the ingredients shelves on the other side of the room.

Moving forward slowly, he spotted a piece of paper on the closest table. With a tiny bit of will, it floated in the air before him.

Dear Harry,

If you are reading this it means you pass the test I set in place. The house of secrets of earth three is not only a magical residence. It is a repository of all the knowledge of its previous users. Some speculate it even transcends reality, but I could never prove it.

Either way, I'm getting off track. You must have done something kind and heroic. Know for this I am proud of you.

Use this new knowledge well my son and help wash away the sins of my past.

Love your mother, Annataz Arataz/Lily Grey.

Folding the letter, Harry wiped his eye, a soft smile on his face. Even in death, his mother was testing him making him stronger. Tucking the letter into the pocket of his sweatpants he meandered over to the books lining the walls, pausing as he saw the silver aura radiating off every tome.

His mother had told him about this during his training as a youngster. Some books took a portion of will from those who read them so it could easily pass on the knowledge to the next reader.

That would definitely make things easier. He would no longer have to use his telepathy to ingrain the knowledge into his mind as he learned it. Books that used mind magic taught the reader faster, which is exactly what he needed right now.

He perused the shelves, grabbing any book that would help him fix the weaknesses he'd been shown in his previous battles, surprised by the authors of some of the text.

Mysteries and majesties of Medicine by Asclepius, Manipulation of earth, fire, and ways of the forge by Hephaestus, Strengths of water, thunder, and the usefulness of sea life by Triton, and The deadly dangers of air by Boreas.

Harry moved away from the shelf, his four books floating behind him. He wondered if the books were actually written by the gods, or if they were written by people who had taken the names. In the end it didn't matter as long as the books had what he needed. He just hoped they weren't junk.

Stopping three feet away from the tank and egg in the center of the room, he sat cross-legged on the floor. The books floated around him in a semicircle. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed his shoulders and closed his eyes.

He felt the magic of the books flare, he sensed tendrils of power slithering from each book. He marveled at how much his telepathic abilities had grown since he left the house, then the tendrils connected with his head and his consciousness became lost in the sea of new knowledge flooding his mind.