From now on, if you want disclaimers, read the first two chapters. Yes, I'm kind of lazy that way.
Also I will not be doing any more review replies, as I feel it detracts from the story. Thank you.
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The Reflection of a Shadow
Chapter 3: Gazing into the Abyss
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"I still don't understand why we have to do it this way."
"Felix, we don't have much of a choice."
Felix was a tall, muscular teen with long brown hair. "But Saturos, the President will . . ."
"Don't you think I know that already?" Saturos buried his face in his hands. "I don't have a choice, Felix. It's either that we die, or that the Snow Angels die, and I plan on living a full and happy life."
Felix sighed. One hand made its way to his neck, where it loosened his tie slightly. "If you're sure, I'll inform Picard."
Saturos glanced up, his red eyes troubled, and waved his hand. "As you will."
Felix left. It was only a few steps outside that he ran into Picard. He was a well-built man from a mysterious kingdom called Lemuria, which rested far away in the Eastern Sea. His hair was blue-green, tied into a ponytail at his neck, and his eyes were an eerie gold.
"What news?" He folded his arms.
"Picard, I can't keep doing this."
"Whatever do you mean, Felix?"
"You'll get us all killed and you know it." Felix leaned against the wall of their cabin. "Who knows how long it'll be before you—"
"Before I what, Felix? What makes you think I've been doing anything wrong?" Picard asked, smiling and closing one eye as he did so.
"I know you, Picard, and I can tell when you're hiding something from me."
"Is that so?" Picard sighed. "And here I was, just wondering what Saturos wanted us to do."
"We're . . ." Felix cursed himself, but whether his suspicions were of no importance right now. Picard was still one of them, and so he needed to know what was going on. "We're to stage an attack on the president, and hope that he blames it on the Snow Angels."
Picard raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
"Curse it all, Picard, I don't even know if I can trust you anymore," Felix said. "For all I know, you could be pulling a double-agent act on me, and I wouldn't have a clue!"
"You've trusted me this whole time, and yet now is when you choose to lose your faith? Why?"
"I don't know." At this, Felix paused and thought for a moment. "I really don't know, Picard."
"Well, then, why not just quit worrying? I assure you that I am worthy of your trust."
"I saw you the speaking with the president other day."
"I don't know what that has to do with anything."
Felix turned weary eyes on the Lemurian. "I don't know either, and that's why I'm worried."
"If it makes you feel better, I overheard what the Snow Angels were talking about over radio yesterday."
Felix sighed. "Do tell, then."
"Apparently, they've hired some warrior to do their dirty work for them. They're going to attempt to kill the president on their own, whether we stage an attack or not."
"Well, I'd best tell Saturos about that," Felix said. He rubbed a hand against his forehead. "He'll want to know the details, so you'd better come in as well."
"As you wish." Picard swept a bow and followed Felix back into the cabin.
***
"You're sure he knew nothing about me?"
"Yes, Alex. When have I lied to you?"
"Never." Alex Merka pulled off the small Mercury pin that he had worn to the ball. He cupped it in one hand and inspected it.
"It's such a silly thing, isn't it, Sheba? To have to go around proclaiming that you're an Adept. As if we're something different. Something . . . lower."
Sheba untied the ribbon that held her purple gem on her neck. "I know, Alex, but it's the way of things."
Alex repeated his earlier question. "Isaac Sol knew nothing about me? Nothing at all?"
"No, he didn't. I read his mind as well as I could, but there was no memory of you whatsoever."
Alex sighed. "Good. It's better that he doesn't remember me." He opened his hand and watched as a slight glow appeared around the pin, lifting it higher into the air. His eyes narrowed as he watched it, and he gritted his teeth.
"I hate the laws!" A crack appeared in the orb. "I hate the requirements!" A second crack. "I hate the academies! I hate the governments! I hate the wars! I hate the political games!"
Crack after crack appeared in the tiny blue orb, and Alex lowered his head. He clenched his fists, and in a very low voice said, "I hate it all."
The orb exploded in a shower of tiny glass shards and blue light.
"Alex? Are you all right?"
Alex glanced at Sheba and smiled. Her eyes, which had been a deep violet while using her Mind Read on Isaac, were now back to their normal green. "Yes, Sheba, I'm fine. Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."
Sheba nodded and retreated into the depths of the house.
Alex picked a particularly large piece of glass up off the floor. He cupped it in the palm of his hand, looking at it with a blank slate of a face.
In a single motion, he ground it to powder in his fist and released the remains. They fell softly to the floor.
***
Isaac awoke to find Garet standing up and looking out the window.
"You may want to put on your sweater, pal. Prox has never been known for being warm."
"How much longer?" Isaac stood and stretched, rubbing lazily at one eye. They had been on this train for a day and a half already, and he was anxious to step back onto solid ground. Frankly, he could care less about whether the ground was covered in snow or not—it was ground, it didn't move, and hopefully that meant that he would be able to keep his dinners down again.
A small chime came over the intercom. "We will be arriving in Prox in one half-hour. Please prepare to disembark. Repeat, we will be arriving . . ."
"Guess that's your answer," Garet said with a smirk. "With our luck, Jenna will be strolling in here any minute to check on us.
Isaac cringed and looked down at the boxers he had slept in. "Garet, get me some pants."
Garet grabbed Isaac's suitcase off the upper rack of his side of the cabin, then began going through it. He finally tossed a pair of jeans to Isaac, who pulled them on without hesitation. A dark red sweatshirt, emblazoned with the words "Angara Academy For Life," followed. Isaac was pulling it over his head when a half-knock-half-pound shook the door.
"Are you two decent?"
Jenna did not sound like she was in a very pleasant mood.
Garet shoved the door open as Isaac finished with his sweatshirt. "Yes, yes, Jenna, we're decent. What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing. I'm just sick of the train. I need some fresh air." She pushed past Garet and stood over Isaac. "Ready for your big mission, sniper boy?"
Isaac looked up at her. "Jenna, you're not mad at me, are you?"
"No! Not at all!"
"You sound mad at me . . ."
"Garet! Do I sound mad?" Jenna turned to give Garet her famous glare-of-death. He jumped an inch or two, drew his lips back in a wince, and gave her a quick shake of the head. Jenna turned back to Isaac, her smile as cold as ice. "There, you see? Garet doesn't think I sound angry at all!"
Behind Jenna's back, Garet made a gagging motion, putting one finger down his throat. Isaac tried to stifle his laughs, but a few snickers managed to slip out of his mouth. Jenna snorted and glared at him, then turned around and did the same to Garet, who froze in mid-motion.
The girl snorted. "Boys!" She stormed back to the cabin door and gave them one last glance. "I hope both of you act civil to our clients!" With that, she turned, her ponytail flying out with the quick movement, and slammed the door behind her.
"Who's she to talk about being civil?" Garet snorted, rolling his eyes and walking back toward Isaac. "I mean, it's your mission, after all. You could send us right back to Kalay for all we're worth."
Isaac looked at his hands, fiddling with the sleeves of his too-big sweatshirt. "I wouldn't do that. You know that, right?"
"Of course you wouldn't do it! The point is that you can and Jenna doesn't seem to get that." Garet picked his own dark blue sweatshirt off the floor and started pulling it on. "I mean, we know you wouldn't abandon us, Isaac, but she's acting as if this mission is hers, not yours. I mean, you brought us along, not the other way around." He pulled the sweatshirt over his head, mussing his spiked hair slightly in the process.
The intercom gave another chime, then a buzz. "We will be arriving at Prox shortly. Please prepare to leave the train."
Garet scowled. "We know already! Yeesh, it's not like you didn't tell us that ten minutes ago!"
Looks like Jenna's not the only one in a foul mood today, Isaac thought. It's probably the weather. He knew that cold weather tended to make Mars Adepts grumpy. They much preferred warm summer days, if Garet and Jenna were any example of normal Mars Adept behavior.
Isaac didn't mind. Weather didn't really matter to him. Besides, though it was foggy outside the window, it didn't appear to be snowing at the moment. It couldn't be too terribly cold outside.
"Hey, Isaac, give me a hand, would you?" Garet was picking up his clothes from his side of the cabin. They were strewn across the floor in a brilliantly colored mess of cloth, and Garet was trying to cram them all into his open suitcase. He didn't seem to be doing well.
Isaac got to his feet, bending over and snatching a few shirts off the floor. "Here, Garet, you just bring the clothes to me and I'll put them away." He stuffed the clothes he had grabbed into Garet's suitcase, then proceeded to shove the other garments down to make room for more. Garet tossed him the clothes and he stuffed them in; soon the floor was clean again. Garet sat down on top of the luggage at Isaac's direction, and Isaac was able to easily zip it up.
"You're good at this," Garet commented, pulling a thick coat on over his sweatshirt.
"You forget. I've lived on my own for years. I've grown accustomed to packing things on my own. The Headmaster used to take me to Osenia and Hesperia Academy with him. I had to learn how to stuff as many things in as small a space as possible." Isaac checked his watch. "But we'll be in Prox soon. You sure you have everything?"
Garet checked the sword at his side, then grabbed his Light Blade and tied it to his suitcase. "Now I do. Where are your guns?"
"Rifle's in the duffel bag. Handgun's in my holster." Isaac patted a spot on his hip which the hem of his sweatshirt concealed.
"Prepared as usual, I see." Garet shook his head. "Well, let's go. Jenna will be waiting for us at the exit." He pulled his suitcase up, pulling a small handle out of the top and dragging it behind him. Isaac grabbed his own duffel bag, slung it over one shoulder, and followed.
It was cold outside. Bitterly so. Isaac wished he had done the same as Garet, wearing a coat over the sweatshirt that now seemed far too thin. Jenna was standing near a column, shivering and rubbing her hands together as she waited for the two. Garet had already made his way over to her, and Isaac was following when a hooded figure stepped in his way.
"Are you Isaac Sol of Angara Academy?" the stranger asked in a rough, deep voice.
"I am." Isaac hated being shorter than most boys his age; it meant that he had to crane his neck further to look tall people in the eye. This person was taller than many others he had met, and Isaac had trouble making eye contact.
There was a gruff laugh from underneath the hood. "Good. We've been expecting you. Follow me." A large hand masked in a thick glove wrapped around his wrist. The stranger began to pull him away, toward the exit that led to the northern mountains. A red tower stood out against the mountains, a soft light emanating from its peak.
"Wait, my team—" Isaac tried to say. The stranger paid no heed, just continued pulling him away. Isaac twisted in the man's grip and called out. "Garet! Jenna! This way!"
At Isaac's yell, the man stopped. "So you did bring a team then," he muttered. "All right, I suppose it'll do. This way, boy." He jerked roughly on Isaac's arms, and the two continued walking.
"Isaac! Can't you even wait for us?" Jenna's breath was heavy as she caught up to the two. Garet was right behind her. "We're your team, after all."
Isaac turned to look at her as best he could while still being led by the hooded man. "Sorry, Jenna. This guy just grabbed me and started dragging me off."
"Get in." The man came to a stop beside a white car that was parked next to the sidewalk. "Leave your luggage here. I'll put it in the back for you."
Isaac gently set his duffel down on the cold cement before climbing into the passenger-side front seat. Garet and Jenna left their own luggage behind as well and climbed into the back of the car. The man shut the car doors behind them, and after a few minutes of loading their luggage into the trunk, joined them in the car. He climbed behind the driver's seat.
"Well, your client is waiting," he said. "We were expecting you a bit sooner than this, but it's all right. We'll just take a little out of your pay." He turned the key that had already been in the ignition. The car gave a satisfying rumble, and they left the station. Soon they were headed deeper into the mountains, along the winding roads of the northern tundra.
"Who are you?" Isaac asked at last, after about an hour of being in the car.
The man laughed again. "That's not important. I'm just a humble follower. You'll be meeting your real client shortly. As soon as we get to the Lighthouse."
Even as he said those words, the car came over one last rise that sent them back down into a valley. Against the far wall of mountains was the red tower, the light of Mars glowing from the beacon at the top. The red light turned the sky and landscape to shades of red and orange, painting a picture of fiery beauty against a backdrop of icy danger.
"It's beautiful," Jenna whispered.
The stranger chuckled at her remark. "You're a Mars Adept, aren't you, miss? I can tell you that some of the people around these parts—the Mercury Adepts, namely—feel very different about our beloved beacon. Have you ever seen one of the Elemental Lighthouses before?" Jenna shook her head. "They were lit ages ago by some brave, yet foolish warriors . . . but that's a tale for another time."
They continued down the snowy mountains until they finally reached Mars Lighthouse. All there was here to guide them were some worn tire tracks in the snow. When they at last pulled up to the Lighthouse gate, all of the passengers had been shaken up a bit by the ride.
Isaac was the first to get out of the car. He gazed up at the Lighthouse. Its very walls seemed to glow with some sort of inner fire, both beckoning and repelling him at the same time.
The stranger stood beside the entrance. "Come in. Your client is probably getting a bit impatient. She's just inside."
Isaac felt his eyebrows rise. "She?"
"Is something wrong with that, boy? Come on, hurry up. She won't wait forever for you."
Isaac followed the stranger, motioning to Jenna and Garet as they climbed out of the car. They followed as well, walking into the tower.
The stranger led them to a chamber deep inside the lighthouse. There was a stone carving on the floor, intricate symbols and runes carved into it. A few people stood in the room— a couple of children, a girl and a boy, chased each other around the room; a thin, magenta-haired woman was leaning against one wall. She was polishing what appeared to be an old-fashioned scythe. Isaac wondered if he was hallucinating, or if her ears were really pointed, and if those scales on her skin were real.
There were two people standing in the center of the stone circle: a short, blonde boy and a blue-haired girl who looked to be around Isaac's age. The two were deep in conversation, until the boy made a motion toward Isaac and the others. The girl looked up, revealing that her eyes were as blue as her hair. She smiled and took a few steps toward them.
"Maha, you brought them."
The stranger chuckled, a softer laugh than many of his previous ones, and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Yes, I did."
"You can take that hood off now, you know. No one here will mind, and I know you must be awfully hot."
The stranger, Maha, raised his hands, hesitated for a moment, then lowered the hood of his thick black coat. Isaac took a step back upon seeing the man's appearance—his face was covered in grey fur, and two pointed ears rose from the top of his head. The eyes that had been so hard for Isaac to see before were a deep, dark brown, set behind a long snout.
"What—" He looked around again. The magenta-haired girl had looked up from her scythe and was now looking at him with blazing red eyes. The children had also stopped chasing each other and were watching him from across the room. "What are you?" he managed to say.
"What are we?" The girl turned away from Maha. She took a step toward Isaac.
"Hold on, Mia." The blonde boy stepped in between them, brandishing an oddly-shaped staff in one hand. "We don't know anything about him."
"Oh, don't be silly, Ivan. I'm sure he means us no harm." She put a hand on the blonde boy's shoulder and pushed him away. Ivan scowled, but stepped back as told. Mia took another step toward Isaac.
"You are Isaac Sol?"
"Yes. Who are you?"
She put a hand to her chest. "My name is Mia Delluna. I'm the leader of a resistance faction, called the Snow Angels."
Isaac realized what his assignment must be, and stepped back. "The Snow Angels? Then . . . who you want me to assassinate must be . . ."
"You're correct. I've hired you to assassinate the President of Prox." She continued toward him, only a few short steps away now.
He stumbled back once more. "I . . . I can't . . ."
"You must. We're paying you to, after all. Who are you to refuse a client?"
His mind was reeling. His job was to assassinate a high-up government official! What was he supposed to do? There was no way he could turn down this girl, but at the same time, he didn't know how to handle the assignment he had just been given. Political assassination assignments were usually few and far-between, not to mention that the older students were usually the ones to complete them.
Did the Headmaster know what he was assigning me to when he sent me here? he wondered. Did he know that upon my shoulders rests the fate of the entire Proxan Nation? Did he know that I'd be expected to do this?
Before he knew what he was saying, he voiced his concerns aloud. "Did you tell the Headmaster who you were?"
Mia glanced at Ivan, who answered. "No. We were too worried that the presidency might be tapping the call."
"I can't do this."
Jenna's jaw dropped, and she slapped him on the arm. "You can't back out now, Isaac!" Her voice was a low, hissing whisper. "We came all the way out here! This is how you'll finally become known! You can't back out now!"
Some of her words pierced him, while the others just bounced off the shell around his emotions.
This is how you'll finally become known!
He had always wanted people to know him as more than just some student in Angara Academy. Always wanted to be more than just an empty face, the demon who didn't know how to speak. He was Isaac Sol. He earned a perfect score on his Psynergy skills test. He scored a 149 on his Sniper exam. He needed people to know him.
But is this what you really want to be known for? a small part of his mind asked. Do you really want your name to go down in history as the one who killed the president of the Proxan Nation? If you do it, for all you know, chaos could ensue as a result.
But I can't turn down a client.
What do you mean? Of course you can.
If this is what she hired me for, I can't turn her down. Even if it means I'll become known throughout Weyard as an assassin.
He put a hand to his forehead. He was getting a powerful headache. "I . . . I just . . ."
"He'll do it."
"Garet?" Isaac turned to look at his friend.
"I haven't been pals with a quitter all this time, Isaac." Garet grinned. "Besides, I know something deep down in you wants to do this, right?"
He was right. There was still that part of Isaac that liked the bloodshed, liked the toxic high that came off of a kill. But Isaac didn't want to think about that right now.
All the same, Garet was right. He had to go through with this mission, no matter how much it bothered him to do so.
"All right then, if you can just show me your contract, we're set," Isaac said.
Mia glanced at Ivan, who winced. "Contract?" the blue-haired girl asked.
"Didn't you receive a contract by fax?" Isaac asked. "It's Academy Policy. After having students hired, Angara Academy faxes the clients a copy of the contract." He fished through his pocket and produced his folded letter that Headmaster Kyle had given him. He held it out for Mia to inspect. "Don't you have anything that looks like this?"
Mia's eyes darted from Ivan to the letter and back. Garet folded his arms.
"I get the feeling these aren't our real clients, Isaac." He glanced around the room. "I think maybe they just wanted to use us."
He suddenly found himself being held at scythepoint. The magenta-haired woman had dashed to him in an instant, and had now pointed her scythe at his neck.
Jenna took a step forward as well, pulling her light blade out of its sheath on her side. She took a step forward, but the wolflike Maha grabbed her sword by the blade in one of his hands and pinned Jenna against him with the other arm. He forced her sword arm down. Jenna struggled against him, but to no avail.
Isaac took a step away from Mia. "So you're not the clients then. You just tapped the phone call and thought you'd try to intercept us at the train station. Is that it?"
Mia lowered her eyes.
"Well, if you're not the one who hired me, then I think I can guess who did." Isaac lowered his hand to his side and pulled his handgun out of its holster. "And maybe he'll thank me for doing this." He checked to make sure the safety was off, then raised the gun and took aim.
"Please, if you'd just let me explain—"
"I don't have time for that."
"Shoot her and your friend dies," the magenta-haired woman said.
"Karst! There's no need for threats!" Mia said.
"I'm serious!" the woman said again, ignoring what Mia had said. "If you shoot at Mia, I'll cut your friend's head off!"
Isaac's hand trembled, and his finger twitched.
"Shoot, Angaran, and I'll kill him! I will!" Karst was yelling now.
Isaac slowly lowered his arm a few degrees and turned to look at Garet, who held perfectly still for fear of the scythe at his throat, and Jenna, who still struggled against Maha's tight grip. He lowered his arm a little more and hesitated.
That moment of hesitation was enough. Ivan stepped forward and held out his hands, which shimmered with purple light. Waves of white energy washed over Isaac, Garet, and Jenna.
"Sleep," Ivan said as he cast the spell.
Garet and Jenna fell victim to the Psynergy almost immediately. Isaac, however, struggled to fight against it. His hands were the first to go. He dropped his gun, which clattered onto the floor. He soon dropped to his knees, his vision swimming before him. He looked up at Mia, who watched him closely.
She was the last thing he saw before the darkness claimed him.
==End Chapter 3==
