Chapter 9: Farewell

This was it. The moment I had wanted since I got on the train. But though I wanted to charge, I had to stay back and wait. Augustus was old, but he had been trained well. His reputation included high regards from the Clock Tower, which meant he wasn't an average mage. He had a fascination for human violence. Something similar we shared was our desire to fight with our hands instead of casting spells. He only used the gun if he intended to kill, otherwise it was there for intimidation.

He stood with his grey hair flowing and glasses straight. He wore a long buttoned coat which concealed his weapon. The smile on his face was one of annoyance rather than pleasure.

"This was never my home." I said and began to walk around the perimeter. I was thinking that he may have set up a barrier or some traps. He had time to prepare, and my chances would be ruined if I wasn't cautious now.

"Come now Hazel." He had a low voice like Kirei, which is probably why I couldn't trust the two. I continued walking around the perimeter. "This display is ridiculous, dear." He wasn't my father, he didn't have the right to scold me.

"Seriously, am I your wife or something?" He stayed in the center and watched me walk. I was about half way now. "You can ask your colleagues about what I did." I chuckled. "Oh wait, I killed them." I smiled content with that joke.

"Like your sister?" My smile went away. The rage began to fuel my system. I figured he say something like that, but not this soon. Oh well. Screw waiting, I gave myself enough time to be cautious.

"That was you!" I lunged toward him and he caught my fist in his hand. His purple eyes glaring at me through the lenses. I kept trying to punch, but he held my fist steady. "You…convinced her to hate me. To kill me."

"I know." He threw me and I rolled on the ground. This is why it was hard to face him. He was skilled and calm where as I used my rage and adapted to the environment. "But I did not cause her to bleed. Don't blame others for your misfortune." I made two beams with my amplifiers and got close. He pulled out the gun and began to fire. I defected three bullets with the blades and then went to cut his neck. But, he vanished and elbowed me in the back. I hit the floor with enough force that I dented the tile. My lungs still worked, I could breathe.

"You're going to need more than a few bullets." I got up from the ground, he managed to bruise my side. But I blocked it out. I still had energy left. I had to remember, this was the man to tore my family apart, If I was going to die here, he was going to get every last punch.

"You should forfeit now." He said. It pissed me off. I could beat him I just had to find openings. Throw him off guard and strike.

"No!" I shot multiple volleys and he deflected them. But I got one to hit him in the side and I attacked. I punched him in the face three times. He wasn't going to get the best of me. Not after how he manipulated Rikki. "For years I thought she died in the fire. But you kept her alive. Made her a sheep to your cause." I put up my shield but he broke through it. His arm went around my neck as he began to choke me. I made a switchblade and went to stab his side that I hit but he caught my wrist. He was pinching a nerve right next to one of my circuits, one wrong move could cause a misfire, and then I would be dead.

"She had a valuable trait that you don't possess." Augustus smirked. "Loyalty." I broke free from his choke hold by flipping him over. He then came at me with his own volleys and we proceeded to rally for a good minute. He had tried to aim for my circuits but I blocked him best I could until I finally got a good hook across his face. I thought about what he said and it wasn't true of my sister. Her kind heart. What he had made was a shell, a puppet to hurt me.

"I make my own rules." I paused and charged my blade on my left arm. He still was on the ground, plotting his next move. "But that was not my sister I fought. Rikki would've never attacked me like that."

"Oh, you still have a dreamer's mind, Hazel." He remained where he was. I stayed back, I wanted to see his next move. "Richelle wanted nothing more than to bring justice to the Mages Association." He set off a spell and I realized he had trapped me in a circle. I should have been more careful before. Now I was on the other end of being controlled. It was uncomfortable for me but he continued to rant. "If you had come here willingly, we would have taken you back."

"Bullshit." I said. Though he could move my body, he couldn't control my language. "You would have killed me anyway, to erase your mistake. All you care about is having success." With his trap, he twisted my wrist around and threw me. I went to go after him but he pinned me to the wall where there was another trap.

"You were always the smarter of the two. Shame I'll have to put my research to rest." I felt my left arm extend and began to feel uncomfortable. He then pulled out the dagger for under his coat, the one my father possessed, and stabbed my lower left arm. "There is no room for error." He ran the dagger down my arm and stopped at my wrist.

I could feel the blood rushing down my left arm. I screamed, the pain was like before, when the amplifiers were put in. I couldn't move, but he took his time inspecting. He put the dagger back around his belt as he dug into my arm. I had to focus on healing, but his fingers circling around inside was distracting. He was looking for the amplifier. But soon his face became blank. I had never seen him look frightened.

"Where is it?" I didn't know what he meant, but he was off guard. I put my feet up and kicked him in the chest and he was flung across the room. I took a moment to look at my arm. He was right. My amplifier wasn't there. I wondered how long this had been for. But maybe that meant I wasn't limited anymore. I could use more attacks.

He got up and I began to shot volleys with my legs since my arm was immobile. It still bleed but I at least had the main arteries sealed. Augustus took the gun out and I put up my shield, and sent a surge through the entire room. He hit the wall and blood came out of his mouth. I walked towards him as he ran out of bullets and I deflected them. Once I was close enough, I kicked his face. Then I placed my right hand on the ground, blood still dripping on my left side. I had to try controlling him.

"You were wrong." I sent another surge through the floor he tried to run towards me but was stopped. This was new for me. I didn't need the electrical current. I was running on my own mana. But I couldn't rejoice in victory yet though it was close. I at least had his legs, so he was stuck. "I have loyalty to my family. If I didn't, then I would have disappeared." I was controlling his body now; he went to grab the dagger and slice his own throat and I moved his hand to stab his left wrist. I wouldn't give him the luxury of a quick death. I then got him to throw the gun aside, leaving the dagger in his arm. I didn't want him to reload. Augustus then stabbed both of his thighs. Three holes, I thought, like the ones I was left me to live with. When he fell, his smile grew big and he began to laugh.

"I'm proud of you child." He looked at me, clenching both of his thighs stop the bleeding. He was kneeling now, but I wasn't going to give him mercy. "You're more powerful than I imagined you'd become."

"Shut up." I made two blades and crossed them like a scissors so that the ends were on both sides on his chest. I looked at him "You were never my father. The only thing you gave me, was the pleasure of killing you before you passed in your sleep."

"This is enough for me." He smiled again and brushed his hand a crossed my check. "To see my greatest creation, one last time." His words garbled and I crossed my blades. His body was now cut in half and lifeless. His glasses had cracked when they hit the floor and I saw a slight smile on his face. I may have stayed alive, but inside he won. He had been responsible for me, by manipulating my sibling. But it felt good, though that is not what parents teach their children. It felt good to imprint my pain onto someone else, and have my inner thoughts exposed on a blood stained canvas. The release in the moment made the last five years seem meaningful.

But I had to think, now that I came out alive, how would I fake this? Now that I had a moment to rest I realized how weak I was. I couldn't just walk out of here, the hunt for my head would just increase threefold. The only thing I had now was time. Since I jammed to security and frequencies on the way in, there were no signals sent about distress. I at least had an hour to get out, so I searched for a body.

There was one of a woman about my build three layers from the sparing ring. That would stop Mages Association from following me. I took off my gloves and striped shirt and dressed her in them, then put the crop jacket over last. The blood from her wound began to soak through, so I cut a hole in the shirt. I dragged her lifeless body into the sparing ring and placed her at the center, then cut my hair and fused it with hers along, leaving me with a short bob cut. I was weak but needed to fuse some of my blood with hers, that way if it was tested they would still be fooled.

Last, I set the dagger in the center of the two bodies. I wanted to take it, feel like I had a part of my family back. However, doing so would be the one thing to give away that I was alive, so I left it behind. I was weak and stumbled a few times. My circuits, though undamaged, were numb. The wound on my arm was deep. Though the bleeding stopped, the pain was there. I clung to it with my right hand as I walked away.

I planned to burn the place down, so I had to open all of the doors first. But I could see my actions now that I wasn't focused on Augustus or faking my death. With no adrenaline or people to fight, the silence made everything present. The smell of blood and the heat from the compound made it thick in the air. I could see how they looked when they died. There was no honor, only fear.

As I walked through the carnage I saw all of their faces and bodies were drenched in blood. The first hallway were I had used the lights I miscalculated. There were double the amount of bodies. Some of them not that much older than me. They could've had families, they were someone's child. They were dead because of me.

There was one minute of gratification that I had done something to benefit my family. Myself. It was over and now, I was lost. All I had proven was that I could be what they warned people of. An uncontrolled beast. And now I had to figure out how to live again.

When I got to the front door I sent a shockwave through the electrical system to create an explosion. I heard it go and I closed the front door. I walked forward, just trying to get out, but I had forgotten someone. Soon I heard the chinking of armor and felt a blade on my left shoulder. I knew it and just sighed.

"You didn't think this crossed my mind?" I laughed. The blade was rested by my neck. "I had a feeling since the train." At this point from seeing what I had done, I didn't want this anymore. I wanted to be free. And I couldn't now that I had proven I was a monster. I was truly alone.

"Well, do it." I said. "I littered your garden with corpses. And I can say in the moment it felt good. The Mages Association will think I died. So why not give them the truth?" He said nothing, I didn't turn around to face him. "I'm worthless, right? I shouldn't even look at you now in the state I'm in." I sighed. "My death won't change anything. So, behead me. I've accomplished my mission, though I feel wrong about it."

I sighed again as I clenched my left arm with more force. I thought of that dagger that I left behind in the fire. It had begun to rise and escape through the door. I could sense it by smelling the smoke and seeing the reflection of the light in on the ground. That artifact was not worth anything. It would just be passed from the hands of one murderer to the next. I let go of my wound, he was still silent.

"I fell into their trap." I said. "And if I hadn't done so, I wouldn't know my limit. I'm done with fighting. If all I can do is kill people, then there is no point. Seeing the world, not taking from it. That's all I wanted." I prepared myself. He had the opportunity. I had to resist facing him, but I knew it was time.

I felt the blade move off my shoulder. I was confused. I thought that he would kill me.

"Go Hazel." He said. I was shocked.

"What…"

"Leave before I change my mind." His tone was short, but I hesitated only for a second, I wanted to turn around and look at his face. Maybe it was curiosity, to see his snake eyes one more time. See his armor. But the risk wasn't worth it, safety was my concern now as it always had been. I had been on the run before. It was familiar to me. So I stepped forward, that's what I had to do.