Chapter 22—Duty

Pride filled soldiers' hearts as they rushed past devastation into the coming horde. Harpoons flew to throw men back, but others rushed on, making their machetes glow. They hacked into the crowd before the next barrage launched, reveling in the quick carnage, even though their targets didn't scream. Some still met unfortunate fates as Vengeful drove harpoons through their heads and bodies, but the others marched on, already deciding they'd avenge their fallen friends. Others, still, became angels that soared above the crowd and dove in. They boosted morale until the Vengeful sprung, landing in jagged dogpiles that left the winged bleeding in the street. The soldiers still fought, confident God was on their side, even as their force thinned to numbers they could easily count. It wasn't until one platoon found only twenty men standing that they realized how bad things were. These monsters outnumbered them, and they didn't have to be careful of their allies.

“Heads down!" A voice roared over their despair. Men ducked and the watching saw a blast bowl into the horde. Another filled the sky and broke, raining down. The few Vengeful that survived rose and loaded, only for a blade to dance through and around them.

As they dropped the soldiers' dark-skinned savior met the eyes of a light-skinned man that offered aid. The latter came over, his sword hovering behind his back. As if the two weren't still on a battlefield, they entered a conversation with casual ease.

“How many are we looking at?" The dark-skinned man was one of Christoph's attendants. The soldiers thought his name might be Luca.

“Several thousand, and our soldiers aren’t holding up. This was the type of battle that was always going to cause problems for us.” The other was Jacque, an attendant of Celine. “Their destructive power is intense, if they had the volume they’d be able to match someone like you. What they lack there though, they make up for in their numbers.” A building came down a few miles away. “Are all of Christoph’s attendants spread out?”

“Yeah… We're doing the best we can. Many of these guys are going to die though, and I don't even feel like we've met the real threat." Every drop of moral left the soldiers at that. Jacque looked over them as if he felt it.

“The rest of you can return to Sector Two. You can't offer much if you're terrified for your lives." He turned back to Luca. "I'm confused though. I had a report that we have a whole platoon of angels. Where are those guys?"

“I don’t know, but if they aren’t dead I’m killing them myself. I’m going to make sure Christoph hears about this too. That’ll teach that bastard to push his job on me...”

⁘⁛⁘

Ace scanned the taller man sneering back at him. He had expected the rage clearly painted across his face, but not the part that made his eyes stray to the people hiding in the corner. Their night had just been ruined, and Christoph Klein was trying his best not to make it worse. It had to be hard. In his position Ace wouldn't know what to do, but as the villain at this moment, he was right where he wanted to be. It meant Christoph had to make a decisive move. Lives were on the line, and Ace would do what was necessary to achieve his goals. He knew it was cold, but sacrificing the lives of people who already saw him as an enemy was an easy thing to do. Making sure he conveyed this in his glare, he thought back to his arrival here, and what his duty was.

“You guys should know that if anyone sees you, it’s going to get bad fast.” Micaela said as she parked the mobile lab in an underground garage. “I guess I should ask what you guys are going to do, and maybe if I should just stay here and keep the engine on.”

“No, I need you to come with me. I won’t be familiar with your equipment but I do need to go to your lab.” King replied.

“I want to talk to one of the people in charge. I need a better idea about this feud between the Enclave and your castle.” Fang said next.

Ace was along for the ride, but Micaela's words gave him an idea. As he was now, he couldn't see himself taking down the God Eternal. His power was still new, and he needed a target who'd draw his abilities out.

“Who’s the most dangerous person in this place?”

“I mean… depends… The Priest King and Priestess Queen if you’re talking higher-ups. I hear rumors that Princess Celine is pretty ruthless too. Though… all things considered, it’s probably Prince Christoph. It’s his duty to fight for Castle Cerulean after all.”

“How do I find him?”

“Make a scene. You’ll be the only thing on his mind the moment he sees your armor.”

“And what type of opponent should I expect?”

“You mean what type of person he is…? Good question. I haven’t had the chance to interact with the royal children.”

Ace thought he had an answer now. Christoph was quietly calculating, trying to figure this moment out. He could wait though. He wanted the man to find the right answer so he could get answers himself. He moved slightly, however, testing his awareness. A twitch was enough to get a reaction; a grand move would make Christoph strike. He wondered what the man was thinking about that kept him still. Would a sudden attack break it? Was it really that important?

Christoph found a part of his mind flying back thirteen years. Fifteen at the time, he stormed into his father's office with absolute disbelief…

“Dad! I don’t trust that scientist! He said my refraction favors Adorning and Bending! Bending! That doesn’t make sense!”

“And why not, Christoph?”

“It doesn’t match up with mom’s vision! How does my refraction favor Bending considering what I am? It should be Adorning and Forging! I should be able to make any weapon to fulfill my job!”

“I imagine you want to make something like an Ax, right?”

“Sure. Swords too. Like I said, whatever it takes to get the job done.”

“Are you envious of Eugene and Elias then?”

“What? No! Why would I be envious of them!”

“Adorning and Forging. Forging and Bending. Perhaps you feel they’re more fit for your duty?”

“No way! Elias is just a baby basically, and Eugene’s…going through stuff.”

“Then you feel that the Arbiter is wrong?”

“No! Dad why are you being like this! You know I have an important job!”

“Indeed you do. Which is why Bending is the best form of refraction for you. I understand why you may prefer Forging. With it, I can build a building from nothing, fully equipping it with everything I am capable of constructing. Turning the light into something physical is a great gift, but tell me, Christoph, how would you power these buildings?”

"Build a generator or something?"

“Yes, you could do that. But would you build a generator for every part of the castle. Then build the necessary infrastructure to get that power from point A to Point B. Are you prepared to address wear and tear, and constantly apply repairs?”

“I mean… that’s what I’d have to do, right?”

“Not when you could Bend the light into a steady source of power, or bend it into something liquid. Forging is useful when you want a solid object, but for your role there is no Refraction form better than Bending.”

“We’re done talking, aren’t we?”

“I think we are. You are smart, Christoph, you will figure out precisely what I mean.”

And Christoph couldn’t say he didn’t after thirteen years. This fight was not one that'd be any trouble for him, but he wouldn't put civilian lives in danger. He'd have to start small. He didn't know what this Enclave soldier was capable of, but he knew the lives of the innocent meant nothing to him. There was one other concern as well… Why hadn’t the battle started?

“What’s up, livestock? Regretting this fight already? Maybe you thought that sneak attack would be enough?”

Ace tilted his head. “No, I just had to slow you down. If it killed you I would have been disappointed. I was promised that you’d be dangerous and I need you to prove it.”

Christoph laughed! “With the way you all hide out there, I didn’t think the Enclave was so bold! You should have just said something from the start. If you want to see how dangerous I am then let me introduce you to God’s Cobalt Executioner!”

Light spun into a ball around him and pulled onto his body, garbing him in a dark jumpsuit down to his fingers, with a jacket billowing with frosty air. Wings unfurled like a flower bud from his back, rippling with a steady stream of power. Through the gem on Ace's forehead, he could feel how the man wielded the light. Dangerous was the right word. If he didn’t learn fast, there would be no reuniting with the others.

Christoph didn’t even let him have peace for that thought. He charged and arced his fist down—his sleeve whirling into a drill. Ace caught it against his Luminance and his eyes immediately went wide. His protective light broke into shards, tossed aside as the drill came for his head. A quick swing of his arm blade knocked it aside, but as he stepped in to punch the other, another drill swung for his face. He kicked back, feeling a chilling breeze follow the drill down. Ducking a moment later, he dodged the other hooking toward his jaw. The Prince wasn’t letting the height difference hold him back, spinning, slashing, and punching after the nimble Number as he flipped and bounced around the room. Ace trusted his speed to let him get away, but a big part of him said this was far too easy.

"Sorry folks," Christoph said. He leaped back and reached out like he was grabbing the edge of a curtain. Ace touched the room with his gem and gritted his teeth. Spinning, slashing, punching? He should have known those drills were mixing too. The Prince's hand moved and he felt the cold bite of a swelling ball of light. It exploded outward and he went flying, smashing through several high-rises as he crashed into the ground.

Ace's Luminance let him feel every broken bone—shattered ribs, a twisted leg, a pulverized shoulder, and a fractured spine. They mended painfully inside, restoring him just fast enough to leap away from a falling drill. Christoph wasn't attached, but that didn't stop the mix of the potent light. This time Ace guarded against the explosion, but it imploded instead, sweeping a freezing wave in through his body. He couldn't move, and Christoph was coming. Even the light inside him was out of his control. There was nothing that could save Ace’s life. Except maybe, the Dark? A drill punch flew for Ace’s chest, but a wing beat sent Christoph reeling back. He stared on—his eyes a sharp glare, and Ace wondered if he felt the presence of the Umbra too.

"What the hell are you?" The Prince asked as his range of movement came back.

“A Dark God.” He said more to himself than to his foe, thinking about the parts he left out before. The fragment of the God Eternal meant he had more power, but Umbra was the true weapon of a Dark Disciple. Fighting Christoph was a reminder. Sure, he almost died, but that moment of hesitation was all he needed.

He charged the Prince with a new thought in mind. A drill was leveled at him, and a counterclockwise spin sent a beam barreling down the street. With a stroke of Umbra Ace ascended over it, making dark wings as he dived his foe. His arm blade whipped up sparks against the drill as the two weapons clashed. Losing the battle of strength, he dropped to the ground, spinning low as Christoph tried to follow. The man took flight to get away, leveling another drill as Ace came after. Another beam fired, and he met it with his blade stabbing out. Umbra flowed through it and he watched Christoph leap away. He came cutting after, and their weapons rebounded off each other in a furious trade of blows. All the while Christoph mixed the light, putting Ace's wings to work. A big explosion rocketed him back and a beam chased him before he landed. Both were weaker than before, and he spun through the second as he came back in. His blade flashed up and the Prince roared as the spin took out an eye. Rage filled the air; Christoph turned and punched again. Ace guided it aside with the flat of his blade, severing the man's arm at the elbow. He could have stabbed his other arm blade in, but he let Christoph stumble forward instead. The man breathed deeply as he struggled to look behind himself. He only had his left eye, and while he might have wanted blood it was the left arm he lost. In that eye though, Ace could see defiance. He hoped the Prince could see his gratitude in return.

“You...didn’t...win…!” Christoph huffed.

Ace withdrew his blades. It seemed his foe wanted a reply, but he shrugged instead. Why would he deny the last lie of a dying man? Orange spikes erupted from the left side of Christoph’s body, preceding the loud drop of him hitting the ground. Above, people were watching from their windows. He couldn’t see them but he could feel their fear. Gods were beings of light that brought these people hope. He supposed that meant Dark Gods were beings that brought terror. Dark Gods… he felt like he had a better idea of what those were. If Dark Disciples were people reborn in the abyss, Dark Gods were probably those who ruled in it. He'd ask Fang what she thought about that when he saw her again. He had a feeling that no one knew the darkness better than her…