Editor's Note: This is the 11th and final installment of an 11-part short story written by Shawn Smith, a junior English major from Keene, N.H.

Reality's End

by Shawn Smith

Part 11

The low hum of the elevator hypnotized me as I was brought back to a state of calm. After that battle with the Aurelian, I needed a chance to recover. My powers were absorbed into my sore muscles and bones as fast as I could pump them out. I slowly sunk to the floor butt-first with a short grunt.

Kumiko was resting against the rail on the side. Her breathing was deep and forced. She was pretty banged up from the encounter and she needed real medical attention, much more than the fast energy transfers that I had given.

"David?" she asked, "Tell me what that thing was. I saw the look in your eyes. You know what it is, don't you?"

I nodded as I shifted my weight. It was hard for me to believe at first, but the things that Master Akagi had taught me about the Aurelians were true, so far. "It was an Aurelian." She gasped a little after I said that.

"How do you know?"

"That thing back there was what Master Akagi called a Widowmaker. It's a cyborg built by the Aurelians-the human ones-to hunt down and kill certain targets. But this time it was programmed to capture."

"What's a cyborg?"

I had forgotten that Kumiko had spent so many of her years in the monastery. She had no idea what the term cyborg related to. "It's a machine that's made to look human. A combination of flesh and technology. Understand?"

"A little." She didn't look convinced. "Wait, it wanted to only capture? It wanted us alive?"

"Not us, Kumiko. Me. I can only guess that the Aurelians want to bend my mind like they did to my master." I took a glimpse at the digital display for the floor numbers as I spoke. It read twenty-three. Just a little longer and we'll be safe, I assured myself.

"Then why didn't he kill me?" Kumiko asked.

"He probably didn't see you as a threat. Besides, he would've had to knock me unconscious or else I'd be able to use magick on him, or even use it to heal you. Then, once I was out of the way, he'd-"

She quivered at the thought. "No, I understand. Why didn't anyone at the monastery tell us about them-the Widowmakers, I mean?"

"I don't know. Master Akagi knew that at some point we'd have to fight them, but I guess the rest of the Brotherhood doesn't want its students to know until they're masters. But I really don't know."

"Your master taught you about the Aurelians, yes? You know, after what happened to Master Orin-Tsung, you shouldn't blame him for what he did. It wasn't his fault."

I nodded. I didn't feel the hatred for my master that I felt before. He couldn't fight the power of the Aurelians. I made one of the most important decisions in my life at that very moment. I had to find and free Master Akagi from their control. It was a matter of honor. He wouldn't leave me in that condition, nor would I leave him either.

"David?"

"Yes, I'm listening. He taught us what we needed to know in case their should ever be a major war against them. He knew that the time was close, but I guess he didn't anticipate the situation that we're currently in." I had to switch my train of thought to how we were going to get out of here. The hard part was to leave the building without anybody really noticing us. My strength was returning; I could feel my powers flow and surge quickly through my body.

"So, how are we going to get out of here without attracting too much attention?" she asked me.

"You just read my mind," I replied with a smile. "Just keep walking toward the door and don't say anything. The less contact we have with the Unaware, the better."

She nodded in agreement. Her hands were trembling a bit as she was gripping the rail. "I want this to be over, David. Just over and done with."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. They won't stop until they have me, and then once that happens, they'll be unstoppable."

She started to cry. I stood up and took her in my arms. "I just want it over," she sobbed.

I rubbed her back and looked at the display again. Ten. The tenth floor, now the ninth. The numbers kept dropping as the elevator got closer to our destination. Our descent slowed when we reached the second floor. I adjusted myself so I would be at Kumiko's left, our arms around each other's sides. The low hum was dying down as the display read one, then L for lobby.

The bell sounded again to inform the elevator's passengers that the destination had been reached. The doors swished open, and we stepped outside onto the brightly lit marble floor.

"Open fire!" a voice shouted as we rounded the corner of one of the doors.

A barrage of gunfire greeted us as we entered the lobby. Bullets whizzed by my face as more tried to bury themselves in my body. While my armored clothing protected me from the constant volleys, Kumiko had no such protection. Her loud shrieks of pain resonated throughout the lobby as her body was shredded by the hot lead. People in the lobby screamed in terror while some merely stood there transfixed as more gunfire ensued.

"SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE!" A scream from somewhere near the front of the lobby rang out.

The shower of blood soaked everything; the walls, floor, and even me was drenched with it. I grabbed her and pulled her close as my back faced the still heavy gunfire. With Kumiko still in my strong bear hug, I found a space beside the elevators to hole up in. The bullets bounced off my trench coat as I dove for cover. Pieces from the front of the elevators chipped off and flew in the air as bullets penetrated the marble surface. I clutched Kumiko to my body as the gunfire continued.

Then, it stopped. Magazine clips clattered to the floor, then slid back inside the guns. Slides pulled back and set back into place. It wouldn't be long until more rounds would be fired off.

Kumiko was limp in my arms as I brushed her hair from her eyes. Her clothes were torn and bloody from the impact of the bullets. Her face was pale and her eyes rolled back. I was panic stricken and couldn't think clearly.

"Kumiko, can you hear me? Please speak to me . . ." I brushed more hair back and stroked her head.

"David Sands! This is the FBI! You're under arrest! Surrender all your weapons and come out with your hands up!" the voice called. It sounded like it was still a good distance away, but I wasn't about to peek my head out to make sure. And what was the FBI doing here? Wasn't that an American agency for law enforcement?

"Kumiko, please!" I poured whatever energy I could manage into her. The bullets weren't modified by magick, so there wasn't any aggravated damage to Kumiko's body, like the cuts on my face, as I healed her. She'd lost a lot of blood, though, maybe too much for even my powers to do any good.

"Last chance, Sands! Give up now or we'll have to use force!"

I clenched my teeth. What, they didn't use enough force the first time? Didn't they cause enough damage? Did they want more death on their hands? My burning rage was devouring every portion of my thoughts. All I wanted to do was rip their heads off one by one. If they wanted a bloodbath, I'd give them one.

"All right, we have no other choice, Sands. OPEN FIRE!" the voice yelled.

The gunfire commenced once again. I covered Kumiko and myself with a bubble of kinetic energy to deflect the bullets and prevent any further harm to her. Between healing her and keeping the bubble intact, I was growing dizzy and nauseous as my powers were tearing in two. She finally began to show signs of life again, but her pulse was weak. The bullets ricocheted off the bubble and into the floor and walls as the agents fired their weapons. As before, they eventually ran out of ammunition and had to reload.

When I heard the magazine clips drop out again, I collapsed the bubble and focused my ability at their fresh supplies of bullets. Instead of firing live ammunition, they now would be using the harmless blanks that I changed their bullets' composition into. I floated above Kumiko's body, then backward onto my feet. The FBI agents were right in front of me.

All six of them had their guns aimed at me. I strolled toward them as if nothing they did could harm me. Little did they know how true that was. The synchronous clicks that came from the raised guns told me that they were ready to fire again.

"Don't move, Sands! Stop where you are!" The voice that had been shouting demands was a white man probably in his late fifties. He must have been the agent in charge because the other five looked too young to have a lot of experience in the field. "I said stop!" His voice became stressed; he was getting nervous.

The anger built up and swelled inside me. My powers grew stronger and more potent. I scanned their minds to find out what their intentions were, but what I found shocked me. I stopped and tilted my head in confusion.

"Shoot him," the lead agent told his men. They pulled their triggers, but all that fired were the blanks I created. After a few rounds, they ceased fire and looked at each other. The lead agent shook his gun in the air, then pointed it at me again. "Fire!"

While the agents continued to fire their now-harmless weapons, I probed their minds further. My scans didn't affect their motor skills, but still permitted me to find out why they were here. That same metallic presence that was inside Orin-Tsung's mind was in theirs. What was it? Some kind of device that controlled their movements? What? All I did know was unlike the weapon that the Widowmaker used, their weapons were standard firearms with regular bullets. The Aurelians must have wanted people - the Unaware - to think I was dead, then they would come and revive me. After that, who knows. Maybe turn me into what Master Akagi had become. For the agents, they were expendable in the long run. The cyborg would have been the one to achieve the ultimate goal: capture with extreme prejudice. The only flaw to their plans was their underestimation of my powers and means to use them.

I calmed myself down and took a quick breath. The agents reloaded their guns one more time, but I lifted their weapons out of their hands and held them in the air with my ability.

"What the hell?" one of the younger agents wondered as his gun floated away from him.

The guns bent and deformed as I heated them up from the inside-out. They fell on the floor as crumpled heaps of hot metal when I released my energy. The lumps were still smoldering when I began to advance on the agents again.

No longer full of anger, I circled the agents as they grouped together. Whatever their hand-to-hand skills were, they wouldn't be a match for mine. Two of the young agents attacked as I circled in front of them. A simple, quick sidestep to the right to avoid a punch lined up both men single-file. I struck the one nearest me with a front kick to the solar plexus, then grabbed his head and flipped him on his back. The other one threw a right jab, but I caught his fist with my left before it landed. A perplexed look was on the agent's face as I twisted his hand to the left, which flipped him in the air and on his side.

The three other agents rushed in at once behind me. I was able to sense their movements, but not before one of them hit me hard in the head. I elbowed him in the face and flung him over my shoulder. As soon as he hit the floor, I delivered a solid kick to his chest while the other two stood on either side of me. I outstretched my arms and a burst of my ability propelled both of them into the walls behind them. Now, the lead agent was the last one left. He tried to back off, but his body began to tremble. The trembles turned to convulsions as he stepped toward the glass doors in the lobby. His eyes bulged and sweat ran down his reddened face.

His mind was a tempest; he was torn between doing the right thing by leaving and his false loyalty to the Aurelian sect. I flew across the floor and held his head in both hands. His blue, bloodshot eyes met with the brown of mine as I penetrated his mind. I could see the device in his brain, but its structure was reinforced with countermagick to stop any attempts to disable it.

"What are you doing to me? Stop-I have to bring you in . . . have to-" he said.

"Just shut up and stand still." I silenced him with a suggestion and resumed the mind probe. The countermagick was strong and I almost lost my concentration, but I found a way past it and destroyed the central power source. I applied a solid barrier of my own countermagick to the device in case the Aurelians decided to use him for their purposes again. The only downside was that it had to remain in his brain, but now there was no way it could be reactivated.

He stumbled into a potted plant as I let go and just stood there for a while. I waved my hand at him while I pumped his mind with magick. He careened into a wall, and fell into a deep sleep on the floor. I disabled the devices in the other agents in the same manner and soon they, too, were all asleep.

BANG!

The noise startled me and I jumped a little. I pivoted on my right ball of the foot and faced where the loud noise came from.

BANG! BANG!

The last two bangs came from one of the elevator shafts. I located the source and cautiously ventured toward it as another series of bangs rang out.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Dammit . . ." I mumbled as the doors bowed outward with each of those loud bangs.

BANG!

The doors ripped clean of their tracks and flew over my head. Out of the empty door frame stepped the Widowmaker, its body almost destroyed but still functional somehow. It limped out to the floor and raised its mauled head at me. It was badly hunched over and with most of the flesh melted away. I couldn't believe that it was still coming after me.

I had time to reform the metallic talons as before and attack the damaged cyborg with multiple slashes, but it still had quick enough reflexes to dodge and counter with strong punches to my torso. The metal spikes flicked across my clothing, but I still felt the impact from the punches. It bashed my face with a knife-hand strike, and I bounced off a wall and back onto the floor on my stomach. I couldn't see or speak. My face was a wreck; bones jutted out of the surface of my skin while others were badly fractured as blood poured out the open wounds. The metallic modifications to my hands and arms faded away as my ability grew too weak to sustain them.

My neck jerked back as the Widowmaker snatched the collar of my coat. It tugged hard once, then gained sufficient momentum to drag me across the marble floor. More screams from the Unaware in the lobby and I heard several try to stop the cyborg as it dragged me along. The cracking of bones and subsequent hard thuds told me that their attempts were unsuccessful.

An image of Kumiko on the verge of death in a pool of her own blood entered my mind. Then, the innocent people that tried to stop the Widowmaker that were now dead. Enough was enough. No more killing. No more deaths.

The anger that I temporarily suppressed was reborn, stronger than before. Energy tore through my body at a frightening rate. The bones in my face restructured and sunk back into place. The gashes and scars on my body were engulfed by fresh, new skin. The flow of energy intensely hardened my bones while my muscles swelled and reformed to give me the strength needed to move my now heavier skeleton. I could feel my ability seep into my body in a way that I had never felt before. These were not temporary modifications like a change of appearance or the metallic talons. No, my body had been resurrected and would never be changed like this again. Not even by me.

I bent my knees and shot straight up onto my feet. The Widowmaker didn't notice until it was too late. I wrapped my arm around its, twisted my hips as I pivoted on the ball of my foot, and threw the machine over my shoulder. Its arm ripped away from its socket when I performed the throw, but the rest of it was buried into the floor. My mouth started to gape open when I saw how much more strength I had now. Before I had time to think about it further, the Widowmaker clutched my ankle with its lone arm and tried to crush it, but the bones wouldn't give. I clubbed the cyborg's head with its own arm until its skull caved in, but even after all the punishment I had been dealing out it was still twitching and trying to get up.

"This thing just won't stop," I said aloud. "Unless . . ."

It reached for my foot and I smashed its lone hand with my heel. Metal parts slid across the floor as I picked it up and tossed it into the wall. I leapt forward and cracked its skull in half with a jump spinning hook kick before it had a chance to land yet. As my feet touched the floor, I unleashed a flurry of strikes with both hands and elbows. When the cyborg finally hit the floor, I kicked it back into the air and grabbed it with one hand. It was pinned to the wall with no way out.

"Eat this!" I yelled at the top of my voice. The power of my ability ate its way through each individual part of the Widowmaker as it shook and writhed in my grip. My eyes were ablaze with lightning and fire while my energy dismantled the cyborg one piece at a time. When there was nothing left in my hand and only a pile of useless melted parts, I ran quickly to Kumiko's side.

Her breathing was much worse now. Her lips were blue and her face was totally white. She was shivering from shock, and I used my powers to warm her body back up to normal. I wasn't sure how to replenish the blood she lost and time was short. Kneeling down on one knee and scanning her life signs, I found that she was almost gone.

"No. You're not going to die. Kumiko, do you hear me?" I sounded helpless and desperate. I had no knowledge of the spirit world, so I couldn't help her back into this world as Naomi had done for me. If I only had a master with me, she would come back into the light. If only-

"David?" she muttered.

"Yes! Yes, I'm here! Come on, Kumiko, we have to get out of here!" I was elated. She would pull through. I knew it.

"No, not . . ." She coughed up blood and moaned.

"No, I thought I . . . I healed you, Kumiko. You're all right now. Stand up! Come on, I'll help you-"

She rubbed her hand along my face. Her smile was wavering as she grew closer to death. "I'm hurt too badly, David. You know that. Let me go, it's my time."

"I refuse to believe that!" Sirens were sounding just outside the apartment complex. There wouldn't be enough time to get away. I focused on the main doors and fused them shut while the glass hardened until it was unbreakable. That would buy us a few minutes, at least.

"You have to. There's no way that you can do everything all the time. You're strong, but not almighty. If you try to feed me more blood, it will kill me anyway. My body is too weak to sustain life. Let me go."

My lip trembled as I fought back the tears. "Never. I can't let you go, Kumiko. You're the only thing I care about now."

She laughed a little, then coughed blood. "That's not true. There's another that you hold in your heart. We shared each other's lives in a way that cannot be duplicated. When I die, a part of you will, too." Her eyes fluttered as she gasped for air. I supported her head with my arms as she put her hand to my face again. "Now, you have to leave. Go now. For me."

"I'm not leaving you here. You're coming with me. Just hold on, okay? Hold on."

She nodded and I glared at the wall behind her. My ability created a glow inside the wall as it rippled and transformed into a silvery liquid surface. I visualized the monastery as the portal finished its circular form.

"Are you ready, Kumiko? Kumiko?"

She wheezed and brought her arms around my neck. As she pulled me down to her face, she smiled. "I love you, David," she exhaled, then fell limp.

I couldn't fight the tears any more. They came in a downpour as I screamed her name and held her close. It was then that I felt it. An emptiness inside my very essence where she had been ever since we had linked minds. When she died, that part of me did die, just as she had said. I cried for a few more moments before I picked her up in my arms. There was movement from a mob of people as they ran to where the agents and the remains of the Widowmaker rested on the floor. They must have seen the reflection of the portal against the other wall because a few of them headed over to it.

"Stop!" I said loudly with a widespread hypnotic suggestion to emphasize my command. When I heard no other footsteps, I stepped through the portal with Kumiko tucked tightly to my chest.

A rush of cool, night air blew my clothes and hair as I stepped out from the portal and into the training area at the monastery. The effects on the Unawares' minds and the doors ended as soon as the liquid clung to me, then snapped back. Three Brothers that were apparently in the middle of exercises ran over when they saw me step out of the portal.

They reached for Kumiko and I pushed them back with telekinesis. No one would touch her without my permission. There was no emotion on my face as Kumiko's arms swung loosely with each step I took toward the door. The Brothers stood back when I passed by, probably for fear of what I might do to them.

The door blew off its hinges as I applied a powerful gust of wind directly at them. I marched on through and down the hallway that would eventually lead me to the purification springs. Gasps and drawn in breaths were all I heard as I made my way around the monastery. I didn't care that the Brothers were watching me. I wanted them to see for themselves the sacrifice of an innocent girl by the one master that I thought I could trust.

While I made my way to the springs, I sought Kenji through telepathy. Once my scans found his mind, I sent a simple message to him. Kenji-san, meet me at the purification springs. I need you. Once I knew he understood, I quickened my pace. There was another matter that needed to be taken care of.

I arrived there at the same time Kenji did. He saw Kumiko's blood-streaked body and suddenly stopped. I beckoned him over, and he bowed and came right away.

"Kenji-san, watch her for me. Put her near the spring and make sure that no one touches her or interferes with me. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, of course I can," he answered as I carefully set Kumiko's body down near the spring. "What happened, David-san? You look like you've been in a war." He pointed to my face and gestured for me to look at my reflection in the water.

I put my hands on the rim of the spring and leaned over. The scars from the Widowmaker's spikes weren't there, but blood covered my entire face and the front of my clothes.

"David-San? What happened? Who did this?"

I drew the katana and inspected it. The blade was badly cracked from the fight with the cyborg. "A Widowmaker was waiting for me at my parents' apartment."

"What?" He sounded scared.

"Remember the cyborg hunters that Master Akagi told us about? The ones that were supposedly indestructible and has killed everyone that fought it?" I focused energy into the blade and made it whole again, but now it was much sharper and stronger. After I put it away, I stood up straight and faced Kenji.

"I do," he said nervously. "But how did you get past it?"

I looked at him with a cold glare and took a step forward. "I killed it."

"David-San, are you all right? Do you need-"

"What I need is for you to watch her while I attend to some personal business. It's better that you don't know."

Kenji stomped his foot. "No! Tell me what's going on! I deserve that right!"

I raised an eyebrow at him, then took a deep breath. "You don't need to know, Kenji-san. For your own good. Believe me."

"I want-"

"Don't force me to influence your thinking because I'll do it."

His shoulders sunk and he looked down at the floor. "You're my friend, David-San, the only one I have left. But I feel like I'm in the dark with you." He looked me in the eye again when I put my hands on his shoulders.

"It's a dark time, Kenji-san. And this is something I have to do alone. When I do need help, you'll be the first to know. You have my word on that."

He smiled a little and bowed his head. "I will protect Kumiko for you while you do what you must."

I dropped my hands and bowed to him. With a quick pivot, I went back toward the archway to the outside hall. A Brother brandishing a pair of sais was standing there, waiting for me to come near him.

Kenji shuffled in behind me, but I motioned for him to stay back. This was not his fight, and I didn't want more unnecessary deaths on my conscience.

"David Sands, you have been ordered to leave this monastery by the High Council. Leave immediately and you won't be harmed," the Brother declared. She looked unsure of herself, which left me with numerous possibilities.

"Don't make me laugh. Move out of the way and you won't get hurt."

She flicked the sais in my face and pointed the tips at my throat. "Cross me again, and you'll be the one to get hurt. I have my orders."

I shook my head slowly. Quickly, I drew my head back, then thrust my hands up in between her two arms. As I pushed her arms to the sides, I focused a telekinetic push at the center of her body. She flew into the wall and fell to the ground completely stunned.

"Stay here, Kenji-san. I'll be back soon," I said as I stormed out. A strong mental scan swept across me and I paused. The High Master.

"David, leave now before you make things worse for yourself," her voice said.

I ignored her and pressed on. When I neared her chambers, four masters blocked my way. They stood with their arms crossed on their chests, apparently under the impression that such a gesture would intimidate me.

"Get out of my way," I grumbled.

One of them stepped forward and looked me in the eye. "We have orders to bar you from entering the High Master's chambers directly from the Council," he said with a sneer.

"I said get out of my way." I was growing impatient with their defiance. The anger started to build again. "What part of that didn't you understand?"

"You are not allowed-"

My powers interrupted his sentence as I focused on the muscles in his throat. The effect was constricting them, but slowly enough so he wouldn't suffocate immediately. The other three started to come to their fellow master's aid, but I paralyzed their legs with life magick and they tumbled to the ground.

"Now, are you going to step aside, or do I have to," I began as I increased my control over the throat muscles, "use other means?"

He shook his head vigorously and I released the stranglehold. The master gasped and coughed while I walked around him. I sensed him try to grab a hold of me, but I used my ability to make him slip and fall on his face.

I reached the chamber doors and kicked them open with my left foot. The oak doors splintered down the middle and broke free of their hinges instantly. High Master Jensen was standing near her bed as I was walking in.

"Now, David, I think that you need to calm down. Please, just-"

I pulled out the gun and pointed it at her head. The barrel caught the reflection of the candles in its steel frame. I moved in closer as she backed into a corner. "You're responsible for this. You sent her against her will to follow me. There was no need for this, High Master. Why did you do it?" My unrelenting voice bit into her hard and her eyes widened as I spoke.

"I had no choice, David. The High Council ordered me to. I'm sorry, I truly am."

I kept my aim steady. My hands squeezed the gun's grip tightly. "Because of you she's dead. A part of me is dead because you didn't have the courage to stand up against this so-called High Council. There's nothing high or even mighty about them. All they do is exist in a protective little sphere they call enlightenment. What a joke!"

"That's not true-"

"Truth? You want truth? Let me tell you about truth, High Master." I edged toward her and she squished herself against the wall. "The truth is that the Aurelians are about to wage war against us. They already have Master Akagi and they tried to take me as well. Those bastards want total control over not only the world, but also the realm of magick. With the Brotherhood destroyed, they could very well have that wish."

"David, please, just leave. We can take care of Kumiko-"

I felt my eyes glow hot with anger. "Don't you dare touch her. After I say my final good-bye to her in an honorable fashion, then I'll leave. I want no part in this sect any longer, especially in a monastery where masters don't even teach their students what the Aurelians have at their disposal to use against the Brotherhood. Especially this." I waved the gun around, but snapped my aim back on her quickly.

"What are you talking about?" She knew exactly what I meant, but played dumb anyway.

"Damn you, High Master. You were a student of my master's and you have the gall to stand there and tell me that you have no idea what I just said? If he were here, he'd strike you down quicker than you could blink. I don't have the time nor the energy to do it for him, so consider yourself lucky. Know that you have to live with your shame and disgrace. That will be punishment enough."

"Please put the weapon down, David. Let's discuss this. I know that you blame yourself for what happened, but you have such great power and promise in the Brotherhood. Don't waste it, please." She was starting to sweat. She knew that I could end her life with one swift pull of the trigger.

"I don't blame anyone but myself for not having enough knowledge in the study of the spirits to save her essence, but I rest blame for sending her out to find me solely on you. But you wanted me to go out there, didn't you? That's why you tested me on the study of life, and that's why you told me to transform into the tiger. You had to see if I had the power not only to become the form, but also to keep my intelligence. You wanted me to become an Ematelit so I could be the High Council's eternal exterminator and teacher for future killers. I wonder who the real enemy is, the Aurelians or the Council."

"David, you know that's not true."

"Isn't it? I can see through your facade, High Master. It may fool everyone else here, but not me. Maybe I should punish you after all." I clenched my jaw and pulled the trigger. Once. Twice. Three times. She screamed with each click. "Don't worry, High Master, we can't use this gun. Only the Aurelians can, or didn't you know that?" I threw the gun on her bed and walked away.

"David! Don't go! We need you here! If you leave you can't come back!" she called after me.

I didn't answer. There wasn't a need to. I knew very well what the consequences of my actions would be. High Master Jensen said herself that the Brotherhood couldn't teach me anything new in terms of physical combat, but there was still much to learn from magick. Now it was up to me to complete my training, and I would do it without any outside help.

Kenji was still there when I returned to the springs. We bowed to each other and he left me alone with Kumiko. He was a loyal friend, more than I deserved.

I sank into the healing waters with her in my arms. For the next fifteen minutes, I bathed her body and washed away all the blood, but not the hurt. No one followed as I carried her into the courtyard. Her bloodstained clothes were replaced by a long white dress as I created a funeral pyre with a long table in the middle from particles and objects around me. Her body floated in the air and came to rest on the table as I brushed back her hair and held her hand. "Kumiko," I began, "I will never rest until the Aurelians have fallen for what they've done to you and to me. In your name, I swear this." I extended my finger and a flame ignited inside the pyre. The flame instantly grew and spread into a ring of fire that encircled the table. "I commit your body to the elements, my love, so your essence may spread to all corners of creation. Good-bye, Kumiko. You will forever be in my memories. I love you, Kumiko." I began to cry, but I didn't care. She had been the closest thing I had ever known to true love. I had never felt so empty or hurt in all my life. I swallowed a few tears down my throat and stood there until the fires burned out.

It took several more hours for the fires to finally turn to embers. Once they were completely extinguished, I estimated it was around four in the morning and the sky had begun to lighten a little. The time had come to get underway with my new life outside the Brotherhood. I knew that chances were good that Master Akagi would find me, but I had to trust that I could avoid his detection until the time was right. Kenji stood by my side in the courtyard as I used my powers to remove the bloodstains from my clothes. The blood was enveloped in a soft glow, then faded out completely within seconds.

"Is Naomi-san still asleep?" I asked Kenji.

"Yes. She'll be out for a while, the masters said. You must have used a very strong effect on her."

"Indeed. I had no choice. It's better that she doesn't know that I'm here now anyway."

"I understand." He sighed heavily and asked, "David-San, why didn't you tell me where you were going? I could have come with you and helped-"

"And end up like Kumiko did? No. I knew there was a risk, and I had to take it on my own. Besides, I needed someone here at the monastery that I could trust should something happen to me. You're really the only one, besides me, that has enough knowledge about the Aurelians."

"But how will you get by? How will you live?"

"The best I can. I hid my sack in an alley back in Tokyo. Once I get that back, I'll find some way to reach America."

"America? Why there?"

I rubbed my face and looked at him. He had a very peculiar expression on his face. "FBI agents were at the apartment complex, Kenji-san. They're the ones who killed Kumiko, but not by their own will. They were controlled by Aurelian devices of some kind."

"Was the Tokyo police under their control, too?"

"They could be, but it was the agents that fired on us. I know that the answers that I'm searching for are in America somewhere. They have to be."

"It's a pretty big place, David-San How are you going to find what you're looking for?"

"I have a feeling they'll come to me," I grinned as I gazed at the horizon. The sun was just starting to rise, and I would need as much darkness as possible so no one would spot me entering the city again. "It's time for me to go. Good-bye, Kenji-san. If I ever need you-"

"I'll be there, my friend. Take care."

We bowed and embraced each other. I let go and nodded to him as my ability created a portal in midair. The silver ripples shone brightly in the dark courtyard and against my face as I stepped up to it.

"One more thing, Kenji-san. Don't trust the Council for one second. They knew about everything and set me up. Don't let them manipulate you like they did me."

"I will remember your words, my friend. If you ever need me, call me and I will be there for you."

I bowed, then passed through the liquid surface. It encircled me and then snapped back as I disappeared from the monastery forever.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10

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