9th of August 2006 – 1 p.m. The war had laid waste to the forest extending off the bank of Lake Baikal. Plantations and trees had been ruined with large pockets of barren land beginning to show. Hundreds of animals had succumbed to the crossfire from either side leaving the area riddled with not just dead soldiers but dead animal carcasses as well.

  The wizards of the Devil’s Hearth were proving just as dangerous as the Zeta Squad had reported, or perhaps even more. Charged with pure Demonic Ki extracted from the leak at Pyrenees, they were stronger, sturdier, and determined to decimate the Eye’s forces. Even with the defensive charms undone by the Mystics, their black magic was proving far more powerful than the Martial Artists were used to facing. These were no common wizards – they were empowered by Ambris Ferrer, the Basilisk himself.

  However, the Eye’s much larger forces were successfully keeping the attackers from entering the City of Ayn. The few wizards who were sneaking in were also being dealt with swiftly. But it was tiring them.

  Master Fiona Bennett, who was leading the charge from the front lines, retreated back and arrived at the area much south of the western gate. She saw Zaatsu Master Yaw Owusu fighting alone. In awe, she paused and observed the 39-year-old taking on ten wizards simultaneously. After he had taken out eight of them, she joined in and killed the last two.

  “We have soldiers falling fast, Fiona,” Yaw said, panting with hands on knees. “The attack is taking a toll…”

  Two medics came rushing towards them. The Zaatsu had wounds on his right arm and chest, while the Mystic had been struck on her back. There was a large burnt hole in her robe. She took it off and threw it away.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know the numbers, would you?” she asked the medical workers.

  “Numbers, master?” one of them asked.

  “Yes. Are there any soldiers at the wall or in the city we could spare?”

  “No, ma’am.” He shook his head. “Forces are running thin. Even academy seniors, and some of the medics even, are busy fishing out the wizards and witches who are sneaking in through the defences.”

  Fiona sat down shaking her head. Yaw handed her the water bottle and asked, “What’s the matter?”

  “They’ve taken over.” She took a sip. “They’ve taken over the Regal Palace.”

  “What?! That can’t be.” The Zaatsu stood arms akimbo shaking his head. “But Master Norma was there!”

  “The Basilisk was there, Master. Master Norma never stood a chance. Our best chance was Hugo…”

  “Was? What do you mean?”

  “He’s defeated both of them. I have evocations hovering over the Palace. There’s a hole where the Seear’s office used to be. And Ambris and his forces are now moving on towards the academy.”

  “But he can’t win, Fiona.” He moved a step closer. “Now that you and the other Parliamentarians have removed their Demonic defensive charms, the wizards have no chance of winning here. Sooner or later, they will go down. How far do you think Ambris can go before all our forces move towards him? You and I both know what he’s capable of. But he can’t take on all of us and win.”

  Fiona smiled. “Do you remember the last time he infiltrated?”

  “Yes…”

  “Then you should also remember that he doesn’t care about destroying Ayn. His attack was well coordinated. He came for the Seekers. And when he got what he was looking for, he quietly and quickly left.”

  “So? What’s he looking for now?”

  “Something that’s hidden at the Royal Academy…”

  Yaw’s eyes were left wide open. A whisper escaped his parted lips, “No…”

  After getting his arm and chest patched up, the Zaatsu quickly left to join the defenders.

  One of the medics asked, “I don’t mean to disrespect… but couldn’t one of you go ahead and slow him down just until more Martial Artists could come and join in?”

  Fiona smiled. “One? Even if both of us go, it still wouldn’t matter. We are exhausted, but he somehow seems fresh as ever.” She shook her head. “It would only weaken us.”

  After a moment’s pause, the Mystic picked up a water bottle from the box the duo was carrying. “Now hurry up and go,” she said. “The injured ones need you.”

  As soon as they left, she closed her eyes and began observing the forest through the eyes of her evocations. ‘Where is the bounty hunter?’ she could not find him. But then she noticed someone. He was rushing through the war-torn areas of the forest.

  ‘That’s Marcus. Where is he going? Oh no…’ She rushed one of the owls out. It flew fast and found another one well beyond the battle area. ‘They must’ve sensed Hugo.’

  She had a hand covering her mouth as she opened her eyes. ‘Oh, Camille. Oh, you poor honey…’

  Elsewhere, Ambris Ferrer had arrived at the gates of the Royal Academy of Martial Prowess just beyond the Palace limits. His bandits and wizards, his Serpents of God, rushed and joined him.

  “News, my Lord,” one of them said.

  Ambris paused. Without turning his head, he asked, “What is it?”

  “Derek, Aristide, and Lee are dead, my Lord.”

  The Basilisk half turned his head, then faced forward again. His aides saw the frown and the narrowed gaze.

  “Who?”

  The bandit gulped. “It was the bounty hunter, my Lord.”

  ‘What’s he become, I wonder…’ He put a hand on the wooden door of the academy. “Excellent. Let’s see if he joins us for this.”

  One of the senior bandits, one of Ambris’s oldest partners moved ahead and asked, “Are they here? Are the stones here?”

  “Yes.” Ambris nodded. “I can feel Celestial Ki radiating from the ground beneath this structure.” After a pause he added, “We’ll have to extract the stones from inside the sealed vault.”

  The bandit leaned closer. “The new thing sends his regards…”

  “Ah.” Ambris smirked. “Still playing his brilliant games, I presume.”

  The locks on the Academy doors proved useless. Led by the Basilisk, the Serpents of God entered unopposed.

  The Royal Academy of Martial Prowess formed a rigid square that turned inward on itself with its vast open training ground at the centre. The intruders walked through the northern entrance, passing the reception halls without pause. Stone corridors opened ahead of them, and then suddenly the space broke wide – sky above, stones below – the central grounds stretching farther than most battlefields they had crossed. Every wing of the Academy faced this place.

  Ambris stepped onto the edge of the training grounds, moving towards the southern halls where the presence of the remaining Stones pulled at his senses. But someone moved to block his path.

  Vincent stood waiting in the middle of the field.

  His white shirt and black trousers had been clawed, torn, and burned at the edges, but the conviction in his eyes was still intact and unyielding. The Serpents of God watched as streams of static current rolled off him, lifting his white hair into a slow, weightless sway.

  In a bitter twist of fate, the bounty hunter had become the Eye’s last line of defence against the Basilisk and his forces.

  Elsewhere, deep within the forest, Camille searched anxiously. Try as she may, the Sokidu could not find any Ki trace. She could not locate her brother.

  ‘Where are you, bro?’

  Until she leaped over fallen trunks and saw – a pair of legs visible in between the shade of trees. Her heart skipped a beat. She paused momentarily before running fast. As she turned around the tree, she saw Hugo lying still. She noticed the wounds, the cuts, and barely could sense any Ki in his broken Ki Clusters.

  Her eyes welled up as she yelled, “Hugo!”

  With his barely open eyes, the dying Zaatsu saw his sister rushing towards him. She picked his head up. Resting on her arm, he grunted in pain.

  “What’re you doing here?” he whispered.

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  Camille began trying to heal his wounds.

  “It won’t work,” he continued with a smile. “I don’t have any Ki left.”

  Her head dropped. “Just shut up!” she whispered.

  With a hand on her brother’s chest, she tried her level best to help him. But Hugo was right – there was no Ki circulating in his body anymore.

  Medicinal Ki Manipulation was not her forte, but even if it were, it no longer mattered. The Zaatsu was beyond saving. It was with pure grit and determination to cling on to life that he had survived this long.

  “No…” Camille wept quietly. The more she tried, the more Ki she sent into his body, the more his situation worsened. She squeezed tighter, pushing him closer. Her tears began falling onto him.

  Hugo whispered, “It’s alright, Cami.”

  “It’s not fair!” she exclaimed and finally gave up trying to heal him.

  After a few moments, he said, “Thank you…”

  Camille looked up at him. “What?”

  “You loved me…”

  “Bro…”

  With some trouble he added, “Loved me through thick and thin.”

  “You’re my brother.”

  “I didn’t deserve you, Cami… to have sister like you… friend like you.”

  “Shut up… just shut up.” She shook her head. “I will kill him!” Her lip curled, revulsion and hatred hardening her gaze. “I swear to God, I’ll kill him! Ambris will die for this!”

  Hugo slowly brought his hand up and grabbed Camille’s shirt. He whispered, “Do me a favour instead…”

  “What?”

  “Help Vincent.”

  “Vincent?”

  “He’ll kill Ambris.”

  He was not strong enough to hold on anymore, but before his hand could fall back down, Camille grabbed it. “What’re you talking about, bro?”

  “He’s ready… he will do it…” After a pause, he added, “Promise me you’ll help him after. Give him hope… in humanity… in us…”

  Softly, she asked, “How?”

  He did not respond. Instead, his fingers twitched in Camille’s hand. A black book appeared on his belly.

  “Take it… read… everything… for you…”

  He could no longer talk. He smiled and closed his eyes.

  “Hugo.”

  The Sokidu broke into shuddering sobs as she gently shook him while saying his name again and again. Every time, however, her voice kept getting weaker. She kissed him on the forehead and embraced him tighter.

  His head fell. Camille could feel the life sucking out of him. She whispered, “Please don’t…”

  Tears ran freely as she squeezed her eyes shut. “You were gonna watch me become a Zaatsu.”

  She heard a whisper – “Stay strong. I’ll always be with you, Cami.”

  Camille looked and saw the smile on her beloved brother’s face. But he had already breathed his last – Zaatsu Master Hugo Baylis was no more. And perhaps the final chapter in the book of Outsiders was finally over.

  Her strength gave out. She folded over him, burying her face against his body – clutching him tightly as violent sobs wracked her, her breath breaking into helpless hiccups.

  Hugo’s ragged shirt got soaked in her tears until she heard someone call out her name – “Cami…”

  She looked up.

  It was Marcus.

  He had a hand resting on a tree as he slowly came down to his knees. “Oh my God.”

  A defeated whisper escaped Camille’s lips – “He killed him, Marc…”

  He saw her face ridden with grief and wet from tears. He knew. Hugo had been their teacher, their mentor – more than that, a father figure who had shaped the kind of people they were trying to become.

  Marcus opened his mouth, then stopped.

  He had trained under Hugo for years. He had followed him on countless missions. But now, kneeling there, he could not find a single thing to say.

  So he said nothing.

  The morning was painting a grim picture. Forces of the Eye were fearing the worst. The Devil’s Hearth had successfully occupied them, while the Serpents of God progressed undeterred. Defeat loomed.

  But at the Royal Academy’s training ground, in the way of what seemed nigh inevitable, stood an enigma…

  “What do you hope to achieve here, boy?” Ambris asked, grinning, as he walked closer to Vincent. “You’re tired, your Ki is depleted, and you’re here – why?”

  “One way or another,” the White Bolt firmly responded, “I will stop you.”

  The Basilisk scoffed. “You and what army?”

  The Serpents of God laughed as he added, “Do you not remember what happened last time?”

  A few of the wizards and bandits began moving closer. “My Lord,” one of them said. “Let us handle this nuisance.”

  However, before they could engage, Ambris put a hand up halting them. “This one’s mine,” he said. “The Von Bergens have caused enough pain. I think it’s time they did something positive…”

  Pointing at Vincent, he said, “I will have my prize this time, demon kid.”

  The bounty hunter rushed at him. Ambris blocked comfortably. He attacked again but to no avail. All the bandits and wizards moved away allowing space for the duo to go at it.

  Grabbing an incoming punch, the brute smiled. “At least you’re stronger than you used to be…”

  Vincent was dismissively kicked away. He rolled on the ground for many paces before steadying himself.

  “Dammit!” he whispered, grinding his teeth. He was putting all his strength into the attacks, even using his superior speed to gather momentum to multiply it, but the Basilisk was unmoved, undamaged, and not bothered in the slightest.

  ‘I’m no Hugo Baylis,’ he thought. ‘But this is ridiculous.’

  He tried everything – from elemental conduction to Demonic Ki Manipulation, the White Bolt threw every curve ball he could but was unable to inflict any damage.

  Running out of options, Vincent rushed at Ambris with as much speed as he could manage and attacked refusing to back down. For every ten hits he attempted, the Basilisk only returned one. And while the bounty-hunter’s hits were not dealing any damage, the retaliatory strikes were throwing him away every time, even when he tried to defend.

  Tripping, tumbling, and falling down, the White Bolt kept going. He was enraged but seemed anxious, very unlike his usual calm presence in a battle situation.

  “Did I strike a nerve, mister bounty hunter?” Ambris taunted as he slowly walked closer. Vincent was lying on the ground. “You seem flustered.”

  Panting, Vincent stood up. His body was aching, his Ki tank was running empty, and he had no options left. The situation was looking grim.

  “Look at you,” Ambris stopped and chuckled. “At least Baylis provided a decent workout. You’re still so immature.”

  The White Bolt was beginning to see the futility of his stand. He was weakened from his bout against Derek and his partners. But even if he was at his maximum power, he would not be able to match Ambris’s raw, brute strength. And then there were the 39 Serpents.

  He could retreat. But as stubborn and arrogant as he was, that was not an option he was going to consider.

  Ambris charged at him. He tried defending against the incoming punch by putting his wrists together and forming a Ki barricade in front of them. The hit shattered the barricade and cracked a wrist bone before throwing him back. He flew back and then hit the ground, slid back for many paces and then fell face down on the ground.

  Ambris grinned. “Do you see now? Do you see true strength?”

  The Serpents laughed and shouted taunts at the bounty hunter while cheering for their leader.

  Vincent grunted as he slowly brought himself up to his feet. “I will kill you,” he softly whispered.

  The bandits and wizards laughed out loud. Ambris leaned ahead saying, “Great! At least you’ve grown a sense of humour!”

  The laughter subsided, but Ambris was still grinning. “I still remember the day I killed your father,” he said. “The idiot thought he could trap me in a spell. He was almost as stupid as you. But he at least gave up once I broke free from his spell.”

  Vincent closed his eyes as he stood leaned ahead. “Shut up,” he said.

  “Your mother on the other hand talked the talk as she walked the walk. And that made her all the more fun to kill!”

  The White Bolt found it tough to move. Ambris circled him slowly, like a predator testing weakened prey.

  “It was so satisfying to see her squeal like a pig!” The brute chuckled. “It was so satisfying. Killing her gave me the pleasure of a lifetime!”

  Vincent tried to charge what little Ki still remained in his system.

  “I loved torturing her,” Ambris continued. “She begged me to stop. Oh how she begged, but I didn’t. I kept going! I made her bleed. I made her scream in pain, in agony, and I loved it! The prey hardest to kill is the tastiest to savour. She was a satisfying catch. The bitch was a headache, and getting rid of her was just so satisfying.”

  The bounty hunter tightly shut his eyes. “Just shut up…”

  “Did you like what I did to her? Oh wait… you probably couldn’t even recognize the mess I left. You remember that pile of chopped flesh in a pool of blood inside that pit? That was your mother, demon kid.”

  Ambris laughed and so did the Serpents. “Chopped and sliced, she looked ready to be barbecued!”

  With both hands on his head, Vincent got bent even lower as he clutched his hair tightly.

  “And then I had fun chopping up your brother. He was smarter than you. You’re not even as strong now as he was back then. But still, he was not as strong as me.”

  A loud cheer erupted. “You are still so weak and pathetic and you’re standing here as if you could change anything. Who put you up to this? Was it Baylis?” After a momentary pause, he said, “I already took out two contingents of Zaatsus, Mystics, and Sokidus on my way here, and you think you can do something all alone? You’re so stupid!”

  Suddenly, Ambris rushed at Vincent who tried to avoid but could not. One after another, the brute landed strong blows on his body all while he kept teasing and taunting him. “You can’t defeat me. You can’t hurt me. You don’t have the skills to do it. It’s been so many years. You should have at least learned some tricks while I was away.”

  After throwing the bounty hunter away like a rag doll, the Basilisk stood tall, smirking. “I broke your father’s neck, grinded your mother, and filleted your brother. Now, what should I do with you?”

  Vincent grunted in pain clutching his midriff battered by Ambris. He shook his head and whispered, “There’s no choice… there’s never any fucking choice…”

  “What did you say?”

  It took a moment and a few attempts before the bounty hunter finally got up to his feet.

  He leaped back.

  The Serpents laughed.

  Ambris quietly asked, “What is he up to now?”

  Barely able to keep himself standing, Vincent whispered, “CORTUS-VENUM-POVUM-SINAMUM-RASALHAGUE…”

  A few bandits walked closer. “Let us finish him, my Lord,” one of them said. “He’s not worthy of dying by your hands.”

  Another one then chimed in. “Look at him… trying to cast a spell when he has no Ki left.”

  With scrunched eyes, Ambris kept staring. He felt a disturbing surge of energy gathering around the bounty hunter but it was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

  Vincent grunted as he straightened himself. He looked up at the sky then closed his eyes whispering, “I’m sorry mom…”

  “What is that energy merging into his aura?” Ambris asked. “Where is it coming from?”

  The White Bolt looked straight ahead once more. The Basilisk saw that there was no white left in his eyes…