Legacy of the Departed

Chapter 9 - Two for One

A new sound rose above the wind that whipped around the three ghosts on the rooftop. Morro looked up at the wispy clouds and spotted a ship coming through – the Bounty.

Voices drifted through the air, carried by the wild winds: "Cole!"

Beside Morro, Cole grinned. "My friends! They came!"

Yang gave an angry shout and lashed out with the Yin Blade. He swung blindly at both of them. Morro dodged the blade as it lashed about on its chain. Cole ducked and then popped back up and struck Yang with a solid punch that sent him flying across the roof.

Morro shot a surprised look at Cole. Where had that strength been earlier?

Cole was looking at his hands. "Whoa. I feel . . . different." His hands began to glow with a strange orange light that crept up his forearms. "Like – like I can punch through . . ."

Yang was back on his feet. He brought the Yin Blade down on Cole again.

Cole clenched his hand into a fist. "Anything!"

He punched the Yin Blade with his bare fist, and it shattered, as if it was no more than a plastic plaything. At the same time, the deep-vengestone cuffs broke from his wrists and hit the roof with a clatter. Yang stumbled and fell over the topmost part of the roof onto the second level below.

Morro ran to the edge, looking down on Yang as he propped himself up on his hands and knees. To Morro's ever-growing annoyance, Sensei Yang's students appeared as well. That was the problem with fighting other ghosts, it could easily end up going on forever.

"Lookout," Morro warned Cole. "They're coming back for more!"

Cole came beside him, but as they watched, Yang's students began to act strangely. A couple took off their hoods and looked around. They seemed confused, glancing between Yang and the two ghosts above them.

Cole shook his head. "No, it's Yang's spell, it's finally broken!" Cole leapt down in front of Yang's students. "Hurry, the Rift!" He pointed above. "If you go through, you can be free of this place forever!"

The ghosts exchanged uncertain glances before one of them took to the skies with Airjitzu. The others followed suit, and they rose up toward the Rift together. With a flash of light, they vanished. Morro jumped down after Cole. Over the edge of the temple, he could see Yang's students reappear on the ground below, but they weren't ghosts anymore, they were human once again.

"What have you done?" Yang bowed his head and for a moment he looked the part of a defeated man. "It's all gone. My students left me, the Yin Blade failed me . . . I failed."

"Yeah, you did," Cole said haughtily.

Morro glanced up at the sky. "The Rift will be gone soon. You need to go now, or you'll lose your chance."

Cole nodded and raised his hands to perform Airjitzu. But he froze when Yang's voice drifted toward them.

"I always fail," he lamented pitifully. "I'll always be alone."

Cole looked toward him, and Morro could see the hesitation mounting in his expression as a seed of pity wormed its way into his weak-willed heart.

"Forget him!" Morro hissed. "He'll say anything to save himself."

But Cole wasn't listening to Morro, he was listening to Yang.

"I dedicated my life to studying the martial arts. Alone. I got arrogant, I wanted to live forever. . ."

"Wait –" Morro reached after Cole, but Cole brushed him off. "You're playing right into his hands again!"

"Just hang on," Cole said.