Soldier

Chapter 51: Jace

I climbed the entire staircase into a large circular room where my father stood motionless in the center. In his left hand is a pistol. Across from him I can see Kairi and some other kid in another room. They are standing over somebody. Oh god-he didn't! I was too late!

I gazed around the room to try and relax myself. It can't be Alex... it can't!

The left side of the room is glass that looks out onto the world outside where soldiers are fighting machines that look like they are closing in on them. In front of the glass is a podium, with a book laid on-top of it. It has a dark black cover on it, a dark pen to the side of it. It's calling me...

I feel drawn to it for some reason.

I heard my father start talking to Kairi and the other kid,

"So you both couldn't leave him, could you...?"

Kairi held onto the person on the floor. She's crying over him. The other person stepped forward and pulled out a gun to point at my father, but dropped it as my father knocked the gun out of his hand and pulled a pistol from out his sleeve.

He pointed the gun at the person, who stood strait, shaking.

"Because of you Kairi, he's dead. Alex won't come back... he died because of love. And now... soon I shall parish as well... my world will be realized. My son will create a better world in my place... with that." My father pointed to the book on the podium with his spare hand.

With cold hands, I gripped a piece of pipe I saw laying against the wall. Its split at the top into a sharp point. This is perfect...

I crept a few steps further in the room, but stopped as my father continued his explanation.

"That book is the book of creation. 'Gods pen', the book of the creator... with it, you can change the world however you like... but nothing comes without a price. It takes your soul as a cost... and then you will never be rid of it for eternity. You could even bring the dead back... but for everything you write in it, something must be given up. Equivalent exchange... the way of the alchemist. It is how he will change the world. Just like I gave up my soul to become the angel of life, he will give up his own soul to change the world. Isn't that right Jace?"

My father glanced backwards at me. All the feeling of anger in me grew larger, until it burst.

I ran up to him as fast as I could and with the pipe in my hands, I ran the pointed side through his body. Blood splattered all over my face.

I tried to pull the pipe out, and with difficulty, I took it out and dropped on the floor. My father stood still. His robe inked red with his blood, a gashing hole in his back.

He dropped the pistol in his hand onto the floor, and grabbed a book from under his sleeve...

He stuck his other hand inside his body through the gaping hole from the pipe. While crying in agony, he pulled out another book, covered in blood and threw them both to Kairi.

"Read them... and you shall understand... one is your fathers, one is mine. There is another book hidden under that one. It's Selena's, my loves... and to you Jace, I leave you the world."

My father fell to his knees as more blood puddled around him. Is it wrong... that I feel no remorse? My hands are shaking, and I want to throw up. But I didn't.

I looked towards the book on the podium. Gods pen...

My father gurgled out blood from his mouth.

"Thank you, Jace. You set me free. I'm sorry about everything..." He fell face first into his own pool of blood.

Finally... you're dead.