Saviour

21. I Am Taken

Chapter 21.

Alex's POV

When I woke a few hours later I felt completely replenished. Any pain that the poison had inflicted on my body seemed to have vanished.

I sat up, looking around for Kara but couldn't find her anywhere. I pressed my finger against the lamp at the side of my bed and watched as it buzzed into life, casting a cool blue glow on the room, highlighting shadows and making them look ten times bigger.

I was wearing a clean white shirt and I guessed that Keira had changed my clothes whilst I was asleep.

A tapping at the window brought me back to my senses. I looked over and saw the two gleaming yellow eyes of Nikkon. His breath steaming up the window. I padded over to him barefoot and pushed the glass open.

He was breathing quickly as if he had been running, his eyes were wide in fear and some of his feathers stuck up at odd angles.

'What's wrong?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, holding my hand out to try and calm him.

'I've seen something...' He sounded anxious.

'Seen what? What have you seen Nikkon?' He shook his head, unable to get the words out in the right order.

Instead, he closed his eyes and projected the image into my mind. My own crumpled, broken body at the bottom of that cliff face, the waves crashing close to me, threatening to drag my body into the deep.

'What is this?' I asked, blinking the image away.

'I think it's the future Alex...and I don't like it.'

************************************

That days training session was brutal. I worked as hard as I could, slashing, jabbing and slicing through dummies and real opponents.

The recent events of Novalon had inspired everyone to fight harder to become as strong as they could.

The Sergeant marched around, assessing everyone's skill, where they could improve and what they were doing well.

Me and Tydus clashed once again. My sword swung around, aimed at his left leg. I knew he was right handed so his left was his weaker side.

He countered my attack, pushing my sword away with a scraping noise. He jabbed again and again, getting closer to me each time.

I rolled to the side as he jabbed towards my stomach. I saw The Sergeant making his way towards us. His face was grave and emotionless.

He stood at ease, his hands behind his back as he watched us closely.

I gritted my teeth and raised my sword again, desperate to impress him. He raised his hand and everyone around us went quiet. The whole plateau surrounded us, witnessing our training session.

"Keep your guard up, West." The Sergeant told me, narrowing his eyes slightly.

I nodded and raised my sword to counter his attack once again. A dull ache could be felt at the back of my head but shrugged it off.

I saw Kara in the sea of faces watching us. She was nodding and smiling a little at me, impressed. My leg tensed beneath me and I lifted it up. That moment of distraction resulted in being hit across the chest with the flat of Tydus' sword.

I crumpled to the floor, nursing my spasming leg as it shook uncontrollably.

Kara broke through the crowd and knelt beside me, her hand on my shoulder. "Alex? Are you alright?"

I shook my head as the shuddering grew up through my leg and into my body. My eye's rolled back in my head as a piercing agony took hold on me. My body was burning as if I had a thousand flamethrower a honed in on me, blasting me to ashes. The veins in my arms became dark, growing darker every second as they headed towards my neck.

I shouted out loudly as my blood went cold, every vein in my body glowing black. My voice died down to nothing and I laid still.

Muttering broke out and I sensed myself being surrounded by hundreds of people all trying to help. Kara shook my shoulder roughly, "ALEX! Get up!" She pleaded.

My mouth opened to speak but the voice that came out was not my own. It sounded ancient and earthly, like a landslide. "Behold Novalonians. Your 'hero' has been changed. He is ours now. We give you one month, Novalon. And then we will watch you crumble beneath our feet. Come, Alex."

I stood up, opening my eyes. People gasped and scrambled away in shock at the shining blue colour they had become. I scanned the crowd and began walking, lashing out at Tydus as I passed him. My sword burst into harsh flames and sliced his thigh open. I laughed coldly as he fell to the floor, clamping his hands over the smouldering wound.

Several warriors rushed forwards to try and grab me but I threw them away with inhuman strength. I sheathed my sword and my hands erupted into flames. A sly grin crossed my face as I looked up at them, feeling the madness in my shining blue eyes.

"Alex! Snap out of it! You're stronger than they are!" Kara shouted, kneeling next to Tydus. She looked weak and desperate, causing another harsh chuckle to ring out from my mouth.

I blasted a chunk of earth into smithereens, the warriors jumped and rolled out of the way just in time before they were incinerated.

I was ready. All I had to do now was wait for my ride. I punched the floor and a line of fire rippled across the ground, speeding towards the town at a rapid rate. People screamed and tried to quench the flames but to no avail. A building in the town was torn down by my growing power, smoke billowed from the wreckage, clouding the sky.

A harsh cry of an eagle was heard and Nikkon landed beside me, hunched over as if something was gripping at his insides, forcing him to complete my bidding.

I climbed up onto his back, sitting up confidently. The Sergeant was bellowing orders to everybody, telling them not to let me get away at any cost. They ran forwards and tried to hold Nikkon to the ground. I extended my hand and a jet of flames pushed them away from my Griffin.

When the ground was clear I kicked Nikkon in the ribs, making him bound forwards, taking to the skies. I caught Kara's eye and for a moment my stomach lurched and I felt like my normal self again. I shook my head and blinked, regaining the unnatural blue colour and speeding away on Nikkon, rising into the clouds, followed by a volley of arrows.

We dodged them all and kept going. I felt Nikkon nagging at me, telling me to turn back, to be normal Alex again.

'Can't you feel it, Nikkon?' I asked him.

'Feel what? All I feel is pain and suffering.'

'Power. Can't you feel the power? It's coursing through my veins. I'm deadly. I'm a weapon.'

'Alex, stop! Snap back! Be yourself! Be normal again!' He begged, trying to help me. Pain shook his body and he shot forwards even faster than before as if he was magnetised towards something.

'I can't. I won't. This is who I am now. I am power.'