The Shadow Man

Fifteen

We strap armor tightly to our bodies.
Some of us take guns, some don't.
Nolites are practically bulletproof.
I take a large Kukri, sheathing it across my lower back.
Our new Nolite ally looks at me, sizing me up, trying to figure me out.
"This, Strong One. He is your friend?"
He asks.
"No. He's a brother."
"He is a fellow soldier?"
I shake my head.
"I fought both beside him, and against him. I prefer him as an ally."
His expression turns from judgment to interest.
"He is the one who defeated Dāku, yes?"
That day flashes through my mind.
We all fought him hard, but it was Donnie who was the last one standing.
He was the one who dealt the killing blow when the rest of us were too weak to stand.
"Yes. He is. We all fought him that day."
"Than you can beat this one as well."
He says.
"What makes you so sure?"
I ask.
He looks at me.
"In the world I left behind, in the Darkness, Dāku dominated. He mastered the energies of the darkness.
That is why he adopted the name 'Dark One'. We are the ones who gave it to him. It was in the Eye that we learned about his power. It was there that he Rose. Had it not been for the Strong One of this world he would've dominated here as well. But as a team you all defeated him. I believe you can defeat this shadow just like you did before."
I turn to him.
"Last time we had Him with us.
We had the Shift."
He slams his knuckles together, igniting his shards of his staff, uniting them as one.
He twirls them briefly as he stands.
It flows and sparks with green energy on both ends.
"And this time you have me. I was a warrior before any of you existed. My entire life I trained to be a Knight, to fight the great dragons.
And I dwelled in their land and shared in their banishment. The odds are in your favor, Sinder of the Kree's."
I raise my finger to object to his new name for me, but before any words escape my mouth he moves on.
Rone and I walk towards our respective vehicles.
Xander, Finley, and Judger get in.
Kaleo joins Rone in the armored truck. "Everyone ready?"
I ask.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"I never thought I'd have to fight an army of Nolites. But here we are."
Says Xander.
"Yup. Here we are. Lets go."