The Khalanium Blades

Chapter 24: At Last

"No..." Ray murmured. But as he said it, he knew it truly was the opposite. "What did Conquest to do you, Rob? You've changed." He said it with confusion and compassion, but his former mentor thought otherwise.

"Changed? Yes, I've changed, and it's your fault! Oh, the pain, the suffering I had to go through to remain alive. Lok helped me recover, but only with the help of extra add-ons."

Ray knew he was referring to his armor. "This circle here," he continued, "is a reminder of what my protégé did to me and where. What you did. It almost reached my heart. I thought I'd never survive, but my anger and yearning for revenge kept me going, and today I will fulfill my promise." He stepped away from their up-close conversation and faced the other four, still processing what they overheard. "Today, you five will experience what it's like to be hurt, abandoned, and transformed into something full of pain and never-ending suffering."

Ray shut his eyes in despair. That was it, Rob had fully turned into a madman, driven by rage and distress. But it was worse than that. Now Rob wanted to make them suffer through serious injuries, but this time no one was forcefully controlling him. He sighed and let his vision show him what was to come. Rob's fist was the first thing he saw, flying towards his head. In a split second, he was able to put his hands in front of him, shaped to block the attack. He winced as the force made his heels dig down.

"Hey!" Sam shouted. "You want a fight? Here you got one." Rob growled and kicked Ray's stomach with no restraint. Ray clutched the painful area and sank down. "Ray!" Sam ran to aid his leader. As Ray tried to convince Sam he was fine, Jane, Carson, and Sarah were not.

"Go help them. I'm fine, really," Ray said. Sam nodded and left him. But it did hurt a lot, and it seemed like Rob had no afterthought, like he knew them as no one but long-term enemies. He watched from the sidelines as his supposed "dead friend" beat up his "living friends". And he couldn't help but notice that the four weren't using their powers at all. They were just either dodging or not dodging, but mostly the second. Basically, they were all too drawn to Rob that hurting him would hurt them too.

Suddenly, realization struck him. This is a Tri-al, he thought. And how could I have avoided the fact that Rob couldn't have just flown through an open window or something. This is all fake! Rob's just an illusion to challenge our mental strength. He now knew what to do. He stood up to warn and help the others as Jane lay beside her other unsuccessful friends. Ray had enough and blasted his illusional enemy's face. He anticipated the "hologram" or ghost image to fade away, but instead the red color just disappeared, like it was absorbed.

This caught Rob's attention, and, without warning, did the most unexpected and shocking thing he could have ever done in his lifetime. His chest muscles tensed, and from the white circle came out a super blast of heat and fire. It smashed into Ray, pushing him a few feet back before knocking him down flat. It stinged and shocked him, but he could see and feel that the burns and pain slowly left him too. However, Rob having the same powers he had was baffling.

"Yes, you gave me these powers when you ultimately burned me," Rob said.

Ray ignored him, still standing firm on knowing it was all fake. Rob was dead, and not even his wild imagination could make it seem real. He told himself he got over it, but it was time to test that statement.

He jumped up punched Rob's jaw with a burning hand. Rob held it with pain but grinned. He blasted another beam at the boy, but he dodged it with the the heel of his shoe singed. Ray whirled around and and smashed his foot into his opponent's face. But he grabbed his leg and with strain and effort, threw the young leader on the ground. Ray groaned as a horrible feeling swept through his skull. He touched his head where it hurt and felt liquid drip down his hand.

Next, he heard Rob scoff, and his friends regaining consciousness. "Team! Rob is not what you think he is. He's fake, just another Tri-al for us to go through. We have to beat him!" he said. Rob snapped and shot a second blast, this time ten times more powerful. That was the trigger, and Ray's body finally gave up. He slowly drifted into unconsciousness. But his mind was not done yet. Get up, Ray! They need you, so get up!

He forced his body despite the exhaustion and managed to open his eyes. He saw lights flashing, and fists flying, but heard Sam guiding the team over the din. In his mind he smiled, happy to have friends like the ones he already had. He knew exactly what to do. "Jane and Sam, grab his arms. Twins, hold steady his legs. Don't release until I say so," he ordered, blasting Rob.

Rob let out his frustration and lashed out with a series of effective attacks which eventually led to his confrontation with Ray once more. But as Rob prepared to beat up his strongest match, the four rushed in and grabbed their assigned appendages. Sam was doing it like it was just a rope needing a pull, but everyone else had it fairly difficult. He ended up also helping Jane, and Ray helped the twins. But when Rob was getting angrier, Ray wasted no time and faced the fake illusion.

He placed his hands before him, positioned to blast the circle on Rob's chest, and focused all the anger he had towards everything and everyone that changed the course of his life completely. Conquest and everyone in it, Lok, Terah, Baron, the Tri-als, and most importantly, the mind-control which led to Rob's death.

It powered him, and he could feel his eyes burning with energy. His veins turned red and yellow, not worrying him at all. The final challenge, the final Tri-al to get back the Khalanium Blades and potentially save worlds from imperialism. And get back home, to earth, to his family.

He channelled it into Rob, making him shout and fall on his knees. The four stood behind their leader, watching Rob die, for the second time. They could see the armor around the circle

crack, and it went on in scattered directions, until it was nothing but like blue broken glass. Rob now had a calm, friendly face, which they all knew and remembered. "Well done, my duty is now fulfilled. You are all what I hoped you would be, and I desire nothing more. Goodbye," he said as his last, final, parting words. And he even smiled as he withered away into thin air.

The moment of silence was abruptly interrupted by a woman who entered through a wall.. "Congratulations, team. You five are the only ones who have been able to complete the Tri-als. I have waited over one thousand years for this moment, therefore I am more than honored to present to you the Khalanium Blades."