Chapter 13: And Death Converges...

Within the ruined clothing store, Cliff stood mere steps away from the gored remains of his friend, pointing his gun at a highly wanted mass murderer. Eden remained frozen at the entrance to the store, too frightened to leave Cliff to his seemingly inevitable fate.

Cliff channeled tan psynergy into his shotgun and prepared to fire. "I'm not going to let you take her."

Van Kaen threw his head back, another string of mechanical laughter erupting from his throat. Then, in the next instant, his fist reached Cliff’s stomach.

The sudden shock hit him hard, and Cliff gasped for air. But there was no time for that - he had to move fast to keep up with the monster's incredible speed. Cliff raised his shotgun to the same level as Van Kaen's chest and clenched his teeth in pain. The muscles in his arm flexed as he pulled the trigger, sending a blast of psynergy erupting from the barrel of the gun straight into Van Kaen’s midsection. An explosion rocked the store, and the Dragon went spiraling backwards into the opposite wall.

Cliff kept the gun firm in his hands as he struggled to stay on his feet. He watched the Zodiac’s body fall into the debris, but knew this battle was far from over.

Cliff’s intuition proved true. Van Kaen was up in a flash - he was too fast. Even though Cliff knew the monster was coming back for more, he had no idea which angle he’d be coming from.

Out of nowhere, Van Kaen’s leg connected with Cliff’s neck, dropping him in an instant. The Knight's head smacked off the hard tile and bounced up once before he was completely on the ground.

Van Kaen watched Cliff writhe on the floor with a grin, then gave him a sharp kick in the ribs. He rolled over with a grunt. His forehead was bleeding, and his side was ripped to shreds. Van Kaen pulled his leg back up again, laughing all the way.

"Cliff!" Eden rushed back into the store.

"Stop, Eden!" Cliff screamed. "For the last time, just run away! The Guild should be here any minute now..." he croaked, sweaty palms tightening around the shotgun. "I’m going to...protect you."

"I’m not leaving you here," Eden said firmly, green eyes focused on her new pursuer. "I’m not going to let him take you."

Van Kaen seemed to be enjoying the drama, grinning as he glanced between the two of them. The predator's sharp metal teeth mirrored the light peeking through the ruined ceiling, and he opened his claws, preparing to rip Cliff to shreds.

Cliff raised his shotgun once again, channeling all the psynergy he could muster into one final blast. He aimed the weapon straight toward Van Kaen's forehead and pulled the trigger.

A sandy-brown shockwave erupted from the shotgun, ripping the metal barrel to pieces as it exploded outward. Van Kaen's body was once again thrown backwards, riding the front of the massive beam.

The blast drove Van Kaen straight into the ceiling, loosening more rubble as the Zodiac fell back to the ground. The Dragon slowly picked himself up with ease, with nothing but a small burn-mark across his forehead to show for it. He walked back over to Cliff, ready to continue the torture.

Cliff Walden let out a pained moan of exhaustion, and his ruined shotgun clattered to the ground. I tried, Elendria...I honestly tried. Blood from the wound on his head blurred his vision and he closed his eyes, preparing for the end. I just can’t seem to do anything right.

Van Kaen licked his lips, and without a pause, shoved one of his muscle-bound feet straight down into Cliff's stomach. Blood gurgled up from the man's throat.

Van Kaen raised his foot again, this time angling it up slightly and slamming it down onto Cliff's chest. The Knight struggled to breathe as the wind was knocked out of him. His eyes opened and bulged, and he wanted to throw up, but his body wouldn’t let him. The bile simply rose in his throat as Van Kaen continued to torture him.

I tried to redeem myself. Cliff focused on what were most likely his last thoughts as he lay beside his dead friend, covered in his own blood. But I deserve this.

For the third time, Van Kaen raised

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

the knife over his outstretched left wrist. Vance glanced at the clock - it was 12:57. Outside, the sun was starting to peek through the clouds, but none of that mattered anymore. He was done with this world. Venomous turmoil filled his heart. His eyes were focused on the knife.

Vance thought of his father one last time. He’d grown so cold. The more Vance had grieved for Victoria, the more distant Edward had gotten. Other people had called Vance a mama’s boy behind his back, but that didn’t bother him half as bad. Whenever Vance needed him, his father had never been there. And now, Vance was all alone.

He grunted, and tears welled up in his eyes. The frustration only fueled his rage. There was so much he still didn’t understand about the world, yet most of the time it felt like nothing really mattered. Humans were nothing but walking sacks of flesh masquerading as meaningful creatures. Life was full of pain, and nothing would make it better anymore.

Vance slid the knife across his wrist as the clock ticked to 12:58. Blood

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

covered Cliff’s body as Van Kaen continued to tear into him, while Eden watched it all from afar.

Can’t I save him? She thought. I want to be strong...but what can I do?

A sharp crack sounded out as Van Kaen smashed his foot down on Cliff's right shoulder, the tips of his gnarled toenails puncturing the skin. Eden saw the Dragon crane his neck over to her, enjoying her pain as much as Cliff's.

She cried

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

out in shock as blood gushed from his wrist. Vance didn't know how deep he’d cut, but the pain was nothing like he had ever felt before. Tears welled up in his eyes and he pushed the knife in harder. The more it hurt, the angrier he got, and that only made him want to hurt himself even more.

The clock ticked to 12:59:50 and Vance's arms began to shake

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

as Eden watched the death of Cliff Walden, Vice-Captain of the 4th division of Dimensional Knights. Tears rolled

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

down Vance's cheeks as he tried desperately to shove his right wrist on to the knife, now wanting to end his wretched existence as quickly as he could.

He was still conscious when the clock chimed. Its tiny cedar doors opened wide, revealing the crystalline cuckoo he had seen last night in the antique shop, a time that now seemed months away. Then, a blinding flash erupted from inside the clock, engulfing Vance and his room. His eyes

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

lit up, and she could feel a strange surge of power course through her veins. Eden let loose a scream that she had been holding in for a long, excruciating time, momentarily distracting Van Kaen from his attempt to crush the rest of Cliff’s bones. He spun his head around to look at the citrus glow that now emanated from the woman’s body. She shot toward him - and then, she grabbed his neck with a blazing right arm.

Then, Eden felt like a limitless pool of energy and strength dwelled within her. Marveling at how easy it felt, Eden threw her left arm back and created an immense ball of orange psynergy within her hand. She shoved it into Van Kaen's face, and the blast exploded in a dazzling array of citrus light. Instantly, a destructive white burst swallowed up the entire building, reducing it to ashes.

Midst the swirling destruction, Eden threw her head back

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

and screamed through the crippling pain. Then, Vance felt like he didn't exist anymore. He didn't feel, didn't see, didn't hear, and didn't know. He was everything, and yet he was nothing. All the emotions and thoughts in his mind were instantly reduced to nothing, and then reborn as a single question.

Is this how it feels to be dead?