Chapter 4: Power Arising

Desmond glared at Weber, then looked around the dozens of train passengers and smirked.

"You dare not fight me in such tight space, will you?"

Weber tightened his clenched fists, "This is impossible..." He thought as he looked at how any fight could cause everyone's death.

"I either finish this fast," Weber thought, his eyes going through the desparate faces of the people, "or no one will survive."

Then Weber's hands and legs started shaking. Josh stiffened right next to him and gasped.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know what to do—" an image flashed through Weber's mind, but he could barely see himself in the memory and everything was blurry.

Weber knitted his brows.

"Memory or not, I don't time for it!" Weber yelled, running towards Desmond at high speed and moving anyone in his way.

Desmond eyes widened.

"I did not expect that. Zir!"

Desmond's comrade released tendrils of electric mana towards Weber, and every duck and side stepping he made, four people died.

This went on for minutes till Desmond raised a hand.

Then Weber stopped running around and Zir stopped attacking. Desmond looked around and more than half of the population of the train had died.

"This wasn't an accident. You intentionally did this for one reason only."

Weber didn't reply straight away. His black hair turned white and his white irises became brighter "that's right," he began "too many people would have made it harder to deal with you. So I had you snuff them out."

Zir clenched his fist and raised them up, and shot balls of electric mana towards Weber.

Weber stood in place, glaring at him and the ball went directly through him.

Zir's face ashened.

Behind Weber, the walls of the train had been obliterated.

Zir looked around and couldn't find Weber, then he felt a cold sensation go through his chest and settled on his heart.

"What are you!—" Weber made his hand incorporeal and solidified it as he bursted Zir's heart inside his body.

Zir's eyes widened and his legs buckled and he clutched his chest, "what was that, someone! I..." he said faintly before his breath stopped.

With the remaining consciousness he had, his eyes met Weber's, which had no emotion as Zir was stared down on, then he breathed his last.

Weber then looked at his hand that was incorporeal, then it solidified.

People began screaming after seeing what Weber did.

"I think I remember now," he said while turning to Desmond "all I have to do is concentrate."

Desmond stiffened and took a step back.

"What are you talking about?" Desmond barked.

Weber stared at Desmond for a few moments, then looked at Josh's direction and looked at the blast from Zir that made an exit from the train.

"Don't even think about it!" Desmond yelled.

But Weber was already running away.

"Stop! Or everyone dies!"

Weber stopped running and whipped his head at Desmond's direction.

"You think you're smart, don't you?"

Weber smirked, "yes, I do."

Desmond raised his hand and sent large spheres of mana towards him, and Weber ran past them while making himself intangible.

"Mana doesn't work that way!" Desmond screamed as Weber was quickly approaching "in that case," he raised both hands up in the air and made a large blast and sent it towards Weber and this time, it connected, sending him far off in the rail way.

Josh, still at a far corner of the train, lying flat on the ground playing dead, twitched and shook with every impact he heard, then peaking up, he saw Desmond coming back with a smirk on his face.

"I don't know what those tricks were in the beginning, but the ghost probably couldn't maintain that intangible form of his."

People began crying and screaming, but couldn't run cause of the suppressive aura and force Desmond emanated.

"Stop!" Josh hollered.

Desmond's brows furrowed.

"Hm? I would hand gotten rid of you, but I've seen what I wanted. And done what I wanted."

Josh stepped back, "w-what did you do to Weber? Kill him?"

Desmond's eyes widened "oh, so that's his name?"

Josh's stomach dropped at his faux pas.

"I'll keep it in mind, and trust me when I say, it would have better if he—Weber—died."

Desmond ran away leaving behind the people. While running, he saw Weber staggering to his feet.

"On second thought," Desmond rushed to the floor and spread his palm to grab Weber "you'll still be coming with me."

As his hand was about to touch Weber, Weber became intangible and sank into the ground.

Desmond stiffened.

"I wanted to run as well," Weber's voice came to Desmond's ear, sending chill down his spine, "but on second thought, it's best you die."

Desmond swung his mana-infused fist, but Weber phased through his body and was now in his front.

Desmond repeatedly swung in different directions but Weber would phase through his body.

"Not strong enough," Weber whispered.

Desmond scowled and sent a blast Weber's way, and he sank the ground.

"Certainly you're their puppet," Weber said behind him at his ear, low but eloquent.

Desmond hollered and sent mana in all directions.

"You are part of The Rite, but you've lost your rights." Weber said at his side.

Desmond jumped back and rubbed sweat off his face "where's your power? This all you can do Weber?"

Weber tilted his head and scowled "how'd you know my name?"

Desmond smirked "your friend is quite helpful."

Weber solidified his body.

"My friend isn't careless," Weber said matter-of-fact.

Desmond began cackling and conjured a large amount of mana into his hands "you'll see. Me seeing you was supposed to be a test. Now it's confirmed: you will never rest."

Weber clenched his fists and frowned deeply, bending down slightly.

"Oh, and this power of yours? You might think you being a sort of specter makes you special, but you're gonna wish you weren't what you are!"

Weber's eyes burned brightly and as Desmond was about releasing the energy, a cold wind blew Desmond which shook him, and his energy blast shrunk.

"Why are you always on errands?" A voice spoke to Desmond, but it wasn't Weber's. Desmond shivered and looked at Weber, but he hadn't moved a muscle.

"Of all your efforts, this is all to show for?" another voice said.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut—" a blast of white and black energy consumed Desmond's head.

"Up," Weber finished and withdrew the blast.

Looking around he could still hear the voices that were speaking to Desmond's insecurities.

"Am I causing this?" Weber's cold eyes fell on Desmond's decapitated body.

"Or the blast," he said looking at his hands.

"I can only recall that my intangibility works when I think about it quickly and deeply," he said, arms akimbo and he looked to the concrete roof of the railway.

"And the blast, I can only use blasts after taking hits... Am I reflecting them? Why do they just "come out"?"

Weber began recalling his fight with the Ones of Rite. He could only use a blast after taking damage.

"I need to get back and think of this later," he said gasping and his eyes returned back to hazel and his hair went from white to black.

As Weber reached the spot where Josh and the other passengers were, he met everyone except Josh dead. Weber took a step back and kept running his eyes around the place.

Josh was standing amidst them with his hands shaky and his fists clenched.

"If you were here and actually cared for people," Josh's eyes met Weber's eyes with a glare "this wouldn't have happened."