On the Shanka, Halima ran to the edge of the deck in alarm, “No!” she yelled seeing Abbas holding Thaqib by the neck.

“You want him back!?” Abbas yelled. “Hand yourself over to me or I’ll make sure his last breath is taken here!”

“Don’t do it!” Thaqib yelled out. “Get out of here! Go!” he pleaded.

Halima didn’t listen, she dived into the water and swam toward the bank. Judah peered over the side “Halima!” he yelled, but it was too late, she was already climbing up the bank.

“I’m here, you’ve got me, let Thaqib go!” she yelled. Abbas signaled for the guards that had made their way to the bottom of the wall to apprehend her. They grabbed her and brought her to him. “Let him go!” she repeated.

Abbas smirked. “Finally, the one from the Veil stands before me. You’ve caused me a lot of trouble the two of you. But that’s all over now. Now I have you and the knowledge that’s in your head of how to traverse the Veil.”

“You’ll never be able to do it!” Halima yelled.

Abbas, smiled, “We shall see.”

“Let Thaqib go!” Halima repeated.

“You know? I think I’ve changed my mind. I see the boy means much to you.” Thaqib struggled against Abbas’ grip. “Perhaps he can provide the raw emotion I’ll need for my Klipoth to corrupt you.”

“What!?” Halima said.

“Let me give you a preview, of what I plan to do to you,” Abbas said as he plunged a hand into Thaqib’s chest, digging his fingers in, black oil-like liquid beginning to flow down his arm. Thaqib watched in horror as it inched toward him.

“No!” Halima screamed.

“What is that!?” Thaqib yelled.

“This is what will make you mine. I told you I’d find out what old Rast said to you before his dramatic death. When these Klipoth have done their work, you will tell me anything I wish to know. And who knows, maybe I’ll keep you around as my slave,” Abbas replied.

“Let go of him!” Halima yelled, struggling to get free of the grasp of the guards. They held her tight.

The black liquid was getting closer and closer and then, Thaqib felt the sting of it upon his chest as it began flowing across his skin. A strange sensation flowed over him as though something were trying to penetrate his mind and take it over. He lost the ability to speak as the substance spread. His eyes began to flicker, rolling back into his head. Halima stared on in terror, unable to do anything.

Thaqib felt himself in a situation like when the Shayateen had taken a hold of him. He felt the Klipoth probing him, digging into his subconscious in search of traumatic memories with which to grab hold and invade his unconscious. This time however, he felt something different. The Klipoth were manipulated and controlled in a different way than the Shayateen—they weren’t sentient in the way that it had been. He felt faint emotional sensations attached to them and had a sudden realization that these emotions were not his own. If they weren’t his, then whose were they? Abbas—they had to be his.

He began to fight back, gathering his will, his chi, creating a resistance to the Klipoth’s invasion, strengthening his meridians to give him the time to probe deeper into that connection through which Abbas controlled them. He sent his will into them in the same way he would guide it within his own body. He realized that in order to send the Klipoth into him, Abbas had opened a connection to his own self. Thaqib found that he was able to travel into Abbas’ subconsciousness with his own will, in the same way the Klipoth were attempting to do to him.

Flashes of memory began to wash over him as he probed the painful emotions that seemed to be powering the Klipoth. Memories that were not his own and yet there was something strangely familiar about them. He saw the Veil rising above him, he saw a strange land disappearing into the distance. He felt the trauma of loss but this time he felt something different. He felt a pain of rejection. A deep pain unlike anything he’d ever experienced. An image of faces turned to him, they weren’t Babylonian faces they were something else, and the expression upon them was of anger—no, not anger—disgust. They were pushing him away, pushing him toward the Veil. He looked to the sky and realized it was not clouded, but violet, encrusted with glimmering diamond-like sparks of fire. Thaqib suddenly realized what he was experiencing. This memory. Abbas was not Babylonian—he was Zionese. He was witnessing Abbas being rejected by his own people and pushed into the Veil. Exiled to Babylon. Suddenly this realization unlocked something within him and for the first time saw memories of his own. The smiling faces, the Veil wall, they became clear to him. The smiling woman was his mother. He too was from Zion. Those people were Zionese and that image of the Veil was from the other side, from Zion. What Rast spoke was true. He had come from Zion. A sudden spark of consciousness ignited within him, unlocking a mass of chi that had been locked up within the forgotten memories. The chi overloaded the Klipoth causing them to combust into violent flame.

A sudden memory came to him, an image of surf, of the water lapping against a golden shore. He saw the face of a woman looking down at him, smiling. The sky was coral-pink and upon it glittered golden stars. He saw himself being put into the water, upon a small craft being pushed into the waves—gently—floating away from a group of people standing upon the shore. Then the memory cut to another, a wall of mist rising above him. As he went into the mist the memory faded into another, he saw Rast’s face, smiling as he picked him out of the water. He felt the rushing of energy that had been locked away in his unconscious run through him like a torrent, sweeping the Klipoth from him.

The oil-like substance of the Klipoth that covered Thaqib’s body suddenly exploded with flames that rippled outward toward Abbas’ hand that still dug into his chest.

“No!” Abbas yelled out in horror. The flames leapt up his arm and his whole body burst alight. Abbas lost hold of Thaqib and fell to the ground. He stumbled around a moment when light began to ripple across his skin. “What have you done to me!?” he yelled.

Thaqib hit the ground, staring upward. The black substance now fell from him like ash. “You did it to yourself, you exposed yourself. I know who you are, I know your pain. You were exiled from Zion. That is why you seek to destroy it!”

Abbas stumbled his eyes wide in shock at Thaqib’s revelation. Never before had anyone known his secret and he felt wounded by its exposure. He fell backward, the light under his skin still rippling and flashing like small explosions. A flash erupted from him that made everyone shield their eyes. A beam of light shot into the sky from Abbas as he fell backward to the ground, his skin rippling with flame, burned beyond recognition. In the sky the beam of light penetrated the cloud cover, shooting a hole straight through it. Through the opening, a beam of sunlight shot down, sweeping upon the ground, it caught two guards within it who suddenly burst into flames as it touched them. The two guards holding Halima released their grasp in terror. She pushed them off and ran to Thaqib. The guards on the wall hissed at the light, smoke beginning to waft from their skin. Halima picked up Thaqib and pulled him into the water and swum to the Shanka. Jazib and Judah pulled them both up.

There was a sudden explosion as one of the mounted cannons shot into the wall after being left active by its operator. The wall below it suddenly crumbled leaving a gap within it. Halima and Judah stared in horror at the terrible sight that lay within. Thousands of inmates locked in a trance staring at blue orbs so intently they had not noticed anything that had been happening.

Halima had a visceral reaction of fury. Her eyes flickered in rage. “SOL!” she commanded. Sol detached from the Shanka and transformed into a long rod. Halima took it in her hands and aimed it at the beam of sunlight now shooting through the clouds. “Heaven’s awake!” she yelled. Her staff gleamed and the shaft of light seemed to move with it. She swept the light through the prison wall, across the field of prisoners. The guards ran in terror, those not able to escape the beam burst into flames, vaporizing in the light. The orbs caught in the beam popped, exploding into shards of crystal that crumbled to the ground. Halima swept the beam toward the giant pylon in the middle of the field, toward the swirling mass of blue energy spiraling at its peak. “Erase this corruption!” she boomed as the shaft of light hit the swirling mass of raw Vril. The mass flashed with light and sucked inward to a single point.

CRAKOOOM

A flash of light bust fourth, blinding everyone that looked upon it. A ripple of force flew outward, knocking down the prisoners. The walls of the prison suddenly ruptured from the sound-wave of the Vril imploding. Guard towers and cannons tumbled into the sea. Thaqib, Jazib and Judah looked on in awe. Soon it was over and silence swept across the island.

Beaming down upon the island and the broken remains of Hexagon, the sunlight from the clouds now dappled the dead ground, long since starved of the light that now caressed it. For the first time in centuries, light shone upon Babylon.

VWOOOM

A horn shredded the air and a light swept upon the island from the city across the water. They turned to see that it came from the Spire which now rippled with green light.

“Datura has seen the light!” Pomo yelled. “It’s only a matter of time before reinforcements arrive!”

Halima looked down to Thaqib, “Rast, where is he?”

Thaqib was stunned finding it hard to reply. Judah bent down, “Thaqib, where’s Rast? Did you find him?”

“Rast—he’s gone,” Thaqib said painfully. Halima eyes welled up and Judah gritted his teeth at the news. “It’s—it’s OK,” Thaqib said. “He was happy. He said he’d completed his mission.”

Jazib joined them, his face twisting in pain at the news. They all sat for a moment in silence, each processing the news of Rast’s passing in their own way.

Jazib looked up to the sky, captivated by the sunlight that streamed from it. It was the first time he’d ever seen it. He turned to Halima in awe. “What was that?” he asked. “How did you do that with the light?”

“Working with light is as natural in Zion as breathing,” she replied.

“That was some show Thaqib,” Judah said.

“Rast—he, told me something,” Thaqib replied, “that I came from the Veil, just like Halima. He said I was the—”

“Yes, we already know,” Halima said. “It’s why I came here—to find you.”

“You knew?” Thaqib asked. Looking at Judah.

“Why do you think I was there to save you from that Boomer on the rooftop? Rast tasked me with looking out for you when you got older and started roaming the streets. I was the only one in the Order he told about you. Together we’ve been keeping an eye out for you.”

Thaqib was stunned, “Halima, when did you know?” Halima didn’t respond, instead looking out to the horizon in contemplation.

“What’s going on?” Jazib asked. “From the Veil? What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know myself…” Thaqib replied.

“Judah looked toward the tower. I’m afraid we must get moving quickly and to the open sea before they send reinforcements.”

“What about the prisoners?” Thaqib asked.

“They’re free, it will be up to them what happens next. I’m afraid there’s nothing more we can do for them for now, not until you have undergone your training.”

“What are they talking about Thaqib? What training?” Jazib asked.

“Thaqib got up, and smiled. It’s a long story,” he said, shaking Jazib’s hand. “Thanks for being there, man, for having my back.”

“Always,” Jazib replied. “Wait, you guys are leaving the city? You mean leaving?”

“Yes,” Halima said. “Will you come with us?”

Jazib looked back to Thaqib. “I’ve got my parents in the city. I can’t leave them.”

“It’s all good,” Thaqib said.

“I’ll take the shredder home,” Jazib said. “Yo—if you aren’t gonna be needing yours, you mind if I take it?”

Thaqib laughed. “It’s all yours!” he replied. They shook hands again and Jazib turned and jumped into the water. They watched him swim up to the pylon and mount the shredder. They waved as he flicked it into gear and burst off toward the city.

“You’re lucky to have such a good friend.” Halima said.

He turned to them. “And now I have two more.”

“You bet,” Judah said. “Now lets get out of here!”

Halima gestured for Thaqib to take the helm as Sol clicked into place upon the dashboard. Thaqib placed his hand upon him and again felt the rush of connecting to the Shanka. He angled the vessel away from the city, to the empty horizon and moved it quickly. Soon they were skimming along the surface of the harbour like a jet-boat, and Babylon City trailed in their wake.

Judah and Halima stood with Thaqib on the deck, enjoying the winds of freedom flowing against them. They breathed the fresh ocean air. Judah turned to Halima. “What happened to the other Shayateen? Weren’t there two of them? You say you destroyed one of them, where’s the other?”

Halima turned back to Hexagon and the city. “It’s there somewhere, still hunting. It will never stop, not until it consumes me, or I destroy it.”

Judah looked back, his eyes narrowing in concern. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

***

In the shadows of the prison, a figure moved, trembling in the dark. His face scarred beyond recognition, his entire body stinging from pain. He could not move. Abbas knew his life would be over soon, he felt inconsolable rage that in an instant his entire being had been destroyed. His plans would now be for naught and the history of Babylon would continue without him, his legacy never to come to pass. As much as his body ached, this realization stung him more than any burn could. But more than his failure, what tormented him more than anything else was the memory the boy had unearthed in the deepest darkness of his own personal abyss. The driver of every action he’d ever taken. The motivator behind his desperation to find a way back through the Veil. To find a way to take his revenge on those who had tossed him away with such disgust, banishing him to the dark filth of Babylon.

The flashes of the faces of his exilers flickered before him. But it wasn’t they that caused him the most pain, it was something else entirely. He remembered the clear sky with all those twinkling stars. He remembered the green trees gently swaying in the wind. The feeling of the crisp cool waters on his skin. Of the colors—so many colors. No it wasn’t the rejection that ailed him. It was the loss of that beauty—that natural world that was so pure it pained him to think of it now that it was only a memory. He felt as though he’d fallen from heaven—condemned to yearn for something he could never have.

Suddenly he sensed something. Something calling to him, a whispering howl. He opened his eyes and saw a shape moving in the dark, in and out of the shadows. His eyes widened as he saw tendrils slither toward him. He’d seen this before, at Rast and the boy’s shack. The Shayateen. He couldn’t move, all he could do was watch it approach. It came to him, rising above him, and in a silent understanding they came to an agreement. Abbas realized, his dark master had chosen him. Above all others he’d been chosen to join with this emissary to wield the otherworldly power of the abyss. Now it was he that was being smothered by darkness, the Shayateen crept over his body, an ice cold chill cooling his burns. He let go and didn’t struggle, he allowed it to take him. For the first time in his life, he felt whole and filled with divine purpose.

In a new form, he stood and disappeared into the shadows. As he did, he had a sudden realization. The girl, she was only able to wield the light when it was already there, she was powerless without it. It was the boy who discovered the light, it was he who had awakened it. He had been the one to uncover his secret. The one he’d locked away from everyone—the source of his deepest shame. The girl is not the Czepta. That’s why the old man was raising him. It’s not her. It’s him.

He looked to the harbour where the white shape of the Shanka speed toward the distant horizon. He watched it a moment, and then made his way into the broken remains of Hexagon.

***

As the Shanka left the bounds of the city harbour and made its way into the open ocean, a familiar shape passed by. Thaqib looked out at the barge he had spent so much of his life working on. He found it surreal, looking at it from the Shanka. On board he could see the net rising out of the water with a new haul. His old crew mates were there working hard at the mound. He saw Beemo sitting near the railing watching the proceedings. He almost had to pinch himself, was he really leaving all this behind? The barge passed from view and Thaqib left the helm, letting the vessel continue on its own. He made his way to the rear of the ship where Judah, Halima and Pomo stood watching the city disappearing into the distant mist.

Thaqib watched it fading, Babylon City, its tall towers now smaller than he’d ever seen them. How much had changed in such a short amount of time he thought. He thought of Rast, and the memories of the life that until now he’d taken for granted. He felt sadness that it was now gone. He’d alway dreamed of leaving the city, of getting away from its pollution and corruption, but now that it was actually happening he felt a sense of melancholy. He wondered where this vessel would take him and what he’d face there. He looked to Judah and Halima and felt thankful that at least he did not have to face it alone. This quest to find out who he really was. Rast had told him so many things, but right now he didn’t know what to believe. Was he really the Czepta? And if so, what did it mean? He turned back to the empty horizon and watched the drifting storm clouds passing over it. He saw the Veil in the distance and wondered, had he really come from there? Would he really be able to traverse it?

Halima turned to him as if sensing his concern. She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. “I know it’s a lot, but I’m here to guide you, it’s my mission.”

She left him to watch the city disappear. He put his hands in his pockets and felt something. He pulled it out. It was the wooden slate he’d found in the tower in the underground cavern. He’d completely forgotten it. Judah noticed it in his hand and came over to inspect it.

“Where did you get that?” Judah asked.

“In the underground city, near where we got the Shanka.”

“You know what it is?”

“No,” Thaqib replied.

“It’s a cultivation manual. A record made by a master cultivator of an advanced technique,” Judah said.

Thaqib looked over the strange writing and esoteric symbols. “Do you know how to read it?” he asked.

Judah nodded. “It’s gonna be a long ride to the Temple Mount. How ‘bout we learn what it does?”

Thaqib smiled and nodded. Together they turned their back on Babylon City as it disappeared over the horizon and went to join Halima inside the ship.

To Be Continued…