Chapter Nine: The Breaking Point

*

Quietly, Aiden watched and waited as the entirety of the floor filled with the denizens of Zion. He stood on the stage, his hands clasped to keep them from shaking with barely contained fury. The wait while everyone was rounded up felt like an eternity of torture, but he didn’t want to have to explain things more than once.

The seats filled, but the number of inhabitants within the city far outnumbered available seating. They lined the walls, the walkways, and anywhere there was space to occupy. The younger and smaller ones even sat two to a seat, but one thing remained true about any and all present.

None spoke a single word, and they all shot apprehensive looks his way. The atmosphere felt suffocating to him, but the constantly refreshing wrath bubbling in his gut made all of it easy to ignore.

“Shadow just arrived at the Valkyr Town. It seems they left behind all their noncombatants and moved out all their fighting forces,” Isaac reported. He remained silent as he waited for more information, hissing a few seconds later. “The Candidate is still there with one of the leaders of the Valkyr Faction.”

“Expected threat level?” Aiden asked, his voice even.

“From previous conflicts between them and the Celestials and Dragonborn, I’d put both lead Valkyrs on par with you, if not a little stronger. They’ve both got elite fighting forces that equal, if not outnumber, our own fighting forces, not to mention the regular forces,” Isaac relayed, waiting for Aiden’s next command.

“Have Shadow move to the borders of the Dragonborn territory. To assault the Celestials like this, even with the help of Adam and his people, they had to have pulled back some of their troops on that front.” The more information he received, the more the plan began to solidify. However, what he wanted to accomplish would only work with the combined effort of everyone before him. As he watched the last few citizens of Zion trickle in, he had another thought. “What’s the power of their Candidate?”

“From what I’ve seen, he’s a perfect example of a noncombatant. Spends a lot of time crafting, but neither me or Shadow has seen him practice any combat skills whatsoever,” Isaac said as his eyes switched back to that darker than black hue. “Don’t let me mislead you though. The Valkyr have equipped him with armor and weaponry better than anything I’ve ever seen.”

“Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?” Aiden asked, turning back to look at the grimacing boy with a wry grin. Isaac’s eyes flickered, and he stared back at Aiden, fury brewing under the surface. He clenched his jaw, prompting Aiden to say, “Speak your mind freely, Isaac. I won’t damn you for your thoughts or feelings.”

He sucked on his teeth for a few seconds, spinning his daggers as he thought. When he finally straightened out his thoughts, he nodded. “His existence pisses me off. They do everything for him, because they want this war. They baby him, equipping him with all that gear, and yet he does nothing to keep himself safe. The Valkyr know how important he is, so he’s guarded around the clock without exception.”

Seeing Isaac’s nostrils flare and jaw continue to clench, Aiden prompted him once more to continue.

“I think it’s your fault he pisses me off so much. You work so hard for everyone, tirelessly improving yourself and providing for the people of Zion as a leader should. Him? I don’t know how the other Factions and Candidates got to where they are, but if it’s anything like what we experienced, the idea that he could’ve done even a fraction of what you have is inconceivable.” He spun his blades even faster. “I’ve had to watch him for so long, I probably know him better than anybody else in that Town.”

“You’re pissed that the leader of the Valkyr has such a strong fighting force that can protect him and equip him with high quality gear while I have to work my ass off?” Aiden asked, trying to understand.

“If that were all, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but I’ve snuck into his quarters where he supposedly spends all his time crafting.” All at once, the calm in Isaac’s eyes shifted from a simple river stream to a raging hurricane. “He’s not crafting in there. I’ve watched as the Valkyr selected one of the people of their Town, dragged them kicking and screaming, listened to their begs of mercy while hoping they died so they no longer had to suffer, and resisted the urge to slit his throat in his sleep. The amount of blood in that tent, I—I can’t even explain it, Aiden. The things I’ve heard and seen.”

Aiden’s passive expression hardened as the fury multiplied, his gut boiling with an intensity he’d felt only one other time in his life. “Thank you for sharing with me, Isaac. When the time comes, his death won’t be painless. I swear on my life.”

Hot tears streamed down Isaac’s face. Through clenched teeth, he almost growled, almost begged, saying, “Let me do it.”

For a few seconds, Aiden considered the boy’s request. Even if he hadn’t had to hear the screams, he could imagine them. He could imagine the scene straight out of a horror scene that Isaac must have witnessed. There were no words, no amount of time or healing that would remove that taint on Isaac’s mind if Aiden refused the request. “When the time comes, he’s all yours. Nobody else needs to know either, but know this. I’ll kill him myself if I think you’re losing yourself and falling deeper into that dark abyss. Revenge isn’t righteous, and it’s all-consuming. If I even think for a single second you’re being consumed by what you do, I’ll put a stop to it. Got that?”

Isaac nodded, wiped his eyes, and schooled his features as his eyes changed color once more. “Thank you. It means a lot.”

“Don’t make me regret it,” Aiden muttered, turning back to the crowd. He looked over all of the people there, his people, and stood up straight, his back rimrod straight. The weight of their stares had become a muted pressure, almost something calming, and he hoped there would be relief and hope in the eyes of those before him by the time he finished. “People of Zion, we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

In the crowd, familiar faces looked back at him with concern. For the entirety of their time in Zion, he’d never once summoned everyone all at once. There were only four people absent—Olivia, Ian, Claudia, and Magnus. All the scouts, guards, and workers had been recalled and summoned to attend this meeting.

So without making them wait any longer, he continued. “The Valkyr have been a thorn in our side ever since the beginning of Zion a month ago. When we’ve kept to ourselves, they’ve presented themselves as aggressive neighbors, little more than wild animals causing havoc. They’ve crossed a line, and now I’ll need your help to make them regret having ever tried to encroach on our territory, people, and hope.”

As he started identifying those he trusted the most, the rest of the crowd began to fade until only those most important to him remained. Like all the others, most of them openly displayed grim determination. They were all ready, but even if some accepted what needed to be done, their faces also displayed no small amount of worry.

Their worry made sense given the current situation, but thinking back to the conversations he’d had with Anna and Ian, he had a sinking suspicion towards what it was that really caused them worry.

Him.

He shoved the thoughts aside, the thoughts that flooded his mind in only a couple seconds, and spoke as if they were the only ones in the room. “Many of you may not know this, but when we first arrived here, we were trapped in a dungeon. In total, we came to Zion with little more than a handful of people. That isn’t because those we’d come with had died or that’s all we appeared in Midrath with, it’s because the rest of them followed someone else.”

Those he’d come with already knew the story and nodded along. When he blinked, he focused on the large crowd. Many looked confused, but those with some veterancy had already figured out where things headed and were also nodding along.

“I don’t think anybody here hasn’t heard the news of the Faction of Valkyr annexing the Celestial territory, but what many of you might not know is how. How have things remained stagnant to this point, and why would they change now?” he asked, realization dawning on the majority of the crowd. “Our people have been captured, forced to fight to the death for entertainment, and used as frontline soldiers and disposable pawns. This is something I refuse to allow. Even if I have to go alone, something will be done.”

For the first time since they’d all arrived, people spoke. Their raged outcries filled the air, many profusing their desire to leave then and there. He held up a hand and slowly released the pressure he constantly maintained on Apex Predator. Naturally, the enraged crowd died down.

“The Valkyr have never tried to negotiate or made a single attempt at diplomacy. To me, they are nothing but rabid animals lashing at anything in their way. Personally,” his nostrils flared and the stage around him creaked as ice expanded out from under his feet, “I put down rabid animals.”

In the eyes of the crowd, his people, the people of Zion, he no longer saw grim determination. He held up his hand to quiet them again.

“They’ve used us, shown aggression at every opportunity, and think we’ll just take it and lie down!” He moved from behind the podium and walked toward the edge of the stage. “They have the audacity to take our kindness for weakness. I won’t stand by this any longer! Tonight, we hold them accountable for their actions and show them what happens to rabid animals. Tonight, we make the Valkyr pay!”

He pounded his chest.

“They’ve made enemies of us,” he said again as he pounded his chest again. “Us!”

The crowd picked up on his intent and began pounding or stomping in rhythm with him.

“And who are we?!”

All at once, the room became deafeningly loud as they shouted back, “We are Zion!”

“Where are we from?!”

“Earth!”

He stood at the edge and proudly watched, eyes ablaze with battlelust. “People of Zion!”

They roared back.

He held Silver up and roared over the crowd. “Tonight, we fight!”