Alex scrunched her eyes as tears fell freely. Her shoulders quaked as the hope burst through her finally. Her boy. Her Nick. He was ok. It didn’t matter that she had done some weird freaky thing. She wouldn’t have cared if he hadn’t leapt into that room and just saved himself. She wouldn’t have thought less of him. But none of it mattered now. All she wanted was to find him and hug him.
“Why then? Why did I go gold then and not before? He was being beaten up and I didn’t do anything. Lauren was being assaulted. Why not then?”
“The answer lies with the act Nicholas performed before the explosion. Where he risked his life to save someone close to you: Michelle Davidson. For no other reason than to show how much you meant to him. That was the night you fell in love with him.”
Alex looked at Masonian. “Huh?”
“Falling in love doesn’t have to be romantic or sexual. In its basic, purest form, love is the foundation for all good in the world. Sometimes there are certain loves that transcend time, space and physics. You have that with him. It is very mutual and your destinies are more entwined than you know.”
“I have to find him.”
“Alexandra, there is more you must know. He still needs you.”
“What?”
“The whole city does. It has hours left. If that. Only you have the ability to lift the darkness that infests the air.”
“But how? What am I supposed to do?” Alexandra replied desperately.
“Become who you were born to be.”
Masonian tapped the end of his staff on the ground, looking directly at Alex. Behind him, the wall of the cave crumbled and disintegrated to form a tall alcove. Alex took a step forward as something glinting caught her eye. When the wall had completely disappeared, Alex stood staring at a set of armour stored in the middle of the alcove. It was the colour of white gold. A red V emblazoned in the middle of the breast plate. The shoulders had two white strips of material attached that went behind it, forming two large hoops that stopped just before the ground. The weirdest cape she had ever seen. A pleated red-brown skirt hung under the chest piece. Wrist gauntlets too. One on each side of the set. How they stood in mid-air was the least of her worries. Lastly, two gleaming boots stood upright underneath the armour.
*
“Fuck…” Nick sneered as he veered away from another tendril swipe. If he thought Lee was worried in the slightest, he would’ve been mistaken. Lee had his legs on the dashboard, whistling an unknown tune. A beep caused Nick to look down. The planes speed was decreasing. A great whine echoed throughout the cockpit and a sickening feeling crept into Nick’s stomach. Nick couldn’t direct the plane. One of the tendrils had caught them. Nick disengaged the thrusters and let the plane drop several hundred feet, then fired them again. It worked. The plane was his to control but for how long he didn’t know.
He had to try the only thing left. Instead of veering to the left and right, he righted the plane and ascended. Directly up the sinister face, as high as he could go, trying to get over the cloud that seemed to never end. As fast as he could. Nick had to bury the thought that it wasn’t enough. Even as he rose hundreds of feet, the plane rattled and bumped as the sinister force came for them again, creeping ever closer.
*
“Why me? Why is it me? Did you choose me? Did you know all those years ago?”
“I do not believe so. My last memory of my physical form was putting…” he said, gesturing to himself as he continued. “This, in these caves. The Draco Knights were engaged in a fierce battle. Women were being killed only to rise again and destroy all around them. Dominus had grown so strong nothing could stop him. I remember creating the Valkyries for the war against him but stopped after realising what it cost the women.”
“What do you mean?”
“The magic of my time was infinite but so dangerous. Whatever was given, something was always taken. In their case, it was the ability to reproduce.”
“So…you mean…if I put this on. I won’t be able to have kids? Why would you do that?”
“It was not I, Alexandra. As a Master of Magic, I cannot reproduce. It is a grave yet common consequence to those gifted by magic. A way of the universe ensuring balance to keep the chance of overflow down. I was one of the rare cases of being born with magical abilities. Most were taught. Magic still exists today though it is much less common place. But the basic law still stands. It always has a cost.”
“So this is my cost?”
Masonian glanced up as if looking through the ceiling, struggling to get the words out. “Yes. As long as you wear the armour, as long as you wield these great powers, a daughter to succeed you will not be possible. This is the last hurdle that so many before you failed to overcome. Though none before have had your potential. What called the beast to you? That monster took your dignity from you while trying to siphon your powers for himself. It knew exactly what you were and it hungered for you like a parasite. A force for good, in your own right, attacked by evil. Your memory of this is currently held but can be lifted by putting the armour on. With it, your defence is absolute and evil can never take possession of you again.”
Alex looked from him to the armour and reached out to it, running her fingertips along the V. She had no time to admire the sheen of the emblem but caught herself staring at the
