Chapter Twenty-Four
Victor and Leo prepare for their return to the hotel by boat.
Victor notices Leo smiling as he carries a crate of peaches on the boat.
Off to the side of the courtyard, Chiyo is kneeling in front of a shrine, offering her evening prayer while the two geishas start packing things up.
When Chiyo finishes, she walks over to the boat.
She turns around, and with a flick of her wrist, all the lanterns and candles blow out.
Leo helps her into the tiny ship, and they sail off.
Victor and Leo sit in the back as they enjoy the sunset.
One of the geishas starts playing a shamisen while Chiyo plays the koto.
Victor feels a sense of tranquility as the breeze caresses his face and the water splashes against the boat.
Having no motor on the boat helps with the serenity.
Leo and Victor kick up their feet while the second geisha uses her Air Magic to move the boat across the lake.
Victor starts to doze off, and Leo wraps his arm around Victor’s shoulders, letting Victor lie against him.
Chiyo gives Leo a little smirk as she keeps playing music.
Looking down at her koto, she starts to feel something is wrong.
Chiyo stops playing and looks up. The geishas notice her gaze and look behind them.
A massive wave is approaching.
Chiyo jumps up, “Shit! Hang on!” She twirls her arms and wrists to help propel the boat faster across the water. They are still about half a mile away from the shore. Leo and Victor wake up as the boat jerks under them. They turn around and see the wave coming at them.
“What the fuck is going on?” Leo shouts.
“I think someone found our empath!” Chiyo shouts back.
“Why are they coming after me?” Victor asks anyone who will answer.
“We don’t know. It might have something to do with your ability,” Chiyo answers.
“But why me? Superior Charles is an empath too,” Victor questions.
Chiyo looks back at the wave and then down at Victor. “It might have something to do with your grandmother.”
The wave is gaining on them. They still have 500 feet to go.
Victor looks back at the wave and then at the shore. “We’re not going to make it!”
“Yes, we will!” Leo exclaims.
“We’re not going to make it!” Victor shouts again.
“We’re almost there!” Chiyo cries out.
The wave’s shadow covers the entire boat.
Victor stands up and keeps his eyes on the surf as it’s about to crash down upon them.
He throws his arms out and pulls them back into his center.
He uses Air Magic to pull Chiyo, and the two geishas close to him and Leo.
Seconds before the water crashes down, Victor spins his arms out in a circular formation.
The wave comes crashing down, destroying the boat.
When the ripples start to calm down, bubbles begin to break the water’s surface.
A giant bubble shoots out of the water, with Victor and the others inside.
While floating in the air, Leo notices two figures dressed in black at the dock.
A tall warlock and a short-haired witch use their Water Magic to try to drown Victor and the others.
Chiyo sees another wave coming at them, but before she can react, the wave crashes down on them.
Victor does everything he can to keep the bubble afloat and to keep it from bursting.
As another wave comes their way, Victor watches as it grows taller than the previous ones.
He turns around and starts to focus, causing his eyes to shine a bright blue.
Victor looks up as he twists his torso and lowers one of his hands with his palm turned downward.
With his other hand, he creates a cloud swirling around, maintaining the bubble’s levitation.
Victor scoops his lower hand over his head, mimicking the wave’s curve.
The witch and warlock look at each other, puzzled, wondering who’s controlling the tide.
They try to regain their control, but Victor has overpowered them.
Victor looks over his shoulder, spins around, and aims the wave toward the dock.
The witch and warlock panic and try to run away.
The warlock summons an earth spell as soon as the wave crashes down on them, creating a protective dome from the brick and dirt they are standing on.
Victor floats the bubble down on the shore and lets it vanish.
He pays no attention to the others as he walks to the dirt dome.
“Is everyone okay?” Leo asks as he helps the women off the ground.
Chiyo and her geisha nod as they smooth out their kimonos. Leo looks around and spots Victor approaching the dome. The glow in Victor’s eyes begins to fade. As Victor steps closer, he is knocked back with a chunk of dirt.
“Victor!” Leo shouts as he runs over to him. He helps Victor back on his feet. They look over and notice the witch and warlock dusting the dirt off themselves.
“That empath is coming with us dead or alive,” the witch demands. “So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to come willingly or by force?”
Victor sneers back, brushing the dirt off his sleeves. “I’m not coming willingly, so it looks like I choose by force.”
The witch tilts her head to the side, glaring at Victor. “Have it your way.”
The warlock jumps high over the witch and tries to land a punch on Victor and Leo. They dodge his attack, causing the warlock to punch his fist on the ground. The force from the warlock was so strong that it destroys most of the sidewalk.
“It’s not safe for you. Go and get help,” Chiyo orders her geisha. They nod and scurry away quickly. Chiyo begins hurling ice knives at the witch to keep her distracted. The witch dodges Chiyo’s attacks and blocks the blades by making a shield out of concrete.
The warlock throws a boulder the size of a car at Victor. Victor pulls the water out of the boulder, causing it to dry and turn into a big pile of sand. In return, he creates his own ice boulder and flings it at the warlock.
Chiyo and the witch throw makeshift weapons at each other. The witch gives Chiyo a devilish grin. “Let’s fight as you’re supposed to in Japan.” The witch creates a large katana sword with earth and concrete.
Chiyo conjures a massive hammer out of solid ice. The ice is so cold that Chiyo’s hands turn red from frostbite. Icicles cover her knuckles and the backs of her hands. They charge, ready to hurl their weapons at one another.
As the fighting progresses, Victor gets close enough to the warlock to punch him with a frozen fist, busting open the warlock’s lip. The warlock takes his fingertips and presses down on the cut. He looks at his fingertips covered in blood, then proceeds to lick the blood off.
“So, you wanna play like that, huh?” the warlock says to Victor. “All right, then let’s play like that.” He turns his fists into concrete hammers and starts throwing punches.
Victor remembers his boxing training from his workouts, even though he’s not a boxer.
But he’s able to miss most of the warlock’s punches.
Leo jumps in and kicks the warlock in the back, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward.
This gives Victor the advantage to uppercut the warlock. The warlock flies backward.
Leo gets distracted when the witch tries to attack him with her sword.
Leo sidesteps just before the witch can cut him into pieces.
Furious, his hands ignite, and he throws a flame at the witch.
She’s engulfed in the flame and tries to block it, but Chiyo comes from behind and slams her hammer into the witch’s head.
The hammer hits the witch so hard that her head is smashed in from the impact.
Blood goes flying, some hitting Chiyo and Leo. The witch’s lifeless body falls to the ground.
As Victor and the warlock continue to fight, Victor becomes dizzy.
But this time, it’s not “going to pass out” dizzy; it’s something else.
For a moment, he feels something strange entering his body.
Victor starts to gain extra energy, strength, and power.
His watch starts flashing and vibrating.
He glances down and notices a meter rising.
This wasn’t any power. It was the power of the dead witch.
The warlock thinks this is an advantage and throws another punch, but Victor grabs the warlock’s fist like a baseball. The warlock lets out a painful groan as Victor starts crushing the warlock’s hand. He notices Victor’s eyes are glowing bright white, which startles the warlock.
“What the fuck is happening?” the warlock cries out.
“You made the mistake of coming after me,” Victor responds as he throws a sucker punch.
The warlock blocks the force but is still thrown back several feet.
The warlock snarls at Victor and spits out some blood.
“The hell with this,” he says, taking a dagger from his jacket.
He tries swinging and stabbing Victor, who dodges every move.
Leo runs over to help. The warlock spots Leo and then tosses another dagger from behind his back.
Leo’s side gets sliced open as the blade passes by him.
Leo drops down to his knee, holding his side.
Victor watches as Leo drops to the ground. He slowly turns back to the warlock, snarling aggressively. “That was a big mistake.”
Victor’s eyes turn black.
The warlock panics and tosses two more daggers. Victor barely moves as the daggers miss. Victor starts to stalk toward the warlock; the warlock’s eyes are filled with terror. He keeps throwing daggers, and each one passes by Victor.
The warlock tries to stab Victor in the collar, but Victor grabs his arm, inches away from being struck.
The warlock then surprises Victor by thrusting his last dagger into Victor’s side.
Victor reacts quickly and uses his free arm to knock the warlock’s hand away, causing the blade to fly several feet away.
Before the dagger touches the ground, Victor uses his magic to catch it and pull it back.
Without skipping a beat, when the dagger reaches Victor’s hand, Victor thrusts it into the side of the warlock’s head.
The warlock’s body goes limp. Victor drops the warlock’s arm but is still holding the warlock up by the dagger.
Victor closes his black-filled eyes and takes a deep breath as if absorbing the warlock’s power and soul.
He opens his eyes and notices the warlock’s eyes have turned completely black.
“Victor?” Leo mentions as he tries to walk over to him. Victor turns and sees Leo. Leo and Chiyo are startled by Victor’s eyes. “Victor,” Leo carefully points to Victor, “your eyes.”
Victor notices Leo is hurt. His expression turns to worry, and he lets go of the dagger, allowing the warlock to fall to the ground.
Victor rushes over to Leo to see the damage.
Victor doesn’t say anything as tears start to appear.
He looks into Leo’s eyes, but Leo can’t return the stare.
Victor gently touches Leo’s injury, causing Leo’s body to jolt from the pain.
Victor retracts his hand quickly but still studies the gash in Leo’s side.
“Victor! Leo! Chiyo!” Akisha shouts as she and Madame Jeanette run over to them. Victor turns his head, causing them to stop in their tracks when they see his black eyes.
“Oh, chéri, what in the name of Gran Ma?tre have you done?” Madame Jeanette says in a low voice.
Victor does not respond and then looks back at Leo’s wound. He slowly moves his hand towards the damage. Leo flinches before Victor touches it.
Madame Jeanette cautiously walks over. “Victor, let me take–”
Victor lifts his hand in the air, cutting Madame Jeanette off mid-sentence.
He takes his hand and hovers it over Leo’s wound.
A few seconds later, a dim glow of silver appears.
Victor slowly moves his hand back and forth along the injury.
As he does, the wound starts to heal. After a few passes, the gash is gone.
Victor smiles and then looks back at Leo, who still can’t make eye contact. He looks around, and everyone around him seems worried because his eyes have not returned to normal. When he looks back at Leo, his eyes return to normal, then roll to the back of his head.
“Victor!” Leo cries as he catches Victor before he falls to the ground.