August 28th, 2030, 12:16 pm

My heart slams against my ribs with every elongated stride. My arms crank with a rhythm to keep my legs stretching from one quick step to the next. The black Imperial Guard overcoat wedges against my upper body, suffocating my torso and trying to weigh me down. Beads of sweat line my eyebrows and hidden hairline.

The two figures I pursue sprint at the same pace as me so I can make no real progress to catch the prey. Once I get them, they're dead. They'll have to stop eventually, but I can run forever.

One of the shadows is further ahead than the other, but I'm okay with hunting the one that is closer. He's not fast on foot, though he's more aerodynamic than me with fewer layers of clothing. The ash-gray t-shirt over top of blue jeans matches his horrid, twisted soul. And every time his left arm swings back, I can see how his skin is manipulated under his elbow. Onyx wisps explode from the damned insignia.

But all of a sudden, black smoke surrounds him, and he is nowhere to be seen.

I come to a complete cease in a back alley, two blocks away from the Castle. I have already abandoned the ceremony; there's no going back. I don't even know if they'll let me into the Imperial Guard after booking it. I've come this far, and I won't leave without getting a piece of what's mine.

There is an opening where I stand, the loading dock for some kind of furniture store, from the looks of the nasty couches that lay out. The pavement below my burning dress shoes is worn with skid marks, made only by the trucks that frequent this station. On the other side of the alley is a brick building that only towers a couple of stories. There are no windows on this side, thankfully. What a dump this space is.

I scrunch my fingernails against my palms and scan the area for my target. No matter how hard I try, with the wind picking up and the state of affairs, my eyes can't stay dry. My cheekbones are damp and the creases around my nose run a river down to my lips. My teeth chatter, but it won't be cold for another three or four months.

If the Captain dies today, I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. He sacrificed himself for me, taking a knife that was intended for my heart. This is all my fault. But at least I will know who really killed him.

Things between him and I have drastically altered since I first met him last month. I really hated his guts because I thought he disrespected my family, but that couldn't be further from reality. But even though I was so adamant that it was the truth, he still tried to help me like nothing happened. He carried me out of the forest after the whole incident with Anthony Young at Tyson's Gorge. He comforted me when I found out my dad was dead and stood up to my mom when she attacked me. He told me he was scared for my life during the ranking. He accepted me like I was his own.

The felt of my jacket soaks up the water pooling under my eyes. I don't know. I mean, he was tough on me, but that's because he wanted me to be better. He was just looking out for me. Maybe I did see him as some kind of father figure to me since I haven't had one for the past ten years. But I never had the chance to tell him that, and I think my opportunity has expired.

I reach below my white button up and lace my fingers around my dog tag chain. I pull it out and watch the deep, blue outline of the eagle shine. My hand clamps over the plates to keep it warm. I press my teeth against each other, feeling the saliva build up on the sides of my mouth.

My head jolts upward at the cloudless sky. "Roarke, I know you can hear me. I don't know where you are but I know you're watching me and listening to me like you always are. I hope you know what the fuck you did, you coward. If you really wanted to kill me, you should just shoot me, stab me, or whatever, but not where other people can get hurt. Now, somebody very close to me is going to die because you were too scared to kill me in person. You were looking for collateral, and you got it. I hope you're fucking happy."

My apologies. I don't care.

"Of course you don't care, you selfish prick! You want me and that's it. Well if you're so obsessed with me, here I am. Shoot me right now and end it; I won't resist. Your damage has been done, what's one more death, huh?" I drop my tags over the golden buttons on my jacket. "Or, let me guess, you need me. You're giving me a second chance."

I warned you.

The burning smoke returns, and with it, comes my tormentor. His whisked, graying hair pokes out in all directions, but ironically, to the heavens as well. Iron eyes pierce the shroud between us as he progresses toward me. His arm is dimmed by the entrance to hell screaming from the mark. Obsidian talons crawl and swipe at the air around him. There is no significant glow that he possesses like I do. It's all gloom.

Before he can capitalize on his entrance, I propel ahead with my fists at my sides. "You asshole! You think you can just fuck with other people's lives like that! You just killed one of my closest allies, and you have no remorse! You sick bastard; if you really want me, you wouldn't have killed someone I care about. And now you expect me to forgive you? How could I fucking forgive you when my best friend just watched her dad die right in front of her eyes? She has nothing. Nothing! And you probably don't give a single fuck, you sick piece of shit."

Roarke has the impudence to form a smirk. "Perhaps if you heeded my warning, you wouldn't be yelling obscenities at me. You have nobody to blame but yourself. Your obstinance has failed those you care about, and now, I'm curious; what are you going to do now?"

A puff of air flutters my hair from behind, and I swivel around. A blonde woman has her arms crossed over her gray denim jacket. Though I stand several inches over her, something about her shouts danger. She is truly graced with beauty, but her aura is the same shade as the beckoning screams from Roarke's mark. Nowhere to run.

The leader of the Medo continues in his foreboding. "I believe my offer terminated last night in your dream. You declined my proposal, and I said that was your final chance. Since you no longer consider me a threat, it seems, I decided to show you just how severe I was being. You certainly aren't apprehending our relationship the same way that I am. And as you can see, it cost you a life. An important one at that.

"I will be upfront with you, Slater. If anyone here is selfish, it is you. I urged you to take my offer or else you would have to make amends, and you did not. If you truly cared about you and your allies, you would have done something. But you ignored it because you're nothing but a nescient boy. That's how you've always been, and it's how you'll always be."

I squint my eyes through the molding metal of his. "You don't scare me."

"But maybe the realization that your Captain's life is at stake does." He turns away in speculation. "Where we stand now, there is a blade lodged in his shoulder. Removing it will result in intense blood loss, which is not ideal. However, housed in the blade is a deadly toxin that will end his life the instant it erupts. Luckily for you, the apparatus it is stored in has not burst. But I can make it if I so please."

"No, please don't!" I exclaim with a tremor.

He twists to me abruptly. "Oh, so you are scared of me! It appears that we have reached an impasse, but I have a solution, and it is quite simple. It's a fair trade-off."

My teeth crunch against each other. "What is it?"

"Hedonistic beings from a separate dimension have penetrated through the portal to this realm. They are creatures of the same hellish domain as the Medo. I know where they are located, and within the next year, they will threaten to obliterate everything in the known world without sense or regret. They are closing in on the Empire as we speak. Many lives will be in danger.

"That is where you come in. You must defeat them by any means necessary. Use your new Imperial Guard friends if you must, but the beasts must die." Roarke starts pacing, rubbing his bearded chin. "There are seven of them, scattered around the world with an estimated land time on Oltima. Your job is to kill them once they appear. Simple, right?"

I scoff. "Yeah right. Let me just put my life at risk for nothing. What's in it for me?

He nods, turning back. "Of course. If you can defeat all seven of these beasts, the Medo will pack up and move elsewhere. We will make our home outside of the Empire and leave you all to your own devices. No more horrible and sadistic crimes from us. No more ghastly news stories about brutal murders. But should you perish in this conquest, the deal is off the table. Nothing is stopping the creatures from coming, but I can pull out of the arrangement."

"Oh yeah? And what if you die? Will the monsters go away?"

"I can't promise that the beasts will turn from the Empire, but since the Medo doesn't have a second in command at the moment, the protocol for my death is to evacuate. But it doesn't work like that, Slater. It's the beasts or nothing. You and your human capacity cannot kill me, even if you tried." His vision drifts past me. "Isn't that right?"

"Yes, it is, Roarke." The woman behind me replies. Her voice is graceful, like a flower.

He grins. "Your petty hand to hand combat has nothing against the Medo's abilities. Which is why I am willing to grant you a gift. It will give you the upper hand against these creatures."

I swat him away from me, squeezing out of the bind between him and the woman. "I don't want your damn powers. I can defeat them on my own, with or without your help."

He steps toward me with his arm of dusk hidden behind his back. "By taking these powers, you submit yourself to this deal. And must I remind you of what your incompetence resulted in last time?" The sharp fingers spewing from the mark on his arm tug at my Imperial Guard coat. They emit a cold air, easing the sweat on my face. "How about this, Slater: I give you these powers, you take the deal. You take the deal, I won't allow your Captain to die. He will live but will have to watch you suffer. How does that sound?"

I am divided. I don't want to associate myself with the Medo in the slightest because of all the evil they commit. My connection to them would only further Craig and Lee's hatred of me, and others would look on me in disdain. Would the Imperial Guard still accept me if I stand with both parties? Roarke is willing to keep me on a leash while being a part of the Medo, but I don't think the Imperial Guard will be so lenient.

But there are two sides to this. If I take his offer of the powers, my journey to hunt these creatures will begin, and I can defend the Empire. I assume I am the only person who knows about the danger that will soon plague us. I want to protect my home, and if I have to make a sacrifice to acquire these supernatural abilities, I should do it. Especially if it means that the Captain will survive this.

"You'll heal him? He's going to be okay?"

He lifts both of his hands, exposing his rough palms. "I swear by it. You will only have to worry about the beasts."

I stare at my dress shoes with the laces undone. A silver scuff blemishes the black shine by my big toe. I have to do this. I have the fate of Oltima at sake. I need to take the challenge. For Brian.

I pick my head up and meet his blazing steel eyes. The wisps of dark dimension are creeping up my left sleeve, but I ignore their frigid touch. "I'll do it."

Roarke snarls. "Perfect."

He and his female companion cease to exist through a burst of black vapor. The snake slithering up my arm bites into my mark, and everything below my shoulder goes numb. A fierce spasm overcomes me, and the left side of my body falls victim. But once the episode ends, my mark burns hot under my uniform.

I'm alone, once again. I gaze up at the sky, blue as a glow of the mark. Cars race on both sides of the alleyway, moving to their destination wherever it may be. Pigeons perch on top of the buildings that enclose the alley, poking their heads at me. The wind dies to the level where the sun can beat down and roast me. Everything seems right in the world; calm, nonchalant. For now.

What have I done?

END OF PART THREE