• Defeating the Unspoken: A Phantom Dust Short Story

    “Damn them and their beliefs, eh Alpha?” Edgar said while preparing to explore the surface. Alpha looked at him and made a gasping noise, patting back his silvery hair that rose an inch above his head and combed back. “Yeah, you’ve never got anything to say,” Edgar said while zipping on his tight black and red leather top. The belts hung from it around the shoulder area, no longer than six inches. He was very slender, scrawny even. His leather pants matched his top and were skin tight. Atop his head was an awry Elvis-like do, like Elvis in the morning.
    Alpha had the same slender build, black leather pants and all. His top was more like belts strapped over his body, only covering 40% of his torso under a green jacket, unzipped.
    A big man dressed in the Esper’s uniform and mask burst into the room. “What the hell are you two still doing here?! Every other able fighter has been wounded since the last time Freia showed up! You two are the only ones, and we got three monsters approaching the hideout. Take care of them quickly; we wouldn’t want the dust to take you.”
    “Quit your shouting, Meister,” Edgar said standing up,” we were on our way out, right Alpha?”
    Alpha nodded and rose to walk out of the room.

    Alpha and Edgar broke their arsenal capsules and the sand began to form an aura around them, outlining their silhouettes. They looked around the desolate mess of broken highways and ruined buildings in search of the monsters.
    “Shame no one remembers how it used to be, huh Alpha?” Edgar said while searching around.
    Alpha gave him the same blank stare and speechless grunt. As he turned, he saw a monster. A humanoid with two legs, two arms, running to the left of them. It looked like some sort of a demonic doll, a sad attempt at a human being.
    Wasting no time, Alpha dashed towards it. He formed dust-turned energy around his arm in the shape of some sort of sword. He leapt forward and spun, slashing the humanoid creature and knocking him down.
    “Alpha!” Edgar yelled. Alpha looked over to see Edgar facing two creatures, on with a mask over its face. He dashed forward and punched one with the dust’s energy formed around his forearm. The other went to strike him, but Alpha was too fast. He dashed in front of Edgar and held his arm out. A blue shield circled around the two and deflected the blow. Pulling his arm back, Alpha formed another sword from the dust’s energy, this time smaller and less effective as he slashed the creature. It just took two steps back, confused, and Alpha formed a bigger sword around the other arm and swung upwards, spinning around. This time he hit the creature dead on, and it spun as it flew backwards and crashed into the ground.
    “Look at you. Such a badass, eh?” said Edgar with a smile. He turned to face the creature he had punched, “This guy can’t get enough,” he said as he lifted his arms. His aura glowed red around him like an outline and the energy he gained from the dust formed around his fist. “Guess it’s time to give him another one.”
    The creature lunged forward, mimicking his attack. Edgar was barely able to duck and roll out of the way before he was hit. He stood quickly and lunged forward to punch, but he was just out of range. His fist missed by a few inches, and it gave the creature the chance to strike. A clean shot, right in the cheek, sent Edgar a few feet back and into the ground.
    Alpha ducked under a bullet of energy shot by a creature, then held his arm out as a blue shield formed to block the one shot shortly after by the masked one. Unfortunately, the shield shattered and Alpha was left defenseless. He jumped to the left to dodge another bullet and shot his right arm out, shooting an energy bullet of his own before diving behind a ruined wall. The bullet hit one creature in the shoulder and it stumbled back. The other drew closer, gathering energy for a fuller offense.
    Edgar jumped, energy formed around him allowing him to jump higher than any normal human. He landed with a roll on a highway above him and charged energy, preparing to go all out. He jumped back as a creature drilled a hole through the middle of the road and flew upwards through, landing roughly a few feet in front of Edgar. With a smile, Edgar dashed forward. Forming a knife around his hand with energy, he stabbed the creature in the stomach. He lifted his opposite leg and kicked the creature in the head, pulling his energy knife out of it as it fell. Edgar waited for the creature to stand up, the held his arm out, grabbing it with the other hand as if to hold it up. He shot a bullet that forced his arm back as the energy left his body, and it caught the creature square in the chest. It flew back and crumpled as it reduced to sand and flew away.
    Alpha turned away from the wall and dashed out, energy forming around his arm like a sword. He dove as the masked creature shot a bullet of energy at him, diving right over it. He tucked and rolled, and as he stood up he pushed forward and spun, slashing the creature with his energy sword. He barely nicked it, however, so the masked creature only stumbled back. It returned with a forward kick in the chest and an uppercut that had Alpha falling back.
    Edgar saw that Alpha was in trouble. He leapt from the highway above and fell face forward, firing energy bullets as he fell. When he was closer to the ground, he formed a sword around his arm and swung downwards, slashing the creature just under the neck so that it stumbled forward. Edgar landed on its back, sending it crashing to the ground. Its face smashed and shattered pieces fell and its mask fell of. Edgar stood up, lifting it by its shoulders, pushed it back and slashed it with another energy sword as it fell. Alpha caught a glimpse of its face, which looked like his own. The sight triggered memories, which came as flashes too quick to see clearly. His head was pounding, and he leaned forward and held it with both hands. As the flashing ended, he was breathing heavily.
    “Sorry, Alpha,” Edgar said. Alpha looked up to see Edgar standing over him, his hand held outward in front of his face. An energy bullet launched from it and hit Alpha dead on, knocking him back and impairing his senses.
    Alpha let out a cry and attempted to stand, but Edgar was already in front of him again.
    “If you could only remember, Alpha. If only you knew,” he said as he kicked Alpha in the ribs. “I’ve been meeting out here with Freia quite often, and she’s shown me everything. We only have a few minutes to go back under, so I’ll make this quick,” he said, forming a knife around his hand. He dashed quickly to Alpha and attempted to stab him, but Alpha jumped to the side. He charged a sword around his arm and spun, slashing Edgar and knocking him back.
    “You...you really don’t get it,” Edgar said with a laugh as he stood up, “I created you. You are my creation!”
    Alpha braced himself for a fight, despite his weakened state. He was injured and the sands were getting to him. He lunged forward in an attempt to stab Edgar with an energy knife, but Edgar lifted his hand upwards and blocked it with a shield, then slashed downwards with a knife of his own, forcing Alpha to the ground at Edgar’s feet.
    “I created you. I created all of you. Those creatures, they are failed attempts at creating you.”
    Alpha swung his arm upward in an uppercut infused with energy, but Edgar stepped back to dodge. He grabbed Alpha’s arm with both hands and swung him around, tossing him into a support beam for the highway above.
    “You were supposed to be my friend. You were supposed to support me. But you didn’t, you didn’t! This is all your fault, Alpha!” Edgar yelled angrily.
    Alpha was confused. He had no idea what was going on, nor why Edgar was attacking him. His head rang as he stood up to face Edgar again, and quickly shot a bullet of energy. Edgar, caught off guard, was struck by the bullet in the middle, and he hunched over in pain. Alpha dashed quickly and slashed at Edgar with an energy knife, which knocked Edgar off balance and he fell to the side.
    Alpha didn’t want to kill Edgar. He didn’t want to kill anyone, but he would if he had to. They had three minutes left before the dust would get to them and wipe their memories, so Alpha had to knock Edgar out quickly. He held his arm out to shoot an energy bullet at Edgar. He charged it up while Edgar was down, but he recovered quickly. Something Alpha was not counting on. Edgar grabbed Alpha by the jacket near his shoulders and lifted him up. He crouched and jumped with energy fueling his jump straight up. He lifted Alpha so that his back collided with the highway above, forcing a hole through it, and let him go. Alpha fell hard, bouncing twice and rolling a few feet while Edgar tucked and rolled softly.
    Alpha forced himself on one knee and started throwing everything he had left at Edgar. Energy bullets, fireballs formed from energy, rocks from the sky, lasers flying at all angles, all at Edgar. He blocked a few lasers before rocks hit him on the head and his shields fell. He fell back with each hit, and took heavy damage. His arms were burnt and his shoulders and collar bone was broken. He must have had two broken ribs, and he lay on his back for quite some time.
    Blood dripping from his mouth, Alpha rested on one knee. There was only a minute left, but they were close to the entrance of their shelter. Alpha tried to make a run for it, but he stumbled and fell. He was growing dizzy, and his vision was blurred. Edgar approached him, showing signs of pain but still walking straight.
    “Sorry...Alpha...it’s the way...this has to be...” he said, and he held his hand in Alpha’s face.
    A blast of energy, a loud cry as Alpha’s body collapsed, his face a hardly recognizable pulp of blood and bruises. Edgar walked along towards the shelter, barely making it in time. As he closed the hatch, the dust picked up in strong winds, and Alpha’s dead body, pale and cold, disintegrated into dust. From atop a ruined building, so high up that the dust couldn’t reach, stood Freia. She had witnessed it all.