The Zodiac: Chapter 12

Leo’s blade swept through in a blaze that cut the air. Aries ducked under the blade but the flames still singed his face. Grunting in pain he dashed from under her and landed a few feet away. His body crackling with power he dashed at her again thrusting his spear forward.

Leo’s hand shot up as she grabbed the blade of the spear. It pierced through her hand but it stopped before even coming close to her face. She turned to look at him with her flaming eyes and then slashed her sword toward his neck.

Aries went to duck again when Leo yanked him back into place. Shocked he went with her pull and jumped forward. Planting his boot on her face he back flipped over the sword. Tightening his grip on the spear he swung it out of her hand and made sure the hammer collided with her head.

Leo roared as the blow jarred her and she was knocked backwards several steps. She stumbled back and forth only feeling her pain. Leo shook her head slowly trying to make the black flee from her vision.

Aries tightened his grip on his spear and then ran straight at her. “Run Aries!” The burst of speed was intense and he was a blur of energy-enhanced movement. Leo’s eyes opened slowly and then looked at him shocked. Aries thrust his spear into the ground and then vaulted forward slamming his foot into her chest.

He kicked her through the hole in the railing and he landed awkwardly. Grunting in pain he grabbed his foot as the flames tried to eat through his shoes but he smothered the fire. Aries walked to the edge of mezzanine where he saw Leo flat on her back.

She was working her way to her feet though it was slow. She shook her head and growled. Letting go of the sword as she ran fingers through her hair and across her face. The flames died on the blade, instead they were just surrounding her hands. Whipping her head around she turned her eyes onto Aries. He jumped off the edge and landed on even footing with her.

“How long can you continue this?” Aries asked not expecting a response. Since she had ignited she hadn’t spoken much. All he could feel from her was just rage.

“As… long.  As…. it takes…” She forced out. Her voice was horse from screaming. Smoke escaped her mouth with each word. Leo looked at Aries and her burning eyes faded slightly. Her amber eyes were shining through the glow but her flames weren’t fading.

“So you’re starting to get the hang of your power.” Aries gripped his spear with both hands again. “Though I don’t know if the return to your senses is a boon or a hindrance.”

Leo grabbed her sword and the flames jumped from her hand to the length of the blade again.  “Shut… up.” She growled through her cloud of smoke.

Leo jumped at him again and drove the blade down. Aries jumped to the side as the ground exploded in flames. The force caught him and he was blown backwards. She leaped forward as another slash missed the ram. The air was set aflame and the propulsion forced Aries into the glass window. It didn’t break but it did crack.

Aries looked at Leo who hesitantly grabbed her blade with both hands and then swung straight down. Flames leaped from the edge of the blade and shot forward in a wave.  Aries leaped to the side and Leo was on him in an instant. Aries threw himself forward and rolled away from the lion’s sword. It hit the ground in another explosion of flame.

“Stop… jumping around.” She growled.

Aries shook his head. “I do that and I die.”

There was a sharp crack and both Zodiac turned toward it. It was the sound of earth being split probably a strike. Then they felt it, the largest concentration of a constellation that they’d ever felt in their lives.

There was another sound and this time the floor below their feet started to rumble. It shook underneath their feet again and this time they both stumbled and fell.  Aries had his spear to keep him up but Leo dropped her sword in the fall. 

Suddenly there was a huge explosion that sent both Zodiac flying through the air onto opposite sides of the ballroom.  Leo slammed into the wall so disoriented that her flames extinguished. She slid down the wall landing roughly on the mezzanine. Groaning she rolled to the side slowly as she looked at the smoke. There were pieces of the ballroom floor slamming into the ground and a huge cloud of smoke. Except in the center she could see something glowing. It faded away as she tried to look closer.

“Gemini Tempest!” The whine of wind that came was enough to make Leo cover her ears in pain. Two shapes shot out of the smoke and flew into two of the columns below Leo. The impact shattered them. With those no longer holding her up, she sank forward. It didn’t collapse but gravity sent her tumbling toward the floor. She hit it and rolled so that she wasn’t hurt more than she already was.

Capricorn groaned as he dug himself out of the rubble and Gemini did the same. “Okay Gem, I’m glad you got onto our level and everything but warn me before you use it again alright?”

“Got it.” Gemini groaned as he dragged his sword out of the rubble.

Both of them looked like hell, covered in cuts, bruises and blood.

“Who did this to you two?” Leo grunted

Capricorn raised his hand. “That would be that guy.”

Leo didn’t have to ask who he was pointing at. The smoke was clearing and she saw him standing with Aries. Cancer sheathed his blades in scabbards on his back as he turned around to look at them. His black eyes were turning back to their former blues and he was even able to smile.

“Leo too?” Cancer chuckled softly. “Who else has decided to come and visit us?”

“Virgo and Taurus are here somewhere. Most likely near Libra,” Aries said trying to ignore his pain. He grabbed his spear and then bowed his head. “I had hoped that we could handle this without you stepping in.”

Cancer shook his head. “No, don’t worry about it. I wanted to say hello to Gem at least.”

“What? I’m not good enough?!” Capricorn shouted. “I’m hurt you stupid crab!”

Cancer laughed. “You know that Gem and I go further back.”

“Cancer, you’re going to pay for all of this!” Leo shouted and her anger was back. It wasn’t yet at the levels of her fire but it would get there.

“Leo, I see you and Aries have made quite the mess of things here.” He said with a dry laugh. “You’re going to have to fix this up somehow.”

She responded with a roar. Picking through the rubble she dragged her sword free from stone and readied it at her side.

Cancer spread his arms in a show of peace. “You three are the leaders of the rebellion though the common people may not know your faces. We could use you. All of us under one roof. The things we could do together. Move mountains, change the world.”

“We will never join you.” Capricorn said shaking his head. “We’ll fight you until Nerodala is free again. We won’t let you start wars with our neighbors and cause hell for everyone involved. All for your world domination.”

Gemini shook his head. “You imprisoned Libra. Alpha knows what you did to Aqua. Whoever you are, you aren’t the Cancer I knew. So I’m going to make sure you go down if it’s the last thing I do!”

Leo just roared again, her anger giving off so much heat that Capricorn and Gemini shied away from it. Cancer could feel it from across the ballroom and he took a slow breath.

“It seems they won’t change their minds. Aries, we can’t hold back anymore. We won’t try to capture them any longer. They’re better off dead. Maybe the next reincarnations will be better.”

Aries looked at him with wide eyes. But when Cancer looked back at him, he flinched and put a hand to his head. Aries shut his eyes and glanced away from him but nodded his head. “Alright.” He said in resignation. “No more holding back.”

 Leo glanced at Gemini and then back at Cancer. “We need to fight like we mean it or else we are going to die.”

“Well, it’s been nice knowing the two of you.” Capricorn said and stretched both his legs. “Couldn’t ask for better family then you two.”

Leo rolled her eyes and raised her claymore into a fighting position. “I think I could have had better.”

“Oh come on Leo. You don’t mean that.” Gemini said as he raised his own sword into the air. “We’re your cubs after all.”

“Shut up.” And she smiled at him this time. Capricorn stood and started hopping on his feet. His energy was increasing as he focused his constellation. “I hope your training paid off.”

Leo’s energy finally boiled over. Gemini’s unstable energy merged together as he focused it. Capricorn’s bouncing energy settled ready to explode. Aries’s crackling energy was ready to strike. Cancer’s over whelming wave of energy was about to crash down over them.

“Leo Ignite!”

“Aries Bolt.”

“Kick Capricorn!”

“Cancer Impact.”

“Split Gemini!”

The goat and ram took to the air while the lion and twin raced toward the crab. When the five of them converged the entire room shook and exploded with energy.

Taurus held Virgo high in the air by the throat and Virgo’s struggles were getting weaker and weaker. “Your power is waning Virgo.” Taurus said simply as he looked up at the man.

Virgo’s eyes were all but back to normal, the glow around them faint. There were holes in his clothes from the times that he had barely avoided the bull’s horns. He was bruised in numerous places

“I was… never much of a fighter brother.” Virgo said softly and Taurus turned, throwing him across the ground. He skidded and shouted in pain as Taurus constellation increased again.

“I know. Which makes this far too easy.” Taurus said as he walked toward him. “It’s no better than bullying.”

Virgo started to stand and his eyes focused on someone else. His eyes widened as he saw Libra slowly approaching the bull. He shook his head trying to reach out to her. He couldn’t muster enough energy to summon his power. He couldn’t keep her away from him.

“Do not worry Virgo. I will only knock you unconscious.” He said but Libra was running at him as fast as her tiny feet could carry her.

Virgo dragged himself upward slowly as he raised his hand up. His eyes started to glow for the barest of a moment when Libra’s constellation flared up a second. It was a perfectly even sensation and even Taurus felt it. He turned around but it was too late. Libra’s small hand touched his chest and her eyes closed.

“Libra Judgment.” It all happened in an instant. One moment Taurus was standing and the next he was on his ground.  Libra stood steady for a moment and then wobbled to the wall. Her eyes were rolled behind her head as she slumped against the ground.

“Libra!”

Forcing himself to his feet Virgo ran toward the downed child. He quickly stepped over the bull and kneeled down beside her. He checked her pulse and it was beating strong. In fact, it was beating stronger than normal. Picking the child up he held her against his chest and brushed her hair from her face slowly.

“Little one, what have you done?” he asked. He reached out to her hesitantly and when he touched her forehead he gasped. Energy poured into him more than he thought this tiny girl could possess on her own. Turning around he stared down at the bull and it dawned on him. “Your judgment is truly a terrifying thing little one. However, you’ve taken more than you can handle on your own. Let me lighten your load. Achieve balance once more.”

Virgo held her against his chest and then took her hand in his own. He stifled the sound as the energy rushed into him again. It was almost painful the intensity in which it wished to leave Libra. Taking a slow and forced step forward he continued forward to locate the wall again. They needed to get out by any means necessary.

It didn’t take long for Libra’s excess energy to return all that she had and more. However it was beginning to become too much for him as well. The reserves of the bull were truly a fearsome thing.

“Repent Virgo.” Sweeping his arm through the air a sphere of energy formed around them. It expanded slowly but gained speed as it gained size. It swept over everything around them from the stones to the rats to the corpses. He was creating a map with this pulse and so far he wasn’t finding a way out for them.

The sphere was taking a constant drain of his energy, but with the state that Libra was in it worked perfectly. Each step they took forward the sphere continued forward and nothing but stone awaited his search.

“By our mother and her sister where is the end of this blasted tunnel.” Virgo said getting as close to swearing, as he would ever allow himself.

When his patience was reaching its limit the unthinkable had happened. His sphere had touched the first hint of the outside. His head jerked upward and though he couldn’t see the outside his energy was telling him otherwise. He started running, pushing himself further into a sprint. All of these things were causing him to expend energy and yet there was still more to be taken.

Libra began to stir the closer they got and he glanced down at her only to nearly fall. Regaining his footing he made a note to not get distracted while running. Jumping over the rubble of his fight with Taurus he had to be careful, as he had to avoid rocks and some of the still burning puddles of oil.

Finally however he could see an end in sight. He saw the beginnings of the wall and he knew they were almost there. Libra mumbled something but he didn’t hear it. Virgo slowed down as they got closer and brought the energy sphere down. Once all that energy returned to him he focused it into his palm.

With a slow nod he narrowed his eyes. “Alright. Here we go.” Taking a step back he thrust his palm forward and the energy exploded out of his palm. It spiraled forward the size of the dungeon. It tore at the walls shredding loose rocks from their places. Dragging them down it gained speed and intensity to the point of being visible. When it collided with the wall it exploded outward sending stone and dust flying into the air. The sunlight streamed in from the outside and it was blinding for a moment.

Raising his hand up, he blocked it from his vision as he continued to walk forward slowly. One foot in front of the other he waited for his eyes to adjust. Once he finally reached the edge he stared down at the field. There were two sights before him. One was Aquarius Lake, which was promising, and the other was Zodiac Forest.

Zodiac Forest was a special place for the Zodiac. The legend was that was where not only where the weapons of the Zodiac were forged, but also the place where if one ventured deep enough they would be able to see their mother Alpha.  Virgo never saw the need to test or prove such a legend because he always felt their mother in his heart. However, given the circumstances it might be the perfect place to escape to.

Virgo looked down and saw they were a fair distance off the ground. If they jumped he might be injured enough to prevent their escape. Taking a breath, he jumped forward before throwing energy around the two of them. The sphere of it surrounded them and then they were standing on air. Concentrating heavily, he lowered them to ground steadily.

Though Virgo knew that flying was possible he had not tested it extensively. All of them could harness their energy to make momentary platforms for secondary movement however only he could actually fly. He’d done it only a few times when he was a child and once more as an adult. Though he had succeeded in getting levitation he did not maintain it for long. Now however he had to force it to work and so far so good.

Libra’s eyes opened as they were in the air and she was startled however she didn’t move. She could feel Virgo’s energy around them and what’s more she could feel the tenseness in Virgo. She turned her face up toward him and touched his cheek. “Balance Libra.”

Virgo’s face relaxed but his concentration didn’t waver. In fact it got easier for him to concentrate. Though he didn’t open his eyes he knew that it was much in part thanks to Libra. As his feet finally touched the ground his eyes opened and the glow faded seconds later. Turning to her he smiled.

“Welcome back little one.”

Libra beamed at him. “Thank you, Virgo.”

Virgo took a second to look at their surroundings. They had landed closer to Aquarius Lake then he had thought but they were safe.

“Where are the others?” She asked her voice muffled slightly.

Virgo turned back toward the castle and frowned. “They remain in the castle. They are doing their best to find Aqua. Alpha is watching over them now and they will return to us.”

Virgo hoped as much. He couldn’t leave Libra there but they might need his help. Shaking his head slowly he walked toward the lake when the waters started to recede. He stared at the surface and his eyes widened. The surface of the lake had turned to luminescent blue before his eyes.

A figure rose from the lake. “You. How are you here?” Virgo said before looking back toward the castle.

“Don’t worry brother. I’m going to rescue them.”