Drea’s dreams were filled with a mess of colors, numbers, and words, all blurring together like paint. Different bits of information kept bouncing through her mind at random intervals as she tossed and turned in a restless sleep.
After hours of unrest, she felt the dreams dissipate as her mind began to work again. In a burst of light, the dark dreams ended and bits of light broke through. She opened her eyes and waited for her vision to come into focus.
Drea was in a dimly lit room, lying on her back. She was on a bed. She sat up and looked around. A set of curtains were cutting off the light, while a small bed lamp sat by her side. She put her head in her hands and just sat for a little while, trying to remember what she was dreaming about.
It all felt like it was important in some way, but Drea just couldn’t remember. She sat there for some time before she slipped out of bed and rubbed her eyes. She was dressed in the shorts and t-shirt that she had been wearing before, but she didn’t feel like changing them.
She slipped out of bed and went to the door. The hallway was completely empty. Since no one was around, she slipped out the door and began to walk past the multitude of doorways. It was quiet, which felt strange to Drea somehow; she thought someone would be watching her.
As she walked further and further, Drea felt her head beginning to hurt. She leaned against the wall, trying to regain her composure, but when she reopened her eyes, she didn’t see the long hallways anymore. She saw long shadows reaching for her from every direction, whispering her name. She began to run down the hallway, trying to escape it all. She saw symbols erupting from the walls, but she didn’t stay long enough to see what they were.
She suddenly whacked into something hard and the vision faded. She blinked a few times until her eyes refocused. Drea was lying on the floor with a tall man standing over her. She sat up to see that he was slender with short brown hair. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept in weeks with the bags under his eyes. His hair was ruffled like he’d just got out of bed, and his clothing made him appear like he just didn’t care.
He reached down to help her up. She took his hand and was surprised at his strength. He was strong, but he sure didn’t look it. “Are you alright?” he asked her.
He seemed familiar somehow, but Drea just couldn’t remember why. “W-who are you?”
“My name is Luke,” he said.
“Luke…” Drea looked down. “Like the previous Weaponsmaster?”
He smiled warmly and chuckled without responding. “And I suppose you’re Andrea, the new Weaponsmaster everyone’s been talking about.”
Drea felt like her world had been turned upside down. She was standing in front of the guy whose powers she had stolen. Imagine how bad that felt.
She started to say something when he interrupted, “Why don’t we talk in my room. It’s just a little farther from here.”
He took her down the hall and down some stairs to the part of the headquarters that seemed more lived in. Wherever she was before, it seemed like the hospital or something. They entered a fairly spacious room with white walls. It was fairly bland.
“This is where you live?” she asked as she sat at his small round dining table.
“Yes. I may not be Weaponsmaster anymore, but I still have a room here.”
“I’m sorry I took your powers,” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “You’d still be the Weaponsmaster if it wasn’t for me.”
He looked at her without showing his emotions. “I’m not unhappy that I lost my abilities.” Drea looked up at him in surprise. “My head wasn’t in that after the death of my family. I would’ve only caused the deaths of many more Kaienshi.” He sighed sadly. “It’s just too bad someone so young took my place.”
His eyes were full of regret and sadness. He was not at all as Drea had envisioned him. Luke looked around before meeting her eyes again. “I never thought someone young like you would be robbed of their childhood. I’m sorry.”
“I understand,” she whispered, sadness lacing her voice. “What happened to her family?”
He sighed slowly. It was clear he had a hard time talking about it. She thought he wouldn’t answer, but after a few minutes of silence, he said, “My wife was also a Kaienshi. The two of us would fight together from time to time. We had a daughter. She was ten years old in your years. One day I was on a mission. It was dangerous. We were supposed to capture the spies we’d found and bring them back for questioning, but one escaped. I first went to my family to make sure they were safe, and that’s where I found him.” He paused and took a deep breath. “They were still alive when I arrived. He slit their throats in front of me, before I could stop him…”
Drea felt her heart stop as she saw a single tear slide down his cheek. He’d lost everything, and that’s exactly what she feared would happen to her.
After another minute, he wiped his eyes and smiled a sad smile. “Do not be afraid. You are much stronger than I. You will save those close to you.”
He looked up into the sky. “I’ve wanted to repay everyone for my uselessness over the past six years, but I see of no way to do that now. I wish I could’ve been a better Weaponsmaster , but I just couldn’t move forward from my loss.” Drea could feel his sadness. He’d lost his chance to do good. He’d lost everything.
“It’s never too late Luke. It’s never too late,” Drea muttered almost to herself, as all her thoughts about her brother fluttered around in her head.
“I’m sorry,” he said again.
“For what?” he couldn’t possibly know about Kevin.
“For the pain this power has caused you.” He truly empathized with her. Then he changed the subject: “Why were you running down the hallway?”
“I was seeing shadows and symbols. I think I’m going crazy.” Drea looked down into her lap, thinking about what she must’ve looked like.
“You just entered the Shrine,” Luke said knowingly.
“How did you know?” Drea snapped cautiously.
“There’s so much in there, it’s so easy to be overwhelmed. I assume you did well on the test?”
She nodded and smiled.
“I was able to pass their test, but I knew I couldn’t fulfill even my own potential as Weaponsmaster,” he said with disappointment. “I really never had a chance.” He looked up with his ever sad eyes. “Your mind is just trying to process all the information. You’ll be seeing things like that for some time, at least until it all really seeps into you. Be careful though; those visions may cause you to do something you regret if you’re not seeing straight.”
He said all of this as if he’d been through it before, and maybe he had.
“When I entered the Shrine,” he continued on, “The snakes surprised me, but I passed nonetheless. Their knowledge is what scared me.”
When Drea heard him say that her breath caught in her chest. She hadn’t ever expected to hear anyone speak about the Shrine, mostly because they couldn’t. She’d forgotten that they both had been inside, and they both knew all those secrets.
“So you still have the mark?”
He stuck out his tongue and there it was: the black symbol. “It never leaves.”
There was another moment of silence. “I wish I could ask you so many things,” Drea said sadly, “but I don’t know what to ask. I can’t even process the things happening in my own head.” She felt defeated, more so than she’d have thought.
He stared at her with his great still eyes, making her feel like someone of power, like a hero. “You don’t need to ask me anything. I know you’ll be a great Weaponsmaster, despite your young age. Never underestimate yourself.”
Drea looked into his eyes. He said everything he needed to say just by looking into her. She smiled sadly as he said, “I’ll be around any time you need me. Don’t hesitate to give me a call when you’re feeling down or confused. I know I wasn’t the greatest Weaponsmaster, but I will do what I can to help.”
Drea felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude towards Luke. He’d only known her for a short time as the girl who stole his powers and yet he was so kind to her. Maybe he wasn’t the greatest Weaponsmaster, but he was a great person.
Then he looked up all of a sudden and stood. “It seems your friends are out looking for you.”
Drea’s eyes widened as she remembered that she just left her room and ran down some random hallways until she bumped into Luke. She didn’t even really know where she was.
“Don’t worry,” said Luke as he sat back down. “They can trace your aura. They’ll find you here.”
They talked for a while after that about what they’d seen and their time as Weaponsmasters. It was nice to chat about the things she’d seen, for she’d never be able to do that with anyone else.
After about another hour, there was a knock on the door. Don’t let him hear you, Zen whispered as a flame went down her throat. Understood. She responded.
Luke got up to get it and Danny and John rushed in. They both looked at her angrily, no doubt because they’d spent quite a while looking for her.
“So…” she said casually. “How’s it going?”
“Why did you leave that room?” spouted Danny.
“It’s not like anyone was there to stop me. Besides, I was just talking to Luke.” She looked over to him as he came over and stood in between her and them. He reminded her of a father; strong, yet humble, kind, yet tough.
Danny looked down nonchalantly, thinking probably. John sighed. “Well, I guess she didn’t cause any harm. Thanks for finding her Luke.”
He nodded and looked into Drea’s eyes again. Going into that Shrine gave you so much information. Remember to keep it under control. He stared at her with his kind eyes, searching her face. Until we meet again, young Andrea.
Luke stood and backed up. Drea stood after him and followed John and Danny out. As the door closed she whispered to him, Thank you. He smiled and shut the door, leaving the three of them alone.
Danny and John walked on either side of her, as they lead her down the endless hallways. It was incredibly quiet, but that gave Drea some time to think.
Luke’s sad eyes made her want save every Kaienshi and human out there from the pain he felt. She knew she couldn’t do that, and she knew it would tear her up on the inside. She would save as many as she could, but that would never be enough.