Chapter 18: Chapter 5: Dreams Delayed Part 4

Zavier had a feeling of exhilaration surge through his being. He was amazed he just did that. Despite everything crazy that had happened today, it felt different when it happened to him instead of around him. He could be fundamentally different from who he was now. Different from who he had been. His confidence soaring to a fevered pitch, Zavier would up to launch a second burst. He cocked back, tightened his neck and jaw muscles to get the same tension he felt earlier in the back of his head and hurled his arms forward. Nothing happened. Zavier quickly moved his hand back and forth like he was trying to jumpstart himself. Still nothing. As much as he tried to recreate the tension he felt before, it just was not the same with him forcing it. The one he did as a reflex felt deeply embedded like the back part of his brain had scrunched. He just wasn’t triggering the same from drawing from his upper neck muscles. He felt the single greatest emotional swing of his life as he flailed his arms back and forth to no avail.

Shen had clearly evaluated Zavier’s impotence and was now focusing vicious slash after slash toward Yafu, who was holding his own through a combination of deflections and dives. It was clear from the increasing cadence of Shen’s attacks and decreasing finesse and control of Yafu’s defense who was gaining the upper hand. Yafu also was moving very gingerly, every moment and block becoming more a violent lunge over a choreographed motion. The back breaking straw finally came on a downward chopping motion from Shen that generated a vertical slash. Yafu had just deflected three attacks in quick succession and his stamina had reached its end. The attack was not particularly faster than any prior attacks, Yafu saw it with time to dodge. He may have read and reacted to this particular attack in his head with time to spare, but his body didn’t have the juice left to execute. Almost relaxing up a bit at the end in defeat, Yafu stood panting heavily with his arms hanging down and just let the slash hit him at full force with no attempt to soften or divert it. The sound was surprisingly muffled as it crashed into his torso, but the impact was clear as Yafu flew back like a limp doll and smashed head first and then back second into the wall, falling to the floor in a pile of newly formed debris.

Zavier stood there stunned. He was unsure the full extent of Yafu’s powers but he knew there was a significant chance that the impact had killed him. If it hadn’t, he was likely in critical condition. Zavier desperately wanted to go over to check for signs of life but his own survival instincts forced him to turn and face Shen. Hoping to capitalize on the rage of seeing his new friend get struck down so violently, Zavier forcibly extended his arms outward hoping a less forced technique allowed him to tap into his own soul energy. Still nothing. Shen had put his arms up in a countering positing from across the room but after watching Zavier draw dead a second time, he lowered then, gave a more focused look, and then smiled.

“I guess my priors were more correct for you than it appeared.” Shen said, emphasizing the final word in belligerent fashion in synchronization with him reaching his left hand out and making a claw shape with his finger pointing upwards. Zavier felt his stomach start to feel sick and his body hair stood up. He could almost see a force move quickly through the floor like a lengthening shadow from Shen to him. There was nothing visual on the hotel carpet but he had an almost sixth sense for it as it approached him like a rising tide at the beach. As it reached his feet he felt this force snake up around and violently constrict him. It was so sudden and tight it squeezed the air out of him and forced a violent exhale. Desperately needing air but only able to to take short forceful breaths, Zavier felt his eyes water and his movement painfully constrict down to nothing. There was a yellow glow around his body, but unlike the fuzzy siloette he had seen on Yafu and Shen, this one wrapped around him like a jagged tattoo. It was clear to Zavier that Shen had him in a more potent version of the vice grip Yafu had used on in that afternoon.

With his left hand still in the claw formation, Shen brought his right hand to the ceiling and began pulling the sphere downward. He spoke as this object made its descent. “Today’s is a great day for you. Even though I hate violence, I would have killed you like I did your ally if you were anyone else. But there is a reason to let you live. Not one for me. I have the same lethal intentions for all those who keep me from dreams, but I have a friend who feels different. Whether you know him or not, Cirko feels a great connection to you whether you feel it or not. A connection through the worlds. A connection he himself does not fully understand. I see the same obsession to get to the truth of that connection that I have with my goals. I will deliver him a chance to service his obsessions the way he has given me a chance to service mine. That is why you avoid death for the time being despite your grave crimes against me.” As Shen finished his monologue, the sphere reached the floor at the center of the room and flattened into a ring. The glow had intensified greatly since the first time Zavier saw it. He could tell they were reaching the end of the ritual. 

A sense of dread washed over Zavier. He had no reason to believe that Yafu had exaggerated the consequences of the completion of this ritual. Desperate to try something, to get out of the way of the oncoming train he could feel flying towards him, Zaiver began to struggle violently against his bonds. Shen responded by squeezing more. Zaiver winced in pain. He would have yelled if he had the ability to do so. His arms felt seconds away from snapping in two. He kept trying to mimic the compressing feeling in his head he felt the one time he had used his own soul energy for a final time. Nothing again. It felt so distant and unreachable now Zavier was beginning to doubt he had done it all. It was a little crazy to be calling on magical powers he had spent eighteen years never thinking anyone was capable of much less him. His efforts continued to be futile despite trying over and over again. He began to give up and stopped his physical struggle against the bonds, hoping Shen would notice and loosen them back to where they were initially. No such mercy was afforded.

Zavier stood there constricted in a straight upright standing position with his legs locked together and his arms pressing in hard on his ribcage. In this position, he was completely defeated and would not be fighting anymore. At this point, he was going to have to try his luck with this Cirko person. Shen had clearly shifted focus from Zavier to the ring on the floor in front of him. Zavier could feel the vibrations in the air getting stronger and stronger. It was causing him to unintentionally jostle with his bonds creating a great amount of pain for Zavier. At this point, he was looking forward to the end of the ritual.

Suddenly the vibrations stopped. Zavier focused in on the ring waiting to see what the end would look like. He anticipated Shen’s allies to come crawling out of the ring, although he had absolutely no idea on how this really worked. But there was no one coming out. After about five seconds of waiting for a sign from the ring, Zavier looked up at Shen hoping to get more clues on what was going to happen. What he saw surprised him. Shen’s expression, which had been one of focus and control since he disposed of Yafu, was now one of nervous defensiveness. His eyes were darting back and forth throughout the room. Zaiver could also feel the temperature of the room begin to drop precipitously. Did the ritual go wrong? Zavier wondered.

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