Aio walks out with Aren, bags in hand. The school was closed for three weeks due to the attack, and repairs needed to be done. Aren leads Aio out to train him in completely mastering the second layer. A car pulls up to take them to the mountain training grounds. Lisa walks out to say goodbye.
"Get in the car, I need to talk with someone." Aren says to Aio, as he walks to Lisa.
"Are you okay, Aren?" Lisa asks with a concerned look.
"No, I failed him. I've failed him so many times and I failed you and her. How can I save him from himself if I can't even protect him and my friends?" Aren says with hurt in his voice.
"First, what happened with my sister Laura wasn't your fault, you couldn't have possibly known. Second you didn't fail Aio, things will happen, you can't always be there for him all you can do is prepare him and that's exactly what you were doing and hope he changes. he's already changing because of you." Laura answers, grabbing Aren's hand and holding it. Aren gets tears in his eyes, and Lisa pulls him into a hug to comfort him. "I'll always be here for you no matter what."
"Thank you, Lisa. I come if you ever need me." Aren replies and walks off. Armed blocks his path.
"Did you think that you could leave without your best friend?" Armed asks.
"Oh yeah, I forgot, where is he?" Aren asks, looking around. "Where's Eight?"
"You've got to be kidding me if you're going to bring that piece of work with you to help train Aio, instead of me." Armed replies with sarcastic hurt.
"Don't worry you are my 5th choice." Aren replies. Armed scoffs with sarcastic hurt. "Don't worry man, I had Jake pack your stuff already. I have another car on its way to pick you and Jake up. I just need to talk to one other kid before I leave." Aren adds
"You don't mean him? Everyone knows that you can't trust him." Armed asks.
"I do mean him, and if he comes up I can keep an eye on him, and learn more. I can keep him out of trouble and I'd rather be with him than any other hero risking his life being around him. We both know he won't try anything with me around." Aren replies. He then walks off to talk to Dark Void.
He walks into the dorms and tracks down his target, Dark Void. He knocks on the young man's door. His target then answers it.
"What do you want?" He asks.
"Can I have a moment of your time, Dark Void?" Neon asks.
"Yeah sure, whatever." Dark Void answers. Neon walks in and stops in the middle of the room, and faces Dark Void. "Okay, what are you here for?" Dark Void asks.
"I was wondering if you would like to come up to the mountains to train and help train Aio?" Neon asks. Dark Void was happy that he had his mask was on to hide his surprise. He thought for a few moments, while he just stared at Neon. He could find out more about Neon's and Aio's powers, and weaknesses.
He then asked, "Will anyone else be coming?" He wanted to see if he could get any more info to help him make his decision.
"Yes, Armed and Jake will be going." Neon answered. Dark Void continued to ponder the decision, he hasn't met Armed before and it would be beneficial to meet him and understand his powers and weaknesses too. He didn't find Jake much of a threat
"Fine, I'll do it, but just because I have nothing to do for the next few weeks and I could use some entertainment." Dark Void finally decides. Neon was smiling and thanks him before leaving the room.
"Pack, we will be leaving in fifteen minutes." Neon says while walking out the door. Dark Void heads to his room, following Neon's instructions.
Aren wasn't even out of the building before, Lisa finds and stops him.
"Don't tell me that you are bringing Dark Void to the help train Aio. Everyone knows that he can't be trusted. No one knows anything about him." Lisa says to Aren, half yelling.
"I know, and that is why I'm bringing him, Armed and I can keep an eye on him while finding out more about him." Aren says back calmly, while placing a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. Lisa sighs and tries to calm down.
"I care about you and Aio. I don't want anything to happen to you two " Lisa says in a caring voice. She places a hand on Aren's cheek. A few moments pass between them before Aren takes his hand and removes hers from his cheek. He sighs,turns away and walks out.
"I'm sorry I just can't." Aren says looking back before the door shuts. Lisa just looks down to hide her pain and frustration with herself. When Aren is out of sight she palms her face
"Stupid, stupid, stupid! Nice going Lisa, you blew it again!" Lisa yells at herself. She loves Aren but she thinks she blows it every time that they are together. She regains her composure and walks up to Dark Voids room, and knocks on the door.
"Stop bothering me Neon, I'm packing!" Dark Void says while he answers the door. When he sees that it's Lisa he pauses and just stares. Lisa with a fire in her eyes closes the distance.
"If you even think of hurting them I'll kill you and melt the skin off your face." Lisa yells at Dark Void, but he remains unfazed.
"I think your puppy love for him is clouding your judgement. I don't think the principal would like this too much." Dark Void answers and slams the door in her face. Lisa was almost offended by what he said, but he was right she shouldn't have done that. She tries to regain he composure again. When she did, she walks away and the floor where she was standing was singed black.
An hour and a half later, Neon asked for Dark Void, Armed, and Jake to unload the luggage into the lodge. "Armed, when you guys are done come meet us at the training ground." Neon said. "Got it." Replies armed. When Neon and Aio reached the grounds Aren took off his mask and began to speak. "Aio, today I'm going to start teaching you how to use the second layer."
"Really?! Yes!" Aio partially yells in excitement. "Hold on." Aren says seriously, calming Aio down. "It's not like what you're thinking. In order to train you in the second layer, you need to master other aspects of the first.
"I thought that I already mastered the first layer." Aio states with some confusion.
"You did except for the frequency variation. With it you can stop different forms of energy attacks, and it will also help you fight other aura types. You'll come across a variety of different power beings with several different types of auras and if you can transition the frequency of your first layer then you would have the potential to stop any attack that comes. This will help you get revenge, because you don't know the tainted that you will come across in your pursuit of revenge." Aren says to Aio, with a hint of sadness at the end. Aio nods and agrees with him.
"Miss Laura, brothers, sisters, I will avenge you if it's the last thing I do." Aio whispers to himself silently.
"Now I want you to focus on your first layer and think of transitioning the frequency of it. Close your eyes, envision your aura and change its shape, make waves, like the ocean, after that make it a chaotic storm. Do this till I say stop." Aren says, the he walks away. Aio does what he is told. He focuses on his aura, he sees it and he begins to try and make waves with it throughout his body but he can't seem to do it he's making only slight ripples in the aura. with so much aura in his body he begins to feel pain because he has not been able to release it. He starts to sweat and grit his teeth not wanting to fail Aren in his mission. His first layer begins to have the slightest of ripples on it. He is then, out of nowhere, blasted with a bolt of energy and it knocks him back and slams him against a tree. The shots don't stop, Aio begins to scream out in pain.
"Ok, Dark Void you can stop." Neon says. The stots stop soon after. As the dust settles, Aio sees Neon and Dark Void, he stands up ticked off
"Blackened Fade, what was that for!" Aio roars.
"Neon told me to do it." Dark Void said, almost uninterested.
"The only way for you to learn how to change frequency is to get beat up till you figure it out, and this will motivate you more." Neon explains. "Also watch out." Then a fist made of rock soars through the air and hits an unexpecting Aio. Armed in a sleek mechanical suit walk up with Jake. The suit is a dark metallic blue with parts of it that almost look see through. The suit has some armor on the torso, arms and legs, with what looked like energy running through it.
"What was that for, Jake?" Aio asks in anger.
"Armed told me to do it." Jake says innocently.
"Look Aio, we are all here to help you train, so be aware and always ready. You need to master this, so let's get to work." Neon says.
"What about Jake?" Aio asks almost whining.
"We'll get to him but first we're focusing on you." Neon answers.
Vendetta walks into a lab, a man in a lab coat is sitting in the middle of it seemingly waiting for him.
"Do you have what I ordered?" Vendetta asks.
"Do you have my payment?" The man asks in return.
"I do." Vendetta answers.
"Then yes." The man answers with excitement, as he gets up and grabs five vials of black liquid.
"I still don't understand why you require payment after what we've done for you." Vendetta says as he motions for hostages to be brought in, one male, one female. They are chained into chairs as the man gives Vendetta the vials.
"Don't have too much fun scientist." Vendetta tells the man.
"Oh, don't worry." The man says as he runs his hands and walks towards the two hostages. His face then contorts with crazy excitement.
Vendetta meets five men at the docks in the dead of night. They are hidden behind several conex boxes in the shade of the moonlight. They were careful not to be seen.
"Remember for every person you bring in, you get one vial in return." Vendetta explains, as he hands out the vials. " Don't mess this up, you only get one chance."
"Don't worry boss, we won't let you down." One of the men says as he grabs his vial.
"Call me boss again, and I will cut out your tongue. You're barely worth my time." Vendetta responds. "Now move it, be here the same time next week."
Next Time, Chapter 18 The Others...