Genesis (Prophecy Rock Series, Book 1)

  Release yourself, Raden. Let the power flow through you. Become one with it.

  The whispering voice inside Raden’s head urged him on. From where or who it belonged to was not important now. It was guiding him, instructing him on how to exact his revenge.

  Let the hate empower you. Your pain is your fuel. Feed into it child, the voice insisted.

  With his hands wrapped tightly around the beast’s neck, bright orange flames transformed to scorching red, burning away the flesh from its neck and chest. The beast swung wildly, hitting Raden across his temple and forcing him to release his stranglehold. The beast tried to recover, but Raden didn’t let up. He unleashed a torrent of fire from both his arms, driving the beast against the wall of the pit. The wall began to char and blacken as the heat ravaged it.

  Good, the voice whispered. For Kara, it continued. The mere mention of her name sent Raden into a fit of rage.

  “KARA!” he screamed as the flames magnified. The powerful blaze buried the beast into the wall. Raden raised his arms to the sky and the flames followed his command. They lifted the beast high into the air. Brontes and the nearby soldiers watched in disbelief as the beast plummeted back to the ground, the impact from its landing sent shockwaves throughout the base. Alarms rang loudly, the rest of the unit came funneling out of their barracks, weapons in hand, surrounding the freshly produced crater in the ground.

  “Step back!” Brontes ordered them.

  An explosion erupted from inside the crater, sending giant pieces of rock in all directions. The beast stepped out, clutching its side, wincing from the pain and angered by its newfound mortality. With its telekinetic power, it grabbed a hold of a few hundred weapons, ripping them out of the soldiers’ hands, and raised them up into the air. The sky, now filled with sharpened spears and swords, pointed straight into the pit where Raden stood.

  The beast did not hesitate; he sent the instruments of death flying towards Raden. Before they could find their intended target, an eruption of fire shot out from within the pit, incinerating every piece of metal to utter ashes. The rising pillar of flame rose towards the heavens. Soldiers stood, mouths agape, at the sheer power they were witnessing. The beast was even mesmerized for a moment, but it quickly caught sight of something moving within the pillar of fire. Raden came flying out of the rising torrent, kicking the beast in the chest and sending it crashing into a crowd of soldiers. Raden moved so inexplicably quickly that nobody but Brontes was able to follow his movement. He sent another fireball spiraling towards the beast, but this time the beast diverted it away with its telekinesis. Raden continued the volley of attacks, and the beast managed to fend off each one, but unbeknownst to the beast, the attacks were a distraction. While deflecting the last fireball, Raden instantly appeared at the beast’s feet, driving his left arm into its stomach. A sword of flames manifested from Raden’s right hand, and he was about to drive it into the beast’s heart when Brontes crashed into him, knocking Raden off his feet.

  Brontes jumped high into the air, cutting across the sky with his trident, sending a wave of energy plummeting towards Raden. Raden countered with a flame attack of his own. The two attacks smashed against each other, exploding in a blinding light of massive energy. Brontes, realizing that a one-on-one fight was not in his best interests, sent his entire unit against Raden. Being completely surrounded and ridiculously outnumbered didn’t seem to concern Raden at all, though. He had only vengeance on his mind, and never took his eyes off the beast. He moved so quickly that flames appeared in his wake, leaving a trail of fire everywhere he went. Again, he charged the beast when Brontes appeared, cutting him off from his intended target. Unfazed, Raden drove his fists into the ground, flames pouring deep into the earth below. A deep rumbling could be heard; the earth began to shake violently until flames shot out from beneath the beast. The flames morphed into tendrils, grabbing a hold of the beast’s legs. It tried to escape, but the more it struggled, the tighter the tendrils latched on. Brontes turned around to see his secret weapon struggling to free itself. He needed to do something quick, so he attacked Raden, in hopes of distracting him long enough to release his hold on the beast, but Raden was gone. He had simply vanished. Brontes searched the area, watching and listening.

  A brush of air shifted slightly to his right. Brontes clotheslined the air, catching Raden across the neck and flipping him upside down. Before Raden landed, Brontes grabbed his leg mid-air and slammed him down. One of the flaming tendrils dissipated from the beast’s leg; he was almost free now. Brontes stabbed at Raden, but Raden grabbed a hold of the middle prong of the trident and kicked Brontes across the face. As Brontes stumbled back, he caught Raden’s leg with the hook of his trident, lifting him off the ground. Brontes drove his elbow powerfully into Raden’s stomach. A gush of blood came spewing out of Raden’s mouth. The tendril around the beast’s other leg disappeared; it was free now. It galloped on all four appendages, cutting swiftly across the ground. Brontes grabbed a hold of Raden’s backside, pressing his trident across his neck. The beast unleashed a furious volley of punches, battering Raden up and down his body. More blood gushed out of his mouth; fresh bruises and broken ribs began to surface.

  Raden collapsed onto his knees. The aura of fire around his body dissipated with a sudden hiss. Steam and smoke poured out of him. Brontes kicked him in the back, sending Raden toppling forward onto his face. The beast gripped him by his left arm and lifted him up effortlessly. Raden’s body was beginning to cool down. His sudden power apparently all used up. The beast laughed maniacally at his weakness.

  “Kill him! Kill the enemy!” Brontes commanded.

  The beast grabbed a hold of Raden’s left leg, and began stretching him apart, trying to tear his body in two. Just when he felt his body giving in to the beast’s strength, the voice came back.

  Open yourself up to the divine. See what is before you.

  Raden’s left eye, which had been badly scarred and blinded by the beast earlier, was now tickling with feeling. Raden blinked furiously, the perspiration, blood, and dirt trickled away.

  The mysterious voice whispered again. See what is before you. See what you are meant to be.

  Raden opened his wounded left eye. The world changed before him. Everything was coated in shades of orange and red now. A surge of power coursed through his body, numbing him to the numerous wounds afflicting him. Fire poured out from his left eye, coating his body once again. The beast instinctively let go from the heat. Raden produced two flaming swords from each of his hands and drove them into the beast’s heart. It roared in agony, its life force slipping away. The beast dropped to its knees, on the verge of death, and its body began to solidify: feet, legs, and arms, everything hardening into wood. Brontes backed away quietly, attempting to retreat and save his own skin. Raden ignored him, still focused on the fallen Candidate; he placed his hands tightly around its head.

  Avenge her, child, the voice suggested meekly. The overwhelming grief returned. Tears poured down his cheeks, agony and sorrow took over.

  “KARA!”

  Raden screamed as an explosion of fire stretched out across the entire base. Everything was instantly incinerated. Soldiers vaporized out of existence, buildings scorched to piles of ashen rubble. From high above the battlefield, the markings of the Ancients littered the ground. The Renzai Empire now possessed its own secret weapon. The Prophet was right. Raden had found a true living Candidate. Himself.

  Chapter 38