Our Legacy - Episode 4

Two days had gone by since Maha Azim and Keyla Verbeke were chosen for the VIP mission. During these two days, the two Demigods were hard at work, training without sleep for thirty-five hours. They were super-powered humans but even they could get exhausted. Maha and Keyla didn't have the necessary powers to have impeccable stamina, strength and endurance. They were still several times stronger than the toughest human, but against some Demigods, they were considered physically weak.

Officer Ulyssa had to get them battle ready within a couple of days for the big mission. They were good at staying alive when angry but she couldn't rely on their emotions. They had to be able to fight and survive before the battle had even begun. The women were in tears and drenched in blood and sweat. They had to fight off groups of low-level Demigods on their own, pushed to their limits while exhausted and constantly beaten.

Keyla almost had it easy as she mimicked several powers from multiple Demigods, keeping her head cool by flying above the crowds but she wasn't always the only one with the ability to fly. She was taken down plenty of times, getting flanked and crashing into an angry mob of Demigods. Training didn't stop when an arm broke, a muscle strained or when she started vomiting blood after a hard kick to her stomach sent her crawling to the floor. Nonetheless, a Demigod with the right training and experience could keep on fighting no matter what type of injury they suffered. They had faster healing rates. With any kind of tactical retreat, they could be ready for a second round of attack within minutes. 

Maha, on the other hand, was worrying Ulyssa. She had fainted twice already and was on the verge of collapsing a third time. She was constantly using her shockwave abilities to push away enemies but was finding it difficult to finish anyone off before getting attacked by someone else. Ulyssa knew Maha wouldn't survive against multiple targets on her own. She wasn't expecting Maha to come out unscathed and victorious from these training exercises. The real test her was to see how long she could keep fighting before she eventually lost. Maha didn't know this. She was told that she could only pass if everyone was knocked out or no longer able to fight her. Ulyssa could see the tears in her eyes as Maha shielded herself against several ranged attacks. 

She would eventually pass the test if she endured another five minutes but not if she fainted a third time. Officer Ulyssa was being very lenient, constantly yelling and shouting tips for Maha to use. She was getting better but it wasn't enough. There were also times were Maha's counter-attacks were too perfect where she knew she had definitely gone back in time to fix some mistakes. However, they both knew she couldn't keep fixing her mistakes like that. Sometimes going back in time took a big enough toll on her health just as getting hit would have. 

"Wrap it up Maha! You have three minutes!" Ulyssa shouted, arms crossed.

"What? No!" Maha cried. Shrieking in disappointment, she retreated and let a couple of the Demigods follow her in the big arena they were fighting in. She too was injured, however, as she limped into the corner whilst holding her left elbow. Her back suddenly burned and she was lifted off her feet. A ball of fire had just struck her. She couldn't hold her head up. Then she saw a Demigod in the air, dropping down to greet her with a powerful stomp. Maha rolled out of the way and pushed him away with a shockwave but was quickly met with a spray of frost from another. She froze and Ulyssa looked away as the Demigods piled up on her with attacks.

The Demigods backed off when a buzzer sounded throughout the arena. They immediately helped Maha up and onto a stretcher as healers rushed to her aid. She was crying when Ulyssa came to her side who wasn't wearing a smile nor a frown. Maha pressed her palms against her eyes in despair.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I just..." Maha began but Ulyssa immediately shushed her.

"You did well."

"What? I failed.."

"No, you exceeded expectations, Ms Azim. Your role in a team is to assist. You've demonstrated that even with defensive skills you are capable of holding off enemies."

"But I didn't survive." Maha cried.

"We didn't expect you to. We were mainly concerned about how well you endure, not fight." Officer Ulyssa looked at the healers and nodded. "Take her away. She needs to rest."

Maha's rest only lasted three hours when a healer woke her up and told her to hurry to the nearest military compound where a mission briefing was to take place. Several joints popped as she got off the bed and stood up. She was still in pain and focused on healing herself on her way to the briefing. A couple of familiar faces greeted her in the hallway producing a slight smile on her face. She suddenly remembered passing the training program which already felt ages ago.

Upon entering a dark room with multiple chairs facing a large white screen, Keyla quickly hissed to get her attention. The two sat together somewhere in the middle. More and more Demigods were entering the room until every seat was taken.

"Woman, there are thirty of us in here!" Keyla whispered into Maha's ear. They started eyeing everyone but pictures suddenly started popping up on the white screen which quickly took their gaze.

The images were horrific. Scenes of dead bodies impaled and tortured transitioned to scenes of nightmarish looking people standing where they once lay.

"Anyone familiar with the term Necromancy?" Officer Ulyssa asked. A Demigod raised her hand two seats in front of Maha and Keyla.

"The study and practice of communicating with the dead or bringing them back to life to a certain degree for a set amount of time," she answered.

"Thank you. Even in this day and age, we're running into more unique and rare powers and they do not always hold a positive ethical position in our society. We believe there is an individual with such powers, a Necromancer, that resides in the town of Nemours, here in France." There was excitement among the group. "We're giving this mission a code red but we're commencing it with some overkill. A group of ten Demigods can take on this kind of threat but we need all of you to warm up for the next big mission. We'll be choosing a Captain based on military and tactical experience. This mission is a go in fifteen hours. Your objective is to cease the existence of such a Demigod. Good luck out there. We expect all of you to come back in one piece."