Until We Break

Until We Break

Scott Kinkade

No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced without the expressed written consent of the copyright holder, except in the context of a review.

Until We Break

Kindle Version: July 2016

ASIN:
 
B01FCXDD4Y

Ev Bannen was just a normal guy looking to get into college. But when he was attacked by a supernatural creature called a refghast, a stranger flew in to save him. The man’s name was Brandon Strong.

And he was a god.

Furthermore, he declared Ev might just have what it takes to become a god himself, so he invited the 18-year-old to come attend Divine Protector Academy, the world’s only school for deities. The teachers included Freya, Aphrodite, Dian Cecht and others.

So Ev enrolled, and made new friends; the aspiring god of money Jaysin Marx, the lovely
Maya Brünhart, her friend CiCi Decker, and anger-prone ginger Daryn Anders. Things seemed to be going well.

His days were then filled with classes devoted to religion, history and building up his god powers. He knew that eventually he would have to choose a major—in other words, what kind of god he would become.

But there was an organization of malevolent gods known as Zero Grade, and one of its members, Belial, had a plan to unleash Hell on Narska using the blood of one hundred potential gods and Ev would be the hundredth victim.

Nevertheless, things went fairly well during Ev’s first few days at the Academy. He even made progress wooing Maya. However, one day on a field trip in the city of Stiftung, Ev and friends were attacked by refghasts. They managed to fight them off with ease, but the monsters were only a distraction.

Without warning, Maya turned her weapon on her friends and incapacitated them. A shocked Ev discovered the truth—she was actually a double agent working for Belial who proceeded to take Ev’s blood.

Now setting himself up as the one true god, Belial demanded everyone bow down and worship him. Ev returned to the Academy, devastated by Maya’s betrayal. Nevetheless, he soon realized she was just as much of a victim as everyone else. With renewed determination, he set off to rescue her from Belial’s clutches with the help of his friends.

After fighting their way through the powerful Nephilim, they confronted Belial who summoned the Tower of Babel and retreated inside with Maya. With the Nephilim still rampaging through the streets of Stiftung, endangering many lives, they decided to split up, with Ev and Brandon heading into the Tower and the rest taking on the giants.

Inside the Tower, Ev and Brandon had to face the Skeleton Keepers to get to Belial. Once the Keepers were defeated, the two stepped into the Bifrost which existed to transport them anywhere within the Tower. Brandon headed for a showdown with Belial while Ev went to Maya’s room.

While awaiting Ev’s arrival, Maya recalled her childhood in Stiftung. It was a miserable existence until Belial rescued her. Ever since then, she had served him faithfully. But after making friends at the Academy, she began to be tortured by doubts about her sinister mission.

Ev reached her and, realizing her pain, tried to get her to come back to him. She refused; what, after all, did he know about suffering? Ev knew he had to reveal the truth—he killed his abusive father and has been living with the guilt ever since. Maya, surprised he had his own deep pain to bear, agreed to join Ev and turn against Belial.

They arrived in time to see Brandon being overcome by Belial. Maya stood up to her former master, but Belial became angry and attacked. Ev used himself as a human shield and wound up with a smoking hole in his chest. This, however, gave Brandon the opening he needed, and he impaled Belial through the heart with a spear. Maya managed to heal Ev’s wounds, and they allowed themselves a moment to rejoice.

They returned to the Academy, where Maya faced tough questions regarding her role in the affair. Ev leapt to her defense and threatened to join Zero Grade if they expelled her. Not wanting to make things worse, the Academy president, Bethos, agreed to let her stay.

For the time being, Ev and Maya were happy.

Flash forward one year. Ev and friends were sent on their first official mission to the Tru Republic to wipe out refghasts. While there, Ev was approached by a mysterious man named Arcturus Reich who revealed he was a former Academy student and had used his powers to influence Ev into killing his father. Even more, the Academy had known all along.

Feeling conflicted, Ev returned to the Academy and asks them the truth. They admitted to keeping the secret from him. Believing this to be a betrayal, he ran away and joined up with Arcturus who revealed he had a plan to activate the Ark of the Covenant which he had just stolen from the Tower of Babel. The Ark had the power to re-write reality, making it extremely dangerous. The Academy tried convincing Ev to stop Arcturus from activating it, but he wouldn’t listen.

Desperate to bring him back to his senses, Maya tracked him down as he and Arcturus were gathering the missing pieces of the Ark. Unfortunately, they had made an enemy of Zero Grade in the process, and the organization put a bounty on their heads.

The Academy’s most elite students, the Asshole Three, heard about the bounty and decided to claim it for themselves. They set out to find Ev and Arcturus in the Tru Republic.

Meanwhile, Maya reluctantly agreed to help Ev activate the Ark on the condition he return with her to the Academy afterwards. They then headed to the Tru Republic capital of Adlo where the final piece of the Ark was located in a building used by Zero Grade. Getting it wouldn’t be easy, however; the underground facility employed a device called a God Dampener which disabled all god powers, meaning the trio had to infiltrate it as mortals.

They succeeded, however, and managed to get the last piece of the Ark and destroy the facility in the process. They didn’t have time to celebrate, though, as the Asshole Three attacked them as soon as they emerged. A fierce battle ensued, resulting in two of the Asshole Three losing their lives. The third, Priscilia Elipsen, was spared on the condition she never appear before them again.

Zero Grade’s flying fortress, the
Sancta Praesidium
, then appeared in Adlo and began firing upon Ev and Maya. They retreated back to the Ark but were captured along with Arcturus. They woke up later in chains. The foretress’ commander, Set, was about to interrogate Arcturus when the power abruptly failed, setting him free. Arcturus then revealed he had activated the Ark.

Before Set could respond, Arcturus unleashed the Nephilim. Academy reinforcements soon arrived on the scene and a massive battle ensued. In the midst of it, Arcturus fully activated the Ark, ending the world as they knew it.

Ev then awoke in the dorm of Seraphim City University with no idea how he got there. Even more shocking, his parents showed up at his dorm. He was stunned by the arrival of his father who was supposed to be dead. He soon realized the truth, however; the Ark had successfully activated, creating a new world.

Ev sought out Arcturus who was a professor in this new timeline, who congratulated him on a job well done. They were the gods of this new world, and they could do whatever they wanted.

But later, when Ev went to shave, he was startled by the appearance of Brandon in his mirror. He told Ev that only Ev and Arcturus made the transfer to the new world; everyone else was now stuck in the airless void of Gehenna. If Ev didn’t stop Arcturus and restore the world to the way it was, everyone—including Maya—would soon suffocate.

Face with a grim responsibility, Ev confronted Arcturus who revealed the truth about how the gods had destroyed the previous universe by straining the Ultimus Points which turned out to be its fabric. He believed this new world was better off without their kind (or any humans besides himself and Ev). Arcturus refused to change the world back, leaving Ev with little choice.

Ev attacked Arcturus, leading to a fierce battle, during which Ev manifested steel gauntlets to battle his former friend. In the end, Ev killed Arcturus and set the world back to the way it was, saving everyone in the process.

He then returned to the Academy and had to explain his actions to the entire faculty and student body. In the end, Bethos decided not to expel him because he was a victim of the Academy’s decision to withhold the truth from him.

Reflecting back on this experience, Ev decided the world needed justice, so he announced his decision.

He would become the God of Justice.

Prologue

Remn 8 of 3022 NY (Narska Year)

The phones were out. The lights as well. Marli Drezowicz didn’t know how, but they had cut power to the building and were looking to get inside. The bolt lock wouldn’t stop them; they were determined and professional.

Marli and her eight-year-old daughter Neena sat huddled together in the bathtub of their apartment, praying to Bethos for deliverance from this nightmare. They had always been devout Holoists; surely their god would show mercy tonight as they trembled in fear for their very lives.

“The bad men aren’t going to hurt us, are they, Mommy?”

Marli stroked her daughter’s hair. “No,
geemam
,” she said, using the Morovian term of affection for one’s children. “I won’t let them lay a finger on you.” She hated herself as she spoke this lie. Oh, she would fight with everything she had, but she knew they would be coming with greater numbers than she could deal with. Her only chance was to try and reason with them. If that didn’t work, she would have to employ the letter opener in her hand. It was the only thing she had had time to grab when they ran into the bathroom.

They nearly jumped out of the tub when a knock sounded at the door. It was gentle, but she knew the men on the other side wouldn’t be. “Open the door, Mrs. Drezowicz. I’m only going to ask you once.”

Mother and daughter were deathly silent; fear overpowered any words they might have had. Nevertheless, Marli wasn’t about to comply with his demand.

There was a crunch, and the door flew open. Dark silhouettes stormed the bathroom while shining a flashlight upon them. Marli held up one hand to block the glare, but the other remained firmly around her daughter’s shoulder.

The letter opener proved useless as the two of them were dragged into the living room and thrown down in front of the couch where a man sat like some king. Marli couldn’t see him, but she knew it had to be Viro. He was a top lieutenant in the Koroni crime syndicate.

“You’re a very bad hostess, Mrs. Drezowicz,” he said. “You don’t invite me in to discuss matters like civilized people, so we have to be
un
civilized.”

She glared at him with a barely-contained fury akin to the cold wind blowing in from outside. “There’s nothing to discuss. My husband was the one who borrowed money from you, not me. And when he couldn’t pay you back, you murdered him.”

By this point, Neena was bawling uncontrollably. “Shut her up,” Viro said.

“I’d say she has every right to be upset, considering what you’re putting us through.”

“Shut up her,” he repeated. “Or I will.” Of that, Marli had no doubt.

She said to her daughter, “Everything’s going to be OK,
geemam
. Look at me.” Neena looked up at her, face soaked in salty misery. “Everything’s going to be OK. We prayed to Bethos for deliverance. He won’t let us down.”

Viro replied, “Yes,
geemam
,” he said mockingly. “Everything’s going to be OK. Provided your mother pays us what she owes.”

“You’ll get your money. I just need more time.”

“Tsk, tsk. Time is something you no longer have. Either pay us the money now, or we’ll take something of equal value.”

“Look around you!” she yelled, not wanting to scare her daughter further but unable to contain her torment. “Look at the dump we live in. I don’t have anything of value. We’re living paycheck to paycheck as it is.”

“Oh, but that’s where you’re wrong. You
do
have something of value: your
geemam
.”

She looked down at Neena, eyes wide. “No! You can’t be serious!”

Viro lit a cigar and puffed casually. “Mrs. Drezowicz, we are
very
serious and
very
professional. We mean what we say. So if I say we’re going to take your daughter and introduce her to the sordid world of sex trafficking, that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”

She lunged at him. To their surprise, it took two of them to hold her back. “You monster! Leave her alone!” Now it was her turn to cry.

“Sorry, Mrs. Drezowicz, but your husband agreed to the rules when he chose to play the game. And as you seem to have crapped out, I’m going to have to ask you to cash in your chips.”

She returned to Neena whom she held so tight she was afraid she would suffocate her. Still, she was absolutely convinced they would take her daughter if she gave even an inch. “Where is the justice in this?” she cried.

Viro laughed. “Justice? The world is run by people like me.
We
decide what is just, and people like you have to live with that.”

“You’re wrong.”

They turned their heads to the door, where a dark figure stood. “Who are you?” Viro said.

“Someone who’s very interested in this situation.”

“This doesn’t concern you. Get lost.”

To Marli’s amazement, the man strode into the apartment like it was his. “That’s where you’re wrong. This woman has asked for my help.”

“Is that true?” he asked her.

She shook her head as emphatically as she could. “No! Of course not. You would have killed us if we got the cops involved. I know at least a few of them are on your payroll.”

“Smart woman,” he replied before returning his attention to the interloper. “You heard her. She didn’t ask for your help. Leave here before we cut your dick off and feed it to you.”

“I can’t do that. This woman has asked for my help, and she’s going to get it.”

“I told you, I didn’t—” began Marli.

“But you did.” He knelt before her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “You prayed for someone to save you from your nightmare. I’m afraid Bethos is busy right now, but that’s OK; I’m more suited to this sort of thing anyway.”

Marli could swear she heard Viro sigh in exasperation. “All right, he had his chance. Kill him.”

One of his goons removed a pistol with an equipped silencer from his holster and fired off several shots at the intruder. They sounded like deadly gusts of wind to her.

But the mystery man did not go down. To her utter astonishment, he actually stood up as if nothing was amiss. “Damn—I should have caught the bullets instead of letting them hit me. I’ve got more holes in my clothes now. In comic books, the heroes either have bullet-proof costumes or they’re rich enough to keep multiple sets on hand. It sucks that I don’t have either. Oh, well.”

Viro said, “The guy thinks he’s funny with his body armor. I’ve had it with him. Now I really
do
want you to cut his dick off and feed it to him.”

Marli could feel something was wrong with her unknown savior. Even if he was wearing armor, he should have still been floored by the shots. But he hadn’t so much as flinched. He seemed to be exactly what he claimed to be: a superhero. She christened him Mr. X.

The first goon rushed Mr. X and grabbed him with his beefy hands. However, he couldn’t even budge him. After several moments of grunting, he fell to his knees, exhausted. Mr. X gave him a slight push—which sent him flying into the wall.

The other two lackeys exchanged worried looks before deciding to double-team him. But even with the two of them working together, they didn’t have any more luck than the first guy. Mr. X simply grabbed their heads and gave them a serious meeting of the minds.

“That’s it!” Viro leapt to his feet and leveled a submachine gun at Mr. X. With no more regard for subtlety, he unloaded it on the mystery man. To his surprise, though, Mr. X was no longer there. He had somehow teleported to Viro’s side where he proceeded to relieve him of his gun and his consciousness. The KO’d mobster unceremoniously dropped to the floor.

“I’ll notify the police. Don’t worry about the ones Viro had in his pocket; they won’t be around to cause trouble.”

He turned to leave. When he got to the door, Marli found her voice again. “Wait! At least tell me your name.”

He paused, apparently for dramatic effect. “My name is Ev Bannen. I’m the god of justice.”