Chapter 12 “Identity Exposed”

Akira’s attacker was locked up in a room that was in the middle floor of the Academy. The point being that it was neither closer to either the roof or the courtyard, a safety precaution just in case the attacker escaped. Yet with the two riders guarding the door Akira doubted that would be possible.

Silas was standing impatiently before the two riders, seeming to be in a deep argument with them. Upon noticing Brandon, Akira and Seth approaching, he turned to face Brandon with a displeased look on his face.

“These two,” he waved at the two students who stood before the door, looking anything but interested in him, “Will not let me pass!”

Akira shot the two students a look and hid a smile. Both of them were among the group who had survived the battle against Haiden and then had helped Akira in the future not so long ago. Like most of the students who had been through the same ordeal, they seemed to be showing Silas little respect, in fact, they seemed to be ignoring his presence altogether.

There had been a time when all students were respectful of the council members and yet while most still did, it was not exactly so in the first Academy anymore. For here, those had had lived through both the battles with Haiden and Steeson, had lost whatever respect they had for the council or graduates, as they felt that both had abandoned them in times of need. While Akira had no love for the council either she knew that if Brandon did not have a good talk with the few rebellious students there would be problems when they joined the graduates and yet still, she was sure it would do Silas’ ego some good to see that not everyone treated him so high and mighty.

“Silas,” Brandon spoke, no pleasure at all in his voice at seeing his fellow council member. “What are you doing here?”

Silas shot him a look while he stood up straighter. “You are interrogating the suspect are you not?” He asked

“Something of the sort,” Brandon let out a patient sigh.

“Well then, my presence should be of no question then,” Silas spoke as if it was the most logical thing.

The two riders standing at the door shot each other looks and Akira tried to hide a grin as she saw the faces they made. Beside her Seth let out a soft chuckle and yet when Silas looked toward him he covered it up with a cough.

“Are you not well boy?” Silas asked.

Akira let out a snort. Not Well? Seth had lost a good amount of blood, he was unusually pale and still somewhat unsteady on his feet. Surely Silas could not have already forgotten that he had had a knife stuck into his side only recently?

“I hope I am not late,” a voice spoke.

Akira turned to see Linken strolling towards them.

“Ah, Linken,” Brandon nodded. “You are just in time in fact; we’re just about to go in.”

“Linken?” Silas asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked Linken over critically. “So he is the one you have chosen?” He asked Brandon.

Brandon did not reply but instead turned to the two riders at the door. “Boys,” he nodded. At once they shifted to the side, clearing the way.

Without a word Brandon pushed the door open and disappeared into the room. Silas, took one last look at Linken, as though he could uncover something hidden, before he let out a snort and followed Brandon, giving the riders on either side one last glare. Linken only raised an eyebrow but made no response. Akira shot him a look only to see him nod towards the door, signaling for her and Seth to go first. Not arguing Akira did just that.

Upon passing through the door she found herself in a small room with only two pieces of furniture, a table and a chair. Upon the chair, with his hands tied to the armrest, and in a similar fashion his feet to the legs, sat a figure, his head bent so that his sandy blond hair hid his face.

Linken followed the group in last, closing the door behind him and staying standing by it, seeming to show the captive that there was no way out. Silas in the meantime, looked around for a chair and upon seeing none, settled by standing with his hands crossed a little way back, staring at the captive.

Seth used the wall as support and lowered his head, his brown hair falling into his eyes as he seemed to suddenly look completely uninterested. Yet Akira knew that his brown eyes were fixated on the attacker, watching him take every breath as he waited to examine every reaction he would have to questions asked.

Akira herself just stood beside Seth and watched as Brandon stood quietly before the attacker, staring at the boy. For a moment they stayed like that, complete silence throughout the room. Only after a while did Brandon decided to speak.

“What is your name boy?” He asked softly.

There was no reaction as the boy kept his head down.

Brandon proceeded to the next question. “You attacked some of my students and injured one of them. Why?”

Still there was no reaction.

Annoyed by the lack of response Silas took a menacing step forward. “Answer the question!” He demanded in a tone filled with authority, the authority of a council member.

Slowly the boy lifted his head and for the first time since he had attacked them that night, Akira got a clear view of him. He was filthy, his face covered with dust. His blond hair had been ruggedly cut. It looked almost as though he had cut it himself with a blunt knife. His skin was well weathered and yet a scar, which ran down the side of his face from his eye to his chin, was a pale color, making it stand out. It was rugged and looked as though not only the wound that had caused it had been a deep one, but also as if it had never been given time to heal properly.

Akira frowned. The hair, his face, it all had a familiarity about it and yet she could not quite place it. She felt somewhat startled as she realized that the attacker was staring straight at her, hatred filling his blue eyes.

“Impossible!” Silas exclaimed.

Brandon shot him a questioning look.

 “That’s him!” Silas pointed at the attacker while he spoke, his eyes filled with disbelief. “That’s the messenger that told us the first Academy was under attack!”

Brandon turned back to the attacker while Seth shifted slightly, a new look coming into his eyes as he realized that if this boy was the one to get the entire third Academy to leave for the first, then he most likely had something to do with the building exploding. Akira narrowed her eyes, thinking the same thing.

“Who are you?” Brandon asked.

“Is he not one of yours?” Silas questioned.

“I can assure you Silas, he is not one of the students at this Academy,” Brandon replied calmly, still looking at the attacker who was still glaring at Akira.

“I am afraid that if you don’t start answering soon we may have to go to different methods to get the answers,” Linken spoke from where he stood. Something in the way he said what he did made Akira shiver.

“I think,” Seth spoke up as he lifted his head and his eyes met that of the attacker, “That the question we should be asking here is, why were you trying to kill Akira?”

Akira blinked in surprise as she stared at Seth. Even Silas looked completely at loss and yet Brandon and Linken looked like they had caught on soon enough.

The attacker let a mocking smile come to his lips as he held Seth’s gaze. “Always quick to catch on.”

Akira wondered what he meant and yet Seth cut through her thoughts as he spoke, “I figured she had to be your target. You weren’t interested in anyone else when attacking us that night. You had your chance to kill Will, yet instead you turned back to Akira.”

The attacker and Seth continued to hold each other’s eyes.

“She was the first one you attacked that night. I’m assuming you came because your first attempt failed,” Seth continued.

Akira listened with wide eyes, wondering what Seth was getting at.

“First attempt?” Silas asked, not catching on either.

“The third Academy,” Linken helped explain. “It was the first attempt at Akira’s life.”

The smile that spread across the attacker’s face confirmed this fact.

“Are you saying this boy sent the entire third Academy to the first and then called the Rider of Legend over just to try and kill her?” Silas asked in disbelief.

“No one would have been able to trace the culprit if he had succeeded,” Linken spoke.

“You caused the third Academy to explode?” Akira asked, still feeling disbelief at all that she heard.

“You,” The attacker glared at Akira, “You were supposed to be inside the Academy when it exploded, not on top,” he spoke with so much hate in his voice that Akira felt taken back.

Akira blinked. What had she done to make this guy hate her so?

“Who sent you?” Seth asked as he narrowed his eyes.

The attacker just cocked his head to the side.

“What I want to know,” Linken spoke, “Is where is your dragon?” The attacker looked surprised and Linken just smiled. “You do have a dragon, do you not?” He asked.

The attacker did not reply, yet the smile had disappeared from his face.

“It’s the only way you could have followed Akira and the others after your first attempt at her life had failed. On foot you would never have had a chance to catch up.”

Still the attacker remained mute.

“Never mind,” Linken sighed. “It’ll be nearby most likely. We’ll keep a sharp eye out for it, so if you don’t want anything to happen then you better not get any ideas of having it come as a backup to help you escape.”

The attacker leaned back in the chair, almost in a casual way. Ignoring everything Linken said he turned his eyes on Akira, his gaze seeming to bore into her.

“Why?” Akira whispered, trying to understand where the hate in his eyes came from. “Why do you want me dead?”

The attacker still did not reply.

“Did I…do anything?” Akira asked.

“Not yet,” the attacker spoke, the words making no sense.

“Why did you try to kill me?” Akira asked again.

“Because you must die,” the cold answer made her shiver and Seth moved slightly in front of her, glaring at the attacker.

The attacker smiled bitterly. “Always so protective of her, huh Seth?” He asked, speaking to Seth as though they were old comrades.

“Do I know you?” Seth growled.

The attacker just smiled.

“What’s your name?” Seth asked as he narrowed his eyes.

For a moment it looked as though the attacker would not reply when suddenly to everyone’s surprise, he spoke.  “My name,” he stared directly at Akira, “Is Cain.”

Cain? Akira frowned. The same name as Will’s cousin? Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized that she felt something familiar about the attacker as he bared a remarkable resemblance to the Cain she knew. What a coincidence that the two not only shared similar looks but also the same name. She froze at the thought. Wait. Coincidence?

“Cain?” Akira repeated as she looked him over. Yes, the resemblance to Will’s cousin was too similar. It couldn’t be, could it?

“Cain,” Brandon spoke the name, a look coming into his eyes. “Am I correct in saying that you are indeed the same Cain we know?”

The attacker, named Cain, stared at Brandon with a wry smile. “What do you think?” He asked.

Akira’s heart stopped as she realized the truth. “You’re from the future aren’t you?” She whispered.

Cain turned his cold blue eyes on her. “Five years from now to be exact.”

There was a deathly silence in the room. Akira felt her head about to explode with all this information. Before her was none other than Cain, all grown up, and not only had he tried to kill her, but he seemed to hate her with his whole being.

 A cold feeling entered her and she could not help but shiver. Something was very wrong here.