Chapter 78
Micah
My breath caught I could not take another.
This was once my old Waymaker guardian.
Still wrapped in that worn, rune-stitched coat. Still holding herself like someone who'd seen a hundred battles and walked through all of them with dignity. But she was no one worthy of a trophy of any kind.
And behind her… were three others. Teenagers. Awkward and bright-eyed. A girl with a staff slung across her back, a boy flipping a lighter, and a quiet one with steady eyes, clearly trained to observe more than they spoke.
I walked toward them slowly, my heart was pounding.
"Why, are you back?" I whispered in a hiss.
I looked at the teens nervously. The weight of what they'd once stepped into without fully understanding and the trauma I once faced that turned my life upside down rose like a storm in my chest. Memories twisted around my heart—possession, pain, the betrayal that stole years because of her.
Becky came up behind Micah, noticing her tenseness, brows raised. "Who are they?"
Micah, in an emotionless, numb voice, said, "The New Waymakers… and my old guardian. I remember having the burning desire to help people, and then her stepping in and leading me down the wrong path. I still feel bitter. I blame her for my lack of ability to fully unlock my powers and this demon that is twisted up inside me."
My fists were clenched tight. I could feel that feeling when eyes began to glow faint red. Rage boiling just beneath my skin.
"Okay, Micah, take a breath and relax," Becky said, stepping closer. "We've been through many battles and overcome them. You're stronger now and can face this." Her voice was filled with desperation and concern.
We were suspicious of the new waymakers from the beginning and weren't curious or impressed by any means. Something was rotten about them, and it wasn't just my once-trusted guardian—I knew better than to trust her.
After a few days of watching them, their suspicions were confirmed. The new Waymakers were careless. Cold. They treated their missions like chores. They didn't follow the sacred Waymaker codes or offer peace to humanity. Instead, they barged into homes and destroyed properties and everything else in their path, leaving behind bruised and bloodied people in the aftermath of their chaotic exorcisms.
The Waymakers took shifts watching from afar. One always kept an eye on them. My old guardian—once a mentor, now clearly the source of my fragmented power and lingering torment—loomed over the new team like a dark cloud. She was grooming them in her own image: destructive and heartless.
It was time for Becky's shift to start for watching them.
"They don't care about helping people," Becky said bitterly as one of the new recruits laughed after breaking a wall during an exorcism. "This isn't about deliverance. It's about power."
"They've got blood on their hands," Evan added. "And they don't even flinch. I think it's time we take them down suspend them—permanently."
That night, we carefully weighed their every move before considerating we were about to make our final decision. We didn't want to be too hasty because, as decision-makers, we could use all the help we could get.
But then the final straw came when the new Waymakers demolished an entire housing unit to root out a demon that had already been neutralized. Three families were displaced, with one injured child. And the new Waymakers shrugged it off.
"They should thank us," I heard one of them say. "The demon's gone. Those other Waymakers have less work keeping this town clean."
Later on that night, we confronted the false Guardian. We met them on the school rooftop, under a blood-red moon.
"You've turned them into monsters," I said, stepping forward. "And you nearly destroyed me."
"You were too weak to carry your gift," the guardian sneered. "I made you stronger. You should thank me."
"Strong doesn't mean being cruel," Becky snapped. "It doesn't mean being careless either."
"You're not a guardian," Duke said, walking out of the darkness of the shadows. "You're a threat. And this last mission will be your last forever!"
The confrontation erupted into battle. Light clashed with dark. The old Waymakers versus the corrupted new ones. Energy surged across the rooftop, breaking tiles and sparking lightning in the sky.
I stood at the center, holding my ground as chaos swirled around, though my powers still refused to rise fully. I gritted my teeth, the sting of the guardian's past manipulation weighing on her. But she didn't need awakened powers to stand for what was right.
"breath' I said to myself to calm my nerves "I am taking you down!" I stared down the old guardian.
The new Waymakers fought viciously, but without discipline or purpose. One of them threw fire wildly, nearly hitting one of their own. Baby shielded the others with a glowing barrier, then charged with her clawed gauntlet, disarming two enemies in swift, elegant strikes.
They were outmatched and outnumbered. This battle ended swiftly within a few minutes!
Duke summoned a radiant wave of holy energy, dispersing the chaotic fire and slamming back the front line of their enemies. His voice boomed, filled with divine wrath. "In the name of the Covenant!" He raised his hand high, light engulfing it. "You are stripped of your title! You are no longer a Waymaker and will never be again!"
The guardian reeled, staggered by the growing light.
Baby stepped beside Duke, her voice steady and sharp. "Your time is over; you have sealed your fate. You are hereby banished."
Together, Duke and Baby drove their weapons into the ground. A golden seal and chains erupted beneath the guardian's feet, entangling her, swirling upward into a towering pillar of light. She let out a final, furious scream before vanishing completely, the light consuming her.
The new Waymakers collapsed where they stood, overwhelmed. Their powers were ripped away, their weapons dimming and fading away into the air. One by one, they blinked in confusion. They were just people now—human again.
Duke said coldly, "I took all memory of their time as Waymakers and wiped their minds clean. But now they get a fresh start, maybe to do something good."
"They'll get a second chance," I said softly. They were fortunate to get off as lucky as they did. They don't have to suffer a lifetime of being tormented by a demon.
Sorry if this situation brought up a sore spot for you. Becky comforted me.
"It's okay. We're victorious. We upheld what matters most. I hate that we had to erase there memory, but in doing so, we saved them and many others. I think some would call that mercy!"