Part 08: First Climax

ACT 1: CLIMAX

Ilyas’ Perspective:

Ilyas, Jun Cheng, Edelyn and Chen Kwang were met with hordes of Dozers. The three were still not experienced in their own ways but had to rely on their own skills to survive.

Ilyas activated his weapon, as he remembered the girl who appeared in his hallucination. She seemed familiar to him, but could not make up who she was. He concentrated fully on the Hibiscus Technique, as the weapon constantly adjusted to suit his lack of skill.

The Hibiscus Technique was passed down for generations in Chen Kwang’s family line, and was said to be a technique that few can master. But once someone has fully adapted himself to it, it was as easy as slicing a petal off a hibiscus flower. The traditional symbol of the hibiscus was ephemeral beauty, made to be as elegant as the flow of the wind.

The true difficulty does not lie on power alone, but the destructive force of a delicate thrust. Like putting a string through a needle, the needle now threads into the edge of an object. Like drilling a nail through a plank of wood, it can cause it to crack. Or hitting a nail that is embedded in rock, causing it to crumble. The technique required someone to precisely drill the needle onto the very edge of something they want to cut so perfectly that it goes all the way through. The closer the needle is to the edge, and the more the object could be sliced through. Like poking a piece of butter with a long toothpick, and dragging it outwards to its edge, slicing it completely.

The reason why it was so difficult, is because it is almost impossible to thrust a needle accurately through. But Chen Kwang was one of the first that mastered it.

“Hibiscus Technique requires full focus.” Chen Kwang said, as Ilyas failed to poke through the Dozer effectively, as his needle got stuck halfway as he was swinging it outwards. The Dozer tumbled to the ground but was only partially sliced. “The slicing shouldn’t be the main objective of the technique.” He explained as the Dozer rushed with his claws to attack him.

“It is all about the accuracy of the first thrust.” Chen Kwang said as he thrusted his needle into the Dozer, and moved his arm outwards, slicing it cleanly in two. “The speed and power of your swing will depend on the energy of the first thrust. If your thrust is weak, you can barely slice through a leaf.”

Meanwhile, several Dozers rushed towards Jun Cheng, as he clicked the button on his camera. A white needle was fired at the Dozer, and pierced through its body, A burst of energy blasted through that tiny hole, slicing it in half cleanly. It was almost cheating.

“To think that his power is that strong without any form of technique or skill.” Chen Kwang thought, feeling devastated from his days of training.

“How was that?” Jun Cheng asked, as Chen Kwang gave him a death stare.

“That camera is broken.” Chen Kwang said, glancing at Ilyas who needed to actually work on his technique. “But Ilyas’ crystal almost seemed to be used up… Why is that? It doesn’t seem to be his lack of skill alone…”

“Focus.” Edelyn said, as she activated a Wolf Claw from her suit. She scratched an incoming Dozer, as it collapsed onto the ground beside her. “Why are you daydreaming in the middle of a battle?”

“I could have handled that.” Chen Kwang said, with his hand on his sword. “My instincts are always prepared after all.”

“Ilyas has a physical condition.” Edelyn said as Chen Kwang finally understood the picture. “His sword seemed to not only adapt to his lack of skills, but the lack of physique.”

“Physique?” Chen Kwang pondered, as he sliced two Wolf Dozers without even looking. “No… it isn’t just muscles… he seemed to be born slightly different. He is awfully thin, and has a bulge on his ribcage, and his spine is not particularly straight. He is incompatible with this weapon that he is holding.”

“Chen Kwang.” Edelyn said. “The wolves have almost been cleared.”

“Already?” Chen Kwang asked, as Ilyas was barely able to master his technique. The Dozers he had attacked took three slices, and he was already hallucinating. Chen Kwang felt like training wasn’t all he needed, but there is nothing that can be done about his weaknesses.

Besides, he was born that way.

“Jun Cheng went all crazy with his new ability.” Edelyn sighed. “How reckless-”

“Master Chen Kwang, we have found a weird Dozer trapped inside the Hougang Sports Hall.” A distress call was heard as Chen Kwang asked more about the situation.

“I don’t know, Sir. It seems like it is not moving at all. Almost like it doesn’t want to fight.”

“We’ll be there.” Chen Kwang said, as he told the three newbies to gather around.

“Ilyas. You should stay here.” Chen Kwang insisted. “Your condition is hindering you from using that weapon well. If you go out there with an uncharged sword, you are practically useless.” He was harsh with his words, but knew that he wasn’t going to be much help. It was better to leave him where he is safer than to cause an accident.

“I know what I lack.” Ilyas said, trembling with remorse. “I… I am not born to be using this sword.”

“Good.” Chen Kwang said. “You can recharge at the Hub Crystal. The three of us will leave for Hougang Sports Hall. In the meantime, I have my men to look after the place so you can rest.”

“Right…” Ilyas said as the three left him in the dojo.

“It always comes back to this condition…” Ilyas thought to himself, squeezing his fists tightly as he made his way up to the Hub Crystal. He charged up his weapon and rested his mind, sitting on a sofa and stared up at the ceiling.

“In the end, I… was not able to do anything…”

Jun Cheng, Edelyn and Chen Kwang reached the Sports Hall, as his men explained the situation. Inside, was a weird Dozer shaped like a present, and on its hand was a watch that seemed broken.

“A watch… This might be bad.” Chen Kwang said. “Have you reported this to the police?”

“No, Sir. I was awaiting your command.” One of his men spoke, as he held his thumb to his lips.

“Wait.” Edelyn said. “This Dozer isn’t attacking us. Maybe it is trying to tell us something.”

“Huh? A Dozer talking to us? Ridiculous.” Chen Kwang replied, knowing that there were no good Dozers in the world. “It has a watch. Killing it should be the top priority. I don’t even know how it managed to adapt to something like that.”

“Let me try something!” Edelyn blocked his path, but he pushed her aside and took out his needle.

The Dozer did not fight back, but continued to stay put where it was. It soon started to utter words, and change its form.

“I won’t let you-” The Dozer zipped past him, climbing out of a window, as Jun Cheng fired a needle at it. It managed to escape, but what happened next was out of their control.

In fact, it was time that went out of control, for this little Dozer.

The Dozer reset to the time where Chen Kwang’s men had spotted it, sending a distress call to him to come and check out the situation.

Jun Cheng, Edelyn and Chen Kwang reached the Sports Hall, as his men explained the situation. Inside, was a weird Dozer shaped like a present, and on its hand was a watch that seemed broken.

“A watch… This might be bad.” Chen Kwang said. “Have you reported this to the police?”

“No, Sir. I was awaiting your command.” One of his men spoke, as he held his thumb to his lips.

“Wait.” Edelyn said. “This Dozer isn’t attacking us. Maybe it is trying to tell us something.”

“Huh? A Dozer talking to us? Ridiculous.” Chen Kwang replied, knowing that there were no good Dozers in the world. “It has a watch. Killing it should be the top priority. I don’t even know how it managed to adapt to something like that.”

“Let me try something!” Edelyn blocked his path, but he pushed her aside and took out his needle.

This time, the Dozer knew Edelyn had some sort of reason to protect it. It knew she was the one that could get it out of the mess it was trapped in.

That was the wish of the one it adapted into after all.

It zipped towards her, but Jun Cheng fired a barrage of needles at it. It tumbled down to the ground, as Edelyn felt a sense of pity for the Dozer.

“Stop!” She said, as Chen Kwang pushed her away.

“I’m sorry, but we have to get rid of it.” Chen Kwang said firmly. “We cannot let something like this live.”

“Let me absorb its power into my suit.” Edelyn cried, as Chen Kwang sighed and asked her the significance of that.

“If it truly had time powers, then I can at least absorb it and see what it does.” Edelyn said. “Besides, I can also tap into what that Dozer might have to say.”

“We don’t know the extent of your suit.” Chen Kwang said. “If you absorb its power and it goes haywire, then it’ll be catastrophic.”

"Just let me try." Her words struck Chen Kwang as he recalled a memory with his wife, as they were talking in university.

"The last time I let a Dozer free, it is the day you perished." Chen Kwang thought as he decided to let his emotions go. "But surely… this time…"

The Dozer was squirming, as Edelyn approached it carefully. She held her hand on it, as she absorbed the memories and abilities of this Dozer.

A flashback was replayed in her mind, but it was all in fragments. It was enough to tell Edelyn who that Dozer absorbed, and what happened to it and how it came here.

“I’ll get it for you!” A voice was heard in this memory, as a small boy appeared. He seemed to be talking to a girl with long hair.

“Thanks, Li Peng!” The girl replied excitedly.

The memory cuts to a scene in the boy’s room, where he was unboxing some sort of present.

It then cuts again to a computer screen that had a webpage of a website shop that sold some sort of watch.

The next cut was the boy wearing the watch, as he slowly realized he could not remove it from his arm.

The next cut was his dreaded screams, trying to leave his room, and touching the present box.

The next cut was him back in his room, but now his whole arm has slowly been covered by lead but also looked like cardboard from the present it adapted to.

The next cut was an empty room, where the boy was nowhere to be found.

The next cut was the boy yelling to never forgive the girl.

The next cut was the boy sobbing, saying it wasn’t her fault at all.

The next cut was his mother entering the room, and realizing what happened to him, and quickly carried him out to the room, but only for it to reset back to the time he wore the watch.

Edelyn realized from these memories so far that Li Peng was the Dozer they faced.

The next cut took her to an empty room again where the Dozer was hiding as a ceiling panel. It seemed to have been trying to avoid being noticed.

The next cut goes back to the boy telling the Dozer that he wanted to be freed from this curse.

The next cut goes back to the mother coming in, crying over her missing son.

The next cut goes back to a completely new furnished room, with a different person living in it.

Edelyn realized a hundred years have passed since then.

The next cut goes to a large flood that covered the building. At this point, it seemed like centuries had passed, destroying the entire room. But for some reason, the Dozer did not reset back from trying to escape the room. Instead, it flowed down into an abandoned tunnel overgrown with weeds, as it transformed itself into a wolf.

The Dozer left the other side of the tunnel, only to find time was reset back to when Li Peng wore the watch.

Edelyn also noticed that Li Peng never returned back to his human form when time reset.

The Dozer reset back time, and was trapped in the Sports Hall. This time, it could not escape this place at all and hid until it wanted to be spotted.

Missing posters of Li Peng were seen outside, but the Dozer just remained hidden. One day, he found out that Wilbert’s daughter was killed through conversations of school girls who used the sports hall.

At that point, it felt like its goal was no longer achievable and had no reason to live. But Li Peng’s last willpower to keep going drove the Dozer to persevere and find a way to tell this message to someone. It had to do it, and it kept retrying over and over till this conclusion happened.

It was Edelyn, the only person that could read its memories.

Edelyn snapped out of her thoughts and collapsed to the ground. Chen Kwang knew this would happen as he readied his weapon. But she held him back, and said she saw all of the Dozer's memories.

After telling them what happened, Chen Kwang lowered his weapon.

“I’ve called the police. They will arrive here in 10 minutes or so.” One of his supporters told Chen Kwang through a call. “But there is something holding them up so they can’t arrive any faster..”

“10 minutes, huh?” Chen Kwang said, as he sighed. “So before they arrive… we have to find a way to convince them… not to shoot this Dozer… that is wearing a watch.”

“Today isn’t my day, huh?”