The Legends of Nethiah Page #6

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Now, Nethiah, on the other

hand, fought like an animal

who tore at the bars

of his cage to get free,

fighting with strength

and single-minded conviction.

Every time he was beaten down,

Nethiah found his feet again.

When you're fighting

for the fates of many,

it can either weigh you down

or raise you up.

On and on the fight went,

punching and blocking

and thrusting

and kicking, kicking, kicking!

I mean, for a while,

it seemed that they were

too evenly matched.

But then Nethiah

started to tire,

and he realized he was going

to have to change his game plan

if he was going to

beat the Strifer King.

So you know what? He decided

to climb up the rock face,

thinking that Thoran

wouldn't bother to pursue him.

But he did! He did.

And, as Nethiah climbed

higher and higher,

he was getting

more and more tired.

And he turned back,

and Thoran was getting

closer and closer.

On and on the battle went,

until it just seemed pointless!

Grandpa!

It's nothing, kiddo.

I just got a little

winded for a second.

You mind if we

finish this later?

Yeah. Come on, let's get you

a glass of water.

Hey. You Gabriel?

Yeah?

This is from Tully.

Where is he?

I don't know. Quit. Fired.

Who knows?

He said to give you this.

What is it?

I just deliver.

I don't read the mail.

This is killing me, Stan.

Look, it is what it is.

Let's just move forward, okay?

Let's do our best to

keep this thing going

in a salvageable direction.

Salvageable? You think

this is salvageable?

Yes, for Gabriel.

Don't you dare.

Don't you dare offer up

our son as justification.

Don't you see

what you've done to me?

I have no pride.

Do you know what it's like

to walk into a grocery store

and see the women shopping

and not know if they're

judging me or not,

not know if they've

heard the rumors,

thinking the whole time

that one of them might be her?

Susan...

Susan, nothing.

Hey, kiddo.

What are you doing out here?

Oh.

Whatcha got there?

A basketball.

Yeah, well,

thanks for confirming

that my eyesight

is still in check.

Take a look.

Oh, is that real?

Yep.

Where did you get this?

It's a good-bye gift

from a friend.

Really?

Yeah.

Must have been a good friend.

He is.

I guess I was wrong.

You okay? Yeah.

Because if you remember,

when we last saw Nethiah,

he was not in very good shape.

Go on.

As they locked

in their death match,

Nethiah remembered the amulet.

He struggled to reach it,

as if just by touching it,

it might give him the strength

that he needed.

The king had other plans.

He struck Nethiah

with a mighty blow,

sending him to the ground.

Well, Nethiah was stunned,

disoriented.

Before he could collect himself,

the Strifer King was upon him.

In the king's grasp,

Nethiah felt the years

of Strifer oppression.

No matter what he did,

he couldn't break the hold.

His very breath

was being choked out of him.

And then something happened.

As he struggled for life,

Nethiah saw the amulet

on the ground.

And suddenly, everything

that it represented

manifested in his being.

Slowly, he grasped Thoran's arms

and, in an agony

of determination,

he pried loose

from the death hold.

Thoran was stunned.

No one had ever

escaped, not like that,

not with so much conviction.

Well, the battle had turned.

Nethiah was unleashed.

He attacked with

unrelenting fury...

kicks, punches, throwing

everything at the Strifer King

with such blinding speed

that he could do

nothing but retreat,

until Nethiah had

Thoran on his knees.

The boy who had been forced

to work in the pits to survive

now had the cause

of his enslavement

on the ground before him.

The king looked up at Nethiah.

He didn't beg for his life,

as some say he did.

He didn't bargain with Nethiah

or make promises

in exchange for mercy.

He simply bowed his head

in a gesture of respect.

He submitted to

Nethiah's raised fist

one final time

before Nethiah erased

the past 20 years

in one crushing blow!

The battle was over. Yes!

The Strifers had lost.

In that moment, Nethiah

was changed, reborn.

He emerged from the darkness

in a burst of glory.

He could do so now.

He had earned the right

to step into the sun.

Wow.

The end.

That was a really

good story, Grandpa.

You think so?

Not just a goofy fairy tale?

No.

I think it has

something for everyone

if you know where to look.

So you're suspension

is almost over.

You ready to get back to school?

Yeah.

Good.

But, I still have

a big decision to make.

You'll make the right one.

Choices are important.

You make a choice,

and it says something

about who you are.

Nethiah made a choice, right?

And right now, I choose

to get you inside

before your parents get worried.

I used to be happy, Stan.

I used to be happy and content.

Now I am broken up inside,

and the pieces don't make sense.

And I'm not the only one

in this marriage, you know.

It takes the two of us,

not just me, not just you.

And you used to know that

when we were younger,

but you are wrapped up

in your work.

Maybe I should wait.

You could.

You could wait till tonight

or tomorrow,

but maybe those won't be

good times, either.

Keep waiting,

and in the meantime,

your parents are

going at it all the time.

It's never going

to be a good time.

Or you can man up and...

and get it over with.

It's your choice.

Have you made a decision?

Yeah.

Then, go tell 'em.

I'll be right here.

Do you-

do you remember when

we were in school?

We had dated two years.

Graduation was coming up.

The night before

finals were over,

do you remember

what you said to me?

No.

You said I had the softest

eyes in the world.

You said that you knew

you fell in love with me

the moment you saw my eyes,

that I was the woman for you,

that we were meant

for something special.

Tell me, how do they look now?

They look sad.

Hey, buddy.

We were just talking.

Everything's fine, honey.

Everything's not fine.

Everything hasn't been fine

in a long time.

What? You don't think

I've noticed it?

Buddy, come here.

Let me just... Let me finish!

When you guys told me you

were getting a divorce,

I felt like I was

gonna throw up.

And then you both came to

me and told me to choose.

I'm ten.

What am I supposed to think?

Oh, honey... I'm not done!

Well, I made my choice.

But I'm not gonna tell you.

That's all I have to say.

So how'd it go?

Okay.

Okay is good enough.

So what do you want now?

An ice cream sundae with

lots of whipped cream.

Doable.

So what happened to Nethiah

after he killed

the Strifer King?

Oh, that's another story.

Have you seen the size

of a double fudge sundae?

Well, then we'll have

lots of time, won't we?

Come on! I'm coming.

Too bad I'm

lactose-intolerant, though.

But you eat ice cream.

Oh, that's right, I do.

Well, that's good.

Get off the street! Sorry.

So can I live with you?

Sure.

Just for a while?

As long as you need. Great.

I'm not cleaning up after you.

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