The Chamber of Genesis

by N. E. Michael

  “A Burner,” Raiden muttered to Sable as she approached him. “Sometimes, I forget the knights are even Enlai.”

  “Speaking of which…what is Ferrus’s power?” Sable asked curiously. “Do cyborgs even have any?”

  “I’ve never seen her use it, but Mara told me she’s a Surger,” Raiden replied. “Or at least was, until they replaced most of her body with machine parts.”

  The knight moved to the side as a colony of bats poured from the cave along with a variety of small animals and dinosaurs, scattering into the surrounding forest.

  “We should stand guard in shifts,” Kain suggested as they headed for the cave mouth.

  “I shall take the full post,” Ferrus said. “I do not yet require regeneration.”

  “Fine by me,” Kain replied with a yawn.

  Raiden walked into the cave.

  “Sorry,” he muttered as a few of the critters scampered by his feet. “We’ll take good care of your home and return it first thing in the morning.”

  The cave was small, just wide enough to fit the seven of them. Raiden lay himself down at the back of the cave, and Sable took the space beside him. He used his travel pack as a pillow, the rest of his body pressed against the cold, hard floor.

  “I sure could use a PD right about now,” Raiden sighed.

  “I’m so tired I could sleep on a bed of thorns,” Sable yawned. She rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.

  Raiden glanced at her, surprised, not sure how to react to her gesture. He felt at first embarrassed, but then comforted by her proximity and warmth. Cautiously, he placed his hand around her shoulder, unsure whether it was the right thing to do. A smile formed on her lips, answering his question.

  “Thanks again for doing this, Sable,” Raiden whispered softly. “Not many people would do what you’ve done, risked their lives for their friends.”

  “Raiden,” she responded affectionately. “We are no longer just friends. We are family.”

  The words dug their way to his heart, stirring up a well of emotions. He closed his eyes, thinking of all the family he’d acquired throughout the long, challenging journey that had started back at the orphanage, the night of Sarah’s play, all that time ago. And then, with the memories of their faces soothing him, he drifted off to sleep.

  ◆◆◆

  The morning light dawned over the clearing, shining into Kain’s eyes where he lay at the front of the cave. He woke up to the calm, rustling of leaves and the singing of birds. He felt strong and rejuvenated, the aching of his bones reduced to a minor nuisance. Standing up slowly, he heard a splashing noise coming from the nearby pond.

  “Going for a swim?” Kain asked with amusement as he emerged from the cave mouth, finding Ferrus splashing clumsily in the pond up to her thighs in water.

  Ferrus froze, turning to look at him, clearly embarrassed.

  “I was attempting to catch a fish.”

  “Well then, m’lady,” Kain said confidently. “You are in luck, for you just happen to be in the good company of the Kingdom’s greatest fisherman.”

  “The gesture is appreciated,” Ferrus muttered sarcastically. “But I do not require assistance.”

  “Your results say otherwise,” Kain chuckled, glancing at an empty basket lying on the grass beside the pond.

  “As much as I enjoy listening to you gloat, I have a breakfast to prepare,” Ferrus grumbled, returning to her task. She scanned the water carefully, targeting a specific fish, then jolted her arm forward in an attempt to grab it. Despite her superhuman speed, the slippery fish continued to evade her grasp.

  Kain walked over to the pond, stretching his arms on the way. Ferrus ignored his presence as he knelt down on the outskirts of the pond and placed the palm of his hand upon the water’s surface. Ferrus snuck a curious glance as Kain began to hum a high-pitched note, and a pattern of ripples began to form on the water, spreading outward across the pond.

  “What are you doing?” Ferrus asked, finally overcome by curiosity.

  “Shh,” Kain shushed her, then continued.

  Ferrus watched with wonder as dozens of fish began crowding around the area where Kain sat, attracted to the frequency of his voice.

  Slowly and gently, he scooped his hand down through the water and lifted it up, pulling a flopping, fat fish from underneath. He placed the fish into the basket, careful not to move, then repeated the action over and over again until the basket was filled.

  “You are a Surger?” Ferrus asked as Kain ceased his humming.

  “Yes,” Kain replied. “My father taught me that old trick back when I was a child. He used to take us fishing in the Andari canal near the Capital, my brother and I.”

  “I, too, am a Surger,” Ferrus said tentatively, reluctant to share information about herself.

  Kain looked up at Ferrus.

  “Would you like me to teach you the trick?”

  Ferrus nodded, intrigued.

  She knelt down beside him and looked at his masked face, sensing the flesh and bone man beneath it.

  Kain reached for Ferrus’s metallic hand. Instinctively, she pulled away, glancing defensively at Kain.

  “It’s okay,” he said softly. “I will not hurt you. But if you would prefer me not to touch-”

  “No,” Ferrus said quickly, moving her hand back. “I apologize.”

  Kain nodded patiently, then placed his hand gently over hers, pushing it gently upon the water.

  “Now match my frequency,” he said, beginning to hum.

  Ferrus joined in, adjusting her tone until it harmonized perfectly with his own. When the fish started gathering, Kain closed Ferrus’s hand into a cup and initiated the scooping motion. When Ferrus’s hand emerged, she was holding a fish.

  “I did it!” Ferrus exclaimed with almost child-like excitement.

  “See?” Kain grinned. “You are a natural.”

  As they celebrated, Mara emerged from the cave, hearing voices coming from the pond. She spotted the two of them sitting by the edge of the water, engrossed in conversation. She was about to go out to greet them, when something stopped her, leaving her astounded. Looking closely at Ferrus’s face, Mara could see that she was smiling.

  No one other than me has ever made her smile, Mara thought with wonder.

  “So, you had one brother?” Ferrus asked Kain as they started cleaning the fish they’d caught with a sharp rock.

  “A brother and a sister,” Kain corrected her.

  “And you were close to your father?”

  “He was a stubborn man, but we got along,” Kain replied. “After I became a knight, my brother moved with my father to a village near River Crossing, looking for work as a fisherman.”

  “Do you see them often?” Ferrus asked.

  “They passed away, actually,” Kain replied, his voice masking a tinge of sorrow. “The village was raided by anti-PD rebels, and my brother took after my father. They were both stubborn, and they had to be heroes.”

  “I am sorry to hear…” Ferrus’s voice dropped compassionately.

  “My sister passed some years later,” Kain sighed sadly. “Damned childbirth.”

  “Losing someone is painful,” Ferrus said comfortingly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “But I am sure they were thankful for the time they had with you. If a cyborg like me could learn to appreciate you, then I am sure your own family did too.”

  Kain looked up at her, staring into her large, green eyes. “You know, I am beginning to believe that under that hard, metallic cyborg exterior, there is a warm, caring heart.”

  “And I am beginning to believe that behind that ugly mask, there is a…somewhat respectable man,” Ferrus jested.

  Kain chuckled, then exhaled deeply.

  “You know, speaking of, it is getting kind of hot under this mask,” he said. “I think my face could use a splash or two.”

  At the entrance to the cave, a warm smile crept its way over Mara’s lips. She watched as Ferrus lifted the basket o
f fish and walked a few feet back to a pile of wood she had gathered to make a fire. Meanwhile, Kain leaned towards the water and lifted his hands to his face, removing his mask. When Mara got a glimpse of his wet face, her smile vanished.

  “No,” she gasped, her jaw dropped. “No, no, no, no, no, no….”

  Ferrus began turning towards the pond.

  “Ferrus!” Mara called as she ran towards her, trying to steal her attention, but it was too late. Ferrus’s eyes fell upon Kain’s sharp, scarred chin, and the basket fell from her hand, the fish spilling to the floor.

  “Ferrus?” Kain asked in confusion as the cyborg stared at him like she’d seen a ghost. “Something wrong?”

  “It’s you,” Ferrus whispered in shock, her eyes opened wide.

  “Ferrus, hold on,” Mara said desperately. “Let’s talk about this.”

  “It’s you!” Ferrus repeated, her voice rising to a shout. A vicious snarl stole across her formerly calm face. “I will kill you!”

  Ferrus drew her mighty sword and charged, a battle cry raging from her lips as Kain’s face filled with confusion and terror.

  “Wait!” he shouted. “What did I do!?”

  Kain dove out of the way as Ferrus’s blade struck the ground where he’d been standing. Kain looked with shock at the indent the sword had cut through the ground.

  “That is enough!” he shouted, his expression turning from confusion to anger. “You would have killed me!”

  “Ferrus, stop!” Mara yelled. “You don’t even know it’s for sure him!”

  “I will never forget that face!” she shouted back, moving in for another blow.

  Kain quickly drew his saberblade and parried the attack, sparks flying as the two blades clashed, each surging with energy.

  “I do not know who you think I am,” Kain growled, meeting the intensity of her glare, “but I will not allow you to kill me.”

  “You ruined my life, turned me into a machine,” Ferrus seethed, tears forming in her eyes.

  “I did what?”

  “Do not deny it!” Ferrus yelled, and she swung her blade again, this time nipping Kain’s chest, denting his armor.

  “Deny what!?” Kain shouted. “I told you who I am, even shared intimate stories of my family!”

  “Well, you left out the part about your career as a cyborg trader!”

  “I do not know what the angels you are talking about!”

  “Liar!” Ferrus screamed, increasing the intensity of her attacks. She swung again and again as Kain struggled to keep up.

  “Do something!” Kain hollered desperately at Mara.

  Mara’s mind raced, thinking frantically of a way to calm Ferrus’s rampage. She lifted her bow and strung an arrow, not yet knowing what she intended to do with it.

  “Ferrus, please, just talk to him first!” she pleaded. “This could all just be a mistake! You were a little girl!”

  “What’s going on?” Raiden’s voice called as he emerged from the cave along with Sable and the knights.

  “Sir!” the knights exclaimed with worry, drawing their blades to come to their commander’s aid.

  “Don’t even think about it!” Mara warned them, aiming her arrow at their heads. “Move, and you’re dead.”

  The knights froze, watching the fight with concern.

  Ferrus and Kain’s swords clashed again, stuck in a draw.

  “I was five!” Ferrus cried madly at Kain. “Five years old when you took me from Saros!”

  “Saros?” Kain repeated the name slowly, as if it meant something to him. “The village of Saros?”

  “Coming back to you now, is it!?”

  “You were five…” Kain stared hard at Ferrus, as if trying to recognize an old, forgotten face.

  “Liosa?” he whispered in disbelief. “Liosa, is that you?”

  All at once, Ferrus’s rage dissipated. She gazed wide-eyed at Kain, as if in a trance.

  “Liosa,” she repeated, rolling the name off her tongue. “That was my name. No one has called me that in over twenty-five years.”

  She blinked, searching deep into Kain’s eyes.

  “How did you know?”

  “Liosa,” Kain said, his voice shaking with emotion. “I-”

  “ATTACK!” a cry rang from the trees behind them, shattering the moment. Fifteen raptor-riding knights charged out from behind the trees, quickly surrounding Ferrus and their commander.

  “Ferrus!” Mara cried, spinning back around.

  Taking advantage of the distraction, the two knights charged at Mara.

  “Oh, no, you don’t!” Raiden shouted, running after them. He dove and tackled one of the knights from behind, tumbling together with him to the floor. The second knight cried out as Sable pounced on him in the form of a half-tiger, not having had enough time to finish the transformation.

  As Raiden and Sable wrestled with the knights, exchanging blows, one of the newcomers charged at Mara on his raptor, blade drawn.

  “Knight, stand down!” Kain ordered, but it was too late. Mara fired her arrow straight into the raptor’s eye, and the creature tumbled to the floor only feet in front of her along with its master. Before the knight could recover, she dove into the second dimension and emerged on the ground beside him, her arms wrapped around his neck with a dagger to his throat.

  “Harm her, and this knight dies!” Mara yelled.

  Ferrus looked at Kain, the shock and rage of betrayal returning to her eyes.

  “I was a fool to ever trust a knight,” she seethed, tightening the grip around her weapon as fourteen deadly raptor jaws and glowing sablerblades pointed down at her from all sides.

  “We came as soon as we could, sir,” one of the knights said.

  “I did not order you to interfere, Varrok,” Kain growled, careful not to break his gaze. “You fool…”

  “We heard the fighting, we thought-”

  “Silence!” Kain barked. “You’ve done enough damage.”

  He turned his attention back to Ferrus.

  “You asked how I knew your name?”

  “I do not care anymore,” Ferrus grimaced. “I do not trust a word you say.”

  “I did not kidnap you or trade you as a cyborg,” Kain explained anyway. “I gave you to a good family, one I thought could raise you and give you a good life. Something I could never do.”

  Kain sighed deeply.

  “Liosa, I am your uncle.”

  Ferrus glared at his sad, guilty eyes, her blood boiling with anger.

  “How dare you,” she hissed as the rage overcame her, removing all sense of control. Ferrus looked up to the sky and ushered a terrible, anguished scream. Her voice echoed with extraordinary power, emitting violent pulses of energy in all directions. The air vibrated so intensely, its waves penetrated the deepest depths of everyone’s bodies. Mara dropped her dagger as her hands flew desperately to her ears to keep her eardrums from bursting. Her bones felt like they were about to shatter, and her entire body shook in pain.

  The raptors shrieked as they entered a wild craze. The knights toppled from their saddles as they struggled to cover their ears while maintaining balance. Kain fell to his knees and ushered a scream of his own, attempting to counteract her attack with destructive resonance.

  “Ferrus!” Mara cried out. “You’re killing me!”

  Ferrus stopped her scream, panting with adrenaline. She swung her sword rapidly, severing the heads of two nearby raptors, then pounded down at Kain, who managed barely to parry on time. She pounded again, and then again until his hands finally slipped and her sword struck down against his left arm, severing it. Kain screamed out in agony.

  “Leave him, Ferrus!” Mara shouted. “Let’s get out of here!”

  Ferrus lifted her sword over Kain’s head, preparing to deliver the final blow, but as she gazed down onto his pained, bloodied face, she hesitated. Breathing deeply, she lowered her blade and sprinted towards Mara.

  “The amulet!” Varrok yelled as he struggled to stand, his
eardrums ringing. “Get the amulet!”

  Raiden ripped off the mask of the knight he’d tackled and landed a punch powered by his amulet, knocking the man out.

  Sable roared as the second knight shot a plume of fire at her. Skarai swooped in from above and scraped his talons across the Burner’s head, knocking his attack off balance. His flames burned the side of one of her shoulders as she crashed onto him and slashed his face, clawing through the mask into one of his eyes.

  “Raiden,” Sable tapped his back as another five knights rushed at them with saberblades. “I think it’s time to go.”

  Raiden glanced at the oncoming knights, then nodded. They ran to the raptors, which they’d tied to a rock near the cave entrance and untied them, hopping into the saddles. Mara and Ferrus followed close behind, taking another two of the dinosaurs.

  They rode off into the forest, leaving Kain and the knights behind.

  “What the hell happened back there?” Raiden asked, trying to make sense of the situation.

  “Now is not the time,” Mara responded quickly, glaring intently at him. She turned her head towards Ferrus, her expression softening.

  “Are you okay?” She asked gently.

  Ferrus ignored her, staring straight ahead.

  “That thing you did, with your voice,” Mara said, trying to start the conversation on a different note. “I never knew you could do that.”

  “Neither did I,” Ferrus mumbled, quickly wiping a tear from her eye.

  “I am here to talk, Ferrus,” Mara said gently. “When you are ready.”

  “I do not need to talk,” Ferrus replied. “I just need to feel Kain’s skull crushed between my cursed, metal fingers.”

  ◆◆◆

  They journeyed for half an hour, for the duration of which no one uttered a single word. Ferrus’s jaw was clenched shut, but Mara knew exactly what she was thinking. She would never allow her self to trust anyone ever again. Never let anyone close, and avoid getting hurt.

  “Ferrus,” Mara asked finally. “How far are we from the Shrine?”

  “We should arrive any minute.”

  Mara nodded, then hesitated, debating whether to bring up another topic.