The Chamber of Genesis

by N. E. Michael

  “He wouldn’t do that, not until he has the amulet,” Raiden replied confidently. “He’ll bring his entire army to the Palace of the Gods to try to stop me.”

  “We could stage a defense to buy you more time to evacuate the planet,” Ferrus suggested.

  “It would be suicide,” Raiden refused. “Even with Gavriel at his full strength and Agius’s amulet fully powered, your ancestors were no match for Azarai. Gavriel is dead, and my amulet doesn’t even contain half of the entire Electus Prime. We’re just gonna have to evacuate as many people as we can before Azarai reaches me.”

  “We’d better get started then,” Rio grunted. “I’ll put the word out only after the portals have opened to buy you some time.

  Raiden nodded, then turned to an empty space in front of him. His eyes glowed a bright blue as energy surged throughout and around his body, and he focused it at the space, tearing open a portal in front of him.

  He hesitated before stepping inside, glancing back at Kiara.

  “If you don’t say goodbye now, you might regret it forever,” Sable whispered into her ear. Kiara looked up, sniffling as she met his heartbroken stare, then ran to him. She threw her arms around him and squeezed him as tightly as she could.

  “I love you,” she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. “You better come back to me.”

  “I love you more than anything, Kiara,” Raiden replied as he dug his hand into her hair, tears streaming down his face. “And no matter what happens, I will find you again. I don’t care if it’s on a different planet, or even a different life. My heart will always find its way home.”

  Raiden wrapped his arms around her in a hasty, yet heartfelt embrace, then lifted his head, looking at the rest of his friends.

  “When you find Suriel,” Kain said with a pained voice, standing beside Ferrus. “Please try to see if you can reach him before killing him. He’s still in there somewhere, I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “I will,” Raiden nodded sympathetically.

  He turned towards Mara.

  “I will try to send everyone to Earth, including you.”

  “Thank you,” Mara nodded gratefully.

  “It was an honor to fight beside you,” Ferrus added.

  Sable walked up beside him and threw her arms around both Raiden and Kiara.

  “Good luck,” she said, and she planted a friendly kiss on Raiden’s cheek before taking Kiara’s hand and stepping back.

  Raiden turned his head to Skarai, who was perched faithfully on his shoulder.

  “Watch over her, buddy,” he whispered, stroking the bird’s neck.

  Skarai uttered a soft, saddened caw, stroking his head against Raiden’s cheek.

  “I’ll miss you too, old friend.”

  Raiden lifted him from his shoulder to his arm, and Skarai took off, flying onto Kiara.

  “I love you,” Kiara said one last time, breaking into tears again. “Goodb-,”

  “I love you too,” Raiden interrupted her, his voice firm and resolute. “And this isn’t goodbye.”

  He turned towards the portal and leaped inside, vanishing before their eyes. As the portal began to close, Mara suddenly broke into a sprint and dove in after him.

  “Mara!” Ferrus cried. She ran after her, but it was too late. The portal had closed.

  Raiden stepped out into the circular, dome-roofed Chamber of Genesis. He peered with wonder at the long, oval-shaped glass windows into the empty space beyond.

  A noise caught his attention from behind him, and he turned around to see Mara land on the floor, catching her balance.

  “Mara?” Raiden asked in confusion.

  “I thought perhaps you could use someone to watch your back,” Mara explained, gazing resolutely into his eyes. “You left your world behind to come and find me. It is only right I do the same for you. Either we both make it to Earth, or neither one of us does.”

  “You don’t have to do this, but I appreciate it anyway,” Raiden replied, touched by her loyalty. “I’m guessing you didn’t tell Ferrus you were joining?”

  “She would never have allowed me to come alone, but her life is more valuable to me than my own.”

  Raiden nodded. “We need to hurry. There isn’t much time.”

  He walked towards the hovering platform in the center, orbited by interconnected rings of blue energy. The energy stream bonded with his amulet, including it in the circuit as he stepped up onto the platform, and his eyes began to glow with terrifying power. A voice called out from around them.

  “To begin operation, place the Keystone on the scepter.”

  “You don’t have a Keystone,” Mara pointed out.

  “The Keystone was used to design the galaxy, to create new things,” Raiden replied, surprised by his sudden knowledge. “I can still access the Nexus without it.”

  Somehow, he knew exactly what to do. He twisted the golden scepter in the middle of the platform, and the stream of energy shifted, focusing all its power on one of the windows. The window’s transparency changed to that of a mirror, shining intensely with blue light.

  “You made a Nexus Mirror,” Mara gaped, squinting her eyes to see. “Like the one we passed through on Earth.”

  “I can see the entire galaxy,” Raiden muttered in awe. “It’s…incredible.”

  “Can you connect us to Earth?” Mara asked eagerly.

  Raiden paused for a moment, focusing intently.

  “I can feel the gateway to Earth, but I can’t see it clearly. Something is blocking it, a cloak of some sort.”

  “They say that Harmonius, the old God King, used what remained of his life force to block all connections from here to Earth, to prevent Azarai from ever reaching it,” Mara recalled. “But we got here,” she added hopefully. “There must be a way through.”

  “It is a one-way distortion,” Raiden replied sorrowfully, his heart sinking. “And I don’t think enough power remains in this amulet to break through it. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to find us all a new home.”

  The rings spun around him as Raiden sifted through thousands of planets in the Milky Way in a matter of minutes.

  “I found one that could work,” Raiden said, his voice lighting up a bit. “It has the right atmosphere to support life. It’ll have to do. I’m opening all entrances to the Nexus now, all across the Kingdom.”

  ◆◆◆

  “Mara!” Ferrus roared as Kain struggled to calm her. “I need to find her!”

  “She’s gone, Liosa!” Kain said solemnly. Ferrus fell helplessly to her knees, her eyes shimmering with tears.

  “Why…” Ferrus wept. “Why would she do that?”

  “I’m sorry,” Kain said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

  “They will be back,” Kiara said firmly, joining Kain in comforting Ferrus. “As Raiden said, this isn’t goodbye. We will get through this together.”

  “Now what?” Pete asked Rio as he kicked a pebble on the ground below him.

  “We wait for the cue, then I woo the people with a fancy speech,” Rio replied, masking anxiety with a sarcastic tone.

  The cue came when a man-sized portal suddenly formed in the air before them, as well as another dozen throughout the street. Hundreds of portals opened throughout the Dinges, the Capital, and then across the entire Kingdom. They opened in the forests of the Wildlands, piquing the interests of various birds and dinosaurs. They opened on the snow-capped mountain tops, in the rivers and canals, in the large cities like Balron, in the small villages scattered in the most remote corners of the kingdom, and even in the middle of people’s homes, drawing chattering crowds of curious and frightened Enlai.

  “There’s your cue,” Pete said.

  “Yep,” Rio grunted. He spoke into his communication device. “Patch me into all systems,” he ordered his rebels in the bunker. “Hack into every radio and speaker on this whole damned planet.”

  Rio turned to the knights and rebels surrounding them. He cleared his throat, then exhaled dee
ply.

  “Rebels and knights,” he bellowed, his voice booming outwards with the amplified power of a Surger. “Just an hour ago, you were ordered by your leaders to kill one another. But now, I’m going to ask you to do somethin’ even more difficult. I’m going to ask you to make peace. And I speak to you too, all citizens of this small, but ancient Kingdom. Now is not the time for distrust, nor is it the time for panic. Azarai has risen from the ashes, just as priests have predicted for thousands of years. All of us know the story of the savior who will deliver us to the promised land. Well, that savior is here, goin’ by the name of Raiden Williams, and if you want to reach that promised land, you’re gonna have to listen carefully.

  I am Riogard, the last son of the Ancients. You don’t have to like me, you may not even know me, but if you want to survive, you’re gonna have to trust me. Those portals that opened up in your streets, your fields, and your homes, they are gateways to the promised land. I’m sure many of you have heard of or seen the Decrepit, the fallen angels, with their cursed army of undead. They follow Azarai’s commands, and he’s hellbent on destroying our planet. Our home. If this happens, the only way we will survive is through those portals. Once the danger subsides, if there is anythin’ left of our planet, we will return. If not, we will rebuild our civilization anew on a different world.

  Gather your families, gather your most precious belongings, most importantly food and drink. Take them through the nearest portal, and your lives will be saved. Remain here, and you will perish, along with the planet. Thank you, and may the spirit of Gavriel protect us all.”

  “Well done,” Pete said when he’d finished, this time without his usual smug grin.

  “Yeah, well, we’ll see if anyone listens,” Rio muttered. “A stranger just asked them to leave their lives behind and jump through a mysterious magical portal.”

  Rio looked out at the surrounding men as they stared at him in shock.

  “Did you boys not understand somethin’!?” Rio shouted. “Get movin’, and if you have a way to contact your families, make sure they do the same!”

  The rebels began lining up behind the portals, followed hesitantly by the knights, as they jumped through one by one.

  “You should go too, Sir,” Pete told Rio. “It would help to have a leader to guide them on the other side. I reckon it’ll be a mess of panickin’ civilians. You could start organizin’ folks with the rebels under your command. I’ll transfer all our leftover rations through and oversee the evacuation here.”

  “Why do you always gotta make so much goddamn sense,” Rio grumbled.

  Pete smiled, placing a hand on Rio’s shoulder.

  “Thanks, Rio. For everythin’.”

  “This isn’t goodbye,” Rio said, patting Pete’s shoulder in return. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

  Pete nodded with a hopeful smile as Rio handed him his transceiver.

  “Take good care of my city, Pete. It’s all yours.” He turned around and walked to the front of the nearest portal, hopping inside.

  “We should go too, Kiara,” Sable told her friend.

  “Not yet,” Kiara replied, looking up at the sky. “If this is my last day on this planet, I want to make the most of every moment.”

  Kain wasn’t having any more luck convincing Ferrus to leave.

  “Please, Liosa, come with me. You are all I have left.”

  “My name is Ferrus!” Ferrus growled. “And if Mara dies on this planet, then so shall I.”

  “If you die, her sacrifice will have been in vain!” Kain raised his voice. “If you continue on to the new world, then at least her memory will too.”

  Ferrus looked down at him from her towering, metal body, her round, bald head stricken with sorrow. She hesitated another moment, then followed him towards the portal.

  ◆◆◆

  “No!” Azarai screamed as he flew rapidly above the Kingdom’s Capital only a few miles from the Dinges, reunited with the Decrepit. The city blocks behind him had been reduced to ashes as he rained fire down upon the trees, buildings, and people below, destroying everything in his sight. He watched as portals opened up all around the city, and Enlai vanished within them by the hundreds, fleeing from his demonic flames.

  If you had controlled your rage and refrained from burning down the entire Wildlands, you could have reached the Dinges before Raiden had a chance to organize this, Suriel’s voice said from deep within his mind. But you are a mad, blood-thirsty fool, and that will be your downfall.

  Save your petty insults, human, Azarai thought angrily. Being stuck in your fragile body is punishment enough.

  Azarai turned towards the Decrepit.

  “Change of plans. We are going to the Palace of the Rai to remove the amulet from Raiden’s severed head. Once we have it, we’ll continue to Earth. The Keystone already awaits us there thanks to Alia, who has fallen under my control.”

  The Decrepit shrieked eagerly, then set off on their new course.

  ◆◆◆

  “Is it working?” Mara asked as Raiden focused intensely, guiding droves of Enlai through the Nexus.

  “Thousands have passed through,” Raiden replied. “But not nearly enough. At this rate, we’ll never get everyone.”

  “We’ll save as many as we can,” Mara assured him.

  “And then what, I will kill the rest of them!? Raiden shouted anxiously as he worked.

  “It is better than the alternative.”

  “I would be responsible for the deaths of thousands, not to mention the plants and animals!”

  “You are not responsible for this!” Mara argued sharply. “Azarai is. Every life lost is on him.”

  Raiden buried his guilt and worked as fast as he could, transferring droves of Enlai to the new planet. Once in a while, he was comforted by a friendly face, like that of Kaiyu and some other villagers. But he didn’t have time to glance at all of them, and they couldn’t see him back.

  “Did you…see Ferrus, by any chance?” Mara asked.

  “No,” Raiden replied. “But there are so many, I can only see a fraction of them. I’m sure she passed through.”

  “I certainly hope so,” Mara sighed.

  Suddenly, Raiden’s concentration faltered, and he turned towards Mara, his expression grave.

  “He’s here,” Raiden said, his voice chilled with dread.

  “Then we need to go out and fight him,” Mara said apprehensively.

  “No!” Raiden shouted, turning back towards the mirror. “There are too many left, I need to keep going!”

  “If Azarai reaches this chamber and takes the amulet before you have a chance to detonate it, he’ll erase all of existence!” Mara urged him. “You need to let go and fight him!”

  “I can’t!” Raiden cried.

  “Why not!?”

  “Because I haven’t seen Kiara yet!” Raiden admitted desperately, pushing as many people as he possibly could through the Nexus.

  “You said yourself, you can’t see everyone!”

  “I have to be sure!”

  “You are not the only one with loved ones out there, Raiden!” Mara raged. “You think I’m not scared!? I’m terrified! But if you don’t stop this and go fight Azarai, you risk losing every husband, wife, and child that we’ve tried to hard to save!”

  Raiden’s forehead dripped with sweat, his heart pounded beneath his aching chest as he realized Mara was right. He glanced at the endless waves of Enlai rushing into the Nexus, waiting for his guidance. He helped a few more through, and then, with a terrible, sick feeling in his stomach, he closed the portals.

  The energy beam returned to its original stream, and the mirror began to turn slowly back into a window. Raiden staggered down from the platform, tears streaming down his eyes.

  “There were so many left,” he whispered, his voice trembling with sorrow. “I couldn’t save them.”

  “You need to focus on the ones you did save,” Mara said firmly, grabbing Raiden’s hand and curling it into
a fist. “Now go take Azarai down.”

  Raiden struggled once again to swallow his guilt. He took a deep breath.

  “I’m ready,” he said, the fire returning to his voice. “Let’s go.”

  Mara followed Raiden as he dashed towards the Nexus Mirror and dove inside before it faded.

  “RAIDEN!” Azarai’s voice bellowed from above.

  Raiden and Mara looked around, finding themselves in the middle of a vast, empty area of black, scorched earth in front of the Palace of the Rai. There was no life or color as far as the eye could see. Even the sky was black, rumbling with thunder and lightning.

  Azarai floated in the clouds above them with an army of Decrepit, and thousands of their cursed victims approached hungrily from all directions, including from the palace itself.

  “You think you can beat me with Agius’s strategy?” Azarai asked scornfully as he smashed down to the surface, forming a crater in the ground around him as he landed. “There is an obvious flaw in your plan, human. Agius is dead, and I am not.”

  “Suriel,” Raiden called with a hopeful voice, ignoring Azarai. “You can still take back your mind and put an end to this!”

  “You waste your breath speaking to a dead man,” Azarai snarled. “As do I.”

  Azarai forged his sword between his fingers and charged towards Raiden.

  “Get back!” Raiden yelled at Mara, and he quickly shaped his energy into a giant shield in front of him, blocking Azarai’s attack.

  Mara scurried back, realizing there wasn’t much she could do against Azarai. She fired arrows at the Decrepit instead, trying to hold them off of Raiden.

  The Decrepit swarmed around Raiden, aiding their master as they attempted to get close enough to Raiden to rip the amulet from his neck. Raiden fought them off with constant bursts of energy, while at the same time defending himself against Azarai’s unrelenting onslaught of attacks.

  “Give it to me!” Azarai screamed with fury as he slammed the blade down again and again against Raiden’s shield until it finally shattered into flickers of light.

  Raiden cried out with searing pain as Azarai’s blade cut through the side of his body. Raiden leaped up into the air past the Decrepit, then quickly fired an energy pulse at Azarai as the god flew after him, slowing Azarai’s ascent. Raiden tore another portal in the air above Azarai, trying to repeat the same trick as last time, but Azarai was ready for it, swooping swiftly around it and up to Raiden.