The Riddle of the Gods

by Lyra Shanti

  “Axis,” scolded Ayn, “that's nice of you, but...”

  “No, it's true!” insisted Axis as he wagged his tail with a proud, wild-eyed grin. “Show this big bully grandfather of mine that you can answer any stupid riddle he throws at you!”

  Raxas gave a loud, thundering laugh, which vibrated the plasma around them, making Ayn feel as though he might lose balance for a moment.

  Regaining his balance, Ayn sighed and said, “Look, I appreciate your confidence in me, Axis, but let's hear this riddle first before assuming we have its answer.”

  “Well,” said Axis, “if it's a question about memory, I bet we can figure it out together. What is it, my insane grandfather? Did you forget where your marbles went? Maybe sometime before you changed into that horrible, flesh-eating monster that the Sirini were terrified of?”

  Raxas raised his lion-like brow and gently patted Axis' head with his left paw.

  “No, my arrogant grandson. Unfortunately, I vividly remember why and how I lost my mind. I was in a great amount of pain after your parents died, and when most of our kin died as well. I tried my best to keep our planet safe from those Ohrians who were draining us of our energy, but I couldn't hold them off. They had machines – terrible machines that sucked our life force from us. They made us weak and enslaved our hybrid offspring, the Sirini, as you call them. It tore my heart watching this, so I made the mountain my holy ground – my last stand, if you will – and I kept the energy safe there so that the Sirini would still have the strength to fight.

  However, in time, I forgot why I was fighting. I ended up so angry and full of vengeance that I killed anyone who came near my sacred mountain. I had moments, though, when I remembered my true nature, and I would try to heal those who were hurt, either from my own misguided violence or from another person's cruelty, but... it was no use. My healing ability was mangled and mutated from my anger. All I could do was destroy, and I had forgotten the rest.”

  Axis looked at Raxas with sad eyes, and then back at Ayn.

  “I remember everything now though,” Raxas continued, “except for one, extremely important thing, the one thing I have never understood, and the one thing that drives all of us forward in this quest for life.”

  “What is that?” asked Ayn.

  Walking up to Ayn, Raxas looked deep into Ayn's eyes. He was so close to him now that the bright blue sphere of fire slightly burned Ayn's cheeks.

  “I want to know why I am here. I want to know why any of us creatures, big or small, of any color or kind, are here. Why, Bodanya? Do you know why you are here? If you do not, then why do you even exist? Why do we fight to live? What's the point of it if we are only random fragments of chaos? I need to know this if I am to truly heal my own mind and remember who I am. So... can you answer me this riddle, Bodanya? Can you even try?”

  Ayn stood silent, amazed at the similarity to his own question he had just asked Ona on Kri. His mind raced as he tried to remember exactly what she had told him when he asked that question of her.

  “We are here,” said Ayn, followed by a nervous swallow, “because we were meant to meet each other. We are connected, and we were meant to be with each other.”

  Axis feared the answer was far too simple to be correct, but he hoped it was anyway. He didn't want Ayn to be wrong, for ego's sake, but also because he didn't want his crazy grandfather to go nuts again and punish them both for Ayn's incorrect answer.

  Raxas, however, simply stared at Ayn for a few moments. Then, slowly, a smile crept across his huge, lion-like face.

  “Yes...” said Raxas, “I believe I remember that to be the truth.”

  Relieved and proud, Axis yipped in glee, clapping his paws.

  “You are wise, little Bodanya,” added Raxas.

  “Please... call me Ayn.”

  Chapter 15: Battle on Sirin

  Out of nowhere, something hit near the camp like a whip of lightning.

  “What the hell was that?!” yelled Kren as he braced himself on the rock where he and his grandparents had been sitting.

  “It's the Plasma Thieves!” yelled Joh. “Now that the monster has left the mountain, they've found us!”

  Another blast hit closer the camp, forcing many of their usually sturdy tents to crumble to the ground.

  “Kuva!” shouted Kren as he ran for the tent where his sister lay inside, healing in her sleep.

  At the same time, Srah had found her way back, though she almost wished she hadn't. The Sirini tribe was in disarray with everyone scattering in different directions.

  Hearing an intense vibration, Srah looked up and saw a huge, silver-smooth ship hovering above them. It was beginning to fire targeted blasts, as if trying to scatter them. Srah assumed it was so they'd be easier to capture as slaves.

  Srah's face contorted with anger as she ran to Kren's grandparents. “Why won't they leave our people alone?!” she cried.

  Kren's grandmother wrapped her arms around Srah and said, "We are not people to the Ohrians. We are merely slaves.”

  “They're insane!” yelled Srah. Unable to process the Orhian's behavior, Srah shook her head, forcing herself concentrate on the task at hand. “There is a man who is trapped and dying inside the cave of the mountain. He's the king of Kri! He needs your healing, Granjie!”

  Just as Srah said that, Kren came out of the tent with Kuva in his arms. It was only a matter of seconds before the tent she had been in was blown apart.

  Kren ran behind the large, round rock that his grandparents and Srah were hiding behind. Laying his half-conscious sister down on the ground, he shouted, “Are they trying to kill us all?!”

  “No,” said his stoic grandfather, “they're trying to terrify us... to make us weak.”

  “Well, it's working!” yelled Kren. “Grandfather, how can we fight back?!”

  Joh shook his head as he watched his tribe flailing and screaming while the terrifying Ohrian ship loomed above. “I don't know that we can," he said as he held his wife, “but somewhere up there is a Sarax fighting a monster for us, and I have faith that he will fight these plasma thieves for us as well.”

  Kren shook his head. “I can't wait that long! By the time he comes down from the sky, we could all be dead! I'm sorry, Granja, but I just don't have that kind of faith.”

  Joh frowned, but nodded his head. He understood how his grandson felt, for he too had felt that way for most of his life. However, after seeing the golden Sarax in flight, he now believed everything his people had ever told in stories. Now, he knew it was all true: the Sarax, the plasma within the universe, and the God-like bloodline within his own people.

  Joh looked at Srah and said, “My grandson is partly right, my dear. If the Sarax doesn't survive the fight against Raxas or come back soon, we may all perish. You have a special bond with him, just as your ancestor-mothers before you had. Do you think you could call him to you?”

  Srah looked at Kren and his grandparents, as well as the surviving tribe, feeling unsure about what she could do. She then thought about Axis and Ayn up in the sky somewhere, bravely fighting against the mountain monster. Nodding her head, she firmly said, “I'll do my best!”

  Closing her eyes, she tried her hardest to shut out the sounds of screaming and thundering explosions. She then called to Axis in her heart.

  Axis... please, can you hear me?

  Srah?! What's wrong?! I'm here!

  Oh, Axis, please come back to Sirin! We're in trouble! We need your help!

  I'm so sorry! I'll be right there! Please hold on, Srah! I love you, and I won't let anything hurt you, even if I have to stop time to do it! Just hold on!

  Coming out of her small trance, she opened her eyes and looked at Joh, then said, “He's on his way! He's coming to help us!”

  Suddenly, there was a brilliant red light in the sky next to where the Ohrian ship hovered.

  “It's Axis!” yelled Kren.

  Just then, the Ohrian ship changed its course and seemed to be firing at the large objec
t in the sky. It too was silver in color and was moving swiftly around the Ohrian ship, almost as if it were dancing around it.

  “Wait...” said Srah, “that's not Axis.”

  “What is it then?” asked Kren.

  “I think it's another ship of some kind,” Srah replied. “I'm not sure, but I think it's a Krian vessel. It looks similar to the one Reese arrived on.”

  Kren grinned, clenched his fist, and said, “Yes! That's almost as good as a Sarax! I'll take it!”

  Watching the ships fire at each other in the night sky with their powerful blasts of plasma, everyone in the Sirini camp was mesmerized, as well as a little horrified. Some hid behind scattered rocks and others made a break for the holy mountain, hoping their Gods would somehow protect them there.

  Srah wasn't as happy as Kren to watch the ships fighting. She kept thinking about Reese and Atlar, and about Kuva as well.

  “Kren!” she shouted, trying her best to overpower the sound of the ships' plasma blasts.

  “What?!” he shouted back.

  “We need to get Kuva out of here – your grandparents too! I know a place we can go!”

  “Where?!”

  “Just follow me!”

  Kren nodded, then helped his sister to her feet. Kuva was now awake, though very confused and still extremely tired. “Can you walk, Sister?” he loudly asked. She nodded groggily as Kren helped her to walk. “Come on!” he ordered his grandparents. “Let's leave the Ohrian invaders to the Krians and get to safety!”

  Srah looked from side to side, checking for a clean break to the mountain's path. She then led them to the mountain's base. She planned to help them hide in the monster's cave, allowing Kren's grandmother to take a look at Atlar. She hoped Granjie's experienced healing skills could help him better than she could.

  As they trekked up the mountain, they were shocked to see something spectacular, yet frightening. The Ohrian ship looked like it had been hit hard, and was now veering toward the bottom of the mountain, close to where they were!

  The Krian ship seemed to be landing as well.

  “What happened?!” shouted Kren.

  “I don't know, but it seems like there's going to be a ground battle!” Joh shouted in reply. “Just keep going! There's no time to lose!”

  Walking as fast as they could, Kuva began to lag behind. Kren noticed her tiredness and picked her up in his strong arms. “It's alright, Sis, I've got you,” he said. She half-smiled, then passed out.

  “This is too much for her,” said Granjie. “She's still too weak from whatever the monster did to her.”

  “No...” said Srah, “I have a feeling it's not Raxas' fault that she's so sick. The Ohrians here have been enslaving the Sirini, but some of them have been used for other reasons. Some of them have been used for experiments, haven't they? I don't think Kuva was hurt by the monster; she has no bite or claw marks. She has Plasma Sickness, doesn't she Granjie?”

  Granjie nodded, though she seemed like she didn't want to admit the truth as she turned her head away, holding back her tears.

  “What?!” yelled Kren. “How did Kuva get such a vile disease?! I thought our people were immune! They have always been immune before!”

  “Look, I don't know exactly,” Srah continued, “but my instincts tell me the Ohrians have been implanting the disease into certain people. I think your sister was part of a bigger experiment. She wasn't just food for the monster, she was an experiment.”

  “That's crazy!” Kren shouted angrily.

  “Yes, it is... but so is war in itself.”

  “Look, we don't have time to discuss our theories,” said Granjie. “We need to get to that safe place you mentioned, Srah! We don't know what will happen in this battle and poor Kuva needs rest.”

  Srah nodded, then continued leading them toward the cave, only briefly stopping to look at the Ohrian ship as it made a crash-landing at the bottom of the mountain. It was a spectacle, but they knew they had to ignore it and keep going.

  As they arrived at the entrance, Kren saw his uncle lying on the ground. He immediately gave Kuva to his grandfather to carry, then rushed to see if Vuntu was alright.

  “He's still breathing!” Kren said as he felt his uncle's pulse. Looking for wounds, Kren saw that Vuntu had a large gash in his side from what looked like claw marks. “Well...” said Kren as he turned to Srah, “this was definitely the monster's doing.”

  Srah bit her lip and said, “Yes... and yet, he left him alive.”

  “Just barely!” snapped Kren.

  “Kren...” moaned Vuntu.

  “Yes, Uncle, I'm here. Don't worry, I'm going to get you to safety.”

  “No, Kren... I'm dying... from the inside. I can feel it.”

  “No!” yelled Kren in defiance, picking his uncle up. “You're going to live!”

  Vuntu moaned in pain. “Stop, Kren. Just stop, and listen to me... please.”

  Joh and Granjie could barely look as they watched their only surviving son as he lay, dying before their eyes.

  Leaning in closer, Kren heard Vuntu softly say, “The Lirhan woman... her sword... it struck the beast and caused it pain. I saw the creature take it out of its chest before it flew into the air. The sword should be somewhere to my left. Find it, Kren, and use it. Stop the plasma thieves from destroying us, and kill the monster, if you can. I believe in you, Kren... just as your father believed in you. I love...”

  Taking a final breath, Vuntu's head fell back as he passed into the spirit world.

  “No!” yelled Kren's grandmother as she covered her tearful face with her hands. Her husband would have cried as well, but he was too preoccupied with his dying niece in his arms. He also knew very well that Vuntu was a warrior, and that his two sons had died for their people's freedom. It was something he was already prepared for, and so he simply held his head down in prayer for a moment of silence.

  Breaking the silence came the violent sounds of gunfire and screams. “They've taken the battle to the ground,” said Joh. “Kren, come... we must go... now!”

  Kren turned to look back at his grandfather as Srah motioned for them to follow her into the cave.

  “I'm sorry, Granja... but I'm not coming,” said Kren stoically.

  “What?! Come here right now!” demanded Joh.

  Kren shook his head, then looked across the clearing for the sword his uncle had mentioned. Sure enough, he saw Reese's Viha gleaming in the bushes. He stood up, then walked to the sword. Picking it up in his right hand, he looked at his grandfather and said, “Please take care of Kuva. I love you all.”

  Srah was mortified to see him run off to join the battle down below, but there was no time to argue. Leading Granjie, Joh, and Kuva deep into the darkness of the cave, Srah quickly sent a prayer to the Gods, hoping she'd see Kren once again.

  –

  “Quick! You two put out that fire!” shouted Pei. He then put on his blue and gold-trimmed battle helmet, complete with the Krian emblem of an encircled flame, and said, “The rest of you, scout the enemy's landing area and shoot without hesitation! But do not use your Viha unless necessary! Hynfir, you're with me!”

  “Yes, General!” said Hynfir with a proud grin as he followed Pei.

  The Lirhan poured out of their damaged ship as Pei and Hynfir ran toward the crashed Ohrian vessel. Their mission was to completely destroy any chance the Ohrians might have of mending their plasma-engine. It was a risky move, considering their own ship would be vulnerable while they were repairing their burning haul, but Pei didn't want to take the chance of the Ohrians escaping, and then gathering their forces in a second attack on Sirin. His orders from Baran and Ona were clear: to help Reese find Atlar, and if possible, re-claim the planet's freedom for the Sirini people.

  Pei wasn't about to fail his mission, and with his gun in his left hand and his Viha in his right, he charged into the battle with all his strength. Hynfir followed suit, and together, they shot and sliced their way through to the engine room of the Ohrian shi
p.

  “Do you know what you're doing?” asked Hynfir as he stood guard at the door to the engine room.

  “Absolutely not,” replied Pei as he searched for a button which might open the latch to the engine's core.

  “You don't know much about Ohrian technology, do you, my friend?” Hynfir quipped as he showed Pei the finger impression on the wall. “See...” he said, placing three of his fingers on the finger-shaped groove. “It's probably encoded though.” Immediately afterward, a high-pitched sound pierced through the air and Hynfir added, “Yeah, it's encrypted with a security alarm. Only one of the Ohrian soldiers can-”

  “Fine, no problem,” Pei interrupted as he grabbed one of the dead Ohrian soldiers he had shot when entering the engine room. Picking up the dead man's arm, he pulled the corpse's fingers to match the impression in the wall. A few seconds afterward, a purple light flashed and the oval latch that covered the engine's core opened up.

  Hynfir smiled and said, “My, Lord Vrin, you really have come a long way. You know that?”

  Pei nodded dryly as he studied the core. “Thanks, but this isn't the time for compliments. Do you have the bomb?”

  Hynfir nodded and pulled out a little silver box from a pocket in his golden Lirhan vest. “Yes, I do, Commander. Now, remember. It only gives about twenty seconds. 'Doesn't give us much time.”

  “That's alright,” said Pei, “we both run pretty fast. Go ahead. Place it, and let's get the hell out of here.”

  Hynfir nodded, then carefully attached the small, square bomb directly onto the core. As soon as its color changed from silver to red, Hynfir yelled, “Go!”

  Running as fast as lightning, they jumped out of the ship just in time before the engine room blew, causing the entire ship to crumble.

  Unfortunately, as soon as Pei and Hynfir tumbled out of the exploding ship, they were met with angry Ohrian soldiers who held plasma-guns aimed at their faces. Without thinking twice, Pei sliced through the Ohrian's ankle while Hynfir used the moment to cut through the belly of the Ohrian in front of him. More Ohrian soldiers came running at them, but Pei and Hynfir's expertise with their Viha was faster than the Ohrians' guns.