“But if you take my birth into account, I was born on the cusp of Gemini, an Air sign, and Cancer a Water sign.”
“Exactly! If you mix rock with flame you get-”
“Magma… And with me, Air and Water gets you a rainstorm. Are you saying even our births were some celestial occurrence?!”
“It would appear so.”
“While this is all fascinating, and very freaky, how does this relate to my darkness?”
“In my dreams, the rain canceled out the molten rock. What’s more is that the rain was a representation of darkness, while the magma was a representation of light. Together they strike perfect balance through their influence on one another. I would guess Yefferson has a similar feeling, but it has to do with his light instead of darkness. I think that is the true link between you two.”
“Just because we are linked, that does not explain why I feel like I am backseat driving in my own body when it takes over.”
“I believe what you are experiencing is a direct link to your brother.”
“But I become ruthless and bloodthirsty when it happens. Are you saying that is his true nature?”
“That is not something I can answer with any certainty, but if he experiences something similar, perhaps he takes on your traits.”
Anaar sat in contemplation for a long time, not sure of how to bring up his next question. Though Yatik’s information definitely had many things going for it, he could not quite shake the feeling something was not right. Once he had finally gathered his thoughts, he knew what he wanted to ask.
“If… I represent darkness, that makes me the bad one right? This whole time I have been judging him for what he is doing, but he is a victim of terrible circumstances. I don’t have an excuse. I was born to be evil…”
Yatik reached out to him to wipe away the tears that had started to stream from his eyes. It was clear he had lived with this feeling for a long time and now he felt as if he had the evidence to prove it. Clearing her throat, she moved closer to him so she could stroke his back as she explained.
“I have seen some of the things you have done. I know it is confusing, and easy to label yourself when things go wrong, but learning how to accept our truth and the active roles we play in our lives is part of growing up. At some point in the history of the world, people decided to conflate darkness with evil. Perhaps it is because people often use the cover of night for their misdeeds, but I can assure you being the avatar of darkness does not make you evil.”
“Avatar of darkness?”
“Yes, sometimes visions come complete with terms for you to employ. You and your brother are both avatars, you of darkness, and he of light.”
“Is that like a type of attunement?”
“That is a question for one with a better mind than me. For now all I can say is it is as much a part of you as your Air or Water attunement.”
“Well if darkness does not automatically mean evil, what does it mean? In that case does light also not mean good? Because I can’t say I have seen Yefferson do anything good.”
“Darkness exists to cloak and consume. These are often misappropriated to be bad things, but they are neutral by default.”
“And light?”
“Light is the essence of radiance. It warms and illuminates.”
“No offense, but light is sounding a lot less evil than dark.”
Yatik laughs her melodic laugh, surprised how much she longed to have been able to play this role to her own children much sooner. “Those who are not wise enough may well see light as salvation. What most forget is that if there was only light, there could never be the peace of the gloom. Too much light sears and destroys everything it touches. This is why the dark exists to consume the light so that it does not leave the world a wasteland. Never forget that your darkness is as critical to the cycle as light.”
“If what you are saying is true, then I am right to think I am the only one who can stop Yefferson.”
Yatik bows her head, unsure if she should burden Anaar with her request. Even the strong have areas of fragility. She finally had the opportunity to interact with one of her children, so she would hate to do something to scar him in what little time they had shared. She warred with herself for some time until she finally gathered up the courage to speak.
“If I may, I have a request.”
Anaar looking at her with his head cocked like the curious puppy he was known for was enough to melt her heart. “What is it?”
“I know it is a completely selfish request, one I have no right to even utter given what I have done to cause this situation, but please, I beg of you. Save your brother.”
“That’s the problem! I want to, more than you can imagine, but I have no idea how! He’s not the sit down and hug it out kind of guy, and he is too strong! Every time I encounter him, I get my ass utterly kicked! Can’t you use your powers to give me some kind of insight on how to go about this?”
Once again Yatik bows her head in a look of sorrow and hopelessness. “I fear I cannot grant you such a simple request when you need it most.”
Anaar was about to drop his line of questioning, but Yatik continued.
“There came a point where my sight of you two became obfuscated. I do not know if it has to do with your connection to me, or if it is due to your individual strength, but try as I might, any time I try to see what is in store for your future, it is always blank.”
“That… isn’t very comforting. Does that mean we are dead?”
“Oh dear I surely hope not! I also cannot see anything about your father either. That is why I can only tell you to be cautious of him. I know not if he truly still lives, or what he intends if he does.”
“Great, I’m going into this as unprepared as I was before I arrived. I had hoped I would be able to gain some insight into Yefferson through you, but it seems that isn’t possible.”
“And you still intend to reach him?”
“Do I have a choice? You yourself have asked me to save him, and even if you hadn’t, I have my own reasons for doing so. I’m very lucky. I have an amazing family and friends who support me in anything I do. Even though he resents me for it, I can’t help but want to do whatever I can to give him just a little of what I have. I know it sounds like a hero complex, but I truly do only want what is best for him. I can’t explain why, especially since he has done nothing but make it clear he wants to ruin my life.”
“Your turmoil sounds like my relationship with your father. Even though he did cruel things to me, I do want to help him achieve his dream, if only partially. I do not wish to eradicate all other affinities, but I do wish for everyone to be equal. In his eyes it was always seen as me treating him and his people as lost lambs that needed saving. It is a hard road to travel when faced with that type of obstacle.”
Anaar had been given many things to think about, and though he did not learn what he came seeking, he did get the chance to find out much more about his own life and background. With it being so late he figured he should let Yatik get to bed since there was nothing more she could provide him in his quest to save Yefferson. As he was leaving, he did think of something else, but he was not sure if it was in good taste. With how much they had discussed however, he figured he was better off asking now than at some other time when things were not as heavy.
“You gave up Yefferson and me because you were afraid our father would find you if we had stayed with you. If you were worried about being found, why did you come back to your village? Wouldn’t that be the first place he would look?”
“I’m sure he would if he knew where to find it. I also worried about this, so it took another five years for me to return home. I could not bear to put them in danger if I was here. I was sure I would be cast back out, but it seems my journey was seen as a necessary part of my spiritual growth to lead the nation. I was welcomed back with open arms, a changed woman, but in their eyes a fully actualized High Shamaness.”
Anaar was moved by how forgiving th
e village was, and wondered if he would be accepted so readily. Bidding Yatik goodbye, he portaled home, undressed for bed, all the while wondering how his relationship with his biological family would develop. His night coming to a close, he shut his eyes, quickly falling into a deep sleep wondering what was to come between him and his twin brother.
39
When considering everything he had learned from Yatik, Anaar was having doubts about his feelings concerning Yefferson. Before he thought Yefferson was confused or overacting about having everything, but when he compared it, he did definitely have the better life. Being able to grow up with an amazing mother to love and support him was by itself enough to understand the envy.
Now knowing his last name, Anaar was able to piece together some things about Yefferson’s life. Thanks to Hobb’s help he was able to obtain records that showed him as a ward of the state his entire life. He had been in and out of families, all of them returning him like an unwanted Christmas present. Anaar began to wonder if his brother ever knew what love was growing up.
Despite his extremely violent behavior, Anaar was surprised to find that Yefferson had no criminal record. If he had to guess, it was not for lack of being caught, it was more likely that the unlucky police officers that encountered him were immediately obliterated. As selfish as it was, he could not help but feel some relief that his brother’s and by association, his fingerprints were not in any criminal databases. When he thought about it more carefully, it actually made sense considering he was never flagged during any of his background checks during his missions.
The more he learned of his biological family, the more he realized just how fortunate he had been. It was almost as if his immediate family took on the majority of his misfortune growing up in order to give him a normal life. He had incidents, that was certain, but from what he knew of his father’s life, the deplorable way he had even come into existence, and his twin’s life of isolation and loneliness, he was golden. He felt spoiled when he thought of how much he inflated the more recent events in his life, as they were the most ephemeral of moments compared to his family members.
Anaar had to shake himself out of his funk because he found he was becoming increasingly more depressed as he made comparisons to his family. He decided to look into his schoolwork to take his mind off everything that he had learned. Once it was all completed, he focused his attentions toward the next most pressing matter.
He now knew how to find Yefferson. When he focused, he could feel a string of sorts connecting him to his brother. If he tugged on the string lightly, it would give him a feeling in the pit of his stomach that seemed to be feedback. What he was surprised to find was that he had two other strings, though they did not provide the same type of feedback as the one he knew to be Yefferson.
As he thought about this phenomenon, he became quite concerned. It seemed too perfect of a coincidence that there were three strings. If he had to guess, they represented the three members of his biological family. He thought about attempting to tug on one of the other unknown strings, but the prospect of coming face to face with his father after what he had learned did not appeal to him.
Yatik was particularly skilled in long range usage of her abilities, from her Slip Stream to her Affinity Detection. He could not say he had mastered such, but it seemed like a good idea to seek her counsel on the matter. If she could perhaps feel the strings too, he could then rule out which strings were which. Of course he realized everything he was thinking of was pure speculation, and at the current time he had more pressing issues. He needed to figure out what to do about Yefferson.
History showed that Yefferson was prone to action over words. It was annoyingly uncanny how polar opposite their personalities and temperaments were. Somehow he expected having a twin would make it easier to understand him. In so many ways they were technically the same person. Instead he found it was no easier than dealing with any normal stranger, except he had never come across a stranger who could reduce him to nothing without even trying.
He thought about his friends and who were the most impulsive and rash amongst them. If he could draw from that experience, there might be a chance to come up with a way to get Yefferson to stop hitting him long enough to have a conversation. Both Codi and Phavian came to mind, but he immediately ruled out Codi, simply because her attitude was not exactly impulsive, she easily had the capacity to think through her actions first. She just liked being a hellraiser.
Phavian proved to be no help either because he was ruled by his convictions. Even when he thought about Phavian’s behavior that led him to almost be killed by Yefferson, it was the thought that Merc was abusing their relationship that drove him over the edge. In the end, none of his friends helped with his strategizing.
If there was one thing that Anaar hated, it was going into a situation unprepared. Try as he might to not let it be the case, he had always taken for granted the sheer difference in strength of him and his opponents. He was always confident he could make a way out of a situation relatively unscathed no matter what he was up against. For once he was on the other side of the table. His opponent was clearly much stronger than him, and it was not as if he were simply trying to dispatch Yefferson. He wanted to have a relationship with his brother so badly he was willing to do anything to achieve it.
He found himself at a loss for what to do, so he simply decided to go with the insanity route. He would try talking to Yefferson over and over again hoping he would one day reach him. Remembering how there was nothing left of him after their last encounter, he made sure to wear clothing he was not very attached to and took a deep breath to prepare himself. He yanked on the thread that connected him and Yefferson while opening a portal. He swallowed hard as he stepped through to the unknown.
Anaar had barely stepped through the portal before he smelled burning flesh and heard screams. When he looked around, the scene looked normal, but his enhanced senses told another story. From behind him he was shocked to hear someone bellow out.
“There he is! Get him!”
An angry mob of people, about seven in number immediately began running at him and shooting furiously.
What in the hell did I step into?!
Opening a portal, the shower of bullets rained back down on his assailants, the spray stopping them in their tracks as some of them screamed from them being hit.
“When the fuck could he do that?!”
“I don’t know, but stop fucking shooting! It is going to get us killed!”
Those that were not hit began their charge again, this time without shooting, for fear it would be turned back against them. Their charge was reckless and lacked coordination, causing swings to go wide and never come close to hitting him.
Seriously, what is up with these people?! I barely moved and they couldn’t hit me!
Not wishing to waste any more time with the hopeless fighters, Anaar responded in turn, his assault precise and deadly. Wishing he had weapons on him since he did not favor hand to hand combat, he left the remaining four men in a heap and quickly darted away.
Now out of sight, he took a moment to focus on the thread that had brought him to this place. As quickly as he could, he continued following the thread to find Yefferson. He found it bothersome that the connection was not strong enough to bring him directly to Yefferson, but he hoped that could be changed in the future.
As he walked along, he was led closer and closer to the smell of death. Once he had exited the building he was in, he was taken aback by the staggering heat. Not having the luxury of looking before he leapt, he took the opportunity to confirm his suspicions.
Hobb, can you tell me where I am? It is sweltering so I must be somewhere south.
“This is correct, you are in the city of Houston, Texas.”
Houston?! What in the hell am I doing here?!
“As you are the one responsible for your transportation, It would be best to turn to self-reflection.”
Gee thanks Hobb. I’m quite aware. That
was a rhetorical question. The better question is why I was attacked on sight. Could Yefferson have known I was coming? Even if he did, how does he have goons to greet me? Better yet, how did he know where to have the goons stationed?!
When Hobb did not respond, Anaar was about to make a smart remark when he realized he could very clearly feel Yefferson nearby. Much like Yatik, he had a radiance about him. His best guess was that his powers were amplified by their connection, which allowed him to track him at longer distances. When he finally came upon Yefferson, he seemed to be quite engrossed with burning down a building.
What is up with this guy and arson?! This seems like it has already gone sideways and I haven’t even confronted him!
Anaar quickly closed the distance before making his presence known. When he was about two meters behind him, he shouted out to get his attention.
“What are you doing?! Why are you burning down a building?”
Yefferson spun around with shock, anger immediately evident on his face.
“What the fuck dude! You are like a fucking cockroach. You just won’t die!”
Did he really just call me a cockro-
He did not have much time to think before he felt the need to dash away quickly. It was fortuitous that he did, because a gout of flame so hot that it instantly liquified the pavement burst forth from exactly where he was standing before.
“What is wrong with you?! Damn pyromaniac! I just want to talk! And why were people trying to kill me the moment they saw me?”
Yefferson’s face lost some of its hardness for a moment as he peered at Anaar. “Did you fuck ‘em up?”
“What?! No! Well, somewhat. But it was only because they attacked me first!”
Grumbling to himself, “What a fucking pussy. Now I have to go handle that shit myself.”
“Handle what?!”
Yefferson seemed somewhat shocked Anaar had heard what he said, causing him to grumble again. “Must be one of those fucking Synestates. Such a pain in the ass…”
Apotheosis (Song of Sophangence Book 3) Page 46