by Ted L C
“Yes?”
“I—”
Don’t think about it.
“I need you to be an all-star apprentice and find me a polished object. It would not be logical to go around that corner without knowing what potential foe we might face.”
“That sword is the only reflective thing left,” Derek’s neck jerks his head toward every direction of the room. “I can’t find the surgical knife; somehow that guy’s helmet is gone, and I can’t lift this thing for some reason!’
“It is fingerprint gravity locked.”
“What?”
“That means whenever the fingerprint of the user leaves the handle of the weapon; the blade’s gravity will lower. Do not ask me how; just know that you need his fingerprint. And that is not possible for you right to do now.”
“Where’s his body—”
“It disintegrated after you finished him.”
“I-I-I offed him? H-how?” a chill surges through lank arms; afterward, his spine. “I-I’ve never taken a life—before.”
“I will explain later,” Alyssa utters.
Facing the door; the glass leaves her grip, flying through the barren doorway. It shatters upon colliding with the flooring.
A faint shatter roars through the outer walls of the hallway, fading as it travels.
“This sneaking nonsense isn’t progressing the plot at all!” Derek makes his way into the hall.
“This boy,” Alyssa utters under her breath.
Eyes lie upon various corpses wearing ebony uniforms; scattered across the halls. A linear line of dried blood droplets travels creates a trail to the corridor’s end.
“This might take us to the armory,” the boy dashes toward the path crimson.
“What gives you that assumption?” her feet beat against the polished granite, absorbing small bits of scarlet juices as they ascend. “Don’t you think Alexander would have chased a bleeding man down? Perhaps, the lunatic might have created this path to lead us into another trap”
“If he was in this area, I’m sure he would have come into that room, already.
“A gut instinct—you won’t understand.”
“Intuition is a powerful means of human survival,” she continues shadowing Derek as his pace quickens. “There’s natural intuition and forced intuition conjured by the ego. One needs to realize the reality and illusion to justify their actions. I am going to trust you this time because I feel your sincerity; however, be aware.”
One of her nails aims toward a small hole, which blossoms numerous cracks growing from each side. “The remnants of a leaping mine. What does your intuition tell you now? The same?”
The crimson path comes to a halt. It leads to a puddle the size of a fist residing in an intersection of three halls. The first and second blackened; the third having a faint glow which bounces as it fades.
“Maybe it’s not Alexander” Derek dashes at blurry speeds toward the light.
“The man’s known for toying with his prey.”
An open door appears. The glows evaporate. Walls lined with a myriad of guns, swords, and vests reveal themselves. A symphony of merlot glimmers illuminates the room.
So much potential for money. These weapons are unlike any I’ve ever seen.
“It is not the ego,” a brown finger glides against the coating of a sword identical to the one Zeresh owns. It dissolves. Millions of black specs crawl into the art circulating her arm. “Not the real one, but I now have a part of you, Fames.”
“What the hell are those?” Derek’s gaze glues to the tattoo. His retinas follow the new tendrils sprouting from the black rose vines. “Why didn’t you take the sword from earlier?”
“You’ve never seen NanoLites?” she yanks a white cloak from the wall and hurls it toward Derek, whose trembling hands reach toward a rifle. “As for the weapon, it’s tainted by his weakness.
“His demise was swift; thus, making him not worthy of its power being stolen.
“Anyway, now we have to worry about the task at hand. I’ll explain my reasoning later. Grab yourself one of the smaller swords. You don’t have the resources to handle the bigger ones.”
“I thought they were gravity fingerprint proofed?” his palm rests on the Fames before him; it smears over every groove engraving its structure. An image of Derek’s father’s withered face form inside of his mind.
“These swords are different—” Darkness engulfs the room.
Smoke flows through the duo’s nostrils.
“Blink us out of here!” Alyssa’s fingers latch the boy’s hand.
A jolt surges through his limbs. The vision of his house dissipates from his mind. “Balls! I still can’t do it—”
“Follow me!” a grafting voice bounces between the walls.
Through the smoke, the cinnabar lights return. Glimmers reveal the silhouette of a towering figure.
The tip of Derek’s finger aims at the golden shell. “A-Alyssa—”
The figure’s movements freeze. “Alyssa.
“Your name. It has a familiar ring to it,” like a tornado in a bottle, the cloud spirals toward the character. The mahogany glimmers return, revealing a patch of facial hair on a sea of olive skin.
“Alexander?” the auburn flickers reveal Alyssa’s singular raised eyebrow.
“Be not confused,” the armored being extends their arm, facing his palm. “I am not who you think I am. My name is Liam. I am here to free the two of you.”
“How did you know that we thought you were somebody else?” her hand bats at the figures and withdraws. “What about that trail of blood that you left leading to the armory? And now you’re saying that you’re going to help us? I’m not buying your story.”
“Trail of blood?” his arm maintains the same pose. “I do not understand what you are talking about—”
The lights vanish. Strings of a warm fluid splash against the duo’s faces.
“Run!” Liam’s voice sends a series of rings through the boy’s eardrums.
A multitude of metal clanks dances throughout the room. Small gusts brush Derek and Alyssa’s hair.
“Your intuition failed us!” fingers clamp the dark illustration forming Derek’s bony shoulders. Sparks the size of seeds brings two claymores into the light. As they dissipate, the swords vanish.
“Derek, though the energy from the sparks is low, they still produce a plasma. I need you to visualize those spikes as a ball of—”
Flickers manifest finger-length away from Derek’s face. The clanks intensify.
“Fire!”
As the flickers materialize, a cat with a wizard hat materializes streams within his mind. A fireball width of the creature’s head hovers above its paw.
Warm gales surge through the room as it illuminates. Another gangling figure wearing the same attire as Zeresh appears. This time with darkness underneath its cloth. A spark attaches itself to the figure’s robe and combusts.
Liam arcs a massive sword downward. The creature’s blade catches it with jaws identical to the Fames.
Her fingers loosen from the boy’s body. He turns; no Alyssa in sight.
A crimson fluid oozes from where the neck would be. It coats a dagger as it tears through the skin on its own.
“What the h-hell?” his gaze follows the garbs as it drops to the ground. Its contents liquefying as an ear-piercing roar push through the room. An arm rests aside the cloak. Eyes drift toward Liam, whose face magnetizes to the robe. Scarlet droplets drip run along a robotic limb in the shape of human bones in arms.
“I—is that your arm? Liam—sir.”
“Yes, it is, my child,” a chuckle causes chills to vibrate through Derek’s body. “Everything comes at a cost. Yet over time, the cost will be reimbursed if one is smart enough. Where has Alyssa gone—”
“I’m over here!” their gazes follow the sound to a severed hand holding a weapon.
“How did you get a dagger—” a thin blade blossoms from the center of Derek’s chest.
&
nbsp; Alyssa’s hips jerk to the side. Her dirk catches swing approaching from behind.
“We need to retreat and tend to Derek!” Liam says with an Arabic tongue. “Throw me your dagger.”
Her dagger shoves; it releases itself from her fingers. Her body twists. The wind trail from the collapsing claymore grazes her sides.
Liam slams his palm into the forehead of a figure trailing him.
A knife flies through the air and into Liam’s grip. His sword hooks the cloaked being’s blade once more. The warrior’s other hand plants the dagger into the character’s knuckles.
Hurling his body sideways, he throws his boot into the figure’s jaw.
The being’s legs carry it toward many directions. Its body heaves into the wall.
“Lass,” Liam slides toward Derek’s body.
Like a dart, the knife flies from Liam’s fingers toward Alyssa. The blade bites into the opposing character’s knuckle. “Come now, we must leave!”
Alyssandra’s back drifts against the ground. A visualization of an army of ants marching toward her streams the girl’s thoughts. The dirk bursts into ashes. The millions of ashen bits crawl toward Alyssa’s right arm upon touching the flooring.
The image of a floor crafted from purple wood illustrates inside of Liam’s mind. The three bursts vanish as Alyssa’s hand reaches Derek’s.
* * *
“Derek!” her fingers burrow into the boy’s shoulders.
He transforms into a bleached silhouette. An ear-piercing howl emanates from Derek. His eyelids collapse.
The breeze caressing his body transitions into a numb sensation. Blood pours from his chest like a popped pimple. Limbs and joints loosen themselves.
* * *
Realm of Asuras
Coffee scented air combined with hints of chocolate circulates through his nostrils. “Are you with us, lad?”
“I-I am,” Derek’s eyelids extend. A groomed beard glued on an oblong-shaped face forms. “Am I dead?”
“Yes, you are,” Alyssa says, sounding like an amalgamation. “I am the devil, and you’re in for an eternity of—”
“Hush, Alyssandra,” the other voice utters. “You are not in the afterlife, young one. Yet, the thought crossed my mind that you left us.”
“I saw—darkness—” he tugs his hand and extends it toward the girl. “But—I—had the dopest feeling ever. I was in a casino with a lot of dwarves. Playin’ slots, getting drunk, and breathin’ volcanoes. Wait—”
His cracked lips spew black fluids, coating the floor with a chunky substance. The smell of cigarettes fills the room as he continues hacking. “Am—am I passing again?”
“You are not.” Liam rubs his palm with a circular motion against his upper back. “It is the side effects of your transfusion.”
“Transfusion?”
“Liam had some of Zeresh’s blood on hand,” Alyssa kneels beside Derek. Her facial muscles scrunch her eyelids and mouth. “Upon transfusion with a HESTEK; you temporarily gain their abilities.
“In this scenario, is Zeresh’s sped up regeneration. Since you are not attuned to its effects, you’re suffering from vomiting, vertigo, dehydration, and migraines.”
“Drink this elixir, son,” the man passes a mug flowing with steam to Derek’s palm. “This tea will quench—”
The boy’s fingers snatch the cup from Liam’s grip. A hibiscus flavored substance floods the boy’s throat. An aroma of frankincense vents through his nose.
The hacking halts. The sensation of nails drilling into his skull dissipates.
Frankincense? Alyssa’s left eyebrow arcs upward as her fingers dig into Derek’s upper back.
“You are wondering why I was there,” Liam’s murmurs sends chills through her spine. “Correct?”
“I am,” Alyssa’s palm mashes against Derek’s shoulder as she ascends. The girl poses her feet shoulder-width apart. “I am also curious why your armor looks identical to Alexander’s.”
“Though you believe Alexander to be a monster, I admire him. Thus, I copied his wardrobe, except for his skirt, scythe, and boots,” the man’s toes shift toward the puddle of vomit. His compressed eyelids aim at the boy’s bloodied face. “Derek, you know that your house is armed with the Bangle security system. Correct?”
“I don’t live there these days,” Derek’s hurls his body upwards. Soles smear the fluid, an invisible hand propels him on his butt. “So—No idea. Holy hell—I feel brand new. What’s in that juice you gave me?”
“It is the beneficial part of Zeresh’s blood taking effect—enhanced regeneration,” with the side of his paw, Liam brushes a smudge off of his sleeve. “Anyway, Bangle’s security services were outsourced to Reivscere twenty years ago.
“As the inherited owner of Reivscere, I was the first to be alerted about abnormalities involving surveys throughout the Cosmos. The second we became aware of your situation, our Captain of Freedom, Jasmine, triggered bee-112. This is the law which allows Reivscere to sow a tracking chip into the homeowner or guest in the scenario of a kidnapping in progress—”
“You chipped Derek without his permission?” Alyssa’s shoulders arc backward.
“We did have his consent. Upon signing the contract for the Bangle Sentinel Services, B.S.S., recipients must notify those who live on the premises, along with those who enter. They must provide written and/or verbal confirmation that they are at risk of having a homing device fired into their body.
“Moving forward. The chip led to an unknown location in Matoma, Greenland for twenty-one minutes which did not have an I.P. on our blacklist. After the aforementioned time, the area shifted toward a blacklisted address, which was the Temple of Yama—”
“How did you get there so fast?” Alyssa’s deflating pupils glue to Liam’s eyebrows as they arch.
“How did the man who pillaged your corpses reach Faxian? By flying. My crew and I did the same.
“Rumors circulated of experiments on HESTEKS happening inside of those walls. I felt that my rescue units were not capable of dealing with the monsters in that base. I took matters into my hands. Upon reaching Faxian, I disposed of the forces within terms of the galactan war laws.”
“In the event of a war crime, one may deal with opposition in any means necessary,” Alyssa’s eyelids tighten.
“Correct,” Liam lowers his rear into the chair aligned with the desk. “I managed to free the two of you, along with putting an end to the horrific experiments in which were proceeding. Unfortunately, we encountered the three carnations of Yama before departure. Hence, the temporary loss of my arm. Moreover, what we feared was the end for you, young Derek.”
“The three carnations?” Alyssa’s nails finger rakes her cheek with numerous passes. “The folklore is true?”
“An urban legend?” Derek brushes his fingers against his chin.
“Legend states, three unaltered clones of Yama himself were released upon the world,” Alyssa’s tattoo dissipates. Millions of onyx specs crawl toward her hand. They mold an action figure with the likeness of Zeresh wearing a cloak.
“Each with missing essential mental aspects. One love, second hatred, and the third balance. Whenever someone travels alone in Los Angeles, Beijing, and Surat; it’s said to stray away from the darkness at all costs. Hence, each carnation thrives on the emptiness of light.
“Otherwise, one harvests your heart, another, your knuckles, and the third, your rib cage.
“These spawns of Satan will not fall by a bullet, nor a jab to the heart. To this day, no one knows the weaknesses of these hell spawn. Of course, except for war-hardened HESTEKS such as Gladiators or Betas.”
“Theorists,” chuckles fill Liam’s office. “To off Zeresh or his clones, the neural system needs to be isolated from his body. These unaltered replicas are mere facades designed to intimidate HESTEKS throughout the cosmos.
“He fed them the mindsets in which you speak of to illustrate a grotesque image in people’s minds of Zeresh. Furthermore, like Alexa
nder, Zeresh seeks fame. So he uses any means necessary to spread his name across the cosmos.”
“Right,” Derek makes his way toward Liam’s desk. He plants both hands against the surface; plastering a black hand-print into the purple wood. Liam’s facial muscles pull his eyes and cheeks into a glare. “What’s Zeresh’s blood, then?”
“You truly do not stay relevant to conversations, lad,” Liam’s fingers sweep Derek’s grabbers backward. “ex-eighty-two Red is the term we give his blood. His clones contain one percent of the Unknown element. For being in an altered state, it does not grant the user its full potential.
“Regardless, the clones’ blood still feeds the capabilities of his cellular regeneration abilities, along with supernatural strength. Whenever a clone dies, their blood possible is harvested and stored for future use. When injected into victims who are wounded, delimbed, cancerous, etcetera. One percent of the specific Unknown element remains in the user’s body for seventeen minutes. This regenerates the damaged cells eliminates inflammation at an increased rate.
“There are two side effects though. When your white blood cells dispose of the foreign element, your body will hunger for it, putting you into a hungover state. As Alyssa explained earlier, they are ill fitting. Not ideal for those who are not used to the transfusion.”
“Does it also regenerate brain cells?”
“Yes, it does,” Alyssa and Liam say.
“No more talks of ex-eighty-two Red. I have a proposal,” Liam folds his fingers while transferring his gaze between the two. “Would you care to listen? It will place you on whatever path you would like to go to. Furthermore, possess the potential to make you a fortune.”
“I’m listening,” Derek plants his palms into the desk. Liam sweeps them backward.
The mold of Zeresh on Alyssa’s hand crumbles. The black specs retire. They reconstruct the raven tinged Rose vines circulating throughout her arm.
“With the kidnapping that occurred, a situation has been brought to the focus of our security division. Our current manpower cannot handle this threat. Furthermore, disappearances of HESTEKS throughout the galaxies are becoming common. Following a pattern within the last five years.