by C. J. Lloyd
“You.” Elric looked around the room. “All of you. You’re all responsible for the world falling into despair. The needless pain and suffering, genocides, famine. I could go on and on.”
“No. That’s not true.” Another man with tan skin and green eyes stood and pointed at them. “It is you who have caused this … this destruction of cities and citizens.” He spoke with a sliver of a French accent.
“No. Unfortunately, I’m a product of the world you created. Every single one of the countries you all represent is responsible for the deaths of thousands, millions, even billions. Your greed for power, money, and empty glory has spilled the blood of men, women, and children alike. Then you cover it up as a worthy sacrifice. Now all of you will be the worthy sacrifice.”
A woman with dirty-blonde hair and blue eyes rose to her feet. “Where do you get off pointing fingers at us? The purpose of the United Nations is an alliance toward peace. Not for our individual countries, but globally.”
Elric snorted. “You’ll never achieve that goal due to the weakness you all share. Greed, selfishness, pride, and envy. I lost both my parents because mankind wanted this thing inside me. The thing that gives me the power to do all this.” Elric looked to the ceiling around the fading smoke. “The United States knew about this power and probably intended to hone it against the rest of you, I’m sure.”
“That’s a lie!” the man with the New Jersey accent shouted. “The three of you are monsters from the portals. Everyone here knows that.”
Elric’s eyebrows bunched. “You’re backtracking on what you said about me being left on the doorstep of a Maine couple. Remember, the good US citizens? Though the Lees aren’t my real parents, I’ll never know the truth of where I was born exactly because my parents were murdered by General Cloud of the United States Army.” Elric rose from the table and walked over to the group. They all took a few steps back. “I’m a product of the State of Maine Foster Care Program. Go ahead and look me up, unless the US government has destroyed my documentation. But I’m far from the beasts that vomited from those portals.”
Another dark brown-skinned man stepped forward. His Hindi accent didn’t bury his English. “If you’re human with these powers, why are you doing this? Why are you trying to destroy what our world is based on? You can do so much more, so much good.”
“Because this world has a failing system. I won’t deny that some of you mean well and are struggling to make the world a better place, but through your journeys, I know for a fact you’ve all come across monsters—corrupt, bloodthirsty warmongers, and dictators of destruction. This world and the rules that govern will always create these legacies.”
A woman who couldn’t stop shaking braced the arm of one of the guards. “What do you tend to do with us, the world, the people? Kill us all?”
The room filled with whispers of fear as Elric spoke calmly. “We’ll destroy each and every one of your governments in power, throwing the world in chaos. From that chaos, the three of us will usher in a new way of life. Darkness will cease to exist in the hearts of man, and a utopia will be born.”
“You can’t be serious?” A dark-skinned woman clenched her fists. “We won’t allow that to happen. You’re talking about killing millions of people. Billions!”
Rai shook her head. “You say it like you have a choice.”
“What the three of you are claiming is an act of war against the world. Against humanity!” another man exclaimed, fixing his glasses closer to his long nose. “If you were born here, if you really are human, why would you want such a thing?”
Elric folded his arms. “Before the portals, our world was in turmoil by famine, war, and other atrocities. It was already entering into chaos. How long will it be before nuclear war comes? In order to have peace, we have to completely start over, which means destroying the current foundation. Once that’s done, we’ll restore it. I promise.”
They all began whispering and talking out loud.
“You’re children, damn it!” The man with the Jersey accent stepped forward again. “You won’t survive. This threat against the most powerful countries in the world won’t be ignored.”
“You don’t get it, do you? We can destroy—” Enzo stopped talking as Elric placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
He rose to his feet. “I understand it’s hard to believe what we are. What we’ve done. But let me show you the beast inside me, the beast who will be the harbinger of the new age.”
Darkness flowed around them as the ground flooded with blackness. The men in suits raised their pistols as horror twisted and gripped the faces of every man and woman in the room. People climbed out of chairs, pressing against the aura that protected them from the outside damage.
Wings as wide as the ceiling curved around the dark encasing, spiked and torn in some areas. Glowing crimson eyes burned fiercely, piercing through the souls of everyone who dared glance upon the manifestation. And even through the darkness, flesh that peeled away from the clenched jaw revealed a horrific grin as smoke slithered through its jagged black teeth.
The audience howled with madness. A few of them curled up on the floor, gripping their knees, wailing, and begging for it all to stop.
No, these people didn’t deserve to rule over anyone. They were too broken, too weak, and easily manipulated. Elric’s hands dug into his pockets. His eyes rolled over the people who once stood prideful before them.
He pitied them. Once their egos were shattered, they were nothing more than broken vessels. Elric combed his fingers through his mess of black tangles, lips tight with an expression colder than the most blistering of Maine winters.
Next to him, Rai glared.
“We’re called Titans!” she shouted. The cell phones from the few recording people focused on her. “That’s the name the US government gave our parents. The ones before us. There are six of us, and in each resides a living entity known as a Deva. They once ruled the world until mankind found a way to capture them and stuff them inside babies.”
“I guess you can call us the very first weapons of mass destruction,” Enzo added.
The representative from the United States trembled as he looked deep into Elric’s eyes, his strong composure shaken as he toppled back.
Elric scanned the faces in the room. “You’re all here today to talk about us, right?”
Helicopters echoed in the distance. Through the clearing sky, he watched Allure descend and transform into her human form as she hit the ground.
Calamity rose from the surface of the carpet. “We need to get out of here, now!”
“So soon?” Elric asked.
“Elric, there’s nothing left. There’s nothing left of the building; all that’s holding anything together is this shield you have up. You’ve drawn too much attention.”
“Fine, let’s head back to the cave. But with him.” Elric pointed to the man who represented the US
“Me? Why me?” the man asked, swallowing hard, sweat streaming down his thick reddening face.
Enzo shrugged. “The representative of the United States? Why not?”
A dark hand grabbed the man as he struggled, looking around for help. The bodyguards raised their weapons.
“Stop right there. That’s enough!” one dared to order.
Allure shrieked, forcing the onlookers to their knees as they gripped their ears. Weapons smacked the floor, followed by the thuds of bodies. Wails of pain filled the air as her shriek faded.
A few NATO representatives looked up to meet Elric’s gaze, which consumed theirs. “This is our declaration of war on every nation, and whoever else wants to interfere with our goals. No city will be safe. You’ll never know when or where we’ll strike. We don’t want money. We don’t want power. We want peace.”
Blackness splashed at their feet as it consumed the six of them. The blackness over what was once the meeting room vanished, allowing a howling wind to whip papers and debris across tables and chairs, revealing that the NATO summit meeting
room now rested in the center of a crater.
“Please, help me,” the man begged. His counterparts watched without making a move, surely frightened they would be next. “You’re all cowards. Every single one of you! I’ll remember this. America will remember this!”
Chapter 7
Prepare Yourself
Rising in the opening of the cave, the fresh air that filled their nostrils was replaced by the foul mildew of the damp blackness.
The dark hand released its grasp on the stout man, letting his pudgy silhouette smack the cave floor. Without skipping a beat, he scurried backward until he brushed against the damp cave walls, fixing his glasses as he scanned the area. “What are you going to do now? Torture me?”
“Yeah, what are you going to do with him?” Calamity asked, looking down at the man in disgust. “I’m not understanding your logic in things anymore, Elric.”
“He’ll be our messenger to the above world.” Elric leaned against one of the smooth marble pillars, his eyes like a serpent, hungrily watching the man. “Isn’t that right, Mr. ...”
“Galloway. Robert Galloway,” he said, loosening his tie.
“What do we need a messenger for?” Rai asked, nudging the man with her foot. “Wasn’t what we just did enough? I think they got the hint.”
“Mankind’s too stubborn to get the hint,” Elric replied while watching the man. “They’re too high on their own existence to be frightened by the things we’ve done. They’ll want revenge.”
“So, now what?” Calamity asked. “You’ve gotten the attention of every country all over the world. This is war, Elric.”
“War.” Elric’s eyes rolled to Enzo and Rai, then fell back on the man whose wet eyes and blubbering were beginning to piss him off. “We’re going to annihilate the world governments. We’re going to dismantle their militaries piece by piece, body by body, and they’re going to beg for peace. And they’ll receive nothing. We’re going to hunt your sons and daughters like you did our parents. We’re going to destroy your families and take away your homes and everything else you hold dear. Like you did to us.” Elric thought about his past and the loss feeding the hatred.
“Yes, make them pay, Elric. Make them all pay,” Erebus growled with satisfaction.
“Mercy?” The man spat on the ground with a scowl. “You’re all terrorists. I don’t care if you’re from this world or not. After what you did in Boston, you’re dead. We’re going to take those powers of yours and destroy any evidence of you just like we did your parents.” He nodded to Enzo. “And his.”
Enzo’s eyes widened, the temperature in the room rose in seconds. “What the hell are you talking about, white privilege?”
The man’s chin rose. “Casey Jones. The oldest son of Eric Jones and Monica Williams. The older brother to Osbourne Jones.”
“Don’t say my little bro’s name like you know him.” Enzo’s tone deepened as rippling waves of heat flurried around him.
Streams of sweat trickled from beneath Elric’s arms and began pouring down his face. He watched as Enzo stepped closer to the man. The whites of Enzo’s eyes were gray, his pupils smoldering. Elric shielded the man in a black aura.
The man rubbed his glasses and struggled to put them back on the bridge of his nose. His skin was already blistering red, and he was sweating profusely as he licked his lips. “Yeah, we read the report on your brother. A shame, really. Senseless violence. But I wouldn’t know anything about that. White privilege, right?”
A dark hand wrapped around Enzo as the flames surged from him. Fiery talons stretched from a mountain of fire that erupted in the cave. Flames filled Enzo’s eyes as he roared, his anger erupting in a fountain of flames that made everyone shield themselves.
“Elric, lower the shield,” Enzo growled.
“Enzo, calm down.”
He shook his head and slammed his fist against the dark aura. Microcracks blanketed the dark shield. One more blow, and the man would burst into flames. “Elric, lower this damn shield now, bro! He deserves what’s coming!”
“What? Now you get mad? Now your feelings are hurt?” the man yelled, using the wall to stand tall. His eyes thinned as he focused on Elric. “Well, imagine all the families you’ve torn apart. The people who will never, ever wake up to see another sunset. American children who will never know love. That’s blood on your hands. You’re all insane. Kill me if you want, but you wanted war, so be ready for what’s to come.”
A dark hand fell on Enzo’s shoulders as he turned with lava-like tears rolling down his cheeks. “Yo. He talked about my baby brother. He talked about the only piece of me that mattered in this world,” Enzo sobbed. His fist shook at his side and burst into flames as the heat continued to climb. “He thinks my dead baby brother’s a joke. He’s dead!”
Enzo pulled a fiery fist back and followed through. An icy flash covered the cave.
Elric looked up to see Rai holding Enzo’s fiery fist in a gauntlet made of ice. Enzo increased his flames as his eyes burned brighter, and Rai increased the ice as a cool mist escaped her lips. Lava fell from Enzo’s chin and hit the ground, sizzling.
Rai nodded as a stream of ice escaped her glowing turquoise eyes, crystalizing on her cheek. “Enzo, I’m sorry for your brother, I am. But you can’t let this piece of trash get the best of you.”
Enzo shook his head, bunching his eyes as he took a step forward, pushing Rai back. Elric formed a dark hand from the aura to support her to keep Enzo from making any more progress. Ice covered her boots and anchored her into the cave floor.
“Enzo, listen to Rai. Please,” Elric pleaded.
“I–I … I did all I could to protect him. I was supposed to be there for him.” Flames burst over Enzo’s shoulder as he yelled. “I was supposed to protect him!”
The force from the flames made the entire cave shake and tremble. The power erupting from Enzo was overwhelming, and the blaze burned savagely, licking the cave walls.
A fiery blaze ripped forward, and Rai released another flash of ice that caused billowing steam to cover the cave ceiling.
“Hey, I’m right here,” Rai said, ripping her feet out of her boots, moving closer to Enzo.
His flesh was starting to burn away, and cracks of lava rose over his charcoal-colored flesh.
Covered in ice, Rai wrapped her arms around him and settled her head against his chest. “I’m right here for you, no matter what.”
A brisk breeze blew through the cave covering everything in a sheet of ice and controlling the ferocious waves that flowed from Enzo. His dark-brown skin returned from the cracked charcoal tone, and his head fell on Rai’s neck as he cried.
Elric took a deep breath and looked over at the man who was more trouble than he was worth. “You think we’re the insane ones, but the true darkness of our world comes from the power we give individuals. These corrupt leaders. The world gives these people the ability to make decisions on its behalf, frightening decisions that have dire consequences. Top countries are in control of weapons that can destroy this world countless times over. Then you create organizations like NATO to build friendships and foster peace. The irony is your friends today are your enemies tomorrow. So, society sits with everyone living the best that they possibly can with a loaded gun aimed at their heads, all of them waiting for the next person to lead them, hoping nobody decides to pull that trigger.” Darkness covered Elric’s fingers. “We’ll rip that power out of your hands and make ourselves the new leaders of this world. We’ll mold it to something better than what it currently is.”
Calamity smiled and chuckled to herself. “I like the new Elric. He’s so much more fun!”
“You’ll never get away with this,” the man spat. “Every world government will come against you. You really think you stand a chance? Three depressed, stricken, rebellious, snot-nosed kids. You don’t think you’ll answer for the thousands of lives you’ve taken?”
“You made us this way. We were the ones you stepped on; you didn’t care abou
t us. The US government would have killed me as an infant just for the thing inside me. Am I wrong?” A smile rested on Elric’s face.
The man shook his head. “A child with powers like yours is too high a risk. I mean, look at what you’ve already done. You have no right to those abilities.”
Rai scowled, holding a sobbing Enzo. “And neither do you.”
A serpent of water formed from the melting ice and hung over the man, dripping boiling water onto him.
“Alright, alright!” The man shriveled back. “What do you want me to do? I’ll do anything. Just … Just don’t kill me.”
“Good.” Elric sighed and clenched his fingers. “Let every government know there are no weapons that can stop us. There is no hope, no heroes that’ll save you from what’s to come. Accept it. And die in the flames of your iniquity.”
Erebus grumbled with laughter. “I couldn’t have said it any better myself, boy. My influence is rubbing off after all.”
The man nodded, his eyes darting frantically from person to person. Droplets of sweat curved from the sides of his scalp down to his chin as his bottom lip quivered. “How am I supposed to let the world know this?”
Calamity grabbed him by the shoulder and raised him to his feet with ease. “I’ll bring him to the White House. I’m sure there’s a lot of noise going on over there right about now.”
Elric shrugged. “Whatever works? I’m sure our threat of war won’t go unnoticed. If it does, we’ll destroy another city. Maybe Moscow or Beijing.”
The man nodded. “I-I’ll do as you say.”
Calamity smiled, staring pleasingly at Elric as she, the man, and Allure slipped into the dense cave floor.
In the darkness that was left, the three of them were silent. Elric closed his eyes and took a deep breath, thinking of Enzo. Rai and Enzo never talked much about their history, Enzo especially.
“Everybody good?” Elric asked.
Rai stepped back from Enzo and tapped his cheek a few times. He wiped his arm across his face and cleared his throat.
“Yeah, we’re good. Right?” she asked Enzo.