“Me? Train someone?” The man got a good long chuckle at his own question, which made Xalen’s skin crawl with anger. “Trust me. I’m not cut out to teach anyone anything.”
Xalen’s mind froze. “So how am I supposed to learn how to become an Alioth? On my own?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Reave. He pointed down at the moon, which, with the ship moving closer, was growing larger by the second. “You’ll be studying at the Zizor Dojo. Of the three Alioth academies, it is the best by far. It is headed by Sensei Kayos, one of the most legendary Alioth warriors in the history of our order.”
Xalen took short, shallow breaths as he realized what he was going to have to do. He was going to spend his days locked up in a building with hundreds of people his own age. What would he say? What would he do? Besides Rund, he had only dealt with the children on a daily basis.
“I know what you’re thinking,” said Reave. “You’re very behind in your training and you don’t think you’ll ever be able to catch up to the other students.”
“That’s not what I was thinking,” admitted Xalen. He’d always been a hard worker, and being behind did not bother him. It only gave him further incentive to work harder to catch up to the students who promised to be light years ahead of him. “I’m not the same as all those other people.” He lifted his shirt, revealing the dark metal circle that could be seen under the skin. “I don’t even have a heart.” As the words flowed from his mouth, he vividly recalled that cold morning many star cycles ago.
He was but child, hardly seven cycles old. Vintra was known for its harsh winters, but this particular winter had been particularly severe. Agnes had told him to not waste his time at the window, through the thick storm, it would be impossible to see any arriving visitors. Nonetheless, in his excitement, he looked out the window, eager to see the rich family that had scheduled the visit. It wasn’t long before he was rewarded with the sight of a dark blob moving over the snowy plains. As the blob moved closer, it revealed six wheels aligned in rows of three, and a large metal, square body.
“They’re here!” yelled Xalen. He knew for a fact this particular family was looking for a boy around his age. This was the day. The day that he might actually be adopted.
“You better not embarrass me, boy!” hissed Agnes.
“No. No. I won’t”
A knock on the door.
The boy’s skin tingled with excitement.
When Agnes opened the door, a man and a woman trudged in, noses held high. Their extravagant, multicolored silk clothing was but a small testament to their wealth. The pencil-mustached man wore a long blue robe. The woman had a fine red dress draped over her large body. She wore an oversized gold ring on each finger, and three sparkling silver necklaces hung from her neck.
The man’s eyes took in his surroundings with a quick glance. Then, in a tone that made it clear he didn’t think much of the dull orphanage, he said, “I still don’t see why we had to come to this place, dear. There are plenty of orphanages in the Bastion. Coming so far out to the outskirts is such a waste of our valuable time.”
The woman did not look entirely convinced. “Those Bastion boys have spent their entire lives running from the law. I want a good boy to love. One who does not have a rebellious heart.”
Xalen took this as his cue. He casually strode in front of the couple. He did not look their way, feigning that he was headed into the kitchen.
The woman took the bait. “And who might this charming young man be?” she asked, her eyes twinkling with something that, in his naive mind, Xalen thought could only be love.
“He’s a nobody,” said Agnes before Xalen could answer. She stepped in front of the boy. “His only purpose here is to clean.”
The man ran his finger over a countertop. His pale finger grew dark with dust. “He’s not really good at his job, is he?”
Sensing that he was losing the family, Xalen stepped out from behind Agnes. “I’m actually an orphan here, sir.”
“Ahhhh,” cried the woman. “He’s so cute and adorable. What is your name, boy?”
“Xalen.” He tried to remain calm, even though his insides felt as if they were going to explode.
“This boy is not up for adoption,” said Agnes, her face growing white. She was in danger of losing her hardest working servant. “He’s a freak who doesn’t listen to reason.”
“Nonsense,” countered the rich woman. “He’s nothing but a sweetheart.” She crouched down, so that she and Xalen were face to face. An overwhelming scent of jasmine perfume flowed from her and into Xalen’s nostrils. He tried not to sneeze. “Would you like to come with me? There is a large garden back home where you could play with your sisters and brothers. We’ll attend plays every week, and enjoy only the sweetest foods and treats from across the universe.”
Xalen swallowed hard with excitement. “I would have brothers and sisters?”
“Oh, yes. They were orphans just like you. But not anymore.”
Xalen’s skin tingled. “Yes. Y...es. I would love that very much.”
What happened next occurred so quick, that Xalen barely had enough time to register the events. Agnes came behind him, took hold of his old shirt and pulled it over his head. By the time Xalen had tugged his shirt back down, the damage had already been done.
“What was that?” shrieked the woman. The compassionate face she’d had before had given way to one of pure terror.
“I tried to tell you,” said Agnes, grinning with satisfaction. “He’s a freak. The boy doesn’t even have a heart.”
In an exaggerated, almost rehearsed manner, the woman wobbled on her feet. Only the intervention of the man, who caught her, saved her from crashing into the floor.
“A boy with no heart?” squealed the woman. “I want a boy who is capable of loving. A…” She inhaled deeply. “A monster with no heart could never be capable of such feelings.”
The man felt the need to add his own opinion to the mix. “I suggest you throw that kid out to the wolves. Though I doubt even a wild creature would want to feast on such tainted flesh.”
“I would,” agreed Agnes. “But I love my children too much to do such a thing. Even if they are mistakes of nature.” She waved over at the hallway that led to the other rooms. “Please follow me. I have plenty of other regular children that I'm sure you’ll find to your liking.”
The couple followed, not bothering to look down at the boy.
Sobbing, Xalen opened the door, running out into the storm. He wanted to die. He wanted to stop feeling this pain that raged within him, a pain that told him he would never belong. How could he? As Agnes had so eloquently put it, he was nothing but a ‘mistake of nature.’
But the boy’s wish did not come. He walked and walked, delving deeper into the wild. His skin shivered as hail and rain bombarded him from every angle. He fell to his knees, surrounded by only trees and a howling wind, and awaited the end. His energy was all but drained, but suddenly, his body swelled with an intense wave of energy. The metal piece in his chest glowed a bright white, almost as if the power of the ice itself had been absorbed by it.
Lost and confused, the boy sobbed into his arms for what seemed an eternity. When he finally got back to the orphanage, the rover was gone. Agnes was pacing the entrance hall, her heavy footsteps thumping loudly.
“Good. You’re not dead,” she said as way of greeting. “Warm my water and get my clothes ready. I just sold a boy and will be eating out with my friends tonight.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Xalen kept his head down as he headed to the clothing room. Never again did he put himself before any of the potential parents that came to the orphanage.
To his surprise, Reave did not express the slightest sign of shock or repulsion. “It may be made of a different substance than mine, but it’s a heart nonetheless. Embrace your difference. It is what makes you who you are.”
Xalen wanted to scream at him. How could he embrace something that had caused him so much misery thro
ughout his life? He wanted to tell Reave that he knew nothing of his pain. That he knew nothing of how it felt going around, with a physical scar showcasing to the world just how much of a freak you were. But as he readied his rant, he caught sight of the terrible burn mark on Reave’s face. He gulped, swallowing down the speech he had so eloquently written in his mind.
Unable to form any more words, he remained quiet as the ship landed and its engines turned off. The door slid open, and Xalen’s jaw almost dropped. The ship had landed in the middle of a large field. At their side were countless other ships of different shapes and sizes. A path of polished stone spread before them in a straight line. There was a large red gate that seemed to reach to the clear skies. It had a golden, snake-like rim running through the top. It shined brightly under the light of the blue sun. Two massive open doors were at the center of the gate.
“Wait until you see the inside,” said Reave, motioning for Xalen to follow.
Their footsteps crunched softly as they walked down the straight path of white stones. Moments later, when they reached Zizor’s gate, Xalen’s mouth opened even wider. He had spent so many years living within the dull walls of the orphanage, that he had to rub his eyes to make sure they weren’t being deceived.
The sight within the walls was not only large, but beautiful. Palm trees rose from the lush green grass. Large gray stones were spread around the garden, many occupied by groups of chattering students. A crystal-clear lake encompassed the entirety of the interior’s southwest corner. Some sort of black-feathered birds rested on long leaves that floated in the water. He mused they had to be native to the moon. But by far, the most impressive thing of all had to be the breathtaking pagoda that dominated the end of the garden. The more he saw it, the more he realized that pagoda wasn’t the right word. It was more like a castle with dozens of pagodas stacked over each other. Thick red pillars held up the dozens of jade rooftops that rose in different parts of the temple. The walls were an even mix of black and crimson colors. Dozens of what he could only assume were students of different species, walked in and out of the temple. None of them wore the same expression of awe that Xalen was certain was plastered across his own face. It was as if the years they had spent in this place had washed away the awe of the spectacle before them.
“Ready to go?” asked Reave. It was more of an order than a question. Xalen followed, trying his best to take a mental picture of everything he was experiencing. The cheery blossoms by the lake, the scent of the honeyed flowers that were growing around the palms, the chatter of the students as they … Xalen suddenly realized that the babble of voices had given way to an awkward silence, followed by a series of stares and hushed whispers.
“It’s him,” said a boy with thick lips. His eyes sparkled with admiration.
A Cestia female craned her neck behind her books. Her four pointy ears perked up and her five eyes, which were aligned in a straight line under her brows, blinked rapidly. “Oh my, gosh. See that scar?” She tapped the human girl beside her. Xalen instinctively reached to the part of his shirt that concealed the scar over the empty void in his chest. “Wait until my family back on Xender hear about this.”
“Out of the way,” came another murmur. “I want to see him too.”
Xalen felt naked and exposed in front of these strangers. They didn’t know him; yet they were already passing judgment on him. He was about to give them a piece of his mind, when he realized that the gazes were not directed at him. They were meant for the man beside him.
Reave continued to walk without the slightest concern for the commotion he’d stirred. As if getting this reaction was an everyday occurrence. The realization that he knew next to nothing of the Alioth made Xalen feel uneasy. Who is this man, anyway?
“Reave,” called a frail voice.
Pushing his question aside, Xalen turned his attention to the source of the voice. A woman who walked with a limp and the help of a cane, emerged from within the temple. She had a squared jaw. Her features were nearly obstructed by the countless wrinkles that etched her saggy skin. She wore a long blue robe and a golden ring on each of her shaky fingers.
Reave stood rigid at the temple’s entrance, bowing deeply. “Alpha Sensei Kayos. It is good to see you again.” He held his bow for the eternity it took the gray-haired woman to reach them.
“Please, my friend,” Kayos said, embracing the man. “There is no need for such formalities.” She was so small that she was almost lost in the frame of the larger man.
“Look down when you greet the sensei,” said Reave, stepping back and facing Xalen.
“S…sorry,” mumbled Xalen. He faced the fine marble floor. A trembling hand settled on his shoulder.
A voice he recognized as that of Kayos spoke. “Let me see you, boy.” Sheesh, first they say look down. Now look up. Make up your mind already! Despite his little internal rant, Xalen did as instructed. Kayos had kind eyes, like those he had pictured many times on his imaginary grandmother. “You’re Xalen, right?
Xalen nodded.
“Good to have you here. I’ve heard so much about you from Reave.” For a split second Kayos’s eyes traveled to where Xalen’s heart should have been. “I find that stories never do reality justice. It’s an honor to finally meet you.”
“Likewise, ma’am,” said Xalen, lost at the sensei’s words. Why had Reave told Kayos about him? It wasn’t as if he were anyone special.
Kayos motioned them to follow her. “Come to my office, Reave. We have much to discuss.”
“Of course, Sensei.”
Xalen took off after them.
The scarred man held up his hand. “Not you, Xalen.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Wait here and stay out of trouble.”
Stay out of trouble. Yup, sounds easy enough. He watched the two warriors trudge through the doors and head up a flight of stairs. From the corner of his eye, he felt dozens of cold stares etching into his back. I can do that....
Chapter 3
A dark figure moved over the barren land. His boots thumping softly, contrary to his heart, which was beating ever quicker. He wore a sleeveless tunic, exposing a muscular arm on his left side, and a metal arm on his right. He perked his pointed ears, straining to hear anything out of the norm. There shouldn’t be anyone here, but one could never be too careful. Scavengers weren’t known to be picky about who they attacked.
Fumes of smoke rose ten feet into the air from the many vents scattered across the red plains of Planet K’lech. Amlaidh moved aside, sidestepping yet another gush of hot air. He wiped the sweat from his brow. His hand came to a stop over the small piece of bone that protruded on the side of his forehead. He had two such pieces of bones. They were a testament of his mixed birth to a human female and a Zander male.
Far in the distance, he made out the hazy black mountains. Amlaidh mumbled a curse under his breath as he swatted another flea aside. K’lech’s stuffy heat and its proliferation of hungry fleas, arid land, and volcanoes made it one of the least populated planets in the galaxy. Which made it the perfect place to hold the secret meeting he was headed to. Nonetheless, Amlaidh couldn’t help but feel a wave of anger at being summoned here. Hadn’t he always followed his orders to the letter? Hadn’t he proved he was capable after all these years?
Yet, he’d been summoned here like a child. As if a simple message would have been too much for him to comprehend.
“Get lost!” yelled Amlaidh. He brought up his metal hand. It glowed a bright purple as he powered it up. A second later, a violet mass of plasma shot out from the hand cannon. He could have changed the shape of the energy into many forms, but he stuck with the classic jet of power. The thick mass of energy slammed into the dark flea, incinerating it in a blink of an eye. “That will teach you!”
He gritted his teeth as three fleas, even larger than the first one, took the place of their fallen comrade. Breathing heavily, he lumbered on, ignoring the pests.
Not until he reached
the entrance to the cave did the fleas finally scatter. Amlaidh was not surprised. Even the basest creations of nature knew to fear the cold dread emanating from deep within the cave. It was a fear he had felt many times in his nineteen star-cycles; it was a dread that he hoped one day to imitate.
His steps echoed off the walls as he descended deeper into the humid cave. Hundreds of different sized stalactites hung above him. Amlaidh made it a point to walk around each time he was directly below a large one. He was probably being a bit paranoid, but he kept on imagining one of them falling and impaling him to the rocky ground. He wondered what the man he was about to meet would say if he saw him now. He’d probably get a speech about how dishonorable it was to cower before a mere piece of rock.
He shook his head. Focus. Amlaidh straightened and narrowed his eyes. He was nearing the end of the cave, which meant he would have to be at his absolute best in order to not disappoint his contact.
The domed room of the cave wasn’t terribly large. It was barely large enough to hold the vertical pipe standing against the back wall. Nonetheless, when he spoke, his voice echoed as if they were in a large interior.
“I have come as requested,” said Amlaidh, bowing slightly.
“It is good to see you again,” greeted a deep voice. Amlaidh fought the urge to gag at the stench coming from the end of the cave. He knew that the man wasn’t well. In fact, he was not even a man, at least not in the traditional sense. The being before him had lost most of what made him a Zander long ago. He’d had to resort to living inside a hazy tube that kept him alive by pumping foul-smelling plasma through his veins. He could leave the tube only once every few cycles, and even then he was barely strong enough to do anything beyond walk. “I was afraid that you would not show yourself, Amlaidh. Few would venture to such a planet as this.”
Amlaidh gritted his teeth under his closed lips. Did he think him a coward? “Of course I came. For you, I would traverse the entire universe if need be.”
The voice from within the tube reverberated through the cave. “That is good to hear. Because I have a mission for you. One that will prove to be your most challenging one yet. Do you think yourself ready?”
Star Rising: Heartless Page 4