by Marc Mulero
Aslock nodded. “Halewyn’s grandfather, Escondet Creedbond, was a valiant explorer who found himself compelled to unveil the world’s mysteries after the discovery of Cryos. He was hellbent on drilling where no one else would dare. Escon’s scientists culled through countless common minerals and chemicals, until one holographic substance birthed the rejoiced idea of immortality. Most Neraphis are the descendants of these scientists and have sworn to pursue and protect the study that we know to be Neraphis.”
“Sounds like a warm fairytale. However, there’s no way that your Society progressed to such great lengths without conducting horribly failed experiments,” Blague challenged. “I’ve witnessed the Hiezer regime succumb to a point of no return in terms of discarding human life for the preservation of precious leaders.”
“We have lost many along the way. Our Society was made up of a thousand followers centuries ago,” Halewyn said in a troubled tone. “But all of our volunteers understood the risks and chose to pursue greatness nonetheless. Thanks to their sacrifice, those of us who stand today have achieved it.”
Unlike the Hiezers… is it possible that they could freely transmit the DNA of any person without limitation?
Blague’s mind began to race.
If the Society had mastered the Ayelan shot generations ago…
“How old are you?”
Halewyn exchanged a quick glance with Aslock before saying, “Two hundred and fifty-seven.”
“And you?” Blague questioned Aslock, still astounded by Halewyn’s response.
“One hundred and ninety-six.”
“You’ve both wandered this world for lifetimes before the devastation brought on by the Quake. How could you sit back and watch the world crumble knowing what it once was?” Blague condemned.
Aslock folded his arms within the sleeves of his cloak. “Not all purpose is uniform. For generations, our duty has been to maintain sanctuary for the Society’s members. We have long since removed ourselves from interacting with the outside world, except through chosen lineages.”
“Although,” Halewyn added, taking a step closer to Blague, “our vision is changing. My father and I feel that passing down information is not all that we can do to aid against certain threats. Although we intend to imbue you with our knowledge, like we once did for your father, perhaps we can do more. We have kept tabs on Orin’s offspring since their beginning. We know your nature, your motives, your potential for greatness, and we know that you have the ability to stop your brother before it is too late.”
Blague took in all of what the Neraphis Elders had unloaded unto him, battling against conflicting thoughts.
Four chemicals, he mentioned four.
“I’ve had contact with the two of which you spoke, but what are the others that you mentioned?”
“The cause of the undying storm that travels through the Pacific - those who were bold enough to pursue it have perished,” Aslock explained. “But the few that investigated it from a safe distance reported a jade green, shining spherical ring revolving beneath the storm’s center. We have deemed this chemical ‘Jael’ and expect that its properties yield great power.”
“The Hiezers are aware of the storm, but to my knowledge they just reroute their fleets and jets far out of reach of its coordinates.”
“Rightfully so. Its magnitude is devastating. It is hardly worth uncovering its mysteries,” the Eldest admitted. “There is only one group who has managed to wrap their hands around it, and it surely is not the Hiezers.”
Blague’s face scrunched in confusion. “Wh-”
“Our rivals, the Untamed… but that is neither here nor there for this purpose.”
“And what about the fourth chemical?”
Halewyn exchanged a brief look with Aslock, before saying, “That is strictly prohibited…
“I believe you have been briefed with a lengthy preface to our origin of study, Blague. Now, let us assist you in becoming acquainted with your newfound knowledge. Aslock is one of our most skilled Elders and I suspect he will succeed in helping you regain your equilibrium.” Halewyn then turned and headed back toward the entryway from which they came.
Aslock slid off his cloak and hung it neatly aside. Long, pale arms revealed linear Cryos tracks that stemmed from his chest and snaked down to his wrists. Silver locks dusted his shoulders with every step when crossing paths with Halewyn, and a lean defined body of unnatural youth was shadowed under the chemical’s glow. As an otherworldly man, the Neraphis planted his feet in front of the Sin Leader and beckoned, “Shall we begin?”
That feeling in my gut is always there, the one that’s told me a million times: even though all appears well on the surface, something just isn’t right. I can see it behind your smile… that you’re hiding something… something that maybe you think is beneath me now because of whatever it is that the smoke has done to you.
It sucks. Because I almost died back there, and all I could think of was you, and all that I could feel was emptiness, longing for something that once was.
“Head up, boy. You’re first in command now.” Drino grimaced at Eugene with General Ruden’s hair in his grip, dragging him like roadkill.
Eugene looked up, dazed, “So I am.”
He must’ve been walking slow, because one by one, his comrades passed him… Volaina next.
“Give me an order, Eugene,” she requested, lids appearing too heavy for her eyes. “I… prefer to keep busy.”
Then Lesh, looking on with distaste at the two mopes before turning and resuming her trudge to the Senation fortress. The Centric Crater was behind them now.
“Ummm, our first task will be to update Cherris and the other civilian leaders on our successful mission,” Eugene said. “You could do th-”
“You define success very broadly,” Lesh spun and fired back out of turn. “We lost our leader and another commander.”
“We’re all still alive,” Eugene responded lethargically. “And we stopped an attack on the Rogue headquarters. They now owe us. I’m no optimist, but there is news to report out of all of this.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Volaina acknowledged the order, glanced between them, and ran ahead, not able to escape yet another conflict fast enough.
It was just the two of them now. A strange stand-off. Eugene stared down Lesh, whose sharp face bore into his, lip bit with annoyance.
“What’s happening to us, I wonder?” her voice was all scorn. “One by one, we fall into regret, or cowardice, or something else that belongs on the bottom of my shoe.” She snarled. “Do me a favor… if you find me ever acting like her, or you, put a bullet in my brain. Hm?”
Eugene raised his eyebrows in acknowledgment, before she turned and marched away. “Someone is developing a taste for drama.”
“Someone has a death wish.” She raised her middle finger.
He laughed and turned back to survey the area, expression darkening.
The Aura hasn’t returned. They should’ve been back at this point.
He plodded forward with his head down, dirty and tired.
Everything is different now. We shared a moment rekindling our past. But is that all it was?
The sniper shook his head, feeling defeated from his internal struggle.
It doesn’t matter, you’re still in there somewhere. I’ll never give up on you again.
Lito lifted his goggles, happy to see his fellow commanders return from battle.
“Ay, Eugene looks like shit,” he whispered to himself, retreating from his perimeter watch to greet them. “Who am I kidding? He always looks like that. Ha! Here’s to hoping some good came out of this.”
He jogged over to his comrades and planted himself at the head of the pack to embrace them. “Welcome home, hermanos y hermanas, what’s the report?” he questioned with a smile on his face.
“Eugene, here, would call our mission a success,” Lesh announced with her raspy voice. “I, on the other hand, would call the tornado that took place after battle a failure.” She
then dismissed herself and walked ahead of the returning squadron.
Lito followed the assassin with his eyes for an instant, displaying a puzzled look. “After battle?” he asked, turning back to Eugene. “What happened? Where are Blague and Sabin?”
Eugene lifted his hands. “Everything is fine,” he assured. “We stopped the Hiezer invasion on the Rogue’s headquarters and the mission was a success.”
Lito’s eyes lit up. “That’s great news! Give me open communications with them. My people are desperately awaiting electricity in the Bulchevin fortress,” he said, holding out his hand for a transponder with the connection.
“It’s not going to be that easy,” Drino said before also dismissing himself from the conversation. He kicked the shackled general ahead of him to keep him moving.
The general laughed wickedly. “You all have no idea what you’re in for,” he warned while being forcefully towed away.
“Be straight with me, mijo. What the hell is going on? And who is that guy?” Lito probed, pointing at the Hiezer prisoner.
Eugene huffed loudly. “After we defended the headquarters, the meeting with the Templos Rogue leaders didn’t exactly inspire confidence.”
“But our risking our necks should outweigh anything else.”
“Not exactly. Turns out Sabin’s father is alive and is the hidden leader behind the Rogue forces.”
“So what? Even more reason for them to want to work with us. Heh, he must be an oldie.”
Eugene rolled his eyes.
“Sorry, sorry. Por favor, continúa.”
“This bombshell has caused a rift between Sabin and us, because Blague apparently knew this entire time that Sabin’s father was alive, but told Sabin years ago that he was dead.”
Lito listened intently with a finger over his mouth, trying with all of his might not to interrupt.
“What’s worse is that when Volaina was undercover, she was forced to aid in the execution of two Rogue overseers, who also happened to be Sabin’s niece and nephew.”
Lito gasped with shock, his nostrils flaring and his eyes gaping. “No, mierda… c’mon, no...”
“Yes, and based on the looks of it, it’s uncertain whether time will heal something this drastic.”
Eugene thought to himself: Volaina, this must be killing her. That woman is strong, but she holds too much inside. Now she’s paying the ultimate price for carrying out her duties.
“During what mission did this kill take place?”
“When she was disguised as General Caova.”
Lito tilted his head in thought. “That’s where she got the information about the planned attack on the Centric Crater in the first place. The Rogue’s should pay her homage for saving their lives!”
Eugene nodded. “Blague brought that up, but it’s hard to envision the hell that we prevented when we were successful in doing just that.”
“Bullshit, hermano. We have to try and contact them. My people are suffering and need the assistance. They can be great allies. Reach out to them, I beg of you,” Lito pleaded.
“We will. I’m just letting you know that it’s a longshot.”
In utter silence, the two commanders continued their plod toward the mansion, fear and uncertainty festering in their minds.
Chapter 16
Blague held his meditative posture with unwavering resolve. Cross-legged, eyes closed, spine aligned, and a clear mind were all that Aslock had required. Oh, and time… so much time.
Each minute that ticked by, each second, proved how foreign in nature meditation was to him. He thought of conquering it, an idea that in and of itself proved he would soon fail. His mind had no off switch. It brewed within him for years – extrapolating, strategizing, making it hopeless to live in the moment, especially after her death. Unless enraged or in the midst of battle, or conducting some morale boosting speech, the present was just a tool for him to draft plans for the future. A hollow, soundless void was never in his cards.
His arms began to quiver. The more memories he tried to push out, the more vivid they became. Decades of festering about regret, betrayal, loss, all came alive. Fingernails scraped against stone as he fought to quiet his mind. Eyes sprung open to reveal only white, rolled back like he was possessed by a demon.
An agony-stricken shriek flooded Blague's head.
"It's alright, love. There’s no more pain now. I'll miss you," Elaina’s voice repeated before her head fell slack.
The recurring vision caused beads of sweat to drip down his forehead as he relived the worst moments of his life. The signs were evident; his rage began to liven and blue veins bulged, pulsing in his arms. The pressure of a small army holding him back from saving his partner was an unforgiving reminder that his sense of control was merely an illusion.
"You have always had the fury, Blague. But how will you ever discern the thoughts of another from a memory if you are lost in emotion, completely deviated from the purpose of it all?" Aslock questioned.
Blague took a deep breath and retreated from the hellish recollection. "How did you discern them?" he asked boldly, his frustration building.
"My journey to duality was entirely different.” Aslock strolled around his adept with radiant arms. "I had to peel through the memories of my mentor's prior lessons, through manifestations that my mind would create, dreaming up what he would say in certain situations. It was not until I reached the brink of madness that his consciousness had finally revealed itself. It was as if I were punching through endless mirrors of him, until the day I finally discovered the truth. My journey was not the same. I had to combat illusions, while you have to find peace."
Blague wiped his brow. “How long did it take you?"
"Eleven years," Aslock dragged his words. "But now, for better or worse, I am never alone and my skill is constantly being refined." A grin crept across his face while finishing his sentence.
"What's so comical?"
"He laughed at 'for better or worse,’" Aslock shared.
Blague peered up at him, baffled. "I'm concerned I’ve woken up in an asylum," he said half-seriously.
"Have you not seen enough to convince you otherwise? It is up to you how slowly this process goes. Do not take a step back on me so soon," the Neraphis warned, not allowing his novice the time to respond.
Aslock halted his stride, gazing at the enraged man. "Many Neraphis have endured the patient journey toward duality uninterrupted, while others were jolted into it by a trigger."
“Well then you already know what my next question is.”
The Neraphis knelt down in front of him, his blue symmetric markings emulating the Cryos-lit ceiling. “All of the documented triggering events were extreme circumstances. One woman had suffered a heart attack. Upon her revival, she found herself with two streams of thought. Another man pushed himself over the edge during combat training. Upon his thirty-eighth straight hour, his warrior brother emerged, proven by his adaptation to a weapon with which he had never practiced. These events, along with many others, have been disproven to be guaranteed ways to awaken dual consciousness, so do not waste your energy on that hope. Our methodology unwinds your lifetime of mended beliefs and truths that you hold as the foundation of logic. Only when you have reached that point is it certain that Elaina can be awakened.”
Blague’s breathing began to soften. “Alright Aslock, I’m listening.”
“Your mind is not the machine you believe it to be. It is merely a projection of the self. Your essence flows through you, with the greatest concentration within your spine. Your DNA is the network that houses your thoughts, feelings, and decisions, which is then projected through the different sections of the brain. This is not to take away from the greatness that the mind possesses. Quite the opposite, actually. It has more ability than you could dream of.”
“It has the capacity to house two souls in one vessel,” Blague recalled.
“Yes, and Ayelan is the key. It keeps the DNA molecules separate and distinct, allowin
g the body to identify another soul, or consciousness, instead of ridding itself of it. Ayelan transcends relativity and allows an organism as complex as a human being to behave as though it were a molecule. Unravel the focus on the mind and instead concentrate on the flow of your entire body. The quintessence of your love runs through you, and you are currently tormented by it. Allow yourself to accept the reality and free yourself from the prison of false thought.” Aslock gripped Blague’s arm, his gray eyes steady.
Blague fixated all of his energy on internalizing Aslock’s wisdom.
I need to act on this man’s words if I‘m ever to be whole again.
“Close your eyes,” Aslock directed.
Blague tensed his jaw and did as he was told.
"Now, tell me, what do you see?”
“Everything I hold dear in this world die, over and over again.”
“I cannot tell you to unsee all of what you have experienced, but I can attempt to persuade you of a truth.”
“And what truth is that?” Blague asked, keeping his eyes tightly shut.
“That death is not absolute, especially in this case. There are forms of life beyond death, and you are on your way to experiencing one of them. I want you to ponder that for five good hours and acquaint yourself with patience.”
The Neraphis stood up and began his walk out of the training grounds.
“Wait.” Blague opened his eyes and quickly turned to his Elder. “Did you train Orin to find my mother?”
“No, I cannot take credit for that. Halewyn saw to Orin’s journey personally. Though, your father was not as open as you seem to be.”
“In what way?” Blague’s curiosity stirred.
“In his normal fashion. Since we have met him, finding your mother was never enough. He always sought more, and he was that much more motivated knowing he would be able to pursue this journey with the woman he loved. Your father has a unique will.”
Blague swiveled his head back to face forward and reluctantly shut his eyes. “Yes, I’m aware.”
Elaina, if you really do live within me, please, reveal yourself. I beg of you.