by J Deleon
“We can’t just leave them.” Samantha argued, catching up with Scott.
“I don’t want to, but we have to.” Scott tried to reason.
“No, we don’t—”
“Don’t you see what just happened?” Scott snapped. “Something was there. With all of us. I felt it. You know what I’m talking about.”
Samantha stopped.
“It’s going to come back. I have to get Ian to safety.”
Scott felt uncomfortable. He didn’t know how to explain what had happened to him, but he was showing his fear. He saw the same fear in both Samantha’s and Ian’s eyes. They felt the same presence as he did.
Although the other group was outraged and sad, none of them tried to stop Scott and his group from leaving. Every one of them were too involved with Sean. Scott wanted nothing more than to help, but he knew that leaving was the best choice at the moment.
Jennifer
Jennifer watched as the group hurried away. Cecily held Sean as the others gathered around, mourning their loss. Jennifer held onto the sword, keeping it tightly in her grasp.
“Cecily.” Jennifer was finally close enough to hear Cecily weeping. She grew closer, drawing the attention of her friends and allies. “Cecily.” Jennifer kneeled down at her side. “What happened?”
“Where. Where were you?” Cecily kept her head down, dripping tears onto Sean’s disfigured face.
Jennifer had no answer. She wanted to tell her that she had managed to find an old sword that must have something to do with the aliens, but no excuse could be greater than this. Sean had died, along with several others of their own. Jennifer could have fought with them, fought away the unfriendly group and the aliens, but she ran away instead.
“I’m sorry.” Jennifer couldn’t make herself up to cry. Despite how sad she was, no tears were forming.
Cecily was balling her eyes out.
“They killed him.” Louise, an older lady filled Jennifer in. “They killed him and left.”
“He didn’t mean too.” Johnny, a young man pointed out. “That thing made him do it.”
“What thing?” Jennifer looked around.
Everybody stopped talking. Cecily even tried to control her crying.
“I felt it too.” Cecily said.
“What, what was it?” Jennifer asked.
“I don’t know.” Cecily cried.
“It stopped me.” Johnny mentioned. “I tried to stop the man, but something stopped me.”
Murmurs from the group informed Jennifer that they too had been stopped.
“You felt it?” Jennifer turned to Cecily.
Cecily nodded. Jennifer didn’t feel anything when she saw the man shoot Sean. The only feeling she could feel was from the voice that forced her to give the sword over to Ian.
Cecily stopped nodding and looked down. “What is that?”
Jennifer slightly lifted the sword. It was heavier than it looked. “A sword.”
“A sword.” Lela uttered. “Like that kid said. One of us has a sword.”
“That’s the sword.” A voice shouted.
The group began to raise their voices over the sword. Jennifer didn’t even know about the sword ten minutes ago, now her group was arguing about it.
“Where’d you get that sword?” Cecily asked her.
“O—one of them had it.” Jennifer started. “I think they’re looking for it.”
“We can’t have that.” Cecily let go of Sean and stepped back. “We can’t be like them.”
“Like who? What’s going on?” Jennifer needed answers.
“The kid. He knew this was going to happen. He knows about what’s going on.” Another voice stated.
“Please, somebody tell me what is going on.” Jennifer shouted.
“There was this kid, maybe sixteen.” Cecily started. “He said that we had a sword…and that we were going to use it to end the world.”
“Well, the world is pretty fucked up already. And that’s not true. We wouldn’t do that.” Jennifer argued.
“You weren’t here, Jennifer. He knew what was going to happen. Something forced us to stop moving. The man told me he didn’t want to kill Sean, but something made him. I saw it. He was right about everything. I don’t want to be the bad people, Jennifer. I’m Sam.”
“They’re just words. Nothing can make us do anything.” Jennifer denied.
“You don’t get it!” Cecily shouted. “Something was controlling us.”
Jennifer understood now that it must have been the same thing that spoke to her. Jennifer thought about her task: give the sword to Ian.
“No. Nothing can make us do anything.” Jennifer gripped the sword tighter. “I’m not giving this to him.”
“What?” Cecily asked.
“I know what you mean. When I found this sword, something spoke to me. Tried to control me too, but it couldn’t. Look at me. It told me to give this sword to a person named Ian, but I won’t. I won’t let it.” Jennifer fought.
“We can’t fight this, Jennifer. Just give the sword to the person it belongs to.” Cecily replied.
“It doesn’t belong to anybody. Nothing is destined. Nothing is set in stone. We can do whatever we want. This is our sword.”
Jennifer realized that she was the only one fighting for freedom. All of the others seemed to have given in to ‘Destiny’. Jennifer stood by her word. No matter what would happen, Jennifer stayed true to her beliefs and freedom. She never believed in destiny or blessings, or anything of that matter; not even when it was speaking to her directly. Most thought it was stubborn, but Jennifer believed it to be will power. She would not give up her fight.
“We’ll get through this, but not with destiny.” Jennifer told Cecily. “We’ll make our own path.”
Adam
The aliens carried Adam for miles. They didn’t stop until they reached a large city. All of the buildings were made from strange material. The streets were dirt, but stretched far and wide. There were aliens all around him, selling goods, walking around, etc. Some smaller places were built from the same monster hide as Lescion’s hut, but formed different buildings. Other buildings were made out of shiny crystals that sparkled from no matter the angle. There were only a few of these buildings, but Adam assumed they were the wealthier places. The other buildings were made out of material that resembled metal. Adam couldn’t tell if it was, indeed, metal or not. The whole place resembled a normal town from Earth, only made differently. There were even smaller aliens running around, having fun. Though, most of the older aliens walked around and hid as Adam and Lescion were taken deep inside.
“The Usepa.” Lescion whispered.
“What?” Adam asked, trying to keep quiet.
“They’re taking us to the Usepa: our leader.”
“What did we do?” Adam asked.
“I brought you here.” Lescion answered as the large alien he was riding with hit him.
“Enough.” It said.
The two remained quiet until they were taken inside of a large palace. There were pillars made out of the same, crystal-like, material as the building was. The walls were covered in paintings depicting grate warriors from times past. Battles had been drawn, conquerors were praised, and the Usepa stood tall above the fallen in the painting that covered the high ceiling.
Down the aisle was a throne that sat a large alien. It was dressed in robes that were bejeweled with the crystals that made up the pillars. Adam noted that the aliens weren’t different from humans at all. The two races shared many similarities with life. Only a few things were different to suit the different climates from Earth. It also appeared to him that they weren’t as advanced as humans were. Though, there medieval stature may lead to dangerous things for him.
The aliens dropped him to the floor.
“Lescion.” The large alien on the throne thundered.
“Usepa. He can help us.” Lescion begged.
“You killed one of our own. You brought this here. It can kill us a
ll!” The Usepa replied.
“He understands us. He has something to do with the Red Orb. He may be able to stop it.”
“Or bring it closer and rule our world.”
“I just want to get home.” Adam begged.
The Usepa turned to him. “He speaks Telemy. An Omen from the Red Orb.”
“No, I just want to go back.” Adam pleaded.
“You will not go anywhere. You will be detained until your death. You will pay for your treasons to our planet. Along with you, Lescion.” The Usepa claimed.
“We can help!” Lescion shouted.
“Take them to the cages.” The Usepa motioned for them to leave.
“No! We can help! We can help!” Lescion squirmed as they took the two away.
“Please, just let me go! I have nothing to do with this!” Adam cried.
Emry
Nothing was the same for Emry since the first time she saw him. The day she awoke from her dream, a looming feeling stayed with her. It was unsettling, making her want to claw out her eyes and rip off her ears. Emry feared it was him, the monster she was warned about. His voice bellowed within her, drowning out all original thoughts. The angelic voice had told her to stay away from it, to not let it free, but the monster kept with her. It came to the point where he was the only thing that would be with her when she felt the most alone. It wasn’t a comforting feeling, however. The thought of him being with her at all times frightened her.
He was locked away, held back by the Red Orb. The angelic voice wanted Emry to just let it hit; not to let him out. Emry wanted this too. She had seen him. There was no going back.
To Emry’s knowledge, the Red Orb could be stopped with something that the voice didn’t explain, but that was not her mission. The voice wanted her to destroy the others; eliminate the chances of the Red Orb being stopped. If it was, then he would be free once more. Emry now had a decision to make: stop the Red Orb and set him free, or let it hit and die a quicker death.
Neither choice was ideal for her, but she had to choose. Her mind wanted to just let the Red Orb hit, let it kill her instead of torturing her, but another part wanted to fight.
“Don’t think like that.” The angelic voice returned.
Emry sat up. “Who are you?”
“There will be no stopping him.” The voice whispered.
“Who. Are. You.” Emry stood her ground.
“Destiny will find you…lies.”
“What destiny?”
“The gods are weakening. He is getting stronger.”
“I don’t understand!”
“Destiny is no longer here. Only him.”
Emry calmed down and tried to understand what it was saying. She closed her eyes and listened. A black figure, hiding in the shadows, appeared. “Destiny is no more.” The silhouette vanished. “He has corrupted all.” The monster from her dream emerged from nothing, staring at her. His eyes were hollow, but the feeling of being watched came over her. He stood in front of her expressionless face. Emry couldn’t move again. “He will get all of us. Even me.”
“Who are you?” Emry asked for the final time.
“God of Peace.” The voice told her as the monster faded away.
Emry opened her eyes. “Destiny?”
“Not Destiny anymore. Only him.”
“Emry.” A new, lower voice spoke behind her.
Emry turned around swiftly. The same silhouette from her vision was behind her. It was dark, standing just a few feet away. It had the shape of a human, but not one hint of light came from it.
“I’ve been looking for you.” The silhouette told her. “It seems your friend has been keeping you away.”
“You’re not Destiny.” The voice spoke.
“And you’re barely a god. It appears that I have almost vanished you completely. Only a hollow shell of your once strong stature.”
“Don’t listen.” The God of Peace told Emry.
“It’s been so long, Sinda.” Destiny spoke calmly. “But we must catch up later. I need to speak with the girl.”
“I’m not going to listen to anything you say.” Emry told it.
“So stubborn. I suppose I haven’t fully mastered the art of Destiny just yet.”
“Not her. She’s pure.” Sinda spoke.
“Another one of your kind had the mind to defy me. She refused to give the boy the sword.”
“You won’t win. Not even with all of us.” Sinda replied.
“I just need the three that locked me up in the first place.” Destiny told her.
“You’re not getting anything.” Emry spoke.
“Oh, I will. Nothing can stop Destiny.”
“You’re not Destiny.” Emry replied.
“I am. I am everything.” The silhouette glided closer to her. “You will retrieve your weapon. The Red Orb will be stopped.”
Emry turned away and shut her eyes. She couldn’t look at the silhouette anymore.
“It’s gone.” Sinda announced.
Emry opened her eyes again. She was alone once more.
“Was that Destiny?”
“It once was.” The voice faded away once more.
“Wait. Come back. I need you!” Emry shouted as the voice left her.
After giving up on trying to get Sinda back, she reminded herself about her task. There was a place that she needed to find. There, a weapon would lie. She needed to find that weapon.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get it.” Emry told Sinda.
Gwen
Gwen took her bow and admired it. She had had that bow since she was old enough to carry a normal sized one. Her father had given it to her as a gift; it was one of the most important things to her. Admiring the beauty of it, she slung it around her and started her destiny.
It had been a full day since Gwen entered the vortex and received the Judiceen. She still hadn’t quite learned what it was for, but she knew what she was meant to do. It was her destiny to stop the Red Orb and save the world. She would be with Ian again. The world, and the other survivors, would be able to live again. Things wouldn’t be normal, but they would be better than they were then.
The silhouette from the vortex told her of a bow; a sacred one. It was her destiny to find it. The Judiceen that was still seeped into the skin on her palm was proof enough that what was in the vortex was true.
The small town she was in was great, but it wasn’t where the bow would be. After being there for so long, Gwen figured she would have found it by then. She wanted to settle down there, live her life in solitude like she always had. She spent the larger amount of the past two years on the road. It came to the point where she just wanted to settle somewhere nice, but now wasn’t the time.
She focused on the Red Orb and clenched her fists. Determined, Gwen set off south in her journey to find the sacred bow.
Chapter 3:
The Battle for the Sword
Cecily
Sean. He was the only thing Cecily thought about for a long while after what had happened to him. She had nightmares of the sight every night for weeks. It was the most traumatizing moment in her life.
As time went by, Cecily tried to find any means of not thinking about it. She had thought about it less and less as the weeks went by, but she would remember that moment for the rest of her life. Holding Sean like that. Seeing a human in such a way. She never thought about how aweful thigns had become. The world had compleltely changed for the worst. She never wanted to live through anything like that again.
Cecily walked a few feet behind Jennifer, watching her carefully. She rubbed her elbow as she nervously took long glances at her and the sword she kept with her at all times. It was that sword that started all of this. The aliens wanted it, the monsters wanted it, and Destiny wanted it. Cecily appeared to be the only thing that wanted nothing to do with the sword. It had only brought the bad with no sign of good to be seen.
Cecily couldn’t stop thinking about Sean and the man who was forced to kill him. Cecily knew with
everything in her that the man didn’t want to do it. She saw it in his eyes; the sadness that hung onto him after. Cecily felt his pain, but Sean was still dead.
Jennifer told her about the voice that spoke to her when she found the sword. She told her about the alien she had to attack in order to get it as well. Cecily complied with the fact that it might have been the same thing that took control of them, but Cecily found it hard to believe that Jennifer was able to refuse it. If it was, in fact, ‘Destiny’, then how would anybody be able to go against it? Even when Cecily’s mind refused to kneel down and watch as Sean died, her body still followed. The man fought to stop himself from shooting Sean, but destiny forced him to do it. Why would destiny need to force anybody to do anything? Shouldn’t they just do it because it’s their destiny to do so? None of it made sense to Cecily.
The sword aimed downward as Jennifer carried it. Its bone-like material and the way it glowed red frightened Cecily. It was like the first blade from Supernatural, but a sword with streaks of weird, red carvings flashing slowly. At night, Cecily would stare at it as it glowed faintly every few seconds, fade away, then repeat. Jennifer clenched it tightly by her side as she slept. Cecily was starting to worry about Jennifer’s attachment to it.
It had been so long since Sean died, but Cecily still thought about it. As the days turned to weeks, Cecily and Jennifer tried to remain normal. They would talk about Jennifer’s dreams of becoming a teacher and Cecily’s obsession with TV shows, movies, music, and anything else she couldn’t stop mentioning. The conversations kept her mind at ease, but the haunting thoughts about destiny, the sword, and Sean would loom over her at night.
Cecily began to sing the theme song to Gravity Falls; a coping mechanism she would constantly do whenever she was unsettled. She sung it quietly, trying her best not to let anyone else hear her.
“Dun dun dun DUN dun dun dun.” She mumbled.
“What’s wrong?” Jennifer turned around to her, slowing her walking speed to be even with Cecily.