Rise of the Ultra Fury (Universe in Flames Book 5)

by Christian Kallias

  There were flowers everywhere. Those that bloomed at night, like the star lilies, were shining gold, and their thousands of lights cast ethereal shadows. The sun-friendly flowers, though less prominent against the night sky, were nonetheless given life and purity by the light sources around them.

  “Ares, I’m surprised you’re not here to talk about how to save Aphroditis. After all, you’re the only one that followed her after she defied Father.”

  “There’s something more important at the moment, more pressing.”

  “And that’s what I find difficult to hear coming from you. But okay, what’s the matter?”

  “I need your help to save Chase.”

  “That would be your protégé Fury? Why should I care?”

  “Because without him, we’re all doomed.”

  “Says who?”

  “Aphroditis, for one.”

  “We both know she didn’t exactly see the future, just possible ones.”

  “Yes, and yet those from which Chase was absent were all catastrophic.”

  “Alright, let’s for one minute assume that I accept that the fate of this universe is linked to a single Fury, no matter how absurd this sounds. What do you need from me?”

  “I need to find Asclepios.”

  Apollo stopped and looked at the stars for a brief moment. “He’s dead.”

  “Why are you lying to me? I’ve known you too long not to recognize the signs, brother.”

  “Right. I was never able to lie to you. I wonder why.”

  “So he’s alive?”

  Apollo nodded. “But he might as well be dead.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because Father had me imprison him in the Abyss.”

  “Surely if you took him there, you can get him back.”

  “Not all Olympians are willing to defy their leader as carelessly as you and Aphroditis. Some of us accept that he knows what he’s doing.”

  “Yet you clearly defied him tonight. You know in your heart that we need to do something or the Furies will annihilate us.”

  “Us, and everyone else it seems.”

  “That’s why we have to do something. I know we didn’t always see eye to eye, but I think we can agree now that we can’t just stand back and hope for the best.”

  “I wish it was that simple. It’s one thing to agree with you and another to defy Zeus openly.”

  “That’s if you tell him about it. Can’t we simply free Asclepios without him knowing?”

  Apollo rubbed his chin. “Perhaps. Still, Zeus isn’t the main issue.”

  “Then what is?”

  “A powerful Titan is protecting his eternal prison.”

  “Not another one!”

  “Right, you and your friends must have had fun killing the one protecting the Pandora stone.”

  “Fun isn’t the word I’d use to describe the entire endeavor. But we prevailed, and if that’s what it takes to bring Chase back, then we’ll prevail again. Tell me more about this Titan.”

  “He has a temper. Locking him there wasn’t easy, and I think Menoitios will definitely hold a grudge if I show my face anywhere near him.”

  “Nonetheless, we must free Asclepios, and fast. What kind of resistance can we expect? Can you take him down?”

  “Not a chance. His bad temper alone will be a problem. After being imprisoned for countless generations, I can only imagine the kind of wrath that awaits anyone that shows up on his doorstep.”

  “We have to try.”

  “Look, Ares, I’m all for helping you if you’re sure this is what needs to be done, but make no mistake, this is not a fight I can win.”

  “How did you manage to control him in the first place?”

  “Well, you know how we work. I tricked him, of course. I trapped him inside an energy field. Unfortunately, Asclepios is in there as well.”

  “Can we simply sneak past him? Couldn’t I simply teleport Asclepios out? This form has advantages.”

  “Unfortunately, while you could go in there, you’d be trapped as well. The energy field cancels all Olympian powers. The only way out is to bring that field down, and it’s only coming down if Menoitios is killed.”

  “Why would you create such devices?”

  “Look, Father asked for an impenetrable prison. I just do what I’m told.”

  “Aren’t you tired of doing his dirty work?”

  “That’s a conversation for another time. Our problem right now is that I’m nowhere near powerful enough to defeat Menoitios.”

  “Who is then?”

  “We’re talking Fury-level power. Ironically, your boy Chase probably could defeat him.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s not happening.”

  “Then I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t think anyone but a very powerful Fury could kill Menoitios. So unless you know of another Fury . . .”

  Ares stopped walking. Perhaps now was the time to test his theory about Argos. It wasn’t as if they had a choice.

  Apollo stopped and turned around. “Any candidates?”

  “Yeah, but I might as well ask Hades to help us.”

  “He’s not such a bad guy, you know.”

  “Who? Argos? You clearly haven’t met him.”

  “I was referring to Hades.”

  “Oh, forget about Hades. He’s confined in the underworld so he can’t be of help to anyone. So if I come back with a Fury, will you let me know where to find Asclepios?”

  “I’ll have to come with you, if I can remember where the hell in Tartarus I trapped those two.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “It’s been a long time, but I’m pretty sure it will come back to me when we’re there.”

  Ares didn’t like the sound of this. So many variables, so many things that could go wrong.

  Apollo put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You think you can ask this Argos to help you?”

  “Do we have any choice?”

  “I’m afraid not. But can he be trusted?”

  “If there’s one person I would never, ever trust, it’s Argos.”

  “Things are looking bleak for the universe, then.”

  “Yeah, just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse.”

  “Look at it this way, at least it will give you something to pass the time.”

  Ares chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing. It seems our people have become complacent. You remind me of Athena.”

  “Oy, watch it,” said Apollo with a wide smile. “We may not be as active as before, but who knows, maybe this new Fury war will change that.”

  “One can only hope. It’s a shame to see such lethargy amongst our race. We used to be better than that. We stood for something once.”

  “If you remember well, at that time you didn’t really stand for the kind of things you’re hoping we care for today.”

  Ares felt a pinch inside what should have been a heart.

  “We all make mistakes. It’s time to fix them now,” said Ares before disappearing.

  Apollo shook his head. “Bye to you too, brother.”

  * * *

  Argos watched the Dark Star leave the planet where Miseo had dropped him before returning to Erevos. He wasn’t very happy about parting with his ship, but he had already been working on a more powerful, mid-range interceptor vessel for some time now. It would soon be ready. That gave Argos some time to think about his next move.

  If Miseo thinks I’m gonna be his dog on a leash, he’s in for a surprise.

  But Argos had to admit he had been surprised with Miseo’s decision to let him go and lie about his demise to his father. Argos had thought he would have to get rid of Miseo one way or another before they reached Erevos, which would not have been easy. But could he be trusted? Miseo was not an easy character to understand. He clearly had his own agenda.

  Still, Argos decided he shouldn’t stay on this planet for much longer, should Miseo have been testing h
is allegiance, only to betray him at the first opportunity. No doubt Miseo would if it meant protecting his own interests, just as Argos would in his place. They were both deviants. It took one to know one.

  That was when Argos surprised himself, wondering if Chase was alright.

  What the hell is wrong with me? Why do I care?

  Surely he had crossed him off as a brother a long time ago, way before he became Chase. It had taken such emotional restraint on Argos’ part not to kill his brother then, more than he had ever displayed in his life. But now he worried about him. It made no sense. She was dead because of him!

  But was that true? Could Argos’ own hatred have killed his precious Tami-Ahn? Even if Chase had struck the killing blow.

  Argos’ heart thumped loudly against his ribcage and a tear formed in his eye. He wiped it quickly and smashed the nearest table in anger. His teeth were clenched and a vein near his right temple throbbed. He spoke aloud. “No! You’re the one who killed her, by refusing to help me! And now you’re going to die.”

  But then another rush of strong feelings shook him to the core and he fell to his knees. This time he was unable to contain the tears that splashed onto the metallic floor of the landing strip. Whatever Argos was trying to repress would not have it. He felt compassion for Chase, and no matter how much his brain hated the idea, his body, his heart, wasn’t fooled by his own self-deception.

  Was it because he felt so alone now? For such a long time he had reveled in loneliness, planning the return of his beloved Furies. But the homecoming he had hoped for had not happened. Not only had he almost been killed by Arakan for his deeds, but he was denied the position of power he had been promised. And then, just like that, he felt alone and longing for someone.

  Nonsense!

  He closed his eyes and took three deep breaths to calm himself. He emptied his mind of all these conflicting thoughts. Now was not the time to have a nervous breakdown.

  It would take a couple of hours for the Zarlack ship he had called via subspace to come and pick him up.

  That left him enough time . . .

  He rose and grabbed the cargo with his mind, the one he had unloaded from the Dark Star before Miseo left. He levitated the heavy crate next to him as he walked through the waterfall that hid the entrance to his observatory in this sector of space. Soon he was inside the abandoned base. It had been weeks since he had last needed it. This part of space now belonged to the Zarlacks and Furies, so there was no need to have a crew operate it anymore.

  When he stepped inside the main control room, the lights came to life and all the systems booted. He dropped the crate gently near him and opened it. While it contained supplies such as food and water to last a week or so, that was not what Argos was looking for. He grabbed the jar containing the Kyrian snake and heard the beast hiss inside. He walked into his ready room. Electric sparks ignited the torches in the room and he sat on his throne.

  Every room in which he spent any amount of time closely duplicated home. Dark walls, illuminated by the natural light of fire, not the maddening cold incandescence of artificial lighting that Argos despised so much.

  He took the lid off the jar and let the snake take a welcome bite at his forearm. It had been many days since he last had his fix, so it acted faster and more potently than he anticipated. He quickly put the snake back in the jar before he entered a state of semi-consciousness bliss.

  C H A P T E R

  V

  Chase and Fillio had walked for hours towards the red light source in the underworld, but it felt like days. Chase wondered if time was a different concept altogether in this place.

  “It’s been a while since you said anything,” said Fillio, interrupting Chase’s train of thought.

  “I’m not sure what else there is to say.”

  “And yet I feel you still have a lot on your plate.”

  Chase sighed. “I feel like this all the time, ever since the Star Alliance was defeated.”

  “And Aphroditis told you how important your role is in all of this?”

  “Yeah . . .”

  “You remember the old days?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Look, Chase, you’re your own man, but it seems to me that this destiny talk is what is troubling you the most. Do you remember that time before, when you didn’t believe in destiny? How many times you told me that we are free to do what we want and that we’re in control of our own lives?”

  “It feels like a lifetime away now.”

  “And that’s perhaps the problem. You’ve always been a very proud person. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that you can’t remember your childhood; heck, even part of your adult life. That has to be troubling to deal with.”

  “I now know who I was; well, kind of . . .”

  “Perhaps, but you still don’t have clear memories of your past. It’s difficult to know who we are when we don’t know who we used to be.”

  Chase reflected on Fillio’s words. They made sense, of course. But there was something else.

  “Do you mind if we change the subject?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. I don’t dare to try to understand why we are here now, talking. But there must be a reason. And I think you need to release the burden that’s bringing you down.”

  “I don’t know that I can.”

  “Of course you can, Chase. What are you afraid of?”

  “Everything.”

  “If that’s true then perhaps you must ask yourself if you’re not in the right place after all. Look, I’m fine with what happened to me. Right now I’m walking towards the end of my being. I can feel it in my heart. I don’t know how or why, but I feel this place is a sort of bridge between life and whatever lies next; when I look at that red light over there, I know it’s the end of who I was before.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “Well, if you’re too afraid of what is expected of you, then perhaps you should let go?”

  Chase shook his head. “No, I can’t abandon my friends.”

  “That’s noble, and I’m glad to hear it, but that’s not a good enough reason to keep fighting and you know it. If you do it as an obligation and not a true calling from your heart, then you will fail.”

  “I have failed. So many times in the past few months.”

  “That’s life, Chase. It’s not the victories that matter. It’s the fact that no matter how many times the universe brings you to your knees, you have to get back up and keep fighting.”

  “You’re not really in a position to lecture me on this. I mean, after all, you didn’t want to go on.”

  “Yes, but that was my choice, and I’m not you, Chase. The fate of all life was never on my shoulders. You’re the prophecy boy,” said Fillio with a smile.

  “Prophecy boy?”

  “You know what I’m trying to say.”

  “I don’t want to be responsible for all these lives. How many in this line are dead because I failed to stop Miseo on Droxia?”

  “And how many aren’t here because you did your best to stop him?”

  “Not nearly enough.”

  “This is war, Chase. There will be casualties, and if the Furies prevail then pretty much everyone except them will take this march.”

  “If that’s supposed to bolster my self-confidence or motivate me, then I have to tell you it’s not working.”

  “It’s not my role, Chase.”

  “Then what is?”

  “I have none anymore. You’re the one who must decide what your role is. Forget the prophecy for just a little while. Forget what you think you must do; your responsibilities, your duty, what others expect of you. Just stop for a second and ask yourself one question.”

  “Which is?”

  “What do you want?”

  What did he want? “I don’t know.”

  “Of course you do, but it’s clouded by everything you think you have to do, and by everyone counting on you.”

  “I . .
.” Chase wanted to say it but it wouldn’t come out.

  “Spit it out. I’m the only one listening, so don’t worry about what you say.”

  “I want a normal life. I want to be with Sarah and Chris, and live happily.”

  “See, you’re not different from anyone else. All you want is happiness. This is what life is supposed to be, but we get caught in our own web of problems, self-doubts and seemingly impossible obstacles on a daily basis. The sad thing is that most of all that noise in our heads is self-inflicted. And we often forget the basics . . . to just live and try to be happy.”

  Chase cast her a dubious look.

  “I understand why you doubt my words, Chase. Who am I to lecture you on happiness? A task I have failed at; miserably, I might add.”

  That’s what Chase was thinking. But he also knew at his core that she was right. Just because she’d failed to achieve happiness herself didn’t mean the advice was wrong. He was aware of that.

  “Chase, let me ask you something. If you want to be happy and live with Sarah and Chris, what is it you must do?”

  “Isn’t it obvious?”

  “I still want to hear you say it.”

  “I have to defeat the Furies.”

  “On your own?”

  “Who else is powerful enough?”

  “Who said it’s all about power? Perhaps it’s more a question of collective consciousness and the universe’s own will to survive. Have you ever asked yourself that?”

  He hadn’t.

  “You’re not alone, Chase. You never were. Except that day when you were found without memories of who you were and where you came from. But since that moment, you’ve never been alone. You have friends, allies. Some you know and some you don’t yet. You need to stop looking at defeating the Furies as something you and you alone can manage. If you don’t, then soon you’ll truly be here walking towards that same light.”

  Her words made sense, and she hadn’t been the first to tell him that. But now that he had no immediate threat to deal with, he could actually assimilate and reflect on these words with a calmer disposition and clearer state of mind. And reflect he did, as they stayed silent for what seemed an eternity.

  * * *