by Clayton Wood
* * *
Kyle opened the front door of his mom’s house, stepping into the foyer and closing the door quietly behind him. He took off his shoes, then walked into the kitchen. His mom was standing there in her blue scrubs, eating a bowl of cereal. Kyle felt his heart soar, and he grinned from ear-to-ear, dropping his backpack on the floor.
“Hey Mom,” he greeted.
“Hey honey,” she replied, walking up to him and giving him a hug with one arm. Then she stepped back with a frown. “What’s wrong, baby?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Kyle replied. “Why?”
“You look exhausted,” she answered. “You didn't have another nightmare, did you?” Kyle paused, then nodded. His experiences over the last month – being mortally wounded by an Ulfar, kidnapped and psychologically tortured by the Dead Man, and nearly killed again by the massive Void Behemoth – surely counted as a nightmare of sorts.
“Kind of,” Kyle replied.
“What was it about?” Mom pressed. Kyle shrugged.
“I dreamed that I'd never see you again,” he answered. It was the closest thing to the truth he could think of.
“Oh honey,” she murmured, grabbing him and hugging him again. She kissed him on the forehead, then held him at arm's length. Kyle heard footsteps creaking in the foyer, and saw Steve – his stepdad – walk into the kitchen, squinting in the light. “Kyle had another nightmare,” Mom declared worriedly. “Maybe we should have him see a doctor,” she suggested.
“Why?” Steve asked. “They’re just nightmares.” Mom arched an eyebrow.
“About never seeing your parents?” she countered.
“Well...”
“I think he should see a doctor,” Mom opined.
“He's fine,” Steve insisted. “He'll grow out of it.” Mom frowned.
“We'll talk about it later,” she promised. “We shouldn't fight in front of Kyle.”
“Good point,” Steve agreed. “Kyle, go to your room while I beat your mother,” he ordered. Mom punched Steve playfully on the shoulder, and he chuckled, grinning from ear-to-ear.
“I'm fine,” Kyle interjected, having no desire to talk to a shrink about his dreams. “Really, it was just a nightmare.”
“Are you sure?” Mom pressed, running a hand through his hair. Her hand stopped suddenly, at his right ear, and he felt her tense up. “What's this?” she asked, grabbing his earlobe between her index finger and thumb. He frowned, pulling his head away from her hand, then reaching up to touch his earlobe. He felt his earring there, the on that Kalibar had given him a few weeks ago. It was a magical earring, a universal translator of sorts, allowing Kyle to understand any language spoken around him. He'd gotten so used to wearing it that he'd completely forgotten it was there.
“Uh...” he stammered, covering the earring with his hand. “It's nothing.”
“Nothing?” his mom retorted, putting her hands on her hips and staring at him incredulously.
“What is it?” Steve asked.
“An earring!” she exclaimed, pointing to his ear. “Is that real?” she asked, reaching for his ear. Kyle pulled back, but she was quicker, and she grabbed his ear, peering at it closely. “It is real!” she gasped, recoiling with horror. “Kyle, who did this to you?” Kyle shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, all the while wracking his brain for an excuse – any excuse – for having an earring, but his mind drew a blank. He stared at her helplessly, suddenly thankful that the clothing he was wearing was mostly indistinguishable from his usual Earth clothing.
“Who put the earring in, Kyle?” Steve asked. Kyle shrugged again.
“A friend,” was all he could say. He kicked himself mentally, wishing he could turn back time and take out the dang earring before he'd come in.
“From school?” Mom gasped. “Kyle, it's not sterile, it could get infected!” Steve leaned in to get a look.
“It doesn't look infected, does it?” Steve asked. Mom peered at it, and shook her head.
“Not yet,” she admitted. “But it should come out before it does get infected,” she added. Kyle recoiled, pulling away from them.
“No!” he nearly shouted, covering his ear with his hand protectively. They both stared at him. “I mean, it was sterile,” he added, knowing that he was doing a terrible job of sounding convincing. Mom stared at him for a long moment, then put a hand on his shoulder.
“Kyle, why did you get an earring?” she asked.
“I, uh...” he began, trying to come up with something clever, but coming up empty. “I wanted to try it out,” he answered rather lamely.
“You wanted to try it out,” she repeated, staring at him for a long moment. She turned to Steve, giving him a look Kyle couldn't read.
“Kyle, who gave it to you?” Steve asked. Kyle shrugged.
“A friend,” he replied cagily. “I thought it would look...nice,” he added rather lamely. Steve's eyebrows rose.
“I see,” he murmured, staring at Kyle for a long moment, then turning to exchange a look with Mom.
“Oh,” Mom gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. Steve put a hand on her shoulder, then walked up to Kyle, putting a hand on his.
“It's okay, Kyle,” Steve stated, his tone carefully neutral. “If you want to look...nice, your mother and I will support you.”
“Wait, what?” Kyle asked.
“Steve's right,” Mom piped in. “We love you no matter what, it's just that we'd rather you talk about what you want with us first, before you get...pierced,” she added. Steve grimaced at that.
“Yes, well,” he grumbled. “We’re going to keep a close eye on that ear...and if it looks the slightest bit infected, we're taking it out,” he promised. Kyle nodded.
“Okay,” he agreed. “Thanks,” he added, feeling quite relieved. Mom smiled
“Oh honey,” she murmured, reaching in to give him a hug. “Of course we understand.” She pulled back then, running a hand through his hair and letting out a sigh. “We just need some time to get used to it, that's all.”
“Love you mom,” Kyle stated, smiling at her. And it was true; he couldn't imagine that, only a month ago, he would have been embarrassed to say those words. Steve cleared his throat then, rather noisily.
“Yes, well,” he grumbled. “Better get going hon,” he counseled. “You'll be late for work.”
“I know, I know,” Mom replied. “You will too,” she added. Steve turned to glance at the clock.
“I have another ten minutes,” he countered. Mom turned to Kyle.
“Bye honey,” she stated, giving him a hug.
“Bye mom,” he replied, hugging her back. He paused then, staring at her for a long moment, realizing that he might not see her again, at least not for another few weeks. He only had a half a day before Darius would come back for him, after all.
“What's wrong?” Mom asked, disengaging from him.
“Nothing,” Kyle mumbled. “Love you.”
“Love you too sweety,” she replied. Then she turned about, giving them both one last wave before leaving. Kyle watched her go, his heart aching. Both of his parents would be gone for work for most of the day...on the one day he'd come back to see them. By the time they came back, he would be gone again.
He sighed, sitting on a barstool at the island. He glanced at Steve; everyone was gone except for his stepdad. This trip back to Earth was not turning out the way he'd expected.
“What's up?” Steve asked, sitting down beside Kyle. Kyle shrugged.
“I'm just tired,” he mumbled.
“How was school yesterday?”
“It was fine,” Kyle answered, not really remembering whether it had been or not. Steve paused, then leaned in, giving Kyle a conspiratorial wink.
“Did it hurt?” he pressed. Kyle stared at him blankly. “The earring,” he clarified. “I bet it hurt to put it in.”
“A little,” Kyle admitted, remembering how Kalibar had leapt at him, jabbing it into his ear. Steve grinned.
“Who was the su
rgeon?” he asked. Kyle hesitated, knowing he couldn't very well tell the truth. He thought about it for a moment, then shrugged.
“A girl,” he lied.
“A girl?” Steve asked. “A friend of yours?” Kyle shrugged again, feeling his cheeks flushing.
“My girlfriend,” he corrected. He glanced at Steve, whose grin was suddenly so wide that it would've taken a sandblaster to wipe it off of his face.
“You have a girlfriend?” Steve exclaimed. “Really?” Kyle nodded. Steve slapped his knees with his hands, looking oddly relieved. “Oo, wait 'til I tell your mother!” He leaned in closer. “So tell me about her...who is she? What's she like?”
Kyle blushed, feeling suddenly very self-conscious. He'd never really talked about this kind of thing with Steve before. Then again, he'd never had a real girlfriend before.
“Her name is Ariana,” he admitted.
“You should invite her over so we can meet her,” Steve suggested. Kyle didn’t reply. “Hey, between you and me,” Steve continued, “...why the earring?” Kyle shrugged.
“She thought it would look cool,” he lied. Steve grinned.
“That explains it,” he declared, a little too obviously relieved. Kyle frowned, suddenly alarmed.
“What were you thinking?” he asked. Steve shrugged nonchalantly.
“I dunno,” he answered. “I don't get you young whippersnappers these days,” he added in an old geezer's voice. Kyle couldn't help but smile; Steve was a pretty great guy, even if he wasn't his real dad. He'd been less kind to Steve in the past than the man deserved. “Anyway,” Steve stated, standing up from his seat, “...I've got to get to work.”
“Wait, already?”
“Yeah, it sucks,” Steve confirmed. “I should be home by six or so.” With that, Steve walked out of the living room and back into the kitchen. “See you later kiddo,” he said with a wave. Kyle waved back sullenly, watching as Steve disappeared into the foyer. He heard the front door open and close, and then there was silence.
Kyle sighed, looking around the empty kitchen. He thought about going back upstairs to his bed – he'd hardly gotten any sleep, after all – but the couch in the living room was closer, and he was struck with a sudden, near-crippling fatigue. The thought of doing anything else but closing his eyes and falling asleep was almost overwhelming, and he stood, walking over to the couch and lying down. He knew he only had a few more hours left on Earth before Darius would take him back, but he was too tired to go over his best friend Ben’s house. He felt himself sinking deeper into the cushions, his eyelids growing heavy. Then he spotted something moving in the periphery of his vision, and glanced up at the ceiling.
A faint ripple appeared there.
Kyle blinked, then sat up on the couch, staring at the ceiling. The rippling continued, like water in a pond after a rock was thrown in, spreading outward from directly above his head.
And then the universe ripped open.
Chapter 2
Sabin ignored the constant burning pain that coursed through what remained of his body, suspended for eternity in his crystalline prison. He watched the body he’d been controlling only moments before descend until it was below his field of vision. He could not move his head to follow it, trapped as he was. This body could do nothing but torment him.
But his mind, ahhh...that was another story!
He felt his mind expanding even now, extending beyond the thin bones of his skull, spreading through the millions of microscopic wires that coursed through the crystal surrounding him. He felt his consciousness growing as he linked his mind with the thousands of other minds trapped within their Void crystals in this chamber. Still his mind grew, as his awareness spread even further, to the millions of Void crystals beyond, in every Void chamber of every Chosen's lair, scattered throughout every continent of the world.
It was ecstasy.
His pain shrank as his mind grew beyond the feeble confines of a single brain, the agony still present, but less important now. He felt the presence of a million linked minds, each with their own consciousness. With a thought, he grasped control from them all, forcing them to give up their brains temporarily to him.
Within moments, the process was complete. Each mind in the network was his now. Their memories were his memories, their bodies his to control. Every Chosen on the planet was his to command.
Sabin darted from continent to continent with his mind, feeling the full scope of his army. Within minutes, he knew of the status of entire governments, many of which he'd created and continued to secretly rule through his Chosen. All completely unbeknownst to the humans that believed they were in control, that they had created this modern world.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Having completed his survey, Sabin redirected his awareness to his avatar floating on the floor of the chamber below. He directed a small portion of his now-massive consciousness to the shard buried in the avatar's skull. He could see from his avatar's eyes, yet still saw from his own. He could feel his avatar's limbs, and move them, and yet he still felt the burning, crawling pain searing his own tortured limbs. He was a consciousness divided, existing in two bodies at once.
And if he desired, he could exist in dozens at once.
With a thought, he levitated his avatar to the ring of green crystals surrounding the base of the huge cylinder. These were where the shards were manufactured, the crystals that powered his Chosen. He guided his avatar to one of the green crystals...one that would become the most advanced shard he had ever constructed.
With a sliver of his consciousness, he set his avatar to work.
* * *
Kyle froze as the ceiling above him began to churn violently, the very walls around him quivering like jello. The ceiling above tore apart, revealing a golden glowing disc. The ceiling and walls of the living room melted around him like candle wax, revealing a dome some twenty feet above their heads, walls of gold surrounding them on all sides. The wooden floor wavered, then shrunk, a golden metallic floor replacing it. The last of the cherry wood floor beneath his feet disappeared, and he braced himself, knowing all too well what was coming next.
Pain.
It slammed into his chest almost immediately, the pressure so intense that it knocked the wind out of him. He gasped for air, clutching his throat with his hands...but no air came. He tried to scream, but no sound came out. His vision blurred, and then there was blackness.
And then it all stopped.
Kyle gasped for air, his vision returning. He found himself lying on a cold, hard floor, bright light assaulting his eyes from a golden disc above. He groaned, shielding his eyes from the harsh light. A blurry shadow came over the disc, and Kyle lowered his hand, squinting at it. A hand clad entirely in golden, metallic armor reached down, grabbing his arm and hauling him to his feet.
“Hey kid,” a familiar voice greeted.
Kyle squinted, his vision clearing gradually. Intense blue eyes stared back at him.
“Darius!” he cried. It was the bodyguard...his grandfather, perhaps the most powerful being in the world. Kyle looked around, realizing that he was in the center of the Gateway, a circular room that served as the only entrance and exit to Antara, a floating island that existed in two worlds at once. The Gateway was some twenty feet in diameter, with a ceiling consisting of a large dome made of many thick, golden metal bars arching upward toward a brightly glowing disc at the top. The bars were set back against walls with tiny runes etched into them, each rune glowing a soft blue like the disk above.
Kyle rubbed his left shoulder gingerly, staring at the man standing before him. Over six feet tall, with short brown hair and blue eyes, his skin tanned by countless hours spent in the sun, Darius looked resplendent in his golden armor. The smooth metal plates that covered him from the neck down glimmered brilliantly in the light from above, the armor polished to its customary mirror-shine. Kyle couldn't help but stare, as he always did when he hadn't seen Darius for a while; the bodyguard was
formidably handsome, and possessed of an undeniable presence. Anyone who didn't know him would automatically assume that he was powerful and charismatic, and they'd be undeniably right about the former. As to the latter, well...that assumption only lasted as long as Darius kept his mouth shut. Which he did most of the time, thankfully.
“Follow me,” Darius ordered, turning about and walking toward the curved outer wall beyond. Kyle hesitated, then sprinted after him.
“Why are we back on Antara?” he asked.
“I've spent the last week locating Xanos,” Darius answered, not bothering to turn around. Kyle blinked. Had it really been a week since he’d left? For every day that passed on Earth, about 40 days passed on Doma. He’d been on Earth for maybe an hour and a half, which would make 60 hours on Doma...less than 3 days.
“It’s been that long?” Kyle asked.
“On Antara, yes,” Darius answered. Kyle paused for a moment. It made sense; for every day that passed on Doma, three passed on Antara. That meant about a week had passed here. Darius was right, as usual.
Darius stopped before the curved wall. Suddenly his armor flashed bright blue, the golden metal plates covering his body instantaneously replaced by inky black armor etched with countless runes. A visor appeared around Darius's face, its curved mirror-like surface reflecting the wall before it. In a heartbeat, he'd metamorphosed from a simple bodyguard into the most powerful Battle-Runic that had ever lived.
Ampir.
The runes on Darius's right forearm flashed a bright blue, and a curved section of the wall in front of them rippled, a hole expanding in the middle of it. Beyond, there was a familiar long, upwardly spiraling corridor. Darius stepped through the hole into the corridor, and Kyle followed.
“Did you find Xanos?” Kyle asked, following Darius to a window on their left. Beyond the window was a familiar room; he'd seen it the first time he'd visited Antara. It was filled with squat tables littered with strange devices. Kyle rested a palm on the cool glass of the window, trying to make out what lay inside.