*
Kain led the group out of the room, back into the hall filled with potential monsters. Only Maloch dared to look back, to the small room in which everything had changed. A few hours ago, Maloch had been dreaming of his freedom; now, that goal seemed like an impossible fantasy.
They walked in a solemn line, following Kain's overbearing presence. As soon as they entered the main pod room, it became obvious that he only cared about Alza. He strode alongside her -with a nonchalance that Barsch would normally have killed for- asking her questions that did not merit answers. Barsch wondered what would happen if he, Kingston and Maloch made a break for the exit.
But, even if they could overcome the odds and escape, that still left Alza in his company, which was unacceptable. Even though she was not human, Alza had still travelled with them, and had fought and bled just as much as them. Even though she had been created in an artificial womb by a madman, she was still Alza... Barsch reviewed his last thought, and nodded. Something about it felt... right, and although it was not yet complete, he was beginning to see what it could become.
A few feet away, the only two members of homo novus were engaged in conversation. Although, in all honesty, the conversation was more of a monologue than a dialogue.
“Sister, I cannot even begin to express how much I have longed for this day, for your triumphant return! All those days spent in the training room, all those days of idle boredom, all were in preparation of this glorious day! But I must ask, how did you come to be affiliated with these...”
Kain briefly looked back at the others, with cold, dark eyes. It was a completely different gaze compared to the look of adoration he had when he spoke to Alza. “People?” he finished, saying the word with the same contempt that one would normally use when speaking of household pests.
Alza did not look back, but Barsch felt that she wanted to, but was afraid of what she would see. Kingston had always been rather indifferent to her, and Maloch had treated her in the same fashion as he did Barsch... only he had changed. Did he hate her now? Was he afraid of what she was, and what she could do? He still did not know the answers, but he knew one thing, Kain was a threat to Alza, and he would not stand idly by while she was in harm's way.
“I met them by happen-stance, and travelled with them out of convenience. There is nothing more to it than that.” Alza's eyes were downcast as she spoke, as if she felt guilty over her traitorous words.
“But were they really traitorous? She never hid her intentions from us, and on more than one occasion she considered leaving for more promising ventures. It was I who fashioned us into a strange, yet functional family. I told myself that she was happy, and that she enjoyed her time with us, but in the end, that was simply a delusion I created to hide the truth. Alza was never one of us, because there was never an 'us' to be a part of. We were four strangers who happened to have the same destination, brought together by circumstance and wrung apart by coincidence. Only I was foolish to believe that anything more than that existed between us...”
“I see, how unfortunate for you. No matter, very soon you will be back where you belong, and your... companions... will be where they belong. I believe that everything will become clear once you see Father. He has been awaiting your return with great anticipation.”
“And who is your father? What is he planning?” Barsch looked around for several seconds, searching for the speaker who had no doubt incurred Kain's wrath. With a panicked yelp, he realised that it had been his own traitorous mouth which had formed and then spat out the dooming words. Quickly, he brought his teeth together, hoping to form a barrier for any more stupid questions. But it was too late, the letters, strung together in words, and carried in sentences, had already reached Kain's ears.
Barsch waited, and waited, but no strike came to punish him for his impertinence. Instead, Kain carried on walking as if nothing had been said. It became clear to Barsch, at that moment, that Kain saw them as mild annoyances who were not worth any effort on his part. To him, they were mindless humans, incapable and unworthy of petitioning one such as he.
When Kain turned back, a moment later, Barsch's heart froze once more. But the strange boy was not looking at him, in fact, he was not looking at any of them. He seemed to be staring at a patch of wall, just to the left of Barsch. As he stared, Kain's eyes began to glow, with an intensity that matched and exceeded Alza's. It was clear that whatever he was looking at, it was not visible to mere humans.
“How long has it been there? That darkness? That Beast walking beside you... where did you get it? It does not seem to have a natural origin...”
And then Kain turned back, and it was as if nothing had happened. Had he dreamt it? Had he imagined Kain speaking... asking those strange questions? He did not know, but he had learnt one thing about Kain that might come in handy: he seemed to ignore anything that was said by anyone who was not Alza... perhaps, if he could reach Kingston, the two of them could plan their escape.
“Sister, even though your emotional capabilities are decidedly limited, you should be overjoyed at the opportunity you have been given?”
Alza merely looked at him, the confusion showing in her blank stare.
“I mean, considering the fact that you are a failure and a reject, It's a wonder that Father did not just terminate you as soon as you were born!”
Once more, Kain wore a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. “Your journey, your experiences, will be used to improve the next batch of our siblings! If you think of your entire existence as a kind of prototype... then don't you think that your misshapen form has found its purpose? You had to suffer the pain of life, so that the rest of us don't have to! Doesn't your broken heart just swell with pride when you think of all of the good that your end will bring? Our new brothers and sisters will be stronger, smarter and more adaptable, because they will grow up learning from your mistakes! Does that not just make you want to burst into song?”
Judging by Alza's expression, singing was just about the furthest thing from her mind. Instead of replying to his suggestion, she asked a question of her own, “Kain, have you seen me since I left here? In a dream... or a vision?”
Before she could follow this strange, mysterious man to his equally mysterious father, she needed to know. If he had been the one who had been invading her dreams, attacking her... From the assault in the desert, to the confrontation in her ç'aether addled thoughts; every step of the way, this man had been a source of fear and pain. And now that he was beside her in the flesh, it was all the more important that she find out the truth. Although he called her 'sister', the way his mood see-sawed from jubilant to malicious and back again unnerved her greatly. To put it simply, she could not figure out what kind of person he was. Was he a lonely boy who had simply gone too long without his beloved sister? Or was the smile on his face hiding a barely-veiled anger that would consume and destroy anything it touched?
“Have I seen you? Now that is a strange question, dear sister. I have thought of nothing but seeing you, and yet it was the one thing I could not do. It appears as if the link between us only goes so far. From the moment you left the valley, I could no longer feel your presence. Perhaps, if I truly did exist in your dreams, then it was as a fragment of your past memories of me? Father did say that the mind wipe procedure was not one hundred percent effective. It is possible that some of your memories remained and, although fragmented, managed to manifest in your self-conscious?”
Kain's explanation did make sense, but there was something slightly... off about it. If his presence in her dreams was nothing more than a remnant of her memories of him, then why had he always acted with such malevolence towards her and Barsch? From the video, she knew that they had sparred on occasion, and that he was stronger than her, but what could he have done that would leave such a negative impression, which had been bad enough to be imprinted on her sub-conscious? There were still too many questions and not enough answers, but the one she had just received would have to
suffice for the moment. Kain, at least not his real self, had not been in her dreams.
“Do not fret, dear sister. In a few minutes, you will be reunited with Father, and everything will be fine. Your time with these... individuals... is over. And your new, glorious time with Father has begun.”
Was it Barsch's imagination, or did Alza's steady pace falter when Kain spoke? Could it be that she was hesitant about returning to her so-called Father, and leaving them behind? No, if she was hesitant, then it was born out of an anxious desire to meet her maker. She had made it clear several times before: they were strangers who had merely happened to walk along the same path, and nothing more.
Awakening Page 226