Universe in Flames – Ultimate 10 Book Box Set: An Epic Space Opera Adventure

by Christian Kallias

  Saroudis frowned. “Didn’t Aphroditis say that she was acting in defiance of the rules of her people?”

  “Yeah, and that also raises a flag in my book. Look, Commodore, I’m not trying to bring you down, I just have these doubts and questions rushing in my head right now and I thought vocalizing them would help a little. But this is all theoretical at this point. I’m just coming to the realization that blindly following one’s advice, or in this case more like an order, is not so different from what we fear might be happening on Earth. How am I different and better if all I do is follow Aphroditis’ every desire? Who’s to say her end game is in alignment with what we want for ourselves?”

  The commodore shook his head.

  “We’re getting ahead of ourselves here, and I, for one, dislike projecting too much into the future. Furthermore, I prefer to tackle problems one at a time. I understand your doubts; not only is it human, Chase, but it is sane to raise these questions. Just make sure they don’t prevent you from doing what needs to be done when the time comes. What I mean by that is not being a puppet; it’s thinking of the bigger picture. We are trying to survive, and survival might also mean doing things we’re not always comfortable doing as human beings. That is, when one has a conscience, and it’s clear yours is bothering you right now, and that’s understandable under the circumstances. But take what I’m telling you for what it is. We did our best, and we will continue to do our best for ourselves and for the people of Earth and every other living being currently in jeopardy in the universe. At the very least, we are aligned on the side of light, aren’t we? We are trying to make things better, and that alone is the reason I can find sleep these days.”

  “You’re right,” Chase said quietly. “Somehow I doubt I’ll get any sleep for the time being, but you’re right. We are doing our best. I just hope it results in a favorable outcome.”

  “If only life was that easy, Chase. But on the other hand, if it was, perhaps it would be a dull experience.”

  “Right...” Chase flashed him a weak smile. “But damn would I love me some dull right about now.”

  16

  It had rained all morning, as if somehow the weather had guessed Sarah’s mood. She and Chase had just walked into the cemetery. She liked that it rained; it made her tears less visible. Even though it was perfectly normal to feel sad for the loss of her uncle, she didn’t like to show vulnerability. Probably just the soldier in her, she thought.

  Chase held her hand, and from time to time he gave her fingers a little squeeze. She was grateful he’d come, even though he didn’t know her uncle. It was good to know she could count on him nonetheless in this time of grief.

  The past few days had been really hard, and they had definitely taken a toll on Sarah’s psyche. She tried to push the memories of torture away, tried to simply stay sane. No living beings should be subjected to such treatment. And to come back only to find more grief awaiting her had made matters that much worse. She felt extremely vulnerable right now. Perhaps more so than ever before in her life.

  At least the pregnancy had been a positive thing amidst that dark and painful state she was in. Something to look forward to. She glanced at Chase out of the corner of her eye. At least she had him, and soon they would be a family. That thought was particularly prominent lately, but it was also accompanied with fear. Fear that the world she would bring this new life into was in utter chaos. She knew it was useless to over-think things and project. After all, life had a way of presenting a reality that was unlike what one had imagined one’s life would be. Still, it was human to do so. Weak and perhaps useless, but human nonetheless.

  Most of her family had made it to the ceremony, to say goodbye to Uncle Peter. As she gazed out over their familiar faces, she got lost in her own thoughts, remembering all the good times they’d had over the years.

  “You okay, sweetie?” inquired Chase.

  “I don’t know.” She tried to force a smile. “But don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  Chase didn’t know what to say. He had lost crewmates over the years, even a couple of friends. He remembered how it hurt to say goodbye. And while he had never lost a direct member of his biological family, the loss of his adoptive parents had been tough. So while he didn’t exactly know if he could relate truly to what Sarah was feeling at the moment, he had a pretty good idea.

  But just the thought of her suffering so much sent him on a dangerous path of hatred. He was quick to close his eyes and focus on his breathing. But the rage still lingered there, just beneath the surface. All of this—the attack, the tragic loss of too many to count—was because of his family. Earth had lost millions of lives, Sarah her uncle—all because of Argos, a brother he didn’t recognize or want to have. If they hadn’t looked almost exactly alike, he at least could have denied his existence and fraternal claims, but it was clear they shared a very similar if not near exact DNA. Perhaps they were even twins… His blood ran cold at the thought. They couldn’t be, could they? Argos looked so much older than Chase. But even Daniel had mentioned how Chase hadn’t seemed to age a day in the last decade.

  What did it all mean?

  When Chase opened his eyes, he no longer was in the cemetery and it had stopped raining. Instead, he stood in a deserted place—dark and dry—with winds blowing black sand all around. In the distance, some spiky mountain chains appeared, and on top of them, three planets or perhaps moons hovered in the night sky.

  “Now what?!” Chase cried out in exasperation.

  A deep, male voice answered. “We need to have a talk, Chase.”

  Chase turned around to see a tall, muscular man standing there. He glowed like Aphroditis, but unlike her, his aura seemed more oppressive, radiating orange light all around him. He had short, bluish-grey hair and looked older than Aphroditis, despite somehow radiating both health and the energy of youth.

  “And who might you be?”

  “My name is Ares.”

  Chase struggled to keep control of his ever-dwindling temper. “That name supposed to mean anything to me?”

  “I guess not,” the man mused. “After all, it’s been a long time since your people have stopped worshipping us.”

  “An Olympian, then.” Chase openly hesitated. “How come I’m not speaking with Aphroditis right now?”

  “Because what we must talk about, she can’t help you with.”

  “Look, I appreciate you summoning me into another vision, but right now is not a good time.” Chase thought anxiously about Sarah and the funeral.

  “Worry not about this.” Ares dismissed his fears. “No matter how long our talk takes here, only a few minutes will pass in your reality.”

  “Still, not really in the mood.”

  “Defiant, arrogant, blind... I really wonder what Aphroditis sees in you.”

  Chase let the words bounce right off of him, at least, that’s what he wanted Ares to believe. Inside his head was another story altogether. A fierce anger was stirring deep in his soul. It was only an intense fear of the repercussions that made him bury them back down.

  “That’s not bad,” Ares commented. “You’ll need more of that control if you’re to use your powers efficiently, or the next time you face Argos, he will destroy you.”

  Chase looked the Olympian straight in the eyes. “What are you here for, Ares? What do you need to tell me that couldn’t wait until after the funeral?”

  “My timing is of no consequence. And it’s not so much what I must tell you, but more what I must teach you.”

  “Teach?”

  “Yes, you need to learn how to gain total control of your powers. And while you have already made a good deal of progress, I am here to train you further.” He stepped forward with a grand, introductory flourish. “First things first. As I have already told you, my name is Ares, formerly the god of war.”

  “Formerly?”

  “Let’s just say we don’t hold to titles such as these now that we don’t have the same number of followers as we onc
e did. Though Aphroditis’ questionable intervention on Earth has stirred the curiosity in many Earthlings regarding our existence… Some have already started worshiping her, in fact.”

  “I see.” Chase steered him back on target. “So you want to teach me to wage war?”

  “War is part of life, as you know full well. Aphroditis and I don’t always see eye to eye, but I don’t take orders from her. When she defied our father, I decided to see what she was up to. On the other hand, if our father knew, it would piss him off, so at least there’s that.”

  “I see that family feuds also run in Olympian families. Maybe we’re not so different after all…”

  The man laughed hard.

  “Let’s just say my view of war and violence isn’t really well accepted by all Olympians.”

  “You sound like a hoot,” Chase said flatly.

  “And you’re a Fury, alright.”

  “Part Fury.”

  “If you say so.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Look, I’m not here to become your friend and chat with you. Let’s get started, shall we?”

  “Started with—”

  But before Chase could finish the sentence, Ares had disappeared from sight, reappearing instantly behind him. As he turned around, the Olympian kicked him so hard in the neck that he flew in the air and landed face first in the black sand. An intense pain radiated from the point of impact all the way down his spine.

  As he got up, Chase spat blood on the ground. He could feel anger flowing in every part of his body now. He quickly got up and faced Ares, a look of determination in his eyes.

  “You’re gonna pay for that cheap shot. I wasn’t ready!”

  The former god laughed. “Typical excuse, not being ready… Do you think you will ever be ready for what’s to come? Like, ever?”

  Chase’s anger grew even stronger.

  “Before I kick the shit out of you even more, I want you to be mindful of how you are feeling right now.”

  Chase fumed. “I am pissed, angry, and I want to kick your ass. Is that mindful enough?”

  Ares smiled calmly. “Yes, you are. And in that state, you can try and hit me until the end of days, and you will fail.”

  “Let’s see about that shall we?”

  Two blue fireballs formed in Chase’s hands and he threw them towards Ares with as much velocity as he could. But before they reached him, Ares made a circular motion with one of his palms, deflecting the fire back onto Chase so fast that all he could do to protect his upper body was raise his forearms before impact. There was a small explosion, and once again Chase was thrown into the dirt.

  “Do you know what you did wrong?” Ares asked calmly.

  Chase got back up, dusted himself off, and looked at his burned forearms.

  “Besides getting up this morning?” he said sarcastically, trying to not let the pain leech into his tone. “Enlighten me.”

  “Ah, the Fury pride. You feel hurt. You don’t need to hide it from me. I can sense everything you feel, so stop acting tough. We don’t have time to serve your own ego. Now let’s talk about your reaction. I taunted you, found the right words to make you lose control. That’s because your ego is too strong. You’re too young, not mature enough, and the things people tell you, you take too much to heart.

  “Because you’re a Fury, these manifest in surges of power. But you can’t control this power as long as it’s guided by hate. Anger gives you only an illusion of control, but in fact, it’s blinding you. You need to use anger the right way, to channel it to your advantage. If you let it control you, the results will be catastrophic, not only for you, but for those around you.”

  That last statement seemed to hit home, a regular bull’s-eye.

  “Start with calming down right now. I know you want to hurt me at the moment, but try breathing slowly. Empty your head of thoughts instead. Quiet your mind, lower your ego. For just one moment try and forget I just hit you where it hurts.”

  Chase didn’t like the way Ares talked to him. He thought it was condescending and rude, but a wiser part of him had to admit that perhaps he could learn something here. So he started to breathe slowly and deeply, and soon enough he felt the anger go away little by little.

  “Good, that’s better. Remember how you blew open that door after the building’s explosion yesterday?”

  “Yes…?”

  “You did that without any anger, yet you managed to bring your powers to the surface through nothing but instinct. The main problem you have at the moment is that your instinct is to seek revenge towards Argos and your ego is bruised by the fact that you didn’t manage to save every life on Earth. I can understand that you wanted things to turn out better; it’s human, but it’s not realistic. You are not responsible for the fate of the universe.”

  “You guys should maybe consult one another on pep talks,” Chase smirked. “Aphroditis actually tried convincing me that I was all that stood between darkness and light.”

  “If you are, in your current state, if that’s even a fraction of the truth, we’re all screwed. She needed to motivate you, and at the time it might have been good advice. But tell me, how did it make you feel knowing that?”

  “Anxious, worried that I might fail.”

  “Exactly. All of a sudden, the weight of the universe is on your shoulders. Do you like bearing that responsibility?”

  Chase shuddered. “Not at all. In fact, it makes me feel helpless sometimes.”

  “And so it should.” Ares looked at him square on. “I am immensely more powerful than you are, at least at the moment, and I am not even entertaining the thought that the universe could actually depend on me and my actions. So you need to unload that burden. The sooner the better.”

  Chase sighed. “I... I don’t know that I can. Whatever happens next is on my head. At the very least, I must make sure I do my absolute best; I feel responsible now.”

  “You’re only responsible for your own actions. The sooner you embrace that, the better.”

  “But the consequences?”

  “Are you so arrogant to think that should you die, which is a very strong possibility from where I’m standing, all would be lost?”

  “I don’t know,” Chase mumbled.

  “Nobody knows, Chase. Nobody. Not me and certainly not you.”

  Chase stayed quiet, reflecting on Ares’ words.

  “Now try to empty your mind of all thoughts,” the war god commanded.

  “That’s not going to happen, I’m afraid.”

  “DO IT anyway!”

  “Right, there is no try.”

  Ares paused. “What do you mean? I do want you to try.”

  “Never mind…” Chase said with a little smile.

  He proceeded to empty his mind of all thoughts. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. For as long as he could remember, his head was filled with worries for the future, and the last few months had been so charged with heavy events, sometimes he felt like all he was doing was over-thinking everything. After no time at all, his mind focused on the explosions that had happened on Earth the day before.

  Were they under attack? Were there going to be more explosions to follow? What could he—

  “Is that emptying your mind?” Ares interrupted gravely.

  “How would you know?” Chase bristled defensively. “Do you read minds?”

  “I can read on your face, what you’re thinking.”

  Chase grimaced but tried to get back into emptying his mind. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, but it didn’t seem to help that much. Annoyed, he opened his eyes and threw up his hands in frustration. Ares seemed equally put out.

  “Look, Chase, try and focus on a place or memory that brings you joy. Once you’re there, block out everything else, stay anchored in that moment. Stay there long enough without thinking of anything else and you should be able to lose yourself in that place; then you should start to feel differently.”

  Chase summoned the morning when he
woke up next to Sarah the first time they’d spent the night together. He remembered caressing her shoulder for a few minutes before she woke up. That moment was a powerful memory, one he wanted to last forever, so it wasn’t difficult to bring it back. His eyes closed without him realizing, and soon he was back there on the bed, smelling the intoxicating perfume of Sarah’s hair and naked skin. Before he knew it, a deep sensation of calm enveloped him like a warm blanket. It felt like present, past, and future were only foggy concepts, slowly fading into the void with every passing moment.

  “Good,” Ares said with a soothing voice. “Now try to feel the current of energy flowing in your body.”

  His voice was like an echo in a dream, and Chase obeyed without questioning, not even realizing he was probably in some sort of a trance. He focused on his inner self and could indeed feel something running inside him. A stream, a river, he didn’t know, but something was there.

  “Alright, that energy you feel is your inner power. It’s a strong force that you can summon at will once you master this fully. Up until now, you have only been able to call it when the situation was dire, usually with your thoughts in turmoil. In doing so, you made that pool of energy very agitated, like a storm, and you could only summon a very small part of it, like the splashing water when a wave hits a cliff... If you manage to go to the source, you can use the entire ocean and bid it to do your will.”

  The echoed words made sense to Chase even though he still didn’t know how to use this power. For now, he was just content to observe the inner flux, something he never even thought was there.

  “Alright,” continued Ares’ calming voice, ever so soothing and more and more ethereal in nature, “the easiest way for you to grab hold of that power is to create a mental image of it. Try to visualize it as an aura of a specific color. Any color will do.”

  Chase chose a radiant blue, like the fireballs he managed to create before. He liked that color very much.