Birth of Light

by Ross Buzzell

“So how about we get a coffee tomorrow and we can talk a little more then?”

  The prospect of seeing her in a nonviolent scene is appealing to Konner, but he is lost at the mention of this word “coffee.” For a brief moment, his face flexes in confusion before being replaced with a smile and a nod of approval.

  “I would really like that. Where would you like me to meet you?”

  Natalie pauses for a moment. Konner can’t help but adore the look of contemplation she has on her face as she bites the inside of her lip while trying to recall some hidden information.

  “I passed a place in the base of the hotel just a block up the road,”

  she says as she points to an enormous light brown building with marbling at its base. On the side, there is a round sign that glows and a woman made of green and white with a star above her head.

  “How about there at seven? We could have breakfast.”

  The soldier cannot help but smile; it is a date, the first official one he would ever go on.

  “That sounds perfect. You have a safe night.”

  She turns to cross the street but glances back at him; she looks at him with the same look she gave him back in the hospital when the nurse was wheeling her away.

  “You too, and thank you again for earlier.”

  She jogs across the street. Konner rubs the back of his head.

  “By the Creator, what is coffee?”

  His bracer echoes within his mind.

  “It is a drink forged from the beans of a plant that is exclusively here on Sol 3. Its purpose is to help the population wake up and give them energy. It is also the second most addictive substance to this species.”

  Konner looks around. There is no one within earshot of him, and he glances behind him to see a path of marble between two buildings with a strip of trees decorated in a string of lights but otherwise dark. He quickly jogs back into the darkness.

  “What is the number one substance?”

  he asks curiously as he checks one more time to make sure that he is hidden now, which he is. Konner twists his ring and his eyes flare azure blue once again as the ring dissipates into light and forms into his armor once more. As the light passes over his face, it incinerates the hair that had grown, filling the humid night air with the scent of singed hair. It only takes seconds and his armor is back around his body, holding snugly to him like a perfectly fitted glove.

  “It is sugar.”

  Konner nods to himself.

  “Hmm, that is interesting.”

  He looks up at the shattered glass made by Disa’ani, and with hardly a sound at all, he lifts off of the ground and begins to approach the apartment.

  Chapter: 14

  Pilots and Pineapples

  It has been almost an hour since Konner opened the portal to let the dog through. The entire time, Emma was sitting down playing with the happy little basset hound. She even raided the kitchen and cooked him an egg. The drooling little mutt helped dispel the icy grip that Xero’s voice seemed to have on her. Never before in her life has she felt anything like that, like dark tendrils wrapping themselves around her, squeezing her so tightly she almost suffocates. His words were like smoke, darkening the air around her with such a weight she would be unable to fly even if she wanted to. A mix of Danielle and her interesting abilities and this little dog help drag her out of the magical quagmire that seems to emanate off of this monster’s very voice.

  Doug seemed to snap out of the shadow that had been cast on them rather quickly while Danielle seemed to hardly be affected at all. Since then, he ordered a pizza, wrapped his wound, and even cleaned up the mess left behind by Disa’ani. Danielle managed to find a computer and get connected to the internet; she had been messaging someone back and forth almost nonstop the entire time. Doug opens the box of freshly delivered steaming pizza only for it to have ham and pineapple on the cheese. It was nothing she has ever had before, but she never heard of anyone back home liking it. There is a gust of wind, which causes the team to look over at the window; Doug closes his fists, prepared for anything. As Konner appears, Doug visibly relaxes, Danielle finally gets off the computer, and Emma pushes herself off the floor as the dog jumps up onto the couch, curls up, and closes his big brown eyes. With his presence, the very last of Xero’s darkness dispels.

  “How did it go?”

  Emma asks softly. Doug nods in agreement; his mouth is full of pizza and a piece hangs from his hand that is missing half of the slice.

  “She is fine,”

  Konner states softly as he looks around the room. A wave of worry spreads across his face.

  “She has a few bruised ribs and a fractured collar bone but nothing that will not heal.”

  He glances at Doug and notices the ice pack tied to his side. He continues.

  “And please tell me what happened to Doug?”

  Emma cannot contain the laugh that Konner’s disappointed tone elicits.

  “Doug decided to go after your friend and ended up getting his ass kicked.”

  Konner shoots a stern look over at Doug; his tone is soft yet stern, as if he was genuinely concerned for the wellbeing of the man who attacked them earlier that very night.

  “You did not kill him, did you?”

  Konner asks. Danielle moves away from the computer towards the pizza box and glances in. She cringes and shakes her head before dropping the box top and sitting next to the dog before rubbing him behind his ears. He huffs in contentment as his eyes open for a moment and close, happy that he is being rubbed.

  “And if I did?”

  Doug asks. His words are somewhat of a challenge to Konner’s own. The alien prince that stands before them seems to hesitate for a moment. She notes something within him change. It was strange he would travel across the world to save hostages and jump out of a window when he did not know he could fly to save a woman. He probably put his life on the line more times than she would ever realize to protect innocents against monsters and here he is, showing some form of compassion towards one. The air is tense as she can see him trying to choose his words carefully.

  “Because you are not like me,”

  he finally speaks, breaking the mounting tension.

  “You are all still innocent. You have not taken life. In that way, you can be the symbol I never can… and because he is my friend.”

  The way they have interacted indicates that the men knew each other, but this revelation hits Emma like a ton of bricks. It visibly does the same to Doug. Danielle, however, is un-affected. This rubs Emma the wrong way a little; she knows more than she shares and yet keeps the information to herself. Deep down, she knows she should be grateful for the gifts she has. Literally millions of people would kill for powers like hers and yet she finds herself wishing for the knowledge in Danielle’s head.

  “He’s your what?!”

  Doug exclaims in shock, the pizza slice nearly falling from his hand.

  “He was my best friend growing up. We played together, fought together, and we even faced death together. He is the closest thing I have to a brother and I know that I can bring him back once we sever his link with Xero.”

  A wave of concern washes over Emma. There is something ominous about the way he talks about severing the link with Xero.

  “How do you plan on doing that?”

  she asks. Konner bites the inside of his lip as he gazes into the distance as if trying to figure out the solution to an impossible problem.

  “I do not know… Xero claims he cannot die, but nothing is truly immortal.”

  Doug chimes in once again, his voice slightly agitated yet again.

  “So we are not allowed to kill, but you are?”

  “I’m a solider!”

  Konner snaps back. From behind his strong demeanor, Emma sees something that Doug, and most likely Danielle, with her analytical mind, does not fear. Fear at the thought of losing anyone else, fear at the idea of failing and allowing Xero to destroy yet another world, but most of all, fear of being
unable to live up to the name left behind for him by his father.

  “I have taken life before. For me, warring against the strong and oppressive to protect those weaker is my duty. You are my people. I am duty bound to protect you from those threats that would harm you and it is something that I desire to do. So yes, I will take life, because I am a soldier, and only if I have to in order to protect those that are weaker!”

  His commanding tone makes Emma’s heart race; not out of fear but excitement. She cannot help but crack a smile as the soldier behind the collected demeanor comes out. She admires him for this. How he will do the dirty deeds so that they don’t have to. How he is willing to stand between them and a being that is probably more powerful than anything else in existence without hesitation even if it costs him his own life. A man who still worries about his friend and wants to save him, even if he is the enemy, who still sees good in him when everyone else only sees darkness. But even with all of this, Emma cannot help herself. She can’t hold back the sarcastic tongue that has been developed over her entire life.

  “Oh, so you’ll never kill a human because we are a weaker species? I see how it is… what are you a superiorist?”

  Konner’s brow furrows; it quickly becomes clear to Emma that he did not pick up on her sarcasm and genuinely believes she is being serious.

  “I do not know what that word is… but no, I would never allow myself to be directly responsible for the fall of one of your kind.”

  At that moment, the lock on the door turns. Everyone’s heads whip around to look and see the damaged door creak open and the redhead they had saved earlier. She stops dead in her tracks as she sees her apartment overrun by super-powered beings, two of which are in “super suits.” A smirk forms on her face and she shakes her head as Doug opens his big mouth, making Emma want to put her foot in it for him.

  “Sorry we destroyed your apartment… Pizza?”

  Natalie lets off a laugh. Emma gets a glimpse of Konner out of the corner of her eye. Her giggle causes a physical reaction from the stoic prince. He smiles and forces himself to take a deep breath as if he is trying to calm himself.

  “You know, the sight of comic book characters in my apartment would usually warrant a freak out… but I think I’m getting used to the concept of you all.”

  She closes the door behind her and walks into the apartment, glancing over at Danielle, who has been surprisingly quiet.

  “Are those my aunt’s clothes?”

  she asks, a hint of amusement in her voice. Danielle nods as she glances down at them.

  “They are. I did not have a change of clothes, since you pulled us here before we could pack. I will clean them and return them to their box as soon as I get a chance.”

  A sweet smile forms on Natalie’s lips.

  “You can keep them; you pull them off better than she does anyway.”

  Her voice is genuinely kind and soft. Emma can see why Konner is so clearly taken by her. She finds herself hoping that Natalie feels the same way. Natalie turns and faces Doug. She sees the pizza and an eyebrow lustfully rises at the sight of the box.

  “There had better be pineapple on there!”

  she exclaims in an almost commanding tone, similar to Konner’s earlier. Without a second to lose, Doug lifts the lid of the box, revealing the pizza. A huge smile instantly overtakes her face as she raids the greasy circular piece of cheese coated bread. She shovels almost an entire piece into her mouth ravenously as if she has not eaten in days; Emma looks over at Danielle, who smiles and shrugs before turning her attention back to the dog. The wet “splat” of grease hitting the floor brings Emma’s attention back to Natalie, who stands facing Konner now. Her jaw is dropped and her good arm dangles limply at her side as the glorious piece of food she has been clearly lusting over lies cheese side down on the ground with a splash zone of grease around it.

  “It’s you… it’s actually you! I… I can’t believe it!”

  Her voice trembles with excitement as she releases her pizza to fall next to Doug’s slice. Doug picks it up and inspects it before taking a bite of his old piece. Natalie throws herself into Konner so hard he takes a step back to brace himself. She throws her one good arm around him. Emma notes the look of pleasant surprise on Konner’s face. After a moment, he wraps his arms tightly around her, hugging her back tightly. His eyes close and his shoulders raise; he is taking in her scent. This warms Emma’s heart as they hold each other for a few moments in complete silence, not wanting or needing to say anything. Emma glances over at Danielle, who has a wide smile on her face, while Doug finishes his slice, completely focused on his food.

  “It is good to see you, Natalie.”

  Konner finally speaks, not wanting to miss a second of this reunion that clearly strikes both with the gravity of a collapsing star. Emma slides up onto the couch on the other side of the dog. There is another moment of silence; Konner begrudgingly loosens his grip on Natalie, who does the same.

  “I have something of yours, by the way!”

  she exclaims as she reaches down the front of her blouse. This catches Doug’s attention, and he finally stops obsessing over his food. Her fingertips grip something and as she draws the item from her shirt. The chain around her neck snakes from within her clothing until a silver-colored ring with a glowing blue stone to match Konner’s eyes is presented to Konner. The soldier slowly reaches out and takes the ring in his hand; Natalie releases the item and unsnaps the chain, allowing Konner to draw the piece of jewelry towards him. There is a strange sensation that washes over Emma upon seeing the stone. She feels as if her body and her powers are given a sudden boost just by being in its presence. She can feel every molecule of air around her as it begins to pass through her. She even feels a form of radiation that she can only guess are photons pass through her as well, lifting her involuntarily, but ever so slightly off of the couch.

  “Thank you. This was a gift to my family from an old ally. I am grateful that you were able to keep it safe for me.”

  Natalie scoffs audibly as Konner says she kept it safe. She shakes her head, her red curly locks bouncing from side to side, dancing at the command of her head.

  “I did not keep this safe, Konner… in fact, it is the only reason I am still alive!”

  Danielle slowly rises to her feet, a look of mild concern spread across her face as her eyes are locked on to the stone like the crosshairs of a sniper on his target.

  “Refined blue Boronite, which is exceedingly rare and is thought to only exist in legends.”

  Danielle approaches Konner, the dog huffing as she stops rubbing him. Emma quickly picks up the slack making his head lie back down in contentment. Danielle approaches and moves her hands to reach for the stone.

  “The ring of the gods! It was thought to have been lost eons ago! It looks… strange. What is this design?”

  she exclaims before Doug grabs her and holds her back from making contact. She glances back at him. Emma’s eyes narrow as she watches in intrigue.

  “Remember what Xero said.”

  Doug’s voice is nearly a whisper; Danielle nods in agreement as she slowly lowers her hands. Konner shakes his head as he gazes at the stone.

  “Not lost, just hidden as a ring of ‘Knighthood,’ something that goes unworn on my world.”

  Danielle, putting two and two together, puts her hands up and back pedals away from the stone as if it were the apple of Eden itself.

  “That is one of four known pieces, Konner, one of which is in the heart of each star that circles your world as a way to prevent them from being used. The third is said to be lost! Your ancestors believed them to be of such strength that they developed a will of their own, which helped them develop the teleporting technology that you have. In the wrong hands, they can do such devastating things.”

  Konner’s fingers slowly close around the ring, hiding the clearly tempting blue stone from Danielle’s sight as he continues her line of thought.

  “The plague that near
ly wiped out my people.”

  Danielle nods in agreement as Natalie chimes in,

  “What does it do exactly?”

  Doug decides to speak up as well. His voice is cautious and his eyes are fixed on Danielle as if waiting for her to do something stupid. This causes tension in the room to rise slightly.

  “If I had to take a guess, it amplifies powers… what would you say, Danielle, exponentially?”

  Danielle nods in agreement.

  “If Konner were to put on that ring, he would become a god and would feed off the life force of anyone around him.”

  “And what if you put it on?”

  Doug asks again, glancing at Emma. She shakes her head, not wanting Doug to push the matter, but before he can continue, Danielle speaks up.