The Gauntlet of Possession (The Teracian Chronicles Book 1)

by Christopher Lambert

  “I know you think my friends and I were brought here for a reason, but we weren’t. I don’t even know if they’re alive or where they are. William, Anya, Brenda, and now Cody. I just can’t take it anymore.”

  Taiyah held his hand and placed her other on his shoulder. “You said earlier that you had a dream before we first met? It was the One Mind, wasn’t it? What did she tell you?”

  “That we were brought here to save this world from an unknown entity. Weren’t we the ones that released Dazshra? We caused all of this.”

  “None of this was you’re doing. The humans were planning on capturing Dazshra and using him to find an immense power to alter our very reality. Apparently so were the Therak’tow that day. Your friend, William, stopped both of them from succeeding.”

  “How do you know all of this?”

  “Azek’zander hacked into their systems aboard the Septune Station eight months ago and found files; traces of evidence that led to them using the Inquisitor to capture the spirit from the temple. William gave his body to save us, and now the One Mind wills that you and your friends finish his work.”

  He found himself becoming upset and confused. “What is this One Mind that you keep referring to? Some God or Deity? What does it want with me?”

  “The One Mind is the culmination of all Teracians past, present, and future. It is hard to explain to others, but she is simply a force of guidance, and to some, a mother.”

  “Why doesn’t the One Mind guide the other Teracians? Don’t they want to fight back against the Septunians? They’re just as equipped as we are.”

  Allen saw her flush with anger. “Because it isn’t in our nature. We don’t fight each other, and we certainly won’t fight this war, at least not the Teracians in this area. Word will spread Allen, if it hasn’t already, to the rest of the planet. The inhabitants from Ka’peron to the east will come to our aid.”

  “Why don’t the Teracians that live here fight back? You have Elites at your side.”

  “The One Mind isn’t going to let us. When Dazshra rose to power over 200 years ago, the One Mind gave Kaczmari and the Ka’peron’s guidance towards the common enemy. Her will is our will; her direction is what shapes our society.”

  “So, you think she’ll guide the Ka’peron’s to help us?”

  “Yes, in time. She has instead entrusted you to lead us. You’re all we have, Allen.”

  Allen studied what she had said for several minutes. It was as if nothing else mattered. “Alright, I’ll help you and your people finish this. You don’t deserve this. After this is over, maybe there is a chance we can return home.”

  “Yea, there’s that too,” she said staring at the floor. “Thank you, Allen.”

  He sensed a change in her tone as if she didn’t want him to leave, but he didn’t press the matter.

  “Are the gauntlets the only way for us to stop this war and vanquish the spirit? Are these weapons the same devices your people wear?”

  “Yes, but the one you will wield will be more powerful and almost limitless. There are numerous crystals in this world for you to gather and use, but they are not without limitations. For now, we must focus on the here and now before we speak more.”

  Has my whole life been leading to this moment? Thrust into a war we want nothing to do with to save a race that isn’t ours?

  Positioning himself in the proper form, he breathed in deeply. “I’m ready to try it again.”

  The blue Teracian did the same and established a mental link between them. “All of your doubts, past trauma, and the things that hold you back must be conquered for you to use the gauntlet. Your body and mind must be perfectly in tune. I will be here every step of the way. Breathe deeply and concentrate on what is troubling you.”

  Allen closed his eyes and shut off the physical world. In vanquishing all distractions, the only color remaining was a bright white. He no longer felt the sun’s rays or the wind passing by or the crisp ocean air. The air that escaped his lungs let in new air that would purify his body. Allen focused on the past eight months and began to see stagnant images all around him. Flashes of his friends and their trek through the temple; of William falling to his apparent death. Allen focused on this vision and spoke out loud to himself. “I had no control over this and accept his sacri-”

  With a sudden collapse, the images scattered and his eyes opened. His heart flooded with emotion. “Taiyah, I can’t accept William’s death and what’s happened to him. His sacrifice is unacceptable.” His pain he’d locked away could no longer be held back. With his barriers crumbling, he punched the ground, listening as his metal arm smashed the soil. “His life was forfeit, and now he’s lost to us. Cody would be better off gone than to see his brother like this. What can we do to stop this?”

  Taiyah sat by his side as Allen struggled to keep himself from breaking down. He gritted his teeth.

  “Relax and listen to the sound of my voice,” Taiyah said as she started to sing. Both of them sat there until Allen could finally think clearly. The soothing melodies and rich language spoke to him like no song could. He cleared his thoughts and tried to think clearly When she was done, he wiped his face and crossed his legs.

  “Thank you, Taiyah. Yelling about it won’t bring him back. I have to face this, but I don’t have to deal with the pain alone.” As he concentrated and controlled his breathing, the images returned and entered his mind. “I had no control over the events that took place so long ago. His sacrifice was not for nothing. He gave us the chance to seek our own hope and end the suffering of so many.”

  He heard a tiny voice in his head, and he saw sound waves ripple across the nothingness. “Excellent, Allen. You have accepted this burden. It is but one of many that you must conquer.”

  The images before him scattered and he saw his arm vanish in front of him and replace with a metal appendage. Then a loud a dangerous noise pounded across his ears, making him lose concentration for only an instant. The corrupted voices of the exiled Therak’tow permeated his mind, and he rose to face them. “These forsaken Teracians have no place in this world and must be vanquished alongside Dazshra. They will spread only chaos and must be purged.”

  Like a rush from a hurricane, the voices and images exploded in front of him, and the heat burned his eyes; he brushed it away and kept going. Gasping for air, he concentrated on the smoke as it dissipated around him. The space within the white void was once again silent, save for his heartbeat. A solitary door appeared in front of him, and he began walking towards it. Taiyah appeared next to him and spoke with her mouth open. “This is the hardest test of all Allen. Open this door and embrace what’s behind it. If you don’t, it will consume you forever.”

  With shaking hands, he threw the door open and stepped inside. A sudden rush of emotions caused him to pause. A second later, he fell to the ground, feeling the cold touch of wet grass beneath him.

  Opening his eyes, he stood in awe as he brushed his hands onto the grass, ripping it up from the Earth; it was green and smooth to the touch. In a mixture of panic and excitement, he stood up and witnessed a magnificent blue sky above a tall three-story blue house with white shingles and a brick walkway. Cars passed by a single dirt road and there was a distant grunt of a cow.

  “Wha-what is all this? Am I home?”

  Allen wondered around his front yard, trying to find something to prove him wrong. His childhood home, the worn-out shed behind it, the metal swing set that he used to sit on for hours and the refurbished barn his father tended to. Everything was there just as he remembered. The air was humid, and the smell of the country filled his nostrils. A bombardment of stomach pain and mental anxiety rushed towards him as he witnessed the door open and two figures exit. He hesitated but stood his ground for whatever was coming to greet him. A couple, not much older than 40, exited the royal blue house and turned around, yelling for someone.

  “Allen, come on. We don’t wanna be late for your business presentation.”

  With annoyan
ce, they both turned around and headed towards the car. Mom…Dad. Allen thought about yelling at them but realized it couldn’t be real. This was only a dream brought to life by the Teracian meditation. His father, as he remembered him, wore a nice wool suit and had his hair slicked back, while his mother wore a purple dress and carried some boxes. For an instant, his mother glanced his way, and their eyes met for only a second. Without warning, an extreme pressure enveloped in his head, and he started breathing rapidly. The defenses he had set up and the walls he had placed after years of therapy started to crumble and blast apart. He struggled to stand and found himself begging for relief.

  “This was right before they died. The car…the car crash,” he said feverishly, watching them opening the door. The next thing he knew, he was watching a younger version of himself exit the house, slamming it in his usual fashion. The younger Allen was carrying a poster board and smiled deeply as he carefully walked down the brick steps. “I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when I show them my idea. An orbiting space station with thrusters and modules. Mom, should we put this in the trunk?”

  “Yes, dear, be careful though. Move the folding chairs out of the way.”

  His eyes started to tear as the mental breakdown tore him apart. With a slam of the trunk, his stomach lunged, causing him to throw up next to the tree. He wiped it away from his mouth and preceded to run for the car door. The engine started, and the hydrogen vapor hit him in the face. Gathering the strength to reach for the door handle was all he could muster, and with a click, the lock destroyed every chance he had at reached them. Allen pulled and pulled at the handle with sweat pouring from his face and the heat from the vapor singeing his skin. With one final pull, the door flew open, and he jumped inside.

  “Mom, Dad, you can’t go. Can you hear me? You have to go back inside. Please, just forgot about the trip and go back inside.”

  His mother turned around and checked the path behind her for incoming cars. She didn’t seem to hear or notice him. “All right, you all ready for your speech? Are you nervous at all?”

  With a confident laugh, “Nope, I’ve rehearsed this every night for two weeks. No one else is gonna win it but me.”

  “Well, son, don’t be too confident. Remember that you’re just starting out high school, and this is but one of many challenges you’ll face.”

  Charged energy burned in the engine and soon they were off, traveling down the road without a care in the world. Allen found every attempt to reach his parents was futile; he might as well had been a ghost watching from an ethereal plane of existence.

  “Taiyah, can you hear me? I can’t relive this again. Please, there must be something I can do to stop this.”

  No answer.

  “So, tell me about your presentation again,” said his mom as she turned the corner out onto the highway.

  “Well, I’ll be presenting an idea I’ve had for a long time: an orbiting space station with special modules inside this forcefield. They revolve around a central core like an atom and its electrons and neutrons. Each module has a specific purpose. One for housing, a hospital, a command center, and many others.”

  “How does it stay afloat without crashing onto the surface or falling through space?”

  “That’s simple. It has a special fuel source that powers it, and the kinetic motion from the revolving modules keeps it charged. Kinda similar to a car battery and fuel. Also, if it happens to float above a planetary body, it could stay in orbit as well. The fuel source is the only way it can support the weight and size, however. Think I’ve done enough research?”

  “Into comics or actual science?”

  His mother pushed his father gently on the arm. “Dear, he’s put a lot of work into this.”

  Allen, watching all of this, was flooded with memories and could remember how he had devised the idea. For a moment, he was lost in the nostalgia and seeing his parents again calmed him. The image of the Septune Station came to mind as he narrowed his eyes, remembering what he had said on the first day, looking up at the marvel in the night sky. The structure would require a large amount of generated energy unless the rotation of the planet took longer. The gravity here is no different than it is on Earth.

  “The Septune Station sounds like it was my idea? That’s not possible.”

  They entered a tunnel and time slowed to a crawl. Allen, who was aware of this, took the time to reflect. He reached for his Mom’s shoulder and brushed against the fabric. A faint body heat; the smell of her perfume. He lowered his hand and looked at his Dad in the passenger seat. The one person he could call his hero. Always ready for each day, always there to provide for them. Both of them were shining beacons of hope, and he owed them everything. For a moment, all the pain vanished from his stomach and his mind. In that fleeting spec of time, he was with them again. Allen closed his eyes and remembered everything he had pushed away for so many years. Every solemn feeling and every time he wanted to give up. The tunnel was nearing its end, and he knew what would happen. He buckled the leather seatbelt and stared at his younger self.

  “You gotta hold on, kid. This isn’t the end. You have friends who love you and passions you must follow. You’ll feel pain for many years, but just know you must never give up.”

  As the light collected in the exit in front of him, he closed his eyes and tried to be strong. He placed his head on his mom’s shoulder. The tunnel behind them and the truck in front. It all happened without reason and without comprehension, and everything went to black in a roaring cyclone.

  Allen burrowed his head into his chest and let the pain escape him. His body didn’t react to the crash, and when he opened them again, he was in the bright white room; a place so pure and one that he needed. Not allowing him time for solace, a second door appeared before him, and he stood up, continuing the trial that he must endure. As he reached the door, shadows began to pour out of it like a searing hot liquid from a volcano. Panicking, he backed away, and the door started to vanish. The shadows were almost on top of him when a sudden galloping rush swept in from all directions. A herd of deer formed a protective circle around him and the visible door. The one in front was tall and had white fur; each antler shined brightly with different colors. It spoke through his mind like he had heard before. “Go now and face yourself. Do not worry about us.”

  Allen walked through the door and listened as it closed behind him. He had no time to think of his saviors and moved on. The darkness in front of him signaled the next challenge, and he knew what it entailed. A solitary building; his high school building. Laid out in front of him was an older image of himself standing above the building. Thunder pounded and caused his face to flinch. As he stared up at the young man, he saw no ray of light or hope. Without regret, he ran into the dark building and jumped up the stairs as fast as he could. Four floors until he reached the roof hatch the janitor often forgot to lock. Swinging it open, he saw the scared man turn into a child. It walked closer to the edge and hesitated. A lightning bolt struck to his right, causing him to fall to the ground. He was defenseless to stop the boy, and as he reached the edge, Allen’s heart stopped.

  The hatch swung open once more, and screaming voices came from the hollow ladder leading up to the roof.

  “Allen, please don’t do this.”

  “This isn’t worth it. You’ll get through this.”

  The recognizable voices of his friends bellowed into the night, and a distant ray of light shined on the horizon and remained. The scared and cold young man turned around and shook as the rain poured onto his skin; the most vulnerable he had felt since the accident two years prior. Allen watched as his friends ran to him. The embrace brought the glowing light in the distance closer, and before he knew it, it was on him. Like a comforting blanket, it provided much-needed warmth. He breathed in and smelled the familiar scent of his mother’s perfume once more. An outline of the mysterious deer implanted in his mind like a stamp.

  “Come on, let’s get you somewhere safe. I’m
so glad you’re alright,” said Anya as she opened the hatch for the rest to exit.

  They followed in unison with similar sighs of relief, and even William had tears in his eyes.

  “William,” Allen said, unable to reach out to him and as the roof hatch closed he shut his eyes, awaiting yet another trial, but nothing happened.

  Time went on, and nothing appeared to him. No door or window to bring him forward. Something burst in his head, and he felt his heart stop. In a panic, he fell to the ground while the area fading back into reality. Taiyah crouched next to him, shaking and screaming for help, but he could only watch. Rising above his body, he took on a form he had never felt before. He struggled to return as he floated away.

  “No, this wasn’t supposed to happen. Taiyah,” Allen said, screaming down at himself as he laid on the damp, blue grass. A force tugged on his spirit and dragged him out of existence once again. Landing on his back, he grunted as the collision jolted his muscles and teeth. Allen stood and gazed at the small enclosed room. No entrance or exit, save for a well-crafted, painted wall in front of him. A circle surrounding six glowing flames; each barely lit with each a separate color. He placed his hand on the wall and phased right through as if it were an illusion. Allen yelled out as he fell through what appeared to be an endless void trapped in a realm of non-existence. He began to hear voices and small pieces of the real world phased in and out of his perception.

  “Taiyah, we must continue the trial. He is close to realization. Grab the gauntlet and attach it to his arm. Hurry!” thought Kaczmari.

  “But what if he doesn’t make it?” she thought.

  “Allen will persevere. He has to.”

  A transformation was taking place as he saw the gauntlet being put on his arm. An immense pain racked his body, and he brought his hand to eye level. A metal gauntlet suddenly appeared on his left arm and locked into place. The crystal in the palm shined brightly with immense light. The veins beneath his skin were visible, and a blue liquid flowed through them like a rushing river. Allen could do little to stop it and only awaited what would follow.