The rushes of reality became more frequent, and he started to see people around him. For a moment, however, the images faded into a room with two men speaking.
“But what if he finds out who you really are, Actavian? Can he really handle that knowledge?
“It doesn’t matter if he can or not. The Quantum Infinity must be reached, and they are the only ones who can obtain it.”
“But how do we know it exists or if it’s even on this planet. What does it look like? You’ve placed a lot of confidence in a single A.I. to find a theoretical concept as old as time.”
“It takes no shape and holds no form, Etzel. It is the very fabric of our physical existence. More power than we could imagine and it’s there. I can feel it.”
Allen saw the endless tunnel beneath him come to an end with a swirling vortex. He braced for impact and was swallowed up instantly.
As he opened his eyes, he couldn’t comprehend the sights, smells, and sounds around him. He called out, but nothing left his mouth. Pulsing lights and spinning, purple shapes swam around him, playfully. Everything appeared to be slowly disappearing around him. Among the galaxies of color, there lay a massless and formless entity unlike anything he had seen; he felt its influence sway over him as he reached to grab it. Only the tip of his finger touched it, and as it did, the realm exploded.
With a thrash, Allen awakened and knocked everyone around him to the ground. Sweat and blood-drenched his body. He looked around and saw the Ho’olp Teracians and Kaczmari gather around him. Trevor and Taiyah picked him up and tended to the blood.
“Allen, you made it! The gauntlet was fused, and you accepted your past sorrows. I saw everything.”
Allen breathed in deeply and felt a rush of lightheadedness, “Did you see what happened after the second door was closed?”
“No, we lost contact with you after that. What did you see?”
“I’m not exactly sure. I heard two voices speaking with one another. It was hard to hear, but it sounded like Actavian and Etzel.”
“That can’t be possible. Actavian was killed during the Therak’tow raid. We were all there,” said Trevor. Allen saw that he had a gauntlet as well.
“You went through it too? How was your journey?”
Trevor brought his arm behind his back and rubbed his neck, “It wasn’t easy. I revisited my Grandpa and got to see him before the disease grew worse. You see your parents again?”
Allen nodded his head and sat down on a soft bed made of cotton and leaves.
“Allen, I believe you saw a vision through the gauntlet, but not of the future, but of the past. Actavian has been laid to rest and is no longer a threat to us,” thought Kaczmari as she brushed her hand across her hairless head.
“Please, don’t ask too many questions. He needs rest,” thought Taiyah.
“It’s alright, I need to make sense of this before I forgot any important details. Before I heard their voices, I was in a small room, but only briefly. A painted wall with a circle and six flames stood before me. I reached out and phased right through it.”
Allen saw the chest plates of all the surrounding Teracian light up at once, and their eyes were large with anticipation.
“I fell into a place that I can’t explain. Masses of color and light were everywhere, and I felt a force in the center. Actavian mentioned the Quantum Infinity. Something of uncontrollable power without form or mass. I think I saw it, or at the very least felt it.”
“Come now, you must rest. We will discuss this in the morning.”
“Kaczmari, what did he find? Was it really what he claims?” thought Taiyah as she followed them to a small metal building.
“The Quantum Infinity, as the humans call it, has another name. Rishnasura, or the “Collective One.” It is a guarded secret of our people. I wish to divulge no further. Rest now, Allen, your journey has only begun.”
“Please, Kaczmari, one more question. There was a deer there too, one with white fur and colored antlers. I’ve seen it several times before. Was it a figment of the meditation or was it real?”
Kaczmari stared for a few seconds and responded. “Those deer you saw are spirits of those who have perished by humans. We Teracians are reborn as Teracians. No one comes back as animals, but there have been strange cases of these creatures being seen; I cannot tell you what or who they are. They are called Poys. They act as guardian spirits to those in need. You have one watching over you.”
Kaczmari walked away and joined the others in meditation. Taiyah motioned Allen to follow and rest in one of the tall, brown buildings. As Allen laid his head down on the cotton bed, he could still feel the pressure from that object. He looked at his fingertip on the gauntlet and saw a discoloration; a purple tint burned into the metal.
Fifteen
The Primordial Crystal
“After all we’ve been through since the car accident I can still find solace in the comforting night sky. You have no idea how surreal this still is to me. Honestly, I’ve felt so many emotions through it all, that I can’t say whether I’ve enjoyed my time here. Wasn’t thinking I would amount to anything like a financial advisor anyway. What would my family say if I returned home?”
“Do you miss Earth, Allen?” said Taiyah as she helped adjust the thin suit of armor around his neck.
Allen took a deep breath as the flexible layer of metal conformed to his body. “At this point, I don’t think I do. The only thing I long for is having my friends back.”
“If my people and the Septunians find peace, they may eventually return you to your home again.”
Allen didn’t respond and continued to stare up at the night sky. Taiyah looked around to make sure they were alone then put her arms around him and rested her head on his back. The faint sound of her heartbeat pulsed in his ears as he closed his eyes. The Septunians won’t let us leave, and this war won’t end until they control everything.
“Maybe they’ll come to see that this war is foolish.”
“Taiyah, these crystals we have to gather, how are they any different from the ones your people carry? Are they each different?”
“In times of desperation, The One Mind will deliver special gems that have tremendous power. These crystals were needed during the rise of Dazshra and are needed for his return. They hold the same power but differ in color based on the temple or sanctuary. Now and relax and try to empty your mind.”
Feeling the clean air enter his lungs, Allen let go of his physical being and drifted off into a dream-like state. Time went by as the two were in harmony. The cold became a forgotten sensation as the smell of wildflowers escaped into the warm breeze. Taiyah’s facial armor shrunk below her chest plate and she smiled at him with a blush on her cheeks. Within seconds, their lips joined and time stood still. Allen let his emotions run wild, and the world around them changed once again. He left her embrace and felt his skin crawl. Something’s happening.
In shock, they peered around and saw a wasteland devoid of life. The toxic smell of chemicals and the warmth of the radiation swirled around their bodies.
“Allen, this doesn’t feel right. You have to open your eyes.”
“I’m trying, but I can’t move.”
Their blissful peace became shattered as an intense darkness flooded in. Allen readied his gauntlet and found that it wasn’t there; the metal glove laid on the floor rusting and breaking away into dust.
“Taiyah, Taiyah where are you?” he said frantically as he spun around in every direction. Allen ran in search of his partner but found nothing but ash and debris littering his path. Halting his progress, the decaying bodies of decrepit Teracians materialized out of nothing. They raised their hands in unison.
“Heed my words well, human. You will fail, and you will die. The Therak’tow have already made their advances, and we will erase you humans from existence in every conceivable universe. Interfering with our affairs will only shorten your life.”
All at once, the world in front of him disappeared, a
nd the cold, dry Teracian landscape replaced it. They both hadn’t moved from their positions, and Taiyah’s arms were still around him. He paused and waited for her to react, but she remained silent.
“Is something wrong, Allen? Your heartbeat is accelerating rapidly.”
Hesitating to tell her what just happened, he tried to relax his muscles and slow his pulse. “No, Taiyah, everything’s fine. Did you see anything just now?”
“I only saw what you envisioned. We were in a beautiful meadow with colorful flowers and a sweet scent in the wind.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Allen spotted Trevor approaching from the oak house behind them. Playfully, the London-born student vibrated the gauntlet, letting it spark and subside to the rhythm of his breathing. He trailed his fingers along his beard and had a smirk on his face.
“You two lovebirds ready for the expedition?”
Surprised, Taiyah turned around; her chest displayed a dark blue tint. “Are you alone? Did anyone else see us?”
“Relax, everyone else is meditating for the night. Why do you have to be this secretive about your relationship?”
“Because our two species have never been together.”
“You guys can’t keep this secrecy up forever, you know.”
Allen saw Trevor shrug and walk the other way towards a yellow house and let his hand trail along it. “You better get some sleep, Allen. We make for the Primordial Shrine in the morning, and Kaczmari won’t wait for you if you oversleep.”
They both watched as he continued to walk away towards the sleeping quarters until he disappeared from sight. Taiyah let go of Allen and brushed off the light snow from his back. The weather was growing colder, and the once luscious trees and foliage were now covered with a thin layer of ice. Allen didn’t want to alarm Taiyah about his vision and decided to keep his thoughts to himself; the growing urge to tell her plagued him.
They stood in silence, watching the trees shake and the winds howl. Allen took a deep breath and let it out. He was always calm and collective, but right now he wanted to scream. The uncertainty and inability to control the world around him was like a worm burrowing into his stomach. He glanced at Taiyah and saw a look of concern in her eyes.
In a soft tone, “Are you two worried about your friends? I know you haven’t seen them in a long time.”
“To be honest, that’s exactly what I’m worried about. We need to find them. Trevor puts up a front, but he’s been worried sick about his twin sister. We’ve talked several times about it, and he wants nothing more than to find her, and everyone else, and get the hell out of here.”
“Do you want to leave this place as well?”
Allen took a second to think through his response and put his hand on her arm. “A part of me wants to return home, but the other half knows I need to be here for you and the ones you care about.”
The color on Taiyah’s chest turned to a pale pink, and she minimized her armor, “Thank you for being here, Allen,” she said as she kissed him.
“He’s right though, we need to rest for tomorrow morning. What will we find at the Primordial Shrine?”
“You’ll just have to see,” she said with a friendly smile. Allen stared at the gauntlet on his wrist as they walked up to the sleeping shelters of the quiet village; the crystal on his palm pulsated like the dim glow of the moon high above them.
**********
The next morning, Allen awoke having gotten little to no sleep. His visions of the Therak’tow wouldn’t leave his mind; the prospect of being stalked by Ajhara and his army of corruption started to make him paranoid. After getting ready, Allen grabbed a red piece of fruit and bit into it, releasing a burst of flavor similar to a coconut. He savored it and threw away the peel shortly after. A proper meal would have to come later.
Adjusting the thin metal armor around his chest, he stretched and let his metal arms clang together. Kaczmari stood in the distance among a group of armored Teracians. She had given both Trevor and him a similar armor to protect them against a possible attack; both the Therak’tow and the Septunians were reported in several locations around the continent. His boots crunched into the dead blue grass as he approached Trevor, who was chewing a small piece of dried meat, kicking the dirt beneath him.
“How’re you holding up?”
Trevor spat on the ground and wiped his mouth. “We haven’t seen Brenda, Anya or William in almost a years’ time and shit is getting bad around here.”
“You think we’re ready to use these gauntlets against the Therak’tow and the Septunians?”
“The question isn’t if we’re ready, Allen, it’s if we’re able to. You ever kill anyone? This isn’t some video game or movie; these are powerful tools meant for destruction. I’m no readier for any of this than I was when we first got here, and this isn’t even our stupid fight.”
The area around them was bustling with activity as many Teracians worked hard to gather resources and prepare for the journey. Taiyah approached them and stopped.
“You don’t understand what we’re fighting for here, Trevor. You just gonna throw William under the bus and forget what happened to us? Whether we like it or not, we’re in this until the end. We don’t have a lot of options here. If we could go home with everyone right now, I still might not go.”
Trevor narrowed his eyes and walked closer to Allen. “Don’t you think I know that. You of all people should know how I feel. This is our fight, but we didn’t choose this. We shouldn’t be here fighting this war with these…”
“How could you say that knowing that these people are being abused and killed? Only a few months after Actavian’s assassination, the villagers of Touhou were taken captive. Some of the other small villages were ransacked over night with no way to defend themselves. Their forces are spread too thin to launch a counter-attack.”
“I understand that, Allen, but why us? We’ve barely been told any-”
His yelling was cut off by the presence of the Ho’olp leader heading their way. The fire in her eyes was like that of a furnace: churning and full of passion. She grabbed hold of Allen and Trevor, and they instantly vanished with a crack of energy that scared the dirt beneath. When they reappeared, they were on a vast mountain range. Allen stumbled, coughing and feeling lightheaded from the sudden change in pressure that he almost passed out. Further in the distance, explosions went off near the base of the mountain.
“Down below us is what we are fighting for. Thousands of my people have been captured and forced to produce meditative energy for the Septunian’s own use. This is what I would request that you help us fight for. The enslavement of my family is a horrid sight and one that I am powerless to intervene upon, but you and your friends can. I am sorry that you were brought here against your will, but at least use your time here to stop what your people have done to us. We have very little options. The One Mind chose you and your friends for a reason.”
Once they regained their composure, both Allen and Trevor sat with Kaczmari and silently took in each cry for help and the sound of gunfire, live or as a threat. Allen took a deep breath and brushed his hair back.
“Kaczmari, Allen, I’m sorry for my outburst. Thank you for filling us in on this,” said Trevor.
“Why are the Septunians doing this to your people?” said Allen.
“Because they are scared.”
“I don’t follow?” said Trevor as he shivered slightly from the cold wind. The armor gave them little warmth. Kaczmari seemed unaffected by the season.
“They are scared of how small they are. Through their books and picture screens, we learned that their population reached up to 15 billion on Earth. They are afraid of reaching extinction so they must fight to survive. If that means wiping us out in the process, then that is an action they will gladly take.”
“Why don’t you use that gauntlet to save them?” said Trevor.
“This is not a tool for destruction, as you would classify it. I only use it when I have to. This was bestowed
upon me as village chieftain, granted power by the One Mind. The time is coming for this to be used for bloodshed I’m afraid.”
“Do all of them support this war? They can’t all want this,” said Trevor.
Standing up and walking away from the edge. “We speculate that the Septunians can influence the emotions of their people. Most of them don’t think for themselves, and that’s how they want it. Your friends, Brenda and Anya, may be no different. You may not be able to trust them.”
“Leave that judgment to us when we find them,” said Trevor.
Allen caught something flashing out of the corner of his eye and wondered towards it as Trevor and the Ho’olp leader continued to talk. He searched the area and found a few splotches of blood and trails of burnt grass. Nearby some broken tree limbs were scattered on the cliff’s edge. Behind a dead bush revealed a clothing patch next to a strange and small device. Allen picked both up and examined them. The patch was bloodied and worn, but he could make out the picture of a northern white owl and the initials, A.M.R., on the back.
“What did you find there?” said Trevor as he approached with Kaczmari.
“Looks like a military patch with someone’s initials and some kind of electronic device. There was a serious conflict here recently; I can still smell it in the air.”
Trevor motioned for the device and Allen tried to clean off the patch. After fumbling with it for a few seconds, a faint recording played, and they heard the damaged audio that seemed to loop the same computerized message,
Antigone suit compromised. Subject’s vitals low. Abort Mission.
Antigone suit compromised. Subject’s vitals low. Abort Mission.
“Antigone suit? Whose commlink is this?”
Allen looked around for any other clues. “Doesn’t sound familiar, other than the Greek tragedy. Don’t the initials on the patch seem odd to you?”
“Do you recognize them?”
“They’re the same as Anya’s. Anya Marie Rose. Just a coincidence, I guess?”
The Gauntlet of Possession (The Teracian Chronicles Book 1) Page 18