by A Y Venona
“I would have to endure living in the present with the memories of the past.”
“Because we are but children of all the lives we’ve lived through in the past. So tell me. Who are you at this moment?”
“Elian Gustan,” I answered with no hesitation. I was Elian Gustan, who’d died and was reborn. Only that, though I had the full knowledge of my life in my previous incarnation when I was Elian Gustan, I had no freaking clue who I was in the present, who I was in my here and now.
“All alphas and omegas undergo this stage of their lives. They are the only species who are gifted with the ability to remember the other past incarnations.”
“Omega? I don’t recall being classified as omega, but I recall being a sampi and…” I paused, hesitating. Should I tell him what they thought I was?
“Tell me,” he encouraged.
“They told me I was a titan.” I watched his smile drop, his eyes narrow and a deep frown appearing on his forehead. It didn’t matter whatever world I woke up into, one thing remained the same: a titan would always be seen as a monster.
“It would be a lie to say that any reference to a titan would not invoke fear. The account of your previous life is, indeed, perplexing, and I have myriads of questions to ask. But I shall wait because I will not foolishly interrupt the natural process of Zizu. Not until the first glimpse of your scient resurfaces; there will be no suggestive information of your identity and purpose in the here and now.”
Frustrated, I put both my hands on top of my head, laced my fingers together, and slumped back in my chair.
“They told me that I needed to die that…” Fighting to restrain another incoming bout of tears, I pressed my lips together.
He stared at me. At first, I thought he looked disgusted, but then when I looked hard into his eyes, I realized that I’d misconstrued it. He, indeed, looked upset, but not at me.
Encouraged by his sympathy, I continued. “They told me I was irredeemable. And when they killed my mate, I let them kill me.”
He rose from his seat and ambled across the room toward what resembled a small kitchen. He opened a silver box sitting on the countertop, pulled a silver cup out from it, and returned to his chair.
“Here,” he said, placing the cup down on the center table.
I reached out for it and peered into its contents. The liquid inside was greenish and smelled like a minty herb. “Is this a tea?”
A smile flickered across his face. “Go ahead, try it.”
I took a sip and then another. And a few more. It tasted like a frigid wine that melted in the mouth and passed through the throat in a form of an icy and minty vapor, providing me with a refreshing sensation.
“Thanks. This is really…” The cup slipped from my hands, but I didn’t hear the clang as my mind was again preoccupied with…memories. Only this time, they were different. New. Unfamiliar. But all mine.
I was Elian Gustan then. And now…
“I’m Landry.”
His smile was huge. “Your name is longer than that.”
“Landryillamas Grath of the House Ankh.”
“Finally. Welcome back, Landry,” he said, opening his hands in greeting.
I replied by imitating the gesture.
“And now we will begin the reorientation to provide your scient strength to reassert into your consciousness. Come. I’ll show you where you are.”
* * *
Awe-stricken. In every sense of the word. My eyes were wide. My mouth was open. For a casual observer, I may have appeared like one needing medical attention, or perhaps I did need it as my heart had a momentary lapse in its cardiovascular duty, and my chest constricted for a second there. Frivolous medical talk aside, this moment would go down in history as one of the best in my life; dying was the worst. And what invoked this feeling of awe and wonder was right in front of me—albeit several thousands of miles away, but still it appeared so close like it was just right there and I could just walk to it and touch it. It was gigantic. Hundreds of times bigger than the sun viewed from the sky—the sky in my previous world, that is.
“That’s Kronos,” Lamek, my Diviner, said. I remembered his name a few minutes after my name had escaped my lips. We were standing side by side at the top observation deck of the tower called Prime-12.
Kronos was a green monster of a planet with a few patches of blue.
Let me put it this way. Although my scient, or present life (also known as Here-and-Now identity) was resurfacing in a torrent, I was at this moment still watching everything in the eyes of Eli. I felt like Landry was the distant memory and Eli was the real scient. The Landry part of me had seen Kronos many times; in fact, this was Landry’s favorite place to go whenever he…I mean, I was feeling melancholic. On the other hand, the Eli part of myself was seeing or experiencing this for the very first time.
“Kronos is the outermost Class-One planet in the Alpha System. We are standing on his closest moon called KM-1.”
What Lamek failed to mention was that Kronos was also a military-based planet, and eighty percent of his 205 moons served as military outposts much like the watchtowers in Alpha Academy. KM-1 served as its own infirmary, one entire moon dedicated to providing medical attention to his wounded soldiers and…
“I’m here for a different reason. I’m not a member of the Imperial army.”
“KM-1 has the best medical facility in the whole empire. We provide all the medical treatment including the one the Imperium cares the most about.”
“Which is?” I asked, glancing at him.
“You don’t remember it yet?”
I closed my eyes to search for the memory, and when I opened them again, I was not disappointed. I only regretted I ever sought the knowledge of it.
“I’ve been here all my life. My parents sent me here when I was two years old.” There was a distant yet familiar feeling of loneliness attached to this piece of information. “I was born with a medical defect.”
“You have an AO1 deficiency, an essential protein in the development of the omega genes.”
“In other words, I am a titan.” Just fucking unbelievable. Still a titan. In every reincarnation, I seemed to remain the same.
“A soul never changes.”
A face of an old man with a long red beard flashed through my mind. He was peering down at me as though I were a tiny creature. He looked and sounded familiar, but I had no recollection of his identity.
“Alphas, omegas, omicrons, betas—these are some of the genders of the souls. Male, female, bi-gendered are the genders of the flesh. Humans, Kretians, Acheans are just some of the races of whichever homeworlds you were born in.”
“A titan-active syndrome is no longer considered a threat and has been treatable for the last three millennia.” Lamek’s voice jolted me back to the present. “Hence, I was and still am perplexed and disturbed to hear that the period you came from still killed a titan-born omega.”
His words brought a lump to my throat and made me feel like I’d drunk a double dose of relaxant serum, which I now remembered was the drink I had mistaken for a tea, the same drink that had triggered the elucidation phase.
“Most Zizu are triggered by a close proximity of a soul mate.”
Soul mate what? My heart jumped into my chest. “I beg your pardon?”
He smiled. “It means that your soul mate is somewhere near.”
My soul stirred at the thought of my mate being with me in this lifetime.
Reincarnated.
Alive.
CHAPTER 28
“I appreciate you taking me to the infirmary.”
He looked up from the pile of junk metals that were just a few seconds ago the unfortunate recipients of his earlier barrage of curses. His eyes shone when they met mine. He still had the familiar gray eyes I adored. And though his face was a little different, yet still angular and handsome, and his skin had a very tiny hint of blue, he remained my Adrian—to my eyes and to my soul, the man I’d loved and still loved
.
He rose from where he was hunched and advanced toward me but kept a respectable distance. “I’m glad that you’re all right. I tried a few times to see you, but they were adamant that you were not to be disturbed.”
“You tried to see me?”
“Yes, every possible way I could think of, legal or illegal.” He grinned. “There was one time I was able to sneak past the securities, but I didn’t get any farther. I, however, saw you being transported to Section Eden. I followed the convoy, but I didn’t get to enter the area. What’s up with Section Eden anyway? From what little I could see from a distance, that place definitely lives up to its name. But with the amount of maximum security, it’s more like a paradise kind of jail.” He paused and then smiled a little shyly. Adrian did not do shy. But he made it so Adrian-like that this slight change in demeanor became Adrian’s new thing. And I liked it.
“So what are you fixing?” I threw a glance at the scraps of metals behind him.
“Do you really want to know?” He raised his brows.
Not really. I grinned. “I’d like to invite you to my place?”
“Are you asking? Or insisting? Asking insistently?”
My lips protruded in a pout. This was a new one too.
“I’m asking and am insistent that you accept it.”
His impish smile turned wry and looked sexy as Grek. Grek? What the hell was a Grek? It was his frown that made me realize I had voiced my confusion.
“Grek is short for Grekland? The land of the Grek? Dragon race?”
“There is a dragon race here?”
His frown deepened. My heart stuttered.
“Yeah? From the other galaxy?”
“You’ve been there?”
“Are you making fun of my ship? Grek is like thousands of light-years away from here, but I know some people who had had some dealings with them. Grumpy race. But very honest. Didn’t your parents tell you anything about them?”
“My parents? You know about my parents?”
Looking embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. “I may have—”
“You searched me.”
“I have a crew who’s really crafty about computer hacking. I asked him because I was concerned about you…and I want to know where I can find you in case you leave this moon.”
In other words, Adrian was stalking me. I grinned.
“Well, so what did you learn about me?”
“That you’re from the old House who owns the big ship that can travel millions of light-years away, that recently made an alliance with the Grek Prime House.”
“Alliance with the Grek?” It took me a minute to comprehend the meaning behind his words. He thought I was deceiving him. “Uhm, let’s go to my place, and I’ll explain everything to you.”
He squinted at me, thinking. “Why not? So lead the way.”
The runway was only a few minutes walk from the dock, so we did not have much time to chitchat, which I preferred. I was yet to recover from the overwhelming feeling of having him with me in our reincarnated lives. I was euphoric, blissful, and most of all grateful to whomever gods had given us this second chance.
He cast a side glance my way, gesturing for me to embark the car first. With the runway moving by itself, the car did not need any driving. It was only when I got seated that I realizes he had particularly chosen a car meant for a couple. It was small and intimate. He slid an arm over the back of the seat, which was my side of the seat. Instead of feeling crowded with his entire body leaning closer to me, I felt protected. His gray eyes were on mine with piercing attentiveness. And patience. Like he was lovingly waiting…
“Aren’t you going to provide the machine our destination?” he asked, an amused smile creasing the corners of his eyes.
With my face flushed with slight embarrassment, I uttered the address to my quarters and the confirmation code. An AI voice responded and acknowledged the command. Our car moved and merged onto the fast-moving road.
The inside of the car was free from any speed motion, but the glass window could be adjusted from a real-time view to slow motion. We also had a screen monitor in front of us that showed the road map and the places we passed by.
The ride was laden with some kind of sexual tension between us, the kind that could be dispelled easily by a kiss. He must have been reading my mind because thereafter he leaned over to me and claimed my mouth. I ran my hands up and down his smooth and muscular back. After feeling me up and squeezing my buttocks, he pulled me onto his lap.
“We have arrived at your destination,” the AI’s voice interrupted.
Adrian groaned as he burrowed his head into my neck. The ride was frustratingly quick but enjoyable, and I had a hard-on protruding in my pants as proof. After peppering my neck with kisses, he tilted my head up a little and looked at me. His face had a certain vulnerability to it, something I ought to be familiar with but had no recollection of its name.
“For your security, Lord Grath, we need your permission before we provide Mardek access to the gate.”
I believed that was the car telling me to open the damn door.
What Adrian had said about Section Eden being a “paradise kind of jail” had merit. We passed through gate after gate, a redundant measure to provide insurance that we were not a couple of imposters. All gates were run by AIs that read our bios. And when we finally reached the town proper, we saw towers surrounding the whole area.
Adrian leaned closer to me and whispered, “These are no ordinary towers. You see those greenish crystal-like walls? They are not there for design. They look like that because they are made of dicrowtium. It is the strongest metal in the whole universe—at least in this part of the universe—and when synthesized in a crystal pattern, it can sustain a supernova explosion.”
“Wow. Maximum security, indeed,” I replied, a little perplexed. But I had my own suspicion, one that I could not share with this Adrian.
One word.
Titan.
We meandered along a walkway built through the flower beds that were arranged in overlapping shapes of circles and squares. Adrian suddenly stopped by the huge fountain. I thought it was only to study it, though I wondered why there was a frown on his smooth face. But when I followed his line of sight, I saw where his eyes were fixed. There before us, not that far away, was a beautiful lake.
“Can you feel any breeze?” he asked randomly.
“No?”
“Huh. And why is that? There should be at least a breeze coming from that lake.”
Although I did not voice it, I understood where he was coming from. Water and land should have an unequal temperature that could create a breeze. But the entire place felt like it was in a controlled climate. Like a laboratory.
Since we were not sure whether or not our conversation was being monitored, we had decided not to voice any more suspicions we had in mind. To get to my suite, we strode along a few rows of pavilions connected by short bridges.
Four-five, the AI to my suite, greeted me and opened the door. So far, Adrian looked impressed with what he saw. I caught him sneaking a glance at my bedroom. He sauntered around the room a little, giving each piece of furniture a cursory look like each of them was a piece to a puzzle and he was here to figure out the whole picture. After assessing its texture, he plopped himself down on the couch and gestured for me to sit beside him.
“Let me get you a drink first,” I offered.
“Later. Come here.” His voice dropped a notch. I ambled to his side and sat where he wanted me to be. By his side.
Facing me, he asked, “Does your AI have a private mode?”
Instead of replying, I asked Four-five.
“Affirmative. But let me remind you that turning on the private mode will put you at risk, Landry.”
“I understand. But you don’t have to worry, you can trust Ad…I mean…” I paused and looked at him stupidly. “Ma…Mar?”
He shook his head, bemused. “Mardek. My name is Mardek.
You know, sometimes I wonder…”
I waited. But when he did not continue, I asked, “Wonder what?”
“Put us under private mode first, and also tell her to monitor any attempt of privacy breach.”
“Four-five, monitor any sign of outside interference, and then activate privacy mode.”
“Affirmative. You will be informed of any sign of outside interference. When the house is in privacy mode, all my interior monitors will shut off. Although I will still receive and will answer to any incoming messages and incoming guests, I will not be able to inform you until I am reactivated to my full capacity. Do you still wish to activate the privacy mode, Landry?”
“Yes, please.”
“For now, goodbye, Lord Landry. Privacy mode is now activated.”
Silence.
“Four-five? Are you there?”
When no AI replied, Adrian heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s like losing a guard dog.”
“Don’t you have an AI in your ship?”
“I do. But C5 is not as invasive as this. It will only activate when I call her. Otherwise, it’s in sleeping mode. But guess who’s not in sleeping mode?”
He grabbed my hand and pressed it over his bulging crotch that strained against his pants. A soft hiss slipped past my lips as though my hand was burned. Our gazes met, and a wicked smile graced his lips. I understood his intent. He was daring me to do something about it, and perhaps testing my sexual skill, which was probably close to nil. But he did not need to know that. Feeling brave, I slid my hand inside his pants, fingers caressing the rough patch of his pubic hair. I reached down even lower to cup and massage his balls. His moan sent a shiver down my spine and a flutter in my stomach. Feeling a little bolder, I continued my exploration of his genitals by stroking his swollen length. It was smooth, hard, and silky in my hand. Up and down I stroked his cock as it grew even bigger. I was so engaged with what I was doing when all of a sudden my head was pulled back as he leaned down to deliver a brutal kiss on my mouth, leaving me breathless and in a state of euphoria. The world suddenly tilted and swayed as he lifted me up and carried me to the bedroom. He deposited me onto the bed and hovered over me.