“Oh my…” she said with a haunted expression.
“What is it?” Raiden asked.
“You look just like him.”
Raiden grew silent, taken aback by the woman’s words as they sunk deep into his heart. For reasons he could not explain, they filled him with a sense of pride, happiness, and belonging.
“I’m humbled by the compliment,” Raiden said gently. “I’m sure he was a great man.”
The woman looked deep into Raiden’s eyes and spoke, her voice shaking with emotion.
“He was great, among many other things.”
She let out a deep and painful sigh. “It was hard, losing him. The house felt empty, like something was always missing. But when you came, everything changed. You brought happiness back to our home, back to our hearts. You are a part of our family, Raiden. No matter where you come from, no matter where you go. You will always have a home here. Please be sure to remember that.”
“I will, Mama,” Raiden said softly. “I can’t thank you enough for all that you’ve done. You and Kiara…you two mean the world to me.”
“Good,” Kiara’s mother said, wiping a tear from her eye. “Now that we’ve established that, can you help me drag Kiara out from her room? You know how she is before a festival.”
“What makes you think I can help?” Raiden asked.
“Well, we both know who she’s trying to impress.”
Raiden opened his mouth to respond but then hesitated. At this point, there was no use denying it.
“I’ll be right out,” Raiden answered. He stood up from the bed and took one last glance at the mirror. He tucked the amulet beneath his shirt, then headed out the door.
“Come on, Kiara,” Raiden called from the bottom of the stairs. “We’re already late.”
“Just a minute, I’m almost done!” Kiara hollered back.
“Just come out already, I’m sure you look just-”
Before he could finish, Kiara opened the door and stepped out of her room. As Raiden looked up at her, his jaw dropped. He was speechless.
Kiara moved slowly down the stairs, blushing bashfully at Raiden. She wore a dazzling, white dress with short sleeves and a slit along the side, revealing her long, smooth legs as she walked. There were two slits just above the waist of the dress, leading to a large opening in the back. A long, silver necklace hung down from around her slender neck. Her lips were dark velvet, matching her flowing, red hair and blushed cheeks. The rich, sweet scent of her perfume reached all the way to the door.
“Stunning,” Raiden whispered in awe, completing his last sentence.
When Kiara reached the bottom of the stairs, she twirled around gracefully, showing off the entirety of her dress.
“So?” she asked shyly. “How do I look?”
Raiden moved closer. He took her hands in his and gazed down into her eyes. He spoke softly, each word flowing straight from his heart.
“Like the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
Kiara smiled affectionately back at him and squeezed his hands, unable to contain her happiness.
“You don’t look too shabby yourself,” she teased, coyly biting her lip.
“Alright, that’s enough, you two,” Kiara’s mother interrupted. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later. If that old witch Gretchen sees us coming late, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
They smiled into each other’s eyes for one last moment, then followed Kiara’s mother out the door, walking hand in hand. In her other hand, Kiara carried a change of clothes. When they passed by the pygmy den, Maxie trumpeted out his greetings.
“I see Maxie’s feeling better,” Kiara said.
“We had some great bonding time earlier, he and I,” Raiden quipped.
“Oh, I’m sure,” Kiara giggled.
“I’m serious!” Raiden insisted. “I can even understand him now.”
“Oh yeah?” Kiara smiled. “What’s he saying then?”
“He says that if you were a pygmy, he would ask you to marry him.”
Kiara laughed. “Well, you can tell Maxie that I appreciate the compliment,” she said. She squeezed Raiden’s hand and moved closer, resting her head against his shoulder.
“But, I’m taken.”
Chapter Four
The Night of Angels
8 days before planet’s destruction
"Raiden,” Kiara whispered, nudging him with her elbow.
“Wha-what?” Raiden groaned, waking with a start.
“It’s almost over. This is the interesting part.”
Raiden yawned and glanced around the temple. It was vast, seating six-hundred villagers in a large, wooden, circular hall. In the center of the room was a circular podium upon which stood the village priest, Jaaro D’raag. Like all priests of White Prophet, Jaaro wore a silvery, white cloak, and his face was covered by a white mask, similar to that of the knights, who were honorary priests themselves. In his hands, he held a long, silver staff. His accent was blatantly different than that of the rest of the villagers, associated with the Gatapo Islands in the western reaches of the kingdom, where he’d been trained as a priest. A projector situated above the platform cast down a captivating demonstration of Jaaro’s stories as he told them, surrounding him with a brilliant display of colors and light.
“Our prophets teach that all things will one day come to an end, but that our world shall end in peace,” Jaaro spoke, his voice thrilled with charisma. “And how do we know this? For thus it was born, and in the end, all things return to their origins. Our world was born of peace, molded from the empty void of space as the old gods, in their infinite generosity, yearned to bring life to every last creak and cranny of the galaxy.”
Jaaro’s voice was infused with an enthralling blend of emotion and charisma, typical of a Reader. As he spoke, drawings of planets and stars danced majestically around him, slowly constructing a model of the solar system.
“The old gods are known by many names, most commonly the trinity of Fate, Time, and Order. They worked in harmony, until one day, from the most powerful of the three, a great evil was born. Order turned into Chaos, and a great battle ensued, costing the lives of millions.”
The display darkened as the stars went out, and the planets began to burn. The distant sounds of screams echoed throughout the circular hall.
“In the aftermath of the war, the galaxy was left empty and in ruins, the surviving gods either corrupted or banished. Only one hope remained. The human prince, Agius.”
A glowing face slowly appeared from the flames and the darkness.
“With his last remaining breath, the great Harmonius, king of all gods, named Agius his rightful heir and assigned the great angel Gavriel as his protector. With the power bestowed to him, and with Gavriel by his side, Agius defended both human and Enlai alike, fending off the poisons of Chaos until the refuge of Earth was completed.”
Raiden watched intently as Agius and Gavriel danced around the platform, pursued by a swirling storm of darkness. In the center of the display, a new planet began to form, one he hadn’t seen in a very long time.
“As Agius prepared the transport to Earth, he sealed and concealed our planet, hoping to lock away forever the evils it held. However, even his noble heart could not contain the army of Chaos as it struck one final time, led by the dark angel, Mikael. He held back the darkness as long as he could as his people fled through the Nexus down to Earth. The humans went first as the Enlai aided in the battle.”
Raiden watched as hundreds of thousands of holographic men, women, and children swarmed desperately towards a large, glowing structure. His eyes widened when he realized it was a Nexus Mirror, only many times larger. As the humans fled, the Enlai fought off the raging darkness in a thunderous storm of fire and lightning.
“As the battle raged on, Agius sensed his impending defeat. With his last breath, he charged selflessly into the heart of the enemy horde and tore apart the very power which the Chaos sought to retrieve. The re
sulting surge of energy wrought a monstrous explosion, the likes of which this galaxy had never seen.”
Raiden’s heart dropped as a blast of fire and light erupted from within the darkness and spread rapidly outwards, burning everything in its path, including the Enlai warriors.
“As the flames spread towards the fleeing Enlai and the portal, Gavriel sealed our side of the Nexus, grabbed as many Enlai as his power could hold, and abandoned the battlefield.”
Raiden watched as a glowing figure with white, beating wings hovered majestically above the Enlai like a cloud. He wrapped them between his enormous wings, and they disappeared just moments before the flames reached them. The fires continued to spread until they dominated the entire display, swirling viciously around the platform. And then, all at once, they stopped. Jaaro lowered his voice to a somber whisper.
“When the flames had finally subsided, our ancestors came out of hiding, only to discover that the explosion had consumed half of their planet. With their homes destroyed and their loved ones lost, they had no one to turn to. There were no gods to hear their prayers, no refuge to escape to. And then, in the depths of their despair, Gavriel spoke to them. He brought hope back into their hearts, gave them the strength to rebuild. ‘Do not despair,’ he said, ‘for you are not alone, nor have you been abandoned. The door to salvation has not closed forever. For one day, the savior shall return for you. One day, your prince shall rise again.”
Jaaro finished his story, and the light display subsided.
“That prophecy was given to us on this holy night, the Night of Angels. This holiday stands to us as a beacon of hope. We are not alone. We have not been abandoned. It is said that on this night, the savior will be chosen. And so I bless us all, in the name of the just and mighty Gavriel. May tonight mark the beginning of the redemption.”
As the priest finished his last sentence, the entire temple rose together. Raiden watched with wonder, following suit. And then, all at once, they reached for their ears and removed their PDs. They glanced around the room, seeing the world the way it truly was, if just for a moment. And then, with tears in their eyes, they uttered a single phrase, their voices molded as one.
“Though we stand in the valley of the shadow of death, we shall fear no evil. For we are not alone, the savior is coming.”
Raiden watched in amazement as they returned their PDs to their ears, and the joy returned immediately to their faces.
“I know that verse,” Raiden whispered curiously to Kiara. “The holy books on Earth have one almost identical.”
“That makes sense, I suppose,” she replied. “We all come from the same place. We’re all waiting for the same savior.”
As the priest descended from the platform, the villagers began to gather their belongings and exit the temple. Many headed for the bathrooms to change from their pants and dresses into the traditional dance attire.
“Come on!” Kiara said excitedly, grabbing Raiden’s hand. “The festival’s gonna start!”
“Hold on,” Raiden said, holding himself back. “Go ahead and change. I’ll meet you outside.”
“Is everything okay?” Kiara asked with concern.
“Yeah, it’s just…I’m still a bit tired from the sermon. I need a minute to recover, maybe splash some water on my face.”
“Alright, but don’t take too long,” Kiara warned him playfully. “If you miss the opening dance, I’m switching partners.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Raiden smiled, taking her hand. He leaned forward and kissed it. Kiara blushed and gazed into his eyes, her face lit with a tender smile. She pulled away slowly, keeping her eyes locked with his, then reluctantly turned around and headed for the door.
Raiden’s heart fluttered as he watched her go. As his smile slowly faded, his mind drifted back to the priest’s tale. He removed the PDs from his ears, just like the villagers had done, and closed his eyes, listening to the genuine, unfiltered sounds around him. He reimagined the display, the fire and the battles, the darkness and the light.
“Do you believe it?” a voice said suddenly, startling him. Raiden turned in surprise, finding a woman standing beside him. She was tall and lean with long, black hair braided down to her waist and a dark complexion. Her jaw was sturdy and her cheekbones sharply defined, giving her the look of a soldier. The intensity of her gaze gave the impression of maturity and strength.
“True or not, it’s a nice story, and it brings the people together,” Raiden answered.
“That’s not what I asked,” the woman said, staring straight ahead.
Raiden hesitated, then sighed.
“We fantasize about Earth as some sort of paradise, but what if it’s not. What if there were bad people on Earth, horrible people. What if Earth was a place of pain and betrayal, of endless battles and baseless hate.”
“Do you believe the Earth is like that?” the woman asked.
“I do,” Raiden said sadly. “But I also believe it can change. I believe there’s hope, carried in the hearts of the brave few who are risking it all, fighting to make a difference.”
“You couldn’t possibly know any of this for sure,” the woman said. “Why would you make such assumptions?”
Raiden sighed.
“Let’s just say I have a pretty good feeling.”
Raiden gazed out in silence, his mind drifted to memories of Sarah and Maximus, of the battles they fought, of the tears they shed.
“I just realized I didn’t get your name,” Raiden said, looking back towards the woman. But when he turned around, she was gone. He stood still for a moment in confusion, watching as crowds of villagers passed him by.
She must’ve gotten mixed in with the crowd, he figured. Whatever the case, I need to get back to Kiara.
As Raiden turned to leave, he noticed the voices around him were unintelligible. He couldn’t make out any words. Finally, he remembered he wasn’t wearing his PDs. He put them back on, then joined the crowd heading eagerly outside. As he passed through the temple doors, someone called his name.
“Raiden,” the voice snapped coldly.
Raiden turned to find Priest Jaaro standing by the exit, handing a white mask to everyone as they walked out. The Priest was bald with sharp, pointed ears and long, narrow eyes. His eyebrows curled upwards in a way that gave him a naturally angry look. Beside the Priest stood his seventeen-year-old son, Kaiyu. Kaiyu was slightly shorter than his father, yet he was strong and broad, the build of a farmer rather than a priest. His long, blonde hair and pleasant features shone in stark contrast to those of this father. Although he stood silently and obediently beside his father, his eyes hid within them an innocent, youthful spirit.
As usual, the priest did not look happy to see him.
“I enjoyed your sermon today, Teacher,” Raiden said politely as he took a mask.
“You probably slept through the whole thing,” Jaaro scorned bitterly. “I just hope perhaps at least one lesson actually managed to penetrate that thick head of yours.”
Kaiyu shifted uncomfortably at his father’s rudeness, gazing quietly at the floor.
Raiden dropped his act of politeness, and his smile turned to a frown.
“Well, if you’re done insulting me, Jaaro, I’ll be on my way. The night is young, and the sins are plenty,” Raiden grumbled spitefully.
Raiden turned to leave, but before he could, the priest grabbed him aggressively by the arm and glared furiously into his eyes. Suddenly, Raiden felt his mind begin to drift, and his awareness began to fade as the Reader attempted to gain control of his mind. But Raiden caught on before it was too late, and he fought back.
Go ahead, see if you can take me, Raiden challenged as he glared into his eyes. Better men than you have tried.
“Father-” Kaiyu started to protest.
“Silence, Kaiyu!” Jaaro barked, his voice infused with power. The boy fell immediately silent and turned his gaze back to the floor.
“Riva’s grieving heart may be too s
oft to realize, but I see you for what you truly are,” Jaaro growled. “Her husband, Shamen, was a good man. He would never have let you into his home, let alone near his daughter. If you know what’s good for you, boy, you’ll stay far away from her.”
Raiden hesitated, seeming for a moment to have fallen under the Reader’s spell. Then he took a defiant step forward and glared fiercely into the priest’s eyes. Jaaro’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He hadn’t expected Raiden to resist his power.
“Let me make myself clear,” Raiden growled threateningly, his face only inches from that of the priest. “Your mind tricks might work on everyone else, but I’m not like them. I don’t need PDs or fairytales of redemption to make believe the world is perfect, because it isn’t perfect, and people like you are just proof of that. So while I go out into the real world and make a real difference, you can go back to hiding in your creepy old temple and mind your own, god-damn business.”
And then, as the priest stood silent and flustered in defeat, Raiden threw his mask on the floor and stormed off, leaving him fuming in the fragments of his shattered ego. As he walked away, Jaaro took out his anger against his son.
“Well, don’t just stand there!” he yelled. “Pick up the mask, you stupid boy!”
Poor kid, Raiden thought. I hope one day he’ll break away from his father.
“Finally, there you are!” Kiara called, running towards him. She’d changed from her expensive dress into a primitive, tribal outfit. A thick belt was tied tightly around her curved, slender waist, and a short, leather skirt dangled above her knees. A fur and leather top spanned from her shoulders to her stomach, teasing a gap of skin down to the waist.
“Hey,” Raiden sighed, still sour from the encounter.
Kiara’s excited smile turned to concern.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“It’s nothing.”
Kiara placed her soft hand against his cheek and stared into his eyes.
“You can tell me,” she said softly.
Raiden placed his hand over hers and turned his frown to a smile.
The Chamber of Genesis Page 3
