by C. J. Lloyd
Enzo returned the expression. “You think just because you’re the Water Titan, you can talk to me any way you like, huh?” His fingertips burst into flames. “Keep testing me.”
Rai rolled her eyes.
“Relax,” Elric ordered from behind them. “Where’s Allure?”
“She’s scouting the area,” Calamity replied. “We’re trying to find a place sheltered from sight.”
Elric watched the shift in her body, something of a slight widening of her stance as she straightened. He thought she grew a few inches. “Who says I want it to be sheltered?”
Calamity’s eyes glowed a burning red. “What do you want?”
“I’m tired of hiding.” Elric brushed past her and climbed up a slope to the flattened land. “This is perfect. Create our new home right here.”
Enzo cleared his throat. “Elric, I don’t want to be a wiseass or anything, but declaring war on the world, then putting the place where we live out in the open isn’t very smart. Drone strikes, remember?”
Elric looked over his shoulders. “Enzo, you want power more than anything, right?”
“Well yeah, but—”
“Don’t ever question me or belittle my thinking again.” Elric’s eyes cut like a knife.
Enzo’s own eyes narrowed, but he held his tongue. Elric could tell he wanted to say something.
“What’s your problem?” Rai broke in. “What gives you the right to talk to him like that?”
“We’re gods surrounded by mortals. You saw what happened to that city, and you saw what I’m capable of. I won’t allow anything to happen to us. That’s a promise.”
“Whatever,” Rai replied, making her way to a crevice filled with concrete and black sand.
Calamity sighed. “So right here in the open? You sure?”
“Just do it.” Elric’s eyes glowed as he held back his growing frustration.
Calamity gently coursed her fingers into the black sands. The ground jumped, kicking like she’d hit a painful nerve beneath the grains. What followed was a terrible rumbling beneath their feet, shifting the foundation from deep within the island.
Mounds manifested and formed. From the sand and surrounding debris, walls burst forth as a building began to take shape. Debris and remnants of the base disintegrated and were reformed, fitting together to make the bones of something huge.
Intricately constructed with darkened stone and reinforced by the metal framing of the past Area Zero, a structure of immense portion rose, forging four platforms. A grand stairwell rippled out of a huge opening in the middle. Carved into the block of black stone was a dragon reaching down to the entrance. Wings spread menacingly and positioned prominently on the creature giving it a fierce appearance.
The heavy blackness settled, allowing the golden rays to pierce through, every glimmer devoured, allowing not even the sun’s light to give the structure life.
Enzo stepped back in awe. “She can do that? Can we do that?”
“What is this?” Rai’s eyes danced over the smooth stone.
“Your new home,” Calamity shrugged. “For the moment, anyway. Having it in plain sight like this, I’m sure it won’t last long.”
“It looks like an old Aztec temple,” Rai whispered.
Elric made his way to the enormous structure, analyzing every detail. Darkness flowed freely around every piece of stone, causing his powers to awaken with excitement and become active from the presence.
“What’s that?” Elric asked as a jolt raced through him, referring to the depiction of a dragon.
Calamity smiled. “This structure was built from the very essence of your power. Residue from the destruction here remained alive. So, from that, I was able to build this. It’s your temple, after all.”
“Why does he get all the good stuff?” Enzo asked, nudging Elric in the ribs.
“Anything’s better than that cave,” Rai said, scrunching her face and twisting her mouth with a look of disgust. “If I had to smell those bats again, I’d lose it. No offense to Allure.”
Enzo eyed the monstrous stone creature reaching over the entrance. “This whole place gives me an ‘oh, hell no’ vibe.”
They stepped inside to see miniature versions of the monsters within each of them lined the hallway. Torches were lit with glowing blue flames that whispered in the salty breeze. An ominous gust rolled up Elric’s shirt with each step into the darkness, sending their shadows to dance with the torches and take on different shapes and sizes.
“This place is huge. So where are the rooms?” Enzo asked, his eyes glimmering in the guttering flames.
Calamity pointed down a darkened corridor. “A little ways up ahead, you’ll find your sleeping quarters. Trust me; they’ll be much more to your liking than the cave.”
Enzo ran down to one of the rooms and opened the door. He hooted and hollered, laughing with excitement before peeking his head around the corner. “You guys have to see this!”
Rai followed Enzo into the room, her jaw falling open as she leaned against the doorway. Elric strutted in behind her and gazed upon Calamity’s creation. At the center of the room stood a massive bed fit for a king with silk covers that dressed the bed. At the head were pillows large and plush, all in jet black matching the marble floor that swirled with a touch of gray. Calamity had fulfilled her end of the request for sure.
Rai looked back with widened eyes. “How’s this possible?”
Elric studied the look of excitement on their faces. “Dark matter—or any kind of matter—can be molded into anything.”
Calamity smiled. “Depending on the user, of course. You’re only limited by your imagination, skill, and overall power to use such an ability.”
Enzo cleared his throat. “I’m not surprised.”
“Who cares?” Rai rushed in and jumped on the bed, screaming in excitement. “It’s an actual bed in a castle!”
“They’re all the same, so no one gets jealous.” Calamity set her chin on Enzo’s shoulder. “There’s also a training hall up ahead.”
“So how come only Elric can do this kind of stuff, but not me or Rai?” Enzo arched an eyebrow.
“Actually, the Titan of Light can as well. Unlike the other Devas of this world, darkness and light are universal, both having their hand in creating what is known as the Allverse. They are celestial elements that are the closest to being divine.”
“That’s amazing,” Rai said, looking over at Elric.
Enzo’s hand was suddenly engulfed in orange flames. “What are we going to do if this place gets droned? All they have to do is nuke this island, and we’re toast.”
“Don’t worry about that,” Elric replied, confident in his powers after opening the third door.
“You better be sure. With beds and rooms like this, this is our new home!” Rai shouted. “Seaside view … It’s not Villa Verde, but it’ll do.”
Elric nodded and stepped out of the room. In the swaying dim light of the torches, he strode down the corridor until he found a quiet place where he could think. He locked his eyes shut and took a deep breath, finding himself in his inner world in front of the fourth door.
“What are you thinking?” Erebus spoke expectantly.
“I can’t stop thinking that she’s hiding something from me.”
Erebus growled with laughter. “What you should be concerned with is the hunger in Calamity’s eyes. The foul bloodlust on her lips. She means to do away with you soon.”
“I hadn’t noticed to be honest. I’ll allow you to worry about that.”
“What makes you think I’ll do anything about it?”
“We have a deal, remember?” Elric smiled into the dark. The blackness seeped from the cracks of the massive barred door. “And if you break that deal, I’ll lock you away in my inner world for the rest of my life.”
Elric stared at the large door. To think he had come this far with the Deva within him. The most frightening one of the six and considered to be the most sinister. Yet he talked t
o it any way he felt like.
Elric opened his eyes and he was back in the halls of the temple.
The pulse of dark energy snapped him out of focus as he drifted along the tunnels.
It wouldn’t be long before they appeared on satellite. His fingers wiggled with anticipation.
Who’ll come first? The world or Violet? Elric wondered.
Chapter 12
Sympathy for the Devil
Violet and the others followed the president and her entourage down into a classroom. Violet couldn’t help but shoot glances at Professor Haverhill, whose watchful eye was like that of a spectator studying zoo animals even though he was the one who looked like a turtle.
He shifted his focus to Violet, giving her a half-smile. “You’re an Anomaly, correct?”
“Yup,” she replied.
“Fascinating! During my time at Area Zero, I came across some incredible Anomalies. Cloud used Anomalies in many ways during the Titan Project. We had Anomalies that could feel out the powers of a Titan if they were close enough. We called them seekers. We had Anomalies who could read people’s minds, called them readers, and then we had a few who had the ability to use their psionic powers to attack and defend. Which one are you?
“All of them,” Violet replied apathetically. This guy was worse than the teachers she had back in Boston when they went to Duskton High.
“That’s ... that’s incredible,” he said, growing with excitement. “You two are Titans, correct?” Professor Haverhill smiled, looking at Terra and Eden.
“Maybe,” Terra said as if she was unsure if she wanted to tell him the truth or not.
Violet didn’t blame her; the guy looked like all he wanted to do was study them, inside and out.
Professor Haverhill clasped his hands together. His cheeks were so high you could barely see his eyes anymore. “Right. From your profiles, you’re the Earth Titan, and the young man over there is the Wind Titan.”
Eden placed a hand on his forehead. “Look, I get it we’re some kind of amazing scientific discovery that will shatter history books, but—”
“No. Science has nothing to do with what you are, my young friend. In fact, the existence of you two and the others will shake the foundation of everything our world is built upon. I’ve studied the Titans for years, studied them to the point where I know more about your ancestry than you do.”
“A statement that I can agree with you on,” Eden said, sitting back in his chair. His blue eyes thinned, then bounced to Violet. “This guy a tool or what?”
“The biggest. But let’s see what we can get out of him. As weird as he is, he could be useful.”
Eden licked his thin lips as he tried to beat back a gleam of sorrow in his eyes. “V, I just want to say—”
She could feel the worry and the heaviness of guilt building up within Eden. He had been carrying it since she saw him in the lunchroom after she had awakened. Maybe even longer than that. Boston was on all of their minds, and the more she thought about it, the worse she felt. It didn’t help that images of destruction were on every television screen.
“Eden, I know you tried to do your best .... We all did. Let’s do our best next time, okay?”
The professor continued talking. “The creatures within you were once living physical manifestations of energy and power, the likes of which this world has never seen. Living manifestations of earth, fire, water, air, light … darkness. The reason we would’ve never known that such entities existed is that they’ve always been around us, existing right in front of us. In the air we breathe, the water we drink, the very ground we walk on.”
“Look,’ Eden grumbled, “I understand you’re getting a hard-on for what we are, but we got bigger things to worry about.”
“Eden’s right.” Violet looked up and took a deep breath. “And how long have you known that we were the ones who stopped the war with Ermak from spilling over?”
The president folded her arms in front of her, giving the sweetest humbling grin. “I wouldn’t say you ‘stopped’ the war with Ermak from spilling over, exactly. You children have to understand; our world has known a lot about the existence of the Ermakians for centuries now. It was just never known to the public. I mean, think about it. They’re in everything from mythic folklore to horror movies. Look at Egypt.”
Sasha rose and stood over the president with Samantha between them. “Then why is the government treating us like we’re the enemies? Like monsters?”
“Yeah,” Alfred added. “We can’t even step outside anymore. I think we deserve better than that.”
“Because only a few know. We can’t all of a sudden say, ‘Hey, these guys are good to go. They’re no threat.’” The president shrugged. “When those portals opened, it was a declaration of war, a war that we had to fight as if we were dumb to their existence for the sake of the Ermakians.”
Manie let out a sarcastic chuckle. “For the sake of Ermakians?”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it?” Sasha sucked her teeth and folded her arms, her finger tapping away on her elbow.
Violet saw her lip twitch from dissatisfaction. If Sasha were in her fox form, she’d be baring her teeth right about now.
The ambassador cleared his throat. “I understand why you’re upset. I do. But both our worlds are threatened by a much more dangerous force than just some ragtag Ermakian terrorist group,” he said in a thick accent that definitely sounded eastern US “They’ve declared war not only on our nation but against every nation on our planet. This is war, and in order to secure the safety of our people, we need to wipe this threat off the face of the Earth.”
The man didn’t seem shaken up or nervous. In fact, he looked confident. Nothing like a man who had been kidnapped by international criminals with the ability to destroy a city and declare war on humanity.
Eden’s eyebrows arched. “Threat? This threat was technically created by the government. If it weren’t for you coming after us for power, maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation. Maybe Elric would still have his parents.”
Violet’s head snapped back from Eden’s response. It almost sounded like he was defending Elric a little. “As much as we hate to show any sympathy toward Elric’s actions, Eden’s right. Based on what the president said, this has been going on for years. It never occurred to any of you that the Titans would retaliate in such a way?”
The Ambassador stood and nodded. “I suppose your feelings toward the enemy are very well understood considering he was once a friend …. A companion, I should say. That stops now. Elric Blake, Rai Tsu, and Casey Jones are an international threat to our survivability as a species, and they will be destroyed.”
Violet tightened her fist. Thinking about everything she’d heard, she started grinding her teeth.
“Did you know about Elric’s parents?” she asked the president.
The president looked over. “What about them?”
“His parents were murdered by this government. Labeled as terrorists because they wouldn’t give him up. Did you know about that?”
Her bright red lipstick-covered lips trembled as she shook her head. “That was kept confidential, top secret. How did you come to possess that knowledge?”
“I assume by now you know that Elric destroyed the base on that island.” Violet glared. “It was right before he kidnapped you.”
“Right. Area Zero, the base where we studied the Titans,” the professor replied.
“General Cloud explained everything about Elric’s parents. He was responsible for their deaths. Did you know about that?” Violet asked with more emphasis, badgering them.
Mr. Galloway fixed his tie and gulped. “Sacrifices had to be made. The person known as Cole Moore was a menace not only to himself but the people around him.”
“As horrible as that sounds,” the professor said with a throaty tone, pushing his glasses further against his face, “he’s right.”
Violet and the others looked on in shock, hearing the truth.
“Cole was a confused young man, lost, wild,” the professor said. “The woman he was with, Celine Blake, her death was unfortunate and was an accident. Cole had no control over his abilities. He was mentally unstable, abandoned by his own parents, and a risk on multiple levels. Not just to the people around him, but what if another country discovered him? What if they were able to do what we couldn’t and weaponized him?”
“You had him killed?” Terra asked with wide, horrific eyes.
Professor Haverhill stayed as composed as he could, but dots of sweat glossed over his forehead. “Well, not me, of course. In our first interaction, Cole killed multiple soldiers. Cloud went mad with revenge.” The professor bristled in his chair, fixed his tie, and cleared his throat. “I worked in Area Zero for two decades. I was a leading specialist under that barbarian, Cloud, and trust me when I say he was losing his mind. But Cole was a person we could not allow to roam free. As you can see by what’s happening today.”
Alfred shook his head. He leaned forward and rose to his feet, digging his fingers through his tight curls. “Man, you guys are something else. I know as Ermakians, we can seem real savage ourselves, but the people of this world ...? Merciless.”
The president folded her arms. “The deaths of Elric’s parents were both unfortunate, and by all means murder; we aren’t disagreeing. But that doesn’t excuse him from what he’s done, no way on God’s green Earth.”
Professor Haverhill continued, “It frightened us all to death when we realized that the Deva was no longer in Cole but in his newborn son. When we finally caught Cole in Boston, we had no idea where the child, Elric Blake, was. It was as if he had vanished. When we interrogated Cole, we found out he had a disturbing background. He was abandoned as a young boy by his father in the woods of Vermont, and his mother had died when he was a toddler. This was a man who barely made it on his own with this thing inside him, abusing, manipulating, and twisting him from within. It was a miracle he didn’t implode, but his willpower is what kept him from falling victim to its influence. We learned a lot about Cole, but even more about that thing inside him. Do any of you know what a symbiotic relationship is?”
