by C. J. Lloyd
Tears fell from her chin as Eden’s sadness and disappointment filled the room, the shock from Sasha and Alfred overwhelmed the fear that overwhelmed Manie. Violet cast her eyes to the floor, thinking about everything Ebon had told her earlier.
“Eden, we can’t afford to take a risk on this.” She stepped to him to embrace him, and his face dropped to her shoulders. “What if I don’t go? What if we aren’t strong enough to fight something like Legion, something comparable to gods? I could barely fight Calamity.” She thought about the Anomaly that Calamity manipulated to create the Titans. Was it possible? Could Violet somehow grow to be that powerful?
Eden’s shoulders slumped as his mournful teary-eyed gaze fell on her. “I can’t believe this. I can’t—” he said, seemingly lost for words. His breathing became heavy. “What happened to doing this together? What happened to fighting as a team? We’ve always overcome. Every time,” he insisted, slamming his fist in his hand.
“You won’t this time, kid,” Ebon responded. “If you could barely fight Calamity, not only will you not stand a chance, but you’ll be obliterated. Your Devas are nothing compared to them. Nothing.”
Eden scrunched his face, and a sharpening canine poked through his lip as his eyes became wild. “Screw you,” he growled. “And where were you all this time, huh? Where were you when this world needed you when Sage needed you?”
Violet snatched his chin and pulled his gaze to her, his eyes softened into their normal blue hue. “Hey, focus on me. Eden, you have to trust me on this one. You know I love you, and you know I’ll come back to you, right?”
He wiped his hands across his face and exhaled. “I know you will. It’s just that I don’t know what I’ll do without you here. What if something happens and we need you?”
“You still have Jen and Terra, right?” She turned to the others. “Protect them, protect everyone. You guys are more powerful now than we ever thought we could be back in Zenith.”
Alfred called to Ebon. “How long you guys plan on being gone?”
Ebon said, “If we spend ten days in each universe. .. Hmm, maybe we’ll be back in three years minimum?” He tapped his index finger on his chin. “That’s if we don’t come across a member of Legion and we’re both killed or we run into those loyal to Legion like the Zodiacs, which means we could still possibly be killed.”
Eden shook his head and focused on Violet. He rolled his fingers down the sides of her face and kissed her. Then he pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you, and I know you have to do this. I hate it .... Just come back, okay?”
“Of course, and I love you too.” She nodded and turned to Ebon. “Can you guys tell Samantha thanks for everything and that she better live up to her promises about taking care of the Titans?”
The four of them nodded.
She turned to face Ebon. “I’m ready, I guess.”
He sighed and looked Alfred, Manie, and Sasha over. “Ermakian, right?”
They nodded.
“I love that version of Earth. So different, so culturally lush and fresh. You know, they don’t use anything mechanical there? It’s crazy and clean. War-torn, of course, but clean.” Ebon pointed at them. “That’s where we’re going first, actually. Did you three want to come with?”
“Are–are you serious?” Sasha’s lips quivered. She looked up at Violet with widening eyes of excitement.
Violet felt the weight of the unspoken question crash over the three of them, and she could tell Eden wanted to kill Ebon now.
“Nah,” Manie said, falling on the couch. “I think I’ll stay here a little while longer. I made a promise to someone.”
His answer surprised the whole room, but Violet smiled, knowing his feelings for Terra.
Sasha lulled. “What? Manie, we can go back home, we can pick up the pieces back in Ermak and start over again. What do you mean, ‘Nah?’ What kind of answer is that?”
He shook his head. “Sasha, we have everything we need right here. Back in Ermak, it’s just painful memories. That’s all I’ll have of that place. But here in this world, we have the best memories, we have family and friends, everything we’ll ever need.”
Sasha sighed. Violet could feel the painful tension and Sasha’s yearning to return to Ermak. Sasha wiped her eyes and sniffed hard. “Well, if he’s staying, then I’m not going anywhere.”
Alfred was silent. The turmoil within ate away at him. Violet knew it was the thought of his parents. He missed them and wasn’t even sure if they were still alive.
“Next time. For now, I need to hold the fort here and make sure these three troublemakers don’t get lost without me,” Alfred said with a grin.
“Thanks, Alfred,” Violet spoke softly, fighting back tears. She could see the conflict, the bitter sorrow of yearning flowing from him like a river. “But you know you can leave to see your parents. Maybe you should go. It’s been years.”
His inner voice was broken, not confident and optimistic like she was used to. “My mom is a warrior, and so is Dad. I guess ... I guess I’m a little afraid to know if they’re alive or not. At least staying here, I can continue to imagine that they’re out there in Ermak bashing heads and saving lives, you know?”
She nodded. “What are their names?”
His eyes widened. “My mom’s name is Adira; my pop’s name is Shomari. They should both be enlisted in the Pride army.”
“I’ll find them for you, I promise.”
He cleared his throat and dabbed his eyes a bit. “Thanks, V. You really are my little big sister.”
With a terse nod, Violet wondered what she was getting herself into following this man through the universe. She begged for some sign from Sage, something to let Violet know she was still looking out for her, and maybe, just maybe, that sign was Ebon.
They stepped outside to the front yard. Violet looked to the front porch, she couldn’t ignore confusion, sadness, and anger coming from the four of them. “I promise, I will be back, and I’ll be stronger.”
Eden nodded. “I know ....”
Ebon looked to the three of them. “I don’t know how much influence you guys have, but tell the world, tell the leaders, tell anyone who has any kind of power, to be ready. To be vigilant. Because they’re watching, and with Calamity’s death, they will definitely come here searching for the ones who killed her.”
Violet swallowed hard, thinking about Elric. Maybe they would just leave then since he was gone. She looked up to the three of them. “I love you guys. Keep my room clean, okay?”
Sasha nodded, wiping a tear away.
Ebon threw his palm to the side of him. “Keep all arms and legs inside.”
A massive blue light formed over them in a ball. It seared the grass, and the power was incredible. It was like Jen’s when her powers came out. It wasn’t as warm, wasn’t as positive as the light either, but it made her bones shake. Yeah, Ebon was stronger than Sage, much stronger.
He turned with a goofy smile. “Let’s go.”
And in a burst of energy, she was gone, consumed by dazzling lights of reds, blues, yellows, and colors she couldn’t describe. She could feel forces she never thought existed, forces outside of her realm of understanding. Her body felt like it was in one place and then all places simultaneously. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself as the sensations took her breath away.
Ebon nodded. “First time traveling into another universe, huh? What a novice.”
Her lip almost pulled into a grin, but her heart was too heavy with what she left behind. She didn’t ask Ebon if he was serious about them being gone for a minimum of three years; she was too afraid to and maybe if he gave the right answer, she would’ve refused.
No matter now. She would get her taste of the Allverse. She would go into a realm that not even Sage had gone to. A place that the Chamber of Knowledge had no information about. A place where Legion resided and this dreaded Macabre of the Damned.
She would get stronger, and she would be ready.
/> Epilogue
Calamity
Calamity could barely move her body or what remained of it. She was a mess. A tragic mess. Her left arm was somewhere, her right arm filleted from the blast. But she was alive.
Oh, Calamity, what have you gotten yourself into? she thought. Thank all that is evil, I opened that doorway to Limbo. Otherwise, that little brat would’ve actually killed me.
She wiggled her toes or so she thought. There was just a strange phantom feeling of feet being there. She finally managed to lift her leg only to see it was nothing but a mangled stub of stringy black flesh. The other, well, there was nothing left from the knee down.
“Great. Just lusciously, great.” She laughed. Her cackling echoed into the blackness that was arrayed and outlined by the crimson moon. The sky above was blood, and the clouds were a softer blood color, too.
She was surrounded by trees. She missed them. The leafless clawed branches reached down like a true love that had missed her so much. The black trunk twisted and mangled, leaking a black sap of toxins that fed the many horrific creatures that resided in Limbo.
She swallowed as her laughter faded. That’s right, the many creatures .... Creatures that wouldn’t mind taking her for an easy meal especially in her current state when she couldn’t regenerate as she wanted.
Screams of children crying and women shrieking echoed all around her in the ominous wind that reeked of rot and death. The ground was black like the sand on the beautiful, humble abode she tried so hard to keep. But it was so hard to find people who appreciated her these days.
She sighed. “At least Elric will destroy that world, and I’ll get some credit for it. Enough credit to be welcomed into the fold.”
She smiled greedily even though half her face was torn away. She could feel the drying blackness of her blood. It was sticky as she licked the corner of her mouth, dreadfully, delectable. “He’s too prideful to join Legion. They would have their hands full with him and Justice.”
A heavy crack landed behind her, and the ground shook beneath her. Then the soft, slow shuffles came closer. By the sound of the stride and the steps, she knew who it was.
From the part of her lips that did remain, she gave a dainty smile, something sweet and innocent. “Fancy meeting you here, Arius.”
A young man about the age of twenty-five stood over her, tall and slender with a masculine physique. His face was chiseled and sculpted like the warriors of Greece she so often found herself attracted to. His short black hair, though the strands long, only crept to the middle of his forehead. His eyes were the color of onyx—cold, and hateful. She loved him all the more. Too bad he was soulless. Too bad he was beneath her.
Arius’s dull gray lips moved.
“Why have you returned, Calamity?” he scolded. “And without the Dark Vessel? Did you kill him and destroy that world?”
She blew Arius a kiss. “Why are you in that human form, Arius? You know I love to see you in something a little more cryptic?” She hated that he ignored her but longed for his touch as he reached down, hoisting her dismembered torso over his shoulder. He didn’t bat an eye.
She thought about how she would be celebrated amongst the other members of Legion. They would scream her name, Calamity! Calamity! Calamity! She would be dubbed a god amongst them. She would have her own universe to muse over and take part in. Oh, the things she would do.
“Are they preparing for my celebration in the halls?”
Arius shook his head. “What celebration?”
“Don’t play coy with me, my sinister suzerain. Haven’t they gotten word yet of what has happened and the execution of my mission?”
He shook his head. “No, nothing. In fact, Macabre has called me and five of the other Zodiacs together. I wonder why .…”
They trudged through the blackened soil, bypassing the twisted trees and brush. Small rat-like creatures with scales and fur and a face like a dog hissed as Arius stepped over them. The shrieks of crying women echoed from the massive fierce-looking buzzards above with two eyes at the top of their beaks and another set on the top of their heads.
The palace wasn’t too far away now. It was a massive fortress that could be seen from miles and miles. It consisted of the main building with a block-like center, surrounded by several large cylinder towers and smaller buildings. Atop the block were three smaller towers for the top echelon and their private quarters. Each member of Legion had their own chamber, but they mostly spent their days parading around in their universe.
Calamity and Arius came through the entrance of the palace where black water sprouted from a pond filled with dragon-like fish. She hated them because if you got too close, they’d spray flesh-eating acid into your face.
Through the courtyard of blackened vines and thorns and up the stone steps which curved into the main entrance, Calamity finally started to regenerate.
She tapped Arius on the shoulder, and he gently laid her down. First, her legs slipped through the oozing stubs, then her arms and nails. She caressed her subtle cheeks with a claw and sensually rubbed her lips for Arius. He looked on . . . unamused.
Tough crowd, she thought, rolling her eyes. She rose, and they continued to the main hall. The main entrance comprised of six massive corridors splayed around the entrance. They took the second corridor to the left, heading for the meeting hall. Her heart jumped with excitement. She spent centuries upon centuries on that version of Earth and hated every second.
There was always someone interfering. First, that cursed Traveler, Millicent. Then Ebon, Sage, Rose, then the vessels—her own creations—turned against her, no thanks to the Light Vessel. She had a rough go at it to say the least.
They came to the meeting hall. No one was there. She sucked her teeth in disgust. Her black blood boiled; her horns curved from her skull, and her claws dug into the walls as she peeled back the material that kept it together.
“This is rude. Unsatisfying. Disrespectful. And above all else, pisses me off.” The spines on her back rippled, and her tail flailed about.
“Relax, my dear,” an elegant soft voice spoke.
The atmosphere fell on Calamity like someone had dropped the entire planet upon her. Her body trembled at the pressure. It broke her. It always did. She didn’t think he would be down here. Maybe Justice. Hell, even Sheba, but not him.
“You seemed to have been away from home for too long and forgot to wipe your feet before entering the palace.”
She turned to face the head of the table, and there before her sat Macabre.
She bowed. “Sorry, Sir. I–I had no right. Please forgive me.” Her heart raced.
He laid his hand over an open chair at the table on his left side. Disrespectful, the left side? What am I one of the lower beings he created from human flesh? Macabre could’ve offered her the chair to his right, a show of respect amongst the members of Legion, none the less she eased over to the chair.
She kept her gaze down, looking up every few glances. Macabre wasn’t a physically intimidating creature, but then again, most members of Legion weren’t. His physique was extremely tall, more so than Arius, and thin, almost skeletal. Along with his pompous attitude came the love of tailored suits. He always wore suits. She hadn’t a clue why, considering what he was.
But that’s not why her bones shivered and her knees knocked or why she couldn’t stop sweating. Macabre didn’t have eyes or brows, didn’t have cheeks or a chin, no lips, no teeth. Instead, a helmet-like skull with a visor for a face that cast an endless glowing void of the cosmos looked upon her, radiating an essence so sinister and so consuming it devoured her.
He bridged his hands in front of his face.
“My dear, I can’t believe you had the audacity to show your face after everything that’s happened,” he said with a subtle voice that echoed through the cosmos. “Can you imagine what the other two top echelons would think, especially him?”
She glanced up, gazing at what he was. “What are you talking about? I tainted
the Dark Vessel. He’s probably destroyed the entire world by now, himself along with it. But the deed was done.”
Macabre crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair of ebony blackness, sculpted by the remains of a creature only natural to Limbo—his home world. “The Dark Vessel was once again defeated by the others. A second failure, Calamity.”
She shook her head. “No. No. I did it right this time. I know I did it right—”
He hissed. “Enough of the excuses, Calamity, before I crush you into nothingness.”
Calamity choked on her words. Her heart slammed within her. Maybe she was already dead. She took a gasp of air, and a trembling breath left her lungs. Everything had been perfect except for how it should’ve ended, which would have been with her alive on Earth. But Elric had become a monster, so how …? Curse that Light Vessel. It had to be her, Jennifer Reeves, and that cursed Violet!
Calamity imagined Sage laughing and mocking her even after death. “I’m sorry. I’m a failure. I’ll do anything if—”
Macabre cut her off, waving a finger around as if searching for the words deep within the universe, which was his face. Then he snapped forward with a guttering tone. “I have a project for you that I think you will like, Calamity. It would fit your particular set of skills quite well.”
“Anything. Whatever you want.”
“I’ve been experimenting on a world and its human inhabitants to test a few theories of social hierarchy, desperation, and just … overall suffering. You couldn’t mess it up if you tried. In fact, it’s more of a vacation. What do you say?”
She smiled greedily. “I’m in.”
Macabre’s head raised, and he nodded to Arius. “Arius, as for you and the Zodiacs, prepare yourselves. I’ve selected the best six of you for a mission that I think will prove filling.”
Arius knelt and bowed his head nobly. “Anything for you, my savior.”
