by Marc Mulero
Stiff as a board, Gulwin remained with his chin held high and raised a brow. "I stand by m-," he began before being cut off.
"I respect that you’re skeptical of a citizen that doesn't pay his dues. I assure you, now that I'm here, I will pay them daily with service." Biljin extended a disarming hand.
Gulwin was taken aback. His mouth twitched, unprepared for such a cordial response. Reese and Melissa looked at him, awaiting his reply.
The reluctant Dactuar gave his hand to meet Biljin's. "If you're true to such words, I'm true to a second chance."
Of course you are. I’ve backed you into a corner, earned respect from your Champion, and forced you to approve.
Biljin locked eyes with Gulwin for a long, serious moment.
"Come, walk with me," Melissa beckoned.
Biljin dismissed himself to walk alongside her, breaking away from the others. Melissa’s hair flapped around in the gale while exiting the cave, and her metallic leg whispered with every stride.
"Not quite the resort you would expect for a Dactuar gathering, huh?"
“I was a little surprised when I opened the pamphlet, to be perfectly honest,” Biljin replied, “but I am pleased all the same.”
The walkway was framed with angelic sculptures artfully interwoven into columns, all glistening to guide them like spiritual mystics. And beyond that was the prize, the only manmade structure in the area - a twenty-story glass building reflecting Aurora Borealis to uphold a heavenly mirror, their resident hotel. It was grand, lavish. It bore a tailed meteor Dactuar symbol that stretched for ten stories from the top of the building down, drawing them in like a moth to a flame. But alas, they resisted at Melissa’s direction.
Why would she break off trail? I think I’ve been bored to death enough for one day.
"We want to inspire our members to develop creative thought, with the end goal of helping to improve civilization," she said.
A noble, but utopian thought. Especially considering that people who are just one step higher on the totem pole murder for science…
"Madam…" Biljin began.
"Please," the Champion interjected, "call me Melissa."
"Very well, Melissa," Biljin tried again. "Do you believe the class system is just? Would you overhaul it if you could?" He turned to gauge her reaction.
"I believe that my team is working to help sustain what’s already in place."
She met Biljin's eyes. Her skin was fair, freckles lining a pathway to long eyelashes that were quite captivating. But all of this was overpowered by a battle-hardened demeanor. She wore only vigor and status in her expression, leaving conventional beauty to hide under its covers.
Interesting how she knows what I'm referring to, but chooses to ignore it.
"I wouldn't expect a leader to think in such limited terms. They usually want to change the world," Biljin edged, overstepping his boundaries.
Melissa smiled. "A foolish statement from such a smart man. You haven't a clue about my agenda, nor how large my following is."
He pondered. Her only following would be a group of judges, and there can’t be that many of them…unless her armed forces from her glory days are still loyal to her.
"You aren't the only chess player in this retreat," the Champion riddled.
Biljin chose not to reveal that he’d already solved her riddle before she spoke it. Instead, he smiled back.
"Come, let me show you why we built a resort in the middle of nowhere."
"Mystical frozen caves, Northern Lights, hot springs. What else could there be?" Biljin flattered.
They walked around a corner of walled ice, to open wind that forced his eyes to squint.
"A wonder of the world known only by few."
He slowly turned to see an abyss of black waves, which rapidly changed to pearly white in front of his eyes. The water had transmuted to snow as it rose and crashed into the icy shore. A pile of cold dust lifted into the air from impact, and then back into the frigid waters.
"It defies everything we know,” Melissa said. "Much like you.”
One speechless and one expectant, they both marveled at the endless enigmatic waves, at the sinuous transformation of elements, a process – water freezing to snow - usually too slow to be captured in real time, was transpiring before them.
I've never seen anything like this.
"Rapid temperature shifts in such a confined location…" Biljin said aloud to himself, "… it doesn't add up at all."
"It's an anomaly, like many others created by the Quake. Apparently, this world used to be more... vanilla." Melissa gazed on. "I'll leave you here to reflect. Try to make some friends here. That's what this retreat is all about." She rested a gloved hand on his shoulder before walking away.
She doesn't have the mind to lead, but the woman has heart. I don't doubt that she has an army of followers.
The sound of a small avalanche resounded through the air while the snow waves crashed down.
Blague should know that not all elites buy into the Hiezer madness, even if they’re forced to play along.
Just then, his thoughts became scrambled, unclear. He raised his hand to see nothing but a white outline. His vision… it was fading to white faster than he could comprehend, and his head felt like two magnetic forces were fighting to meet through his temples.
What the hell? Some kind of stun grenade? Have I been found out? Hav-
Biljin dropped to his knees, his hands clutched to his head in blind agony. Not like this, he thought… this isn’t how I’m to die…
The last thing he felt was his body rising off the ground in the arms of a shadow.
Chapter 6
Thirty-five days post-Quake. Land that was once flat now juts in every direction – upheaved, each layer clawing over another like tidal waves frozen in time. Tucked away in between the cracks and crevices… people. Broken, starving, death-ridden people, who would’ve been better off lost at sea. A fate more merciful, because here, some rummaged through bits of gravel for canned food, others gathered debris in hopes to build shelter, all with bones peeking through tattered clothing as if their skeletons were trying to break away from skin. Starvation was slow… creeping like a lanky ghoul of the underworld, scraping to eradicate the weak.
“This world is crumbling…” Elaina sat passenger side, riding past the cracked terrain with her partner, barely able to formulate words from witnessing commoners’ misfortune. “My heart is broken, Blague… we have to stop and help.” One hand scrunched his shoulder. “Please.”
“My father is hanging by the skin of his teeth, Elaina. He’s given everything to keep civilization alive. We have to do our part, by staying the course.”
She could only choke back tears and sit in silence, nearly breaking down when making eye contact with a face on the other side of her window, more eye than skull, as if the rest had melted away.
She sniffed back all of the turmoil that wanted to leave her, and instead distracted herself the only way she knew how.
"So… have you given up hope on Society N?"
Blague looked over solemnly, as if he’d been dreading the question for weeks. “Aldarian is, well, pessimistic at this point, and I’m afraid his mind might not be in the best place either. Without him one hundred percent committed, the cause is lost. He has all of the contacts, all of the direct knowledge.”
“You, giving up? Is the world truly ending?” she joked, sort of. “What if the answers they possess are more crucial now than ever? What if Aldarian holds the literal key to fixing this mess?”
“I’m glad you believe in fairytales too, my love. Makes me think I’m not all that crazy. But that day changed everything. I almost lost you…” He swallowed hard. “Think about all the others that did lose someone. Entire families. Cities, Elaina. My time chasing eccentric theories and shadows is done. Bringing order back to the world is priority one now.” His arms twitched to keep his steering wheel in place while the off-roading jeep stumbled over cracked hills.
“Alright, love. You know I’d follow you into hell if you chose, but it seems we’re already here,” she sighed. “I guess there’s no better way to fulfill my mission than to help people out of the fire. Let’s do it.”
Blague rested his hand on hers. "My heart is black compared to yours."
"Eh, I would say gray." She smiled.
"Alright, pain in my ass, where's the next save?"
Elaina pulled out a map filled with pen markings and pointed to one of them. "The ambassador was last seen a mile south of here. I hope Orin knows what he's doing."
Blague pulled back from his flood of memories as Sabin, Cherris, and Drino approached the table in the strat room.
Come back to me, Elaina.
He pushed his hair back with both hands, elbows resting on the smooth marble.
"You look a little out of it, buddy," Sabin commented.
"A lot on my mind, is all." He straightened in his chair.
The company of three each claimed a seat. Drino was a little slower than the rest, holding his stomach like he’d eaten something bad while delicately crouching down to reach his chair. Cherris reached over instinctively to help, but then caught herself, remembering how terrified she was of the mass murderer, and awkwardly reeled back.
Thankfully Eugene strolled in a few seconds later to break the tension, prompting Sabin to wave his hand excitedly and then rub the vacant chair next to him.
"I saved you a seat, Eugene. Come sit next to me," Sabin kept up his tone, happy to annoy.
The sniper looked back with a straight face before planting himself next to Cherris.
She wanted to laugh, truly, to forget why she rallied everyone in the first place, but it was too daunting to hold in:
“Ehem,” she coughed. “It kills me to be the bearer of bad news. M… my heart is in shambles.” Everyone tensed at the terrible segue. “But we’ve just received word that our new cargo ship has been destroyed. Milos… the poor boy,” she nearly began to weep, pulling her mix of blond and silver hair into a loose ponytail to reveal reddened, watery eyes.
"What? Lesh and Morn were on that boat…" Eugene muttered.
“The fuck are we sitting here for?” Drino slammed the table, suddenly alive with fury. “Let’s fish them out!”
"It's been a couple of days… th-their fate is grim." The matriarch put her head down and clenched her hands in prayer.
Drino grimaced and cursed in anger, the scars on his face crinkling.
Sabin’s once bright smile faded into a hardened mask. "I have to believe that they're alright. Lesh made it through, she had to. That woman… she’s unstoppable.”
“I’ll dispatch a scout and rescue crew now,” Blague announced before calling in a command through radio. “This non-communication to avoid blowing cover is costing us valuable time when it comes to saving lives. We have to implement something… but that’s neither here nor there now, in this moment. I can only wish that luck is with her, because if it is, there’s no way some boat trouble would stop her.”
Confirmation of the order rang back, and then silence but for the sound of Cherris’ gentle weeping. Blague only looked down to his hands, then his eyes constricted to send him far away. Not outward, but inward. Another seed of doubt? Is he moving too fast? Did he make a wrong call? Lesh couldn’t be dead… the Sins couldn’t lose another commander. Another friend.
Minutes passed before Blague’s head rose again, shoulders squared in his seat. “I have to reduce my variables, Eugene.” And before the sniper could protest, he continued, “It’s time I meet with Jen. The gathering is long overdue.”
Eugene blinked away the hard news and sniffed in disapproval. “You would be making a mistake. I was with her this morning. She’s going through things we can’t even fathom, she needs another day or so, at least.”
Blague wasn’t buying it. He could smell the fear, that this alliance between Sin and Aura is what was keeping Eugene sane, and that tampering with it would send it off course, breaking him in ways he didn’t even know. So his eyes pierced right through the sniper’s.
"I know she's been through hell. I was there with you when it happened, but don't coddle her. I need to know where the Aura stands and what their plans are. Our future depends on it."
Eugene sighed and threw his hands up. “Why even address me then? Go when you want, Blague. Just be warned, you may not get what you’re looking for if you don’t wait.”
"She’s still freaking out? I know I'd be if I had red smoke coming out of me," Sabin cut in.
Cherris kicked Sabin from under the table.
The sniper gave him an impatient stare. "That smoke changed everything about her. It brought her back to me, asshole."
Sabin showed his palms. "I meant no disrespect, just stating the obvious."
"Now that we’re on the topic, we have another problem that should be addressed," Cherris redirected. "Some of the Sins are concerned about the decision to let the Aura share our home."
"That's idiotic. They followed Orin's lead to save our people," said Eugene.
"That dude is so goddamn creepy," Sabin uttered.
Blague was about to speak, but then looked over at Sabin.
"Woops, sorry boss!"
Cherris chuckled nervously, wanting to slap the hunter, but already saw that the attention had shifted.
"It's not idiotic, Eu,” Blague said. “The Aura chant and praise their god incessantly, whom they believe is living and walking among them. The Sin civilians weren't there at the Battle of Old New York. This eccentric behavior is alarming and concerning from their perspective. This will have to be addressed. It’s my fault for putting it on hold for so long."
"Jen could snap her fingers and all of the Aura's artillery will turn to us," Drino remarked.
Eugene clenched his jaw and said, "That won't happen, Drino."
Blague put his hand up for silence. "We have to hold it together, everyone. This cause now has a lot of moving parts. Civil unrest cannot be one of them. On top of that, we need a solution to power the Bulchevin base."
"If the solution requires war, my forces are trained and battle-ready," Drino stated.
"And you?" Sabin asked, noticing that his comrade was holding his ribs tightly while seated.
Drino gripped the end of the marble table with intensity. "I'm not there yet," he admitted painfully.
Then, out of nowhere, the commotion of frantic footsteps sounded, louder and louder until a Sin fighter burst into the strat room.
“What is it?” Eugene jumped from his seat.
The fighter dropped his hands to his knees, struggling to catch his breath. Instead of attempting to speak, he just pointed toward the door way.
Sabin's golden eyes turned round and bright upon seeing Lesh enter the room. Her combat wear was torn and soiled, and the rims of her eyes looked a shade darker than usual, but she was alive.
Everyone stood abruptly from their seats.
"Good to see you're alright." Drino saluted.
Blague’s grin ran from ear to ear. "Lone wolves shouldn't be confined to a boat."
"My thoughts exactly," Lesh’s voice cracked.
Sabin looked her up and down with a sly smile plastered to his face. "You've looked better."
"Wish I could say the same, and that’s not a compliment," she bantered back.
Cherris slowly walked over and grabbed onto her arm tightly. "Where is he?" her voice trembled.
No words were needed when looking into Lesh’s hardened face. Cherris already knew.
She sunk down to the ground, tears flooding through. "But he was just a boy," she cried.
Visibly uncomfortable and unsure of how to console, Lesh let Cherris hold on to her leg and sob.
The grief-stricken matriarch punched at Lesh. "You were supposed to protect him! Instead, you let him die… alone.” She looked up at her, whispering, "He lost everything in this world. You were supposed to be his guardian!"
"No. I was his teacher."
A day prior, the ocean spat an unconscious boy out onto shore. His fingers were riddled with splinters from grasping onto the jagged piece of wood that got him this far. In fact, he was still attached to it - a spiny life vest that bounced him along the waves. Now his ride was over, and it was time to wake, to be reborn, with the world tugging at him to rise again. The scraping of wood against sand, the splashing of ocean waves gently over his head, the sun drying his backside and leaving him red hot… it all worked to try. But his chest rose and fell calmly with each breath, as if all of these attempts made the lullaby that much more soothing. In a soundless slumber he remained.
Then the world tried again in the form of a young bronzed girl who approached him hesitantly. Her frayed clothing and dirt-spattered face spoke to the misfortune of the Yuprain people, but the yellow flower sweetly tucked into her hair and gentle demeanor alluded to her kindness. She checked over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching, and then knelt down next to the boy. Her hand cupped his jaw, tickling him back to life.
His conscious self was nowhere near as calm as the parts that rest. Memories flooded in, his breath shortened, and out came spurts of water shooting from his mouth. He curled over as she let go before rolling onto his back, his eyes opening to see nothing but a blur of sky.
Where am I?
The boy blinked away sleep until his vision began to clear. Was this what happened after death? No, he’d killed a person. There was no way it was going to be sunshine and rainbows for him. The confusion continued when the scene converged… “Ah!” he was shocked to find two large pearly eyes staring back at him. He attempted to reel back in embarrassment, but the wooden kiss had sunk its teeth in the form of jagged shards. Spots clouded his vision once more.
“Here, let me help,” the girl spoke softly. “One… two…” She made a noise like a struggling puppy while pulling his hand with both of hers. It dislodged slower than he’d hoped, evoking a scream that was quickly muffled by her hand clapping over his mouth. “Shh! Don’t yell,” she warned quietly, and then glanced at the boy’s Cryos mark gleaming through his soggy wrinkled sleeve. “I’ve seen what the Hiezers do to the people who like blue.”
