Original Souls (A World Apart #1)

by Kyle Thomas Miller

  I had only been in the office twice. When Sebastian reassigned my entire unit after Corinth went missing, and when the former Chancellor died there. He took office about two years before Corinth's disappearance, so he had already amassed the pull necessary to do what he willed. Most thought he’d be impeached for his overly restrictive laws, but that never happened. Still, it was too hard to work on missing person cases while I had no idea where my boy was at the time.

  Both instances that brought me to the office were tragic. The first time I was ever inside the Parthenon on Squadron business was when we found former Chancellor Phillip face down at his desk, not breathing. It was a sobering sight to see the top man dead at the Seat of Power. After that discovery, Sebastian quickly lobbied for the Seat of Power and won by a senate vote, but still not a vote of the people.

  I always thought it strange that no one seemed to suspect any foul play. Sebastian lost the public elections to this groundbreaking candidate, and not even nine months later, he turns up dead from a heart attack. He was nowhere near done with his five-year term. He wasn't nearly old enough for that to be a realistic cause of death. He was only forty-one. Though I knew and respected Sebastian, I thought he could have been involved at first. The mystery surrounding the case was daunting until the coroner released a death certificate. Sebastian had the most to gain from his death, politically at least.

  But I guess it was their personal connection that kept anyone from thinking up convoluted conspiracies. Sebastian is Phillip's father, and his public display of grief was heartbreaking for everyone in Draconia. Likewise, it helped hispublic image, because most thought him to be very impersonal and cold. This humanized him to the point that no one wanted to talk of more general elections to oust the grieving father. But now he's up for reelection, after serving out the remainder of his son’s term. This time around,people aren’t as transfixed by him. They’ve seen pieces of his vision for Draconia realized, and no one wants to see it go any further. Strict laws and higher than necessary taxes can turn a people on you very easily.

  Where he is right now, I can't imagine? Evan might be part of a plan that has him held captive as well. If so, than I'm in bigger trouble than I realize. Sebastian was my ace in the whole. I'm hoping that he can clear up some of these issues. If Evan and his goons have control of the Parthenon, then Sebastian must be in hiding. Even the people seemed to be in support of whoever has the Parthenon in their grasp. Maybe it’s one of the challengers to Sebastian in the election trying to pull off some kind of coup? Maybe they've managed to seize control over Draconia's government through promise of change that will never come? It could get worse if we let criminal pirates commandeer the government, instead of free elections. If this is the case, then I'll be waiting on a miracle to get Corinth back.

  We reached the large brown and gold-trim double-doors of the Chancellor's office. Evan walked around the large altar and opened them. He motioned for his goons to take me into the office. As we entered, I noticed that Sebastian had redecorated a bit since Phillip left. The decor was dark and sullen. I couldn't imagine why he would have covered that beautiful window. A floor to ceiling window that overtook the entire back wall, but now with a thick black curtain keeping out the light nailed over it. A slight bulge at the center of the window looked peculiar, like there was some frame-like item underneath it, mounted to the actual glass, but there was no way to tell. I don't think I've ever walked into a house and seen black curtains that let nearly no sunlight through.

  Sebastian was a legendarily pale man. His skin was so dried out and ghostly that the mere sight of him was overwhelming. Frightening even. He usually dressed in black and spoke with a low booming tone that made his words seem rehearsed. His intensity never ceased to amaze me. He had a heart, it seemed, but he hid it very well. But for all the dark changes he made, one thing was still the same, the desk where I found Phillip.

  This desk is an artifact; it's been the Chancellor's desk for nearly one-hundred and fifty years. The Chancellor who signed off on the Puente del Cielo originally sat there. It had history. Every Chancellor since then has sat behind it, likewise Sebastian. But right now there seems to be a man that I don't know sitting there. The desk chair is turned so that the back only shows. I'm sure it can't be Sebastian, because this man's hair isn't white.

  The burgundy suede chair began to slowly turn. The seated man's face hadn't fully crept its way into my line of sight before I realized who he was. That sun-dried jerk. The Gente Peligroso from the factory that tried to annihilate Corinth had returned. He sat staring at me with the most profound look of terror in his eyes. He looked scared. His mouth covered by silver tape and his hands bound-to the arms of the chair. His red eyes spoke volumes and volumes of—pain. Not only were his irises the color of a Gente Peligroso, but also the whites of his eyes had become considerably red. He looked like he had been beaten pretty badly. He shuffled and wiggled around while looking at his captor...the increasingly notorious Evan.

  "Stop it, old man!" Evan scoffed at him. "You had a job that you failed to complete. You brought this on yourself. And remember, -it's an honor to be executed on the master’s direct command." That didn't sound very pleasant, I thought, or honorable for that matter. "Most Gente Peligroso we use are simply exiled for failure, but you will have the distinct honor of addressing your puppeteer. The one pulling all the strings here." I had no idea who Evan was referring to. Worse yet, he had his Mr. Scary voice back. Whatever he lapsed in judgment as we entered the vestibule of the Chancellor's offices, he had regained in full form since we reached Sebastian's personal office.

  "Where's Corinth!" I shouted, with a strange hint of authority in my voice.

  "You again with this. The boy is no longer your concern."

  "Actually, the boy is his top priority, Sergeant Gambit," said a gloom and boom voice from behind me, to Evan. "We have spent an incomprehensible amount of time building a maze that would lead our dearest friend, Criston, right here for that very reasoning. That reason being, of course ... the boy you’ve so recklessly disregarded."

  "Yes, Chancellor," said Evan. Then the man who I've trusted for so many years walked past-me without so much as giving the courtesy of glancing at my dire facial expression. My face could show only shock and horror at the sight of my ace card… being my main opponent.

  Sebastian probably knew all too well that I didn't have a clue to what was happening around me. Why Evan couldn't catch the sun-dried Gente Peligroso, even though the blast radius for the absorption gun was supposed to be aimed right at him. Why Evan was the one to pick me up at the hospital after Julia's outburst. How I got away from those goons without as much as a scratch on me. A little dirt in my ears, from that dusty road, but nothing I couldn't handle. Why there were no police outposts at the scene of Julia's now infamous crime. Yet, they were there as soon as I returned— to collect the goods. I brought this cruel fate upon my own child.

  "Why!" I shouted out loud. "Why is all of this happening!? He's just a boy, we're a simple -family. What are you going through all of this for?” I paused and took in a huge gulp of air.“Do you even know the-answer yourselves?!" my voice began to crack as the room fell silent. No one seemed to have the gall to respond to my questions. The looks on their faces were looks of stun. It's almost as if they had forgotten I was still here, even though they were all walking around deciding my and Corinth’s fates.

  "Criston, my dear friend," Sebastian started out, "I am merely procuring the future for the next generation. Your son, he is, well, a misfit of sorts. He doesn't possess a normal ability to simply blend in with the faceless masses. I knew this from the day he was born. I felt a huge surge of energy come into the world, and not just our World. Draconia and all the way abroad could feel this child's energy radiating like a beacon of either hope or dread. Unfortunately, I have deemed it dread. Just like all the mixed breed abominations," he said with a smile upon his pale face. His blue eyes stood out more than usual. His black cloak draped ove
r him and a black suit beneath it, covering him from the neck down to his ankles. He wore black suede shoes to accompany the dreary look he always had about him.

  "Who are you to decide such a thing, you careless fool!" Sebastian twitched some at the sound of me calling him a fool.

  "I know you're upset, my dear friend, but we mustn't lower ourselves to insults. I'm here as a messenger for the masses. We cannot have a boy with the power of a god amongst us, it’s too dangerous in such feeble hands as his. That's why we are going to transfer it to my hands," he momentarily paused. Seemingly to gauge my computation of his words. "So that the power is better taken care of, of course."

  "What!" I shouted. "How is something like that even possible, you can't just take his power from him, you'll destroy him."

  "That could be an unfortunate side effect of the transfer. I’m not as well versed in all this as I probably should be, but it is a sacrifice that I am willing to make."

  "You're not the one sacrificing anything, it’s Corinth who loses. You're a monster and I won't let it happen."

  He laughed at me. "It’s funny how soon you are to forget the circumstances surrounding you," he said while walking up to my face, looking me dead in the eyes. "You have already allowed yourself to believe there is hope for your boy, while completely negating the fact that you are strapped down to an altar that could hold the likes of a magik wielder twice your ability!" He turned away from me and began to pace the length of his large office.

  He was right, I didn't have a hope or a prayer. I don't even know where they're keeping Corinth. Then it dawned on me. Why would they need me alive if they already have Corinth? They shouldn't, but Evan said they did. Throughout this whole ordeal, they’ve been more than reluctant to destroy me. Sebastian himself said that this was all orchestrated to get me here. This seemed to be the only opportunity I'm going to get, so I decided to survey the situation, then put it to use wisely.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Evan off to the far side of the office near the large floor to ceiling window that took up the entire wall behind the Chancellor's desk. He was leaning against a sculpture of a former Draconian Chancellor, with his head down low. He was scratching his neck even more vigorously than before. Sebastian didn't seem to take note, he was thinking immaculately hard about something as he continued pacing, but I noticed. I took note of the very same scar on the left side of Evan's neck that I saw on the two goons that wheeled me in here. They all resembled one another to a point of precision. I chose to play this one cool and not over sell myself.

  "So, how's that brain washing program going down at Squadron, Sebastian?" I asked with a grin on my face.

  Everything going on in the room instantly stopped. Evan looked up at me first, and then his gazed swiftly glided over to Sebastian. The two goons behind me came into sight as they too took up question with Sebastian. Sebastian stopped pacing directly in front of me, about six feet away. He came in a little closer. He was the only one looking to the person in the room with an exit strategy ... me.

  "So… for once in your miserable life you decide to be observant, Criston. What a pity," he hissed with disdain in his tone. "You are a troublesome fooljust like your father always said you were. It’s a shame that I didn't believe him until today." He's trying to use my strained relationship with my father, toward the end of his life, against me. But I'm already ahead of him.

  "Well, I guess a father always knows what's best. What more can be said, Sebastian?" I couldn't keep the grins from showing up on my face.

  "Well, I know a few things that you don't, buddy boy. Bring in the child!" He snapped toward the doorway behind the altar that I’m intricately strapped to. The two goons and Evan were now distracted from my assertions of brainwashing, but I hadn't hit my stride just yet.

  Then a blue light started to make its way into the room. It was so bright that I had to shut my eyes, even though it was behind me at first. I let a few seconds go by before I tried opening them again. The sight before me was astounding once I figured out what the structure truly was.

  "If you don't recognize him, this is your son, Criston!" said Sebastian in a loud tone, because with the awesome blue light, also came a high pitch whine that made my ears cringe.

  "It’s a cocoon," I said under my breath. Sebastian must have read my lips.

  "Yes, it is, Criston. Good of you to take note and catch up with the rest of us."

  I now knew why Corinth didn't remember anything from his nearly two year stent missing. He was protected by his unique power. He was only about fifteen feet away from me. The four Squadron members, that I thought to be dead, brought him in on a smaller version of the altar they had me on, minus the wheels. Geary chewed his gum, like a horse eats hay. He remained the only one who looked like he was here of his own free will.

  Corinth's eyes were open, but no one was home. Those eyes radiated a blocked-out turquoise light, colored in the same shade as his irises. The shine was so bright that it was difficult to see the rest of his body. They sat the altar on the Chancellor's desk, right in front of the Gente Peligroso that tried to blast Corinth and I away back at the factory. The light beams shot from Corinth's eyes and twisted into a spiral form as they traversed his entire body in every direction possible. It formed a cocoon around him in orbiting lights that kept stiffing back and forth. They spiraled in different directions around him, while never leaving any one spot open to the world outside of its grasp, keeping the innocent boy sheltered inside.

  "In case you were wondering why we kept you alive this long, here you have it." Sebastian couldn't stand the thought of needing me, I could see it in his eyes. I'm going to milk this for all its worth. "The boy is in some sort of protective lights-show. We can't penetrate the light physically or with magik. Not even the most powerful wielders could break that structure around your peasant child. We have been trying for two years and have failed miserably. That's why we decided to use you ... once again, my dear friend."

  That part caught me off guard. "What do you mean ‘once again?’" I asked willfully.

  "So, now you realize you are not the one holding all the cards," he smugly announced. "You, Criston, this is all because of you, but in more ways than you know . . . Geary!" Sebastian called out menacingly. "Do turn off all of our little friends so that Criston and I here can have a more literal conversation."

  "Right up, boss!" Geary said while glancing at me, as he turned and walked over to Evan. He grabbed him around the back of the neck roughly, but Evan didn't even seem to care. It looked as if Geary was turning something that was embedded in his neck.

  Soon after Geary walked away from Evan, moving onto the others in the room, Evan’s eyes went dark while he was standing up. He just fell asleep with them wide open, or at least it looked that way to me. I watched as Geary walked up to the three others that helped him bring in Corinth's cocoon. He did the same. Only when he reached the two goons guarding me did I finally find out what he was doing to the men.

  Before I could examine the method Geary employed to relinquish them of their freedom to move, speak, and seemingly breathe, Sebastian got right in my face and started to whisper the facts about the procedure he was performing on them. His pale skin frightened me. He had his flaky cheek pressed up against mine, and his breath wasn't as desirable as I would have liked it to be. But my attention went back to Evan. He didn't look human any more. That's at least what I got from the look on his non-expressive face. He didn't move an inch, which meant that he couldn't be breathing. Unless he was taking in the most shallow breaths ever.

  "The serum is what you were referring to when you suggested that these other men were being brainwashed," Sebastian softly said into my left ear. "They are being controlled by the El Muerte Vivo." Oh goodie, I thought, more terms that mean nothing to me. I listened in to find out what this El Muro Vive really was. "You see, this is the curse that started the Ancestry Wars that the Great Eight waged against one another. I have reproduced it… in a manageab
le serum. I've been using it for years now. In fact, I used it on you, Criston."

  That revelation didn't hit me as hard as Sebastian may have thought. It would have, had I not noticed Corinth's and my ticket out of here, dangling so close to me. As Geary was administering his touch of death to the Squadron goons on either side of me, I noticed something amazing. He went over to the second guy on my right. This was the big guy that got the ball rolling for me when I noticed the scar on the left side of his neck. I realized in-that moment that it’s an incision, not an ordinary scar. A doctor, or at least a trained specialist of some kind, made that cut on his neck. And there is a slight bulge surrounding the area. There’s a chip inside of all these guy's necks. That's why Evan scratched and itched. His must be new, or something. He didn't have that scar before, not that I noticed, but he certainly has it now.

  "So the chip inside their necks releases the serum at specified times to keep them under your control, did I get that right?"

  "You're much cleverer than anyone has ever given you credit for." Sweet, he awarded me with a backhanded compliment. "But!" Sebastian abruptly said as Geary was on the down swing of turning the last guy off. "You don't know the half of it really," he finally went on to say. "Look there, at this large man." He gestured just beyond the altar I was strapped to at the big goon to my right. "Watch as Geary goes into the incision with that tool in his hand."