Original Souls (A World Apart #1)

by Kyle Thomas Miller

  I was in a huge jam a moment ago, but this seems even worse than Sebastian and Geary’s dark confessions. I still don't have my llave, I'm just here falling through some sort of void. Nothing I see is distinguishable from anything else, just gray skies. But, I hear something, something that sounds predator-like.

  "Birds," I cried aloud, while desperately trying to keep my composure. Why would birds be all the way up here? I'm either so high in the sky that I haven't even gotten close enough to the ground yet to start seeing the surface again, or . . . I just don't have a clue what’s going on! I didn’t know the sky was gray and without any clouds this high.

  I'm falling backwards, down to wherever I'm headed. Maybe the surface is truly visible? If only I could turn myself around. The wind force from the drop is so strong that I can't get any torque on my own body. Helpless! I’m falling entirely too fast. Now my shirt is starting to flop with the air. It’s getting so riled up its nearly covering my face.

  Sure enough, it shot up in parachute form. A real parachute would have been a blessing, but instead my shirt simply wrapped itself around my face. Now I can't see a thing, basically the same as a minute ago, I guess, but I can still hear birds. Shrieking birds in the distance. Not like those friendly ones that wake you up in the morning, although you wanted to sleep in that day. They sound angry, and the high pitch shriek is getting louder by the minute. My guess, they'll be on me in seconds. Probably feasting at my organs like the chained god myth.

  I tried to put all my energies into my right arm. I tried bringing it around my head to take my shirt off of my face. It wasn't working, the wind force has me locked in my falling position. I wondered why this force just doesn't crush me to bits, considering the strength behind it. But I, at the very least, need to be able to see what is happening, if I have any chance of defending myself against it.

  Then suddenly, out of nowhere— I started drifting. I was drifting slowly toward the side. Now, I'm moving horizontally instead of dropping out of the sky vertically. Nothing caught me, stopping the falling sensation, I just started drifting to the side. I think I liked dropping vertically better. But perhaps someone or something is saving me.

  "The Birds," I shouted out loud, "fire!" I couldn't believe what I was seeing once my shirt sporadically detangled itself from my face. The birds, the fiery birds are carrying me sideways toward only god knows where. I started to struggle, kicking and screaming at the highest altitudes known to man. This lone man, I suspect. I still hadn't seen a single landmark in any direction. I could finally see, but would have rather been blind again. I kicked a firebird in the head and it lost its grip on my denim pant leg. The kick created a domino effect for the other three birds, and eventually they all lost balance and dropped me from their grasp.

  Boy, I really didn't think this through. I was scared out of my mind when I saw that my saviors, of sorts, were mindless animals. Mindless creatures that just so happened to be on fire. I’d forgotten that my only alternative to catching on fire was to drop a million feet to my death. Maybe I should have planned this whole thing much better. I've only just started falling and I already feel like I haven't felt a solid surface beneath my feet, or beneath my anything, in an eternity. My body is going oddly numb.

  Up, above me, I could see the red firebirds circling in the sky. The gray atmosphere surrounding their effervescent bodies created a beautiful sight, until I started to recognize their formation. They seemed to be gathering to come down on an incline. Toward me, no less! I had nowhere to go. They could be stalking me as food for their young, or how ever birds make dinner plans. I don't know, but I don't like being a sitting duck for them to pluck out of the sky.

  The first red-orange bird in line started its downward spiral toward my fragile person. Then the others followed suit. They were all so perfectly aligned that I swore I saw streaks of fire instead of four individual birds coming down toward me. We were just a few yards away from a head on collision. I cringed at the thought of being set ablaze. But they passed me instead. I opened my eyes to see why the continuously shrieking mindless animals hadn't torn me asunder. They stayed in sequence as I helplessly gazed up at them. They were back on an incline, heading up toward the high gray sky when I realized they weren't nearly as mindless as I am.

  They hadn't burned me when they first carried me. I don't know how, but it surely-happened. I was the one who attacked them, and they haven’t retaliated. They continued looping about, creating streaking flame lines in the sky, explaining as best they could to an idiot human, the situation at hand. Literally, they wrote a message in the sky . . . with fire as their ink.

  ~~SUB DIO, GRAVIORA MANENT, SAPERE AUDE, GENIUS LOCI~~

  Under the open sky, greater danger awaits, dare to be wise, we are the Guardians of this place.

  In Maledictus, it seemed they were asking me to trust them. The four birds of fire swooped down and made another pass. It appeared to be a test run for grabbing me out of the falling sky again. They started to come in for a second pass— when a loud noise broke their concentration.

  I knew that sound. I heard it many times before at Squadron test facilities for high-powered jets. They were sonic booms. Something out there was moving so fast that it was breaking the sound barrier. It was out of my range of sight, but apparently not out of sight for the firebirds. They hot tailed it out of here, no pun intended. But they jetted away so fast that they blew away the beautiful flaming message in the gray sky. And they didn't head in the direction I expected them to. They went toward the sound. The deafening booms continued to grow louder as I wondered if there was ever an end to my skydive.

  I got no answer to that question, but I finally mustered the strength to turn my body around. I could finally see a lot more of the scenery now that I'm falling toward it, instead of backing into it. With this new point of view, also came some unwanted realities. Another question on my mind would be answered. What’s making the sound that feels like it might overwhelm and explode my eardrums?

  Approximately two-seconds later the answer was made clear, so to speak. I have no idea what I'm looking at, but I'm sure there are no friendly flying dinosaurs. I know most flying dinosaurs are usually considered dragons, but this thing seemed a tad bit more ferocious than your run of the mill oversized bat.

  It had beige colored fangs that ran longer than the peak of a mountain it was rounding from the side. Just a slight glimpse of the mountaintop was visible above the sporadically disappearing gray clouds. A rust red mountain, that wasn't there just seconds ago it seemed. I was in absolute awe of this monstrous, yet beautiful creature flying towards the firebirds and me at an incomprehensible velocity. It flapped its spectacular emerald green wings every few seconds. It seemed to pick up a considerable amount of speed each time it did. The wings were jewel encrusted and just ultra-beautiful.

  If the look on its tiger-like face didn't scream“kill!” … I would have wanted the opportunity to go in for a closer look. Maybe even pet the hybrid animal. In its face it holds the familiarity of an overgrown jungle cat, but the wings, its fangs, and every single claw on its four reptilian-like legs were nothing I'd ever seen in nature before. And I'm sure if I had, I wouldn't be here falling right now. I’d be a little too dead for that. But there’s a first time for everything, so I’m sure getting acquainted with this creature will make me a lot more dead soon enough.

  As the now tepid looking firebirds made their long winded approach to the flying jungle cat, I realized I was focusing on the wrong sightseeing extravaganza unfolding around me. When I saw that mountain in the distance, it took me out of my frame of mind. But the flying jungle cat recaptured my attentions quickly as more of its illustrious features were revealed. But now that I've reclaimed my senses, I find that this drop isn't never ending. I must have reentered some atmospheric sort of . . . whatever! I'm getting a lot closer to the ground without a parachute or firebird to break my flipping fall.

  I looked back up toward the firebirds, halfheartedly hoping
to see them noticing my troubles. But they were already tied up in an overwhelming struggle of their own. I took a count and quickly realized that they were a man down. Now very far away, but I could tell. Now just three birds of war swept into formation and came head on at the half-reptile, half-tiger flying through the gray skies up above.

  With every passing second I was getting further and further away from their battle. My portion of the sky became colorized in an instant. One moment everything was gray, and then the next, I saw blue hues, white clouds, but even more impressive . . . sunlight! I was uncomfortably close now. I decided to keep looking up and backward at the battle, though my neck started to burn. I was distracting myself from the scenery closing in below me, but more so hoping that the birds would come to aid me. But they were still locked in heated combat. The large creature broke their formation. But to their success, they lit its right wing on fire. It was set ablaze by the firebirds magnificent fiery bodies.

  I watched as they reformed and swept in again, passing right through the jungles cats left wing. They went through the creature as if they weren't real themselves. The cat flinched and started to spiral down—headed right for me. It screamed in pain as the fire began to eat away at its green wings. I thought that it would come plowing right into me, it got close, but righted itself with much time to spare. In midair, this massive beast thrust its wings behind itself and pushed back up toward the gray sky. The force from the flap was so powerful that it hit me like a ton a bricks. Sending me spiraling even faster toward my inevitable end. The flap also acted as a fire extinguisher for the creatures wings. The fire that the birds set was now completely extinguished, putting them at the top of the beast's kill-list.

  The flying cat pushed back up as I and the firebirds were headed down. It was the firebirds choice to come down from high above in the gray skies, contrasting with my sun laden normal sky. But I was being forced through the clouds toward what seemed to be a town in the North. As the creature went upward, on its angled climb, it started to open its mouth widely. I have no idea what it intends to do, as it is in store for a head on collision with the remaining three birds. The burn in my neck increased when the flying jungle cat flapped its wing a moment ago, but I refused to stay face forward. The birds were still coming down from their higher altitude and the beast-pushing up. Maybe it plans to swallow them whole once they pass each other? It’s certainly big enough to do it. From its furry jaw to the tip of its fanged teeth, it’s probably a foot longer than all three birds on top of one another.

  As they nearly collided, the creature tried to bite the birds, but they pivoted left and set its wing ablaze again. The birds and the creature passed by each other in opposing directions and both turned. Shifting their bodies to face one another again. A considerable space opened between them but they both seemed intent on closing that gap. As the large creature turned its huge body, it flapped its wings and put out yet another fire.

  The birds passed through the creature again, igniting its wing, but it had a stable solution to that minor problem. The littlest birdies seemed to be running out of tricks. The large creature kept its mouth open and had a look of terrifying prowess. The birds charged back up toward it in vain. The flying jungle cat held its position an unleashed its final attack. The cat seemed to know that it couldn't physically catch these nimble little firebirds. It simply wanted to drive them to a downward position so it could make enough time for itself to rev its engines.

  As the animal roared, a small white beam of light formed in its mouth. The light grew large and then even larger, to the point I had to turn away and shield my eyes. The wind force was barely a problem anymore. I put my hand across my forehead, and tried to look back. It was like trying to stare into an eclipse. The light it generated out shined even the large monster itself. Then the sparks really started to fly. Literally, sparks of lightning were produced from the orb inside its mouth.

  Spontaneously, the orb went flashing out, down to the birdies. The stray sparks around it blew up two of the firebirds instantly. I felt bad for the little things. They seemed like tender beings. Now blasted to smithereens. But the third bird had an even more tragic encounter. It collided with the orb itself. The white lightning sphere seemed entangled with the small bird for a moment, and then exploded into infinity. It blew out in every direction, this dazzling display of pure overwhelming power. Very high above me, still in the gray of the sky, a thousand little cinders swirled about. The only remnants of my little saviors.

  After some of the commotion and sparks calmed down, I peripherally saw the jungle cat flying in the distance, far away from me. I was certainly saddened for the firebirds, but relieved to know I wasn't next on its list.

  I turned my head away from the wreckage and allowed myself to feel free. Considering I haven’t had any real sense of control over my body for probably several long minutes now, it was pretty easy to just let go. I was close to leveling with the tallest skyscraper in town.

  I noticed the ivory cylinder shaped building some miles up the town’s grasslands and roads—when a flaming feather or ash-like-cinder from the battle in the gray sky drifted down and leeched itself onto my hand. I wasn’t far from a smack down with the ground, when my hand capriciously ignited in flames!

  I began twisting and turning, the fire was so intense that it felt like it was melting my hand away. I tried to grab with my other hand, but a slight shock repelled it on contact. The same hand that Geary nailed to the Chancellor's desk, my right hand, was on fire. Then… it just turned to ash right before my eyes. My right hand faded away with the same winds that carried me toward my death.

  Like a fish out of water, I longed to feel land beneath my feet. I didn't even bother screaming as I watched the ashes that once made up my hand flutter away in the distance. I was numb, distorted beyond rational thought . . . simply out of feelings. I looked down, and saw the rooftop of a factory a few stories below me, ready to take my life upon impact. I tried praying to the North Star. Aurora's star. For Corinth's safety in my absence. While I muttered this worthless heap of words to a mythical figure, I hit something . . . something soft!

  I was shocked when I opened my eyes to see the same rooftop beneath me. But there was space between me and it. Not my face crushed up against it, like I expected things to play out. It was just there, beneath me as I seem to lay on an invisible cushy cloud of some sort. "Or force field," I randomly mumbled to myself.

  I was in the North, far in the North. The large building I saw, it must have been the watchtower at the school. I can't believe I'm in the North, the safest place in all the Worlds. Or at least it usedto be. Before there were tigers with lightning shooting out of their mouths flying above it. Well, I guess that's why Aurora's school has always had a force field around it. Though the town doesn’t have one, so ... that’s bad logic to think the school needs the field around it. I went to that very school. It saved me from a boring fate stuck in Draconia, which is the least advanced World by far. Well, socially at least. Not only is the North safer than all the other Worlds, but it’s also the most culturally advanced. Wait! Then those birds, they must have been ... wow! It is such a rushing surprise to have all this information coming back to me at once.

  I glanced over to the knob that was the remainder of my missing hand. It’s pushed up against the force field. The field glowed brightly in that spot. In fact, the only thing that indicated there is a force at work here is my body lying on top of it. Seeing the knob was grim to say the least. A, not so subtle, reminder of something I’d like to hope is just a really realistic dream. My hand isn't missing. As in it'ssomewhere out there waiting to be found. My hand, it’s just gone. Unless I wake up feeling foolish for being so afraid of the possibility of living without it.

  I slammed into the soft force field face forward, so I tried turningonto my back. Even though my landing was surprisingly gentle, I am aching from this entire battling journey I've been on for days now. I'm so tired. So tired. Thankfully, I can’t even
process the pain of my burned away hand. It’s surely gone, but there’s no lingering sensation. After the initial burn, that is. After the ashes drifted away, like dust in the wind. I had to take a few deep breaths and let that all sink in.

  Soon enough, I feel myself falling asleep. The sky started changing colors above me in reds, greens, and blues. I thought; maybe the Aurora Boreal was taking place in real time? Are these the Northern Lights twinkling above me like little beacons of hope—or quite possibly dread? Who knows but the stars. Nevertheless, that’s likely what’s going on. I used-to stare at those lights long ago when I went to school up here, so I know them well enough to tell. My son is once again out of my reach, and I'm sure that I'm not just falling asleep right now. I'm passing out— for the umpteen time.

  Chapter 6:

  The Nexus' Complexes

  March 31, 1002 ~ Daylight

  "Ahhh!" said Corinth's father, with a gut wrenching gasp from his hospital -bed. "My god, when is this nightmare going to end!" he cried out in full sentences from within his dreams, like he’d been doing for several hours now.