Savior Part 3: Legion of The Godhand (The Savior Series)

by Bradley, A. King

  “And you are certain that he will grant us an audience now that you have relinquished custody of the vessel and the half-breed?” I asked.

  “Despite his recent transgressions, The Godhand is a man of honor. He will keep his word,” The Righteous reassured.

  “And what will become of the half-breed?” I asked.

  “The Pillar of Eden’s medical bay should do well to mend The Reaper’s injuries and I would not suspect any harm to befall him in the short-term as The Godhand is not yet privy to the fact that he is my son. In any case, we shall deal with him once the issue of the Crown is resolved,” The Righteous replied.

  “And you are certain that this boy is your son?” I asked.

  “Indeed,” The Righteous said. “And it would seem as though he too carries with him the favor of our Goddess.”

  “How so?” I asked as a puzzled look washed across my face.

  “His existence is physically impossible given the limitations of the human physiology, yet he exists. And the very fact that he was not completely destroyed by the force of your power is even more proof that the Goddess has a hand in his destiny,” The Righteous answered.

  “But he means to destroy us, Father— and as much as I hate to admit it, I fear that he may have the power to do so. Why are we even keeping him alive to begin with? Why not destroy him while we still have the chance?” I asked.

  “Because he is my son, Darius— and he is also your brother.”

  “And should he continue his pursuit on your life once he recovers?” I asked somberly.

  “Then I will do what I must,” my father said.

  That certainly wasn’t the definitive answer that I had been hoping for but I decided to let it go, as I could tell that my father did not wish to continue the conversation anymore. Still, The Reaper’s presence troubled me just as much as The Godhand’s. The half-breed should have been completely incinerated by the blast of power that I had unleashed upon him, yet when the smoke cleared and the dust finally settled there he was, lying before me— critically injured and on the brink of death yet somehow still clinging to the modicum of life that remained within him. My father’s desire to keep him alive certainly troubled me, but his assumption that my mother, the Goddess, was the reason he survived the blast bothered me even more. I had no knowledge of how The Reaper fit into Her overall plan to stop the Equillian Federation but my only hope was that She would ultimately influence him to abandon his quest to kill The Righteous. He was even faster than The Redeemer and his strength had increased so drastically during our battle that I realized that, under the right circumstances, his physical power could possibly rival even that of Cyrus, The Godhand. Simply put, he was likely the most powerful of us all, yet none of us knew the true extent of his unusual power. It worried me that we had no way of knowing just how truly dangerous he could ultimately become, but what troubled me the most was that the more and more I thought about it the more I began to realize that the fates of both Eden and Earth seemed to be somehow entwined with the ultimate fate of The Reaper.

  5. DIVINE INTERVENTION

  REAPER:

  ALL I COULD SEE WAS DARKNESS. AN INFINITE VOID OF shadow that stretched around me as far as my eyes could see. Despite the overwhelming nothingness of the otherworldly void that surrounded me, it somehow started to seem familiar. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why that was the case but after a few moments I suddenly realized that I also wasn’t sure of how long I’d been there. This was partially because my memory was somewhat foggy but mostly because, for some reason, the concept of time almost seemed irrelevant.

  That’s why I figured I was dead— it was the only logical explanation after what had happened. I remembered bits and pieces of one hell-of-a fight that I had had with Darius, The Greater. He had kicked my butt for most of the battle but I managed to turn the tables near the end when I locked him into a triangle choke hold. I remembered being seconds away from choking the life out of him then getting hit with an overwhelming blast of corrosive energy that came out of nowhere. The intense heat of the fiery blue energy tore at my flesh as I tried desperately to hang on to The Greater’s neck. I held on for as long as I could but in the end my entire body was engulfed as the crackling torrent of power ripped through the air and consumed the entire building.

  I don’t remember dying, though, I thought as the revelation popped into my head. There was just a blinding flash of hot white light and then… nothing.

  “That is because you are not dead, child,” a majestic whisper suddenly echoed in the darkness before me.

  What the heck was that?! I thought, as my eyes darted around the ocean of darkness that surrounded me. I flailed my arms forward and continued to peer into the endless shadows, but before long I realized that I could not locate the source of the otherworldly voice. To make matters worse I also discovered that it was possible that I didn’t even have a physical body when I looked down to my hands and realized that there was nothing there. In a way it kind of felt like I had a physical form because I could sense that I had a body, but it also felt like I didn’t because I couldn’t feel anything— even when I tried to pinch myself.

  “Fear not child, for your time has not yet come,” the majestic voice continued, breaking the silence as a blinding spark of light suddenly appeared before me and spread out in all directions.

  I opened my mouth to reply but I was absolutely speechless as an enormous ball of blue and white energy suddenly materialized before me and ballooned outward until it was as big as a skyscraper. Thick grey fog suddenly appeared and spread outward around my knees, covering the infinite amount of darkness in a matter of seconds as I stared up at the giant ball of flaming energy that had appeared before me. I was completely frozen in awe as I watched the white hot energy before me finally take the form of a massive blue and white eye that towered above me the same way a redwood tree would tower over a blade of grass.

  “You!” I finally gasped, with a mixture of anger and fear evident in my voice.

  “Yes, child, it is I, the Goddess of Eden,” the ghostly eye replied, despite the fact that She didn’t seem to have a mouth.

  “What is this place? Why have you brought me here?” I demanded.

  “Fear not, child, for I will bring you no harm,” The Goddess replied, obviously reading my mind. “In fact, it is I whom you have to thank for your salvation,” She continued.

  “You— you’re saying I’m not dead?” I stammered.

  “Indeed, but even with my intervention your physical form was left critically injured after your battle with my son, The Greater. Your body now rests aboard the Pillar of Eden and in time the ship’s medical chamber will fully repair your broken body and restore your former vitality, but for now you remain within a medical coma lest you succumb to your multitude of injuries.”

  “But why? Why would you save me after I tried to kill your son?” I asked skeptically.

  “The vessel would only agree to accept her fate if I saved you. It was a condition upon which she vehemently insisted,” The Goddess explained.

  “So you used me? You used me to trick Monica into sacrificing her body to you?” I said angrily.

  “She will not be sacrificed, child. We will merely become one.”

  My chin started to quiver and the anger in my chest turned to anguish as I glared up at the unimaginably powerful spectral eye that towered over me. Even with all my abilities I was no more than a gnat compared to Her. It angered me beyond believe that I would likely lose Monica to Her but I was absolutely devastated by the fact that there was nothing I could do about it.

  “But she won’t be herself anymore, will she?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

  “She has made peace with her fate, Reaper, and know that she will not suffer. That I promise,” The Goddess assured.

  “You won’t get away with this,” I warned as I shook my head in frustration. “I don’t know how I’m going to stop you but I guarantee I’ll find a way! And I’ll make
them all pay, do you hear me?! When I get out of here I’ll make it my life’s mission to hunt down every person who has ever served you!”

  “Your anger blinds you, Reaper, and it is that very rage that your enemy has used to deceive you for all these years,” The Goddess whispered.

  “What are you talking about?” I scoffed.

  “I am referring to the insidious seeds of deceit that were sewn the moment you decided to join this most unholy crusade against The Righteous. The Equillian forces with whom you have aligned yourself are not the benevolent allies that they claim to be, Reaper. Make no mistake, child, they are your enemy and they seek only to use you in order to destroy your father,” She continued.

  “My father is dead,” I growled.

  “No, child, your father is Solomon, The Righteous,” The Goddess whispered as Her piercing spectral eye continued to gaze down at me.

  My eyes grew wide with dismay as the gravity of Her words bore down on me.

  “Wh— what—” I started, but before I could properly formulate a rebuttal to Her assertion I suddenly realized that I somehow already knew that She was telling the truth. It was as if She was somehow pouring the knowledge into my head as I stood before Her.

  “But how? Wh— why would he? Why would he lie to me?” I wondered, devastated to realize that Director Wells had lied when he told me that my Anokian father had been killed during their escape from Area 51.

  “Because they are not your allies, Reaper. They are deceivers, and they mean to use you to kill The Righteous as well as your brother, The Greater.”

  Suddenly the darkness around us began to shimmer and fade away as I tried to come to grips with the devastating information that the Goddess had revealed to me. After a few moments the darkness had completely vanished and I now stood within the interior of an enormous, decorative hall that I guessed was some kind of alien palace based on the otherworldly feel of the architecture. Towering marble walls that glistened with gold and ivory designs surrounded me on all sides and the massive crowd of decoratively dressed Anokian Knights and Nobles that filled the great hall before me all stood silently amongst the center of the room and peered towards a platform that hovered ten feet in the air in front of them. Like a moth to the flame, I was drawn to the platform that floated before the clamoring crowd, and as I slowly made my way towards it I phased right through the spectating Anokians as if I was nothing more than a ghost. At first I wasn’t quite sure what was drawing me in but I drew closer to the platform and my eyes grew wide with dismay as I finally discovered the source of my attraction.

  Monica. The girl of my dreams had finally returned. I was completely frozen in awe as I watched the silvery streams of moonlight that beamed down through the palace’s crystal ceiling surround her like the aura of an angel. She wore a decorative gold and ivory gown that went well with the golden glow of her majestic amber colored eyes and her perfect waves of raven hair cascaded down her delicate skin as she stood upon the slightly wavering platform.

  Without taking another step I somehow found myself standing upon the floating platform right beside Monica who was crying as she focused her eyes downward. My knees nearly buckled from grief as I reached out to comfort her only to have my hands phase right through her as if she was nothing more than a memory. A mixture of anger and heartache filled my chest as I realized that she along with everything that I was seeing must have been nothing more than a vision implanted into my head by the Goddess as She tried to make some mysterious point. I became even more enraged when I saw that a slightly older version of myself was laying on the table in front of Monica and from the way she continued to cry as she stared down at this motionless version of me I could tell that this Reaper had likely died.

  “What is this? Why are you showing me this?” I called out to the Goddess even though Her spectral eye form had vanished.

  “Because, child, this is your future. Behold, Adam, The Reaper, High King of the Anokian Empire. While this is but one of a multitude of possible fates that could befall you, given the choices that you have made thus far as well as those you still intend to make, this reality is likely the one that shall come to pass.”

  I remained silent as I stared down at my lifeless face and wondered if anything that She had said was true. I certainly wanted to believe that She was lying to me but I couldn’t deny that my gut was telling me that She was right. This gut feeling had nothing to do with the Goddess, however, but more so the remarkable similarities between the vision that I was now witnessing and the recurrent dream that Monica had once described to me. She was always afraid that if I continued to pursue The Righteous that perpetual nightmare in which I died would someday become her reality.

  “And she was right, Reaper,” The Goddess said, obviously having read my mind once again. “If you continue your pursuit of the Broken Crown this is where it shall end. There will be victories along the way but make no mistake, these will be no more than short sighted triumphs that will ultimately lull you into a false sense of security whilst your true enemy moves to silence you. If you continue along this path you will once again encounter The Greater, and with the help of your comrade Howard Vargas, The Greater will finally be defeated. You will then challenge The Righteous, expecting an easy victory due to his age but your father will push you to limits the likes of which you have never experienced. Your resolve will be tested like never before but in the end even Solomon, The Righteous will fall before your might. Having dismantled a reign that spanned centuries, no one will question your right to rule. The Knights of Eden will kneel at your command and your Anokian brethren will welcome you with open arms as their new High King. With one swift decree you will sever the Anokian alliance with the Refugee planets within the Andromeda Galaxy. Without the might of the Anokian military in their corner the refugees will be forced to either flee the galaxy or surrender. Eden will remain under the control of the Equillians but as a part of the terms of your agreement with their Federation, the Anokian people will finally be allowed to return to their home world. Shortly afterward you and your Right Hand will die under mysterious circumstances. News of your death will rock the galaxy and the entire Anokian command along with thousands more of your people will travel light years to get one last glimpse of the one who dethroned The Righteous and put an end to the Great War— and, dear child, this is when the great deceivers will strike their final blow. As you are being laid to rest, a single Equillian dreadnaught will appear above the palace and vaporize the entire building— murdering thousands of your citizens along with every single member of the Anokian command. No one in the galaxy will suspect Equillian involvement in this disaster as the incident will be made to look like a surprise attack by refugees, hell bent on exacting revenge against an Anokian Empire that had betrayed them. Without a single Anokian noble left alive the Equillian Federation will petition the corrupted Galactic Counsel for control of the Anokian Empire— and with that, the fate of your people will be sealed.”

  “Why are you telling me this,” I asked as I struggled to come to grips with Her revelations.

  “Because you are the only one who can bring about the changes necessary to ensure that this future does not come to pass,” She replied as the palace around me faded away.

  “And what if I don’t believe you?” I asked as the dark void and The Goddess’ massive eye form appeared before me once again.

  “Then all would be lost,” She replied. “The Equillians will not stop with the Andromeda Galaxy, Reaper. In time, they mean to conquer the entire universe— and if the Son of Eden should fall, that is exactly what will happen.”

  “So that’s it then. That’s what you’ve been getting at the whole time! You’re just trying to convince me not to kill your son, aren’t you?” I sneered.

  “This is about the fate of your universe and nothing more, Reaper. You must understand that fate is not as linear as organics have come to believe. At any point there are a myriad of possibilities that come in and out of the realm of
probability based on the collective actions of but a few key agents within the given spectrum of your reality. You are one of those agents, Reaper, but so is your brother, The Greater. I have seen what will happen to your realm if he should be destroyed. He must live, dear child, because if the Son of Eden falls, so shall your universe.”

  “Yeah, well that’s awfully convenient for you,” I scoffed.

  “Your doubt is misplaced, Reaper, for you should know that I have no reasons to mislead you. It is well within my power to keep your mind locked within this place for all eternity, but despite your uncertainty I still intend to set you free once your body has recuperated.”

  “And why would you do that? Why would you send me back if you know what I intend to do?” I asked.

  “Because I have faith in you, Reaper, and because you are the only one who can save him,” She replied.

  “Save him? I’m the guy who’s trying to kill him, remember?” I said.

  “But if you choose not to there is still a probable fate that ends with The Greater’s demise. I am somehow unable to see the exact cause of his alternative fate but I am certain that it will be the one who you refer to as Ace who ultimately strikes him down.”

  “And what makes you so sure of that?” I demanded.

  “Because I am also unable to fully see what will bring about your demise should you continue along your current path. Through the process of elimination, however, I have determined that the most likely culprit is none other than your friend Ace.”

  “Never! Ace would never try to kill me! And besides you just said that you don’t know how I’m supposed to die!” I protested.