In the distance, I saw a lady walking in the middle of the road; her intense blue hair was short and silky. I watched the shadows of the trees began to move forward and pull apart as Corey prepared herself for battle- this was obviously not one of the good guys.
The doors opened on both sides of the car and we were invisibly forced out of the car, snapping the seatbelts in half. The unknown force was binding; I struggled in vain to break free but the more I moved, the tighter the grip grappled me. I glanced down at the blue haired woman, she was much taller than me and her eyes burned an intense orange. I opened my mouth to scream for my brother but something clasped my lips shut. Beside me Corey was still kicking and trying to break free.
“No need to try and get away or yell for the human. I would just like to speak to you briefly, if you agree with what I say, I shall let you go.” She stepped closer to us then looked up at Corey, “Hello Skylark, long time no see,” she smiled. “My name is Masaya, the Lord Steward of the Queen’s Court. I have been searching a very long time for you, young one. I’ve been here for a total of three days and I believe that you are of more used to me alive than dead,” she paused then nodded her head. The crushing force ceased and we were slowly placed back on the ground.
“For what?” I demanded after I had the use of my mouth back.
“There are rules Alizarin, rules that both of your parents broke. By now you should know that you are half Genesis, half god and although impure, still a Goddess.”
“So you‘re Skylark?” I looked over at Corey with confusion.
“Yes,” she replied while looking down at the ground.
As much as I wanted to I couldn’t bring myself to hate her, at least she wasn’t on the bad team and was working with me for a change. “So what do you want from me? Why go through all of this trouble to find one bastard child?”
She smiled at me warmly. “If you are not for me then you are against me. Join me in the royal courts of Xyonthis or die, those are your only two options.”
Do not be afraid my child, she can only temporarily harm your body. The whispered thought was from a man- one I did not know.
Who and where are you? I answered.
My name is Hero, where I am is unimportant. Accept who you are and you will know a power like no other.
My mind raced as weighed a great deal of options; embracing who I am came easier than I thought as I closed my eyes and gave in to the force that clawed away at me from the inside every day. Being a human was great, but being a Goddess was even better.
When I opened my eyes I looked directly at Masaya, she had obviously known nothing of my power as I gathered information quickly from her thoughts. Rage and anger built inside of me as witnessed the slaying of hundreds of innocent creatures and people. “I choose neither. You are the one that needs to pay for what you have done.”
With opened eyes, I allowed fire to blaze around my body before sprinting toward her. In an instant I was thrown across the snow kissed field and into the branches of a tree. Feeling the jabbing of the branches through my clothes, I cried out in pain as I fell to the ground.
“I see you choose death, very well,” she said as she walked across the small field.
I got up from the ground only to be once again flying through the air, landing on another tree; the branched split underneath as I wobbled briefly to my feet. “A little help here!” I yelled out to Corey, who technically wasn’t even Corey anymore.
“I can’t move!” She called back with fear and confusion weighing heavily in her voice.
“Where is your human?” Masaya teased as she toyed with me.
“What human?” I was uncontrollably out of breath, the cold winter air dried my lungs completely as I inhaled it.
“Asher, the human you have protecting you. Where is he?”
“He’s not human, we’re twins. What are you talking about?”
She laughed out loud then came closer to me, “A Genesis having multiple births? It can’t be done.”
I stopped listening to her lies the lunged for her again and was suddenly stopped then forced face first on the ground. “Now would be a good time to surrender,” she said slyly. “Trust me, I have no problem taking your power and blood from you right here.”
When I looked up from the snow-dirt combination, Nikko was standing behind her, ferociously ready to pounce. With the single touch of his finger, her body locked up and she fell stiffly to the ground. I got up quickly and picked a few splinters from my flesh then I pulled him away from her and began to jog towards Skylark.
Whatever Nikko had done to her didn’t last long, she was up and on her feet before I made it back to Skylark.
“You should get out of here, Aliza,” Nikko said as he stopped to look at Masaya.
“Yeah right,” I replied, igniting the fire once again. I reached down into the deepest parts of my body and built up momentum, soon I could feel the blaze grow hotter as I focused on everything I had been taught thus far. Fire orbs now began to form at my hands as I stood behind Nikko.
“When did you learn how to do that?” Nikko questioned.
I hurled the orb just as Masaya was make a quick approach toward us. She threw her hands up and stopped it before it could get to her and dissipated it.
“You’ll have to try harder than that,” she snickered.
I threw as many as I could as Nikko sprang into action, disappearing in and out of view. From the corner of my eye I saw Ash pull up and get out of the car then after dispatching another version of himself, he had one run over to Corey and the other came over to me. “Took you long enough,” I cantered.
“I was fifteen minutes away, remember?” He then unhooked his wristlet and threw Aspen up into the air, “A little help out here.”
I looked down at mine, suddenly remembering that I had Azlyn to help out. Ash was up and in the air before I could get my bracelet off. I took one more look at Nikko, that’s when the worst happened.
Before either Ash or I could reach them, Masaya had grabbed Nikko by his neck and slammed him to the ground; he squirmed momentarily then went completely still. Dropping Azlyn’s charm to the ground, I foolishly took off quickly through the trees.
Masaya straightened her back then snickered as she saw me running toward them. “You should have listened to him.” With the swish of her head, I was once again flying through the trees. “Please, children, you’re making this too easy.”
My entire body ached as I lifted myself from the ground slowly. Masaya drifted down from the air and smile pleasantly, she had Ash, Skylark and Aspen face down to the earth, and I couldn’t tell if they were alive or not. I shook my head as tears began to form and blurred my vision. “Just tell me what you want.”
I backed away as she stepped closer to me.
“It’s not a want really, I need it. I need your power.” She looked deeply into my eyes, I felt my legs go numb before I toppled to the ground. I made an attempt to stand but my legs were useless. I sat up and pressed my back against the tree I’d collided into.
“Give them to me or I’ll kill you and take them anyways.”
I looked up at her from the ground; behind her I could see Ash struggle to stand up. Keep her talking to you, he thought as he walked to a large tree and looked up at it.
“My powers are nothing; there are people with much more amazing things. Go and harass them.”
“Why does it matter? You want to be human anyways, which is hilariously ironic.”
The tree Ash was staring at was quietly lifted from its roots and he swung it at Masaya. I watched his homerun as she went blasting through the air and out of view.
He laid the tree down and ran over to me, “I should go into baseball,” he said as he lifted me up from the ground.
Masaya’s crippling force wore off and I stood up, Skylark and Aspen did the same but Nikko still lay on the ground.
“You can get up now!” I called out to him, I walked slowly over and picked up the bracelet from the un
der small twigs.
“He’s green,” Ash whispered.
I shook my head and started walking to Nikko, “He has no reason to be envious,” I replied casually. Masaya could be anywhere right now and we had to get out of here, no one had time for him to just lie around.
“No Aliza, he’s literally green. Looks like poison.”
The orbs I’d thrown earlier had started small fires among the small branches of tress then gradually began to go out on their own due to the snowfall. Skylark and Ash were on my heels as I looked down at Nikko, keeping myself composed was key- we could heal him. “We can heal him right?” I said, dropping down to my knees.
“Yes we can,” she now talked like the rest of them, an accent so thick it was barely English. I cleared my mind as Skylark began the process, preparing myself for whatever this poison felt like. “When we get back home, I want the truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God,” I whispered through clenched teeth.
As the transfer came to a completion, I vomited everything in my stomach, leaving me completely drained and hungry. Nikko rose from the ground and looked at me curiously then grabbed my shoulder and transported me out of the woods.
“Are you out of you mind?” I questioned angrily as the inside of Nikko’s living room came into view.
“Stay here,” he responded before disappearing from the room.
Before I could unhook the bracelet, he returned with Ash and Corey.
“I thought you had abandoned us,” Ash said then threw himself down on the couch.
I remember my first time teleporting; I’d wanted to do the same thing.
“Never,” I replied before having a seat in the chair next to him. Nikko walked into the kitchen and made drinks for all of us. “What about my car?”
“The doors are ripped off, I’ve put it in my garage. The important thing is finding out what the hell that was all about.”
I glared at Skylark while she and Ash cuddled each other. “You tried to have me killed,” I spoke through clenched teeth.
“That’s a bold claim,” Nikko responded softly.
Skylark got up from Ash and came over to me. “How was I supposed to know anything would happen?” Her tone was fierce.
I jumped up from the chair and charged at her, pushing her to the ground. “I’m sick of playing nice! You want a piece of Corey, whatever the hell your real name is, come and get it,” I yelled angrily.
Nikko held me back as Ash lifted Skylark from the ground and when she was on her feet she narrowed her eyes at me then softened them again. She pulled a long black whistle from her pocket then tied her hair back into a ponytail.
“All I ever wanted was the truth from you.”
“You want the truth?” she smiled brightly, completely confusing the hell out of me then blew her whistle.
A draft blew through the house as the front door opened and a dark fog rolled into the room. It took on the figure of a horse with devilish red eyes before Skylark mounted it.
“Where are you going?” Ash questioned.
“Follow me.”
I turned my nose up at her. “I think I’ve had enough of following you for one day.”
“Do you want to know the truth or not?”
I turned to look at Nikko, “Ride with Ash, I take it you’re not afraid of heights.” I kissed his cheek then headed out of the door, I quickly threw the bracelet into the air and called Azlyn out. The saddle Centure had installed no longer wobbled when we took off- Azlyn was obviously getting bigger. “Where are we going?” I called out to Skylark as she led the way into the great unknown.
“We’re going to find the truth,” she replied without a second thought.
I stared down at the surroundings as we rode in broad daylight, neither of us using stealth. If anyone did happen to see us they would have to be mountain men. The cold winds barely fazed me as snow drifted softly on top of us all. Everyone was shaking- even Skylark as she pretended to be tougher than she was.
A large castle-like structure sat at the top of the tallest mountain; somehow I faintly remembered seeing this place, but I didn’t know when and I didn’t know how. Azlyn and I usually traveled at night, and during that time this place would be invisible. “Why do I feel like I’ve been here before?” I asked as we began to descend.
“Because you have,” she replied calmly.
Dust swirled around us as the three of us landed our beast, “What is this place?” Ash said as he and Nikko jumped down onto the stone ground.
“This is the Inter-World Portal,” I replied while reading straight from the sign on the wall.
“Portal to where?”
I walked slowly towards the entrance of the door and tapped twice on the door. Centure opened the door slowly and smiled.
“I’m assuming you’re ready for the truth.”
I pushed past her and walked into the building. “I’ve been ready for the truth. So let’s just get this over with, who am I, why do people want to kill me and take my power and most importantly, who is the guy I heard when Masaya confronted me?” I looked around at my surroundings; the place was dimly lit and small lines of creatures stared at me in wonderment.
“What guy?” Centure replied.
“You know, Hero. His thoughts came across mine in the woods. Who is he?”
Confusion swept across her face briefly then she led a young couple through the center of a golden oval ring of light. “He is your father, the guy Benjamin showed you in the woods. As you’ve heard before, he died when we fled Xyonthis. I find it extremely impossible for him to have spoken with you in the woods.”
Nikko slid his fingers through mine as a large man stepped from the shadows. Once he was completely in the dim light I saw that it was Throne.
“You bastard.” I spat, wanting to rip him apart.
“Calm down, young one, I am not the bad guy.” His voice had completely changed from our last encounter and he was well groomed. “There are still things you do not understand.”
Behind me Ash stirred nervously for a moment, keeping his eyes locked on the man that’d tried to kill him. He makes one move, we’ll put him in the dirt, he thought angrily.
“Somebody start talking,” I demanded.
“The day you walked into the shop we had to trigger your power, which was merely me doing my job. Finding out if you were the one we had been looking for, but one look at you should have told me all I needed to know. I’m sorry to both you, and Ash. Since then though, you’ve both have come a long way.” The huge man took a step closer to me and I instinctively inched back slowly, not wanting him to get too close in case this was some sort of sick joke.
“What if I wouldn’t have been able to heal him? You would have took a chance on messing with an innocent person’s life?”
“We have made sacrifices along the way that we are not proud of,” he replied somberly.
I held on to Nikko’s hand tightly then looked at Centure. “So he works for you?”
She nodded slightly then helped more people cross into the oval light. “Your powers don’t show until they’re triggered, I thought Skylark told you this already? For now we are unsure exactly what else it is that you can do. Maybe that’s what has Masaya and Phlinx so afraid.”
“So where do these things take you?” I asked out of curiosity.
“Anywhere you want to go, there are over 7,000 different dimensions on this planet, even more on others,” Thorne answered.
“If I could sleep I would take a nap on this situation right now. I need to reboot,” I said while rubbing the sides of my forehead. “Is there anything else I should know?”
“The past isn’t going anywhere, it what the future holds that should be of top concern right now,” Skylark answered.
I agreed- holes could always be filled later. However, gradually as this day dragged on I was becoming less interested in the past. There were things that I’d never be able to change no matter how hard I’d try. “You’re right. So what are we g
oing to do?”
“Once I finish up here we can go back to your place and talk more about it,” Centure replied calmly.
“Why my house? Wouldn’t the enemy be expecting me to return there?”
“Maybe so, my place is unacceptable. Thorne, are we welcomed into your home?”
He nodded his head in agreement then pointed to one of the square portals. “After you.”
I looked at the contraption then shook my head. “I’ll take my chances with going back home,” I said stepping away from the thing.
“Don’t be such a baby,” Ash responded, stepping closer to the opening. “So, how do we do this?” He asked eagerly.
Skylark stepped closer to him and held his hand. “I’ll lead the way,” she smiled.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
When it was my turn to step into the portal, I stalled for a second, holding on to Centure’s cold hand before stepping slowly into it. What I saw on the inside completely stunned me,
I held my breath in as stars encircled us, then a loud voice from nowhere boomed through the space. “To where do you wish to go?”
“Polythias,” Centure replied.
The warmth of a nearby sun gleamed lightly on my face as I stared at my surroundings, “Is this literal space?” I whispered.
Centure laughed mildly then held me closer to her. “The portal shows you your comfort zone. For you it may be space, for another it may be walking through a banana-split wonderland.”
“Why would my comfort zone be in space?” I asked confusedly.
“It’s a symbol of power, get used to it.”
A light fog began to surround us and the next few seconds were a blur, I didn’t actually see what happened but when I opened my eyes I was standing in the middle of Thorne’s living room. “So nice of you to join us,” a woman stepped from the shadows and embraced me tenderly. “Skylark has told us so much about you. I’m her sister and your aunt, Nivene.”
Bloodlines: Everything That Glitters Page 24
