Candles burned brightly all around the room, each flame as powerful as the next. Portraits of various designs, wrapped in golden frames, hung on every wall. The hall of the Sanctuary was a revered place for where legendary Users had been anointed. Today was his day. He had waited for this moment for so long he could hardly believe he now stood, waiting for his time to be given the highest position among the User society. He was proud.
The sound of a bell chimed, not once, but three times. He did not think it was possible, but he became nervous as he waited. He had heard the sound of these bells so many times as an onlooker, but today the bells were for him. All around him, hundreds of white-robed Seekers stood patiently, their rods glowing a bright blue in the midst of the great hall of the Sanctuary.
He looked to the side of the hall and saw some of the Blades had arrived. It was a rare occasion for any Blade to attend this ceremony. He had met the Blades on many different occasions, but they were never on good terms. The Blades were highly skilled, dangerous, and blood-thirsty. Very unlike how he deemed himself. He was far above that, and now, he had the position to prove it.
His eyes stopped as he saw the powerful and penetrating blue eyes of Botulinia. Among the Blades, he had always deemed her the most cunning and, perhaps, the most ruthless. One thing was for certain, though, she had a beauty like no other woman he had seen before, and even now as he looked back at her, he felt drawn to her charismatic aura. Botulinia smiled and bowed her head slightly to him. He returned the smile. He would need to catch up with her after the ceremony. She was the only Blade he could stand to be in the same room with, perhaps aside from Makai, but Makai had been acting strangely for some time, and he wasn’t present now. No matter. Botulinia’s presence alone was enough to reinforce how special this moment was. Botulinia was a tactician like himself, and her success with Bellum and the Purifiers was a crowning moment in history. The next would be his.
The bells chimed again, three times, in quick succession. His nerves grew as the last bell of the three chimed. This was always the way. He had seen this ceremony so many times, but it wasn’t until now that he understood the mixture of joy and anxiety that the anointed went through. Only one more set of chimes awaited before she would arrive. Among the Shadow Government, she was the one who he would report to, the one he would serve, unconditionally, unreservedly, and without limitation. He would be bound to the Shadow Government, and they to him.
Once more he looked around the great hall. The stone pillars aligning the aisle were carved to perfection, and the bright red carpet from the entrance to the altar had neither dust nor crease. Apart from the Blades, many other well-known Users were in attendance, all Shadow Government loyalists and supporters. He was not surprised to see them as he checked each one off in his mind: Baron Von Stein, a powerful User from the German office, as deadly as any Blade, but enjoyed finance and the workings of the market rather than getting his own hands dirty; Isaac Gideon, an infamous information trafficker who seemed to know every little secret about everyone; Aziel Samson, the President of a powerful conglomerate, and one of the most richest men in the world; Sabel Yakov, a woman almost as beautiful as Botulinia, but her lethality came from her understanding of science and technology rather than her own innate User gifts.
There were many more in attendance, but he stopped as he was surprised to see the one man he did not expect to see: Viktor. The white flames from the man’s eyes caused him to feel tense and anxious. It was rare for any member of the Shadow Government to attend aside from her. Viktor had also been quite vocal about his concerns regarding the anointment, so why would Viktor be here?
He quickly moved on from Viktor and waited. He adjusted his magnificent blue robes which were soft as a feather. Golden tassels hung on every corner, and the delicate and detailed artwork on the front and back of his robe was of the highest quality. He pinched one of the hanging tassels and, at that moment, he thought of his mother. The tragedy of her death was something he could, and would, never ever forget. He quickly pushed the memory of his mother away and kept his mind on the task now set before him. Deep down, he wondered if she would be as proud as he was in this moment—the moment when he would be anointed, just like his…
The bell chimed. It chimed two more times, and immediately he could feel the atmosphere in the room change. The sound of the great doors of the Sanctuary opening alerted him to her arrival. This was it; this was what he had worked so hard to achieve. He straightened his back and waited while she walked down the red-carpeted aisle.
Her smell was alluring as she passed him. Her hair was as red as the carpet, so fiery just like her personality…and her anger. He could not take his eyes off her as she climbed onto the stage of the great altar. Her white dress matched the color of all the Seekers in the room, and as she took to the stage, he noticed that she made brief eye contact with Viktor, the only two Shadow Government members in attendance. She didn’t appear to be surprised Viktor had shown up. She turned to the crowd, and then to him. His heartbeat quickened in pace as she pierced his soul with her very eyes, the white flame burning brightly, flickering in the great hall. Her red hair and lips, along with her pale skin made her look like an angel as she continued to look at him. She then raised her hand.
“Seraphine is honored to stand here in front of the worthy,” she said, her fiery red hair flowing freely down to her shoulders.
He watched Seraphine with anticipation and awe. He had seen her give this speech many times, but it was no less magnificent this time.
“Seraphine stands before you, as your honored patron, your beloved mother, and your guiding light. I stand for you as you will stand for me. Today marks another milestone in our history as we anoint another User into the great line of generals who were before him and so another will follow him. However, today is also different in many ways, as many of you know. The great betrayal during the User Civil War is something which even to this day has not been forgotten, not by myself, not by my colleagues in the Shadow Government, and certainly not by the man who will be anointed this day.”
This was his time. He looked Seraphine in the eyes and knew what was coming.
“Anointed, come forward, and stand with your beloved patron,” said Seraphine, looking directly at him.
He adjusted his robe and immediately climbed toward the altar. He could feel the presence of the many eyes on his back as he placed one knee on the ground in front of Seraphine.
Seraphine picked up a golden rod from the altar wrapped in white linen. A figurine of a hawk was at the tip of the rod. She looked to the crowd and smiled. “Remember this day!”
“We will remember!” came the response from the Seekers, their voices replying as one.
The response sent shivers down his spine, but he remained kneeling, his head firmly bowed before Seraphine. Time appeared to slow down as he waited. And then he felt the gentle touch of the rod in Seraphine’s hand on both of his shoulders.
“Rise! Rise, Lelantos! Rise and be one with the Seekers!” said Seraphine.
Lelantos took a deep breath and slowly rose from his knees. Seraphine’s fiery, white eyes looked straight at him. He did not look away, maintaining his gaze at the fire in her eyes. The power the Ascended had did not faze him. He was confident, and he was ready.
“Do you swear to uphold the tradition of the First Seeker, Lelantos?” said Seraphine.
“I swear,” said Lelantos.
Seraphine tapped his shoulder on both sides with the golden rod. “Do you swear to follow the commands of the Shadow Government, and to follow mine?” she said.
“I swear,” said Lelantos.
Again, Seraphine tapped his shoulders.
“Do you swear to seek the unworthy, and to bring in the rogue Users who defy the will of the Shadow Government?” said Seraphine.
“I swear,” said Lelantos with power.
Seraphine tapped his shoulders once more than one more on his forehead. “Lelantos, there has been much discussion regarding your anointment and whether you would make a sound candidate. Many said you would not be a reliable choice; they said you would be a bad choice.” Seraphine glanced toward Viktor and then back toward him. “But many believed you would make a perfect choice, including myself.”
Lelantos knew all of this. His family name was tarnished. It was up to him to restore the lost honor in his family, and to avenge his mother.
“Lelantos Mattius, the First Seeker!” said Seraphine. She offered him the golden rod.
Lelantos breathed heavily.
“Receive the golden rod, and turn to your new brothers and sisters with the guiding light that all First Seekers have done previously!” said Seraphine.
Lelantos took the golden rod from her. It was warm in his hands, and he immediately felt his energy aligning itself with the rod. There was a click, and the golden rod jilted in his hand, and the rod extended itself into a long golden spear. The hawk figurine began to glow.
“Turn to face, First Seeker!” said Seraphine.
Lelantos, with rod in hand, turned to face the hundreds of Seekers looking back at him. He raised the extended golden rod in the air.
“First Seeker! First Seeker!” shouted the Seekers.
Lelantos brought the rod back down and turned to Seraphine. Her eyes were hot with white fire, burning brighter than he had ever seen.
“Do not make the same mistakes your father did,” said Seraphine.
“I will not,” said Lelantos with conviction.
“We have never had a First Seeker as skilled, as intelligent, as cunning, and as loyal as Jaeger Mattius,” said Seraphine.
Listening to his father’s name was hard. He only could feel anger toward him—anger and pain.
“His betrayal still lingers to this day, but no First Seeker has been able to reproduce the greatness that was Jaeger Mattius. Many have failed to show the same level of ability that man had. He was truly one of a kind…” Seraphine’s words trailed off in disappointment, but there was also a hint of longing.
Lelantos maintained his composure and looked into her eyes.
“Lelantos Mattius, son of Jaeger Mattius, find your father and bring him to me, to the Shadow Government,” said Seraphine.
Lelantos lowered his head in respect.
“We have failed to find Jaeger for more than twenty years, and we have failed to bring him to justice!” said Seraphine.
Lelantos felt the burden on his shoulders. It was a burden that came with his last name, and would only be removed once his father was found. “I will not fail as others have done. I will find my father, I will find Jaeger, and I will regain the family honor that was lost with his betrayal. This I swear. Lelantos Mattius, son of Jaeger Mattius, swears this before all.”
Seraphine smiled and turned to Viktor whose eyes were as white as hers. She turned back to Lelantos. “Do not disappoint me, First Seeker,” she said.
Lelantos gripped his golden rod tightly. “I will not,” he said with confidence. The day had come—the day that he had trained years for; he was now First Seeker, and he would hunt the man who ruined his life. It was time to find his father, Jaeger Mattius, and make him suffer for what he had done.
****
He pushed back the dark curtains and walked through. The crowd cheered. The underground fighting circuit was a notorious place for criminals and professional fighters alike. He was neither.
A metallic cage was at the center of the grimy room. Users from all backgrounds cheered from the stands. Beer cans and food wrappers littered the outside of the cage.
He walked through the crowd with his hood covering his face.
“Roman Orion wins again!” From the stands above, an announcer raised his arms into the air to the cacophony of cheers.
A pool of blood lay beneath the User who had fallen. Men in white suits opened the cage and leg first dragged the User out. The sight of blood caused him to feel euphoric. He watched silently as the victor, Roman, paraded around in the cage. Roman was a fine specimen. Tattoos were all over his body, and his muscles bulged from shoulder to thigh. He watched Roman grit his teeth to the crowd. How perfectly white they were.
“A perfect fight! Did you enjoy the show?” shouted the announcer.
Beer cans were thrown into the air as the audience cheered.
“Did you know that Roman Orion is so talented that even the Shadow Government are considering him to be a possible Blade?” said the announcer.
Chants of Roman began, and the audience were banging their seats in delight.
“But Roman Orion is our champion! Have we ever seen somebody so magnificent since the great dark angel herself?” said the announcer.
The dark angel. He had heard the name before. It was a shame he could not challenge her himself.
“Roman is one win away from matching the winning streak that was Nightshade, the dark angel! Can Roman defeat one more and cement himself in history?” said the announcer.
The underground building became a catalyst of cheers. Roman was popular.
“Are we ready for the next fight?” shouted the announcer.
A collective yes resounded, and more cans were thrown into the air, many hitting against the metallic cage. Roman stood in the center and kneeled down with one knee, one hand over the other.
Boom. Boom. Boom. He took his eyes off Roman and held his head in pain. Not now. He placed his hand over his head and calmly released a surge of dark matter into his brain. The pain eased, but the methodical beat of his headaches could still be felt in the back of his mind. No matter how many times he had these headaches, he could never understand why they came. He clenched his fists in anger and raised his eyes to Roman who remained kneeling.
“Our next fight will be a special one! To celebrate the moment of Roman’s undefeated run, we are hoping someone from the crowd will step up and fight! Is there anybody brave enough to stand before Roman and stop him from matching Nightshade’s record?” said the announcer.
There were cheers everywhere, but there was no single volunteer who wished to enter against Roman.
“There must be one who has the courage to test their mettle against Roman? Allow me to add some incentive. If you beat Roman, you will be given $50,000!” said the announcer.
The cheers were even louder this time. Even so, no one came forward.
“Not high enough? How about $100,000?” The announcer lifted a silver suitcase into the air.
His headache was easing, and he raised his hand in the air. He did not take his eyes of Roman as he waited.
“We have a challenger! You in the brown leather jacket and black hood, what is your name?” said the announcer.
He left his hood resting over his head and followed the men in white suits to the cage.
“It looks like we have a silent one, people. Roman versus the Silent One!” shouted the announcer.
Chants of Roman began once more while many booed the Silent One. The Silent One did not care for names and stepped into the cage disregarding the cans that were thrown at him. Roman rose from his feet as the cage door locked.
“The Silent One, are you ready to win the $100,000?” said the announcer.
He pulled down his hood, revealing his scarred shaven head. Keeping his eyes on Roman, he spoke. “I neither need nor care for the money. My only desire is to fight.”
The announcer laughed. “Do you hear that, people? He doesn’t even want the money. Roman, what do you say to that?”
A two-level barrier formed around Roman, and his hands turned to stone while his body burst into fire. “I say he will need the money to fund his early retirement.”
The audience cheered.
“Let us begin!” said the announcer.
Roman burst forward, but there was a flash of white light, and a pool of blood grew larger as Roman stood motionless in front of the Silent One. The Silent One pulled his glowing red fist out of Roman’s chest. Roman’s twin barrier fractured and dispersed as he crashed to the floor dead.
The audience was deathly silent.
Boom. Boom. Boom. The headache returned stronger than before as he wiped his fist.
The cage doors opened, and several men in white suits surrounded him. Shimmering barriers glowed around each one of them.
“Death is not permitted here! Death will be punished by death!” shouted the announcer in shock with Roman’s quick and sudden end.
The Silent One did not even form a barrier as he blinked around the cage, his glowing red fist easily breaking through each of their barriers. In a single moment, they lay dead around the cage, blood dripping from his hands.
Yes. Yes. Like that.
He pushed the voice in his mind away with anger. Then there was an image of two boys playing in a green field. It came as a flash, and it only made angrier. He crushed the image immediately.
The energy he felt was euphoric as he saw the blood all around him. He hardly noticed the heat now coming from his eyes, the white flames burning brightly within. The crowd was screaming, and many were leaving the building, rushing toward the exit. The echoes of their cries were like the soft chime of ringing bells as he heard them shout Ascended.
****
“How many stars do you think there are? They are so beautiful.”
“Too many to count. I like to think that up there, one of those stars is me and another is you.”
“If that is true then mine is the bigger star. My star will burn until the end of time.”
“My star will never burn. It will continue to shine until there is nothing left.”
The two boys lying on the green fields, their heads flat on the pillows of grass, laughed as they looked into the night sky.
“What do you think is out there?”
“A whole world full of wonder. A world to explore.”
“But do you think we can?”
“What do you mean?
“You know what I’m talking about. You have seen how everyone looks at us. We are different…”
“I know. I try to ignore the looks from them, but we are not just different, we are special.”
“Why do you think they look at us that way?”
“I don’t know, but one day we will be great Users, and then they will not look at us like that anymore.”
The two boys became silent as they continued to lie under the night sky. The wind was cool as it breezed over them.
“Do you ever wonder why they never let us out? I want to see the world.”
“I think they are scared of us.”
“Scared of what, though?”
“I don’t know.”
“They scare me. Did you see their eyes?”
“Yeah, they were on fire! It was so cool…but I felt their hate toward us.”
“At least that man is nice who visits us every day. I think he is the only one I like out of all of them.”
“Yeah, I like him too. His name is Jaeger, right? I think that is what I heard somebody call him.”
“You’re right. His name is Jaeger. He’s really nice to us. We should do something nice for him, too.”
“What can we do?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure.”
They looked into the sky, counting the stars as they tried to figure out what they could do.”
“Those trees?”
“What about it?”
“Do you remember how Jaeger taught us to control our gifts? We knocked down the largest trees in the forest!”
“My tree was bigger, though!”
“No, it wasn’t! Mine was twice the size of yours!”
Again they laughed together.
“So what about the trees?”
“I think I have an idea. Let’s go to that big tree over there. I’ll race you.”
In an instant, the two boys ran at lightning speed toward the trees. They arrived exactly at the same time, the leaves spinning in the air as they stopped.
“I was first!”
“No, you wasn’t! it was a draw, like every time before.”
“Hmm, yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll beat you one day, though!”
“Maybe it will be me that beats you!”
“So what’s your idea?”
“Let’s carve our image into the bark, and Jaeger too. Since he helped us so much with the tree exercise, I think he would like it.”
“I think that’s a great idea. Let’s put him in the middle. I hope he will like it.”
“He will love it!”
The two boys touched the bark of the tree, their hands glowing brightly as energy flowed from their palms to the tree. Within seconds, they painted a beautifully carved image of themselves and a man standing proudly in between them.
“I think you drew yourself bigger than me.”
“No way. We are the same height!”
The bark with the image gently floated from the trunk and landed separated from the tree on the ground.
“We will leave it here for now. I’ll cover it with leaves, so when he arrives tomorrow, we can surprise him with the drawing.”
The two of them buried a hole by the trunk and placed the drawing inside, and covered the hole with leaves.
The wind was getting stronger as they left the wooded area. They both looked up again at the stars, their eyes shining brightly as any star.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…”
“Come on. I can see something is bothering you…”
“Don’t tell Jaeger, alright?”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“I’ve been hearing voices in my head.”
“…”
“I’m scaring you too?”
“No…I hear them too…”
“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I hoped it would go away.”
“Every day they get worse. I feel as if something or someone else is in my mind.”
“I feel it too.”
The two boys held hands and looked up into the night sky.
“I’m glad we have each other.”
“Best friends forever?”
“Best friends forever.”
****
The Purifiers were made to revolutionize warfare. They were made to replace nuclear weapons. They were made to bring about the recycling of humanity. And they did.
When the first machines were sent across the globe, no country on Earth understood what was about to happen. The machines—in the thousands—landed in every part of the world. Their mission was simple: to restrict energy resources and to create friction between states. The Purifiers systematically and strategically took control of coal mines, oil fields, nuclear power plants, and all other major sources of energy generation. In an interconnected world, Bellum had the resources, the money, and the power to control states. When in the past, wars were based on the motivations of expansion, past grievances, money, glory, and the threat of attack by another, Bellum’s motivation was guided by a more sinister hand: the Shadow Government. Yet, the country was always the largest player in war. Bellum changed all that. A multinational corporation with banks, factories, and offices in every major city in the world now challenged the status quo, and the company now became bigger than the country itself. The Purifiers were just the beginning of a revolution in warfare and in world affairs.
Countries tried to oppose Bellum, but the Purifiers destroyed everything that was thrown at them. Fighter jets, tanks, and bombs all failed in stopping the machines. The Purifiers were constructs of war, and their weapons were unmatched. Nuclear weapons could not even stop them. The Purifiers neutralized all the countries who had developed such weapons by destroying military outposts and nuclear development facilities. The threat of nuclear destruction was wiped out. Nuclear Silos were destroyed, and Bellum now controlled the only weapons that mattered: the Purifiers.
With the threat of nuclear destruction gone, countries began to behave differently. Many countries approved of Bellum’s actions in destroying nuclear weapons, while equally as many opposed such violent interventions. Resources were now given as rations to countries, but Bellum decided who would receive what. Countries who tried to fight back were treated poorly and received far fewer resources which in turn damaged their economies and killed thousands of people.
One by one countries succumbed to the new world which Bellum was creating. The countries who did not oppose Bellum’s actions were treated favorably and were given more resources than the countries who opposed them. Many countries used their new circumstances to go to war with other countries to expand their land or to take back land that they believed was theirs. Bellum did not stop these countries from going to war with another, in fact, they encouraged it. War broke out everywhere. Some countries tried to fight back against Bellum’s rule—the few countries left who represented the free world. But with fewer and fewer resources to sustain their war it was becoming too difficult to stand against the Purifiers and their destructive weapons. The alliances soon turned on one another, and war erupted between countries with long-standing histories. Great unions collapsed, and long-running treaties were destroyed as each and every state tried to survive. A new world was now born under the authority of Bellum: a single corporate entity taking power and dominion over the billions of people around the world. Bellum was now the sole superpower. And the world was fighting a war of resources like no other before.
Tens of thousands have already died. The free world is crumbling, and the last symbol of hope remained with the woman who led them from the historic bastion of freedom: the White House. The American President is missing, and the White House is nothing more than a pile of rubble. But the war is not over; it is only just beginning.
Recent Comments