《Mechanical Heart》


 CH.1 Ive Seen a Man

    ¡°YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAH!¡± the music blasted through the speakers as the bell rang.


    It was an unusual choice. Instead of the regular ring, the school had decided to play a song in between classes. Every student could vote and they were all excited to see which was going to win. Unfortunately, the principal didn¡¯t care much, and just put one of his favorite songs instead, leaving the students disappointed.


    Albert looked across the class and saw his best friend, Linus Gallagher, both hands on his face, shaking from laughter.


    The rest of the class also seemed amused. It was such a shitty song.


    But at least it marked the end of the class.


    Albert sighed in relief, and hastily put away his stuff. He wasn¡¯t really in a rush, but if he just lazied around too much he might draw the attention of the bullies. They didn¡¯t particularly pick on him a lot, it¡¯s more like they scanned the classroom for ¡°too happy¡± and unsuspecting targets.


    It was mainly two guys. Regis and Tom. The first was a tall boy with curly hair and annoyingly good looking features. The second was a bit shorter but had a built body, his short almost-shaved hair made him look like a maniac. And of course, both of them were vicious. If it looked like you were having too good a time, they just wanted to ruin it.


    Albert picked up on this behavior and just avoided them.


    See, he wasn¡¯t as tall or athletic as Linus, but his brains would get him by.


    Although there was one thing that his brain wasn¡¯t really able to solve...


    Linus was in the middle of shoving things in his bag when a couple of girls approached him.


    ¡°Hey Linus, what¡¯s up?¡± said the first one giggling. Her name was Anyesse, a cool looking brunette that sat beside him.


    ¡°Not much, a bit tired from sitting down so much¡± he answered nonchalantly.


    ¡°Well, me and Valentina here,¡± she continued asmotioning to the girl beside her ¡°are going to hang out later with some friends. You¡¯re welcome to join¡±. She finished that sentence with a malicious smile that would accelerate even the coldest of teenage hearts.


    But Linus was immune to the provocation.


    ¡°Yeah, I would love to. But me and Albie are already doing something today¡± he said looking over to Albert as who was exiting the classroom. The girls looked back at him.


    Albert just signaled that he would wait outside.


    ¡°Aww. C¡¯mon¡± teased Anyesse. ¡°You would rather hang out with Roth, than me?¡±


    ¡°Well, he is my best friend¡± said Linus staring her dead in the eye. Roth was Albert¡¯s family name. ¡°But most of all, I don¡¯t like canceling on people. It just doesn¡¯t sit well with me¡±.


    ¡°Oh, but we can have a lot of f...¡± continued Anyesse, but she was interrupted by Valentina who held her friend her shoulders.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, we understand¡± Valentina seemed a bit embarassed by her friend. ¡°Maybe another day right?¡±


    ¡°Right¡± concluded Linus before stepping out.


    Meanwhile Albert was leaning against the wall on the hallway waiting.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°So¡­ How¡¯d go?¡± said Albert with a bitter look on his face.


    ¡°How did what go?¡± answered Linus.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t play with me.¡± Albert seemed somewhat angry ¡°I thought she was gonna start popping her buttons to convince you¡±.


    ¡°Oh, that. Well, she was persistent, but I told her to leave it for another day. We already have plans.¡± upon hearing that Albert¡¯s frown relaxed a bit.


    ¡°I thought I was going to have to go alone today¡±


    ¡°Please.¡± Answered Linus, discarding the idea ¡°When have I ever walked out on you?¡±


    Albert had to recognize he was right. Linus never skipped on him. Still, he continued to tease him.


    ¡°But I wonder how long that attitude of yours is going to last if Miss ¡®Please-tear-my-clothes-off¡¯ comes strutting to your side again¡± said Albert, shrugging his shoulders.


    ¡°Come on man. It¡¯s just women. They''re always like that. Besides, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met a lady, so far, that had the courage to follow us into our adventures.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡± Albert agreed halfheartedly. But inside his head, he thought bitterly:You mean they are always like that to you...You see, Albert wasn¡¯t very tall, he also wasn¡¯t very good looking. His jet-black hair was at shoulder length and it would hide his face giving him a gloomy appearance. He actually had a pretty toned body, but it¡¯s not something people would notice while he wore a uniform.


    Meanwhile Linus was 1,88m tall, he had short, blonde hair and broad shoulders. A stereotypical male model appearance, which made him a total heartthrob in school.


    Still, even though Albert envied his friend sometimes, he was glad his body was how it was.It made him very light and compact. Ideal for their favorite activity.


    Rooftopping.


    They both ran out of the gates of St. Paul¡¯s Institute of Education and into the underground station. After a quick ride on the subway the two boys found themselves downtown. Around them, the skyscrapers pierced the above and shining electric billboards helped brighten the dark evening. They roamed aimlessly for a bit until they found what they were looking for.


    "Yes!" said Albert excitedly. The boys high fived.


    In between the busy tall buildings was a construction site. The skyscraper being built was already 30 stories high, and Albert and Linus couldn¡¯t help but smile. They sat down at a coffee shop on the other side of the street, to stake out the place. An hour later, a group of workers exited the site, and they made their move.


    Albert waited for the street to be as empty as possible then signaled to Linusso he would cross the street.


    They walked up to the hurdles surrounding the building and without hesitation climbed over them. The important thing was to look natural. On the other side they were faced with silence. No dogs. No alarms.


    They waited 2 minutes quietly, nothing happened, and they heard no one.


    After that, it was just 30 flights of stairs until they were walking the skyline.Up in the roof, the air felt cold and wild. The boys watched the people below moving aboutlike little ants, to their works, homes and whatnot.


    Standing on the edge, one foot hanging over a death drop. Albert drew a breath of the fresh air.


    He felt alive.


    Him and Linus started parkour when they were 12 as a joke. But as the stunts progressed, so did the height. Eventually they were invited by the veterans to train on the rooftops. At first they went into 1 story high roofs with other athletes. Who would¡¯ve thought that 5 years later, the skyscrapers would be their playground.


    Linus also had huge smile splattered on his face. He had his phone out, trying to take a picture of the street below.


    ¡°Yo¡± screamed Albert. He pointed to the 5m spire on top of the roof ¡°I¡¯ll go to the top¡±.


    ¡°Alright¡± said Linus. He turned his phone camera towards his friend. ¡°Go on, I¡¯ll film it¡±.


    Albert stepped on the spire¡¯s ledge. Looks firm...he thought, so he started climbing. The wind blew ruthlessly up there and he could barely hear Linus, so he just focused on the task ahead. A mantra repeated on his head: "Don¡¯t fall, don¡¯t die. Always three points of contact. One hand, two feet. Two hands one foot." With unyielding concentration, he slowly made his way up.


    It was only when he was about to reach the top of the spire that he realized something was wrong.


    His hand reached for the top but instead felt something weird. Albert looked up to his hand touching a pair of dark boots. And wearing those boots was a man.


    A man who stood effortlesstly balanced in one foot on top of the spire.


    A man who wasn¡¯t there before.

 CH. 2 Yellow-Eyed Fury

    Albert¡¯s focus slip completely, but his entire body was frozen so he didn¡¯t fall. Above him, a man balanced on the top of the spire was looking down at him. He wore a blue cape that covered ? of his body, military boots and had long dark hair. His expression seemed hostile, but when their eyes met he seemed to calm down. What a strange color...thought Albert, his eyes had an intense blue glow to them.


    With a smirk the man took a long box from his front pocket and dropped it on the rooftop below.


    But his smile disappeared when a flash of light came flying in his direction. The man crouched to dodge it, and it flew past his head vanishing into thin air.


    Then, he put his foot forward into the air... and took a step.


    And then another one. And another one. At each step the air below his foot would flash sharply. Thenwith a fifth step he jumped.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± said Albert instinctively.


    The man suddenly accelerated upwards andflew into the night.


    Albert could no longer see him but his eyes kept scanning the horizon, looking for his blue cape.


    What the fuuuuuuuuuuck? That sentence kept repeating on his brain. But in the middle of his astonishment he remembered something.


    5 meters below Linus watched Albert stone faced. Phone ready, camera pointed towards the spire. Hands¡­ shaking profusely.


    Albert made his way down as quickly as possible and ran up to him, but his friend waspetrified.


    ¡°Linus. Linus are you okay?¡± said Albert shaking his shoulders.


    ¡°Did¡­ did you see something up there?¡± asked Linus, trying to gain back his composure.


    ¡°What are you talking about? You saw it too, right!?¡± screamed Albert confused.


    His friend fell down to his knees.


    ¡°Thank god, I¡¯m not crazy¡± said Linus in relief.


    ¡°Wait, were you recording?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± answered Linus. ¡°But I don¡¯t know what I just recorded¡±


    The two watched the recording over and over, but couldn¡¯t explain it. But when re-watching the footage the dropped box caught the boys¡¯ attention.


    They searched the rooftop until they found it.


    ¡°Here¡± screamed Linus.


    It was a long black box around the size of a water bottle laced with a red ribbon. Linus looked at his friend with uncertainty. Did they really want to mess with whatever that was?


    ¡°What now?¡± asked Linus ¡°Do we open it?¡±


    Albert seemed eager to do it, but before he did he stared Linus dead in the eyes.


    ¡°Did you forget what we promised when we were kids?¡± said Albert with a confident smile ¡°We don¡¯t run away from adventure.¡± He ripped the ribbon pulling the box open and¡­


    Nothing.


    ¡°Dammit. What¡¯s this? Where¡¯s the huge flash of light, or alien floating object?¡± said Albert disappointed.


    Linus laughed


    ¡°You are reading too much manga, man.¡± Although he also sounded a bit let down ¡°But what¡¯s this?¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°It looks like a scroll¡± said Albert. And a scroll it was, indeed. He took it out nonchalantly and flung it open.


    The moment he did, his eyes widened and all the text started flashing in blue. His eyes started running through the lines uncontrollably in a terrifying speed. ¡°Shit¡± screamed Linus as he witnessed his friend¡¯s desperate face, his eyes jolting from word to word.


    ¡°Help me man!¡± cried Albert. No matter how much he tried to jerk his face away his body would not respond, his gaze was stuck to the unintelligible writings on the scroll. But before Linus could do anything, it was over. The glow stopped, Albert dropped the scroll to his feet and fell to his knees. He kept his eyes shut, fearful of opening them again.


    ¡°Linus, close it!¡±


    Linus snapped into action, picking up the scroll rod and rolling it back up. He did not dare to look at the text.


    ¡°It¡¯s done. What the hell happened!?¡±


    Albert slowly opened his eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t feel any different.¡±


    They both stood silently, not knowing what to do.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get down from here. I¡¯ll sleep at your house today. We need to keep an eye on you¡±.


    That evening none of the boys slept much. They made it back to the Roth family house aroundmidnight and practically ran past Albert¡¯s parents. His dad, Patrick was lying on the couch watching tv. And his mother, Sandra, was painting something in the living room.


    ¡°Where were you guys? Out so late...¡± screamed the father as the boys dashed up the stairs.


    ¡°At the park dad, we just got caught up training¡± answered Albert.


    Patrick just grunted a sarcastic acknowledgment, he didn¡¯t really believe them, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t find out if he insisted. Besides it wasn¡¯t that suspicious. They were always training, Linus was always around their house, they would always return at night. Sandra would even sometimes say that Linus was her ¡°other child¡±.


    Upstairs in Albert¡¯s room the boys tossed their bags to the side and set the box down at the table. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do. And without much to go on they turned to the internet.


    That didn¡¯t help much.


    At the end of the night they concluded that Albert could have brain damage, cancer or be hallucinating on shrooms. But they knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Both of them saw the light, both of them saw the man. Whatever that was, it couldn¡¯t be explained by normal means.


    At last, Albert decided to post the video they recorded of the mysterious man online, and wait for the responses.


    But as most answers do, this one came in unexpected ways.


    The next day in school the boys left the classroom during recess. They had taken the scroll with them, and they sat on a bench in the open courtyard. Last night Albert tried reading it, but it did nothing. That gave Linus the courage to try it as well and whatever had happened, didn¡¯t happen again.


    The boys passed it around inattentively chatting. That¡¯s why they didn¡¯t see the girl approaching until she was right in front of them. It was a red-haired girl with fair skin and brown eyes. Pretty, by most standards. Not that hot, by others.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± she asked with an imperial tone. It was Valentina, the girl that was with Anyesse while she hit on Linus.


    The boys had a surprised look on their faces. Valentina was a quiet girl, they had never heard her speak so loudly.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± said Albert.


    ¡°What the hell are you guys doing waltzing around with a Relic out in the open? Are you out of your mind?¡± continued Valentina. Albert¡¯s confused look only seemed to trigger her more. ¡°Who even gave you permission to keep that? Give it to me.¡±


    Valentina tried to grab the scroll but Albert moved his hand out of her reach and stood up.


    ¡°Wait a minute, you know what this is?¡± he asked eagerly.


    She seemed dumbfounded for a moment, then her eyes went from angry to condescending.


    ¡°Oh, so you don¡¯t even know what it is. I see. You must have got it by accident, I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± she said trying to grab the Relic again. Albert dodged it but this time she grabbed onto his wrist.


    Her grip felt like iron shackles immobilizing his hand.


    How can a girl so tiny be this strong?he thought to himself. He tried to pull his hand out but he barely moved it.


    Valentina¡¯s eyes were now locked onto his and her menacing stare sent a chill down his spine. Her usually brownish eyes were a bright glowing yellow.


    ¡°Now, please¡± she said, with a patient tone complete opposite of her terrifying expression. Albert¡¯s instincts were telling him to run, but he could not break out of her grip. In a desperate attempt he yanked his body backwards.


    Valentina suddenly let go of him. Or better yet, she had to. Unless she wanted to fly.


    The moment he stepped back the air below his feet flashed blue and his body was sent flying towards the woods behind the school.


    Albert watched as the tall trees¡¯ trunk approached ready to squash him like a fly. But before the impact he pushed his legs down and he stepped on the air again, managing to change directions and grab onto a branch.


    ¡°Oof¡± he grunted as he felt the impact on his chest and stomach. Ok. I made it, I¡¯m alive... but before he could even finish that thought his sight flashed red and he felt a stinging pain on his stomach. His body went flying against the trunk of the tree he was hanging in and fell from above.


    The last thing he saw before blacking out was Valentina looming over him, with the scroll on her hands.

 CH.3 Ive seen a... what!?

    Linus rubbed his eyes lazily. Sitting on a reclined chair he finally felt the built up fatigue catching up to him. He had been awake for two days straight and his body wasn¡¯t used to that.


    And if that wasn¡¯t enough, his mind had not been able to process the last turn of events yet.


    It all started with meeting Valentina that day in school. When Albert went flying towards the woods Linus couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of relief.


    That was it.


    The sign they had been looking for. Something did happen, and now, they knew what changed.


    Well, sort of.


    Albert had walked on air like the man atop the spire. Granted he did it accidentally and completely misguidedly. But chances are, that¡¯s what the scroll was for, not some creative form of infecting someone with a weird disease.


    But just as he thought he could stop worrying about his friend he saw Valentina chasing him, running like a red arrow, faster than any human should be. Her hands pulsated with a yellow energy. He ran after them and arrived to the scene just in time to witness Valentina dash up a tree and bury her fist into his best friend¡¯s stomach.


    As Albert dropped down from the tree and passed out in front of his attacker. Linus¡¯ protective instincts immediately kicked in. He rushed over and put himself in between the two.


    ¡°Hey, back off¡± he said. Her gaze shifted from Albert to him, her fiery yellow eyes instilled the fear in Linus. Still, he put his hands up.


    Suddenly, she seemed to calm down. Her menacing aura disappeared, her eyes and hands returned to normal.


    ¡°Hah, what¡¯s this?¡± she asked with an exasperated look. ¡°You should stay back Linus. This does not concern you¡±.


    ¡°What are you talking about? You just threw my best friend from the top of a tree, of course it concerns me!¡±


    ¡°No¡­ I mean. You can¡¯t take part in this fight, it¡¯s not for... people like you.¡± Valentina averted her gaze. She seemed to be avoiding explaining too much.


    ¡°Listen, whatever the hell you are, we don¡¯t have anything to do with it!¡± Linus answered angrily.


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± asked Valentina ironically. ¡°Have you ever seen a normal person jump like that boy?¡±


    ¡°That was not him, that¡¯s the scroll¡¯s fault!¡±


    Linus then explained to her the situation from the previous night. How they came across the scroll and what it did to Albert. He wasn¡¯t too happy to see her frown when he talked about the glowing text. It didn¡¯t seem like a good sign.


    Valentina listened quietly to his story, after it was over she had a devastated look on her face.


    ¡°God, what a mess.¡± she said rubbing her temple. ¡°You¡¯re gonna have to come with me¡±


    ¡°With you? Where?¡±


    ¡°To my home. It¡¯s a place that¡¯s home for everyone like me. We can take care of him there. Then we can figure out your situation¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I trust you¡± said Linus.


    ¡°And what choice do you have? You don¡¯t even know what this is¡± she said shaking the scroll to his face. ¡°If you want answers you come with me. Besides, I¡¯m not sure you¡¯re safe staying in school anymore¡±.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Oh, what do you think? An internet video? Really?¡± she answered exasperated ¡°I¡¯ll give you a hint: This...¡± she pointed to the scroll ¡°valuable.¡±


    Linus frowned at her, still wary.


    Valentina sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Linus. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt him, or belittle you guys. But this is important. Come with me, we can give him medical attention there.¡±


    In the end Linus gave in and she put Albert on her back. They sneaked through the woods and jumped over the school walls. After a quick phone call, a black car pulled up in front of them. It was a big SUV with stained glass.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡± said Valentina. Linus raised an eyebrow at her but she ignored him and entered the car. The driver was also mysterious. A man in a black suit who didn¡¯t say a word the entire trip.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    But that was far from the last surprise of the day.


    About half an hour later they arrived to an adorned steel gate surrounded by tall walls. The gates opened to allow their passage and the car followed into a dirt road. It turned out that Valentina¡¯s ¡°home¡± was actually an enormous mansion on the outskirts of town, surrounded by vast gardens. And she didn¡¯t seem to live alone as well.


    There were several people on the mansion grounds, most of them youngsters, although there were adults here and there. Some of the teenagers were just lazying around on the grass, others played sports on the court, some kids were playing catch around the trees. The car zig zaged across the path until they reached the front of the house.


    Valentina signaled for him to get out. Then she proceeded to take Albert up on her shoulder like a sack of potatoes and carry him to the door. Linus wasn¡¯t even surprised anymore and just followed suit.


    They were received by a tall slender man wearing suit pants and a vest. He had long silver-dyed hair up to his back. Wow, this is the most stylish emo dude I¡¯ve ever seen... thought Linus, but kept it to himself.


    ¡°Lucca, where¡¯s the director?¡± asked Valentina curtly.


    ¡°At the lab as usual, miss¡± he answered formally, taking a small bow.


    She stopped dead in her tracks. She squinted her eyes to Lucca and said:


    ¡°Are you mocking me?¡±


    Suddenly his whole demeanor changed from submissive to sarcastic.


    ¡°Me? I would NEVER¡± he said with both hands on his chest as if he was appalled by that very idea. ¡°I am simply fulfilling my humble duties of being Director Amelia¡¯s fucking slave.¡±


    Valentina laughed at his dismay.


    ¡°Then maybe you should stop dressing like that. You know you are totally her type, right? When you said you would do anything to study under her I didn¡¯t know you meant that.¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, she ordered me to do it¡± he said disheartened.


    The chit chat continued as they walked through the hallways. The house wasn¡¯t richly decorated but there were some paintings on the walls. Some had epic creatures on them that Linus had never heard of, others captured different men, some in intense battles.


    At the back of the house they took a downwards staircase that ended in stone walled corridor with green lights. At the end, there was wooden a door. Lucca knocked twice.


    A sultry voice answered:


    ¡°Come in¡±.


    Inside the room the mysterious green lights dominated the place giving it a gloomy vibe. The walls were filled with weird machinery and tables with disorganized papers.It was basically a mess, with different chairs spread around and no decoration pattern other than the lights.


    Standing over a table in the center of the room was a woman with a lab coat.


    ¡°Hello, Valentina my dear, have you brought me something interesting?¡± asked the woman without turning around.


    ¡°Yes. First I¡¯d like you to have a look at this boy here.¡± answered Valentina pointing at Albert.


    The director took a look over her shoulder but her attention swiftly shifted back to her work.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you, baby? Boys aren¡¯t interesting.¡± the woman turned around this time to face the group. Her eyes locked onto Lucca, lasciviously. ¡°I like men.¡± she said, with a wicked smile on her face.


    Linus looked at the man beside him who seemed to be trying to ignore the harassment. The woman talking to them seemed to be close to her 30s, she wore big round glasses and had straight brown hair. Meanwhile, her target seemed to be 19 or 20, although he dressed like an adult.


    ¡°I also got this¡± said Valentina waving the scroll over her head.


    ¡°HO, HO, HO. THAT¡¯S WHAT I¡¯M TALKING ABOUT¡± said the director pouncing towards Valentina¡¯s hand.


    ¡°No, no, no... Amelia.¡± said Valentina holding it out of the director¡¯s hands. ¡°First, the boy¡±


    ¡°FINE¡± she answered pouting ¡°Put him down on the scan. Is he a Descendant, too?¡±.


    ¡°Yes, although the other kid here says he isn¡¯t.¡± Valentina said as laid Albert down in a medical bed by the wall and rolled him into a big, round, scanning machine. She threw the scroll into Amelia¡¯s hand, who held it like a kid with a new toy.


    ¡°When you talk that way I almost forget that you are a kid too, Val¡± said Amelia.


    ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m not a kid¡± she answered.


    Meanwhile, Linus watched that back and forth confused. Albert was a what? These people are weird... He thought. As if she could hear his thinking, Amelia started walking towards him, staring. But as she approached, she opened a motherly smile.


    ¡°You seem to be exhausted boy.¡± she said affectionately holding his chin ¡°This will take a while, do you want to have a rest?¡±


    Linus was hesitant to accept the offer, he glanced at Albert inside the weird scan machine. Amelia noticed his eye movement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can stay here if you want. I have very comfortable chairs¡± Linus wanted to resist, but his legs and back were in a lot of pain and his eyelids were heavy.


    ¡°Fine¡± he said, and Amelia guided him to a reclined chair. He completely fell apart on the chair, fighting hard to stay awake.


    ¡°Valentina you fool. Normal people¡¯s bodies can¡¯t take what yours can. You¡¯d be wise to pay attention to those around you.¡± said the director. Valentina answered simply with a grunt.


    At last, things calmed down. Lucca had left the room and Amelia started fidgeting with the screen next to the scan. Valentina sat on a chair beside Linus and waited.


    Now, as he laid there, Linus tried processing the things he had seen. The flying man, the flying Albert, the classmate with secret agent drivers and huge houses, and the increasing number of weird people surrounding him. Everybody seemed to know what was going on except for him, and that started to get on his nerves. He turned to Valentina.


    ¡°Now, can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡±


    She hesitated for a second, and suddenly she felt like the shy girl from school again.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I can tell you...¡± Valentina glanced at Amelia ¡°If you were his family, it would be different...¡±


    ¡°I am his family, ok?¡± said Linus raising his voice ¡°I grew up with him, I can¡¯t even remember the first time we met cause¡¯ we were too young. I spend most of my nights at his house because his family says they¡¯d rather let me stay there then send me back to the orphanage in the evening.¡±


    Linus had teary eyes when he finished, he rubbed them off, embarrassed.


    On the other side of the room Amelia took a giant headphone and put it on. She started singing in a horrible singing voice.


    ¡°I¡¯D RATHER BE HARD TO LOOOOOOOVE...¡±


    They both looked at her surprised, but she just went back to fidget with the monitor.


    ¡°I, see...¡± said Valentina, understanding her actions. ¡°What do you wanna know?¡±


    ¡°Start from the beginning. Who did we meet at the top of the skyscraper?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± she answered. ¡°Well, basically, you¡¯ve met a God.¡±

 CH.4 Dead Man Walking?

    ¡°What!?¡± screamed Albert.


    He had woken up to a horrendous sound coming from above him. But he couldn¡¯t see anything as he seemed to be trapped inside a metal machine. That¡¯s when he overheard Linus¡¯ voice asking about the man at the skyscraper. The answer, though, caught him completely off guard.


    Linus and Valentina got up when they heard Albert¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Bro! You¡¯re okay!¡± said Linus, ecstatic. The director, on the other hand, was fighting to keep him inside the scanner.


    ¡°Stay still kid!¡± she said to Albert, who squirmed in the table trying to get out.


    ¡°Relax for a second, it¡¯ll be all over soon¡± added Valentina.


    He finally stopped moving and Amelia finished his examination. The metal scanner opened and Albert sighed in relief. Although that didn¡¯t last very long, when he got up the first face he saw was Valentina¡¯s.


    ¡°Shit. What is she doing here?¡± he said springing to his feet like a spooked cat. He looked at Linus and asked ¡°She¡¯s the one who knocked me out, you know?¡±.


    ¡°Yeah, I know...¡± answered Linus, feeling a bit guilty. ¡°But she said there¡¯s an explanation for it. I was about to hear it too.¡±


    ¡°An explanation? Fine. Let¡¯s hear it then.¡±


    ¡°All, right, first get down from the table and come sit with us¡± Valentina answered pointing to the reclined chair.


    Albert did as he was told, but didn¡¯t take his eyes off her. As he sat down he remembered something.


    ¡°By the way, what was that horrible nois...¡±


    ¡°YOU SHOULD BELIEEEEEVE MEEEEEE!¡± sang the director with her headphones blaring.


    ¡°Nevermind...¡±


    When all three of them were seated Valentina resumed her explanation.


    ¡°As I was saying, the ¡®person¡¯ you met on top of the building is probably a god.¡±


    ¡°God¡­ The God? Like, the one the Creation Church says created the world?¡± asked Linus, dumbfounded.


    ¡°No¡± answered Valentina. She closed her eyes and stopped to think for a second. After a deep breath she continued ¡°Ok. Forget everything you associate with the word God. I¡¯m not talking about hypothesis or faith here¡±.


    ¡°Imagine the forces of nature. The movement of the tides, the growth of the trees, the directions of the wind. All of it shifts according to an energy we call Ruach. There are many types, aerial energy, heat energy, life energy, and so on. It pushes and pulls, and moves about with its own random pattern in mind. When a lot of that energy is concentrated in one place a God is reborn. They personify that unharnessed natural power and they live in places where their energy thrives.¡±


    ¡°In other words, what you met was a powerful being, that commands the energy of world. What we in the business call, a God.¡± she concluded.


    Silence hung in the air as the boys digested the information. It was completely absurd, of course. But they had had their fair share of unbelievable lately. The first to speak was Linus.


    ¡°But if that is true, how come we don¡¯t know about it? How come the world doesn¡¯t know about it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°At first it was common knowledge. But you can imagine how that made some people feel. Some idolized them, claimed that they were the true owners of this world. Others thought they inhibited humanity¡¯s development, and sought to destroy them. That caused the entire planet, and the people who lived in it, to be at constant war with themselves. Secrecy was the solution.¡± Valentina explained all that as if she was citing a textbook. ¡°All 6 countries in our world work to keep it that way.¡±


    With a smirk, she continued ¡°Even now. Can you imagine what would happen if you tried telling the people in school about it?¡±


    Linus nodded slowly.


    ¡°No one would believe it. And with good reason.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Never underestimate the power of a government and their censorship. Of course, that was decided a long time ago, so that also helps.¡± she concluded.


    ¡°What about you, then?¡± said Albert. He still sounded a little angry ¡°What the fuck are you?¡±


    ¡°I am one of the people who keeps the secret. A descendant of a person who was once blessed by those gods.¡± Valentina flashed him a rare smile.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    She put her hand up and it shone with a yellow light that would slowly pulsate. Her eyes also shared the same glow.


    ¡°Our ancestors, at some point, fell on the graces of a god, for whatever reason, and in return that god infused the power of the Ruach in their bodies. That¡¯s why, we are more powerful than a regular human. You are too, whether you believe it or not.¡±


    ¡°No he¡¯s not!¡±


    Everybody was surprised by the interruption. Especially because that denial did not come from Linus, nor from Albert. But from Director Amelia.


    She had her headphones off and she stared at her screen wide-eyed.


    ¡°He¡¯s not a descendant.¡± she repeated.


    ¡°What? He has powers, I saw it with my own eyes! He stepped on air just like one of those damned aerial gods!¡± exclaimed Valentina turning off her powers. She went up to the screen.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. He can¡¯t be a descendant, because he has no energy flow. None.¡±


    Valentina looked at the monitor in shock. The boys, on the other hand, were a bit confused.


    ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t that mean he is normal? If he has none of that ¡®Rua¡¯ thing in his body, then he is just a normal person, right?¡± asked Linus.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand. Descendants and Gods are specially powerful creatures. But everybody has a bit of Ruach in their bodies. Think about it, we are part of nature, we eat plants and animals, we house bacteria. This boy.¡± said Amelia, looking at Albert with newfound interest ¡°has none. Nothing. It¡¯s like he is not even alive.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just bullshitting me. Is this some sort of elaborate prank or something? I¡¯m not even alive?¡± said Albert losing his patience. ¡°Listen, that was a fun story and all but I¡¯ve lived long enough to know I¡¯m not dead. Let¡¯s go bro.¡±


    Albert tapped Linus on the shoulder and started walking towards the door. However, Valentina ran to him and stopped him with her hand on his chest.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here, but you can¡¯t just walk out of this. There¡¯s a video on the internet of you meeting a God. Not only that but he gave you a Relic.¡± she said showing him the scroll ¡°People are probably already looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Why would anyone look for me? You heard her, I got no weird special power. And as for that¡± he said, pointing to the Relic ¡°You can keep it.¡±


    Albert brushed her arm to the side and went past her. But as he reached for the door they all heard a huge ¡°BOOM¡± outside of the house, and, soon after, footsteps on the corridor. Lucca burst into the room with a panicked face.


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack¡± he said hurriedly.


    ¡°An attack!? By who?¡± asked the Director Amelia taking off her lab coat and her glasses.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know. But they¡¯re not normal people. Bullets don¡¯t work and they¡¯re keeping up with our fighters.¡± answered Lucca.


    ¡°Shit¡± she took a moment to think ¡°Ok, we¡¯re going out. Tell Oreul to meet me outside we need to organize ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go too¡± said Valentina.


    ¡°No. I want you to take these two and the kids to safety. You can run away through the woods, there¡¯s an underground passage there. I know you know where it is.¡± answered Amelia with a wink.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am I can fight!¡± replied Valentina, angrily. ¡°You know I¡¯m one of the most powerful people here, let me go with you.¡±


    Amelia put her hands on her face.


    ¡°I know my dear. But we don¡¯t know what we are fighting. If they had the guts to blast through our front gate I must take this seriously. I can¡¯t let the kids risk themselves.¡±


    ¡°And what about you? You¡¯re gonna risk yourself? Alone?¡± asked Valentina


    ¡°You¡¯re my best bet. Please. Do it for me.¡±


    Valentina¡¯s eyes were still defiant but Linus interrupted.


    ¡°Fucking bullets!? And they¡¯re not even working? We really need to get out of here Albie.¡±


    ¡°And she won¡¯t be alone. I¡¯ll be there with her, all our fighters will too.¡± added Lucca.


    Albert turned to Valentina.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought us here in the first place, and now we¡¯re in danger. Let¡¯s get those kids and get the hell outta here.¡±


    She finally dropped her head, resigned.


    ¡°Listen my dear, I¡¯ll be fine, ok?¡± said Amelia giving her a warm embrace ¡°You have your phone, right? I¡¯ll send you a location where you can hide, we¡¯ll call you back when it¡¯s safe.¡±


    The director and Lucca turned around ran ahead leaving the three youngsters behind. Valentina still had a worried look on her face, but she shrugged it off.


    ¡°All right. Follow me.¡±


    They ran back up into the house. Upstairs the noises of battle were louder, but instead of heading towards the front of the house they took a right turn and moved to the west wing, on the second floor of the mansion.


    When they arrived, there were already a few kids and teenagers in the hallways, some were in their pajamas. The noises pulled them out of bed and they were all gathered around the tall windows trying to see what was going on. When Valentina turned the corner followed by Albert and Linus, they all came to her.


    ¡°Yo, Val, what¡¯s with this ruckus?¡± asked Rios, one of the teenagers. Out of the people there he was the one who seemed closer to their age. He was as tall as Linus, but had dark hair and a brownish skin. The kids were gathered around him, as if he was their leader.


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack, wake everybody up, we have orders to evacuate.¡± said Valentina, curt as ever.


    ¡°Wait, wait, wait a minute. What?¡± continued Rios. ¡°Attacked by who?¡±


    ¡°Listen, we don¡¯t have time for this. Amelia is worried and she told me to take the kids out...¡±


    ¡°And let her, and the masters fight? To protect us? This is what we train for Valentina. We have to help!¡± behind her she saw the agreeing nods of the people in the hallway. More and more kids started pouring out of their rooms and their whispers were getting louder. I must control this before it gets out of hand... thought Valentina.


    ¡°I will not let kids risk their lives here! But I can¡¯t stop you, Rios. Or you Kayla¡± she said looking at a girl with blue dyed hair.


    ¡°I wanted to fight too. And I understand. But I¡¯ll follow my orders. If you¡¯re over 16 and you wish to help, you¡¯re free to stay and do so. As for the rest of you¡± Valentina stared at the younger kids. ¡°I will not let you through. You¡¯ll follow me to the safe house.¡±


    Some bigger boys and girls looked at her with resentment, but none dared question her authority.


    That day Valentina stood there as she watched some of her oldest friends walk past her. Rios, the tall courageous boy, Kayla, the dyed hair pierced sweetie, Domy, the sporty boy with an attitude, Gail, the painter with delicate hands and a powerful kick, and Rony, the quiet skinny boy who was always sulking.


    She greeted all of them with a nod as they passed. After they were gone she felt the gaze of the kids fall on her. She also felt the weight of the responsibility that her master had put on her shoulders.


    Valentina¡¯s hand glowed with power and she slapped the tall window that shattered without resistance.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± she screamed as she grabbed Albert and Linus by the waist and plunged into the emptiness of the night.

 CH.5 Burning Sensation

    Albert felt the recoil of the fall but Valentina held on tightly. She held him by the waist like an oversize puppy which felt a bit degrading, but he didn¡¯t complain when he saw her serious expression. Her hand on his body felt uncomfortably warm too, as if a hot piece of coal was touching his skin.


    After the jump, she let him and Linus go and they watched the kids take the jump with ease. Their eyes, glowed in the dark like an army of colorful fireflies.


    The weather was cold outside and the silence was filled with the distant cries of battle. Valentina did not look back once, but her shoulders were tense as a violin chord, like she was fighting the urge to run back to the fight.


    Once the whole group reunited Valentina gave the command.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go. Quietly. We don¡¯t want to alert anyone.¡±


    They moved west through the back of the house making a beeline towards the woods. Under the cover of the trees we should be fine¡­ thought Valentina as they steered away from the mansion¡¯s shadow and into the open garden.


    From there they could see a huge dust cloud over the battlefield. Occasionally, flashes of color would light up the night, only to plunge it into darkness again. There were sonicbooms and impact sounds all over, but from that distance they could not see what the enemy looked like.


    Valentina sped up the pace, and soon they were all sprinting to the trees. But as they reached the edge of the woods a loud, monotone voice cut the air.


    ¡°Found others¡± it said, speaking to no one in particular. The voice belonged to a skinny, dark haired man who watched them from 100 meters away. He seemed normal, except for the glazed look on his eyes.


    ¡°Everyone! Into the woods!¡± screamed Valentina and the chaos ensued. Albert and Linus had to give their all to keep up with the enhanced speed of the Descendants, and their parkour training was put to good use.


    But behind them a loud shriek caught their attention. The skinny man had somehow caught up to a young blonde girl who was at the back of the pack. She seemed to be around 8 or 10. He grabbed her by her hair, his hand glowed with reddish-yellow Ruach. He clenched his fist and aimed for her face.


    Albert did not hesitate. He changed direction to run back, despite knowing it would be futile. Once again, as he turned around, his foot didn¡¯t touch the ground and instead powerfully pushed the air below it, launching him at the screaming girl.


    He tackled her through the floor, feeling the air pressure of the attacker¡¯s fist as it just missed his head. Still worried that it was not over, Albert quickly rose to his feet, standing between the mysterious man and the girl.


    But that man was no longer there.


    Valentina had already caught up to him throwing a barrage of blows to his head and body. The attacker tried to block her combos, but she was too fast for him and eventually a kick landed on his stomach throwing him to the ground. Without hesitation, Valentina put her foot on his head, all of her Ruach concentrating on her sole.


    That was the first time Albert heard the sound of a skull being crushed. The bones snapping, the blood splatter. The muffled and brief noise of a life being taken. He watched, terrified, Valentina¡¯s lifeless expression as she turned away and ran up to them.


    ¡°Everyone, alright?¡± she asked. The blonde girl simply nodded and went to join the others. But Albert gave her a somber stare.


    Valentina noticed the look on his face, but she cut him off before he could say anything.


    ¡°Later¡± she said curtly.


    Valentina turned to the group of kids who waited for their leader and shouted ¡°Keep going. Continue north, use the stars as a compass. We¡¯ll watch the back.¡±


    Linus ran up to his friend.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    Albert just nodded. Valentina put her hands on both their shoulders.


    ¡°Stick close to me you two. You¡¯re not as easy to find as the others.¡±


    Albert didn¡¯t understand what she meant until 5 minutes later.


    When their group ventured deeper into the forest, where the treetops were closer together, you could barely see where you were walking. But they could easily see the kids because of their eyes, who colorfully shone in the dark.


    Everyone kept their ears open, but it seems they were not being followed. Eventually they reduced the pace and walked together so no one would get lost. Valentina had her hands on Albert and Linus¡¯ shoulder to keep track of them.


    Once again, the burning sensation returned.


    ¡°Can you please not do that?¡± asked Albert.


    ¡°Do what?¡± said Valentina.


    ¡°Use your powers while touching me, this shit hurts, you know?¡±


    Valentina stopped dead in her tracks.


    ¡°It hurts?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah. It feels like your hand is on fire.¡±


    She looked at Linus with curiosity. He just shook his head and said:This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    They both stared at Albert confused.


    ¡°Is this the first time you felt this?¡± asked Valentina


    ¡°No, I felt it when you grabbed my waist for the jump too.¡±


    Valentina thought about it for a moment and said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the cabin first, I want to try something.¡±


    A few minutes of walk later, they arrived to a seemingly abandoned log house in the middle of the woods. The windows were closed off with boards and some parts of the porch were a bit rotten. But it was not dusty, and the door opened with ease.


    There was no lighting inside, only a few candles that were spread around the room. Valentina took one of them and lit it up by snapping her finger next to the wick. Add that to the list of weird shit she can do¡­ thought Albert.


    The room was almost empty, with the exception of a sofa and an armchair. When everyone entered Valentina closed the door behind them.


    ¡°Alright, Roan, come here¡± she called a boy that seemed older than most of the kids ¡°There¡¯s a kitchen on the next room. You¡¯ll notice the floor is hollow. Break it. The passage is underneath.¡±


    After he left she turned to Albert. ¡°Now, you. Get up on this sofa and give me your hands¡±


    He stepped up on the couch. Valentina extended her two hands and he took them. Her eyes blazed yellow and the Ruach flowed through her arms. Albert, scared of the pain, tried to pull his hand away, but she held him firmly.


    ¡°Relax. I have an idea¡± Valentina continued ¡°Close your eyes. Try to direct this heat to a point right below your stomach.¡±


    Albert concentrated on the energy, and he felt a strong pull from the point Valentina described. The pain started to alleviate and suddenly his whole body felt warmer.


    ¡°Now concentrate on your foot.¡± she commanded, without letting him go. All the warmth instantly traveled to his foot, which made it quite painful again.


    ¡°Alright, step forward.¡±


    He tried getting down from the sofa. But she pushed him back.


    ¡°Hey¡± complained Albert.


    ¡°Stay there.¡± she ordered. ¡°Eyes closed, and step forward.¡±


    He went back up and put his foot in the air.


    ¡°No, step on it. Put your weight in.¡± she insisted.


    Albert lost his patience and just threw himself forward. If I fall on her that¡¯s her problem¡­ he thought.


    But to his surprise he actually stepped on something.


    ¡°How are you doing that, bro?¡± asked Linus, dumbfounded. Under Albert¡¯s foot was a little blue light, just like the God atop of the spire.


    Albert opened his eyes to see what was going on, but the energy soon disappeared and he fell down on his face.


    ¡°As I thought.¡± said Valentina to an angry Albert who rubbed his bruised nose. ¡°You might not be a Descendant. But you¡¯re something else. You¡¯ve been absorbing my Ruach into your body and using it. That¡¯s how you¡¯ve been making those jumps.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ is that possible?¡± asked Linus.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it. But it fits. Think about it, every time he used the Lightning Steps, he had just touched me.¡± answered Valentina.


    ¡°You¡¯re something else too¡± said Albert suddenly. Valentina frowned.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you that well before, and I certainly don¡¯t know a thing about this whole, God & Descendant business. But I never pegged you as a cold-blooded killer.¡± he said coldly.


    Albert was expecting her to get angry at the comment, but instead she lowered her gaze to her feet and with a sad expression, she said:


    ¡°Yeah¡­ me neither.¡± for an awkward moment, no one spoke. Valentina seemed genuinely bothered by what she had done, and Albert seemed determined to see her squirm for it. So Linus stepped in.


    ¡°But didn¡¯t that man look weird?¡± he asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Weird how?¡± said both Albert and Valentina at the same time.


    ¡°Well, kinda robotic. Like, his eyes and his voice. It¡¯s like he was in a trance. He even walked a little bit weird.¡±


    ¡°I remember his voice being like that, but I didn¡¯t think much of it.¡± said Valentina. ¡°And what would that mean anyway?¡±


    But before they could finish the discussion, they heard some noises outside. A couple of hushed voices and some twigs snapping. The three of them fell silent, trying to listen to the it without alerting whoever it was.


    ¡°No way they found us that quick!¡± she whispered in disbelief.


    All of a sudden Valentina¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Shit¡± she exclaimed while running towards the kitchen. But before she could take 3 steps a loud banging noise erupted from it. The kids, of course, had followed her instructions and smashed a hole on the floor, the only way they knew how.


    Kicking it down with their powers.


    The voices outside immediately turned into shouts and they knew they were in danger.


    Valentina ran into the room and shouted.


    ¡°Everybody in! Someone¡¯s here!¡±


    The hole on the kitchen floor led to an underground rock tunnel. There was a lever right by the entrance, Valentina pulled it and emergency lights lit up ahead. A ladder led to the bottom, but everyone ignored it and just jumped into the 5 meter drop.


    Linus and Albert, took the stairs.


    The tunnel was very rudimentary with the lights being lazily bolted to the walls and simple wooden arches sustaining the structure. Other than that it just a very long hole.


    ¡°According to what director Amelia sent me, the safe house is right after this tunnel, so we should lose any tails before coming in.¡± Valentina said to the two boys.


    ¡°Well, that is out of question. So, what¡¯s plan B?¡± asked Linus.


    She answered him with a worried look.


    ¡°What we can do for now is gain time ahead of them. Roan!¡± she shouted, calling the older boy again. ¡°You¡¯re in charge now. These two are Linus and Albert. They¡¯re regular people, we¡¯re trying to get them out. Take them. Take the kids. And start running.¡±


    Roan, despite being older, had a terrified look on his face and seemed eager to obey, but Linus protested.


    ¡°What? What¡¯s this? You want to copy your Director and stay behind, so we can escape?¡±


    ¡°No. I just need to figure out a way for them to not follow us. I¡¯ll be right after you guys¡± she said trying to reassure him.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go¡± said Roan, putting his hands on Linus¡¯ shoulders and trying to shake some sense into him. His voice had such a pleading tone that Linus didn¡¯t want to refuse him. If I leave this kid in charge, the others are as good as gone¡­ he thought.


    Albert, on the other hand, didn¡¯t challenge her decision at all.


    ¡°Good luck then¡± he said nonchalantly putting his hand on her shoulder, and resting it there for a little too long.


    The three boys left together joining the group of children ahead. They all watched them expectantly, and the one to speak was Linus.


    ¡°Ok everyone, Valentina is going to take care of the pursuers and then join us. The safe house is right up ahead so let¡¯s get moving. We¡¯re almost there!¡± he said in an enthusiastic tone.


    He has that in him¡­ thought Albert. That spirit of leadership, that reliable posture. Even though the kids did not know him before, he quickly took the position of leader from Roan.


    As they all ran ahead, leaving Valentina behind, Linus couldn¡¯t stop looking back at her figure standing there, bravely waiting for her opponents. She seemed so small and fragile, even though he knew better. Still, he relied on her, because he knew she could do what he couldn¡¯t.


    His powerlessness was haunting his conscience. But Albert interrupted his train of thought.


    ¡°You worry for her, don¡¯t you?¡± asked Albert.


    Linus was startled by how well his friend had read his mind. He tried looking back one more time, but they were already too far to see her.


    ¡°Yeah, I do. What kind of people are we? Leaving others behind to fight our battles. I can¡¯t feel good about this¡±


    ¡°I feel ya. Well, be sure to take good care of the kids, that Roan over there is useless.¡± said Albert.


    ¡°Ain¡¯t he? I think so too. Wait, what do you...¡± but before Linus could finish his sentence his friend had disappeared.


    Meanwhile, Albert flew back up the tunnel like a missile using his newfound skill. Up ahead he saw a red-haired girl, with a shining yellow aura standing before her opponents like a fiery demon.


    Albert shouted out from the top of his lungs.


    ¡°INCOMING!!¡±

 CH. 6 The dance of Fire and Lightning

    She heard him before she saw him. This reckless bastard...


    Valentina stepped to the side and caught the flying boy by his leg, before he went headfirst into the enemy. The sudden stop in momentum threw him to the ground but, this time, he was prepared and moved into a roll instead of smashing his nose. His voice was cheerful when he spoke up.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this party started¡± said Albert standing next to Valentina.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing here? How did you even use Lightning Steps again?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Well, someone has to keep an eye on you, right? If I let you be, all of these people are pretty much goners.¡± he answered trying to provoke her. ¡°Besides all I had to do was touch you, right?¡±


    She faintly remembered his hand resting on her shoulder when he said his goodbye.


    ¡°Don¡¯t steal my powers without permission!¡± said Valentina shoving him to the side.


    ¡°Think of it as borrowing. You have enough, you gotta share with the lower classes¡± he retorted. She didn¡¯t seem convinced, but they had bigger problems at the moment.


    In front of them was a group of 10 people. They didn¡¯t know anyone in it, but they all had the same glazed eyes as the attacker from the woods. No one spoke, they all just surrounded the exit and stared at Albert and Valentina.


    ¡°Who are you, why are you here?¡± shouted Valentina, fishing for answers. But there was no response.


    ¡°Ok. This is weird. Do you think they all got powers too?¡± asked Albert.


    ¡°I¡¯d assume so...¡± she answered, unsure.


    ¡°What¡¯s your plan then?¡±


    Valentina didn¡¯t have an answer for that yet, but for some reason the enemies were not attacking, so she starting thinking.


    Albert interpreted her silence, assuming correctly.


    ¡°You never had a plan, did you? God dammit I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m betting my neck on you.¡± he said hitting himself on the face.


    But her gears were turning at full throttle and as she looked around, at the lights and the wooden archways, an idea starting forming in her head.


    ¡°I got it! Get close to me Roth, we got to get you ready.¡± Valentina commanded. Albert, who was starting to get tired of people ordering him around asked:


    ¡°What? What are you thinking now?¡±


    She puffed angrily and walked up to him. His eyes widened as she whispered the plan into his ears.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Albert asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s our best option. I can¡¯t fight them all AND keep them from going after the others.¡± Valentina said confidently. Her arm purposely rested in his shoulder and he felt the burning sensation once again. ¡°Concentrate. Like I taught you.¡±


    They stood there for two minutes until finally one of their opponents made a move. Matter of fact they all moved, at the same time. Their mouths opened and they all said:


    ¡°Roger!¡± the sound echoed through the tunnel in their monotone, yet dissonant, voices. The men and women of the pack took a battle stance and prepared to pounce. They all had a red-yellowish Ruach around their arms, just like the other one they had fought.


    ¡°Ready? I take left you take right.¡± said Valentina just before everyone attacked. They both jumped back to opposite sides of the tunnel. The opponents split up and followed suit.


    7 of them went for Valentina while the other 3 went after Albert. She fought them off skillfully, without throwing any blows while letting them hit each other and the surroundings. Meanwhile Albert went on a frantic run with his pursuers. They were both retreating, next to the walls and into the tunnel more and more.


    Unlike Valentina, Albert did not have the skill to make the opponents do what he wanted. And even if he did, he was too concentrated on his newfound abilities to do anything else. Echoes of her explanation traveled through his brain as he avoided the soaring punches. Keep the Ruach in your stomach, that will spread it across your whole body and enhance its functions. Don¡¯t try any funny moves, if you fuck it up you can unbalance yourself, and that, can get you killed.


    They moved 200 meters into the tunnel before Valentina shouted:


    ¡°NOW!¡±


    She jumped over the enemies launching herself at Albert, he caught her midair and concentrated all of his Ruach on his feet. With Valentina holding onto him, he used the Lightning Steps to dodge his 3 opponents and fly back towards the entrance. They moved right next to the walls on Albert¡¯s side of the battle and for every wooden archway they passed you could hear a loud sonicboom. They arrived back to the bottom of the stairs, leaving a path of destruction behind.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    On Albert¡¯s side you could see a straight line where Valentina smashed the columns that held up the tunnel, while on Valentina¡¯s side everything was broken at different heights and manners by the blows of her enemies. Either way, the support system for those 200 meters of the passage was gone.


    The zombie-like, men and women tried to run back to them but it was too late.


    ¡°Stand back¡± Valentina told Albert.


    With a deep breath she gathered all of her power. Her yellow aura intensified and started to emanate from her like wild flames. When she concentrated the energy, her foot shone bright like a miniature sun. She couldn¡¯t help but let out a scream as she powerfully stomped the floor.


    ¡°HAAAAAAA!¡± her foot made a dent on the stoned floor, and the cracks traveled up to the walls. Some of the stones around her started to melt, but the damage was already done. The walls were already rumbling and the tunnel started to cave in.


    Once the first rocks fell, the rest started to collapse very quickly. Albert shouted to Valentina:


    ¡°Come! Quick!¡±


    She went to him as fast as possible, since the walls around them were going down too. Albert put his hands around her and jumped out of the tunnel, only to realize they had made a big miscalculation.


    The cabin was collapsing too.


    ¡°Shit¡± he said, when he landed on the kitchen floor and it started sinking too. The roof of the house was also coming down and Albert used his only skill, Lightning Steps, to dodge the beams and slabs at a dizzying speed. But that could only keep them safe for so long.


    He decided to dash to a window to escape the collapsing house, but remembered, too late, that they were sealed with wooden planks.


    They both flew head first into the planks, smashing through the window and rolling onto the pile of rubble.


    Albert felt very relaxed. He sat on a hammock watching the sunrise with the soft breeze caressing his face. The entire world seemed respectfully quiet, with only the occasional bird breaking the silence. They sang beautiful notes, contributing to the atmosphere.


    There was, however, one woodpecker that was really annoying. From time to time Albert heard an infuriating TOC TOC TOC coming from behind him. If this bird disturbs me one more time, I swear to god¡­ he thought. But this time the sound didn¡¯t come. Instead he felt an impact on his face, followed by the taste of blood in his mouth.


    He woke up suddenly to the rock hitting him. The warm morning sun was already on his body, and some birds were surrounding him, checking the wreckage. Albert was laying on the edge of a crater that definitely wasn¡¯t there before.


    It looked like the earth had tried to devour the cabin, leaving only a pile of demolished logs and furniture behind.


    A couple of meters down the crater was another person, she stared at him with an angry face.


    ¡°Finally!¡± said Valentina exasperated. ¡°Get down here and help me, quick!¡±


    Albert stood up, his mind still a bit sluggish as he calmly stumbled down to her. And it was only when he got close, that he realized how serious the situation was.


    ¡°Holy shit¡± he exclaimed running to her side. Valentina had both of her legs stuck under a beam and a pile of debris.


    ¡°Yeah. Great landing!¡± she said sarcastically. ¡°I can¡¯t push it out myself, I got no support. You got to get me out of here my body can¡¯t take much more of the enhancement.¡±


    Albert noticed her eyes were still shining and her face stoically tried to hide the pain.


    ¡°Ok, how do we do this?¡±


    ¡°Take my Ruach. It¡¯ll give you the strength you need.¡± Albert came close to her, and she touched his foot. He held onto the wooden beam, ready. ¡°Just keep your arms firm and focus the energy on your legs. You have to push it up, like a weightlifter, with your whole body.¡±


    He crouched and followed her instructions. As he lifted, the weight felt crushing on his torso and arms, but his legs resisted, so he just took the pain. When her body was set free, Valentina crawled out of the space and laid down, exhausted.


    Albert heard her pitiful scream before he could turn around.


    Valentina had tears in her eyes and held onto her leg, in pain.


    ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck¡± she kept repeating to herself.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Albert in a desperate tone.


    ¡°It¡¯s the kickback! Oh, god. Fucking hell!¡± her pleading continued. Albert felt completely helpless while watching her suffering, so he sat beside her to hold her hand.


    Even without her powers, Valentina grabbed his hand with an iron grip trying to push away the pain. After a few minutes her breath started to stabilize and relief spread across her sweaty face.


    ¡°Is it over?¡± asked Albert. She nodded her head and he sighed in relief.


    Albert finally sat back and let himself relax for a second. Even in that thick forest, the morning sun managed to sneak some light in, finally allowing him to see the damage.


    It seemed like the plan had worked, despite the demolished house. They had actually taken down a part of the forest by sinking down 200 meters worth of tunnels, but, apparently, the rest didn¡¯t collapse, so their friends were safe.


    ¡°How did you know the tunnel wasn¡¯t going to collapse on Linus and the others?¡± asked Albert.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. But I remembered the day I accidentally found this tunnel. It was still under construction and I was caught by one of our instructors down there. He told me it was almost completed. I just hoped they were already on the other side. Wherever that is.¡± she explained, pausing to breathe every other sentence.


    ¡°You¡¯re reckless¡± he said.


    ¡°So are you.¡± answered Valentina.


    They watched in silence the birds go about their morning, hard working as ever. When Albert felt he was finally fully awake he said:


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get some cover, we don¡¯t know if there¡¯s still someone here.¡±


    Valentina just nodded. He got up and put his arms under her legs and back, lifting her up like a princess. For a second she was about to protest but her fatigue spoke louder and she rested her head on his shoulder, eyes closed, as he carried her out of the crater.


    This was the first time Albert had a chance to truly look at her. In his arms, her tiny body felt as light as a feather, and her resting face had very soft features. Still it felt like she was born to fight. Through the rips in her white shirt you could see her toned abdomen contracting and relaxing with her breathing, her strong petite figure. Even her hair, when glistening with sweat, made her look more beautiful.


    ¡°Stop staring¡± she said without opening her eyes. Albert was caught off guard by her comment and flinched, giving himself away.


    ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t...¡± but he gave up knowing he had been caught.


    They walked away from the cabin and back into the woods. looking for a place where they could rest. He found a clearing where the ground would descend a little and the roots could be used as shelter.


    Albert laid Valentina down and sat next to her. She blinked very slowly struggling to hold her eyelids open.


    ¡°Thank you... for coming back for me.¡± she said, before falling asleep.

 CH. 7 Mother

    Albert stood guard as Valentina slept soundly. He also used this time to allow his brain to catch up to all the madness he had lived. The tiny girl laying beside him was actually a one-woman army. And, not only that. She believed that he had the same power, only to find out he was something else entirely.


    Not even human¡­ thought Albert, recalling the director¡¯s comment. Then what the hell am I¡­


    The other thing that bothered him was the secrets he had learned. About the Gods, the Descendants, and the government lying to the world about it. He still wasn¡¯t sure whether to believe that or not, but the implications of it being true terrified him. Not because of some powerful beings with mythical powers, but because of the descendant''s story.


    An ancestor who was blessed by the gods.


    If he was one of them, then why hasn¡¯t he heard any of it from his parents? And if he is not a human, then what are his parents?


    These thoughts haunted the young boy¡¯s mind, as he watched the birds fly through the woods. But his plight was short lived as Valentina woke up after an hour of sleep. She stretched her body like a cat but recoiled in pain. Her face looked re-energized despite the dark circles in her eyes.


    ¡°Wow, I feel much better¡± she said, sighing


    ¡°Already? With the way you were screaming about that ¡®kickback¡¯ or whatever, I thought it would take you longer to recuperate.¡± said Albert.


    ¡°The kickback is only pain, really. Basically, when we use Ruach to enhance our bodies we push our muscles, ligaments and joints to their absolute limit. So we normally ease ourselves out of that state, to allow our bodies to relax and recuperate before turning it off. If we don¡¯t¡­ well you saw what happens.¡± Valentina explained.


    Then her expression turned sour.


    ¡°But using it too much is also bad. That¡¯s why I was worried. We are human, our bodies have limits too. And not just arms and legs. There have been cases of people who pushed themselves into a heart attack by enhancing their bodies.¡± she concluded with a serious tone.


    Albert shivered, thinking about his heart exploding from overwork. Valentina noticed his worried look and laughed.


    ¡°Relax. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. With the way your powers work, you always use them in very quick bursts. You should be fine.¡±


    He laughed too, only more sarcastically.


    But, after that, the silence fell between the two like an invisible veil. Once again, Albert was faced with the doubt of his identity. Not a descendant¡­ not a human¡­


    And there was another question that needed to be answered.


    They had to decide their next move.


    ¡°How do we meet back with the group?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have no idea where that tunnel leads or who is on the other side. I only know they are allies.¡± she answered.


    ¡°God dammit! Well, I guess there¡¯s only one option then...¡± he said looking at the direction of the mansion.


    But Albert was surprised by what he saw.


    A dark cloud of smoke glided through the sky and loomed over the forest. Valentina had an ominous sinking feeling.


    ¡°We¡¯re going back!¡± she said springing to her feet. Albert did not protest her decision. Not because he was as invested in the mansion or the people who lived there, but because that place and those people had answers.


    And he needed some, really bad.


    They made their way back through the woods quickly with the sun shining high in the sky. Also, the ash cloud served as a very good compass. When they arrived to the edge of the tree line they could finally see it¡¯s origin


    The house was completely taken over by the fire, engulfing it in the scorching heat.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°No!¡± screamed Valentina running towards it. Albert tried to stop her, but she slapped his hand off her shoulder.


    He wanted tried to follow, but the heat wouldn¡¯t let him get within 200 meters of the mansion. Valentina, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem to be bothered by it.


    She reached the walls without even flinching and with a deep breath she put her two hands on the flames. The fire engulfed her arms, burning her sleeves to ashes. But she didn¡¯t scream in pain. Instead she calmly sat down in front of the house and smiled, as if she was greeting an old friend.


    Her whole body shone yellow, her aura mimicking the flames in its random eternal pattern. Bit by bit, the fire was extinguished, leaving only a black, charcoal structure behind and a girl sitting among the ashes.


    When Albert felt that the heat had died down, he walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Her pained expression, felt like a stab to the gut.


    She spoke before he could.


    ¡°I am a blessed by the Sun God. Ever since I was young I could never get burned and I was never scared of fire. It was my source of power. My friend.¡± she said with sadness ¡°This is the first time I feel like it¡¯s betrayed me.¡±


    Albert thought carefully about what to say next.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t betrayed you. You didn¡¯t set the house on fire. You can¡¯t blame the instrument for the destruction it caused. You should blame the one who wields the tool.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand¡± she continued ¡°when the fire touches me I can feel it. I can feel all the energy that it carries. It¡¯s like it is¡­ alive.¡±


    ¡°I understand... well... I don¡¯t. But we have no time for this. If the house is on fire something happened to the people defending it. We need to go check the front!¡± he said, pulling Valentina to her feet.


    But what expected them was even worse.


    When they finally reached the battlefield, at the front gardens, there were many signs of a struggle. The markings of powerful punches covered the ground, and so did pieces of burned grass and misplaced plants.


    But the worst part was seeing the fighters, who had not left the battlefield.


    Several bodies were spread across the garden, their inanimate visages wearing serene expressions, despite being surrounded by destruction.


    Albert felt his empty stomach spin, and fell to his knees. The sickening stench of death impregnated his senses, and the image of the dead bodies, haunted his mind.


    Valentina gasped, out of air. The color vanishing from her face. She desperately ran, from body to body, looking for her friends, hoping to find nobody. Albert could barely hear her, although he knew she had found somebody every time he heard her pitiful cry cut the solemn silence.


    But suddenly, the distant sobs stopped completely and Albert felt something was wrong.


    He took long, deep breaths and tried to regain his self-control. It¡¯s not Linus nor my parents, it¡¯s not anyone I love¡­ he thought to himself. He knew it was selfish thinking, but it was the only thing that kept him going.


    Meanwhile, Valentina was frozen in place, staring at something in the distance. Her eyes didn¡¯t even blink, she simply stared in disbelief. Albert finally gathered the courage and got up to see what she had found.


    There were a bunch of bodies gathered close to one another. None of the faces looked familiar to any of the two, but the last one was someone even Albert could recognize.


    Director Amelia.


    10 opponents laid at her feet, some had limbs torn, others were downright beheaded. She had a spear trespassing her left abdomen. And her face, unlike many others, had a fierce expression on it, like a lioness protecting her babies.


    This time, when Valentina opened her mouth, the sound that came out of it was not human. Her scream carried the uncontrolled Ruach on her body, giving color to it¡¯s sound waves. But the sound didn¡¯t carry just her power, it carried her emotions too. Valentina propagated her broken heart to anyone who would listen, however everyone around her was dead, everyone except one boy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± Albert instinctively apologized. He tried to hug her, but Valentina¡¯s skin was scorching hot, to the point that her clothes started fuming. Still, her sadness was too much for him, or for her, to bear.


    So he hugged her anyway.


    The heat, at first, burned him mercilessly. However, his absorption skills kicked in, and he started draining the activated Ruach. Her temperature slowly normalized, and even her terrible scream returned to the pitiful wailing of a child. Her tears, that were evaporating before, streamed down her face and onto Albert¡¯s shoulder, while he just repeated endlessly:


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    The rest of their afternoon was spent in mourning. Even though Albert was still scared that their enemies could return, he said nothing about leaving and worked together alongside Valentina. With their enhanced bodies, they easily dug a grave for Amelia.


    Once they took out the spear, and closed her eyes she looked much more at peace. While holding her head in her lap, Valentina took out Amelia¡¯s broken glasses, and put them in her pocket.


    ¡°I prefer you like this¡­ mom.¡± said Valentina bursting into tears again.


    Albert was surprised by that comment.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know she was your mother.¡± he said.


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t¡­ not for real, but at the same time, she was. I wish I could¡¯ve called her that... Just once.¡±


    Valentina finally broke down and could no longer control herself, so Albert took it upon himself to lay Amelia down to her final resting place.


    They buried her at the base of a pine tree, on the edge of the woods, and carved her name on the tree trunk.


    After the burial was done, Valentina looked lost. She was kneeling in front of the grave with empty eyes saying nothing. Albert wanted to give her some space, but the sun was already setting, and they had stayed around too much.


    He grabbed her by the hand, and pulled her up to her feet. She did not protest and just let herself be led by Albert back to the garden. He found one of the black SUVs that had the keys inside. Valentina sat on the passenger sit, hugging her knees.


    Albert forced his eyes off of her and into the road. He turned on the ignition, and drove off of the mansion grounds.

 CH. 8 Youve got a friend in me

    Annyesse was in the kitchen getting drinks feeling extremely curious about the people that had just shown up at her door. Her best friend, Valentina, and Roth. What a pair! she thought. What could they be doing together? She was dying to know.


    As she walked back into the living room with two cups of iced tea, her excitement was clearly splattered on her face. But something felt wrong. Albert frowned at her, that was normal. She knew that he never liked her much. Valentina, however, was acting quite weird, sitting on the sofa, looking at the ground with a somber expression.


    ¡°Ok¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡± Anyesse asked in a worried tone.


    People always thought Valentina was a shy, quiet, girl. However, Anyesse knew that wasn¡¯t the case. Once they got close, her personality did a complete 180. She was sarcastic, bossy, assertive. Basically, a completely different person than she was with strangers.


    And it seems she had hit the nail on the head, because Albert and Valentina looked at each other, unsure how to answer.


    ¡°This is fishy...¡± Anyesse said ¡°What are you hiding from me? Roth did you do something to her?¡± she said turning to him with her hands on her waist.


    ¡°What!? No! What do you think I am?¡± answered Albert, surprised by the accusation.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know! I get a call from Val¡¯s phone, and it turns out to be you, then you ask if I¡¯m alone and if you can come over with her? What the hell am I supposed to think?¡± then she suddenly paused and her face turned pale ¡°Oh, god!¡± She turned to Valentina ¡°Oh, god¡­ You¡¯re not pregnant are you?¡±


    This time, Valentina was the one to spring up surprised, choking on her tea. For the first time Albert heard her laugh out loud. It was a great laugh, coming deep from the belly.


    ¡°No, girl. I¡¯m not¡­ pregnant. Ah, I really love you.¡± she said, laughing in between words ¡°No¡­ Let¡¯s say¡­ somebody messed with my family, and we got separated from our friends, so we didn¡¯t know where to go.¡±


    ¡°And how does he fits into all that?¡± asked Anyesse, pointing to Albert.


    Once again, they hesitated to answer.


    ¡°You guys are impossible¡± she complained, puffing in contempt ¡°You come into my house and won¡¯t even give me the juice?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry love. I just need you to trust me this time.¡± pleaded Valentina ¡°Also¡­ can I shower here?¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure. You already walked all over my feelings anyway. Why don¡¯t you take my clothes while you¡¯re at it?¡±


    Valentina blew her a thank you kiss and walked up the stairs, her mood looking considerably better. Meanwhile Albert and Anyesse were left alone in the room. The awkwardness was palpable.


    ¡°So¡­ nice apartment.¡± he said, trying to fill the silence.


    ¡°Yeah, my parents pay for it, but they¡¯re hardly ever here.¡± she answered nonchalantly ¡°By the way where is Linus? I thought you guys were attached by the hip.¡±


    Albert¡¯s expression turned sour. His face must have been easy to read because the next thing Anyesse said was:


    ¡°What? He¡¯s in this mess too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, somehow. And he doesn¡¯t even have his phone on him, so I can¡¯t find him.¡±


    ¡°I know that. Cause¡¯ I have his phone.¡± she said while pulling out a backpack from behind the couch.


    ¡°What? Why do you have this?¡±


    ¡°Well, since you three disappeared during the break and left all of your things behind, the teacher gave me his and Val¡¯s bags. Here.¡± she said tossing Albert the phone.


    He unlocked the phone, hopeful, but there were no missed calls other than the ones he had made, so he just put it back in his pocket.


    ¡°Thanks. What about my stuff?¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not really friends, are we? I didn¡¯t think to keep it. I think one of the boys offered to take it to you. Regis, if I¡¯m not wrong.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Of course he did.¡± said Albert annoyed at the bully¡¯s lies ¡°Well, he can fucking keep it, for all I care.¡±


    After that,they had another big pause as they ran out of things to talk about. None of them ever said much to each other in school, and the only thing they had in common was Linus. Anyesse, not wanting to let the silence stretch any longer, finally took the courage to ask:


    ¡°And this thing with her family, is it serious?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so...¡± he answered.


    ¡°I see.¡± she said while looking at the empty staircase. Her face seemed very depressed ¡°Val never talked to me about her family. I would always whine about my parents to her, but even if I asked directly, she wouldn¡¯t tell me anything on hers. Even now that something has happened...¡±


    Albert realized there was something else in her attitude, something more than her worry for her best friend.


    ¡°Now I can¡¯t do anything for her and she has to depend on you.¡± continued Anyesse, looking at him fiercely ¡°What will you do then?¡±


    It was jealousy.


    Anyesse was jealous of him. For knowing Valentina¡¯s secrets. This time, he was the one to suddenly start laughing. If anything because he could relate to the feeling. She was acting just like he did when she would hit on his best friend, Linus.


    ¡°What? Is my face funny or something?¡± she asked angrily.


    Soon after, they heard steps on the floor above and Valentina came hopping down the stairs.


    ¡°I¡¯m done!¡± she yelled as she came down. Strutting across the room, she sat down by Anyesse¡¯s side wrapping her arm around her. ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re the best. So, can we sleep here?¡±


    Albert still had a stupid smile on his face from before. Oh, the irony¡­ he thought.


    ¡°Whatever!¡± she answered standing up ¡°What are you going to do about your issues?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated¡± said Valentina.


    ¡°Not you. Him¡± she said pointing to Albert. Anyesse still wanted to hearabout her question.


    He thought about his answer for a second. Then, with a reassuring smile, he said:


    ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, somebody messed with my family too. We¡¯ll figure it out. Together.¡±


    ¡°Good. And when you do, tell your family to come see me, I want a piece of him¡± Anyesse concluded with a wink, before disappearing upstairs.


    ¡°What is she talking about?¡± asked Valentina.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s talking about Linus. Unless, she has a secret crush on my dad.¡±


    The rest of the night continued like that, with light jokes and mockery. Anyesse brought them blankets, mattresses and declared that she would sleep in the living room too.


    But despite the friendly mood, Albert could still hear Valentina¡¯s muffled cries into the night. He also heard when Anyesse got up from her mattress and went to keep her best friend company. Slowly, but surely, the exhaustion took over, and everyone fell silent, lost in their own dreamland.


    Albert was yanked out of sleep by a loud bang in the door. The sunlight was creeping through the blinds, telling him it was already morning. Two more bangs followed as he got up, still groggy. Valentina was already awake, spooked by the sound. She woke Anyesse up and gesticulated for her to check the door.


    ¡°Coming!¡± said Anyesse running to answer. She flung the door open.


    On the other side stood two men and a woman. The man in the middle was specially terrifying, with his muscular arms, eye patch on the left eye and a bald head. He was also the first to speak.


    ¡°Hello, I¡¯m looking for Valentina Squall...¡± Anyesse closed the door on his face faster than he could finish the sentence.


    However the other man put his foot in the doorway and stopped it. He was taller and slimmer than the other one, his black overall and colorful hat gave him quite the jester look.


    ¡°Hi, sorry. Didn¡¯t mean to freak you out.¡± he said as he entered the apartment ¡°My name is Jingo. I mean, it¡¯s not really my name, but it¡¯s what they call me...¡±


    But as he spoke he noticed Anyesse backing up, terrified of his sudden invasion.


    ¡°Well, done dumb ass.¡± said the scary looking man, whilst also entering the apartment. The woman followed them in, showing her contempt with a sigh. She had a short purple dyed hair, dark boots but, unlike her companions, wore discrete clothes.


    ¡°What is this? Who are you? Get out of my place!¡± said Anyesse, trying to cover for her friends.


    ¡°Where is the girl? We must speak with her.¡± asked the eye-patch man.


    Anyesse still refused to answer. Though she ended up not needing to because from the living room a voice yelled:


    ¡°Here I am!¡±


    Valentina came flying at the scary man, her eyes bright yellow and her hand glowing with Ruach. The man was quick on his feet, and got into a cross block to stop her punch. Valentina¡¯s power would, normally, have easily broken a person¡¯s arm with a direct hit. But the man¡¯s eye turned pitch black and so did his skin, becoming hard as a rock.


    Still, her assault wasn¡¯t over. She used the moment of confusion to pounce on another target, Jingo. He wasn¡¯t as fast as his companion, and her fist connected with his shoulder as he tried to duck the blow. The impact sent him flying back to the door, but he somehow managed to stabilize himself mid-air and land on his feet. His eyes also carried the blue glow of his Ruach.


    ¡°Whew. That was close.¡± said Jingo.


    ¡°Close? She totally nailed you.¡± said the eye-patch man, provokingly.


    ¡°Shut up, Yoel.¡± he answered back.


    Meanwhile, Albert came out of the room shaking his head.


    ¡°Discrete as a rhinoceros Val, really, world class stealth...¡± he said sarcastically.


    Him and Valentina put themselves between the three strangers and their friend. Anyesse watched the whole confrontation wide-eyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of hiding, Albert!¡± said Valentina entering a fighting stance ¡°Who are you? What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Well, as I was saying...¡±


    ¡°Let me do the talking, Jingo, you suck at this.¡± interrupted, Yeol.


    ¡°Quiet, both of you!¡± said the woman in their group with an authoritative tone.


    She stepped forward with both of her hands up and spoke:


    ¡°Please, we mean no harm. I go by the name of Daphne. We are of the Divine Resistance Army. We came to talk with the daughter of the Sun.¡±

 Ch. 9 I accept

    ¡°The what!?¡± they both asked at the same time.


    Daphne sighed again. She also hated that name.


    ¡°The Divine Resistance Army. I know. It¡¯s corny¡­ but we are a legitimate organization. If possible we would like to have a word with you about the Horde attack on the Divine House.¡±


    Valentina squinted her eyes in suspicion.


    ¡°My family members were just slaughtered by an unknown group of Descendants, much like yourselves¡± she said aggressively, holding back the tears ¡°So forgive me if I don¡¯t trust you and your organization.¡±


    ¡°We are sorry for your loss¡± answered Daphne, respectfully. The two men behind her nodded in agreement. ¡°Truly. But we are not the same as those who attacked you. Think about it. Wasn¡¯t there something off about them?¡±


    This time, Albert spoke up:


    ¡°Yes, they had this lifeless aura, as if they were zombies.¡±


    A loud sob interrupted the conversation and everyone¡¯s attention shifted to Anyesse, who stood against the wall with her hands covering her mouth. She had an expression of total shock and tears streamed down her face.


    ¡°Your family was killed?¡± she asked Valentina, dumbfounded.


    Valentina couldn¡¯t help but open a huge smile. With all the things Anyesse had seen and heard, from the invaders in her home, to the impossible fight at her door, what she worried about the most was still her best friend.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t deserve you.¡± said Valentina taking her friend in a warm embrace and nursing her like a baby. She started walking her upstairs, to her room. But before leaving she said:


    ¡°Hey, you lot!¡± her voice sounding as menacing as a tiger¡¯s roar ¡°You better stay where you fucking are until I come back!¡±


    Nobody seemed eager to oppose her.


    And so, Albert and the three Divinity Army members were left alone on the entryway. Without much to go on Albert tried to strike up a conversation.


    ¡°So, you are all Descendants. Correct?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, I go by the name Yoel and I possess the blessing of the Mountain God.¡± answered the scary eye-patched man.


    His friend followed suit and tipped his sky blue hat, saying:


    ¡°As I said, I use the same Jingo and I am a Descendant with the Cloud God blessing.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t say anything, and Albert decided to not force the issue. Instead he jumped to another subject.


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®use the name¡¯? These are not your real names?¡±


    ¡°Yes, everyone in the army chooses a code name when they enlist and that¡¯s what people call you. I¡¯m not sure why myself¡­¡± said Jingo, sounding genuinely curious. He looked at Daphne with a raised eyebrow. She did not bother to answer.


    ¡°But you guys used Valentina¡¯s real name when you spoke at the door.¡± Albert fired back.


    ¡°Well, she didn¡¯t enlist yet. It¡¯s not like we hide our identities or anything¡­¡± Yoel was interrupted by Valentina¡¯s footsteps as she came back down the stairs. Her stare still carried an unwavering anger.


    ¡°Now, give me a good reason why I shouldn¡¯t throw you out on the street.¡± she said, her eyes blazing with Ruach.


    ¡°Because you are not the only one who lost family today¡± answered Daphne with sorrow.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Valentina, stopping dead in her tracks.


    ¡°We visited the scene of the attack and checked the security cameras on the SUVs. I believe it was you who we saw, burying my sister.¡±


    After the initial tension everyone was happy to relax on the couches. Valentina, however, was anxious to continue the conversation.


    ¡°I heard rumors that director Amelia had a sister, but she never told me about you.¡± she said.


    ¡°That might have been my fault.¡± said Daphne ¡°I was a very stubborn young girl, and all I wanted was to escape my sister¡¯s shadow. I moved from the Highlands to the Faera Kingdom, to try to make my own story. You know how it is. Escaping her name while living here is¡­ was impossible.¡±


    Valentina nodded. She knew very well. When she began her work as a fully fledged Emissary, during the first 3 years she was introduced by her superiors as ¡°Amelia Heart¡¯s disciple¡±.


    ¡°So she kept quiet to respect your wishes.¡± she concluded.


    ¡°Yes.¡± continued Daphne solemnly ¡°Still, it¡¯s funny how these things are¡­ when I joined the Divine Army, I ended up choosing the name of a flower. I don¡¯t know why. I thought it would bring me luck.¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Valentina took a brief pause to absorb that information. Her heart broke a little, knowing the director kept such a secret from her. But she understood Daphne¡¯s ambition. It wasn¡¯t much different from her own.


    ¡°Excuse me, I know literally nothing about the Descendants, or this weird society you guys live in¡­ but what I really want to know is: What were those people who attacked us?¡± asked Albert.


    ¡°You know nothing?¡± exclaimed Jingo, surprised ¡°Why were you in the mansion then?¡±


    Albert looked at Valentina with uncertainty. Despite the sudden revelation of Daphne, they still had no confirmation that these people were who they said they were. After three days of insanity and violence, he was starting to have trust issues.


    ¡°How about this?¡± interrupted Yoel ¡°We¡¯ll tell you what we know first, and then you can decide what to do.¡±


    Valentina raised an eyebrow at Albert, asking an unspoken question. He nodded in agreement.


    ¡°Very well. We don¡¯t have much concrete evidence on this, but the theory is that those men and women were being controlled by someone. Using Ruach to take over their bodies and minds.¡± explained Yoel.


    ¡°What!? Is that possible?¡± blurted out Albert in disbelief.


    But when he looked at Valentina¡¯s face, she was equally astonished.


    ¡°It¡¯s not. Unless...¡± she said.


    ¡°Unless their commander is the only creature who can transfer Ruach into someone¡¯s body. A God.¡± concluded Daphne.


    The silence fell heavy in the room. One could mistake it for the astonishment of the two young teenagers who just heard something unbelievable. However, their eyes were wide and erratic, knowing that what they had heard was not true. There was another creature who was capable of transferring Ruach. And that creature was in that very room.


    Once again, Valentina looked at Albert, and in his eyes she saw a desperate plea. She had to decide quickly.


    ¡°Why would a God attack the Highlands Divine House? Gods defend their territory against humans who try to take them over. It¡¯s never been the other way around.¡± said Valentina, giving them an expected response. She would keep his secret for now.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing. This is not the first attack by the Horde. Other countries, Faera, Tropicalia, have been under fire for months now.¡± continued Yoel.


    This was also news to Valentina, who seemed to be about to burst with questions.


    ¡°How did I not hear about this?¡± she exclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s to be expected.¡± said Daphne ¡°Communication between the countries is already monitored. There¡¯s no way the government was going to let out the news that their Descendants were attacked on their own turf. It would be a scandal, a sign of weakness.¡±


    Valentina smashed her hand against the table, infuriated. The beautiful mahogany piece broke in two.


    ¡°What about us then!?¡± she asked, practically shouting ¡°You couldn¡¯t bother to give us a warning to save our fucking lives?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the reality we live in. When the chips are down, the government doesn¡¯t give a shit about us! We tried, but they blocked our every attempt to warn the others...¡± said Yoel. His anger seemed equally great.


    ¡°That¡¯s how the army was started. We decided to organize ourselves. Look out for our own. To hell with their borders!¡± said Jingo in his excited tone.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why we came to see you.¡± said Daphne, her softer voice joining in their speech, almost as if it was rehearsed ¡°We want you to become a part of the Divine Resistance Army.¡±


    Valentina waited, but once they had said their piece all three of them remained in silence, expecting her response. Her head was in a turmoil of rage and confusion. It could have been prevented, lives could have been saved, Amelia could have been there, with them.


    She pressed her hands on her temples trying to calm down her thoughts. That¡¯s when Albert put his hand on her shoulder. She looked up to him, and his calm gray eyes relaxed her a bit.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked, sensing her disturbance ¡°That¡¯s the only question you need to answer. You can do whatever you want now, so¡­ what do you want?¡±


    The answer came to her easily. Revenge. That¡¯s all she wanted. Of course she could not tell that to the pure-hearted boy in front of her. So she went for the next best thing.


    ¡°Answers. I want answers.¡± Valentina turned to the DRA members ¡°If I join will I be able to investigate this ¡®Horde¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is our biggest priority right now. They are our biggest threat.¡± said Daphne.


    ¡°And what about Albert?¡± Valentina asked ¡°He accidentally found a Relic, dropped by someone who I believe was the Lightning God, and ended up getting entangled in our world. Along with his family.¡±


    Daphne analyzed him from head to toe before speaking.


    ¡°I see. We also have Human disciples in our ranks. They have always fought alongside us, Descendants, and so we fight for their lives as well. I extend my invitation to you too, then, Albert. Would like to join the Divine Resistance Army?¡±


    Albert reflected carefully on his decision. It had only been 4 days since he stumbled onto a God and got involved in this mess. In this short while, he saw people die for the first time, discovered the existence of nature Gods and risked his life consistently. And not only that, but he was told by Amelia that he was not human.


    Valentina was a wild card. She had been very rude to him, but also risked her life to save him. She killed a man in cold-blood, but also lied to her new allies for his sake. And there was the promise to Anyesse. Albert didn¡¯t know her very well, but he didn¡¯t like going back on his word.


    He thought about his parents, who were probably worried sick at this point, wondering where their kid had gone. He also wondered whether they were his real parents. After all he¡¯d seen, he didn¡¯t feel confident in anything.


    The only thing he was certain of, was that his best friend, his brother, Linus, was with him every step of the way. From the rooftop, to Valentina¡¯s assault, to their mansion escape, never leaving his side.


    And now his friend was missing, and the orphanage would not look for him.


    After considering all that, the decision became easy.


    ¡°I accept¡±


    Albert sat down to write a letter to his parents while Valentina went to speak to Anyesse again. There were many things he couldn¡¯t say to them, so he had to use Linus as an excuse¡­ a lot. He said his friend got into some trouble and he wanted to help. Albert just hoped they would forgive him for allegedly making their precious son disappear.


    When Anyesse came down, she had red swollen eyes, probably due to crying. Valentina introduced her to the members of the DRA and her fear quickly changed into amusement.


    They gave her a simplified explanation about their powers, without actually mentioning the Gods. There was no need to involve her that much. Yoel also explained that she would need to lay low for a while.


    They had tracked Valentina down by using her cellphone and the SUV parked outside of the building, and if they had done it, others could too. Therefore, staying in the apartment would not be so safe for a while.


    Anyesse dismissed their worries with a gesture:


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Daddy¡¯s got a bunch of places I can crash in.¡±


    The nonchalance of the rich is amazing¡­ thought Albert.


    He also asked her to deliver the letter to his home. She accepted it, with a smile and a demand:


    ¡°You better deliver on your promise too.¡± she said with a wink.


    After giving Valentina a bag with clothes and some supplies, Anyesse bid farewell to her best friend with a long hug. Even Albert, on this sole occasion, was awarded his own embrace.


    Then with a nervous look on his face he followed the DRA members and his newfound friend, Valentina, towards their unknown destination.

 CH. 10 Smuggling Sister

    The trip to the Divine Resistance Army¡¯s headquarters was a weird experience. Not only because they had to do so illegally, but also because of the DRA¡¯s secrecy. Their base was located on the Faera Kingdom, directly under the Highlands. Which would make for an easy trip...


    If the two countries weren¡¯t at war.


    Sure, there''s been an ongoing truce for 20 years now, but the border was still heavily guarded and no one could cross without the proper authorization.


    The Highlands had, as the name implies, the tallest chain of mountains in the world, with it¡¯s main cities hidden in the between the enormous peaks. After leaving the capital city Taigh, they drove south in an old white van, using the smaller unknown roads instead of the highways.


    It took them 7 hours to descend from the heights and reach their destination, a tiny village called Gliddon, which consisted of one street with houses on both sides, a restaurant and a gas station. Surrounding it were 8 acres of fields and farmhouses.


    Jingo sat behind the wheel with Albert on the passenger seat, while the others remained on the back. Nobody talked much, except for Jingo, who managed to chatter for pretty much the entire trip.


    ¡°And yeah, that¡¯s how I met my friend Lily. She¡¯s been having my back for around 6 years now.¡± he said enthusiastically, looking straight at Albert instead of the road. You could feel the apprehension in the car whenever he took his hands went off the wheel to gesticulate. ¡°See? Humans and Descendants actually work pretty closely.¡±


    Albert nodded to his head, trying to act mildly surprised about it. But he already knew most of what his new companion was saying. Before they got into the van, Valentina pulled him aside and explained a few things so he wouldn¡¯t be caught in a lie:


    ¡°First things first, don¡¯t talk about your ability to anybody. No one. If we get caught lying about this who knows what they¡¯ll do to us¡± she said quickly as they threw their bags in the trunk ¡°Second, most humans that get involved in our world have really close ties to our society, so just say that a family member has powers. Half of those people you saw at the house, were a Descendant¡¯s sister, or brother or something like that. Everyone will believe you.¡±


    ¡°And finally, don¡¯t talk about the kids and Linus yet. Even if we trust these people, we don¡¯t know who¡¯s behind this whole army. We need to be careful¡± she concluded.


    She has a point¡­ he thought. They seemed really nice, and Albert really wanted to trust them. But trust had to be earned.


    It was already night time when the group pulled up onto a dirt road that lead into one of the farms at the far end of the village. It had a big farmhouse with the lights on, and a red cellar. The van stopped in front of the porch and Albert could feel a faint smell of roasted pork coming from it.


    ¡°Here we are!¡± announced Jingo, his fervor still intact, despite the long trip. Everyone else, however, sighed in relief.


    They quickly disembarked and were in the middle of picking up their bags when the house door flung open. A curvy elderly woman came out, wearing a red apron around her waist and a green bandanna. Still, her curly blonde hair would escape to the sides matching well with her tanned skin.


    She had a stern frown on her face when she descended from the porch and walked up to the group.


    ¡°There you are! You¡¯re late! I was starting to get worried.¡± she scolded Daphne, Yoel and Jingo. ¡°You don¡¯t text, you don¡¯t even call! Honestly...¡±


    ¡°Cellphones are not trustworthy, Daena. The government watches everything, you know that.¡± answered Daphne.


    ¡°Well, you should¡¯ve sent a letter then, a smoke signal, I don¡¯t know.¡± Daena retorted pouting.


    She gave each one of them a hug and then she finally laid eyes on Valentina and Albert.


    ¡°Oh, and who might these be?¡± she said in a surprised tone.


    ¡°New blood!¡± said Jingo, proud.


    ¡°I see. And are these new kids hungry by any chance?¡± she asked with a motherly smile.


    ¡°Starving¡± Albert said, truthfully. After 7 hours in the van, his stomach needed refueling.


    Valentina, cautious as always, didn¡¯t answer right away. And she didn¡¯t even need to, because her stomach rumbled loudly at the smell of food. Daena laughed at the sound, although her voice didn¡¯t carry any malice.


    ¡°Excelent! We are having a late dinner tonight!¡± she said while turning around and leading everyone to the farmhouse.


    Soon they realized that, by dinner, she meant feast. Mashed potatoes, rice, 3 different types of pasta and a roasted pork were on the table. A huge bowl of salad and a selection of fruit accompanied the dishes.


    They all just dove in, eager to satisfy their hunger. The table went silent except for the faint silverware noises, but every once in a while Daena would offer someone seconds.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Would you like to try the tomato sauce, my dear?¡± she would say to Daphne.


    They would all just nod in agreement while she filled their bellies like a doting grandmother. As people started finishing Daena asked:


    ¡°You¡¯ll be sleeping a little before going to the border, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, absolutely. I need a long nap before hearing anymore of his babble¡± said Yoel, taking a stab at, Jingo.


    ¡°Hey!¡± his friend exclaimed, rebellious ¡°I prefer the term: pointless chitchat.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± continued Daena ¡°Could any of you bafoons show the boy his room?¡±


    ¡°This bafoon honorably accepts the task¡± said Jingo with a mocking bow. He pulled Albert by the arm and led him upstairs.


    One by one, the group headed up to sleep, except for Valentina, who continued eating throughout the whole discussion. One hour later, she and Daena sat in the living room by the fireplace, drinking tea and digesting. The girl had eaten way too much food.


    ¡°Thank you for treating us, Daena.¡± said Valentina.


    ¡°My pleasure. I suspected that you, out of all of them, would be starving.¡± said Daena.


    Valentina frowned at the comment.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Please, I would be senile if I couldn¡¯t recognize a daughter of the Sun. You got the fire in your soul!¡± she said with a witty laugh. ¡°And you eat as much as me.¡±


    Valentina¡¯s face went from confused to shock in a split second.


    ¡°You too!?¡± she said, almost yelling. She could barely contain her excitment.


    Daena nodded. With a snap of her finger, her entire hand was engulfed with a blazing flame.


    ¡°I take it, by your reaction, that you never met another one.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of us¡± answered Valentina, with sorrow.


    ¡°True. I can count on one hand the number of times I met one of our ¡®brothers¡¯ or ¡®sisters¡¯. But the food is our biggest tell. Our bodies burn calories just keeping our energy in, so we all eat enough for a dozen men.¡± Daena said with a smile.


    Huh, so that¡¯s why... thought Valentina, remembering all the immense lunches director Amelia used to prepare for her.


    ¡°How old are you, dear?¡± asked Daena.


    ¡°17. Why?¡±


    ¡°I take it you were an Emissary already, with our power¡­ it¡¯s a piece of cake to pass the test.¡± she continued.


    ¡°Yeah, I passed it. But I only did menial jobs, like escorting people or item transports. Things like that.¡±


    Daena raised an eyebrow at her comment.


    ¡°Really? That¡¯s rare. You really lucked out. Or maybe someone really important was having your back. Usually, someone like you would be an elite. Deployed to deal with the biggest issues in the country.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®lucked out¡¯? Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡±


    With a saddened sigh she leaned in closer to the fire.


    ¡°Being the bridge between men and Gods, it sounds so grandiose¡­ calling us peacekeepers, diplomats. That¡¯s the job title. But it¡¯s all for nothing when your bosses are rotten to the core. All governments are the same, be it Highlands, Faera, Kyrie... they just want more power, more land, more riches.¡±


    For the first time, Valentina saw a glimpse of anger in that sweet grandma¡¯s face. Daena looked her dead in the eye, the flames, reflected in her stare. ¡°The things I¡¯ve been ordered to do by those people¡­ to destroy deities for the sake of their progress, to wipe out villages in the name of my country. And I followed them like a fool, believing their sugar-coated words. Doing my duty to the country.¡±


    With every word Daena spat out, the fireplace would respond with a burst. Valentina listened with wide eyes and sweaty palms. She had never heard of Descendants being ordered to kill before. Sensing the young girl¡¯s discomfort, Daena sat back again on her chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, honey. I don¡¯t mean to frighten you. The Divine Army has good intentions and Daphne is a good person, that¡¯s why I work with them. But I don¡¯t trust them, I don¡¯t trust anyone. Because when you¡¯re blessed by the Sun, everyone wants your power. Everyone wants to use you. At our peak, we are the most powerful beings in this world.¡±


    With a mixed look of sadness and shame she said:


    ¡°You seem like a good kid, Valentina. If you were my daughter, I would never send you to where you are going.¡±


    That night, Valentina laid awake in bed, reliving the conversation in her mind. The old lady¡¯s last words kept pounding on her head as she journeyed into her dreams.


    Hear my warning. Think wisely about what you do. Because, once you become a master, you¡¯ll be a one-woman-army.


    Valentina woke up with someone shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to a hooded figure looming over her. The darkness in the room told her that it was not yet morning, still Daphne¡¯s soft voice announced:


    ¡°Time to go, meet us outside in 5 minutes.¡±


    Valentina woke herself up by washing her face and then changed her clothes before getting out of the house. Most of the group was already assembled on the porch, seating in wooden chairs and stools. Their tired faces told her that they were as excited as she was to be up at that hour. Even Jingo, the most upbeat person in the world, had left his enthusiasm at the bed.


    The last two, Albert and Daena, showed up shortly after. The old woman had four black bags under her arm.


    ¡°Alright, seems like everyone is here¡± said Daena, throwing one sack to each member of the group except herself and Daphne. ¡°Boys. You know the drill.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, this is annoying¡± complained Jingo. Yoel, simply grunted. Both of them put the bags over their heads and closed them.


    Albert and Valentina looked at Daena with bewildered faces.


    ¡°Sorry guys. It¡¯s protocol.¡± she said with a shrug.


    ¡°You guys are weird¡± said Albert.


    ¡°Point taken¡± said Jingo, his voice muffled by the bag.


    Without much of a choice, they obliged.


    With most of the group blind, the two women led them all to a vehicle. Valentina tried feeling it out, but all cars are the same from the inside. She also tried paying attention to the speed and the amount of turns they made, but after 30 minutes, she realized it was futile. They had just come out of a farm in the middle of nowhere, there was no way to estimate their location.


    And so, she let herself relax and pay attention to her other senses. The smell was still pretty grassy and humid, therefore, she assumed they had not yet left the Highland fields. Then, a few minutes later, the sound of the wind hitting the car changed, and they seemed to have transitioned from the open to a closed space.


    Another 30 minutes passed and the car made it out to the open again. The smell was definetly different, although Valentina could not recognize it. They made a stop to stretch their legs and switch cars. This time, the seats were in the open.


    ¡°Okay, last stretch! Have a good trip, guys!¡± they heard Daena say. It seems that this was as far as she would take them.


    ¡°Daena!¡± screamed Valentina.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    Valentina signaled for her to come closer. Daena approached her, and Valentina put her arms around her. She felt the faint smell of firewood and pasta.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do you proud, ¡®sister¡¯¡± whispered Valentina in her ear.


    And at that moment, she thought she could feel Daena smiling.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be watching¡± she whispered back, before breaking the embrace and leaving her reach.


    After another half an hour of driving, Daphne finally signaled for them to remove the bags.


    They were riding in the back of a red pickup truck, the fields, now, had very few patches of grass, and the air felt dry. The sky was starting to turn blue, announcing the approach of the sunrise and allowing them to see ahead.


    On the distance, there were massive dunes defining the horizon.


    They had finally reached the Sea of Sand.

 CH. 11 Xarkan, The First Desert City

    Albert sneezed once again, the dry air really doing a number on him. Having been born and raised in the stormy weathers of the Highlands, he had never experienced the overwhelming desert climate.


    Him, Valentina and Yoel were trying to navigate the busy streets of Xarkan, looking to restock their supplies before continuing the trip. That was the first city they reached after driving all morning. The drivers needed rest and their bellies needed food. So the three passengers went to the market, while Jingo and Daphne slept in the van.


    They left the housing area where they had parked and started walking to the city center. Their feet scraped the sandy streets, which were the norm in the suburban areas, coloring the landscape in a brownish tone. With it¡¯s lower architecture and minimalist designs, Xarkan was a completely different universe compared to the Highlands. Albert and Valentina heads would not stop turning, as they tried to take the new scenery in.


    ¡°Never been to a desert city, have you?¡± Yoel asked the both of them.


    They both shook their heads.


    ¡°Thought so.¡± he continued, with an evil smirk. ¡°I¡¯ll just say, keep your hands on you belongings and don¡¯t trust your pockets.¡±


    Valentina had a look of disbelief on her face, while Albert shoved his bag inside his coat.


    ¡°Come on. He¡¯s just fucking with us, isn¡¯t he?¡± she whispered to Albert. The boy simply shrugged and said:


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But I sure as hell ain¡¯t risking it.¡±


    When they approached the city center, the streets got progressively more crowded. The dirt roads got replaced by asphalt, but the scenery kept it¡¯s colors thanks to all the people who occupied every inch of the sidewalk, and sometimes the road. Their garments all had desert inspired colors, like red, yellow and brown. Yoel took a deep, satisfied breath, feeling the pungent smell of human accumulation. And for the first time, Valentina saw a smile on his face.


    ¡°So, you like this type of place?¡± she asked, deciding to get to know the grumpy man now. Since he was in a good mood.


    ¡°I grew up in a town much like this one.¡± answered Yoel, his eyes lost in memories of the past. ¡°There¡¯s a type a freedom you can only taste by living in a chaotic place like this. You¡¯ll see when we get to the market.¡±


    Valentina raised an eyebrow in surprise. Not only by how earnestly he answered, but also how eloquently he spoke. It really didn¡¯t fit his eye-patch, bald head and bandana. Don¡¯t judge a book by it¡¯s cover, I guess¡­ she thought.


    Once they reached the market she realized what he meant by chaos. There were stalls spread around the narrow streets, each offering a different product than the next. They were assembled in front of the houses and regular stores, making it look like a flea market. In the small corridors, all types of people mingled. Children with ragged clothes ran about, squeezing their way past rich looking couples. Young people drank and smoked, while artists performed on any free corners they could find.


    Between the shouts and smells and lights, there was a beautiful harmony, with no pattern whatsoever.


    ¡°Holy shit! This is amazing¡± shouted Albert. This high energy environment made his adventurous heart beat faster.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± said Yoel, proudly. As if he had built that place with his own hands.


    ¡°Alright guys. Let¡¯s not lose focus.¡± said Valentina, trying to appease the two excited men. ¡°We¡¯re here to get food, and whatever else we need. Ok? No distractions.¡±


    Her pleas were, of course, futile.


    For the next three hours, Valentina followed they boys around as Yoel showed Albert the inner workings of the city market.


    ¡°Do you see that little marking, over there?¡± said Yoel, pointing to small triangle carved in a tile, slightly over the door, of a currency exchange house.


    ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± asked Albert squinting to see it.


    ¡°It signals that they are actually a gambling house. It¡¯s probably in the back.¡± he explained.


    ¡°Oh, wow. I thought they were normal scratches.¡± Albert was a good crowd and reacted with the proper astonishment at the right time.


    Meanwhile, Valentina bought prepared packed meals, fruits, a map and a first aid kit. After a while, Yoel noticed her indifference and payed her a little more attention. They had just arrived at a drinks tent. Three things drew her attention: First, there was only water. And second, the prices were unreasonably high. Also, there was bigger crowd than usual in this booth, and everyone seemed to be fighting to get to the front.


    ¡°This is also common.¡± said Yoel. ¡°Sometimes they set the prices really high so you have to bargain. That way, they can trick those who don¡¯t know better.¡±


    He made his way through the crowd, his big body easily pushing others out of the way, and approached the vendor with a sly smile. Albert and Valentina watched from afar as they started discussing. However, it quickly turned into an animated discussion, and when Yoel pulled his fist back to throw the first punch, Valentina decided to intervene.


    It was too quick for anyone to notice, one moment she was next to Albert watching the booth from afar, and the next she was behind Yoel, holding his wrist. Some people around them rubbed their eyes, confused as to where did the girl come from, but most of the crowd payed no mind.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± asked Valentina in an imperial tone.


    ¡°Let go of me, girl! I¡¯m gonna teach this man some fucking respect¡± answered Yoel, all of his eloquence going out the window, giving room to his street manners.


    ¡°Threaten all you want, you fucking brute! There¡¯s no way in hell we¡¯re lowering the price.¡± said the vendor, being equally rude.


    ¡°What? This price is a scam!¡± complained Yoel, still under Valentina¡¯s iron grip.


    ¡°Quiet!¡± she ordered. ¡°We¡¯ll pay the full price, just...¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Valentina froze in place, as she reached back for the money bag she left hanging on her side. Which was no longer there. Meaning that all the money Daphne had given them for provisions was no longer there too.


    ¡°Shit¡± Valentina shouted as she scanned the crowd looking for the thief.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Yoel, surprised by his sudden release.


    Looking over the crowd, she finally spotted the boy with her bag. A young kid, with a shaved head, running barefoot in the distance. He turned the first corner he could, and Valentina wasted no more time.


    ¡°Guys, follow me! A kid stole my bag¡± she shouted to her companions, before chasing him.


    In a moment of clarity, she decided to cap her speed, since they were in public and she didn¡¯t want anymore unwanted attention. Yoel and Albert followed right behind her.


    Turning the corner, she easily spotted the thief, ducking and weaving between the people. It was hard to follow him without using too much of their power, though. Luckily for them, they had an expert on the subject.


    Albert, seeing the crowd, didn¡¯t think twice. He went the nearest alleyway, and used the pipes to climb up to the roof of the surrounding houses. By jumping from one roof to the other, he followed the thief from above, while Valentina and Yoel struggled through the masses. Suddenly, the kid made a sharp left turn, leaving the market and forcing him to descend.


    After a jump and a quick roll, Albert followed the boy on ground, who zig zagged through the streets and alleyways. The kid was small, meaning he could go under obstacles easily. Meanwhile, Albert would vault over everything with incredible speed.


    As they moved away from the market, there were less and less people around.


    At last, Albert cornered the thief into an alleyway. There seemed to be no way out and they were both completely out of gas.


    ¡°Hey kid¡­ you¡­ give me the bag back!¡± said Albert in between breaths. The boy looked very young, around 10 years old, and when their eyes finally met, Albert could see the fear in them. He never expected to be chased this far.


    ¡°Come on, I¡¯m not gonna¡­¡± but Albert never had a chance to finish, because Valentina and Yoel turned the corner at that very moment.


    ¡°THERE HE IS!¡± she shouted.


    All doubt vanished from the kid¡¯s eyes and he quickly opened a small metal door beside him, surprising everyone, and slipping into the building. They were all stunned for a second by his unexpected move. It was one of those weird back doors that no one ever opens.


    Nevertheless, Valentina shook it off and went for the door. It was locked of course, but at that point, she was already running out of patience. She let a quick burst of Ruach fill her body with power and flung it open ripping out the locks in the process.


    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± she said softly, while entering the room.


    The building was an empty hangar, with a suspended second floor that circumvented the walls leaving the middle open. Sunlight would creep in faintly through the zinc roof, giving the place a permanent yellow low light. There were sleeping bags and tents spread around, along with some random blankets. But the most surprising was the occupants.


    Was it 40? 50? There were too many for her to count.


    Spread across every inch of the open floor were people of all ages, wearing ragged clothes and menacing expressions on their face. With the loud noise of the locks being ripped off, there wasn¡¯t a single dweller that wasn¡¯t staring at the three invaders. Even some who were sleeping started crawling off their tents, and bedrolls.


    Still, Valentina, not one to be easily intimidated, walked in confidently ignoring the eyes that followed her. She located the thief, who hopped over people and things to run to the other side of the hangar, and made a beeline towards him. He stood against a wall holding the bag onto his chest, completely terrified. But before she could reach him, three older men stepped in between them.


    ¡°Oi, can we help you missy?¡± asked the man on the left. His tone was provoking, the type of voice thugs use when they are looking for a fight. He wore a ragged blanket over his shoulder and a weird beard. When he opened his mouth they could smell his breath from an arm¡¯s length distance.


    ¡°We¡¯re just here to get our bag from the kid¡± said Valentina, pointing to the thief. ¡°Not looking for trouble.¡±


    ¡°And what proof do you have that the bag is yours, huh?¡± the man said, his breath still hitting like a truck. ¡°How do we know you¡¯re not trying to steal from one of us?¡±


    ¡°All right, cut the crap¡± said Yoel interceding. ¡°I¡¯ll rephrase it. Give us the bag back unless you want some fucking trouble!¡±


    ¡°Oooh. Lucky for you. We love trouble, don¡¯t we boys?¡± he answered, a bit louder, prompting some of the younger kids around them to stand up and surround the group.


    Albert remained quiet during the discussion. Still, realizing this could escalate quickly, he stepped up and held Valentina¡¯s hand. One could mistake him for a protective boyfriend, but as soon as their fingers overlapped he could feel her Ruach seep into his body.


    She looked at him startled and he answered her with serious eyes. Slowly, her expression changed from confusion to understanding as she figured out his intentions.


    ¡°Do ya, really?¡± asked Yoel, pulling his vest to the side to show him the handgun he was carrying.


    The man immediately took a step back. Guns were not only very dangerous weapons, but also very rare. Having one meant you either had ties with the government, or were crazy enough to steal from them. Whichever it was, it was enough to drive away the common criminals.


    This time, the man in the middle spoke up. He was the only one of the three with gray hair, and his voice didn¡¯t carry the same malice as his younger companion.


    ¡°Even with that gun, we are many, and there¡¯s only three of you. Do you still think you can take us?¡± he asked calmly.


    Valentina was taken aback by his words. Even if they were scared by the gun, they were still insisting on fighting. Do they not care if the people die?


    Yoel was not fazed.


    ¡°We are very confident.¡± he said with a smile, while playing with the trigger.


    The old man sighed in resignation. He turned around and walked up to the thief who sat at the wall, trying to stay invisible. After giving him a few words of consolation, he rubbed his hair and took the bag from his hands.


    ¡°Please forgive the boy. He was probably just trying to get us some water. Ever since the river dried, people are desperate.¡±


    Yoel received the bag from the old man with a frown on his face.


    ¡°The river dried? How is that possible?¡± he asked confused. ¡°Isn¡¯t Xarkan supplied by a channel of the Cain River?¡±


    Yoel¡¯s astonishment was not uncalled for. The Cain river was the biggest water stream on the eastern side of the world. It supplied Faera, which stood at the edge of the Sea of Sand Desert. In an effort, to colonize further into the Desert, engineers had channeled the river to supply other places.


    ¡°You know as much as we do¡± the old man explained. ¡°It¡¯s been a little over a month since the Cain river channels dried up. It¡¯s not just us. We hear our neighbor cities have the same problem.¡±


    ¡°Every once in a while, the companies send water trucks. But nothing they do is for free. How can the people afford those prices?¡± his other companion said. The comment was followed by several nods among the crowd.


    Albert couldn¡¯t help but feel pity for those people. Coming from a rich city, in a rich region, he never had contact with such poverty before. Stuck in the biggest desert in the world, with no water to quench their thirst, wash their wounds or treat their sick. It was not a pretty fate.


    ¡°I see. Thank you for cooperating.¡± Yoel said. He also seemed a bit affected by the news, although he kept a stoic face. In a last act of generosity, he opened the bag and gave the old man some of the money. Not a lot. But maybe it could buy them a couple of bottles.


    The three exited the building under the gaze of the hungry crowd, who followed them until the end.


    Once they were on the street again Albert spoke:


    ¡°This is fucked. Is there truly nothing else we can do for them?¡±


    ¡°What can we do? We¡¯re not engineers. Or businessmen. We can¡¯t solve their river problem.¡± said Valentina.


    ¡°I wonder¡­¡± said Yoel.


    The two of the looked at the bald man.


    ¡°You probably don¡¯t know this since you¡¯re not from here¡± he said to Valentina ¡°But think about it. The biggest river in the east¡­ a lot of water¡­ a lot of energy.¡±


    Valentina¡¯s eyes widened as she understood.


    ¡°Is it a god?¡± she asked. Yoel nodded.


    ¡°Goddess. One of the most important on our side of the world.¡±


    ¡°So there might be something we can do about it?¡± asked Albert to the both of them.


    ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t know. We need to talk to Daphne. She¡¯s the one who would know about water business. Just like your director, huh?¡± he asked poking Valentina with his elbow. Albert shot him a confused look. Yoel looked surprised.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? They¡¯re descendants of Water Gods.¡±

 CH. 12 Scope, Evaluate, Infiltrate

    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is¡­ you almost got robbed by the townspeople¡­ then you got in a fight with the townspeople¡­ and now you want to help the townspeople?¡± asked Daphne. Despite her soft demeanor, they could hear the disapproval in her voice.


    ¡°A canal of the Cain river dried up with no logical explanation to it. You know what that means. Something is up with that water god.¡± said Yoel.


    Daphne rubbed her face with her hands.


    ¡°Now you also want to mess with Cain...¡± she said exasperated.


    After the group reconvened they decided to hide from the afternoon sun in the air conditioned van. While eating their lunches, Yoel reported the situation to his boss. Albert was also quite invested on the case and he would pile in on the persuasion here and there.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do something about it? Isn¡¯t that what Descendants do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Did.¡± Daphne corrected. ¡°We worked as the bridge between gods and men because our government branch ordered us to. We don¡¯t do their bidding anymore. We don¡¯t owe them anything. We don¡¯t clean up their mess.¡±


    This last phrase was felt heavily by the group. There¡¯s no way they wouldn¡¯t resent the organizations that threw them away.


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s what happened?¡± asked Jingo, raising his eyebrows. ¡°The DRA was created out of members of the Faera Divine House, who rebelled after they were forbidden from warning the others, right? Maybe now they don¡¯t have the personnel to deal with this problem.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is a possibility. There were some people who didn¡¯t join the us, but they didn¡¯t necessarily stay at the house either.¡± said Daphne sighing.


    ¡°Still, what the fuck were we supposed to do? Just work normally as if nothing happened while we got slaughtered left and right? No. We did the right thing.¡± protested Yoel.


    ¡°But the wrong people are paying for it.¡± stated Albert, grimly. No one contested that either. Valentina was the only one that hadn¡¯t spoken yet, so Daphne turned to her.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind checking it out if there¡¯s something we can do. As long as it doesn¡¯t distract us from our priorities.¡± Valentina answered with a meaningful look towards Daphne. She wanted to track down The Horde, nothing more. But Albert wanted to help the people, and she felt like she owed him at least that.


    Daphne thought about it for a few seconds and said:


    ¡°Ok. We¡¯ll have a look. But I can¡¯t guarantee anything. Yoel, where do we start?¡±


    ¡°We asked around, and from what we heard, high ranking officials and business man have been meeting in the government water treatment facility, by the river. If somebody knows the current state of affairs, it¡¯s them.¡± the big man answered.


    ¡°But will they even give us the time of day?¡± asked Valentina abruptly. ¡°Look at us. Three rebels and two foreigners.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. Even if we wanted to help, they wouldn¡¯t exactly welcome us with open arms.¡± agreed Albert.


    ¡°Luckily there¡¯s still an option.¡± said Jingo, lifting a finger and putting on pretentious airs as he spoke ¡°The great arts of Stealth and Deception.¡±


    He then looked at Daphne, expecting a response. With a sigh, she gave the command:


    ¡°Fine. Get our comms ready.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± he answered with a mocking salute and started fumbling through his bags. Daphne puffed at his phony reverence. Jingo handed each one of them an earpiece and a little sleeve microphone. With those they could hear themselves as if they were talking in each other¡¯s heads.


    ¡°This will work within a 1 kilometer radius. Step away from that and things start to get glitchy¡± he explained to the newbies. Albert and Valentina both nodded their understanding.


    After their lunch, the group started driving away from the suburbs and towards the canal. The river ran across the southern part of the city, in the industrial district. Among the metallic jungle of tubes and chimneys, stood a complex of small concrete buildings, surrounding the canal on both sides. The water treatment facility.


    After a few minutes, they reached the roads parallel to the canal, allowing them to see the waters as they approached the building.


    Or the lack thereof.


    With sadness, Daphne looked out the window at the depression of dirt and sand that it had become.


    ¡°The Cain river is the closest thing we have to an old acquaintance when it comes to deities. Faera is one of the oldest cities on this planet, meaning this goddess has been dealing with humans since the beginning.¡± explained Daphne to Albert as they cruised the district. ¡°I wonder what could leave her in that state¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something I¡¯ve been curious for a while now.¡± he said.


    Daphne raised an eyebrow at him:


    ¡°Ask away.¡±


    ¡°God¡¯s are like¡­ manifestations of nature, right? What defines their gender then?¡±


    ¡°No one really knows. But one thing we learned after all these centuries is that nature has it¡¯s own will. It lives, thinks, expands and contracts however it wants. And if that part of nature wants to be female, who are we to say otherwise?¡± she answered nonchalantly.


    ¡°But, isn¡¯t Cain a male name?¡±


    Daphne laughed gently. That was the first time he heard her laugh. It sounded very melodic in her soft spoken voice.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mention that to her, if you two ever meet. The city founders called her Cain before even meeting her, and it stuck. She hates it.¡± she said chuckling.


    The van pulled up a couple of blocks away from the treatment facility and Daphne started laying out the plan.


    ¡°We need to find out what has happened to the river, meaning we need to listen in on that ¡®important meeting¡¯. Jingo is our infiltration specialist, so he will be going into the building. Ideally, he¡¯ll get one of our camouflaged microphones inside the room, but if it¡¯s impossible, he can listen in and then report back.¡±


    ¡°Me and Valentina will be the backup firepower. If Jingo is ever in danger we can bust him out. Yoel will stay in the van and keep the engine running in case we need to make our escape.¡± she explained each person¡¯s role while looking at them, to make sure they understood. Nobody contested her orders.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°What about me?¡± asked Albert


    ¡°Well, no offense, I saw your skills earlier, going after that kid. You¡¯re good. But you had just joined the Divine House when we found you, right? You¡¯ve never been trained to carry out missions. You¡¯ll sit this one out.¡± she answered sternly. Albert didn¡¯t look satisfied but he could not dispute her arguments.


    Jingo waited until the sidewalk was deserted to jump off the van and walk towards the complex. Xarkan had no tall buildings thanks to the unstable foundation of the desert, so even government facilities and rich enterprises could only be horizontally big. This one was no different. And with a rooftop only 3 stories high, this was no challenge for a Cloud God Descendant.


    Making sure nobody was looking, he walked up to the wall of the entrance building and casually jumped up. Or better yet floated. Under his foot shone a light blue light and his body glided up like a leaf blown by the wind. Once he reached the rooftop, Jingo disappeared from their vision.


    ¡°All clear. No security up here.¡± they heard him say on the radio.


    ¡°Alright, find an entrance.¡± said Daphne.


    The dusty rooftop was extensive and didn¡¯t have any windows. Still, there were some security cameras spread around, and he had to bypass them. Since they didn¡¯t have the floor plan, he took an educated guess as to where the best entry point was, choosing the highest and most central entrance he could find. That¡¯s where rich and important people like to be¡­ he thought.


    Holding his breath, Jingo pushed the bar on the fire door and waited.


    ¡°No alarms¡± he reported in a low voice. Yet¡­ he thought to himself.


    On the tip of his toes, he proceeded to walk down the stairs, always watching out for cameras or guards. By taking the first door he could find, Jingo found himself in an empty corridor. One side led to a well light room while the other was shrouded in darkness. He chose the latter, hoping to not come across less people.


    Unfortunately, luck did not smile upon him. Right as he was about to turn the corner, Jingo heard steps coming his way. His instincts kicked in, and without a place to hide, he decided to improvise. He waited at the corner for the perfect moment and¡­


    ¡°Oh, sh- I¡¯m sorry sir¡± said the man after bumping onto Jingo. It was a young looking fella, probably around his twenties, carrying a silver tray with empty glasses. He wore a simple cotton shirt, blue pants, and his shoes, although formal, were a bit rough around the edges. Meanwhile, Jingo had left his extravagant clothes behind, taking up something a bit more discrete. And since he was entering an office, he opted for the black blazer and the suit pants.


    In a split second he assessed his mark and took a gamble.


    ¡°Watch where you¡¯re going!¡± he answered aggressively. The young man had acted subservient to him, so he gave him exactly what he expected. Bossiness.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir. I did not hear you.¡±


    ¡°Well, clearly.¡± Jingo pretended to walk past him and stopped, as if he had just remembered something. ¡°Actually, why don¡¯t you make yourself useful and tell me where the meeting room is? I can¡¯t find anything in this bloody maze.¡±


    The man seemed happy to get a chance to redeem himself. He put down the glass cups and said:


    ¡°Yes, sir. Follow me.¡±


    This time, instead of hiding, Jingo put on his best arrogant face and walked around like he owned the place. They went back up the corridor and into a room full of empty cubicles. Despite the lights being on, the desks were deserted and the computers shut off. Jingo threw a few curious glances around, not daring to ask something he should already know. After a few meters, the cubicles were replaced with fancy offices with glass doors. Also empty. Up ahead, he heard voices and rustling of feet. Sensing the proximity of his destination, Jingo asked:


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Bran, sir.¡±


    ¡°Is the meeting already happening Bran?¡± he said, imperiously.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s started a few minutes ago.¡±


    Jackpot¡­ thought Jingo.


    ¡°And who¡¯s present?¡±


    ¡°Hmm. From what I can remember: some executives, the local director, the mayor, his assistants and CEO Rany.¡±


    Back in the van, Daphne raised her eyebrows in surprise and Yoel whistled, impressed. CEO Duke Rany Miranda was one of the richest men in the entire Kingdom, owner of Cone Corp., a huge construction conglomerate.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± Jingo said, hiding his surprise. ¡°This is far enough, I know my way now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, sir. I¡¯ll accompany you. We¡¯re almost there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not necessar-¡±


    ¡°I was heading there anyway to see if they needed more drinks¡± Bran said holding up the empty silver tray ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all.¡±


    ¡°Very well.¡± said Jingo, defeated. There wasn¡¯t a palpable change in his tone or expression. But a more perceptive onlooker would¡¯ve seen the light shift in his eyes. There was no longer the sharpness of the condescending boss, or the warmth of his usual silly self. Only the coldness of a man on a mission.


    Bran turned around to continue on his way, but before he could take a step Jingo took the tray from his hand and smacked it hard on his head. The light-blue glow of the Ruach covered his body like an aura, enhancing his strength. He held Bran¡¯s body before it hit the floor and dragged him into one of the empty offices.


    ¡°Sorry my man.¡± he whispered to the knocked out employee. After hiding his body under the desk, Jingo took some of Bran¡¯s clothes and traded them for his.


    ¡°I got this guy¡¯s tray and ID. I think I can bullshit my way in as an intern.¡± he told the others through the radio.


    ¡°All right, be careful. If you make it in, stay there with your mic out.¡± said Daphne.


    ¡°Roger.¡±


    With the tray in hand, Jingo left the office and headed for the corridor where he had heard those voices.


    Two security guards were waiting by a big wooden door. A dark skinned one with tattoos up to his neck and a whiter, also gigantic, one. They both looked menacing and more importantly, none of them had employee IDs, meaning they were outsiders. Jingo had no way of knowing whether they had powers or not, and he did not want to find out. Putting his best intimidated face on, he approached them.


    ¡°Hi, I came to see if the bosses need anything.¡± his voice was a bit more high pitched and he did not look the security guards in the eye.


    ¡°Did they call for somebody?¡± said one turning to the other, who just shook his head.


    ¡°They asked me to come back later, just in case.¡± said Jingo, coming up with an excuse on the fly.


    The dark skinned one took a glimpse at the security card.


    ¡°Bran¡­ yeah, I remember your name. All right, go ahead.¡± he said opening the door.


    I guess brains were not included in the protein package¡­ thought Jingo naughtily. Still, he was glad to avoid this fight.


    Inside, 12 people were reunited around an oval table. They were all formally dressed and had serious looks on their faces. However, the one who sat at the corner of the table stood out, if anything, by the way people avoided his gaze and heeded his words. CEO Rany¡­ Jingo thought. Opposite him, on the wall, was a big projector screen showing a woman with a construction helmet.


    Jingo slipped into the room and the bodyguards closed the door behind him. Luckily nobody seemed to notice his presence, as everybody payed attention to the screen.


    ¡°We are ready to begin operations, Your Grace¡± she said.


    ¡°Very well¡± responded Duke CEO Rany.


    ¡°Before you proceed I must warn you once again, Duke. As a part of the court, you¡¯re well aware of the¡­ threats we received regarding your project.¡± said a man sitting with his back turned to Jingo. He seemed to have carefully chosen his words as he danced around the subject.


    ¡°I do not care for her puny threats.¡± answered CEO Rany ¡°For years I¡¯ve been trying to get this project off the ground, and now that those foolish environmentalists are out of the way it¡¯s finally passed. I won¡¯t let her stop me.¡±


    ¡°You underestimate her power. You¡¯re planning on using her resources too. What makes you think She¡¯ll stay quiet?¡± The other people in the room looked astonished, watching someone defy their boss to that extent. Others looked around confused, unsure of what the two man talked about.


    ¡°She¡¯s helpless. If drying up this canal is the best she could do, I¡¯m not too worried.¡± Rany said in a final tone. Turning back to the woman projected on the wall, he said ¡°Joan, you may proceed.¡±


    The woman nodded and turned around issuing a bunch of orders. There was a lot of movement behind her and a large noise erupted from the speakers.


    ¡°Turbines operational, all systems OK¡­ The buildings are receiving power.¡± reported the woman.


    A small cheer erupted from the operators on her side of the screen followed by a modest round of applause from the members on the desk.


    ¡°Good work everyone. This marks the beginning of grea-¡± said Rany, before being interrupted by alarm bells coming from the screen.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Talk to me!¡± the woman yelled to her operators. They heard a few muffled voices shouting, then Joan reported back to the room ¡°Your Grace, it seems the river levels are decreasing at an alarming rate. We are trying to determine the cause.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is going on? Is she just gonna dry herself to death?¡± asked Rany angrily. Shortly after, the man who was questioning the Duke before received a phone call. Whatever he heard, alarmed him to the point where he stood up suddenly. Without ceremony, he announced.


    ¡°She¡¯s not drying herself Duke. I¡¯ve just received reports that a tsunami like wave is traveling up the canal at our direction.¡±

 CH. 13 The Power of a Master

    There was a dramatic pause before chaos ensued. Everyone stood up and started shouting at the same time. ¡°A tsunami? On a river? How is that even possible!?¡± ¡°Your Grace, what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Who is behind this?¡±.


    The man who had his back turned to Jingo did not answer any of them, instead he turned around and left the room followed by a couple of assistants. He bid the group farewell with ominous words.


    ¡°You¡¯re tempting history, Rany Miranda. There¡¯s a place in it for those who defy the natural order of things, and that¡¯s not where you want to be.¡± In that instant Jingo had a chance to look at his face. He was a tall with a golden skin tone, thin cheeckbones and a very pronounced nose. The black hair contrasted with the red military uniform. And the others had referred to him as Your Grace, meaning he was a noble. Although he couldn¡¯t recognize the man, there was an uncanny familiarity in his looks.


    Duke Rany, on the other hand, stayed behind stone faced. He seemed to be making a great effort to not explode with anger while his advisors rampaged in the room. They didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the divine existences, or their powers. Makes sense, you can¡¯t tell the worlds¡¯ best kept secret to just anyone¡­ thought Jingo.


    ¡°What are you doing? Get out of there! We got what we need¡± screamed Yoel through the radio bringing Jingo back to reality. But his warning was a bit too late. Among the confusion, people¡¯s attention started dispersing and one of the executives locked eyes with the intruder.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± he asked with a big frown.


    With no hesitation Jingo looked away and headed for the door. He had hoped the two bodyguards had left with the noble man, but they were still waiting when he came out. Walking as fast as possible without looking suspicious, he brushed past them and did not look back. Rany¡¯s words followed him as he turned the corner.


    ¡°Stop, that man!¡±


    ¡°Ok, whatever you guys were going to do, do it now!¡± Jingo said in the microphone before activating his powers and dashing up the corridors. Shortly after he heard the loud footsteps of the dark-skinned man pursuing him. And when he looked over his shoulder, he saw that his assumptions had been right, he had ominous red eyes, glowing with Ruach.


    ¡°On it! ¡°Where in the complex are you?¡± asked Valentina jumping off the van along with Daphne and Albert.


    ¡°East! I¡¯m coming of east!¡± Jingo yelled back while he ran around the building. His pursuer was relentless but he did slow down. Up ahead, the end of the corridor was approaching, but instead of slowing down, Jingo accelerated towards the window.


    ¡°Fuck it!¡± he yelled as his body smashed through the glass. Under him there was nothing but air, yet his body floated down like a feather, spiraling to the floor. While in the air, Jingo was able to see the limits of the city, and with a worried tone he said: ¡°Yo, Aquagirl, you better get your ass to the canal right now...¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Daphne.


    Jingo didn¡¯t immediately answer, his attention was completely taken by the ludicrous sight of the giant tidal wave that approached in the horizon. The water level was much higher than the depth of the canal, but instead of spreading to the sides it stayed on course as if held by an invisible wall. The body of water would hit the dry ground and splash forward like the white fangs of a predator, rushing towards its prey.


    ¡°Cain¡¯s ¡®little gift¡¯ is going to rip this district apart if you don¡¯t stop it.¡± he said while finally reaching the ground. Behind him, a loud noise drew his attention back, as his pursuer jumped from the same window. But unlike Jingo, he stuck close to the building wall and, with his hand glowing bright-red, he smashed his fingers through the concrete to break his fall. ¡°Uh¡­ I could also use that back up firepower you mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­ Albert!¡± screamed Daphne ¡°We¡¯re going in to help him, get the people out of the building, that wave is really coming.¡±


    Albert nodded and ran off to the main entrance. A man with a uniform tried to stop him, but he ignored him and kept running.


    ¡°Get out of here man! This place is in danger¡± Albert shouted back. The security guard tried chasing him, but now that he was alone, Albert had no reason to hold back the power he had absorbed from Valentina earlier.


    He used Lightning Steps, and dashed up the corridor like a stray bullet. Whenever he came across someone, he thought about stopping and telling them to leave too, but a better idea came to him. Once he was far enough into the complex, he turned around flew back pulling every fire alarm lever down. The loud ringing spread across the complex like wildfire, and soon enough, the employees that were still there after the drought started flooding the corridors.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    Meanwhile, outside of the main building, by the dry canal, Jingo¡¯s evasion was being put to the test by the gigantic bodyguard. The Descendant of the Clouds would jump and hop and flip backwards while the other man charged at him with his fist, leaving craters on the ground with his punches. Jingo was light, and elusive, but his enemy was too fast on the ground. The distance between them shortened, little by little, as they ran around in circles. A hit missed him by a hair, and the impact sent him flying to the floor. He braced for what he was sure would be a devastating blow, but instead his vision flashed yellow.


    Valentina¡¯s powerful kick sent the enemy flying to the side. Without taking her eyes off the bodyguard, she extended a hand to her friend, who laid sprawled on the floor.


    ¡°About damm time!¡± said Jingo, being pulled to his feet.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked Daphne as she caught up to them.


    ¡°Yeah, just some scratches here and there.¡±


    As they chatted, the man got back up and dusted off his shoulder.


    ¡°Strong¡­¡± he said, in a very low voice, nodding to Valentina, as if to acknowledge her.


    ¡°What¡¯s his deal?¡± asked Valentina.


    ¡°He¡¯s fast and hits hard¡± answered Jingo ironic.


    ¡°My name is Elish, it is a pleasure to meet some of my kind in this small city. Despite our¡­ unfortunate circumstances.¡± the bodyguard nodded to his three opponents. His skin starting changing from a dark-brown to black, the contrast with his shining red eyes made him look demonic.


    ¡°A son of the Desert¡± said Daphne ¡°They¡¯re main ability is adaptation. Body temperature, bone mass, weight, height. Whatever it takes to survive. It is known as Chameleon Skin. He probably felt your heat, and now his body is changing to fight it.¡±


    ¡°Very knowledgeable are you?¡± said Elish with a smile ¡°Too bad we met under this dire situation. I would¡¯ve loved to get to know you better.¡±


    ¡°Oh I wouldn¡¯t bother¡± said Jingo joining in the fun ¡°She¡¯s much more boring than you think.¡±


    Elish laughed so loud you could see every teeth in his mouth. But his fun was interrupted when a door by the side of the building flung open and a woman came out. She wore the uniform of the building security.


    ¡°Who are you? What are you all doing here? Did you not hear the alarms!¡± she yelled angrily.


    The smile of the easy-going bodyguard immediately withered, and without ceremony he pulled a revolver from his back and pointed it at the lady.


    ¡°NOO!¡± yelled Albert as he tackled the security woman to the floor, right as the bullet flew by her head.


    The entire scene happened so fast that the other three had no time to react. When their brains finally absorbed the events they all exploded at the same time:


    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you!?¡± yelled Jingo.


    ¡°Shooting an unarmed civilian¡­¡± said Valentina.


    ¡°Unbelievable.¡± whispered Daphne.


    ¡°Oh, I see. You¡¯re one of those. I was right, we should definitely chat.¡± responded Elish. But once again a noise interrupted him. This time, it was screams coming from outside of the eastern walls. ¡°Oops. That¡¯s my cue. It seems it¡¯ll have to stay for another time.¡±


    He turned his back and started running to the building entrance, Valentina tried to intercept him with another Flash Kick. This time he blocked it with his left arm, and the impact barely nudged him.


    ¡°Very, fast. Yes. But you¡¯ll never pierce my Skin with this.¡± Elish took the opportunity to grab her leg and throw her light body to the ground. This time it was Valentina who was sent flying and bouncing off the dirt.


    She wasn¡¯t very hurt, thanks to her Ruach enhancement, but it got her very, very angry. When she got back up, Elish had already disappeared.


    ¡°Dammit! Where¡¯s that bastard!¡± she asked angrily.


    Meanwhile, Albert tended to the shaken security guard, who witnessed human bodies moving impossibly after almost being shot to death.


    ¡°Are you ok? Listen to me. You better get out of here as soon as you can. I don¡¯t know how my friends will react to your presence. As for what you saw today¡­ it¡¯s best if you forget it.¡± Then after thinking for a bit, he decided a bit of fear was in her best interest. ¡°Tell no one of this. Or we we will find you.¡±


    Her attention was, however, shifted to the sudden thundering noise of Cain¡¯s tidal wave hitting the facility¡¯s walls. They were not nearly big enough to contain the rushing water that towered over them like a big hand ready to squash a fly.


    Daphne sprung into action, jumping into the middle of the canal and standing right in front of the river God¡¯s wrath. The wave carried its destruction along with it, in the form of cars, cacti and debris, still the Descendant of the Sea waited patiently in her battle stance. When the first drops were about to reach her, she took action.


    In a swift move she punched forward with her palm and the water shot up violently, as if it had hit another invisible wall. Still, the wave bounced back, relentlessly trying to swallow her small body. Daphne, fought it off in all fronts, blocking every crest from falling, kicking every rushing tide to a stop. The water splashes, rained down on the city, as she battled the will of nature.


    Valentina and Albert watched the fight, completely hypnotized by the beauty and ferocity of the waves, matched only by the beauty and ferocity of the woman who fought them back. There was something magical, almost savage about Daphne¡¯s display of skill. The soft spoken and introverted person was gone, leaving only the wildness of the Sea running rampant through her veins.


    It took half an hour.


    Half an hour of the river attacking, retreating and attacking again. Half an hour of a Descendant standing her ground against an angry god. Half an hour of rain, for a dried up city.


    ¡°T-That¡¯¡¯s¡­¡± stuttered Albert.


    ¡°That¡¯s the power of true a Master.¡± completed Valentina.


    In the end, the waters receded back upstream, leaving behind a muddy canal, random debris and a soaking wet woman.


    Jingo jumped down to help his boss, who staggered up the hill, completely depleted. With a hand around her waist he brought her back to the other two, who still watched her wide-eyed. After catching her breath for a few seconds Daphne pulled Jingo¡¯s sleeve to her mouth. He looked at her confused.


    ¡°My mic is broken¡± she said with a shrug ¡°Yoel, get the van to the front. We need to get to the capital¡±

 CH. 14 The Tempest Inn

    Albert observed the view as the van shot up the road, skirting around the hills that separated Faera from the desert. Once they were on the other side, humidity hit like a truck and his shirt stuck to his chest with sweat. They had been traveling for 20 hours now, stopping only once to let the drivers sleep. After a few curves, the clouds cleared, and he laid eyes on the capital for the first time. The glistening sea was the first thing to catch his attention. Growing up in the Highlands, the highest mountain range in the world, he had only seen it in pictures.


    ¡°It¡¯s massive...¡± he remarked.


    Valentina joined him at the open window, also impressed by the view. Daphne took a deep breath, smiling at the smell of sea breeze.


    Contrasting with the shoreline, were the modern houses and buildings spread across the valley, that was cut in half by the massive Cain river. Faera was a coastal city, political center of the kingdom that carried it¡¯s name and extended from the sea, over the hills, to the desertic lands they had left behind. It also happened to be the oldest surviving city in the world, making it a chaotic blend of historical and modern society. In the central area, you could see ancient stone constructions next to modern skyscrapers, slums spread across the northern hillside, and nature and emptiness on the southern one.


    Once again, they had avoided the main highway, opting for a smaller, more unknown road, that led them through the southern side. Around it, stood only a few isolated houses and huts. One of them was a stylish, 3 floor house with big checkered windows. The reddish wooden details made it stand out from the trees around it, and gave it a cozy vibe. A golden plaque hanging by the front door proudly said: ¡°Tempest Inn¡±


    The van pulled up next to the entrance and they finally disembarked.


    ¡°Is this it?¡± asked Valentina. Daphne had said that they were headed to the DRA headquarters, and a house in the hills didn¡¯t really scream ¡®military base¡¯ to her.


    ¡°You sound so disappointed¡± said Jingo, pouting. With a naughty smile, he continued. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll make sure you have a pleasant stay at the inn.¡±


    ¡°Take your things, we¡¯ll be handing the van off¡± said Daphne ignoring their conversation. The inn¡¯s front door opened and a pair of young men came out. They wore casual clothes but had serious expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Welcome ma¡¯am.¡± they both said as they greeted Daphne. She tossed them the van keys and headed for the entrance. The rest of the group followed suit.


    The interior was incredibly well designed, with gray and brown walls decorated with the same red-wood that outlined the outside. There were paper room dividers separating the rooms, which allowed the natural light inside. At the entrance, a young woman sat behind a reception desk while a few others moved about through the lobby. Some greeted Daphne, sometimes also Yoel and Jingo, with a nod, while others didn¡¯t take a second look.


    The receptionist got up as they entered and took a bow, smiling.


    ¡°Owner! Welcome back.¡± she said looking at the group ¡°I take it you are heading to the kitchen?¡±


    Daphne nodded in response.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let the others know. I¡¯ll also send someone to clean your room.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Katherine. But don¡¯t bother, I have a feeling I won¡¯t be sleeping in it much.¡±


    The receptionist seemed a bit disheartened by the answer, but she didn¡¯t contest her boss. Yoel and Jingo also traded friendly greetings with her. Meanwhile, Albert and Valentina looked around trying to assess the situation.


    Were those people in the lobby members of the army? Was that house the so-called headquarters?Smaller than expected...Those thoughts ran through their heads as they moved into a corridor towards the back of the residence.


    ¡°So far, army seems like an overstatement...¡± whispered Albert in her ear. Valentina didn¡¯t respond, she didn¡¯t contest him either.


    After they went through a double door, they found themselves in a kitchen, with a much more simplistic decoration. 4 people worked diligently there. They baked goodies, made sandwiches, cut fruit and washed the dishes. All in all, a solid breakfast. As they passed by, Jingo grabbed a muffin and tossed it to Albert.


    ¡°Trust me. It¡¯s much better than the stuff they got in there.¡± he said with a wink.


    Daphne took off her necklace, revealing a golden key, that hanged off of it. With it, she unlocked an inconspicuous iron door at the back of the room, next to a shelf with ingredients. When it opened, they were hit with a stuffy air current.


    ¡°Not again...¡± said Albert disheartened.


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡± agreed Valentina.


    On the other side, the pleasant ambiance was completely gone, being replaced by a well lit rock tunnel. A man sat on a folded chair, keeping guard and he jumped up in surprise as the door opened. However, once he saw Daphne, his expression relaxed and he saluted her.


    She was, however, focused on her new companions.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Our last experience with a rock tunnel wasn¡¯t exactly¡­ you know. Successful.¡± said Valentina nervously.


    Daphne scratched her head, uncomfortable.


    ¡°Yes, I remember now¡­ if it¡¯s any consolation, this is just a passage, we¡¯re going deep inside the mountain side. I¡¯m pretty sure you won¡¯t be able to bring it down so easily.¡±


    Valentina wasn¡¯t really comforted by her words and Yoel interceded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry princess. We made sure everything is sturdy in there. And the ceiling is so high you¡¯ll eventually forget you¡¯re underground.¡±


    ¡°Well, we came this far, right?¡± said Albert, giving her a little nudge. ¡°It¡¯s pointless to be afraid of things we can¡¯t control.¡±


    They all followed Daphne into the tunnel. It had a short archway, just big enough for tall people to pass with ease, and a thick set of metal cables were attached to the walls. It wasn¡¯t very deep as well, they could already see the end.


    And they could definitely hear it.


    The passage expanded into an area with an incredibly high domed ceiling, with bright white lights hanging from it. The space was filled with people of all colors and ages, almost all of them wore a blue jacket with a yellow emblem on the left chest, and pants to match. Some carried weapons, others ran, read documents. Others just sat in a corner and talked. On the far left, there were 5 gigantic tables parallel to each other with a pair of long benches for each one. They were mostly empty, but some people sat there eating.


    The thick metal cables that came through the tunnel went to the far right, powering half a dozen computers and a big screen that hanged from the walls. Right behind the electronic setup was a big white tent, with enough room for at least 30 people.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking.Now that¡¯s more like it!This is what an army looks like.Right?¡± said Jingo turning to the two newcomers. Then, he theatrically raised his hand in the air. ¡°Can I be the first to express my outrage at these two? They were totally criticizing us in their minds. I can feel it.¡±


    Albert stared at him stone faced, but Valentina flinched in surprise for a second.


    ¡°See, I knew it.¡± he said, satisfied.


    ¡°Shut up, you buffoon. They got stuff to do. We¡¯ll leave you to it.¡± said Yeol, throwing his arm around Jingo¡¯s neck and pulling him away. They went towards a big curtain that hanged from the ceiling. Behind it, was another archway, leading to a different room, that Albert and Valentina had not spotted at first. It wasn¡¯t the only one either, looking around there were at least 5 other passages they hadn¡¯t noticed.


    ¡°First, we¡¯ll get you accommodated. Follow me.¡± said Daphne, heading to one of the curtains. They walked into a room with many white tents assembled in a square formation, the people there did not wear the blue uniform so diligently, if at all.


    On the left side of the door, there was a long desk with a man and a woman seating loosely behind it. Dphne approached them, and one of them sprung up when he saw her. After exchanging a few words she came back to them and asked:


    ¡°Would you guys mind sharing the space?¡±


    An hour later they were finally installed in a 5 m2 tent, with a couple of mattresses, a mirror and a water basin. A bit of a downgrade from Anyesse¡¯s fancy apartment. Still, they were happy to finally lay down and a relax for a while. They had been on the road for days, and sleeping on a seat can really wear you down. Before leaving, Daphne showed them around the ¡®camp area¡¯, as they called it, and left instructions to meet her in two hours time.


    ¡°So, what do you think of them?¡± asked Albert, when they were finally alone.


    ¡°You mean the army? Or Daphne and the crew?¡±


    ¡°Both.¡±


    Valentina thought in silence for a moment.


    ¡°Well, first, it seems like they did not lie. Judging by the amount of tents, there seems to be at least 200 people here, between humans and descendants. There¡¯s no way that¡¯s only the leftovers from Faera. Meaning peoplefrom all over the world are coming here. And although they call themselves an army and they have sort of hierarchy, the rules seems pretty lax, so far. That¡¯s just like the Divine Houses.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± said Albert curiously.


    ¡°Well, because of our ties to the government, the Divine Houses were always a military organization. But no one really cared about that. We had ranks, but we treated each other casually. And then, whenever a government official would visit, we would put on a show. Acting all proper and stuff.¡± Valentina answered with a smile. Her eyes were distant, lost in her memories. But those memories quickly turned into sadness and shepulled herself back to reality. ¡°And besides, that house wasn¡¯t just our work, you know. We lived there, from an early age, can you imagine children marching around and giving military salutes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯d be weird.¡± Albert grunted, amused. Then with an eyebrow raised, he continued. ¡°What about Daphne and the gang?¡±


    ¡°Who knows, honestly. She¡¯s powerful, I don¡¯t think I need to tell you that. But I think she¡¯s much more important than she¡¯s letting on. Everyone seems to know her, people respect her.¡± said Valentina frowning in thought. ¡°Remember Daena? From the farmhouse at the border?¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡±


    ¡°She told me Daphne was a good person. But also said not to trust anyone. I guess that¡¯s the wise thing to do.¡±


    Albert nodded.


    ¡°So we don¡¯t tell anyone about my powers.¡± he said.


    ¡°At least for now.¡±


    Albert let out a huge yawn, which made Valentina do it too.


    ¡°We should sleep a little¡± But right as he said that, they heard a commotionescalating outside of the tent. Voices shouting back and forth and many footsteps.


    Valentina and Albert went out of the tent to see a circle of people gathered around two men. One of them was a slender 1,75m man, with blonde hair, long arms and a menacing face, he wore the blue uniform of the army. The other one was much smaller, at around 1,60m, with a messy shoulder-length brown hair. He wore a kneaded uniform shirt with gray overalls on top of it.


    ¡°What? Now you¡¯re gonna send your goon to ¡®deal with me?¡¯¡± said the short one in an ironic tone, addressing someone behind his opponent. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried he might trip and fall on his head? I know they don¡¯t come with much brains.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about, Mr. Sezille? This man has nothing to do with me.¡± answered a good-looking guy standing on the outline of the circle. He had very dark eyesand hair, a very tidy haircut right above ear-length. His uniform was very neatly worn, much like the man in front of him, only with a little more class. There is weight to how a person carry themselves, and his posture and elegance was that of royalty.


    ¡°Yeah right, Max. And he just happened to want to attack me, right when I interrupted your little happy reunion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, believe me R¨¦my, this is not my doing. You¡¯re free to spout any nonsense you wish¡± said Max in a condescending tone. ¡°I¡¯m not sure there is a force in this nature that could stop you, really.¡±


    His remarks got sparse laughs out of the public.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± said R¨¦my raising his voice to the circle. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we talk about how, while you¡¯re all gossiping here, our leader has returned successfully, bringing more allies and having defended the town of Xarkan from a disaster?¡±


    Murmur and whispering spread across the circle like wildfire, but Max was quick to recapture the crowd¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Oh, is Cassius back?¡± he asked with an expression of perfect astonishment.


    ¡°No. Daphne.¡± said R¨¦my, dispirited.


    ¡°Ah, I see, I see.¡± said Max, nodding, as if it all made sense now. ¡°That¡¯s a common missconception. You mean the deputy commander. Cassius is our leader. That woman is just a stand-in.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s our leader until he returns!She founded the army alongside hi-¡±


    ¡°And what has she done with it!?¡± asked Max, interrupting R¨¦my. ¡°What was that place she saved? The town of what? I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t really know that place, does anyone here...¡± he asked, making a theatrical confused expression. Nobody answered. ¡°Oh, well, I guess they don¡¯t, because it is not HERE!¡±


    He then walked into the circle like a lawyer in front of his jury.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that why we gathered here? To look out for our own? To find our brothers and sisters and protect them? To annihilate this threat that the gods have sent us?¡±


    The public started to mutter in agreement, the tides shifting in Max¡¯s favor


    ¡°You have no proof The Horde was sent by the gods! You just want to make people afraid so they¡¯ll follow you! This is a co-¡±


    R¨¦my was, however, interrupted by the man who was facing him in the circle. The ¡®goon¡¯s¡¯ right hand was glowing with red Ruach as he pounced at his smaller opponent. R¨¦my fell backwards but he reacted too slowly, humanly slow.


    Albert immediately jumped to rescue him, although he was also humanly slow.


    ¡°No! Albert, wa-¡± said Valentina, but he had already left her grasp. Without much of a choice, she activated her powers, her eyes bursting with energy. Before the ¡®goon¡¯ could reach any of them Valentina had already caught him by the arm thrown him on the ground.


    The whole audience flinched as the events happened in the blink of an eye. Max was the first to recover his composure, but Albert saw for a split second, in his eyes, a flash of frustration.


    ¡°By the gods! This man is insane! Attacking a human using Ruach...¡± he said exasperated. ¡°Mr. Sezille. My apologies, I know we have our differences but I don¡¯t wish you any harm!¡±


    With a snap of his finger he called a uniformed man to his side and said:


    ¡°Incarcerate him! And have a doctor see if he is mentally ill¡­ unbelievable...¡±


    In the meantime, Albert ignored him and helped R¨¦my up.


    ¡°Thank you, man.¡± said R¨¦my dusting off his pants.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡±


    ¡°As for you two...¡± said Max turning his attention to Albert and Valentina. He extended his hand forward. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we have met yet.But thank you for protecting R¨¦my.¡±


    None of them shook it. He pulled his hand back and said:


    ¡°Very well, allow me to introduce myselfthen. I am Officer Maximillian Amytan. Third-in-Command of this army.¡±

 CH. 15 Casualties of War

    That was a chaotic evening, to say the least.


    After the altercation, Albert and Valentina went to the big white tent near the entrance of the base, where they had previously agreed to meet Daphne. However, they didn¡¯t show up alone. Despite their many attempts at loosing them, Max and R¨¦my followed them to the meeting. And, as it turns out, they were actually invited.


    Max sat at the table, along with other big shots as Daphne reported the events of her trip, meanwhile R¨¦my stood at the wall, whispering quietly to random people who came in and out of the tent.


    Albert did not understand half of the discussion, and so he focused on the interactions between the people at the table.


    Max¡¯s distaste for Daphne was already obvious, and there seemed to be two or three others who supported him. They nodded at his words, and pressured her with questions. The other two would occasionally defend her and send nasty looks to the other side when they attacked their leader. All in all, a very hectic council.


    Meanwhile, the conversation took a turn towards a subject he could understand:


    ¡°CEO Duke Rany Miranda has done something to upset the Goddess Cain, to the point where she tried to destroy the city where he was staying.¡± said Daphne with a worried tone ¡°This is unprecedented. When the Divine Houses were active, things would¡¯ve never gotten this bad. We need to do something, for the sake of balance, and the lives of innocent people.¡±


    Upon hearing that, Max stood up, displeased.


    ¡°Excuse me!? So you¡¯re saying we need to protect those morons from their foolish actions again? We just freed ourselves from being humanity¡¯s slave. We¡¯re not about to go out of our way for the people who threw us out like garbage.¡±


    ¡°The government threw us out! Not the people. We can¡¯t forget our duty to be the bridge between Divinity and Men.¡± she answered


    ¡°Who gave us that duty? Huh? A bunch of ancient nation leaders who only thought of themselves, their lands and their riches.¡± said Max emphatically ¡°No. Our duty is to find and destroy the Horde, and whatever god is behind it.¡±


    Then, looking over his shoulder, he called out to R¨¦my:


    ¡°Mr. Sezille, would you care to present your findings to everyone?¡±


    R¨¦my shot him a look of disgust, but followed his orders. He took out a device from his pocket and put it in the middle of the table. With a click, it projected a holographic image of a body floating as if suspended by a chord.


    ¡°As you know, we took back the body of a Horde member to study it. Through the autopsy we found quite a few unsettling things. The first is: This man, before he attacked us, was previously dead.¡±


    There was a dramatic pause before everybody started shouting at the same time. Even the quiet and serious Daphne let out a soft shriek.


    ¡°Hey! Hey! Hey! I¡¯m not done yet, take a chill pill boys. And girls.¡± he said, slightly bowing to the women present. ¡°We found this man¡¯s identity and according to his death certificate, he¡¯s been dead for a year. Meaning that whoever is behind this, is reviving corpses to attack us.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the second: If you fought them, you might¡¯ve noticed that they sounded pretty wonky, only spoke in simple words and never responded to you. Well, that¡¯s because something messed with their brains. We¡¯re not sure of the exact modifications, but it¡¯s not the same as a human¡¯s anymore.¡±


    The hologram body disappeared and was replaced by a human brain. Or something close to it. It had some flat patches on it, making it look incomplete.


    ¡°Finally, whoever this guy was before, one thing we do know. He wasn¡¯t a Descendant. So our theory that they¡¯re being controlled by someone else¡¯s power holds up. And that...¡± R¨¦my concluded his explanation with a sigh ¡°¡­ is all we know¡±


    ¡°See? We have bigger problems right now. Who else has the power to do this but the Vitality God?¡± said Max. There were some agreeing nods on the table, even from Daphne¡¯s side.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The what!? thought Albert.


    He kept his ignorance to himself, though. There was no reason to reveal he was a newbie to everyone. Instead he watched as they debated possible solutions to deal with their mysterious enemies. R¨¦my advised that it was still to soon to blame everything on the gods. Eventually, Max made a strong proposition:


    ¡°We should send an envoy to the Vitality Forest and confront that divinity once and for all! If we just knock some heads we¡¯ll get our answers!¡±


    Despite some strong opposition from Daphne and R¨¦my, the other councilors supported the initiative. With a deep sigh, she gave up on arguing with them and simply called for the end of the meet.


    ¡°We¡¯ll reconvene in a couple of days to plan this out.¡± Then she jolted her head back up, as she remembered something. ¡°Also, these are our new members that we brought from the Highlands, Albert, human. And Valentina, Descendant of the Sun God.¡±


    Some raised their eyebrows at her last words, someone might have whistled as well. Max and R¨¦my were full on staring.


    ¡°Before we let you go... as we told you back in Taigh, once you join you can choose to adopt a different name. It¡¯s not mandatory, but if you wish to...¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with my own.¡± said Albert.


    Valentina, however, was in deep thought. After a moment she turned to Daphne and said:


    ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me¡­ can I be Valentina Heart here?¡±


    Daphne¡¯s, ever so serious expression crumbled in that moment, and she offered the girl a rare smile.


    ¡°Of course, my dear.¡±


    After that, the meeting was officially over and Valentina was immediately the center of attention. With such a powerful addition to the army, Albert was, gracefully, ignored. Realizing it would take a while before he could talk to her, he decided to slip out of the tent. And right as he left, R¨¦my intercepted him.


    ¡°Hey man, I came to say thank you again, for jumping in for me.¡± said the young engineer extending his hand with a laid back smile.


    ¡°No worries man. Anyone would do the same.¡±


    R¨¦my raised an eyebrow at the comment.


    ¡°Pff. You¡¯d be surprised.¡± He got closer and whispered to Albert, as if revealing a great secret. ¡°But we humans, we gotta look out for each other, man. You heard how Max talked about us in there, right? With all these hot-blooded, crazy super-humans around¡­ who knows? If one day they start thinking my jokes are shit they might just snap me in half.¡±


    ¡°R-right.¡± said Albert with a half-forced smile ¡°Let¡¯s hope that day never comes...¡±


    After a gentle tap on his new colleague''s shoulder, R¨¦my walked back to the computer area.


    In that short time they had known each other, Albert decided that he liked R¨¦my. There was a certain type of honesty in people like him and Jingo, who spoke so freely and happily. Although the idea of the two of them in the same conversation was terrifying. Nobody would even get a word in.


    As he ruminated those thoughts, he made it back to his tent and laid on the mattress to wait for Valentina. Once again, questions burned in his mind, and he had no one else to answer them. Luckily he didn¡¯t have to wait alone, as Yoel showed up at the door:


    ¡°Yo, are you bored yet?¡± his menacing face was peeking through the entrance.


    ¡°I guess¡­¡± answered Albert distracted. ¡°Not really. It¡¯s just that, people are talking about all sorts of things I can¡¯t understand. But there¡¯s only one thing I want to know.¡±


    The huge man squeezed his body through the entrance, the tent was almost too small for him. Albert sat up and gave him room to sit on the bed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Yoel.


    ¡°Remember we told you that my family was involved in your world? He was with those kids that tried to escape through the tunnel, back in Taigh.¡±


    ¡°Ok. And what is your question?¡±


    ¡°Nobody said anything about them on the meeting. Is nobody thinking of rescuing them? How am I supposed to find my brother?¡± asked Albert, raising his voice a little bit.


    With a deep sigh, Yoel answered.


    ¡°You know. We searched the rubble, as far as it went on the surface. And we couldn¡¯t find anyone, so I see why you¡¯re hopeful. But do you know where that tunnel went?¡±


    Albert shook his head.


    ¡°Well, neither do we. Here is another question for you: How many people older than 30 have you seen since you joined our world?¡±


    Albert thought silently for a minute. After racking his brain he raised one finger up.


    ¡°Daena.¡± he said, recalling the old smuggler ¡°Amelia, maybe. I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    Yoel nodded.


    ¡°Right. Why do you think that is?¡±


    Albert simply shrugged. Yoel looked at him sternly with his only eye. Yet, when he spoke, his voice was filled with deep sadness.


    ¡°Even before we escaped here and became this ¡®army¡¯, Descendants had been living as soldiers. Our countries are in a truce only in paper, but they are still spying on each other, fighting in the shadows for resources and power. And we are the warriors they employed for it. Death is a part of the game. Living past 30 is a badge of honor.¡±


    ¡°Even now, we are running and fighting to avoid death. Our own, our colleagues¡¯ and fellow humans. The army can¡¯t worry about 10 kids who disappeared halfway across the world and might even be dead, they don¡¯t have that luxury. They have too many lives to worry about.¡±


    Albert heard him in silence. He wanted to get angry, but it sounded like that pain wasn¡¯t only his. Yoel didn¡¯t give any more details, but his desolated expression gave it away. That cruel reality had taken something from him too.


    The big man got up from the mattress and spoke with his back turned to Albert.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one advice: Don¡¯t wait for permission to do what¡¯s right. It¡¯s not manly.¡±


    Yoel walked back to the exit. But before he left, he peeked his head back in and said:


    ¡°Oh, right!¡± Albert was still processing what he had heard, and he looked up at Yoel, surprised. ¡°I came here to invite you to the training area. It¡¯s about time we see what you got!¡±