《The Templar's Return》


 Prologue: Zvirek Invasion

    A/N: Here is the prologue for a brand new Sci-Fi story that will be loosely based off the Starcraft storyline. Hope you all enjoy it!


    For those of you who follow Elemental God: Don''t worry I will not be dropping the story. I have had an idea for this story for about a month now and had attempted to hold back on starting this until i finished Elemental God but lately this story had been my mind. It got to the point where I have been attempting to write the new Elemental God chp the last few days but as I tried all i could think of was this story. So i ended up deciding to start this so that I could finally get it off my mind and continue on with the new chp.


    I want to also give a shout out to Wraith and CynzFireFly for PRing this prologue!


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    As Michael Conner opened the door, his nostrils was greeted by the obnoxious smell of grease, vomit and alcohol. The interior of the bar was the same as usual: broken tables and chairs lying around, a creaky wooden floor, and dust that filled the air. The ceiling wasn¡¯t in much better shape either as there was cracks all over it. A chandelier that did a poor job of lighting the room hung precariously from the ceiling and creaked with even the slightest of motions.


    At the bar was an old man who was wiping down a glass with a dirty towel. The man was tall at six foot seven inches with slicked back blonde hair that had streaks of gray within it. He wore a white button down shirt with numerous grease marks on it and a copper buttoned black vest over it. With his curved nose and piercing hazel gaze, he reminded people of the images of a hawk from planet Earth.


    ¡°Hey Mike!¡±


    ¡°Hey Casey, sorry to keep you waiting!¡±


    At the loud voice, Michael turned to his right and smiled when he noticed the man who stood up and waved at him. Casey McDonnell was a burly six foot tall fellow with a stomach that protruded past his chest. He had large hairy arms which extended out from his short sleeve collar shirt and was wearing some brown khakis with dirt marks all over them. On top of his pudgy face was messy brown hair that fell down to his chin and almost covered his round frame glasses which were made from some dark cheap metal.


    Casey was an operator of a Mining Retrieval Unit (MRU) at the mineral mines with Michael. The MRUs are robotic machines that stand at eight feet tall. These robots have large, thick metallic arms used for drilling and picking up the minerals they mine. The right arm has built in drills with lasers while the left arm has four claws used to grab the minerals that are dug out.


    As he waved back to Casey, Michael walked forward and sat himself in the open seat across the table from him. When he sat down, a mature lady started to walk over. Her curly red hair that was closer to orange and green eyes would have been pleasing to the eyes if not for the excess weight hanged on her frame.


    The lady wore a green and pink plaid button down shirt along with jeans and western boots. The clothes that she wore were reminiscent of a popular style in the twentieth and twenty first century in the former country known as the United States of America. The only thing that was missing from her attire was a cowboy hat.


    ¡°What can I get ya two folks?¡±


    ¡°A beer for the two of us and some jerky will do.¡±


    ¡°Be back with yall¡¯s order.¡±


    After she heard the order from Casey, the waitress walked toward the kitchen. After they had waited for a few moments, she came back out with two large mugs and a plate of dried meat and placed them onto the table. She took the payment and went back to the table she was originally seated at to wait for another customer.


    ¡°So Mike, what you think of that Zvirek invasion that destroyed the colony on Orion?¡±


    Michael¡¯s face turned grim at Casey¡¯s mention of the Zvirek invasion. All the news channels had spoken about for the past month were the Zvirek invasions on the outer rim planets of the Dontesk Empire¡¯s territory. The invasion steadily moved forward and a couple of days ago taken over the planet Orion which was only a few lights years away from them.


    The Zvirek. They were a new race that was made of up billions of several different Invertebrate creatures and even the smallest ones were as large as humans while the largest ones were taller than the pride of the Dontesk Empire, the robotic fortress ¡°Guardians¡±. These creatures were reportedly simple minded and took commands from a ¡°Monarch¡± who was in charge of each invasion.


    At first, many people believed that the Zvirek was not a big threat and would only take over a few planets. As they advanced forward and took over tens of planets, the populace had become nervous on planet Raegal.


    After Michael pondered for a few moments, he replied.


    ¡°Now that they¡¯ve taken over Orion, it should only be a matter of time until they come here to Raegal. We are only 10 light years away from them. Hopefully the Dontesk Empire will send transport ships to retrieve us because there is no way in hell we¡¯ll be able to defend ourselves.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Raegal was a planet on the outskirts of the Dontesk Empire where a vast amount of minerals had been found. While they did send a few troops to patrol and provide security, there were far too few Soldiers to fend off a large attack. They were basically sitting ducks as they awaited the Zvirek¡¯s invasion.


    ¡°Well hopefully the transport ships will arrive in the next day or two. Supposedly the Dontesk Empire sent them to all the colonies and some of the ones closer have already begun to evacuate.¡±


    ¡°Well those transports ships better hurry their damn selves up. At most we only got a couple of days¡­ The Zvirek will be here any ti¡­¡±


    ¡°rrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR¡±


    While Michael had been in the middle of his speech, large horns began to blast off all around the area. Both Michael¡¯s and Casey¡¯s faces paled at the sound. The horns were installed around the colony for a single reason: To warn of an enemy attack. As if it had been rehearsed, all the occupants stood up and rushed toward the entrance. The once quiet bar was now filled with chaotic movements and panic.


    As Michael finally passed through the chaotic gathering at the entrance, what greeted him was the sound of missiles being launched from the Air Defense Turrets (ADT) and Anti-Aircraft Lasers as they filled the sky. Even though the situation didn¡¯t warrant it, he couldn¡¯t help but to think that all the green lights and red smoke from the missiles in the air was a beautiful sight to behold.


    Multiple objects filled the night sky. At first, the objects were mere dots that filled sky as if they were stars. As time passed, however, the tiny dots grew larger. After a couple minutes, Michael was finally able to make out the details of the objects as they became more visible.


    The object looked as if it was covered in a leathery membrane which contained bulges that resembled veins all throughout the body. With a body that was easily over fifty meters tall and twenty meters wide, it looked as though it was a humongous seed. Behind the body of the seed were multiple tentacles that fluttered with the movement of the air. The tentacles were much longer than the body of the seed with a length of eighty meters.


    When the seed like objects were only one thousands meters from the ground, they ripped through a clear liquid dome that caused the dome to ripple. A few moments later, the first of the thousands of seeds finally made contact with the ground only twenty meters away. The impact destroyed all the surroundings buildings with just the impact blast generated by the landing. Michael, alongside everyone else nearby, was sent flying backwards and fell to the ground due to the shockwaves. As he slowly rose up from the ground, he looked toward the seed and his face paled at what he saw.


    The seed had begun to slowly open outwards from the bottom. With the top center portion as the basis, the seed spread out and upward and the contents spread outwards in all directions like a ripple. Michael¡¯s face was filled with the expression of horror at the sight of the spawns that spread out.


    Spawns were the most basic and numerous life form of the Zvirek. They were large four legged invertebrate that had gleaming brown leathery skin and numerous layers of muscles. The legs were shaped similar to cockroaches except for the fact that they were well muscled and ended with two bladelike claws. The spawn¡¯s heads were shaped like a rhombus with their lower jaw that hung forward. A long tail trailed them as they rushed forward. Michael couldn¡¯t help but think that they looked like a mix between a cockroach and wolf.


    Not long after the first seed made impact with the ground, tens of other seeds did also. The colony was now filled with cries of fear and panic as the citizens ran for their lives only to be caught from behind and eaten. Unlike the others, Michael just stood in place and took in the chaos. He knew that there was no hope for him to survive even if he ran so he stayed put and awaited his death.


    One of the spawns noticed him and slowly approached. It looked toward Michael with curiosity as he didn¡¯t flee like all the others. When it was only ten meters away, the spawn stopped its forward advance and stared at him. At the sight of the spawn as it stood still, a slight sliver of hope began to make its way to his conscious that the spawn would just pass him for god knows what reason. As if the fates were playing a terrible joke on him, however, the spawn then began to tense up and opened its mouth. Michael could see multiple layers of teeth that were as long and sharp as daggers lining its jaw.


    Before Michael could let out one sound, the spawn pounced forward.


    The last sight Michael ever saw was the rows of sharp teeth as they approached his head and bit down.

 Chapter 1: Abandonment

    splash splash splash splash


    ¡°Fury three this is Reaper six. Requesting air support in vicinity of AE 1325 8291, I repeat requesting air support in vicinity of (IVO) AE 1325 8291, over.¡±


    ¡°*Bzzt*¡±


    ¡°Lieutenant (LT) Yim! No word back from command about that air support yet, sir?!¡±


    As LT Yim ran in the muddy trenches, he heard a familiar voice shout out to him. He turned and saw a man with an imposing height of seven foot in an Advance Warfare Uniform (AWU). AWUs were the state of the art military uniform that used the new fabric found on planet Qmeun called Zyntethic Fiber. About thirty years ago scientists had found that the fiber, when layered together, was five times more durable and pierce resistant than the previous strongest equipment while also being feather light. There was a very large amount in Qmeun, more than enough to make the new armor/uniform for the Dontesk Empire¡¯s millions of soldiers. The helmet was made of a hardened plastic that was shaped into a boxy oval. The front of the helmet was covered by tinted glass.


    The AWUs were built with a lot of gadgets that would provide the soldiers many benefits such as the built in Life Sustainment Unit (LSU) which converted the elements in a planet¡¯s atmosphere to oxygen. With a robotic frame built in to the interior of the AWU, it increased movement speed and strength for the soldiers thus allowing them to travel further and carry more weight on the battlefield. There was also a radio, an orbital GPS and a 3D mapping system that showed all known enemy locations built into the helmet. Well, LT Yim didn¡¯t want to open the map, he knew how badly they were being overrun.


    ¡°First Sergeant (1SG)! Command isn¡¯t replying back. I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going to be able to rely on air support this time.¡±


    ¡°Damn those bastards up on the Battle Carrier! Are they just going to watch from up there as we get killed, sir?!¡±


    1SG Martinez tilted his head upward to the cloudy sky and gazed toward the Battle Carrier with 1LT Yim as the rain splattered down on their visors. 1LT Yim had to admit, the Battle Carrier was a sight to behold.


    With a length of one thousand meters, width of seven hundred and fifty meters, and height of three hundred meters, the Battle Carrier was the housing area for a whole division that made up thirty thousand soldiers, not to mention the squadron pilots and their aircrafts. The Battle Carrier had a hammer shaped body along with two short triangular wings toward the thrusters on the back. At the edge of each wing were two laser cannons that were stacked upon each other. Placed all throughout the ship were tens of automatic incendiary round machine guns. The laser cannon was placed in the front of the ship, right before the eyes of the command station.


    On each side of the Battle Carrier, there was also numerous ports for the aircraft to takeoff and land into. The aircraft bay housed a hundred aircraft which ranged between the ground attack based Wyrms, the dual air/ground attack Wyverns, air battle specialists Drakes and the transport ships which doubled down as the MEDEVAC ship. The ports were placed on the walls of the bay so that multiple aircrafts, exactly ten from each side, could sortie at once.


    Even though the Battle Carrier held so much firepower, none of the aircrafts sortied and none of the incendiary machine guns fired down in support. It just stayed in the air as an imposing figure with beams lighting the ground below.


    ¡°Shit sir, what should we do? There¡¯s just simply too many Zvirek, we can¡¯t hold our lines for much longer. We don¡¯t have much more ammo left either.¡±


    Inside of his helmet, 1LT Yim¡¯s face turned grim. Throughout the battlefield, sounds of gunfire and cries of agony from the soldiers and Zvirek could be heard. The sounds were so constant over the past twenty hours that 1LT Yim barely recognized them anymore. He wondered how many people had died so far. Five thousand? Maybe even up to ten thousand? He simply didn¡¯t know.


    1LT Yim wasn¡¯t the original Company Commander for the Reapers. He was one of the Platoon Leaders. Twelve hours into the battle, however, the Company Commander and Company Executive Officer (XO) were killed when a Venomancer burrowed up right beside them. The two didn¡¯t have a chance as it released the venom from its mouth and slashed with its two scythe like arms.


    After they killed the damn monster, 1LT Yim took over command as the senior officer. He thanked God that the 1SG was not present at the time of the attack. 1SG Martinez was one of the rare soldiers that had survived the war for over ten years. The average life expectancy for anyone in the military was now only a mere two years. Even though the soldiers of the Dontesk Empire had a higher kill to death ratio than the Zvirek. There were simply too many Zvireks.


    ¡°1SG! The area we are covering is too large for the company! Have all the soldiers fall back two hundred meters to the next trench! Use bounding overwatch so that one platoon provides cover for the other. I¡¯m going to call for fires to provide cover also.¡±


    ¡°Roger, sir.¡±


    With a nod to each other, the two rushed forward. As they ran, the two began to speak into their communication device inside their helmets. Although the two were in the inner trenches, they did not dare to lose awareness of their surroundings as a hole could open in the outer trench and the Zvirek would rush through like water through a crack in a dam. The Zvirek were also capable of burrowing through the ground so the slightest slip in concentration could spell their deaths.


    ¡°Hammer three, this is Reaper six. Request cover fire IVO AE 1325 8291 in five mikes, over.¡±


    ¡°Reaper six, this is Hammer three. Copy that, we will lay down cover fire in five mikes, over.¡±


    ¡°Hammer three, this is Reaper six. Roger, out.¡±


    After 1LT Yim finished his communication with fires, he yelled out to 1SG Martinez.


    ¡°1SG! Fires will lay down cover fire for us in five mikes! Have everyone start bounding overwatch now so they can get out of the kill zone!¡±


    ¡°Roger that, sir! Will have our soldiers moving now!¡±


    1SG Martinez replied in confirmation and began to order the company through the company¡¯s communication line. Bounding overwatch. This was a unit movement drill where one unit would form up in a line and provide cover fire as the other unit ran back a certain distance before they laid down and provided cover fire for the first unit. They would continue moving in this fashion until both units reached their target location. It wasn¡¯t the fastest method of travel, but it was the safest and provided the most security.


    As the two watched, their two platoons began their bounding overwatch movement over the wet barren ground. The hard dirt had moistened with the constant rain over the day . 1LT Yim and 1SG Martinez both felt pride as they saw the crisp and direct movements. It wasn¡¯t easy to place your complete trust in someone to protect you as you ran while showing your back to hundreds of Spawns and Venomancers. The troops showed their discipline and faith in each other as they exited the kill zone that 1LT Yim had placed.


    Exactly five minutes after he had placed in the call for cover fire, the rounds from the Rail Gun tanks in the rear began to land in the in kill zone. With each blast, the ground exploded from the impact and tens of Zvirek were blown up. It was a gruesome sight to see as green liquid exploded outwards while body parts flew around in the air. The area two hundred meters away from 1LT Yim and 1SG Martinez was bombarded so hard that the terrain was drastically altered with large craters.


    Once the whole company reached the inner trench, the troops began to holler in joy. Those hollers, however, didn¡¯t last long as the sound of thrusters erupted through the sky. At the sound, 1LT Yim¡¯s head immediately rose. Up above, the Battle Carrier had finally began to move. At the sight of the ship finally taking action, his heart was filled with hope. Just maybe he and his company just might survive the ordeal.


    That heart filled with hope, however, sunk with disbelief and horror at the sight of the Battle Carrier as it flew up into the clouds. As the thrusters faded from view, his troops began to shout in disbelief and fear. 1LT Yim couldn¡¯t blame them; their only hope for survival had been with the Battle Carrier. To see that hope fly away, even he wanted to cry.


    After a few moments to regain his composure, he looked to his troops. As he expected, all of their shoulders were slouched and they looked defeated. Even though he couldn¡¯t see their faces through the helmets, he could tell that all of them showed despair and horror.He had the same expression on his face, after all.


    ¡°Alright ladies and gentlemen, group up!¡±


    At the sudden noise, all the soldiers perked up in surprise. A few moments later, the sixty remaining soldiers gathered around. After he was satisfied that everyone was close enough to hear him, 1LT Yim began his speech.


    ¡°I know what all of you are feeling. Shock, anger, fear, despair, betrayal. The majority of you feel many of these emotions, if not all. Trust me, I feel the same exact ones. We¡¯ve been left for dead by higher, after all. We all knew that in one battle or another we¡¯d most likely meet our end. None of us, however, wished for an end like this. Even I don¡¯t want to die stranded and left on a planet by those I call leaders.


    Saying all of that, I must say that I am truly honored that I will go to death alongside such an excellent group of men and women. All of you embody what it truly means to be a hero. I thank you all for the great opportunity to lead such fine soldiers.


    Anyways, even if we all go down, let¡¯s make them pay. Let¡¯s make those damn Zvirek pay dearly for every Reaper life they take. We will show them why our company was named after the Grim Reapers themselves!¡±


    ¡°¡±¡±¡±¡±HOOOOAHHHHH!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±


    The company roared in approval. The previous slouch in the shoulders and the gloomy atmosphere was gone. Since they had gotten past the fact that their death was inevitable, they were determined to protect their fellow comrades for as long as possible and to take as many Zvirek as they could down with them.


    Afterwards, 1LT Yim gave everyone a ten minute breather. He wanted to give them time to tidy up final thoughts in their minds. When the soldiers lined up in the trenches, 1LT Yim felt a peaceful aura around them, as if they had come to terms with everything. As the whole company lined up, they all awaited for the inevitable flood of Zvirek. After they had waited for fifteen minutes, 1LT radioed in to fires to make sure they were ready.


    ¡°Hammer three, this is Reaper six. Are the fires ready for fire, over?¡±


    ¡°Reaper six, this is Hammer three. Roger that, we are ready to lay suppressive fire at any time, over.¡±


    Hammer three, this Reaper six. Roger that, out.¡±


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    ¡°Reaper six, this is Hammer three. Good luck to you all, will see you in hell shortly, out.¡±


    1LT Yim couldn¡¯t help but smile at the radio communicator¡¯s final message.


    ¡¯Hell, huh? Only regret I have before dying is that I couldn¡¯t tell Beth that I loved her one more time¡­¡¯


    As he thought that, he pulled up a picture onto his helmet¡¯s display. It was a picture of him and a female sitting on a bench in front of a large water fountain while holding each other and smiling. The girl had a slim figure that was outlined by her tight sleeveless white dress. Her slight figure looked frail when compared next to his well-muscled body. The female had an oval face with bright brown hair that had been tied into a pigtail. In the picture, her brown eyes were barely visible as she showed a large bright smile. Elizabeth Ditty, the love of his life. Ever since she appeared in his life, she always brightened his life even more brightly than the sun on a clear summer day.


    ¡°Sir, the Zvirek are finally approaching.¡±


    He snapped back into reality at the voice of his 1SG beside him. The first thing he noticed was the ground shaking. As he focused on the barren terrain in front of him, he noticed a large mass of objects as they charged forward. The incoming mass was the swarm of Zvirek. Just from a visual estimate, the number of Zvirek easily eclipsed ten thousand.


    ¡°Alright Reaper Company! The Zvirek have graciously made it so easy for us to aim. Don¡¯t hold back any ammo. Flip your switches to automatic. When those bastards get within 700 meters, let it rip!¡±


    As the 1SG gave the company orders, 1LT Yim sent in the call for fire.


    ¡°Hammer three, this is Reaper six. Request fires at the designated coordinates now, over.¡±


    ¡°Reaper six, this is Hammer three. Roger that, Fire for effect on route, out.¡±


    Just as the communication was cut, large roars sounded from behind as the Rail Gun Tanks fired at the incoming swarm of Zvirek. Large chunks of gravel, green liquid, and body parts flew through the air as the rounds hit the ground, creating large craters. Even as the rounds were killing hundreds of Zvirek, they rushed forward as though it was nothing and charged.


    ¡°Reaper Company! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE!¡±


    At the 1SG¡¯s command, everyone in Reaper Company squeezed their trigger finger back and held it as hundreds of bullets flew out of their MQ-A42s and hit the incoming swarm. Spurts of green liquid appeared in several locations throughout the front ranks as Spawns and Venomancers went down. The Zvirek, however, continued to move forward as they stepped over their dead brethren and rushed toward the formation.


    ¡°1SG, have First Platoon throws their grenades when the Zvirek are only one hundred and fifty meter away. Also have Second Platoon throw theirs when they are one hundred meters away.¡±


    ¡°Roger, sir!¡±


    1SG Martinez immediately relayed the orders to the company. When the swarm was a one hundred and sixty meters away, thirty soldiers released their MQ-A42s and picked up their grenades. As they picked them up, they clicked the button on top of the grenades and hurled them as far forward as they could. The motions had taken the soldiers two seconds and as the swarm reached one hundred and fifty meters, the grenades flew in between them and exploded. With the grenade as the center, a blue plasma circle erupted outwards for ten meters and incinerated any life forms that were in range. When the swarm was only one hundred and ten meters away, the same actions happened with the remaining troops as they threw out a second round of grenades and annihilated the front ranks of the swarm.


    Throughout the whole process, Rail Gun rounds slammed into the Zvirek¡¯s ranks. Thousands of Zvirek perished in their charge forward, only to be replaced by even more Zvirek. The swarm single-mindedly rushed forward with their glossy eyes on the soldiers. Shortly after, the first rank finally smashed into the defense lines.


    What ensued next was chaos. There was no semblance of order within the defensive line anymore as soldiers desperately fought off the incoming Zvirek with their lives. The whole area rang with cries of agony alongside the chirping and hissing sounds that came from the Spawns and Venomancers.


    Even as body parts flew around him and cries of agony filled his surroundings, 1LT Yim was hell bent on killing the next Zvirek. As a Spawn was opening one of his soldier¡¯s stomach, he shot multiple round into its head until it finally fell. When he turned to his right, he opened fire upon multiple Venomancers that were rushing toward a group of soldiers who had formed into a circle formation around a wounded comrade.


    ¡°Die you bastard Zvireks!! Allow me to guide you to the gates of Hell alongside me!¡±


    As adrenaline flowed through his body, 1LT Yim started to madden a little as he looked for the next monster to kill.


    ¡°Sir, behind you!¡±


    At his 1SG¡¯s call, he turned around just in time to see the Spawn that pounced toward him. With a yell filled with hate and fury, he swung his MQ-A42 horizontal to the ground and split the Spawn in half with the foot long bayonet placed in front of the rifle.


    ¡°Ahhhhh!!¡±


    ¡°1SG!!!¡±


    At the sound of the familiar voice filled with agony, 1LT Yim raised his weapon in the ready and saw a Venomancer stab 1SG Martinez through the gut with one of its bladed arms. His eyes turned red in fury as he roared and charged toward the Venomancer while firing his rifle. The Venomancer¡¯s body shook as the heavy rounds from the MQ-A42 ripped through its body before it fell down along with the 1SG.


    When he finally reached the 1SG, 1LT Yim couldn¡¯t bear to look for more than a second. Along with the blade that came out the other side of 1SG Maritnez¡¯s back, the glass on the helmet had melted from the Venomancer¡¯s acid and had begun to eat through his face. With a bellow filled with pain and fury, he rushed forward and aimed at the next Zvirek.


    As he fired at two Spawns that rushed toward him, the foreboding click sounded as the last round exited his rifle and dropped the Spawn on the right. Without any hesitation, 1LT Yim brought his MQ-A42 forward and thrusted the bayonet into the skull of the Spawn that pounced at him. Even though he had killed the Spawn, it¡¯s body continued to move forward and slammed into him which caused him to fly backward due to the force of the contact.


    When the two of them slammed into the ground, 1LT Yim felt the air inside his body explode out due to the shock of the landing. After he took a few moments to regain his breath, he pushed up on the Spawn¡¯s body as he attempted to get out from underneath it. Just as he finally pushed the monster aside, he heard a crack from underneath him. He momentarily wondered what the sound was before the ground underneath him collapsed and he fell down into the hole.


    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


    The next time 1LT Yim opened his eyes, what greeted his vision was the moonlight that beamed in through a hole. As he quickly shaded his eyes, he slowly got to his knees and checked to see if anything was broken. His body seemed fine, albeit his back still protested from the impact on the ground.


    After his vision slowly adjusted to the light, he began to study the AWU. The suit, for the most part, was still operational. The life support worked fine and there was no severe damages on the skin. The biggest problem, however, was that the robotic functions seemed to have been destroyed when he fell. Truthfully, the only reason 1LT Yim survived that fall was because the robotic frame took the brunt of the impact and damage. After he was satisfied, he then began to examine the area he was located in.


    It appeared as though he had fallen into a cave underground.The cave expanded for thirty meters outward and ten meters in height. The only entrance/exit of the cave was to his left where a passageway opened up.


    ¡¯I should start looking for a way out of here. I don¡¯t know what lives deep down here in the ground and I need to find out what happened during that last battle.¡¯


    After he made the decision to explore, 1LT Yim stood up and headed toward the passageway. As he neared the passageway, he noticed an outline in the shadows beside the entrance. When he failed to identify what it was from a distance, he took out his military issued military knife and approached with caution. What greeted his eyes when he drew closer though shocked him.


    ¡°Eh? an alien lifeform?¡±


    It was the first time 1LT Yim had saw such a peculiar species. The alien seemed elongated as it had a thin yet durable body.The being had a purple hint on it¡¯s pale skin and at the end of it¡¯s long limbs were four thick fingers and toes. The knee was also interesting to see as instead of being bent forward, it bent backwards. Over it¡¯s body, it wore a large black cloak that covered it¡¯s upper and lower body until shortly above the knee. The cloak was in tatters as pieces of the cloth had been pierced and other pieces fluttered in the wind.


    The being¡¯s face had an almost rectangular shape to it with the jaws angled forward. The face reminded him of that picture he saw previously of a creature that used to live on planet Earth a long time ago called a duck. 1LT Yim couldn¡¯t tell what it¡¯s eyes looked like as they were closed. On it¡¯s neck was a cloth that looked as if it was there to cover the bottom portion of the being¡¯s face.


    1LT Yim stood where he was for a moment while he battled within himself whether to ignore the being or inspect it. After he struggled for a moment, curiosity finally won over and he approached it. Once he stood in front of the being, he bent down onto one knee and extended his arm forward. As he pushed aside the cloak, the sight of numerous scratches and blade marks on the torso greeted him. The wounds seemed old as they had faded into scars by now.


    ¡°Hmm¡­. these scars look awfully similar to marks left by Spawns and Venomancer. Did this being stumble upon some and flee after being seriously injured? Eh, what¡¯s this crystal.


    Just then he noticed that there was a crystal that was tied around a piece of wire around the being¡¯s neck. Curious to what it was he grabbed it to examine. At the moment he touched the crystal, the being that 1LT Yim assumed was dead opened it¡¯s black eyes wide and radiated energy. He didn¡¯t notice the being open his eyes, however, as a surge of energy raced through into his body and completely stole his focus.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡±


    With a painful scream, 1LT YIm¡¯s mind became blank. Inside his mind, a deep, ancient voice began to speak.


    ''Someone has finally found me after centuries of waiting. Human, I shall pass along the legacy of my people to you¡­.''

 Chapter 2: TasZul

    A/N: Shout out to Wraith for PRing this chp. This chp will help explain more about who the Templars exactly were. Hope you all enjoy!


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    ¡°Ugh, my head¡­..¡±


    As Jung raised his upper body off of the floor, he saw that he was still in the cavern. A ray of sunlight beamed into the cave through the hole in the ceiling and brightened the surroundings. The cave was as empty as ever, with only the alien corpse beside him.


    When he tried to stand up, sharp pain exploded throughout his body. It felt as though every muscle in his body was protesting at the same time. After he took a few moments to brace himself, he forced his body to stand up.


    ¡°Damn¡­ why are my muscles so stiff?!¡±


    ¡¯It is not that surprising as you¡¯ve been laying on the ground for a week.¡¯


    ¡°!! Who¡¯s there?!¡¯


    Jung became guarded and inspected the cave for any other being. If he had been in his original state, he would have noticed that the voice came from inside his head. Alas, how could someone recover from sleeping that long in such a short amount of time? When the voice spoke again, there was a hint of amusement in his tone.


    ¡¯Relax child. I am speaking to you through thoughts. Try to remember what happened right before you lost consciousness¡­¡¯


    ¡®Right before I lost consciousness huh¡­¡¯


    As the voice said, he brought back his memory of the events that occurred before he passed out.


    ¡¯I remember that I was examining an alien corpse and then saw a crystal. When I reached out and touched it¡­.Ah! Right before I passed out, you were the one who spoke in my mind!¡¯


    ¡®Very good child.¡¯


    ¡®Wait, does that mean you came into my body when I touched that crystal?!¡¯


    ¡®Yes I did.¡¯


    ¡®How did you get inside that crystal?¡¯


    ¡®There is a unique technique within the upper echelons of the Templars that allows us to transfer our consciousness into objects in order to preserve our knowledge. It was created as a desperate last measure in the face of death. After our mind is transferred, it will go into a comatose state. It will stay in that state until it comes into contact with another mind and deems it to not be an enemy. At that time, it will merge into that being¡¯s mind.¡¯


    ¡®Wait a second, how does a consciousness in a comatose state know that someone isn¡¯t an enemy? Also, you are basically saying that you¡¯ve entered my mind aren''t you?!¡¯


    ¡®When a being touches the object, the consciousness will automatically scan through their memories and determine whether they are a foe or not. As to how it works, even I do not know. It has been lost with the original Templars who created the spell.


    As to your second question, yes I have. Our minds have merged and I am able to see, hear, feel and taste what you do now.¡¯


    ¡®...Wait you read ALL of my memories?! That¡¯s an invasion of privacy!¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯m sorry child, there was no other choice¡­¡¯


    ¡®¡­Is there a way for you to not listen to my thoughts?¡¯


    ¡®Yes child, there is.¡¯


    ¡®Please stop listening to my thoughts for now then. I need some time alone to think through this.¡¯


    ¡®I understand.¡¯


    The thought had a hint of bemusement in his tone at the word ¡®alone¡¯. Still, he understood that the whole ordeal must be a shock to Jung. Who wouldn¡¯t be shocked to find that another mind was now in their body? It was best to give him some time to ponder and wrap his mind around what had happened.


    Jung¡¯s thoughts were a mess. There was so many things he needed to contemplate. An alien mind inside his head? He knew that humans were still very far from understanding the brain, much less the soul, but how was this possible? Does that mean that he has to live with the alien inside of him from then on? These were only a few of the thoughts that were racing through his brain. After thirty minutes, Jung felt as though he went over all he could and spoke to the Templar.


    ¡¯Is there any way for you to leave my mind?¡¯


    ¡®At the current moment, no. The only method will be to reach my race, the Xena¡¯ga, and have them transfer my consciousness to another object.¡¯


    ¡®Haa¡­ Also, why did I become unconscious when I touched the crystal?¡¯


    ¡®There were some¡­unexpected results when my consciousness merged with yours child.¡¯


    ¡®Unexpected results? What does that mean?!¡¯


    ¡®Well child¡­ the technique wasn¡¯t meant to work with a difference race. It should have only reacted to the mind of a Xena¡¯ga. The reason for this is because all the races have different biologies, especially in the brain. For some reason though, my consciousness reacted to yours and merged. Your brain, however, was not built to house another consciousness and when I entered¡­. Well it underwent a change¡­¡¯


    ¡®WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BRAIN?!¡¯


    At the words that his brain went through a change, Jung couldn¡¯t help but feel shock and fear. If his brain got damaged, then he could easily die after all. He became relieved, however, at the next words the alien spoke.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry child, there are no damages. When I entered your brain, it went through a transformation. The inner portion of your brain that had been dormant has, in the words of you humans, been ignited.¡¯


    ¡®¡­What does that portion of the brain do?¡¯


    ¡®Child, have you ever heard of psionic energy?¡¯


    ¡®Psionic energy? Like telekinesis and telepathy stuff?¡¯


    ¡®Well¡­ those are some of the things you can do with psionic energy but there is so much more. Let me start off with an introduction. Psionic energy is something that exists in all the universes. It¡¯s an energy source that is used for the creation of planets and life. The problem is that almost no races are able to feel it, let alone make use of it.


    We Xena¡¯ga, however, are blessed as we can feel it from birth. Our brains have the function of sensing it within an area and with enough training, we are able to use psionic energy to perform supernatural feats.¡¯


    ¡®..So what you¡¯re saying is that my brain has mutated and I¡¯m supposed to feel this psionic energy now?¡¯


    Jung felt as though what the Templar said was ridiculous. His brain had mutated? He was now able to feel this mysterious ¡°psionic energy¡±?


    ¡®Child, didn¡¯t you wonder why my body doesn¡¯t have a mouth?¡¯


    ¡®Eh? Now that you mention it¡­¡¯


    ¡®Also, you were unconscious for a week. Even if you¡¯re not sure if you believe me about that, your muscle¡¯s stiffness should be proof enough that you were unconscious for a long period of time. How then do you think you survived without nourishment? Do you think some being came and took care of you?¡¯


    ¡®¡­.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t find a way to refute anything the Templar said. When he thought about it, what the alien said was right. The human body couldn¡¯t survive without water for over three days.


    Also, he began to notice that his resident alien neighbor was quite the sarcastic being. Jung might have found it amusing during another time, but he really didn¡¯t appreciate it at the moment.


    ¡®We Xena¡¯ga nourish our bodies by absorbing psionic energy. While you were asleep, your brain began to subconsciously gather the energy also. Well I had to help at the beginning since your brain didn¡¯t know what to do with it but after I made the body absorb it the first time, your brain took over.¡¯


    Jung still wasn¡¯t sure whether to believe the alien or not. What the alien told him was simply too unusual and seemed like something that one of those crazy cult people from his planet would say. He wanted to just scoff at all of it and say it was a hoax, but the alien was already inside his mind and he could sense the truth in his words. For now, he would take the alien¡¯s words as truth until he found out what happened to his body.


    ¡¯I see. Thank you. Anyways what made you so desperate to live on that you would put your consciousness into a crystal?¡¯


    ¡®Let me tell you a little about the Xena¡¯ga. Among our race, there are a select few who are more naturally gifted with the use of psionic energy and become practitioners of the path of Ein¡¯Zul. The path of Ein¡¯Zul is not an easy one. Many who attempt to follow this path have utterly failed. Talent alone is not enough as you must also have the will and patience. Those who succeed, however, earn the right to be called a Templar.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Templars are an elite warrior society within the Xena¡¯ga. We swear to become the sword and shield for our people. Using psionic energy to become our weapon and armor, we smite any of those who try to harm the Xena¡¯ga.


    For centuries, we were successful in our mission. Without any foe, our race was able to focus on improving our own livelihood, and we became a technologically advanced race. Our Armada truly was a breathtaking sight to behold. Our mighty ships and weaponry were so strong that we believed ourselves the superior race and undefeatable. Just as we reached the peak of our advancement though, the Zvirek appeared. Even with our air superiority and mighty land force, there were simply too many of them. You must know, my people are not a very fertile race like yours. Wedded couples tended to usually only have one child. It is thought of as a blessing from the Gods if you were able to lay birth to two or more.


    Even though tens of Zvirek went down for every Xena¡¯ga, they swept over us like a tidal wave. Luckily, the elders of our race created a portal to a distant planet similar to ours in case of an emergency. As the citizens were gathered, our forces desperately fought to stall the oncoming Zvirek rush.


    The Templars, of course, stood in the forefront. Many courageous souls lost their lives that day. The brethren that I had trained, slept, and fought with for many centuries fell one by one. We, however, stood our ground and held back the swarm. As the last of the civilians and military forces passed through, we remained and cut off the route so that no Zvirek could pass through.


    Even though we were stranded on the wrong side of the portal with billions of Zvirek, our hearts were content. We had succeeded in being the shield that deflected away those with malicious intent toward our people, after all. Our lives in exchange for the safety of our people was a price any Templar would gladly pay.¡¯


    Jung couldn¡¯t help but feel deep respect toward these Templars. It took a certain type of man, well actually alien here, to be so willing to throw their lives away for the safety of his people. Some may call those people crazy while others might say they¡¯re delusional, but from his experience he knew those type of people were generally good people.


    ¡¯So how did you end up surviving? From what you said it seemed like those of you left behind were doomed to die there.¡¯


    ¡®¡­After the gate was sealed, we began to retreat. The Templar elders decided that they should try to save at least a few of themselves to continue the path of Ein¡¯Zul. With the obligation of defending the portal now complete, we began to move toward our headquarters. It was one of the few locations that the Zvirek did not occupy and housed a few spacecraft that were still operational.


    Even with the use of psionic energy to conceal ourselves, the Zvirek kept coming at us. The majority of the survivors perished along the way. If it hadn¡¯t been for our arts in concealment and our familiarity with the terrain, none of us would have survived.


    By the time we reached our headquarters, only five of us remained. The Zvirek, however, continued to hound us. By the time we reached the hanger, only three of us remained with the foul creatures right on our tail. At that time I felt it was hopeless. There simply wasn¡¯t enough time for us to start up the spacecraft and leave.


    My brethren, however, had a different plan. The two of them decided that if anyone was to survive and carry on our legacy, it should be me. When they told me that they¡¯d hold the Zvirek long enough for me to escape, I was furious. How could I let my fellow Templars sacrifice themselves while I escaped? I would rather die while fighting by their side.


    Their argument of how at least one of us needed to survive and carry on the Templar¡¯s legacy convinced me in the end. One of them was fatally wounded and would not survive for long even if he escaped. The other was his brother and wouldn¡¯t leave him to die alone. In the end, much to my own anguish, I agreed.


    Thanks to my brethren¡¯s sacrifices, I was able to escape. My destination was the planet where the remnants of my people had fled to. As I was about to warp, however, Nightmares appeared and attacked my ship. Even though I was able to escape, the Nightmares damaged my navigation system and warped to the space near this planet.


    During the warp, my wounds worsened and added to that,one of the loose pipes pierced my abdomen when I warped. Even as I pulled the pipe out my body and tried to staunch the blood, I knew I wouldn¡¯t be able to survive it.


    As I grew frantic, the ship picked up a large amount of psionic energy gathered on this planet. The sheer volume shocked me. I had never seen so much psionic energy condensed into one area. I pondered for a moment whether I should go down or not. If I rested in that psionic energy condensed area, my body just may heal itself with the energy¡¯s aid. Without another option, I flew my aircraft down.


    As I flew around the planet, I finally found the source of psionic energy underground. After I searched for a while, I found an entrance here. Once I confirmed that it led underground, I landed my ship nearby and walked in. I didn¡¯t have much longer to live back then, only a day or two. With that knowledge, I frantically searched here for the psionic energy source. The underground caverns, however, were too large and I never found it.


    As I felt death grasp my body, I finally used that final technique and sealed my soul into the crystal. I wasn¡¯t left with any other options as I still had to complete my mission to pass on our legacy.¡¯


    As the Templar finished his story, Jung couldn¡¯t help but to feel pity for him. He had survived so much only to fail at the end. Who wouldn¡¯t feel regret at such a situation?


    ¡®So what do you want from me? You wouldn¡¯t have told me that story for no reason.¡¯


    ¡®Child, Lead the rebirth of the Templar. Become the foundation and help return the Templars to my people.¡¯


    When he heard the Templar¡¯s request, Jung was shocked. He thought he might be asked to return the alien back to his people but to rebuild the Templars? How could he, who knew nothing about the Templars, rebuild an ancient organization?


    ¡¯Child do not fear, I will be there to lead you step by step.¡¯


    ¡®Why do you want me to rebuild the Templars? Wouldn¡¯t it better if you taught another Xena¡¯ga?¡¯


    ¡®After your brain was restructured, your body has an outstanding talent for sensing and manipulating psionic energy now. You don¡¯t know since you were unconscious at the time, but after I made your body familiar with psionic energy, it absorbed an enormous amount. Even when I was in my original body, I wasn¡¯t able to sense psionic energy so clearly nor absorb so much. If you were born during the time the Templars were prominent and was a Xena¡¯ga, you¡¯d be considered a prodigy.¡¯


    Jung was shocked at the news he was told. He was a prodigy? He was more sensitive toward psionic energy and could absorb more of it than a Templar? How was that even possible when he couldn¡¯t even sense it now?


    ¡¯It¡¯s not that you can¡¯t sense it, it¡¯s that you just don¡¯t know you¡¯re sensing it right now. After you have trained, you will recognize it immediately, child.¡¯


    After the alien spoke, he stayed silent. Jung had many things to think about, after all. Inside of Jung¡¯s head, many different thoughts were swirling around. He debated whether what the Templar said was the truth or not. He thought about what it meant if he really was able to sense and absorb the psionic energy. After several minutes, Jung let out a sigh. He made the decision to help the alien out.


    The Templar had saved his life, after all. That alone was reason enough to help him. Another reason was that Jung didn¡¯t feel like returning to the people who betrayed and left him for dead. Even though he understood the thought process of why they would, that didn¡¯t mean he liked it.


    Also, he was very interested in this psionic energy. Just what was it and what could he do with the use of psionic energy?


    ¡¯Alright, I¡¯ll help you out. When do we start the lessons?¡¯


    ¡®We will begin you lessons tomorrow. There must be a lot on your mind at the moment. Rest and clear your thoughts today child.¡¯


    ¡®Stop calling me a child. It feels creepy hearing that when i¡¯m twenty seven. My name¡¯s Jung. Just call me that. Oh yeah, now that I think about it, I never heard your name.¡¯


    ¡®I am called Tas¡¯zul.¡¯

 Chapter 3: Birth of a Templar

    A/N: Hey everyone, author here. First off shout out to Wraith for PRing the chapter. Please leave comments or reviews about your thoughts of the story. Whether i''m doing something good or bad, please let me know so I can improve the quality of the story. Well then, hope you all enjoy the chp!


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    ¡¯Today we will start off with getting you familiarized with psionic energy. Psionic energy is the energy that is released from white holes. As you already know, black holes swallow matter and light. For some reason that even we, the Xena¡¯ga, do not know, the light that the black holes swallow compresses and become energy sources that is known as psionic energy which is then spat out by white holes.


    Psionic energy is an interesting force. Not only does it aid in the formation of galaxies, it also allows beings to manipulate the space around them. Some uses that we, the Templars, have found are to strengthen physical abilities, push or pull objects, create illusions, camouflage yourself, teleport a short distance, and even form an energy blade through the assistance of equipment. When harvested, we have also found psionic energy to be a great source of fuel for our ships and weaponry. Psionic energy increases output by five times for the same quantity of Vespene gas.¡¯


    After the two spoke yesterday, Jung had spent the rest of the day thinking about the implications of what transpired. Even though he wanted to laugh and play it off, he just couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that everything Tas¡¯Zul told him was the truth. After hours of mentally chasing his tail around in circles, he came to the decision to just play along for the moment and make his own assessment. With that thought, he went to sleep.


    The next day, the two began the training session early in the morning. As he heard the Templar¡¯s explanation, Jung couldn¡¯t help but be shocked at the uses for psionic energy. Increased physical abilities? Illusions? Teleportation? Telekinesis? All of these seemed like powers that superheroes possessed. Also, psionic energy was five times more efficient than Vespene gas?


    The reason that the Dontesk Empire was able to use so much machinery and spacecraft was because of the discovery of Vespene gas. Through studies, Vespene gas was found to be ten times more efficient than anything that could be found on Earth, and it was commonly found on planets that were near a sun.Transportation become cheaper due to the large quantities of vespene gas found; you could now travel twenty times the distance one gallon of the previous interstellar fuel could with the same amount of Vespene gas.


    Tas¡¯Zul waited patiently as Jung went over all the new information that he had been given. After he had given Jung what he thought was enough time, he continued on.


    ¡¯Now that your body and mind are attuned to psionic energy, it shouldn¡¯t be very hard for you to feel it. For now, just close your eyes and try to feel your surroundings. You should feel it as your body absorbs the surrounding psionic energy. Now go on, close your eyes and try to feel it.¡¯


    Even though Jung was somewhat doubtful, he nevertheless nodded his head and closed his eyes. As he stood still, he attempted to feel his surroundings. At first, all he could feel was the ray of sunshine that entered the cavern through the hole and the soft wind that twirled around and brushed against his skin.  He couldn¡¯t tell for the life of him what this mystery energy was supposed to be.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    As he stood there for a little longer, however, he began to be aware that he felt two different types of warmth. Even though it wasn¡¯t as noticeable where the sunlight touched his body; in the areas that the sun couldn¡¯t reach, he noticed that he felt a different type of heat. The heat was very pleasant as he felt it seep into his skin. If he was to describe the feeling, he would say it was comforting, just like when a loved one hugged you.


    Now that he knew the sensation, Jung also began to feel the energy throughout his surroundings. It felt as though the room was packed with psionic energy! He was baffled about how he couldn¡¯t sense such a dense gathering of energy before.


    ¡°Tas¡¯Zul, is psionic energy supposed to have a warm feeling?¡±


    ¡¯Very good child, you have done well.¡¯


    ¡°¡­Even though it feels good to be complimented, can you please stop calling me a child?  I¡¯m a grown man for crying out loud¡­¡±


    ¡¯If you met someone who hadn¡¯t lived for even a tenth of your life, would you not call them child?¡¯


    ¡°Well yeah, they¡¯d be between two and three years old after all.¡±


    ¡¯Child, I have lived for over three hundred years now.¡¯


    ¡°¡­.Point taken. Wait what?! Over three hundred years? Just how long does your race i live?¡±


    ¡¯An average lifespan for a Xena¡¯ga is around a thousand human years.¡¯


    ¡°What?! A thousand years?¡±


    Jung was baffled when he heard the ridiculous life span. Humans had made a breakthrough in science and the average lifespan of a human was now a hundred and fifty years, but to live for a thousand years?  He couldn¡¯t fathom what it would be like to live that long.


    ¡¯What are you so surprised about? Now that your body is absorbing psionic energy, you will also live that long if you don¡¯t die from any unnatural causes. Also, why do you speak when you can communicate with me mentally?¡¯


    When he heard that he could also live up to a thousand years, Jung¡¯s mind momentarily froze. A thousand years? In that span he could watch countless generations be born and pass away. It was also enough time to see numerous governments and empires rise and fall.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­uncomfortable to me. I prefer using my voice to talk.¡±


    ¡¯You humans really are strange. It¡¯s so much more efficient to just communicate mentally.


    A grin appeared on Jung¡¯s face. He noticed since yesterday that Tas¡¯Zul couldn¡¯t understand some of the basics of human biology. He remembered how mortified the Templar had been when he told him about what the human body did with the food they ate.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s continue the lesson. We will first begin with the most general exercise: push and pull. This exercise focuses on making you gather psionic energy and either push an object forward or pull it closer to you. The better control you have of the psionic energy, the more weight you can push or pull. The most important part is your imagination. Imagine that you are gathering the psionic energy and pushing the object or wrapping the energy around it and pulling it toward you.¡¯


    Even though he was dubious, Jung nodded his head. After he searched the cavern floor, he found a rock ten feet away that would make do for the practice. Inside his mind, he began to imagine the psionic energy as it gathered in front of the rock and began to push the rock. Contrary to the image inside his mind though, the rock stayed in the same spot.


    ¡¯The image wasn¡¯t clear enough. Try again.¡¯


    For the next hour, Jung continued to try to move the rock. Try as he did, the damn rock never even budged. As his frustration continued to increase, he finally decided to take a break and reevaluated his methods. There must be a different way that he hadn¡¯t thought of yet . As he brainstormed over new angles to attack the problem, an idea popped up. Excited, he tried it immediately.


    Once again he expanded his senses and felt the psionic energy within the area. Instead of gathering it into one area and pushing the rock, he imagined the psionic energy had condensed into the shape of a transparent hand that was an extension of his own body. Just as he would with his own, he imagined extending the hand outward and pushing the actual object. To his joy, the rock moved finally.


    ¡°Yes! Finally got it!¡±


    ¡¯Good job, child. Even though the way in which you went about was unique, it was nevertheless successful. Like you figured out, the most important aspect is not the thought of just pushing the rock, but it is the thought that you are pushing it. Now that you got the gist of it, pull shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡¯


    Jung gave a simple nod and imagined the psionic energy in the surroundings gathering to form the same transparent hand. In his mind, he pictured the hand opening up and grabbing the rock before he pulled it in. As the hand grabbed the stone and pulled it toward him, it lifted off the ground and floated back. When the stone reached the midway point to him, a wave of exhaustion rushed his mind and the stone dropped to the ground as Jung lost focus.


    ¡°Huh? What happened?¡±


    ¡¯Child it takes a lot of willpower and concentration to control the psionic energy. This is the first time you¡¯ve attempted to manipulate it so it is no wonder that your mind is exhausted. Don¡¯t worry though, as you practice and gain a better understanding, the strain on your mind will lessen. Take a break and we will continue.¡¯


    Jung plopped down to the ground at the word break. His mind felt muddled and the image that was transported to his brain seemed blurry. After he laid on the ground for a moment with his eyes closed, his mind began to clear.


    ¡°Hey Tas¡¯Zul, how long will it take to train and become proficient with psionic energy?¡±


    ¡¯It¡¯s different for everybody, child. For some, it can take less than ten years while for others it can take up to multiple decades and even centuries. The fastest that I have seen anybody complete the training was in five years.¡¯


    ¡°Decades?! Maybe even centuries?!¡±


    ¡¯The main reason that it would take that long is because they reach a bottleneck in their training and they get stuck. As training is done mostly by themselves, they either cannot ask for help from anyone or they are too prideful to ask for assistance.


    You, on the other hand, will have my experiences to assist you.  Even though the majority of the time I will not assist you when you run into a problem, I will give you advice when you truly run into a bottleneck. It is better to learn through your own experience than to be told, after all.¡¯


    Jung contemplated what Zas¡¯Tul told him. When he agreed to be trained in the Templar ways, he expected it to take years, but for it to potentially take decades or even a century shocked him. Just how profound was the ways to manipulate and use psionic energy? Luckily for him, there was a veteran who knew the ropes that could teach him. If he did well enough, maybe he could learn it in a couple years.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡¯Also, just because one completes the training does not mean they have mastered the manipulation of psionic energy. There are several other uses of psionic energy that we have never found. Even before the Zvirek invasion, I was still learning new ways to manipulate it after being a practitioner for over two hundred years.¡¯


    Jung could understand what the Templar meant. Even within human society, scientists always found out new information about things that were deemed as facts or laws in the past.  Why wouldn¡¯t it be the same for psionic energy?


    ¡¯That should be enough rest. Start again with the same exercise of pushing and pulling the stone.¡¯


    With a groan, Jung stood up. As he began to sense the psionic energy in the area, he focused his attention on the rock that was five feet away. Once again, he shaped the psionic energy into the shape of a hand and willed the hand to push the stone.


    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


    For the next month, Jung diligently focused on his training. He felt that he now had a much more solid understanding and control over psionic energy. Not only could he manipulate psionic energy for a longer period of time but he was also able to expand the distance that was covered. Anything that was within a fifty yard radius and weighed less than one hundred pounds, he could now push or pull albeit he would have to anchor his weight down to move a heavier object.


    As he became more proficient with his control, Zas¡¯Tul also began to teach him how to strengthen his body and also how to momentarily boost a specific part of the body. The strengthening of the body wasn¡¯t much of an issue as his body was already constantly absorbing psionic energy. All he needed to do was to stop the energy from entering his organs and instead mentally move it to his muscles.


    Strengthening a specific area proved to be more difficult to control, however. Moving all the psionic energy within his body to a specific area and keeping it there was an order of magnitude higher in complexity. He constantly had to keep his focus to ensure the energy didn¡¯t leave to spread out around his body. It took a little over one week to succeed consistently.


    ¡¯You have finally grasped the very basic foundations for the path of Ein¡¯Zul. Even though your partial body strengthening skills leave more to be desired, your rate of progress is very fast. It usually takes practitioners about a year to progress to where you are now. You have a clear advantage over everyone else with your sensitivity towards psionic energy, but it usually takes months on end for initiates to have a good grasp of psionic energy. For that reason, do not become arrogant and slack off. The training from now on will become even more difficult.


    Starting from today onwards, I will teach you the martial arts that were created from Xena¡¯ga soldiers. We have refined this martial art and combined it with psionic energy. Through the combination, we are able to exert overwhelming strength and agility to eliminate our foes.


    Push, pull, and body strengthening make up the core of the martial arts we train in, which we call Qam¡¯Put. In your language, it translates roughly to ¡°The Way of the Heavens¡±.  Pulling and pushing objects and opponents, you will always be in charge of the battlefield and control the fight¡¯s pace to your choosing.


    Before we begin though, let us go to my space craft.¡¯


    ¡°Eh really?! We¡¯re finally going to the spacecraft?¡±


    Jung couldn¡¯t help but to let out a sound in surprise. Over the past month, he had traveled around the underground whenever he had the chance. When he first began to explore the large corridors, Jung asked about the location of Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s spacecraft and the area where psionic energy was unnaturally dense.


    Space craft designs were always of deep interest to him. He wondered how Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s ship differed from human designs. Was the design made to compensate for higher levels of internal inertia and assist with particle shielding? What functions were built into the spacecraft? What materials was it made of? Those were just a few of the questions that came to mind for Jung. Tas¡¯zul¡¯s answers were that they would go there when it was time and to wait patiently.


    When he asked about the energy, Tas¡¯Zul told him that he was not strong enough yet. He said that there might be creatures or beings that were far stronger than him, and he would only walk to his own death. When Jung became strong enough, they would then inspect the area and finally leave the underground.


    Now that they were about to go see the spacecraft, Jung couldn¡¯t help but feel excitement grow inside his chest. He would finally get the opportunity to inspect the spacecraft and leave the underground. Even though it was dangerous with the Zvirek above ground, it should be fine as long as they were careful.


    ¡¯Yes we are. There is equipment on my ship that we will need for your training.¡¯


    Jung simply nodded and headed for his gear. Jung had only worn his helmet and clothes underneath his suit the whole time. He thanked God that he found a small underground stream within the passages where he could wash himself. After he climbed back into the suit and inspected his rifle to make sure it was in good condition, Jung began to walk through the corridor.


    Like he had noticed in his previous journeys, the corridors underground were large and circular. The ground, walls, and ceiling were smooth with no rough edges to be seen. It seemed to him as though either lava created the corridors as it ran it¡¯s course in the past hundred years or a large, circular, worm like creature had burrowed through and made the corridor. He earnestly hoped that the corridors were that way because of the prior option and not the latter. Shivers ran down his spine at the thought of such a large worm.


    The countless number of corridors made it feel as though one was in a maze. There was an eerie feeling to it as the only sound that could be heard were his own footsteps. Through the past month of traveling, Jung had never encountered a single life form, be it an animal or plant. He began to seriously debate whether the whole area was a graveyard or not.


    Even though his navigational system did not function properly underground, they were saved by Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s exceptional memory as he remembered the route back out of the cave to the entrance he came in through. It felt like an eternity to Jung but after a couple hours of twisting and turning along the corridors, they finally reached the entrance. After he scouted the area and made sure no Zvirek was nearby, they finally exited.


    ¡°Ah...it¡¯s been such a long time since I¡¯ve come out to the surface.¡±


    Jung felt a wave of emotions sweep over him. He began recalling the final moments before he fell: The feeling of hopelessness and betrayal, his courageous soldiers as they fought to fend off the never ending swarm of Zvirek and survive, the cries of agony from his soldiers as they died, the death of 1SG Martinez.


    All of the emotions overwhelmed him as he stood at the entrance and looked upon the barren and cracked soil in front of him. The grey ground and jagged rocks seemed to match the gloomy skies as the dense clouds blocked the sunlight from reaching the ground.


    ¡¯There¡¯s nothing else you could have done for them, child. You led them bravely and your soldiers in turn fought with courage and honor. You shouldn¡¯t bemoan their deaths; rather you should rejoice their lives which touched you and remember them for their courageous actions.¡¯


    ¡°...Heh, you¡¯re absolutely right Tas¡¯Zul. I think I will do just as you say. Anyways, where¡¯s your spacecraft?¡±


    ¡¯About two miles north of this location will be a forest. Its at the edge of this country¡¯s barren lands. If you continue northwest for another mile and a half after you enter the forest, we will arrive. Let us move along the rocks. Right now you¡¯re out in wide open territory and if anything bothered to look in this direction, they would see you from miles away.¡¯


    Embarrassed by Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s stern lecture, Jung ran toward the jagged rocks. With the use of the terrain as cover, he began to run north. Even though he could run two miles in about ten minutes on a straight road, it took him nearly double that amount of time to traverse through the rocks. The jagged rocks thankfully went around the whole base of the mountain and he was able to use them for cover and concealment all the way to the forest.


    For the first time in over a month, Jung finally heard noises from different life forms. The chirps as small avian life forms perched on the branches, the creaking of bugs, and the sound of grass as it was forcefully moved. The forest was full of life.


    The trees were humongous. Even if his arms were twice their length, he wouldn¡¯t be able to wrap them around one. The height of each tree easily surpassed fifty feet. With branches that expanded outward for tens of yards, the canopy of leaves that the trees created felt like a dome which guarded against any light that attempted to penetrate down to the ground.


    Since he didn¡¯t have to worry about rugged terrain, the mile and a half trek went by a lot more quickly and it took him only eight minutes to travel the distance. At the end of his run, he arrived in a small clearing among the trees.


    The clearing looked empty at first glance. Jung could clearly see that there was nothing in the area. The only thing that gave away that a large object was in the area was the smothered grass that didn¡¯t move along with the rest as the wind passed by.


    ¡°So Tas¡¯zul, how do you remove the camouflage system?¡±


    As the words escaped his mouth, Jung felt Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s presence gather psionic energy and release it toward the center of the clearing. As the energy approached the middle, a tiny spark of color appeared in the empty space.


    Within the open clearing, glimpses of a black metal kept appearing and disappearing. Watching a camouflaged spacecraft disable their system was always a surreal sight for one to behold. The scene reminded Jung of a television channel that kept receiving and losing signal. After no more than ten seconds, a large imposing object appeared in the clearing.


    It was a black Xena¡¯ga spacecraft.

 Chapter 4: QamPut

    A/N: Shout out to Wraith for PRing the chp! Once again please leave comments and reviews on what you think of the story! Well then without further ado enjoy the chapter!


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    The spacecraft¡¯s design was unique. From end to end the ship was one hundred yards long and four stories tall. The ship¡¯s midsection was circular with the inside being empty. Inside the circle were four short ends that were evenly spaced out and pointed toward the center. The midsection then tapered forward, forming two long points that formed a path. On both sides were three guillotine shaped edges.


    Toward the back of the midsection, the tear shaped pilot cockpit protruded out. On each other side of the cockpit, two sharp needle like points extended out on either side of the back of the cockpit and extended past it, forming an M pattern. As Jung looked at the ship as a whole, it reminded him of a needle.


    ¡°*whistles* That¡¯s quite the unique design, Tas¡¯Zul. Is there a reason it was built this way?¡±


    ¡¯The Rifter was specifically built to travel through the Void.¡¯


    ¡°Woah woah woah, the Void? You mean that dark mythical place that is supposed to be just on the other side of our dimension?¡±


    Jung couldn¡¯t believe that Tas¡¯Zul actually said the Void. Back when he was a child, all the geeks used to talk about was this mysterious dimension with dark creatures and strange types of energy called the Void. Many researchers have attempted to discover whether the Void was real or not but so far no progress has been made. He had always assumed that the Void was something like a conspiracy theory. To hear Tas¡¯Zul, an intelligent life form who has lived over three hundred years say it so nonchalantly was a shock.


    ¡¯I see. So humans have yet to discover the Void? Well, I guess it isn¡¯t too surprising as you all didn¡¯t know about Psionic energy. Before that though, why don¡¯t we go into the spacecraft and not stand here like prey for the Zvirek?¡¯


    ¡°¡­Have I mentioned how I hate that sarcastic side of yours?¡±


    As Jung moved forward, a hatch underneath the cockpit opened and lowered to become a ramp. Once he walked up the ramp and into the ship, the hatch closed itself. The inside of the cockpit was spacious. There was only one pilot chair in the front with a board of switches that were marked with an alien language that he couldn¡¯t decipher. Behind the pilot chair, there were another four chairs, most likely for passengers. In the back, there was a bed along with some drawers and a chest like object.


    ¡°I¡¯ve flown spacecraft before, but this is a whole new level. How do you fly this thing?¡±


    ¡¯Don¡¯t worry, when it¡¯s time for us to depart, I will impart the knowledge to you.¡¯


    Jung reflexively rolled his eyes at Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s comment.


    ¡°How nice, I have a living manual in my head. Anyways, tell me about the Void.¡±


    ¡¯The Void is just like one side of a double edged blade. If you say our dimension is day, then the Void is night. If our dimension is order, the Void is chaos. The Void is a dark dimension that is filled with a unique energy that we Templars call Void energy.


    ¡®As you gain further mastery over Psionic energy, we will begin to delve into harnessing Void energy. Through its manipulation, we Templars are able to travel through the void a short distance. It is similar to what you humans would consider a teleport. The Xena¡¯ga calls it ¡®Blink¡¯.


    ¡®One can also travel a much greater distance through the void than you could during the same time period while in our dimension. The problem is that no navigation systems work in the Void so it¡¯s best if one doesn¡¯t travel too far in it. We have learned that switching between regular travel and Void travel for only a short amount of time is the best method. The Rifter was specifically built with Void travel in mind and actually has a system built-in to gather and fire off void energy as its armament.


    ¡®Also, the void energy is able to be manipulated into the shape of an energy blade. The strength output is around four times that of a blade created from Psionic energy, but as you would expect, there are consequences. The energy consumption rate is five times more so it can only be used for short durations. I suggest that you don¡¯t use it except in emergency situations.¡¯


    Jung¡¯s facial muscles contracted at the difficult explanation.


    ¡°¡­That sounds complicated. Well I¡¯ll worry about it when we begin that training. For now, let¡¯s get that stuff you were talking about.¡±


    ¡¯Stand in front of the chest. When you are there, I am going to have to send my Psionic energy to unlock it.¡¯


    ¡°I was curious about this, but does every being have a different Psionic energy frequency or reading? You unlocked the ship the same way also.¡±


    ''You are correct. Every being¡¯s Psionic energy has a specific reading to them. When we travel, we will switch all the security to identify your readings so you may have ownership as well.¡¯


    ¡°Ho, so basically like a fingerprint eh¡­¡±


    As they spoke, Jung reached the chest. While he stood in front of it, Tas¡¯Zul sent Psionic energy toward the chest. After a few moments, Jung heard a click sound as the chest unlocked and the cover rose.


    Inside the chest there were cloaks, cloth turtlenecks, and three identical gears that were oddly shaped. At the bottom, there were a dozen crystals that let off blue and black light.


    ¡°So these are the things we came for, right?¡±


    ¡¯Indeed they are. Let us head back to the cave and I will explain.¡¯


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡±


    Except for a brief pause after he got off the ship to conceal it once more, Jung didn¡¯t stop as he ran back to the entrance while on guard. He carried his rifle at the low ready during the entire jog. Even though it seemed as if he was alone, a Zvirek or native animal could jump out at any time. In a little less than twenty minutes, they arrived back at the entrance and he finally relaxed a little.


    Once they returned to their cave, Jung sat down and began laying all the equipment he had retrieved from the Rifter on the floor. He inspected the cloak and turtleneck first, but they didn¡¯t seem like they were special, just matte black and loose so that they wouldn¡¯t restrict movement.


    The gears were more interesting. They were dull gray in color and built in the mold of a large bracelet. On one side, the metal protruded upward and had a tiny slit in the middle of it.


    There were also six black crystals and six blue crystals. Each gave off a slight glow around their surrounding area. Jung couldn¡¯t tell just from sight what their use was.


    ¡¯Those clothes are the standard clothing for the Templars. Depending on how much Psionic energy you pour into them, they will become sturdier, even enough to deal with the claws of the Zvirek. Don¡¯t put too much faith into them however, they are still capable of being torn.


    ¡®The Qen¡¯Su is where our blades come from.¡¯ Tas¡¯Zul said while sending an image of the strange gears. ¡®You pour Psionic energy into them and it automatically shapes the energy into a blade. Put it on your dominant arm. I am going to release the Qen¡¯Su from my readings so that you may bind with it.¡¯[/i.]


    Just as Tas¡¯Zul instructed, Jung picked up the Qen¡¯Su and put it around his right forearm. The gray gear was, contrary to it¡¯s appearance, very light, but it was too large and didn¡¯t fit well.


    [i]¡¯Don¡¯t worry whether it fits you or not child. Just gather some of the Psionic energy and pour it into the Qen¡¯Su.


    Even though he was dubious, Jung did as he was told and gathered the surrounding Psionic energy and poured it into the Qen¡¯Su. To his surprise, it contracted and formed around his arm. Once it was complete, the Qen¡¯Su fit snugly on his right arm and was almost weightless.


    ¡¯Good. The Qen¡¯Su will now only react to your Psionic and void energy reading. Even if someone tried, no one would be able to use it except you. Now once more pour Psionic energy into it. Make sure to point your arm to an open area before you do so.¡¯


    ¡°You Xena¡¯ga sure do love your security huh? I have to admit it is convenient though.¡±


    Jung had noticed it back on the Rifter, but it really did seem like the Xena¡¯ga put much care into making sure that no one else could use their technology. The majority of their gear was all locked by Psionic energy reading which was convenient while also being very secure as no other being would be able to recreate it.


    ¡¯Of course. We do not want other races studying and stealing our technology after all.¡¯


    Jung couldn¡¯t say anything to that. Even humans were like that and guarded their technology very diligently. After he nodded his head, he aimed his right arm toward an empty space and poured Psionic energy into the Qen¡¯Su.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    As the Psionic energy poured in, a light blue colored beam of light began to pour out of the slit and formed into a blade. The energy blade was around one foot in length and six inches in width. While he was inspecting the blade though, it suddenly withdrew and disappeared.


    ¡°Eh? Why did it disappear?¡±


    ¡¯Here is another lesson child. You have to constantly supply Psionic energy to the Qen¡¯Su. If the supply is disrupted, then the Psionic blade will disappear. You were so engrossed in examining it that you forgot to supply more Psionic energy to it, thus the Psionic blade disappeared.¡¯


    ¡°Haha damn, I feel like an idiot now.¡±


    ¡¯It¡¯s to be expected for someone using it for the first time. We will now go over the stones. They are energy storage stones. These are for emergency situations when you cannot gather enough Psionic or Void energy. They are also used as emergency fuel if your spacecraft runs out of energy.¡¯


    ¡°Ho¡­ these are quite useful to have aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡¯Indeed they are. Well then, it is getting late. Let us switch over the ownership of the clothing to you. Starting tomorrow, we will begin your training.¡¯


    Jung nodded his head and completed the ownership transfer for the clothing. As he laid down to sleep, he went over the information he was taught. He had learned a lot today and had much to contemplate.


    Right before he lost consciousness and went to sleep, he thought of his love Beth. He worried nightly over her mental state as everyone would assume that he was dead. He was thankful that she had chosen to become a Navy officer instead of an infantry officer like him. At least she would be safer in a battlecruiser. Well as safe as one could be during a time of war in the military.


    Even though all he wanted to do was to go meet her and tell her he was alright, it would be pointless if he stayed as a grunt with no power at all. At least he would grow stronger as he trained. Once again, he swore to himself that he would become a Templar and then return to Beth¡¯s side. He felt bad for Tas¡¯Zul, but he would choose her over the Xena¡¯ga every time. With those final thoughts, fatigue took over his mind, and he finally went to the world of dreams.


    The next day, Jung stood in the middle of the cave while he waited for Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s instructions. He wore his old clothing instead of the gear they brought from the Rifter. There would be more than enough time to train with it later.


    ¡¯Let us begin. Qam¡¯Put is a martial art that relies on maneuverability and stealth. As I stated before, push, pull, blink, and stealth will be essential. Qam¡¯Put relies on positioning as you aim for lethal strikes.


    ¡®You must train your body so that you are in position to kill immediately after moving. You will also learn to immobilize your enemy. Even though the psionic blades are deadly, there will be times when you encounter a foe that it is ineffective against. Immobilizing your opponent will assist you in either attacking them or fleeing.


    ¡®Starting from today, we will train Psionic manipulation during the morning and use the afternoon for combat training. First, we will focus on pull and push. Once you have grown accustomed to the movement, we will then move onto attacking. Begin by choosing a place on the cavern walls that protrudes out and attempt to pull it.¡¯


    Just as Tas¡¯Zul instructed, Jung began to search for an area that protruded out the wall. Once he found one, he once again gathered the psionic energy within the area into the shape of a hand. After his ¡®hand¡¯ grabbed the stone, he pulled.


    Even though he had prepared himself mentally, the feeling of flying forward surprised him.  As he quickly drew closer to the wall, he panicked slightly and as he moved his limbs, he lost his body¡¯s balance and tumbled onto the ground. After a few forward rolls, his body lost momentum and he laid on his back as he stared at the ground.


    ¡°Well then, that went well.¡±


    ¡¯Do not worry over it. It¡¯s a mistake everyone makes their first time.¡¯


    Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s words made Jung squnt his eyes in suspicion.


    ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t tell me because you thought it¡¯d be funny didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡¯No I didn¡¯t say anything because I thought it would be boring. Well, I will admit I didn¡¯t not find it amusing.¡¯


    ¡°¡­I really hate that sarcasm of yours,¡±


    ¡¯That¡¯s enough rest. Continue to practice.¡¯


    With a sigh, Jung stood up. As he scrunched his face in determination, he once again looked for a new rock that protruded from a wall.


    ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


    It took him two months but Jung finally got used to quick bursts of movement with the use of push and pull. Determining how much force to use to pull or push hadn¡¯t been that difficult, but it took weeks for him to get comfortable with controlling his balance and center of gravity.


    Even though he couldn¡¯t say he was skilled at it yet, he could say he was proficient at the very least. He could use push or pull three consecutive times to move between locations in a quick manner before he exhausted himself. It didn¡¯t take him very long to get used to attacking as soon as he landed before once again moving away. He served in the military and learned army combatives, after all.


    ¡¯Not bad, child. You have at least become able to use quick travel in training. Now let us go into the actual close combat training.¡¯


    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


    The combat training portion took a much longer time to complete. Jung had learned martial arts from a young age and had also done well in military combatives, but Qam¡¯Put¡¯s very nature was different. Instead of forcing the opponent onto the ground and restraining them, Qam¡¯Put relied on using speed and accuracy as they aimed to hit specific locations with psionic energy that immobilized a body part.


    He had heard that hundreds of years ago, there used to be some martial arts that attacked similarly, but it died out and most people didn¡¯t know the specifics anymore. What was useful about psionic energy was that it could travel through armor and energy fields.  Even though there wasn¡¯t much actual damage, it was very effective.


    It took Jung a year and a half to become proficient. There were hundreds of spots that were only centimeters wide on a Xena¡¯Ga¡¯s body alone. After Tas¡¯Zul scanned through his body, he also found a hundred on the human body as well. Just the memorization took multiple months.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t difficult to form the psionic energy into needles, hitting a tiny, moving area with them was a different story. If he was off by the smallest margin, the attack would be ineffective. It took him a year and two months of training to be able to hit just twenty points in a Xena¡¯Ga or human. After he had reached that point, Tas¡¯Zul was satisfied.


    ¡¯You¡¯ve made remarkable progress, child. For you to reach this far in a little less than two years is truly praiseworthy. Best part, you don¡¯t resemble a child anymore either.¡¯


    Jung¡¯s looks had dramatically changed. His buzzed hair had grown and now reached down to the bottom of his chin. A black moustache and beard partly covered his face as well. The edges for both were uneven and rough though as Jung could only use his military issued knife to saw them off.


    His body also went through a transformation. The sturdy thick muscles that Jung used to have were slimmed down and were now lean. Even though he felt a little regret to see the muscles he trained so hard become thin, he knew it was necessary. It was too difficult to move agilely with his original body type. It was much simpler with a lean body. It was easier to move at a moment¡¯s notice and could reach the vital point on an enemy.


    ¡¯Now that you¡¯ve become proficient with all the basic techniques of psionic energy, I believe it is time to progress to the next phase.?¡¯


    ¡°Haa¡­ finally. I was getting tired of just doing physical training.¡±


    The constant memorization and repetition during practice took a toll on him. Even though he still trained in psionic manipulation while also practicing push and pull, it started to become repetitive to him. He needed something new to do. When he heard what the next phase was, his eyes instantly brightened up as he was very curious about the topic.


    ¡¯The next phase for the path of Ein¡¯Zul is the study of the Void.¡¯

 Chapter 5: The Void

    A/N: Hey everyone, author here! Sorry for the long wait in between the chps. Army life has been pretty hectic for me and I was suddenly thrown into 12 hr shifts this week so haven''t had too much time to write.


    Once again, shout out to my PR Wraith for looking through the chp. Once again, I ask that you leave comments or reviews about your thoughts on how the story is progressive. Would love to hear what you all think!. Well then, enjoy the chp!


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    ¡¯The Void is a parallel dimension to our own. Time itself flows ten times faster than in our dimension, which is the cause for travel being faster in the Void. A minute of travel in the Void is the equivalent of six seconds in our dimension.


    ¡®There is nothing inside the Void. No planets, stars, light, or heat exist within. It is a dark and cold place to stay. This is the reason why travel through the Void is so dangerous.  It is impossible to tell which direction you are traveling, and if you get lost, there are no planets or stars to guide navigational systems.


    ¡®The energy inside it is what we call Void energy. Void energy draws in the surrounding energies to sustain itself. This tends to make Void energy much more powerful than any other energy type. The drawback is that when used, it cannot sustain the energy output for long.


    ¡®Through gaps in the wall that separate the two dimensions, Void energy seeps into our dimension and gathers energy. Even though I said it gathers the energy in the surrounding area, it is difficult to notice as it takes it in even amounts from the whole area. The only way most beings would notice it¡¯s even there is if they notice that there was less energy in the area.


    ¡®We Templars are trained to harness this energy. Just like when you attempted to sense Psionic energy, send your senses outward. This time though, try to sense an area that feels empty and cold in contrast to the warmth of Psionic energy.¡¯


    Jung extended his senses outwards to feel the surrounding area. After training with Psionic energy for the past few years, sensing it felt as natural as breathing to him. He had grown accustomed to and actually enjoyed the warmth that Psionic energy brought.


    As he felt the surrounding area, he attempted to locate an area that felt empty and cold just as Tas¡¯Zul said. The first few times he swept through the area he couldn¡¯t sense anything out of place but as he focused more he could sense that through the warmth, there were tiny miniscule pockets where there seemed to be nothing.


    The pockets were so small that if Jung hadn¡¯t been consciously trying to find them, he would have never noticed. Just as he was told, the pockets indeed felt empty and very cold. It was in stark contrast to the Psionic energy.


    ¡°How is it that Void energy feels so empty if it draws in the surrounding energies?¡±


    ¡¯We have yet to figure the reason out. The Void energy seems to cover the energies like a veil, blocking anything from coming out within. This is also the reason why Templars are able to use camouflage. The Void energy surrounds us and blocks any image, odor, or sound from escaping outside, basically making us invisible.


    ¡®Anyways, try to gather the Void energy just as you would gather Psionic energy around your hand and you will see what I mean.¡¯


    With a nod of his head, Jung focused on the small empty pockets and began to pull them toward him. As he pulled them toward himself, he extended his right arms forward and drew them toward his hand. As the energy gathered, portions of his hand disappeared from his sight until it fully disappeared when he surrounded it.


    ¡°It looks exactly like stealth technology huh? How does energy portray what¡¯s on the other side like that?¡±


    ¡¯The Void energy outer surface is like a mirror, it reflects what is on the other side. ¡¯


    ¡°Man, if the Dontesk Empire¡¯s leaders knew about the existence of Void energy, they¡¯d be going nuts. The cost to install the cameras and platform for stealth technology is ridiculous.¡±


    As Jung mused over that and pictured their faces at the discovery, Tas¡¯Zul interrupted his train of thought.


    ¡¯Let¡¯s move on to the next step. Gather the Void energy to the Qen¡¯Su.¡¯


    After Jung shook his head to dispel the random image, he once again focused on the Void energy and gathered it to around the Qen¡¯Su. When he figured he had gathered enough, he activated the device on his right arm. As the energy blade came out, he studied it and noted the difference from when it was supplied with Psionic energy.


    Instead of the bluish hue the Psionic energy blade gave off, the Void energy blade gave of a purplish black hue. Instead of a hot aura, the Void energy blade gave off a chilly one. He also noted that the energy¡¯s intensity seemed much higher. After he completed his inspection, Jung deactivated the energy blade.


    ¡°Void energy blades sure do seem stronger. The energy consumption is ridiculous though. You really can¡¯t maintain one for too long.¡±


    ¡¯Indeed. Well for now, we will leave the energy blade and camouflage alone. You need to become accustomed to sensing Void energy. It takes too long for you to locate them and draw them in. In a life or death situation, you will not have that leisure.¡¯


    +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


    For the next two years, Jung continued to focus on training. During that time, he slowly began to master Qam¡¯Put and also became proficient with the use of both Psionic and Void energies. Not only was he able to gather both energies at a moment¡¯s notice, he was also able to use them without any hesitation.


    During that span, Jung made several trips to the surface to train. At those times he would cloak his figure by consolidating Void energy around him and stealthily moved around. Whenever he saw a passing Spawn, he would walk up to them in caution before he activated the Qen¡¯Su and slayed the monster.


    The first few attempts were nerve-wracking. Jung had never willingly closed the distance between him and a Zvirek. The constant fear that the camouflage would malfunction or that the Spawn would notice his presence and pounce kept popping up in his mind, and he also became fearful that they would hear his heart pounding against his ribs.


    The camouflage, however, always stayed true and the Spawns never noticed his approach until it was too late and a Psionic energy blade ripped through them. The fear slowly changed into thrill as he grew accustomed to and gained trust in it. Every time he killed a Spawn, he felt as though he was revenging his fallen soldiers. After one whole year of training like that, Tas¡¯Zul finally decided that Jung had progressed enough.


    ¡¯Child, your progress has been very satisfying thus far.  I feel confident in your progress through the path of Ein¡¯Zul. It is time for us to inspect the source of Psionic energy that drew me here.¡¯


    ¡°Finally! I been curious as to what that energy source was.¡±


    When Tas¡¯Zul mentioned the mysterious gathering of Psionic energy, Jung stood up in anticipation. He had nagged the Templar on numerous occasions throughout the years to go inspect it but was told that he wasn¡¯t strong enough yet every time. Now that they were about to go, he couldn¡¯t help but be excited. With a hop in his steps, Jung began to head toward the source with Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s instructions.


    ¡°So what do you think was the cause of all that Psionic energy gathering in one location?¡±


    ¡¯There are numerous possibilities. It could be that the area is originally a place that condenses Psionic energy. It could also be that an equipment is gathering and consolidating the Psionic energy there.¡¯


    ¡°How would such an object get there though? From what I know, there have been no signs of any technologically advanced race on Azur yet.¡±


    ¡¯That is correct. More than likely some being must have come here and placed such an object here.¡¯


    ¡°Why would they do that though?¡±


    ¡¯Of course I would know why. It is not as though I know nothing as well.¡¯


    ¡°¡­We really need to work on that sarcasm of yours¡­¡±


    The network of tunnels underground were massive. Even though Jung had walked for over two hours, there was no end in sight. If it wasn¡¯t for Tas¡¯Zul, he would have gotten lost very quickly.  In the end, it took ten hours for them to finally arrive at the source. What they found at the end of their travel, however, was nothing like what they expected to find.


    ¡°Holy Shi..¡±


    Inside a humongous cavern stood a large black pyramid. The pyramid was four hundred feet in width and rose up to at least one hundred and twenty feet in height. Instead of stone, each block was made from some black metal that Jung had never come across before. Around the pyramid, Psionic energy gathered to give off a light blue aura, giving the whole structure an eerie feeling.


    ¡°Why the hell is there a pyramid here?!¡±


    ¡¯¡­. I am not sure. I need to inspect the structure from a closer view. Be cautious though; there may be some traps.¡¯


    With his eyes constantly checking for any early warning signs of a trap, he moved forward.  As he neared the mysterious structure, Jung could faintly make out a rectangular opening at the bottom. The opening was around ten feet in height and three feet in width.


    From up close, the pyramid looked daunting as it towered over him. For reasons unknown, Jung could feel goosebumps come out on his skin. He even entertained the thought of turned around and leaving the pyramid behind him.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Tas, I¡¯m not one who believes in superstitious things, but I really am getting a bad feeling about this.¡±


    ¡¯I also get the same feeling, but we must continue on. We must discover why such an odd structure has been built here.¡¯


    While he silently cursed, Jung hesitantly walked through the entrance. The passageway was made out of the same black metal that the outer portion of the pyramid was made of. Blue lights reflected off the metal and illuminated the passage just enough to see a couple feet ahead.


    ¡°¡­Are you sure you want to keep going?¡±


    ¡¯Would you like me to hold your hand while we walk?¡¯


    ¡°¡­.Shut up.¡±


    Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s tease helped Jung regain a little of his composure. Ever since he saw the pyramid, he had been getting a paranoid feeling. The place gave Jung the creeps. It felt as though something would jump out at any time.


    In the end, it took him nearly an hour to reach the end of the passageway. Jung noticed that it seemed to curve as the passage moved inward and up. Contrary to his belief though, at the top it seemed as though it was a dead end.


    ¡°No way¡­ There¡¯s no way they would put so much effort into building this damn thing to just have it end as a prank with a dead end¡­¡±


    ¡¯Calm down. Try to inspect the walls to see if there are any hidden mechanisms.¡¯


    Even after he searched along all three walls, they found nothing. Jung and Tas¡¯Zul then attempted to use any method they could think of to open a secret doorway. After attempting more than twenty methods though, Jung began to lose his cool.


    ¡°This is pointless. We¡¯ve tried almost all the methods to unlocking a secret door. Unless they¡¯re some super advanced species like you Xena¡¯ga there¡¯s no way they could have thought up something so advance. It¡¯s most likely that the creators of this dumb pyramid were just trying to do a prank and really did build a dead end passageway with nothing else in here.¡±


    The paranoia and building frustration finally got to Jung. Ever since they entered the pyramid, he couldn¡¯t shake the feeling as though something bad was going to happen. He couldn¡¯t figure out why he felt like that, but he thought that the feeling was similar to what people in a horror film situation would feel while being chased. With the building frustration of not being able to figure out whether there was a mechanism to open a secret door, it finally became too much for him.


    ¡¯...Advance like the Xena¡¯ga¡­ Try this method.¡¯


    The mention of Xena¡¯ga seemed to trigger something in Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s mind. Even though he was dubious, Jung went along and drew on the middle wall with his finger a line in a circular method where the line continued to move inward in a spiral design.


    As his finger completed the design Tas¡¯Zul had told him to make and left the wall, the line was outlined in a blue light and rumbling noises could be heard. The wall that created the dead end slowly began to withdraw into the right wall and left a new passage open.


    ¡°What the hell? Why didn¡¯t you use that method if you knew it all along?¡±


    ¡¯...That symbol is an ancient one in the Xena¡¯ga. It represents to us that all things that have a beginning, have an end. It was created as a way to remind ourselves that nothing lasts forever and to make the most of every moment.¡¯


    ¡°I thought you had never seen a structure like this before? Why does it use a Xena¡¯ga symbol as a code to open a door then?¡±


    ¡¯I¡¯d like to find out that reason myself. Let¡¯s go.¡¯


    After he eyed the entrance wearily, Jung once again moved forward. What the two didn¡¯t notice though, was that when the wall opened up, the surface of the pyramid began to hum and large amounts of Psionic energy once more gathered toward the pyramid as though it was a magnet.


    Oblivious to this fact, they continued down the passageway. This time along they didn¡¯t have to travel long as they came upon the end of the passage within five minutes. At the end there was a large room, however it terrified Jung witless.


    ¡°Good mother of¡­¡±


    The room that Jung had walked into seemed as though it was a laboratory. There were various types of alien equipment set up throughout the room. Even though there were so many things inside, the room still had a tidy feel to it. What terrified Jung though, were the beings inside the glass capsules.


    Inside the glass capsules were various corpses of different species. Jung could identify a couple of them as he had either interacted with them before or read about them in his studies. Many of them though, it was his first time seeing.


    Some of them had horns that grew out from their foreheads, some were furry while others had no hair whatsoever. Each species had their own unique feature. What all of them shared though, was their humanoid shape.


    The thing that grossed Jung out so badly was that all the corpses were in one way or another mutilated. Some of the bodies were dissected and left as they were. Other bodies were disfigured as limbs were missing and some had limbs that were obviously not their own sewn onto them. All their facial expressions seemed to scream out in pain and agony.


    ¡°Just what kind of sick being would¡­. Tas, what do you think? You think it was some kind of sick mad scientist kind of fellow?¡±


    ¡¯It doesn¡¯t look like the work of some psychopath. Look, the dissections and sewing imrpove with each body. It feels more like¡­. he¡¯s trying to combine different species into one super being¡­¡¯


    ¡°...That clearly matches the description of a mad scientist. Anyways, it looks like this place has been abandoned for a long time. Dust is literally covering everything in here.¡±


    The room indeed looked as though it hadn¡¯t been used in a very long time. The surface of all the equipment and even the capsules was covered in a thick layer of dust just as Jung stated. It must have been decades at the minimum since the last time someone came into the room.


    ¡¯...What I¡¯m curious about is how this being got ahold of Xena¡¯Ga equipment¡­ Could the perpetrator really be one of our own? Why would they do something so atrocious though?! This goes against all of the Xena¡¯Ga¡¯s beliefs!¡¯


    Jung jumped at the sudden anger that leaked through Tas¡¯Zul¡¯s thoughts. For a moment, he just stayed where he was with an expression of shock. Tas¡¯Zul expressing an emotion? For the past four years that he had known the Templar, not once did he express any emotion. Jung came to the conclusion that the Xena¡¯Ga was a species that did not express it a long time ago.


    ¡°Woah Tas, you okay man? It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen you angry. Wait can you all even get angry?¡±


    ¡¯Of course we get angry. It¡¯s just that we do not like to express our emotions. Back to the main topic, let¡¯s comb through this area. I need to verify whether it truly was a Xena¡¯Ga that committed such atrocious crimes.¡¯


    As he read the situation, Jung began to search the whole room without a single word. Although he didn¡¯t know the reason why, he understood that it was an important matter to Tas¡¯Zul. Without one area missed, he went through everything to ensure that he didn¡¯t miss even one small item. In the end though, they weren¡¯t able to find anything else useful.


    ¡°Well, we went through everything in here and nothing came out. What do you want to do Tas?¡±


    ¡¯For now, let us go back. There is much I need to ponder over.¡¯


    After a simple nod, he turned back toward the entrance and exited the room. As he closed the door to the secret passageway, little did he know that the Psionic energy that had gathered slowly dissipated once more into the surrounding area as though nothing happened.


    The trip back to the cavern was eerily silent as Tas¡¯zul was deep in thinking and Jung didn¡¯t dare to disrupt it unless a dire situation occurred. By the time that they returned to the cavern, the light that came into the cavern was now faint and the cavern was dark. Exhausted from the day¡¯s adventure, Jung went to his usual sleeping spot and plopped down on the ground to sleep.


    The next day, Jung had a conflicted feeling. Ever since the discovery of the laboratory, Tas¡¯Zul had yet to speak one word. At first, Jung enjoyed the silence and peace within his mind. Slowly though, those feelings turned into loneliness. Over the past years, the voice of Tas¡¯Zul was actually a life saver that drew him away from insanity. Jung didn¡¯t know how long he could have made it before he lost his mind from the isolation.


    With those thoughts, he began to scan the cavern. It had already been over four years since that fateful day when he fell through a crack and discovered Tas¡¯Zul. Even though his time training inside the cavern wasn¡¯t easy, he could honestly say he would look back on those moments fondly.


    Little did he know though, that his time there would abruptly come to a halt.


    As Jung trained the next day, he noticed that the floor was vibrating. Alarmed, he instantly became on guard.


    ¡°Tas! We got some company!¡±


    ¡¯It seems as though the Zvirek have finally decided to explore here.¡¯


    ¡°Shit, what do we do?¡±


    ¡¯Even though you haven¡¯t completed your training, there is nothing we can do about it. I believe it is time for us to depart this planet.¡¯