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Chapter 6: Spike: Spike is Back Day 1

White noise from the buzzing engines keeps me awake. I lie in bed cuddling my blanket as the planets and stars zip outside my bedroom window. A rare, peaceful silence that I have been longing for, for a while now. Nothing to worry about. No duties. No tasks. Just quiet. I know I can leave this room whenever I want to. Today is the first day of my life where I’m not expected to do anything everyone asks of me.

One thing is very clear: Kairos and Avi are nowhere nearby.

I ignore the voice messages playing in my room.

Come to the bridge when you wake up. We need to talk. May. Five minutes ago.

The stars sing me to sleep.

* * *

After eight hundred years of enslavement, it’s nice to take a warm shower with no one watching your actions. Before, an invisible tether collared me to Tempus. You can get used to a collar, but it will always slightly tug on the neck. A reminder that you’re not free. You are trapped. You can’t roam around and be free. You are designed with a purpose in mind. The purpose to serve those that yank on the collar. I cherish the seconds of solitude. I’ve always felt lonely, but being alone and feeling lonely are two different ways of living life. One allows you to relax and quiet the nasty noises of the world. The other envelopes you with an endless depression in a room surrounded by others. I rub my neck worried that one day the collar will reappear and will once again chain me to Kairos and Avi. Their world isolating and suffocating. My world liberating.

For now, I’m safe. Thanks to my ever-so-gracious parents the collar has been temporarily removed. Time Absorbers and Time Keepers don’t show affection the same way those on Venus do. On Venus, kisses, hugs, and showers of affirmations give you the perfect doting parent. On Tempus, children are raised with no connection to their family members. From a very young age, they are given to Kairos to be used as Time Absorbers. They are a reconnaissance tool used to benefit Tempus. Parental affection on Tempus looks like saving your son from a genocide hungry ruler of the universe at their earliest convenience. They only had one chance to come for me and they had to make sure they used it properly. Kairos wouldn’t allow Vakander or May to try again if they failed the first time. Eight. Hundred. Years.  That is how long it took for them to get me with only one chance.

Now, I’m free.

I smile as tears rush down my face now that the collar is gone.

* * *

There is a sudden change in speed. Our Craft is cruising slowly. I’m cradled by my bed peering out the circular, dome window. Four planets – Barretta, Exile, Flounce, and Venus – hang in a misplaced formation. Three moons hover in between Barretta and Exile. I’ve been to them before. They lie nine billion miles away from my home planet of Tempus. They are apart of the Scorned Planets that Templites don’t bother to visit unless they are searching for valuable Time Absorbers or fleeing war generals. Tempus is far behind us now.

When I finally jump out of bed, I walk over to the door. It swooshes open when I press a metallic square to my right. I walk down a rectangular corridor full of rooms before passing through another door and entering the round bridge. May and Vakander stand in front of a circular table with a holographic grid of Exile. They pause their conversation and look at me as I get closer to the table.

“What are we doing all the way out here?” I ask.

“Helping you escape came at a cost,” May smiles, “It’s nice to see you smelling fresh.”

Vakander walks over to me with a purple vile in his hand and uncaps it, “Here drink this,” I’ve seen them before, but I’ve forgotten the name. He continues seeing my hesitation, “It’s a Vida Vile. It will stop your aging process for the next hundred years. Any illnesses will go away instantly. The only thing it can’t cure is death. So, don’t die.”

Oh yes, the forever-living-potion-thingy-that-makes-you-live-for-a-really-long-time.

“What happened to the one Kairos injected me with?” I ask holding the vile in my hand.

“Apparently, Avi and Kairos extract it from your body every time they revive you… as a precaution. In case, we came to save you.”

I drink the contents of the vile. My face twists and my throat burns. Tiny organisms crawl underneath my skin and work on my body. I’ve never had a Vida Vile while conscious before, but I have seen it administered to many a Time Keeper. The Time Keeper remained partly moody for days because of the microscopic bacteria pulling at the aging strings inside of their bodies to bring them to a halt.

“I felt a stop earlier, but I was too tired to get up. Did you hide the Placenta Pod somewhere obvious?” I ask, trying to distract myself from the awful initial experience of a Vida Vile.

“It is safe.” Vakander comments annoyed by my question, “We wouldn’t go through an ordeal to save you just to lose you again, or the Placenta Pod.”

“So, where are we going?” I spin the map of Exile and explore a temple on the opposite side. A small, light-blue dot blinks. I hid an Artifact there in one of my past lives. In every life time, I gained these mega abilities that make me super overpowered. Usually, after I acquired them I would magically be Activated and Kairos needed me back on Tempus. The Artifacts were trinkets my grandfather gave me to hide away my powers from Kairos. So. I said fuck him. And I separated the powers from my body and hid them across the universe out of my uncle’s tiny overlord hands.

“The Barretta Committee offered us refuge from Kairos and Avi,” May explains, “They’re willing to give us their armies and protect us in the event that they come after us, and they will come after us, but Vesta gave us a few tasks.”

We just escaped and there is already some shit we have to do. Typical.

“What are the tasks? Bootlicking the leaders of the Barretta Committee.”

“We have to clear all the Siren Cannibals from the next-door planet, Exile. They have been kidnapping and murdering children to sustain their life force.” Vakander says as if he doesn’t believe it himself.

“Hmmm.” I retort in disbelief.

Odd…

Siren Cannibals were Time Absorbers at one point with the same powers as me, Pulses, to open blackholes in time by traveling through Limbo. They were specialized super soldiers used in the Templite Armies when Tempus was first founded. A blue fourth skin pigment that has since been exterminated from Tempus. Citizens looked up to and wanted to be them. Statues and buildings were built for them. They were praised by the masses. In the end, these soldiers turned on Kairos, my twisted uncle, when he killed the original Time Lord, Titus Kronos, my grandfather. Kairos banished them to Exile when he became Time Lord where he expected them to die after poisoning the planet. The poison was meant to kill all Siren Cannibals, the planet they were on, and their food source. Back then, they were known as just Sirens. As the natural resources of Exile started to die off with the poison, they gained the secondary label once they started feeding off deserter Time Absorbers. The deserters skyrocketed in groves when the Old Templites soldiers were forced to assimilate or join Kairos’s army. The deserters weren’t opposed to mass killing innocent people, they were just scared they’d become a target at some point. They saw how the civilian citizens of Old Tempus were subjugated and forced to accept the new regime without being able to fight back. When civilians did fight back, they disappeared. A divided Tempus didn’t matter when Kairos’s militia kept people in line. Those few civilians that could flee found ways to infiltrate the government, steal their Placenta Pods, and escape with nothing to their names. Though, very few, millions of Old Templites wait across the galaxy for it to be safe to return home. And, many have accepted that they will never return. They’ve made peace with never seeing the home they were driven out of. Tempus as we know it today, like Lykos before it, became colonized with the indigenous population scattered to the cosmos. We knew the Siren Cannibals were doing this for decades and turned a blind eye unless they kidnapped an important Time Keeper.

They are still formidable foes to the Time Keepers. Siren Cannibals are only supposed to feed on Templite soldiers. Anything else is Time Keeper propaganda… unless…

Their story is bullshit.

And Barretta has their own twisted propaganda against Siren Cannibals, or they’re hiding something. I decide not to push.

“We?” I ask out of all the genius questions I could ask.

“The Barretta Committee has a group of soldiers that we were assigned to train,” May turns the hologram into the Barretta training field: a clearing on the side of the castle, “You will be training them on Pulses. They will teach you about their abilities.”

This is all too good to be true.

Surely, Kairos and Avi have to be after us.

May hears the thought bubble in my head and says, “He can’t reach you this far. The further Kairos is from Tempus, the less powerful he is. The former Lycan ancestral souls are the only thing keeping him alive after the damage Jimmy did to him on Lykos.”

“What about that bastard Avi? He will eventually come and try to kill me.” A legitimate concern. Avi, my forced lover and cousin, has never stopped searching for me. He constantly tries to come back for me, hitting harder and harder each time. And each time I resist him. Or I should say, try to resist him. No doubt, he will retaliate against those around us.

May bites her lip, “And we shall expect his visit,” her eyes fall on the Soul Core beside her, “We have other plans for him. From now on, you should be worried about the beings Kairos inflicted pain on.”

“Why?”

“They will sense the energy radiating from you. Beings from around here are resentful survivors of war. When they find out who you are, they will want to kill you. In their eyes, you are the other. Time Keepers destroyed everything they know. They are the plague of the universe. It’s been eight hundred years since Titus passed away.”

“Murdered.” I correct her. “My grandfather was murdered.”

“It has been eight hundred years since your grandfather was murdered. Your grandfather’s legacy of Tempus has been colonized by my hateful brother. And they have never met Templites from before the fall of the Old Time Lord. You just have to show them that you are on their side.”

Their side? I scoff at the statement. Beings make war conflicts about friend versus foes. There will always be a face of the enemy. Unity eroded by the division of us versus them. Except their vision of us versus them is always oppressed versus oppressed. It is never the oppressed versus our collective oppressor. The ones on top always know how to divide. A trivial issue can be exploited to pit us against each other. Low class workers versus low class workers. Prejudices expanded upon and hate amplified to distract from the rich paying poor people unlivable wages.

Their side, their side, their side. Propaganda fills the streets painting one peaceful group as the aggressors while the opposing side stomps on their throats to control the narrative. Silence obtained by force. From the eight hundred years that I’ve lived, Kairos has painted the Scorned as the aggressors. I’m on the side that wants to stop Kairos. But I know the Scorned have had their fair share of blood on their hands. They are not saints either. I will never submit to another tyrannical force that assumes they are doing good. Even if they appear as the good guy.

I rotate the map back to Exile and point to the temple, “You started looking for the Artifacts without me?”

“You were busy, Spike.” Vakander informs me, “We waited for quite some time for this Activation. But it seems Kairos was holding you hostage. He must have known we were after you once we started our Artifacts search. The day you were Activated on Venus, we took our positions on Tempus to extract you.”

“How many have you found?”

“Twenty out of twenty-five,” May nervously picks at her nails, “Did you have to make the last five so difficult to find?”

“Yes,” It was a death sentence otherwise. I explain, “If Kairos finds them, we might as well hand ourselves over to him.” My eyes instinctively look for the twenty artifacts.

“They are not here,” May reassures, “They are somewhere safe on Barretta waiting for your return.”

“What about this body?” I ask missing my Templite form, “When will I be returned to the form I was born in?”

“It would be wise, that until we have defeated Kairos, you remain in this form,” Vakander explains, “Not only do we not have access to the Revival Unit but giving you the body of a Templite will only have everyone hate you more. As we said before, once the universe knows who you are, they will direct their anger and hatred at you.”

* * *

Vakander and May leave me with fucking homework.

Memorize the files on all the trainees. They told me to study everyone and form a training plan based off their abilities. While I enjoy a good strategy building session, it feels weird doing it for real people. I sprawl the notes across the main galley floor. I write notes on my electronic tablet sheet as I go through every name.

The Kidnapped Lycan Siblings:

Name: Jimmy

Power: Can Alter Templite Vibrations. Ice Elemental.

Second Ability: Unknown. (Soul Destroyer - sucks souls but not in the way you think).

Race: Lycan Wolf – Descendants of Taniea

Planet: Lykos

Medications Administered: Vida and Lingua Vile Administered on Lykos

Spike’s Notes: Missed you.

Name: Thea

Power: Half-Werewolf, Half-Pulse Canon. Shoots blackholes out of her hands.

Secondary Ability: Seer.

Race: Lycan Wolf – Descendants of Taniea

Planet: Lykos

Medication Administered: Vida and Lingua Vile Administered on Lykos

Spike’s Notes: Please don’t hate me.

List of Soldiers Against Kairos and Other Enemies:

Name: Tommy

Appearance: Military cut hair. Scaly green skin. Semi-buff, semi-chunky. Mid-thirties.

Power: Fire Elemental: heat sources, vapors, and fire.

Race: Plated Soldier – Descendants of Melivia

Planet: Gamma-2

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Barretta.

Spike’s Notes: Yikes. Not a good mix with Barretta. Political Problems.

Name: Brody

Appearance: Not seen. Four arms. Took on Tommy’s shape for a shadow. Late twenties.

Power: Invisibility

Race: Shadow Person – Descendants of Isakay & Lonussia

Planet: Opaque

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Opaque

Name: Cassius

Appearance: Balding. Mid-thirties. Brown eyes. Brown skin.

Power: Ropes

Race: Humanoid – Descendants of Melivia

Planet: Venus (Overtaken by A.I.)

Medication Administered: Lingua Vile on Lykos. Vida Vile Administered on Barretta.

Spike’s Notes: Tie me up daddy.

Name: Emory

Appearance: Purple hair. Dark black skin. Mid-twenties. Façade.

Power: Not Developed.

Secondary Form: Hybrid Humanoid/Lycan

Race: Lycan Wolf – Descendants of Melivia, Fongo, & Taniea

Planet: Lykos

Medication Administered: Vida and Lingua Vile Administered on Lykos

Name: Celestia (Blind)

Appearance: Purple hair. Red irises. Dark black skin. Mid-twenties. Façade.

Power: Templite Vibrations

Secondary Form: Hybrid Humanoid/Lycan

Race: Lycan Wolf – Descendants of Melivia, Fongo, & Taniea

Planet: Lykos

Medication Administered: Vida and Lingua Vile Administered on Lykos

Name: Alejandra

Appearance: Icicles braid. Brown skin. Skinny. Long hair. Long nose. Late twenties.

Power: Ice Elemental

Race: Humanoid – Descendants of Melivia

Planet: Venus

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Barretta

Name: Ashley

Appearance: Pink body. Green Hair. Thirties.

Power: Fairy Dust. Induces Nightmares.

Race: Fairy – Descendants of Samanesia & Furuit

Planet: Flounce

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Flounce

Spike’s Notes: Scary, but okay?

Name: Lambert

Appearance: Minotaur. Early thirties. “U” Shaped Horns. Bulky body. Brown leathery skin.

Power: Horns Redistribute Energy.

Race: Minotaur – Descendants of Ethsa

Planet: Ovid

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Barretta

Name: Adrian

Appearance: Bird Bi-ped. Late twenties. Blue Bird with red lining on each feather.

Weapon of Choice: Bow and Arrow

Race: Bird – Descendants of Taniea

Planet: Barretta

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Barretta

Name: Heather

Appearance: Bird Bi-ped. Late Twenties. White Bird with Black Lining on Each Feather.

Weapon of Choice: Bow and Arrow

Race: Bird – Descendants of Taniea

Planet: Barretta

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Barretta

Name: Marina

Appearance: Rotund. Dark black skin. Thirties.

Power: Reanimates the Dead. Necromancer

Race: Witch & Dragon Spawn – Descendants of Fongo

Planet: Epsilon

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Epsilon

Spike’s Notes: Can she control it?

Name: Venu

Appearance: Split-hair. Pointy ears and teeth. Sharp jawline. Too sharp.

Power: Specializes in Alchemy. Uses Spells and His Liquids to Make Potions.

Race: Warlock. Soldier of Vakander - Descendants of Furuit

Planet: Ander

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Ander

Spike’s Note: Vampires are always a little creepy. Social interactions odd.

Name: Hades

Power: Pulse.

Race: Former Siren Cannibal – Descendants of Melivia

Planet: Exile

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Exile

Spike’s Notes: Former? Did he get fired?

Name: Jenny

Power: Gaia Elemental

Race: Humanoid – Descendants of Melivia & Nunaques

Planet: Venus

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Barretta

Name: Jupiter

Appearance: Afro. Skin dark and shining as obsidian. Taller than her counter parts but with a medium thick, build.

Power: Gravitational Rings. Can be used to float on them if spun underneath, cut through Gaia, and slice through beings completely.

Race: Humanoid – Descendants of Melivia

Planet: Venus

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Barretta

Spike’s Notes: Overpowered abilities?

Name: Ciro

Power: Elastic Stretching

Race: Humanoid – Descendants of Taniea

Planet: Venus (Earth-8)

Medication Administered: Vida Vile Administered on Barretta

Spike Notes:

Humanoids may struggle with Limbo for the first time. Elementals are great additions to the team if all of them survive. They can be used on different environmental planets. Lykos, Gamma-2, and Barretta soldiers have me worried. Specifically Gamma-2 and Barretta. Why are the siblings separated from the…

Vakander interrupts me.

“Forty minutes until arrival,” Vakander dismisses himself to his First Officer’s jumpseat, “Everyone needs to be buckled in ten minutes.”

I haven’t experienced a Craft’s landing in a while. If I really wanted to, I could just Pulse us onto the surface of Barretta. Not that I would want to. I love when I get to be normal. Pulses are great but they speed up the process of everything mundane. The little mundane stuff like road tripping and sightseeing rare hidden attractions of a vast galaxy. Hovering high above a planet weightless and admiring the beauty from afar. Barretta is one of my favorite planets. Of course, that is what I say about any planet that is willing to save me from Kairos.

After I have collected my files, I buckle in a seat between both of them. We stare out the giant windows arching up behind me. May captains the Craft dipping us through thick clouds for about five minutes. The swirls of turbulence making my stomach tumble. Once we come out the other end, steep white mountains covered in patches of trees and snow fill the ever-lasting landscape. Birds, the size of humanoids in grey clad battle armor, swoop next to our Craft escorting us to The Barretta Committee. In the distance, families of birds nosedive from their multi-story nests to gather water and fish at the base of the mountains. The vast rivers full of fresh spring water never run dry as the weather remains muggy for most of the year. They return to their nests intrigued and disgusted by a Templite Craft. If it weren’t for the birds flying us to where we needed to go, we would have been shot down by now. On sight.

Barretta doesn’t just have one king and queen. They are watched over by five large family powers that descend from the inception of their planet. This becomes evident as we come upon the center of the planet. The faded pink Barretta Committee Castle spans over various mountains. The main castle can be confused for a mountain itself. The castle sits on an island coated with vegetation and massive rock formations. A landing pad takes up a chunk of the front exterior. As we circle around it, we catch a glimpse of the decently sized training field that tappers off in to a cliff I saw in May’s hologram. Smaller, yet space-consuming, turrets house the five families around the main castle on their five separate islands. Bridges connect the five separate towers together, appearing new and with little use. Probably since everyone here can fly to where they need to go. But what do I know.

May sets our craft down gently on a landing pad adjacent to the main courtyard filled with trimmed, decorative hedges. The Barretta Committee, five kings and queens, mournfully wait for us. Surrounding them are armed soldiers with their metallic bows and arrows at the ready. Draped blue and purple kimonos coated in geometric designs differentiate royalty from soldiers. Soldiers stand wearing armor blankets weighing down their vibrant billowing feathers. At the press of a button, the blankets meld with the bird’s bodies and it turns into battle armor.

“I wonder if they greet other foreign dignitaries with bows and arrows?” I rhetorically ask, “Do any of them smile? I remember Barretta being a lovely planet with welcoming bird people.”

“Yeah, well,” May keeps her eyes forward, “The last time you were here you were incarnated in a bird body. Barrettans tend to trust only their people.”

“Great.” I bemoan unbuckling my four-point harness in unison with Vakander and May.

Vakander presses a button and releases the rear ramp, “It was nice seeing you two again. Have fun on Barretta and Exile, Spike.”

May walks ahead of me. I’m taken aback and stare at him confused.

“You aren’t coming with us?” Trust me. Vakander isn’t the most interesting soul to hang around. But he’s useful to have around when you need to make an escape from a hostile planet.

“Nope. I have my own part in this war to tend to.”

“You’re not going to tell me?”

“Look, you’re on a need-to-know basis. Survive Exile. You’ll see me once that’s over. We’ll catch up then. For now, worry about what’s in front of you. You’ll have enough time to worry about what I’m dealing with.” Vakander grabs my hands in his, “Be careful out there, buddy. Hopefully, the next time I see you, you’re not left jaded by this clunky part of the universe.”

“Too late to not be jaded.” I sarcastically drawl out my self-deprecating commentary, “I’ve just been rescued from eight centuries worth of enslavement. And everyone is pointing weapons at me already. Can’t tell where I’m safer, here or Tempus?”

You start to feel numb to your own suffering when seen through hindsight. You diminish it because others have been through worse experiences. It never seems like it will live up to the stories of beings having their homes and families ripped away from them.

“All I’m saying is find it in you to remember the end goal of this life.”

“And what is that?” There’s never been an end goal. My thoughts are in constant escape mode. Escape is the endless thought when you are fleeing from a captor. How does one think of a life after they were told they were destined to die young in an endless loop?

“For you to live, here, present and in the moment.” Vakander buries his good-luck necklace in my hand. A pendant with the seven symbols of the Ethereals dangles off a leather strand. The seven Ethereals were a symbol of unity through community in our galaxy. One could not live as a whole while the community suffered or went missing. Vakander continues, “Us adults made a mess, now we’re trying to clean it up with our children.” He smiles, “Go. Don’t keep your May waiting. See you in the near future.”

I put on the necklace and give him a hug. Vakander awkwardly and stiffly holds me unsure of how to handle the affection. Affection was not normal between Templite family members.

I pull away and run towards the cargo door.

“Don’t die, Vakander,” I yell behind me clanking my feet against the metal of the Craft. I run down the ramp and catch up to May. May stands bowing in front of the Barretta Committee and I follow her lead. Behind us, the Craft slowly rises into the air far above the height of the mountains. Then, it makes a hasty exit.

The soldiers fix their weapons on me.

Honestly, I did nothing directly to these people. I don’t understand why they have to greet me in such a disrespectful manner. The last time I was here I was royalty. Now I’ve been demoted to war criminal. I recognize all these people except some of the soldiers.

Vesta, the queen in the middle of the two other couples, speaks in an accent that sways like a song, “Welcome Spike. May your addition to our team deem valuable,” Sheesh, that’s a harsh way of saying hi, “We have work to do. We will monitor and evaluate your work. I will be the voice of my fellow colleagues in deciding if we allow you to remain among us.”

May pats my back and pinches it. That’s my cue.

“And may I prove my worthiness to everyone here,” I smile in the professional way of saying screw-you-yet-thank-you. The good ole corporate smile.

The Barretta Committee, except Vesta, fear smiling more than frowning. Each one taking relentless turns glaring at me like I killed their children. They aren’t seeing me right now. They are seeing past me. They are seeing other Time Keepers destroying their Barretta from the inside. See, as a Time Absorber I would be planted on different planets as a member of their race at any age to gather intelligence. The intelligence would be recorded with our eyes and ears and then sent off through our Placenta Pod Data Links to the Central Birthing Unit. From there, the information would be sorted through different channels and secretaries. Domestic affairs and war issues went straight to Kairos. Threats and civil unrest between the planets were Avi’s division. And the soldiers were given intel on armies and weak spots in the government. The sharing of information then leads to an attack on a planet or the Cleansing. The Cleansing was Kairos using his Pulse ability Shadow Poison to infect an entire planet with a toxic poison that fed off the natural resources. If a planet required iron or water for hydration, the Shadow Poison would taint the supply leaving no visible trace. And anyone who drank the water would slowly become a pawn for Kairos. The Pulse would attack the brain until the person could no longer control themselves. From there, Kairos could utilize the newly corrupted citizens to turn on their own people. They were to take the planet by any means necessary. Kairos would then send his own soldiers to finish the job. One Time Absorber in the correct position of government or as the child of a government official could take the whole planet down. Exile citizens being the only beings in the universe to be able to counter the poison’s control.

As a Time Absorber, they would extract me, change my form, send me to a different planets to act as a sleeper agent, and repeat the never-ending cycle of spying. Since I was last here, Kairos invaded in his mission to Cleanse the universe. Obviously, he didn’t win because their society still stands strong, but he was successful enough to earn me resting-bird-faces from every single being on this planet.

“Good,” Vesta twirls robotically, “Follow me.”

* * *

Vesta guides us through a dark hallway underneath the castle lit by neon glowing flowers.

“Dallies make good for light in the dark but are poison to the touch. Be careful if you come upon them through your journeys. Dallies are also good indicators of allies and friends,” She says as she turns right to a fifty-foot archway. Beyond the archway are spiral stone staircases going up, down, and diagonally leading to countless chambers. The endless domed ceilings etched with black and gold paintings of old war victories and galactic battles run down like bleeding ink to where we stand. Royal guards perch on stone branches scattered and camouflaged all over the building.

“Welcome to our Orphanage,” Vesta smiles proud of herself.

“This is an Orphanage?” I ask astonished.

“We believe everyone should be given the same opportunities no matter where you come from or your circumstances. We house refugees here as well. You will be staying here while you train our soldiers. Your roommate will help you train your comrades.”

“Why do I have to have a roommate?” This place seems nice enough to have enough rooms to house people individually.

King Numitor bites at me, “We grant you protection. You put our people in danger by being here and this is how you thank us by complaining about sharing a room.”

Vesta holds her hand up for him to stop, “He is our guest.”

“He is no guest of mine.” Numitor stares at me as if he recognizes me. I stare back at him silently.

“Yes, he is. He is a powerful ally to have,” Vesta adds, “But an even greater foe if it were to come to that. Which side would you rather him be on, ours or theirs?”

Theirs. There it is.

Numitor and his wife turn away from me in disgust and anguish. My guilt pushes my eyes to Vesta.

“We’ve given each of our soldiers a roommate because trust is a fickle concept,” Vesta explains as she holds her hands together, “We want you to be protected while you are here for you have more enemies in this fortress than friends, but we also want to make sure you are not a rhino-boar in a feather-cleep’s clothing. Do you understand?”

Her understanding of Venus animals is skewed slightly.

Say no more.

I have trust issues too, girl. I have no point in double crossing them even if I really wanted to.

I nod.

“Great,” Vesta cheers, “I’ll take you to your chambers. My colleagues have other, more important matters to attend to.”

May grabs my arm, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“You’re not coming with us?” I ask slightly worried.

“No, I have my own tasks to get ready. I’ll call for you in the morning before breakfast.”

May follows the Committee Members down another corridor leaving me alone once again.

Chapter 7: Thea: The Fourth Dimension

My life plays before my eyes. I am no longer in control of my body. A back seat driver to my own story. My soul floats in the air as a loose, purple flame formation. Trapped as an observer.

“Souls don’t always fight so hard after they pass.” A detached voice explains to me, “They usually cross over in to the Cataclysm Realm and live their happy little lives in ignorance.”

Am I stuck here?

“No, you can leave whenever you want.” Pan. He’s using my body as a vessel.

You poisoned my kingdom.

“That is no longer any of your concern. Death frees you from all ties to the physical world.”

Then why did you fight so hard to steal my body.

“You were already dead. You didn’t need it anymore.”

Pan deflects the question.

I will find a way to destroy you.

“Will you, my dear? What power does a soul have?”

To avenge an entire kingdom.

“Well, your voice has become rather bothersome and repetitive?” Pan sighs, “You have two choices: sit back and enjoy the show, or, you can garner resentment and unresolved dreams in the Fourth Dimension.”

Pan slices the air with my fingernail. Threads of the universe open to the Fourth Dimension.

“Find peace. You do not need to see your people suffer. Or, remain trapped in the pit of darkness I crawled out from. Your choice.”

What did my people do to you?

“Your people did nothing to me personally. But when one of the biggest armies in the universe threatens our chances of taking over the galaxy. We have no choice but to take them out.”

The darkness calls to me. It sings a melody of reassurance. I’m tugged in two directions. My people or the unknown.

Take the leap, Thea. An unknown voice tells me.

I look out of my eyes to the kingdom I lost. I promise that I will come back to restore you.

“I thought you were going to destroy me.”

I wasn’t talking to you. I roam in to the darkness and accept the tragic song. My soul tears open as the uncertain Threads close behind me. Yet, the darkness feels like home.

Chapter 8: Cassius & the Ropes - Day 1

Vesta leads me up the diagonal spiral staircases with two soldiers on our heels. I try to ignore the perched birds aiming their weapons at me ready to strike. They hungrily wait for me to take a breath in the wrong direction.

“Is this your first time on Barretta?” Vesta tries to make some sort of conversation as we walk up what seems like ten stories.

“I was reincarnated here once. It was before Barretta attacked Gamma-2.”

“Ah, yes. I remember those years. They were so calm like a morning wind. A breeze that led to a storm we were not completely prepared for.”

“I never visited the Orphanage before. This is nice.”

“It is quite something else.”

There’s an awkward pause.

“What’s wrong with Numitor?”

“He is afraid of you. Fear makes men angry. You’re a foreign concept to him.”

“You’re not afraid of me.”

“Should I be?” Vesta smirks like if she could snap my neck with one of her feathers.

“No.”

“Well, I won’t be. If you create a reason to be feared, then I will have to take care of you another way. Besides, how can I be afraid of someone wanting to stop Kairos? We have a similar goal. Stop the Cleansing. What Numitor doesn’t understand is that a war can’t be won with just your own people. If you start thinking like the enemy, you unwittingly become them. We have to unite as partners to accomplish this feat. Even if we are the most unlikely of partners.”

To be honest, I have never wanted anything to do with the war. I just really want to dethrone and murder Kairos. A vicious cat and mouse game that I never win. But doing that requires war.

“Do you think it can be done? Do you think Kairos can finally be beaten?”

“There are multiple possible outcomes. If we play it right, then we could win, otherwise we will lose. But if we don’t try to overthrow him, then we’ve lost already. We can’t stand around and allow him to continue his awful actions. I saw a world before this war. War is not my normal. I want to return to my normal, but we cannot do that if we don’t fight. If not for me or you, then for future generations of beings that will exist.”

“That’s the thing. Let’s say we defeat him. Won’t there just be another being like Kairos who will want to rule the universe?”

“Of course. And when that time comes, future generations will have to decide if they’re going to allow it to happen. But those are worries for the future. One dictator at a time.” Vesta reaches a landing and cocks her head towards a dark hallway, “C’mon, let’s show you to your room.”

Vesta opens the door to my room. A stoic balding man in his late thirties stares through me with his dark brown eyes. Black glasses give him a sense of maturity. He wears a black dress shirt and black cargo jeans tucked in black boots. The dark grey room made of rock is barren except for two beds.

“What took you so long?” He barks at me.

“Excuse me?” I respond.

“Spike,” Vesta interrupts the weirdness of this situation, “This is Cassius. I’ll leave you two so you can get to know each other. Others call for my attention.”

Vesta runs out of the hallway and jumps off the platform releasing her wings. She slowly glides out of sight.

“You were supposed to be here a week ago.” He stands up two inches taller than me.

“I didn’t exactly plan my escape in a certain time frame. I didn’t plan it at all really. I was kinda taken hostage. And how did you know I was supposed to be here a week ago?”

“Thea told me.”

I stare at him wide eyed. The last time I saw Thea she had a blade in her chest. She was dying on Lykos under Avi’s hand. Jimmy and I fought off Kairos until we were overwhelmed.

“Am I supposed to know who that is?” I feign ignorance. My memories are slowly trickling back so it’s not entirely a lie.

“She said you two have met in another lifetime.” Cassius sees through my bullshit.

“Look, I’ve met thousands of people,” I continue the nasty façade, “You really have to narrow it down with a picture or a really good drawing of the person. Is she somewhere around here? Or...”

Cassius stares at me confused, “They haven’t told you what we’re doing here, huh?”

“Training soldiers? Searching for the remaining Artifacts once I get back most of the memories from the Artifacts they do have? Deal with some Siren Cannibals?” I say the bare bones version.

Cassius touches his chest and closes his eyes. A faded teal translucent string appears from Cassius’s chest and trails out the door. He plucks the string, and it expands into a giant image. He zooms out on the stringed image. The more he zooms out the further you can see the string trailing out of the castle and off Baretta. The string extends onto Exile. From Exile, he zooms in on Exile to where the string is leading to a vast wilderness area full of ruins. As he completely zooms in on the end of the string, it disappears into a circular zone of clouded nothingness.

“What am I looking at?”

“This is where we’re going. We have to follow this string to this place. Thea is hidden behind where my powers are being blocked out. Siren Cannibals have this kind of effect on my powers. Their Siren Song unravels my Ropes. We are going there to rescue the Royal Lycan Wolves.”

The “missing” labels  beside Jimmy and Thea in the documents May gave me make more sense. Vesta is lying to both of us. I don’t know how yet but everything isn’t adding up. My knowledge of Siren Cannibals. The wolves being taken hostage by a harmless race of beings painted as evil. Vesta’s plan to train the Orphans. She is moving pieces without Cassius knowing. I feel for the guy. His unwavering faith, in a deceptive leader leading him blindfolded in to the darkness, is impressive.

“They told me we were going to Exile to get rid of the Siren Cannibals?”

“That’s their main mission. Mine is different. I’m going there to help get Thea away from the Siren Cannibals.”

“What makes you so sure she’s still alive? Sorry to say this but Siren Cannibals usually don’t let their prey survive the night.” I tease. “They even eat the bones of their victims. You get the best vitamins from bones, you know.”

“Our hearts are still tethered by these Ropes. If she had died...” Cassius pauses at the though, he is trying to ignore the thought, “Or if anything bad happened to her, the Ropes would be frayed. That’s how I know she’s safe.”

“So, your Ropes show love connections?” I prod.

“They show all sorts of relationships and special bonds.”

“But no boy travels to a hellhole to save any girl unless...”

He interrupts me, “She’s a good friend.”

My eyes go wide, “Look, I’m a complete stranger. You don’t have to prove anything to me. If you want to cherish a random stranger with your love tool, that’s none of my business.”

“You may not remember her, but you will speak about her with respect.” Cassius commands while towering over me. He doesn’t scare me. I respect a moody man in love. He isn’t bad looking either. Not too fit, more of a dad bod but a good time for a nice girl.

I drop the taunting.

“Can I be candid with you lover boy?”

“Please enlighten me.”

“I was told we were going to Exile to save children from Siren Cannibals. Something about their life forces being drained.”

“We still have to do that. But we have another mission on top of it. Save Thea and Jimmy.”

“You don’t need to trust me, but please listen to what I have to say next. Vesta is lying to you.”

“How can you say that? She is sheltering you here. You’re the liar. You’ve been here five seconds, and you act like you don’t know Thea.”

“I do know her. I can tell you about the last time I saw her. She had a sword in her heart.”

“That’s not possible.”

“The last time you saw her. Was she acting odd?”

“She’s been off ever since her kingdom was attacked by Templites like you. Her mother went missing too.”

“Templites like me?” I scoff, “Well, I was fighting by her side against the Templites. Thea might not be on our side anymore.”

“Then, why would she be helping Vesta find your Artifacts?”

“Was she always helping find the Artifacts or did she start the day after the Templite attack?”

Cassius remains in thought. His mind not wanting to respond.

“The day after the Templite attack.” He responds.

“Do you know what I hid on Exile?”

“An Artifact.”

I raise my eyebrows.

“What are you getting at?” He asks.

“Souls of beings with unresolved trauma end up in the Fourth Dimension. When a being dies in the universe, if their death creates a tear in the universe, a fourth dimensional soul can jump in to their body and take over.”

“You’re saying Thea died?”

“Yes.”

“So, who is in her body?”

“Who benefits from finding my Artifacts?”

“An advisor for Kairos.”

I nod.

“I know this is a lot to process. Leaders like Vesta have to lie to us. Right? If they tell us too much, we run the danger of telling others. And not everyone is trustworthy. You’re one of two people, maybe three, if you include that Vesta bird lady, that I know on this planet that doesn’t instantly want to kill me. Your anger stems from a severe case of blue balls. Yes, I just met you but besides this whole angsty lover-boy act, you seem like you’d be a cool person. I’m willing to help you if you cut the “you-were-supposed-to-save-my-fake-girlfriend” act.”

“You have no choice. You have to help me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I don’t need to be here, but they offered an army to protect me, in turn I train their best soldiers. They give me food to eat, and a place to sleep. I’m as selfish as you are...”

“I’m not selfish.”

“But you are. I’m here to stay alive. You’re going to Exile to save your damsel in distress. I’m here to do the bare minimum and appease my landlords, the Barretta Committee. You’ll allow many men to die before you allow her to die. We’re the same person. Now relax. If she’s safe, then she’s safe. But I’m here to do whatever needs to be done to survive and to kill Kairos.”

“But how do you know she’s safe?”

I know that’s not what Cassius wants to hear. I know he wants to hear that I’m a valiant hero willing to give up my life for the universe. The sad truth is that I’m still trying to follow my destiny with survival in mind. Everyone in this dreadful galaxy is just trying to survive, aren’t we? A cast full of ensemble characters told they mean the world, but they’re just dots in the background. Somewhere, in another universe, I’ve lost this war or won it. I don’t know. All I know is I’m alive now awaiting my trials ahead.

“So... you’ll help me?” Cassius questions me.

“Yes. Every knight needs a reason to run into battle.”

I lie on the bed with my hands behind my head and Cassius squints his eyes at me angrily.

“Why are you so heartless? Why don’t you care about anything or anyone?”

His question is loaded and has many answers to it.

How do you explain to someone that you want to go home? That you want to go home, and no one will let you. That home was where you were raised and all your good memories except the newest terrors lie. That the bad men took over and now you can’t go home. Home is not always a place. It is sometimes the feeling of elsewhere. It can just be a concept. Not always a regional area. Home was my grandfather. My castle. My past lovers. The minute experiences in between that really mattered.

It’s not that I don’t care. It’s that I am numb. Everything was taken away from me. All anyone can ever care about is who I am because of Kairos and his Cleansing of the universe. They see me and I am the enemy. They know no better because their leaders have pointed fingers and said that I am the enemy. They do not see that my planet was colonized. That good people were taken over by external forces full of selfish and evil beings. Templites were not always evil. They did not have a negative connotation to their name when my grandpa ruled. But, in this day and age, the people who look like me and act like me are now the face of evil. To them, I am evil incarnate waiting to murder their loved ones. My grandfather, Titus Kronos, was never that person. He was not the face of evil. He loved all and he cared for all beings. I am not him. But he is the person I look up to when everyone stares at me with contention. I look to the very few memories of him when unrelenting daggered eyes judge me for breathing. I am not a burden for existing. People like my grandfather will exist in the future. People like my grandfather are my people. I believe that somewhere on Tempus and the remaining planets surrounding Tempus, his people are still there too. They wait for us. They wait for our people to unite as one and overcome the mess Kairos has made. That’s why I decide to help this helpless puppy leashed to their possessed owner.

There are no words that you can explain to a person who is not in your skin, not in your shoes, that can ever explain your experience. I long for the day where my people are not categorized by the actions of a corrupting entity. I long for the day that I am home, and my people have had their homes restored.

“I care about humanity when it cares about me. I care about friends when they’re mine. I know no one here except a few people. I could cut six fingers off my hands and still have to cut a few more in order to count the people I care about.”

I have no one. Sure, May and Vakander saved me but after how long.

Why should I care about Thea? Why should I care what Vesta wants? They are using me the same way I am using them.

“Such a sad shameful life to live. Not caring about anyone.”

I bite my cheek and frown, “I didn’t choose this life. It was given to me. So, I must do as much as I can with it. When it starts giving me meaning, I promise you I’ll start caring.”

“That’s an ugly way of thinking.”

“Have you seen a being die right in front of your eyes?”

“Of course, I have.”

“What if everyone you always cared about always died? And you were reborn each time to watch them die again in your memories? Reborn to love anew and watch new lovers die as well. Never remembering them completely because you erased your own memories so Kairos wouldn’t find your loved ones? But still remember a whisper of who they were. What they meant to you. All those feelings coming back while struggling to unlock full memories that can only be unlocked by Artifacts. Would you care about anyone then? Or would you love numbly and desensitized by the gruesome reality of your existence?”

Silence.

I smile, “A grim thought I know. That’s where I’m at. I’ve lived too long and am too tired of this existence.”

“No,” he pauses, “I would still care about people. I would want the galaxies to change my fate and design a new storyline.”

“If only it were that simple to want something and get it.” A foolish thought from a boy who has lived only one life. Tragedy. Jealously. Misery. Ignorance. Death. Post cards sent to the back of my eye lids as I sleep every night. Every life I lived felt real until I was onto the next. Every new body acquired new skills. Every partner lost to the cosmos ripped from my warm hands until they turned to ice.

There are days I feel agony for a long-lost love I don’t remember. Because my most precious memories are locked in the Artifacts. Glimpses of incoherent befores and afters. Memories that might as well be fever dreams with no rhyme or reason. I remember Thea and Jimmy because I hid my power in the Artifact and not my actual memories of my life with them. I let Avi and Kairos see my happy existence with them. Almost all of my Artifacts contain unlocked memories I stored to detach myself from feeling all those emotions all the time. So, to put it plain and simple, I have memories of very little from my past lives. I made sure to retain specific knowledge in case I ever needed it.

I do remember Jimmy’s touch. His embrace. Every affectionate touch. Our fairytale romance that made me feel immortal and invincible.

I remember Thea and her love for her people. Her love for me. The day she found out I was a Templite, she was ready to fight for me tooth and nail when she realized I was trying to escape Avi and Kairos. I had told her of the gruesome and sadistic torture they dragged me through with each lifetime and she was ready for blood.

I do want to help Thea. But just as much as I want to help her and will help her, I want to forget. It’s easier to forget. To ignore pain and hope it doesn’t fester like an open infected wound.

I’m helping him because of Thea and her love for me. She should not have showed me the love and welcoming she did. She should not have shown me that she cared. She had every right to see me as the enemy and she didn’t. But I don’t want to remember her. Selfish as it might be. I hate Cassius in this moment for opening old wounds. I hate him for reminding me that I failed to save her. That she lost her life that day trying to protect me, and I still didn’t have enough power within me to stop Kairos from taking me back to Tempus.

And now, we have been thrown again in to political games with too many moving pieces for me to form a completed picture.

I turn to my side facing away from him. I draw imaginary objects with my finger on the grey stone walls.

“How do you get over losing someone?” He asks me. I hear the springs jump up and down as he plops on the bed.

“Find it in yourself to pull through.”

“How do I do that?”

“Trust in your power. Trust that it’s telling you the truth. Intuition seems like an old Epsilon’s tale but if your power is telling you she’s unharmed, believe it. Confidence in one’s self is important in a selfish world.”

He asks me one last question after a pause, “How can I trust you?”

“By allowing me to show you who I am. If I betray you, you’ll learn the hard way. If I don’t, maybe we could be friends after that.”

I’m pretty sure he asks me a million more questions, but I’m knocked out before I can answer anymore.

Chapter 9: UNKNOWN

I sneak through the sewer grates and air vents.

Air vents are usually easier to work with since I can manipulate the hot air to shoot me up through them faster. The carved wooden jester mask doesn’t help the crippling claustrophobia.

Numitor is next on my list. I’ve killed enough “innocent” birds. Each one helped her. They helped her carry out their plan against my people. I know it would be easier to collapse their whole society but I don’t want that. Barretta is still an important planet to stand against Kairos. He is the true enemy.

Killing each remaining surviving general and soldier that helped her will bring me some peace. Vengeance is satisfying. Those who say vengeance is never the answer have never felt it. I want everyone with blood on their hands dead so that they can’t do it again to anyone else.

I stand at the ceiling vent above Numitor’s room with a katana at the ready. He dies today.

The voices stop me from rushing in to the room.

“You intel is important to me.”

“Destroy her, Kairos.”

“Easy. We get to finish what we started centuries ago. With Barretta gone, we only have a few planets standing in our way.”

Numitor, you fucking slimy ass bastard. It never fucking ends does it.

They continue their conversation pointing out weak spots in the Barretta Castle and Orphanage. The portal closes and Numitor lays down to rest in a separate bed from his wife. She cries in another room saying a familiar name over and over again.

The name echoes in my brain lingering on my tongue.

I wait until the sobbing stops before moving through the vents to Numitor’s other bed. I quietly pop open the vent and use the hot air to float on top of Numitor. I straddle his sides locking my legs under his body as I hold the katana to his throat.

“You’ve come for me.” Numitor quakes.

“Of course.” I press the Katana to his neck.

“I waited years for this moment. What a bad time. No matter. End it. Kairos will end all of us.”

“Oh, I heard. Small mercies.”

“That information dies with me.”

“I’m not killing you. Not yet.” I jump off of him and grab a book off his dresser. I throw it at him. The book groans as it hits his chest. With my other hand, I grab an ink well and place it in his hand. I pluck one of his feathers and hold it out for him. He grabs it shaking.

“What do you want me to do with this?”

“Write down every weak spots in the castle you told him, where we lack soldiers, and the quantity of soldiers he would need to destroy Barretta.”

“I’d rather die right now.”

“Gladly,” I throttle the loose skin at the back of his neck and start dragging him out of the room.

“Wait. Where are you taking me?”

“Vesta.”

“No. I’d rather die a quick death.”

I throw him on the ground, “Write the plan down.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“You will die when the time comes. But I will protect mine.”

Chapter 10: ASHLEY: Allies and Foes - Day 1

The beautiful, curvy Epsilon girl motions for me to join her. I would do anything this goddess incarnate told me to do. Her hand closes in a claw and goes to her mouth. She wants us to have breakfast together. We had breakfast together every morning since I arrived on Barretta. I assume they placed me in the same room as Marina the moment I went crazy on the bird soldiers. They were doing nothing to save my people. They sent no Crafts that I know of to Flounce. No plans were being made to send aid to save my planet.

It has been approximately ten Flounce days since I barely escaped the invasion of my planet. For some odd reason, no one, not even Vesta, has given me a Lingua Vile. Lingua Viles allow our tongues to vibrate at different frequencies while directed at different beings. The new frequencies allow language barriers to be removed.

For ten days, I have drawn detailed pictures of Flounce, of my family, and the fairy warriors that visit my dreams. This was our best form of complex communications. Marina picked through them when I was done and smiled. She always wants another drawing. She gets excited to know more about who the fairies were, but I can only explain so much before we descend into mumbles of incoherent frustration.

The other day, she sounded out her name to me in a strange Epsilon accent. What I assume must be Marina. But it could be anything. She trained me for two hours on saying her name correctly.

Marina and the drawings have kept me sane in an insane world. What do you do when all you want to do is lash out on everyone but you have to remain calm because you’re on foreign land? How do you keep your anger bottled up when the enemy is out there destroying your home? And you can’t do one thing about it. What do you do when you feel helpless? So full of power yet nowhere for it to go. How do you not lash out at everyone around you?

Ten days and no Lingua Vile administered. Ten days of living on a planet where no one speaks my language. They don’t look like me. They aren’t the people I loved and left behind to stay safe from death. And they do the bare minimum to help.

Marina grabs my face and rubs my cheeks. She places her forehead on mine. She does this every time I lose myself in a trance. I tend to get lost lately and quiet easily. Every time she sees me lose my mind to the rage, she reels me back in. I nod.

I start to cry and rock back and forth. Marina stays with me until I’m ready to go. She plays with my messy, bright green hair and massages my pink hand. We stay there for another ten minutes before we leave.

* * *

Bird soldiers grab their lunches from a gaping hole in the side of a chamber where a missile must have burst the wall open. We wake up earlier than the other Orphans. Not that it matters since we don’t interact with them. It’s already hard enough trying to understand Marina. I don’t need more people to try and figure out. I don’t want to give the wrong impression to someone who I just met.

The dining chamber is a vast, open chamber with vaulted ceilings. Round ajar windows relieve the cafeteria of all scents and heat coming from the kitchen. One hundred tables that hold a hundred soldiers. Each table spans for what feels like miles. Chatter is constantly filling the empty spaces between their festered conversations.

The birds eat seeds and gigantic worms sliced in to cubic pieces. Marina devours any meat and cheese she can find. My vegan diet is accommodated as best as possible with soggy fruits and lukewarm synthetic eggs and potatoes. There is no real dairy in the eggs. As far I’m concerned, they haven’t gotten me too sick so I keep eating them. Marina stares at my food in disgust and I laugh. I emote as best as I can to show that the food is bad but edible. I doubt Marina knows Flounce sign language. She shakes her head startled. Never is what she replies, or so I assume.

The ugly split-haired warlock bumps Marina’s shoulder forcing her to cough out her food. He sneers something in Epsilon. She jumps up to face him slinging insults back. They have some sort of beef going on. Ander and Epsilon share the same language because they used to be a unified nation thousands of years ago. They had a partial break up over land feuds that resulted in a vicious war. When too many innocent people died, both groups ironically decided peace was the best course of action. And since the vampires and dark warlocks threw the first stone, they self exiled themselves to the planet of Ander which already had vampires ruled over by Vakander. They were welcomed probably just as much as I was because vampire tensions between the Vakander Vampires and Old Epsilon Vampires soured. For a thousand years, they have remained stable through Vakander and dark warlocks keeping the peace. Even after Vakander fucked up and fucked the whole universe. Then, he turned his back on Kairos. The vampires remained loyal to Vakander. Thank you royal history lessons.

Fuck, a Lingua Vile would be so nice right now so I could join in on cussing him out.

Her voice gets louder and everyone in the dining room turns. The Warlock and Marina bicker until two birds separate them. The Warlock backs away from Marina laughing manically.

The moment the Warlock has food in his hand, Marina whispers an incantation. It seems like nothing happens until the Warlock spits out his food. He points at Marina and screams. He bites his thumb at Marina. She whispers again and the food smacks him in the face.

The purple haired, dark skinned werewolf twins, Celestia and Emory, sit at our table across from us. They’ve already had Lingua Viles administered on their home planet of Lykos. They are the only ones that can help Marina and I speak to each other properly.

Marina says something.

“She says that she wants to kill him.” Celestia translates for me.

“I figured,” I tell Celestia, “He’s a pain in the ass.”

“A pain in the ass that will be training with us.” Emory adds.

Marina scoffs and tells them something.

Celestia stops eating, “A Templite is in the castle?”

Marina nods and continues.

“Why didn’t Vesta tell us about him?” Emory asks.

Marina shrugs.

“She said that a Templite arrived not too long ago and that she saw him with Vesta on the way to the showers before breakfast.” Celestia explains to me.

“Why would a Templite be in the castle? I thought they were the bad guys.”

“I did too,” Celestia sighs, “I’m not worried. Emory and I have been dying to taste Templite blood.”

Celestia loses focus. Jupiter, Jenny, and Alejandra sit two tables down.

Jupiter throws glances at Celestia and waves.

“She knows your blind, right?” Emory sneers.

“I heard her, so I sent Vibrations out to see her,” Celestia adds. From the little time I spent with Celestia, Vibrations are sonic waves she emits in to the world, like echolocation, in order for her to navigate it a little better.

“Then, wave back.” Emory says.

Celestia waves awkwardly. Jupiter sits down and doesn’t look back.

“She wants you to chase her.” I add.

Marina says something.

“She is very pretty.” Celestia responds, “But I don’t know what to say or talk about.”

“We’re all adults,” Emory pokes her, “We don’t just need to talk, you know. I don’t use Tommy for talking. His mouth works for other things.”

“It doesn’t feel right to just use someone for sex either.” Celestia sighs, “One day. I’ll shoot my shot.” 

“Have you asked Vesta about our Lingua Viles?” I change the subject.

“Yes,” Celestia groans, “She said to wait again. During training, they will administer a vile to every trainee. It’s ridiculous. She has her reasons for everything. Everything is a lesson for us to learn on our own. Vesta seems more on edge than usual.”

“It’s probably the Templite’s fault.” Emory adds.

“No,” Celestia shakes her head, “Her and Cassie have both been acting suspicious lately. Their heart rates are off. Besides the Flounce invasion, there is something going on they aren’t telling us about yet.”

Marina is about to say something when the twin birds show up. Adrian and Heather fly through the breakfast room singing, dancing, and shooting arrows. They do everything in their power for attention.

“Not these fuckers.” Emory rolls his eyes, “They always get feathers in my kibble.”

“Yeah,” Celestia gets up with her food and walks out of the dining room, “I’ve had enough fun for today, I’m taking my food to go.”

She extends her walking cane and leaves.