Bindery Books | Spike's Last Life: Chapter 11

We zip through the dining room doing our performance. Our feathers fly all over. Some feathers aimed at pre-placed targets on the walls and others can’t find direction. I force myself to try and control them. Adrian shoots four arrows as a signal to enter into our third act. The four arrows release four stages hovering in the air. We fly around the stages full of fire hoops, water spouts, and spinning landscapes.

After a few minutes, our feathers are aimed at the final targets left on the stages. They whistle striking the targets. Adrian and I fling our arrows in the shape of a War Bird onto the ceiling. The crowd cheers and applauds our show. A few birds cry. They love to see us honoring the bravest sacrifice a bird soldier can make by sacrificing their lives for their community. A last resort attempt at protecting the planet, the honorable War Bird.

The first time I ever saw a War Bird high in the sky – a bunch of bird bodies fused together to create an aerial strike – was the day Gamma-2 attacked Barretta. Three War Birds hovered in the air taking out the last of the Gamma-2 armies. Our parents were soldiers in the war. Both willingly ready to give up their lives for us. That was the last day I saw our parents.

Adrian shouted at the sky cursing our parents as Gamma-2 soldiers fled for the mountains behind the castle. To this day, there is a forest we are not allowed to enter because lingering Gamma-2 soldiers are heard to be living there. They live in underground catacombs and caves. Every once and awhile you see a fire come up from the mountains and know it’s them.

Endless tears streamed down everyone’s faces. But mother always said to smile. Smile on the bad days. Smile on the good days. Never let them see how they break you. Never let them prove that their actions negatively affected you. The night we lost our parents, I patted Adrian on the back and whispered to him, “We’re going to be fine, Adrian. Mother and father’s souls will always be with us and they will always protect us. Smile. One day, we will have our chance at revenge.”

Chapter 12: Jenny: Journal Entry

Alejandra and Jupiter,

Vesta wants me to record an account of what happened on Venus. She says it is important to keep accurate historical records in case Venus ever becomes fully habitable again. Our records can help override the Templite propaganda that filters out our voices. She says people must learn from their elders. I never thought I would make it this far. When you’re in the middle of an invasion, all you can think about is surviving. When you’ve been burned alive and left for dead, you don’t expect to come back. When the scientist pokes and prods at you with her experimental hands, you picture a future where misery is not your everyday, but you never assume that you will survive.

I miss my home. I miss my books. I miss my family.

* * *

Mom used to make tamales on the seventh day of every month because she said it was lucky. I don’t think there was any Melivian lore behind that. I think she just made them for me. I love the tamales de res, tamales verdes, tamales de rajas, and tamales de freza (without the weird raisins). She would come over on the seventh of every month to drop them off to our apartment. We lived in that three-bedroom apartment in a high rise in the middle of the city. My mom and I would take the tamales out on to the balcony, eat them, and talk about everything. We had a crude sense of humor that Alejandra could never get out of her. After all, Alejandra gravitated more towards dad and was a papi’s girl. I had my tamales and these conversations with my mom. They meant the world to me.

* * *

I miss Gaia City. The skyscrapers. The ocean that cradled the perimeter of the city sending salt mists over the edge. Our city held one billion citizens. The children of Nu, water elementals, who liked to cause mayhem by splashing entire waves against buildings whenever they were feeling bored. The smoky smell of Fuegos, fire born, playing fiery hacky-sack filled the carless streets. Me and my Gaia abilities and Alejandra with her nieve powers.

The forced proximity of everything cancelled out the need for cars. Entire Venus cities live under water now. Sea creatures that were found inside of melted icebergs were reanimated and reintroduced in to the wild, uninhabitable parts of our world. Science and technology created humanities greatest feats. And the misuse of it became our downfall. Our families and us three died in wild fires that ravaged our city. Wild fires brought about by technology’s mass deterioration of our ecosystem. Our bodies were charred close to ash. Preserved by Raven.

The Elementals were a positive side effect of deceased human reanimation that resulted in the Hybrid Robots - half-human and half-robots that never aged once they were created - and Rogue Robots – bots controlled by major corporations and malicious government entities. Our creator, Raven, formulated us, Hybrid and Rogue Robots, in to a perfect image to benefit human kind. But it was humans who corrupted that image.

I’m still traumatized by everything we went through in the revival process. Luckily, she created us with minimal need for maintenance and upkeep.

Rogue Robots and fascist groups took over all major cities. Regular people were cut off from the internet as a whole. Everything that connected the world through communication was destroyed. Only the New World Order, the singular government made up of all combined governments across the globe, was allowed to have access to the global networks. The subjugation of the human race caused many Hybrid Robots, like ourselves and our families, to flee all over the world to various safe havens. These havens gave us peace for a few years and allowed us to live normal lives until they were raided and we’d find new ones. All of us always lived a life on the run. It didn’t help that when ocean levels started rising, they pushed people inland and closer together. Oceans devoured the little land people had to run to that wasn’t controlled by the New World Order. Hundreds of years ago, our people flocked to Gaia, our circular city, helping regular humans and other uncorrupted robots live freely without being subjugated to slavery or death.

Hackers worked day and night to prevent the Rogue Robots and Hybrids Robots from finding us on our little self-sufficient island of Gaia. On their maps, our home looked like a sunken city in the ocean. A completely decimated wasteland with no future advancements in sight. Drones flew in the air every hour of the day masking our home from New World Order military planes. Venus as a planet no longer existed a long time ago.

Gaia was our final safe haven. Our last hidden city of this destroyed world.

And we were safe… until Kairos attacked.

* * *

Four Primary Elementals Created By Raven And Their Jobs In Our City:

(Other types of powers created through torture. The four primary elementals were integral to the functionality of the city and all protections against enemy forces.)

Gaia – Ground (City named after this element. All that involves the grounding elements in the universe).

Nu – Water (They can move water away from walls and drain any stray waves out of the city. They use water turbines to give power to the city.)

Fuego – Fire (Cooks, soldiers, and secondary Power Sources.)

Nieve – Ice (Soldiers, creating a wall of ice blocking tsunamis from hitting the main stone walls.)

(From what we learned from traveling outside of Venus is that Elementals are a natural occurrence in most societies besides Venus. Which begs the question: did Raven know that our society had not evolved to have those types of powers? And did she force evolution’s hand by creating us?)

* * *

Most Gaia Elementals like me worked in reinforcing walls around the city eroded by waves and molded to withstand a tsunami. We worked in shifts of ten each staggering rotations. Tsunamis came randomly and our alert systems always gave us enough time to construct various levels of walls to withstand a blow to the whole city. Nieve borns were tasked with freezing a wall of water before it hits our walls of stone.

Since the founding of our city, we have stopped ninety-six tsunamis from collapsing the city. There were ten close calls where the waves were too large and flooded the first three stories of each building. Evacuations procedures included how residents in the first three stories would move upward in case of flooding. An emergency evacuation system in each building would be set to trigger on separate floors. The system worked off sensors, cameras, and artificial intelligence. Ideally, it was created to help in any scenario for any evacuation. In a tsunami’s case, the alarms were meant to warn the next four floors that three stories below had been completely flooded. Prompting them to start grabbing their necessary belongings and moving upwards.

Tsunami Pods, scattered at every major intersection, would activate. All artificial intelligence in the city was powered by the remaining friendly A.I. software left on Venus, Wvyern. Wvyern’s programming used the Tsunami Pods to scoop up registered citizens and civilians drowned by any stray currents.

* * *

“Your turn for wall duty.” Alejandra woke me up in the middle of the night.

“Ugh, can you pull a double shift?” I told her still hungover from earlier tonight. Jupiter and I hosted a party for both of our families to celebrate my aunt’s engagement.

“Next time don’t drink so much before work.”

A thunderous crack erupted from dam walls surrounding the city. Alejandra and I ran to the window and saw a missile had taken out the north wall of the damn. Water flowed in rapidly activating Tsunami pods across the city and setting them to work.

“Have the Rogue Robots found us?” I asked Alejandra as we rushed to the closet and jumped in to our battle wet-suits. These suits were designed primarily for underwater skirmishes but worked moderately well above ground as well. A waterproof watch imbedded in the wet suit held a hologram calling system that could be used to contact different soldiers.

A Templite Ship glimmered slightly camouflaged by the night sky. Templites on Pegasi swooped down above rescue pods and started blasting holes in them.

Jupiter crashed in to our room yelling, “Let’s fucking get going.”

Jupiter shot a Gravitational Ring at the window to break it. Her Gravitational Rings were gold and spun so fast they looked like neon vinyl records. They redistributed gravity and could be directed at beings and objects to slice through them. She grabbed us and sent a Gravitational Ring underneath all of us. It spun and sent us flying towards the Pegasi. Alejandra used her Nieve powers to blast icicle tridents at the Tsunami Pod attackers.

“Get me close to the wall so I can repair it.” I commanded Jupiter.

Alejandra hopped off the Gravitational Ring and ice skated on sky bridges she created from the water. Pulses opened all around her. She reflexively sent waves of solid ice on top of the Templites. They wailed as they were swallowed by the unrelenting solid waves. The Tsunami Pods went to pick up the Templites out of the water, but their navigation systems blurted out, “Unauthorized Rescue. Unknown Individual.”

Jupiter and I left Alejandra behind. She angled me towards the wall and I strained to patch the enormous hole. The rubble rose blackened and mismatched. I reshaped it and melded the remaining useable fragments.

The was was newly sealed. Water stopped flowing through the walls, but the damage was already done. All Tsunami Pods were activated. The city lay under six stories of water. Nu Elementals activated drainage systems in the remaining walls pushing the water back to sea.

Another missile appeared in the air above us pointed at the eastern wall. Jupiter launched herself at the missile. Her rings spun around the projectile until it was facing the Ship. She released it. The explosive struck the haul of the Ship. Fiery Pegasi and Templites rained from the sky. Not enough to send the Ship crashing in to the sea. Just enough to take a chunk of their soldiers out.

Two missiles, aimed at the east and west walls, appeared. Jupiter immediately sent the missiles back at the Ship. The entire Ship was on fire.

The invasion temporarily stopped.

* * *

In the break from fighting, Alejandra killed the remaining Pegasi and Templites. Jupiter collected Alejandra and flew us to the roof of the city hall building. The Tsunami Pods collected the rest of the civilians from the surrounding buildings.

Darius, a dark skinned Fuego and overseer of the city, met us on the stone roof of the City Hall building.

Jupiter landed beside him exhausted. She collapsed on the ground heaving.

“That’s a Templite Ship.” Darius started, “We have to evacuate to the sea.”

“Split the Elementals,” Alejandra suggested, “Take half of them with you in the Tsunami Pods and the rest leave to defend the city.”

“What about all of you?” He grabbed Alejandra’s hand and stared at her longingly.

“I’ll… We’ll be fine. Go. Save all of them.”

“Have you figured out what they’re after?” Jupiter asked through heavy breaths.

“My best guess is we had a Time Absorber among us at some point and they revealed our location.” He shook his head. “But to have a Templite army after us is off.”

“What could they be looking for?” I asked.

“No guesses here.” Darius grabbed Alejandra by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss. Once they stopped, he laughed, “If we’re going to die, I want you to know I love you.”

“I love you too.” Alejandra replied to him.

Darius started running downstairs, “I’ll see you in the next life.”

“Or in this one hopefully.” Alejandra’s eyes drooped as he left.

The Tsunami Pods continued evacuating the city. Prehistoric sea creatures collided with Pods while others remained impaled on skyscrapers. The Pods entered buildings and scooped people from their homes. People brought supplies to last the Pods a week’s worth of food. As the Pods reached capacity, they grew legs and started crawling over the walls, dead sea creatures, and jumped in to the sea. One by one, the Pods slowly combined in to a larger undersea vessel.

Nu Elementals returned the sea over the wall draining the streets. Shells, coral, and sea weeds filled the streets.

Thirty thousand Fuego, Nu, Nieve, and Gaia Elementals filled the city streets ready to push back the next wave of attacks.

A red, dark figure floated down from the sky at the end of the empty street. He floated in front of the building we’re on like an impeding tsunami. Power radiating off of him. His fingers flicked. Corpses of Templites rose again. Their eyes blaring red. Undead bodies, full of puncture wounds Alejandra inflicted, contorting in a dance.

Fires turned corpses to ashes. Ice tridents and bridges took out hordes of the dead. Nu soldiers used the moisture from the shells and seaweed to drown their attackers. Spherical, stone enclosures crushed bodies.

“He’s bringing them back.” Jupiter stared baffled.

“He’s headed this way.” Alejandra offered up, “What the fuck does he want with us?”

“You did kill a lot of his soldiers.” I said.

“But for him to head our way. There are Elementals all around him taking out the corpses and he’s ignoring them.” Alejandra pointed out.

She was right. Elementals battled reanimated corpses all over the city. Every time the dead were taken out, they would spring back up good as new.

“We need to get out of here.” Alejandra warned, “I don’t want to leave the other Elementals but there’s a reason he’s coming this way, and I don’t want to find out why. And we can’t fight him.”

“We need a plan.” Jupiter stood spinning a Gravitational Ring underneath us. We floated in the air. “Let’s pull him away from the Tsunami Pods for now.”

A Pulse opened behind us with the red figure coming out of it.

Jupiter sliced the man in half with a Gravitational Ring. We flew towards the Northern Wall.

“He’s healing.” Alejandra’s panicked voice warned us, “Fly faster.”

Jupiter pushed her rings to work at full speed. Pulses opened up, down, left, and right. Corpses fell from the sky and bounced off the Gravitational Rings. A few hands made it through and clawed at our flesh. Nails ripped off and were left in our skin. A red electricity bolt struck Jupiter. Fire and pain seized every atom in our bodies. Jupiter screamed sputtering her Gravitational Rings with all her might. Her flimsy maneuvering crashed us in to the top story of a sky scrapper. Our bodies broke the glass and struck the floor. All the air left my lungs. Glass shards imbedded in my skin beside the reanimated Templite nails.

All of us gasped for air.

Debris fogged the air. No red being remained in sight. I was the first to crawl towards the window. As the dust settled, a modern styled apartment revealed itself around us. I stared at the city searching for the red figure.

A missile rushed past our building and struck the Northern Wall. All the Tsunami Pods were gone. Elementals ran from their current fights as tidal waves consumed the city.

“No!” I screamed.

Nieve and Gaia Elementals use their ice and stone bridges to evacuate as many Fuego Elementals as possible from the water. Nu Elementals redirect the tidal waves to the armies of reanimated Templites. Whirlpools form all around the city drowning the corpses that can’t seem to stay down.

Another missile struck the Eastern Wall. More waves rushed in to the city sweeping away the Nu Elementals with their backs to the Eastern Wall. A few large bubbles with air in them were created by the Nu elementals. The corpses in the water swam in to multiple bubbles. The dead bit in to and clawed at the Nu beings until their bubbles were overridden with Templites and blood.

A large purple tendril like an octopus arm stabbed Venus and started pumping a purple liquid in to the planet.

“What is that?” Alejandra asked with a bloody lip and closed, bruised eye.

The sounds of glass shattering filled the air. We leaned over the edge of the window. Templite corpses scaled the building we were in. Alejandra used her Nieve powers to throw ice tridents at the dead. I ran over to an unconscious Jupiter and shook her violently. She groaned, “Everything fucking hurts.”

“We have to move. The corpses are coming for us.” I informed her.

“Can’t they give us a break?” Jupiter groaned.

“Go,” Alejandra started running towards us. A corpse leapt on to her. Their fists pummeled her on to the floor. Jupiter sliced the dead in four with two Gravitational Rings. The two rings also knocked out a group of corpses that were climbing over the window.

I grabbed Alejandra off the floor and pushed her through the apartment. Jupiter held them back as we rushed past the living room and out the front door. We ran down the hallway only to find it blocked. Corpses burst from the other apartments obscuring our path to the elevators.

We scurried back bumping in to Jupiter and pushing her to the emergency stairwell on the opposite end. Jupiter pushed the door open and we all filed in.

We took the steps two at a time.

Sirens went off. The beige stairwell lights turned dark red.

“The emergency stairwell has been opened. Stand by for emergency exit instructions.”

The automated speakers blasted over and over.

“Scanning building for emergencies. Stand by.”

Our feet frantically stumbled down four flights of stairs.

Corpses wailed behind us throwing themselves haphazardly down various flights. An unorganized cluster fuck of attacks. The chaos was the only thing keeping them from getting to us immediately.

“Reanimated corpses breached the building. All uninfected floors will be closed off for your protection.”

Jupiter flung an emergency exit open and yanked us onto the sixteenth floor. We all pressed our body weights against the door waiting for the inevitable impact. On cue, screeching and vigorous pounding erupted against the opposite side of the emergency exit. A metal door started closing on the other side of the exit. The corpses struggled to try to push it back open. Jupiter released a Gravitational Ring through the door slicing the dead in half. Bodies bunched up and blocked the exit. A crunching sound pulverized the corpses.

The metal barrier thudded. Screeches ceased to exist.

We all collapsed on the floor.

“What now?” Jupiter heaved, “he can just Pulse in here. Nowhere is safe. We have to keep moving but where?”

My work watch chimed. A hologram of Darius popped up, “Ohh thank the universes you three are alive.”

“We need out of this building.” Alejandra told him.

“Did the Templites follow the Tsunami Pods?”

“Luckily, they were too focused on you three to even throw a sideways glance at us. We initiated a distress beacon to Barretta. They are currently on their way to save us but you have limited time. Once they get here, they’re taking a risk to save us all, so they’re not waiting. You have about two hours until they’re here.”

All of our watches synced up.

The timer started ticking: 01:59:59.

“There’s one problem, we’re locked in. The buildings emergency systems worked a little too well.” I said mournfully.

“Can you get to the stairwell? I can try to override it.”

“It’s blocked with corpses.”

“Give me a second to see the lay out of the building.”

There was a long pause.

“None of you are going to like this.”

“What?”

“There is a main trash chute on that floor that drops down to the basement’s housekeeper quarters. You take one stairwell down and the maintenance service tunnels for the underground subways are right there.”

“But…” Alejandra asked.

“Corpses are waiting outside the housekeeper quarters.”

“That’s okay, I can work Gaia the closer we are to the ground level and hit them with some concrete.” I explained to Darius.

“And I can get us down the trash chute with my Gravitational Rings.” Jupiter said.

“You can’t all go together. There’s only room for two of you max.” Darius knew I hated enclosed spaces.

Alejandra looked to Jupiter before they turned to me. Jupiter cleared her throat.

“So, I’ll lower Jenny and Alejandra first, then take myself down.”

Chapter 13: Thea: Welcome To The Fourth Dimension

Darkness.

Endless nothing.

I roam the darkness for what feels like centuries. Red, green, and white Thread strands float aimlessly while others are held taut. All concept of time is lost. For the first time in my life, the air is odorless. I’m a singular flame in a sea of endless Threads.

Nothing.

Nothing for miles but Threads.

Nothing here or there.

I’m nothing.

Nothing in my aching soul left to project on to this miserable landscape. Tears are trapped. How does one cry in soul form?

I’m a purple flame in a dark room.

A heavy breath practically blows me out. I turn around and find a giant outline of a creature. A triangular face with a pincher-like jaw turns its green and red Threads to observe me. His eyes completely filled with white strands. It prowls around me on all fours sniffing my flame. Growls communicate to another creature in the darkness. Normally, fear would course through my whole body. Luckily, I don’t have one of those. I have plenty of nothing though. If they were to snuff me out, it would be the last tendril of misery they could take. A peaceful act of mercy.

The two creatures howl in to the bleak nothingness.

“You found her.” A femme presenting voice announces.

Her voice crackles like a warm fire in the middle of summer.

A tall curvy woman made of Threads reveals herself. She says, “I have some revenge I want to inflict upon others myself. Let me help you find your way home.”

* * *

Stationery Thread Beasts play around a moat. A multi-tiered castle made of red and green Threads rises in to the darkness. A vast sky made up of tiny strands imitates the opposite colors of a sunrise. Winged beasts fly over the castle in a constant loop. Thread imitation iron gates open up and swallow us.

“Welcome to Paradise.” The mystery woman pets the Thread Beasts at the gates to calm them as I pass, “I am the queen of Purgatory, Beelzebub. We are in one realm of the invisible Fourth Dimension.”

“What happened to you to end up here?”

“Kairos came for me personally. All of our stories start sounding very similar when we have all gone through the same experience.”

Beelzebub rotates her hand bringing the castle towards us without us moving closer to it.

“Were you someone important?”

“We were all important. That’s why Kairos felt the need to take us out. Our voices are made of gold. Our fury and fight forced their need to vanquish us.”

“Why’d you come for me?”

“I already told you. I lost my kingdom once too. I have an affinity for lost beings… and revenge.”

* * *

Inside the gothic castle, Thread Souls stroll the halls as if they’re still living. The Thread Souls take different red and green forms. Dragons, bi-pedal reptiles, humanoids, and demonic entities with horns and long sharp finger nails.

“How do I get a form like you or them?”

Beelzebub stops at the foot of two spiral staircases. Her fingers grab a Thread from the staircase. “Reality is a series of Threads sewed together to make a beautiful tapestry. Our existences and meeting intertwined with our deaths,” She sewed two Threads together while taking two more and weaving them in between. Her hands move in circular motions as she speaks forming legs, arms, brains, and eyes for a creature, “As much as we hate Kairos, his decisions have caused this event in this realm. Our meeting could only happen because of him. A meeting he has no knowledge of. An outcome he did not expect.” She holds a baby Thread Beast out and it licks my flames. It burps a plume of smoke and wags its tail. “I extended a hand to bring you here. To help your cause. We are only as strong as our deepest desire. The Fourth Dimension is very similar. It is an endless opportunity to reach all planes of existence. We can reach all our wants and needs here. While the physical world limits us in a body, here you need only have the desire to create, heal, and push the limits of the Threads and it will respond. All you have to do is manipulate the confines you were boxed in to with your physical form to gain a form like mine.”

Chapter 14: Jenny: Diary Entry

The trash chute wasn’t big enough for two of us.

It was barely big enough for one of us.

“Change of plans. One of you two has to go down first.” Jupiter ordered.

I started to hyperventilate. I was never good in small spaces, and it became worse after Raven and her henchmen experimented on me for years. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. I was dead. But I was brought back to life and the pain of being poked and prodded never seemed to cease. Days dragged on to weeks which dragged on to months. The same happened to Alejandra and Jupiter but I was the weak one. I was the one who had ended up fucked up in the head.

Alejandra stared at me and grabbed my hand, “I’ll go first. Then you can go, and Jupiter will be right above you.”

I nodded breathing in and out.

Needles prodded me.

Raven cut me open and placed large pieces of cement and rock in to my arms. She did it until I was numb. Until I no longer cried, and I was used to the pain. Eyes blood shot and tears dried.

“Jenny, I don’t want to rush you.” Jupiter massaged my back, “But that maniac is on our tail, and we have to keep moving to lose him.”

I shook my head and took a breath, “I got this.”

Jupiter placed a spinning disc on the floor. Alejandra stepped on top of it and crouched in order to fit in to the tight opening. Once inside, she stood at full length with her hands on her sides. Within a few minutes, she touched the ground safely.

The disc returned. I stepped on it and repeated the crouching motion.

“You’ll be okay, I promise” Jupiter reassured. The darkness slowly devoured me whole.

The disc took forever to reach the bottom. The hologram lights up with Darius on the screen.

“Hurry up. A vent on a floor below you has been breached.”

Corpse hands punched through the vent. I narrowly missed its nails. Jupiter sped the disc down but it still was not fast enough. More hands punctured the trash chute scratching at my neck, eyes, arms, and legs. I started to scream. My breaths firing in and out of my lungs before they could be processed. A trash chute door opened up and a pile of corpses attacked me. My screams reached their pinnacle. Blood clouded my eyes. Corpses bit in to my neck. They tore flesh. And scratched at my body.

Excruciating pain.

It felt like I was a paper being shredded in to a million pieces.

I finally reached the ground floor and we all collapsed on to the ground.

I reach for the sliver of powers I had left. Alejandra shoved the corpses off stabbing them with ice tridents. I sent a concrete slab up the trash chute crushing everything inside. When the slab returned, bloodied limbs, decapitated heads, and hands still holding chunks of my flesh rolled out of the chute. Jupiter came down the chute slicing the next wave of corpses.

Alejandra burst a water pipe and blocked the exit with an ice block.

I was fading in and out of consciousness.

Darius popped up again. But he was muffled. Or am I not hearing right?

“There’s enough water pipes to fight our way…”

“I’ll put her on a ring and float her o…”

“She needs severe medical…”

“…help you once… on the underground vessel.”

Screeches rung in my ears. Water pipes burst and, finally, silence.

Chapter 15: Thea:

“The barriers to break free from the physical world, in order to gain a Thread form, are acceptance of your death…”

* * *

Celestia, Emory, Jimmy, and I run through the mountains under five of thirteen visible Lykos Moons. Their various yellow, grey, and blue colors light up the dark forest. We explore caves and venture as far as we can before we are too scared to continue. We settle in an open meadow with purple grass and bioluminescent flowers. The meadow sits perched on the side of the mountain. A perfect place to watch the stars fly past. And our kingdom lit up by lanterns and life.

A relaxing breeze brushes my fur and traps me in this moment.

“You have to let these memories go. They bind you here.”

Beelzebub stands next to my purple flames in the grass.

“Although, Lykos was always my favorite planet to visit.”

* * *

I’m dressed in a black ball gown. Atop my head elegantly sits an ivory white crown bejeweled with amethyst gems. Lace arm sleeves reach past my elbows. The throne room is triangular with the main throne at the peak. High vaulted ceilings with archers, wolves in their hybrid form, perched above to protect me from any assassination attempts.

“As Thea’s father, and in coordination with the royal decree, I’m glad to announce the next heir on, this, their sixteenth birthday. I hereby announce Thea as the five hundredth queen of Lykos. Jimmy has conceded his throne to Thea and her future children.”

Citizens all around cheer. The kingdom bows at my feet. Celestia and Emory toss faces at me saying, “Don’t let this go to your head.”

A funny looking middle-aged man with a balding head stares at me like I’m the most beautiful girl in the world.

“You were very beautiful.” Beelzebub adds.

* * *

“You are very beautiful.” Cassius massages my face as we both lean in for a kiss. His warm lips reach mine. We don’t break apart until he is unraveling my black gown. He kisses my neck and works his way down my chest. He uses his teal Threads to string me up…

* * *

Cassius and I lie naked cuddling each other. The fire place sears my back. I want to remain here in his arms forever. I’m not leaving this place…

* * *

“Gamma-2 attacked Barretta.” My father announces, “They have asked for our fiercest representatives to defend the planet while they regroup their armies.”

“How long will they be gone for?” I ask.

“Until they can rebuild their armies. Which can be years, possibly decades, or centuries.”

* * *

“Are you going to Barretta?” I ask Cassius.

Cassius nods.

“We are too,” Celestia adds, “We will take care of him for you.”

“Can I come visit you?” I eagerly plead.

“Yes. But you have a kingdom to run here. Take care of your people first.”

* * *

Our launch pad lies at the edge of lake behind the castle surrounded by a forest. The Ship taking Cassius, Emory, and Celestia leaves to Barretta. Jimmy and I stay behind crying.

“They’ll be back.” Jimmy holds my hand reassuring me.

Trash Panda Leon

Trash Panda’s Universe

Dec 2

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