Jalen glanced at the red cosmic clouds as they violently swirled around the Earth. How come I never heard of this? His thoughts shot back to the comments Tanarion had made earlier about his mortality, ignorance, and the brief life span of his race. Still, this made little sense.
“It doesn’t seem that bad,” he said. “If you say it causes superpowers, then it must have been present for thousands of years now. How come nothing bad has come of it other than blessing people with superpowers?”
“You speak from a perspective shrouded in naivety,” Tanarion said. “You know nothing of the accurate history of your world. The threats that lay before it, lurking in the shadows. The life force seeping into your world is not the gentle trickle of a calm river, but the violent storm of a tsunami. It is a blessing now. But sooner than you can see, it will start to corrupt and destroy life.”
Tanarion narrowed its radiant gaze on me. “I will bless you with power beyond your mortal imagination. Use it to figure out why Asasamumu has damned you all. That’s the extent of my intervention.”
“Why me?”
As memories of the day flooded his mind, he remembered that today was supposed to be a momentous achievement—the pinnacle of his life so far. However, everything changed when his mother passed away and the revelation of Sarah’s betrayal entered the picture. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at Earth, shrouded in a cosmic cloud, and pondered the existence of 8 billion people living on it. Why, out of all those people, was he chosen? He questioned his worth, knowing that he wasn’t a good person and that his darkest desires still haunted him. Could he truly succeed in this mission?
“You seemed to know what I was thinking earlier.” Jalen’s sharp gaze turned towards Tanarion, the blue light of Earth glinting in his eyes. “So you know what I would do with such power. You are better off picking someone else to be the savior.”
A faint smile spread across Tanarion’s lips. It reached its arm out and at the tip of its finger, a space-warping portal formed. “Hmm, I see. Greed. Lust. Pride. Selfishness. Brutality. Some at simmering levels, too. You are already thinking like a Cosmic God. Goodbye, Jalen.”
An invisible force swept him off his feet and hurled him into the portal.
❊ ❊ ❊
He was already used to falling into wormhole-like portals. If the previous one was long, this felt endless. It pushed and pulled on him in all directions. Sometimes, he fell. Other times, he was ascending. Sleep crept up to him as the portal’s ceaseless walls swept by.
Bright lights arrested him from his sleep. Looking up, he witnessed a breathtaking and fearsome sight—a blue star in its raw and unfiltered glory.
“Holy fucking shit!” The brightest of smiles, rivaling the star, appeared on his face.
Astronomy intrigued him, so he had some knowledge of what lay ahead. If it weren’t for his incompatibility with mathematics, he would have aspired to become an astronaut or astrophysicist. One thing he knew was that the size of blue stars varied from being smaller than the sun to much larger than the sun. The star ahead that called to him seemed like the latter. Of course, he couldn’t exactly verify his claims.
“Approach mortal,” the star voiced in his head in an eerie, grotesque amalgamation of unfamiliar sounds. “Feed on my essence—The life source of a Seed of the Universe. Only then shall you know true divinity.”
Goosebumps prickled his skin. Every word that the star projected into his head grated on him, like he was momentarily dipped in a pool of icy water.
The sensation of hurtling through space at incomprehensible speeds left him exhilarated, his heart tugging at his chest. He wondered how he was still alive and breathing in the vacuum of space. After much experimentation, he found out that he wasn’t breathing at all. The star appeared much closer now—its radiant aura felt eternal and divine, willing him to bask in all its glory.
He contemplated how it would happen when he reached the star. Will it engulf him? Or rip him apart because of its colossal gravitational pull? He hoped not. The thought of the impending pain sent shivers down his spine.
“The Rebirth parameters are set. Defensive measures are ready. The birth of a Cosmonar is ready to begin.”
❊ ❊ ❊
Back at the cliff, with its arms folded behind its back, Tanarion observed the planet below. One arm reached up to its face, and slowly groomed its blue fur as it pondered whatever it was that Cosmic Gods thought.
A man, tall and lean in stature, stepped out of the shadows and knelt behind Tanarion with his head down. His skin was dark brown, his hair cut short, and his beard was long but well-groomed. Tightly fitted black robes of many layers adorned his body. The only jewelry he wore was a necklace made of cosmic power jewels.
“I lay witness to your grand plan, Oh Maker of the cosmos,” the man said, his voice practiced and purposeful. “The never-ending reach of your great foresight con—”
“For today, dispense with the pleasantries, Tolu,” Tanarion said. “And get up.”
Tolu stood up and took his place alongside Tanarion. The duo gazed at Earth below, and the violent red cloud engulfing it.
“State what is on your mind,” Tanarion said. It stretched its arms wide apart. Moments later, sand and rocks leaped off the desert floor and converged into the monkey’s palms. Then tremors and earthquakes rocked the plane.
“You are destroying the domain?” Tolu asked, glancing at his creator.
“Yes. It has served its purpose.”
Tolu listened to the loud crackling sounds of rocks and dirt being ripped into the air. He carefully chose his words and spoke.
“Was using the Seed of the Universe necessary? Surely, a god stone would have sufficed, Maker.”
Tolu was at a crossroads, pondering the ramifications of his Maker’s decisions. A Seed of the Universe was the only known way to birth a being like his Maker—a Cosmonar. Not only was it extremely rare, something only Cosmonars could create, but it also took eons to mature. On the one hand, his son would become one of the most powerful beings in the universe. On the other hand, the sheer number of beings who would want a piece of that power… He couldn’t even imagine.
“You speak from a position of bias, Tolu,” Tanarion said. “Refocus your vision and see the bigger picture. Your son, because of you, is part god; greatly increasing his chances of surviving the rebirth.”
“There are other gods on Earth. I relayed that information to you.”
“Gods devoid of my influence and with unknown agendas.”
“Then please permit me, cosmic Maker.” Tolu changed tact. “Permit me to guide my son.”
“That is not possible. This is Asasamumu’s domain. And as the Cosmonar accords state, we shall not operate in the domains of our peers.”
“If that is the case, Jalen will be out of bounds as well.”
“No, this is his home planet. That exempts him,” Tanarion said. “We will leave him to his own devices. My work is done.”
Tolu gazed one last time at the planet he visited briefly. What was originally an espionage mission evolved into something else with Genevieve. He missed her cute and excitable nature—like the Chatai pets of his homeworld. Alas, Jalen would have to fare alone on this journey. If his son was smart, he would keep his family close in these crucial early years. Loyalty was hard to nurture, even for his benevolent Maker, who created him and so many others.
The duo disappeared into a rippling portal.
❊ ❊ ❊
The cries and groans of the recruits carried through the McGuire Air Force Base in Trenton, New Jersey. The landscape, battered by heavy rain, was busy as hundreds of boots stepped on it. A large man with a protruding belly sat behind a nondescript storage depot and watched the training regiment, his gaze distracted. Around him stood five armored bodyguards, despite this being a US military base on home soil, as a testament to the importance of the man.
He reached up and massaged his prominent beard, apprehensive of the guest important enough to have the Director of HAVEN waiting like this. On a distant runway, about twenty minutes later, a custom Boeing C-17 Globemaster III touched down.
He stood up, his retinue of bodyguards assembling around him, and headed over to the edge of the runway.
“Is this necessary?” he asked his Head of Security. “This is a secure base.”
“I’m afraid so, director.” The head of security said, instinctively patting his holstered pistol. “Now is a time to be more alert.”
The director shrugged and waited for his guest. The Globemaster taxied and dropped its cargo ramp. Ten individuals out-of-place in the 21st century stepped out of the plane and made their way over to the director. At the helm of the group was a young-looking woman of European descent. She wore a long layered coat fashioned for concealing, black pants, and long tactical boots. Her jet-black hair was neatly tied up in a ponytail, perfectly complementing her intense, piercing green eyes, which immediately piqued the director’s curiosity. A man wearing similar attire stood behind her, while the rest of the group donned full-body black knight armor of European origin. The director wondered how effective their armor was.
“Howard Burns. Director of HAVEN,” he said, offering a handshake to the woman. “Pleased to meet you all.”
“Persia Gemellianus. Grand Master of the Knights of Arixxer,” the woman replied, accepting his handshake. “The pleasure is mine.”
Howard was sick of standing in the cold. “Why don’t we head inside? I readied a room for our meeting.”
“Of course, lead the way,” Persia said. “We have much to discuss.”
Both groups headed toward a conference hall. On the way, Persia introduced the other man to her side. He was Master Peter Hodgson, who nodded when he was introduced, his expression hard to read. The conference hall was busy with lectures. So they went up a flight of stairs to the room Howard prepared. His guards and the rest of the Knights stayed outside, leaving Howard, Persia, and Peter to enter the meeting room. Immediately after they were seated, Persia began.
“I would like to know why we were delayed. Time is of the essence. Do you not understand the repercussions of delaying us?”
“It is merely a matter of procedure, Grand Master.” Howard drummed his fingers on the dark wood table. These past few years had been challenging for the director. The increasing cases of superpowered beings eerily similar to the depictions of demons, using portals to launch heinous assaults on the populace, put massive pressure on Howard. It is a miracle HAVEN had managed to cover it up until now. He needed the help of the Knights of Arixxer, who specialized in hunting demons. “We will discuss the rules of engagement. Then you are free to go.”
“Need I remind you, director,” Persia said. “The year was 1927 in a small town in Upton, Texas. Your predecessors wasted time arguing my principles and restrictions while the demons laid waste to that town. Do not make that same mistake.”
Howard’s stern gaze rested on the Grand Master. Her retelling of history was accurate. Unsurprisingly, since she was supposed to be thousands of years old. Dealing with superpowered humans was a hassle, even more so the ones with extended life spans. He reached into a compartment below the table and pulled out a file.
“You are free to go as long as you follow these guidelines,” Howard said, handing the file to her. “Under no circumstances should you harm civilians.”
“Have a pleasant day, director,” she handed the file to the quiet Peter and stood up from her chair.
When she was at the door, Howard spoke again. “You will also be granted a handler for the duration of your stay. He will meet you in Hermosville.”
“What?” Persia turned back, her eyes narrowed. “You will not saddle us with one of your deviants parading as heroes.”
“I’m afraid my position is quite firm on that matter.”
The air thickened with tension as they locked eyes.
“Madam, We must leave. Time is of the essence,” Peter said and placed a gentle hand on Persia’s shoulder.
Without uttering another word, the Grand Master left the room.
Howard sighed and sank back into his chair.
