May 15, 4021 18:45 [Matriarch 07- Shower Room]

Refreshed and rejuvenated, Indra slipped on the t-shirt, hoodie, jeans, and white trainers that Ouma had provided him and made a beeline for the Great Hall. The ‘Great Hall’ as it was called by its patrons was even more magnanimous than the label it had been given. A sprawling indoor restaurant with mood lighting set the scene. It had multiple floors overlooking Eden’s Garden, a massive outdoor research plot, home to exotic flora and fauna from all corners of the Earth allowing Lunar Gate researchers to investigate their properties and functionalities without leaving the Matriarch.

Upper-level balconies oversaw buffet lines and tables reserved for soldiers and staff. The Great Hall hosted chefs from famed backgrounds, those who worked in Michelin Star restaurants, celebrity chefs, or those that had gained notoriety through word of mouth were invited to cook for hungry higher-ups and employees. Soldiers were serviced on the lower level of the Great Hall due to their sheer volume, staff on the middle floors, and higher-ups on the top floors. Despite the divide in position, it was by no means frowned upon for staff and higher-ups to visit lower levels or to intermingle with their subordinates in Matriarch 07.

Indra hurried over to the buffet line, stumbling from the hunger that stabbed at his stomach. Piling food onto his plate, he shuffled quickly to the one area in the Great Hall where his friends would surely be waiting: the tavern. A small subsection of the Great Hall served as a bar. Indra and Akula had frequented the place for close to two years now, only recently convincing Mirai and Aisha to join them, both of whom had been aversive to the idea, owing to their great disdain for alcohol and the drunkards it produced.

Bright neon light from the overhanging sign that read: JULIUS’ BREWERY stung Indra’s eyes as he entered the tavern. The slight jingle of a bell could be heard as he opened the door, alerting the barkeep that a customer had entered. The tavern was kept in exceptional condition, something that the barkeep, Julius, prided himself on. Indra made his way precariously towards the back of the tavern, careful not to spill any of the food he had stacked high on his plate. Bouts of laughter erupted from the back as he drew closer; he saw the table seating his friends, throwing innocuous banter at each other.

“Indra!” Akula exclaimed, sitting on the outer edge of the table. “Good to see you, buddy! You finally woke up! Looks like you’re in good health! Show us the scar, will ya? You know, for a moment there I was afraid I was gonna have to clean your room at some point if you didn’t open your eyes soon. Just the thought of finding a random crusty sock under your bed gives me nightmares,” he shuddered.

“Ha ha,” Indra replied dryly, punching Akula’s arm while grinning from ear to ear. He sat down on the comfy leather cushions as Akula scooted over to make room for him.

Akula’s pale face had returned to its normal shade of porcelain rather than the sickly complexion Indra remembered just before his memory faded. Akula’s wispy white hair spilled over his face, now unmitigated by his thermal suit, covering his sharp crimson eyes. When he smiled, he flashed his pearly-white serrated teeth. Well, he is part shark so they should look like that. Sitting next to Akula were two people; a blond-haired man wearing a leather jacket and Mirai.

“Cecil! When’d you get back, man?” Indra asked, reaching over to greet him.

“About a day ago, I wanted to surprise you but you were still out cold. Akula here threw me a sweet coming home party,” Cecil threw his head back, letting out a hearty guffaw, his short blond hair catching the light, glimmering brightly.

“Akula threw the party but somehow I ended up picking up the tab.”

Cecil’s golden eyes turned to Mirai who stared at him crossly.

“Sorry about that, my kouhai, today's round is on me.” Cecil winked at Mirai, pointing to himself while flashing a movie star’s smile, or at least what he perceived to be a movie star’s smile. Indra imagined that to Mirai, however, it was like looking at an overzealous monkey.

“I don’t drink and I’m not your junior. Who even taught you that word?” Mirai answered coldly, staring daggers at Cecil through narrow bright orange eyes. His spiky black hair seemed to stand on end as if crackling with electricity. The vest he was wearing started to ruffle.

Cecil seemed to notice the current in the air. “Oh? You sure you wanna throw down? I don’t think it’s a good idea to fight your senpai. Although, if you insist, I guess I can afford to indulge my precious kouhai. It might teach you a lesson in humility,” Cecil taunted Mirai, wagging a finger in front of his face.

“Argh! You’re insufferable!” Mirai lunged at Cecil, grabbing his leather jacket by the collar.

“Settle down, you two, I didn’t come here to see you idiots fight,” interrupted Aisha, Indra’s fourteen-year-old sister, as she took a seat next to Mirai.

“It’s not my fault! This jackass keeps getting on my nerves!” Mirai complained, his peachy complexion turning a bright red as he begrudgingly let go of Cecil’s jacket.

“Jackass? Hey! Say that to my face! Akula let go of me! I need to teach this kid a lesson!” yelled Cecil.

“Just forget it you two! Let’s just have a nice meal and chat! Grahh! Seriously!” Akula wrestled Cecil back into his seat.

“Fine, whatever! Let him mouth off. See if I care!” Cecil waved his hands in defeat, muttering something about disrespect.

Mirai expressed a smug look for about half a second before seeing the dirty look Aisha gave him, berating him for causing a commotion.

“You’re also to blame, Mirai!” Aisha stated haughtily.

“But—”

“—No buts! Don’t say anything if you have nothing nice to say.”

Mirai folded his arms, sulking.

“Man, she’s really got you wrapped around her finger, huh?” Indra remarked.

Mirai didn’t answer, although his complexion turned a rosy pink.

“How have you been?” Aisha asked, ignoring the remark.

“Good, for the most part,” Indra said as he scarfed down his dinner. “Jìguāng is probably gonna chew us out later in our performance reviews, though,” he shrugged. “But I can’t really complain. I’m alive, that’s all that matters.”

“Could you tell me more about your mission?” Aisha asked inquisitively. She wore an ochre dress. Her curly brown hair had been tied back into a ponytail revealing facial features similar to Indra’s albeit a lighter brown complexion and eyes that matched her dress. Despite her pleasant demeanor, Aisha was quite headstrong and enjoyed irritating her brother, often to an infuriating degree. He wondered why she wasn’t chastising him as usual but he decided she had to be in a good mood today. Indra cleared his throat.

“Of course!” He struck a heroic pose and relayed his month-long escapade along the Desolate Coast against revolutionary groups and the events leading to his return home.

“So you’re still causing problems for Jìguāng?” Aisha smirked. “You guys did well, though.” She looked at Mirai and Akula.

Mirai had perked up but didn’t say a word, a sliver of a smile creeping up his mouth.

“Well, it wasn’t much, heh heh,” said Akula, bashfully. “Oh yeah, Indra still didn’t read any of your reports, though.”

“I figured,” Aisha said, admittedly looking slightly irritated. “At least you guys are getting some use out of them–”

“–Oh! Looks like you guys are having fun! Mind if I join?” Ouma arrived, taking a seat next to Aisha.

“Hey, Dr. Ouma. Glad you could make it,” Indra greeted her first.

Ouma snickered wistfully. “How many times do I have to remind you? When I’m off the clock you can just call me Vivian, or Vivi for short.”

“That’s a little informal. Don’t you think? Yeah, we’ve known each other a while but still—” Indra twiddled his thumbs squirming in his seat, his ears getting red as Vivian smirked. She seemed to be enjoying his reaction. Vivian had shed her lab coat for a more comfortable oversized white t-shirt and grey joggers. She had untied her hair, letting down long locks that reached past her shoulders.

“I like your sweatpants, Vivi,” Aisha said, interrupting her brother’s incessant rambling.

“Thanks! I was a little apprehensive about getting these, but they were on sale so I decided to get a pair on a whim. I’m glad I did because they are so comfy,” Vivian responded gleefully.

As the two women chatted, Cecil turned to the others. “Yo, guys, we should order drinks now, yeah?”

Akula nodded in agreement, checking his wristwatch. “Mhm, it’s already 19:30 and we’ve filled up on food. We should get drinks started. Wait, I almost forgot, Vivian, did you eat yet?”

Vivian turned to Akula. “Yeah, I actually ate an early dinner while Indra was sleeping. He’s pretty cute when he’s asleep, although he’s always mumbling about some weird things,” she teased.

Indra covered his face in embarrassment at the raucous laughter of the others. “Just order the damn drinks already,” he grumbled.

“Alright, alright, I’m ordering. Oy, Julius!” Akula hollered. “I need some drinks over here! And put it on Cecil’s tab!”

The barkeep brought pints of warm ale and soda to the table, balancing them with finesse on a large tray. The golden hue of the beer permeated through the glass, frothy foam layering its top. Indra rolled up his sleeves before eagerly grabbing a glass and taking a sip, savoring the drink as it traveled along his tongue, caressing each taste bud before sliding down his throat and diffusing into his bloodstream.

“Aaaa. It’s been such a long time since I had a drink like this!” Vivian sighed in contentment.

“I know right?” agreed Cecil. “This has got to be the best stuff Julius has made in a long time!”

Mirai and Aisha both wrinkled their noses. “Say what you will about Julius’ alcohol but it all looks and smells the same to me,” Mirai commented, sipping his soda with a sour expression.

“Why would you drink rotten fruit and grains in the first place?” Aisha added, cracking her can of soda open.

“Bah! You kids wouldn’t get it. Maybe when you’re older you'll understand the allure,” Cecil rebuked.

“Do any of you guys know what’s in this?” Indra asked.

A warmth enveloped his chest, spreading to the rest of his body. As he took reserved sips, a light-bodied fruity flavor emerged, exciting his senses. What is it? It’s tart. Could it be apple? No, Julius usually makes cider for that. Hmm. Strawberry? No, this is definitely less sweet. Oh! Indra waved his hand to get the attention of the others. “It’s raspberry!” he concluded excitedly.

“No kidding?” Akula replied, eyeing his glass, impressed. “Hey, Julius! Oy! How’d you make this?”

Julius once again came to the table with refills of soda and the raspberry ale before recounting his brewing process. “Well I procured some harvested raspberries around mid-October, I think. I was trying to come up with a new drink that people could enjoy in the spring. We have so many sweet and bitter drinks, that I thought, why not make a tart one? So I added the ripe raspberries to my ale at the end of the primary fermentation to retain the fruity aroma although at that point it became too tart for my liking. I decided to add fruit sugars during the secondary fermentation to dry the ale…” the barkeep, possessing a spectacularly thick silver mustache and wearing an immaculately pressed black vest and tie, went on a passionate albeit long-winded explanation of his mixology.

By the time Julius had finished his theory on the machinations of bartending and brewery, the four that had been consuming the endless drinks that the barkeep had been doling out all had ruddy cheeks, teetering back and forth in their seats in a blissful stupor. “Er, I may have served you lot a little too much, can I trust you two to make sure they’re behaving safely?” he asked the two non-alcoholics.

“Yeah, no problem, Julius,” Mirai answered, forcing a smile. As Julius left the table Mirai turned to Aisha with an annoyed expression, his eyebrow twitching. “So this is why they invited us? To babysit them while they get piss-drunk?!”

“Calm down, you’re acting like this doesn’t happen when we aren’t here,” Aisha replied with a deadpan stare, resting her head on her arm and exhaling deeply. “Better we watch them than have them walk back to the dormitories on their own. They’ll probably end up falling asleep in a bush somewhere.”

“Mmm. Don’ wurry ‘bout ushh. We’re not really that drunk, you guyshh,” Indra explained, slurring his words. “Jus’ a lil’ tipsy’s all. Righ’, Vivi?”

“Of coursh,” Vivian answered, raising her glass and slumping forward with her head resting on the table, smiling in a gleeful stupor.

Akula and Cecil hoisted themselves onto the table and began to belt out sea shanties, throwing an arm over the other’s shoulder. A crowd of tavern regulars joined in from other tables and for the next few hours, the drunkards belted out song after song, dancing on tables and chairs, spilling their drinks everywhere, all the while Mirai and Aisha watched in abject horror, vowing to never try a sip of alcohol.

In the twilight hours, around 1:00 the four alcoholics started to sober up after Julius, Mirai, and Aisha managed to wrestle the remaining drinks that they had snuck from other tables out of their hands. Still feeling a light buzz and getting their bearings back the four decided to chat quietly for a bit before heading back to their rooms.

“Yo, Indra,” Cecil pointed to Indra’s arm. “Where’d you get that tattoo?”

“Now that you mention it I haven’t seen you with that tattoo either,” chimed in Mirai.

“Huh, you didn’t strike me as religious. Is it Hindu? Buddhist, maybe?” Akula remarked, examining Indra’s palm.

“How come you get tattoos, but I can’t?” said Aisha indignantly.

Indra rubbed the back of his head. “To be honest, I don’t remember getting the tattoo either. Ou—I mean—Vivi and I were just talking about it when I woke up.” He proceeded to recite the events of their discussion…

“So it’s a mystery? Weird. Could it be your Trait manifesting?” Akula rubbed his chin.

“We’re not sure,” interjected Vivian. “True, this could be a new Trait that we haven’t seen before, but even newly discovered Traits fall into specific categories. For example, Akula, you have shark genes, your Trait manifested as ‘Blood Sense’ a sensory characteristic similar to the one sharks possess, therefore your Trait falls into the ‘Animalia’ category. The same could be said of Mirai since he can ‘Cloak’ using reflectins from his cephalopod genes and ‘Static’ from his knifefish genes. Granted, these are your base powers. Traits can evolve and display properties quite different from their progenitors, but all base characteristics are reflective of a specific category of genes,” she explained.

“So what you’re saying is that the tattoo itself isn’t indicative enough of any Trait inducing genes in my body?” Indra summarized.

“Yep, exactly. The tattoo might be a precursor to a Trait you’ll acquire, or it could even be a genetic clue to unlocking it, but the tattoo itself isn’t your Trait.”

“Do you have any idea what kind of Trait would need a tattoo to manifest it?” Mirai jumped into the discussion.

“No clue, this is a first for me, but Jìguāng might know. He used to be the lead researcher on Traits before I took over for him,” answered Vivian. “It might be related to your sister’s; Aisha falls into the ‘Particle’ category. Her ‘Molecular Reformation’ lets her reformat the molecules of small inorganic objects into different shapes, so maybe your Trait will be similar since you share the same genetics.” Vivian explained to Indra. “Although, the fact that you have religious imagery on the tattoo also leads me to believe that your Trait could potentially be from the ‘Spirit’ category.”

“So I get to create contracts with Familiars? This is getting interesting! I can’t wait to see what my powers are!” Indra punched the air excitedly.

“I like the idea of Indra having the same Trait as me. It would be nice to train together,” Aisha concluded, satisfied.

Akula shook his head, chuckling. “Heh heh, it’s exciting manifesting your Trait for the first time. But as soon as Jìguāng hears about this he’s going to grind you into a paste with Trait training to get you caught up to the rest of the Homunculi.”

“Right, I almost forgot,” Indra laughed, shaking his head. He turned back to Vivian. “So, you said Mirai’s ‘Static’ is part of ‘Animalia’, is Cecil’s the same too?”

Cecil leaned forward, finally joining in on the conversation. “Nah, my powers are definitely a grade above this guy’s,” he gestured at Mirai. “My Trait is ‘Conductance’, as in controlling the rate at which electricity passes through me. So I’m in the ‘Particle’ category like your sister. I can make condensed bolts of electricity, whereas my rude pupil over here can only emit weak shock waves that can barely knock someone out.”

“It’ll still be enough to knock you out,” Mirai fired back.

“Bring it on!” Cecil yelled as the two grabbed each other’s collars.

“Ugh, not this again,” Aisha put her hand on her forehead in resignation.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

“Huh? You guys hear that?” Akula asked, a hand to his ear.

“Oh! That’s my phone, I set reminders throughout the day, I guess I forgot to clear some old ones,” Vivian said reaching into her pocket. “Oh, shit!”

“What is it?” Indra asked.

“I have to give a presentation at 10:00 based on the progress of my research. I completely forgot!” Vivian leapt out of her chair. “It was fun hanging out with you guys! I’ll see you all later! Thanks for the drinks!” She waved goodbye to the group and ran off to her lab to complete her work. Indra stared longingly as she left.

Akula narrowed his eyes at him. “You still haven’t told her?”

“There’s nothing to tell. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Indra said.

“Don’t play coy with me, jackass. You leer at her, you know.”

“I do not!” Indra replied incredulously.

“I mean, she looks at him with the same lecherous gaze, so it’s safe to say the feeling’s mutual,” insisted Aisha.

“Yeah, you guys have some devious eyes for each other,” added Cecil. Mirai nodded in agreement.

“Well, I don’t blame you,” Akula reassured Indra, patting him on the back. “She’s an attractive woman,” he grinned, moving his hands in the shape of an hourglass.

“Hey it’s not like that—” Indra argued.

“—No, you both make it so weird, like two degenerates licking each other’s bodies with their eyes,” Aisha interrupted.

“AAAGH! I get it, I get it. I don’t need to hear this from my own sister!” Indra burst out clasping his hands to his ears. Indra sighed resting his head on the table. “We’ve known her since we came to this Matriarch ten years ago. Yeah, she’s pretty and she smells nice, but she’s also kind and caring; there’s a warmth there that other people in this place lack. She’s passionate about her research, she treats her patients well, and she overcomes any challenges thrown her way with a smile. I want to be more like her, y’know?”

“Tell her how you feel,” Akula replied bluntly.

“And what if she doesn’t feel the same way?” Indra asked.

Akula shrugged. “I think that’s highly unlikely at this point, but in the event she really doesn’t reciprocate your feelings, then that’s it. You can’t change how other people feel about you or who they like, but at the end of the day, you should be honest with yourself. You’re never gonna get anywhere if you keep quiet. Sure, you’re not the most subtle person in the world, but I know your feelings are sincere and maybe they’ll reach her. And if they don’t, then don’t beat yourself up over it too much.”

“Thanks, Akula,” Indra smiled genuinely. “By the way, what do you think my chances are?” he asked the others.

“Twenty percent,” replied Aisha.

“That low?”

“Most girls don’t like midgets or perverts.”

“I’m not a pervert!”

“I’d say sixty percent,” Mirai chimed in.

“Do you really believe that?” Indra replied.

“I like to be optimistic. If guys like you have a chance with women like that then I’ll definitely be able to pull some chicks.”

A resounding thwack! came from the sound of Aisha’s hand hitting Mirai’s head, echoing throughout the tavern.

“Cecil, Akula? What about you guys?” Indra asked, getting desperate.

Both of them looked at each other in agreement before Cecil replied. “Probably a fifty-fifty chance. She definitely matches your energy, but she could be one of those people that sees you like a brother.”

“Hmm. You think she’s got a brother complex?” Akula asked Cecil.

“If that’s true then it just might work in Indra’s favor,” Cecil responded.

“Don’t say that shit!” Indra exclaimed, frustrated. “Whatever. I’ll take your advice into consideration, Akula. But I’m gonna sleep on it.”

“You better consider it,” Akula insisted. “Most of us only live ‘till thirty before we kick it in battle or our cells degenerate from Trait overuse. Make sure you tell her before it’s too late, Indra.”

Indra nodded and stood up from his seat, bidding his friends a good night before returning to the dormitories. He headed to the third floor, unlocking the door to his bedroom with a facial bioscan. Inside the small room were a twin-size bed, a curtained window, a closet for clothes and uniforms, and a small desk with some souvenirs of the places he had visited on missions or during local festivals. Indra slipped into his night clothes, a thin white undershirt and cotton shorts. As he crawled into bed he set his morning alarm to 8:00; he could afford to sleep in on weekends. As he drifted off to sleep he stared at his arm. Many questions and worries swam through his head. The origins of his tattoo, his soon-to-manifest Trait, Jìguāng’s forthcoming punishment, and his uncertain dynamic with Dr. Ouma. All of these things, I can deal with tomorrow, he told himself as he sunk into a deep slumber.

***

Black. Everything around him turned pitch black; a typical color for a dreamscape, but this was different. Indra attempted to look around, swiveling his head sluggishly from side to side as he tried to assess his surroundings. It was as if he had been dropped into a pool of murky water, struggling to maneuver his limbs, slowly trying to orient himself. He could still breathe despite being underwater, although he couldn’t make a sound no matter how much air he tried to push out of his lungs. As he flailed around aimlessly for what seemed like ages a faint light emerged amongst the darkness guiding him upwards as he kicked his feet and extended his arms, cutting through the stygian waters. As he emerged above the inky liquid, the surface solidified underneath him leaving him to stand in the shallows of an endless black sea. Above him, a pale red sky extended past the visible horizon broken only by a burning crimson moon.

Indra gazed at his footing, glimpsing his reflection in the abyss. He remained drenched in darkness, droplets trickling down his shirt, hair matted down from the moisture. His right arm burned, the tattoo searing itself into his flesh. Still, no sound emerged from his mouth. He leapt back in surprise, as he viewed his face in the reflection, his eyes glowing a ghostly sapphire. The reflection started to move independent of Indra, breaking into a hideous grin. It reached for its eyes, tearing out the pupils; only the sclera remained. The pupilless shadow then reached out to Indra from the void, rising above the surface now fully encompassed in darkness, save for its eyes and mouth. As his reflection rose, orbs of black water floated up from the shallow sea, unyielding to the force of gravity. They peppered the air, bobbing up and down, stable in their state of being. His reflection placed an inky hand above his heart, marking Indra’s chest with its five fingertips. It opened its mouth, unperturbed by the black liquid seeping out of its throat. It spoke as if utterly beguiled, in a gravelly tone, picking at Indra’s brain with its inquisitive blind eyes.

“You’ve been here too long. What do you hope to seek in this Hell? Your salvation will come when this sea has dried up and jasmine blooms forth from its loam. There is nothing for you here, only sorrow. The Last King drove himself to madness, obsessed with overcoming that which Man gave birth to, that which Man succumbs to. He was a Foolish King, a Mad King, and now he is a Dead King. You will suffer the same fate if you stay any longer. Wake up."