When power is granted to man, corruption and tragedy are born.
This popular quote, by philosopher and Nexian Scholar James Radell, perfectly sums up the brief but monumental history of the Nexus. Except that, in more recent times, peace has been achieved without the intervention of the Soul Nexus, who, if reports are to be believed, was corrupt in itself, and, while policing the other Nexuses and protecting humanity from the worst of them, was actually brutally controlling and damaging their peers.
The memory of 2020 was just as strong as that of 2017, which saw the first Nexus War. The destruction of that three-month campaign is still felt to this day, even if the land that was ruined has been healed. Many believed that it would also be the only war that featured multiple Nexuses, for strict laws had now been placed upon them. But, virtually unnoticed to the world at large, trouble began to brew once more.
With the death of the Soul Nexus and the arrival of a new Alpha, William Andrews of the Thunder Nexus, the world was prepared for yet another vicious struggle for power between the Nexuses. Surely, without their protection from the Soul Nexus, and another powerful Alpha to boot, that war would soon be among them, and that humanity at large would suffer the worst.
Nothing could have been further from the truth. Within two months of the event in New Toledo that had caused so much fear, news of a new organization reached the public. It was known as the Nexus Council and consisted of the Alphas of each Nexus. With their first meeting, they drafted the Nexus Charter of Rights and Laws. As before, the Nexians were above government concern. But these rules promised a more peaceful coexistence between Nexians and humans.
Needless to say, many people were skeptical, assuming that the bloodshed would continue. What did it matter that the supernatural beings that ruled the world had a new leader with a different name? They continued to fear the worst. Then two months of peace became six, and then a year. That year became six.
Now, at the beginning of the year 2026, peace has continued to reign. We humans have a better understanding of our Nexian neighbors. Those who live near Nexian territories benefit, and prosper from their continued closeness. Elsewhere in the world, healing has continued, uninterrupted. New Toledo, the center of the annual Nexus Games, has become the leading tourism attraction. It seems that the history of bloodshed and tragedy is beyond us. What, now, can we look forward to, with Nexians as our friends and protectors, rather than the source of our greatest fears?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was another typical blustery cold day in Fairbanks. Even more so because of the rare wind that had blown its way past the expansive tundra to the north and down into the city of Fairbanks and its adjoining towns. Wind from the sea was a rare thing this far inland, but when it did appear, it was a vicious, unstoppable force. There were no mountains to protect them from the force of nature that existed outside of the tundra, so they felt its full effect.
That being said, the weather was less severe for some than others. Principle among them was the members of the Fire Nexus, those supernatural beings that could create flames with seemingly no effort and control any fire around them. They were impervious to the cold, able to endure the worst blizzards with simple clothing, and never sustain damage. Their comfort in the cold was well-known and explained why they lived deep in the heart of the tundra, where other people would be hard-pressed to stay warm, much less alive.
The Thunder Nexus, while able to warm themselves against the cold, were not as resilient, save for their Alpha, who had come from the Fire Nexus originally, along with his wife. Still, within the city itself, they were able to cope with the cold moderately well, wearing only their simple cloud-grey jackets, the official uniform for their Nexus. They’d become accustomed to a great many things.
“Can’t say I like these jackets when the cold winds hit us.”
Will glanced to the side, watching James adjust his loose-fitting jacket yet again, and hid a grin. The Captain was a constant complainer, but he’d learned long ago not to listen too intently to his whinging. James’ way of expressing his boredom was to complain about the things in his life that weren’t quite perfect. He never complained about the Nexus or the work he took on to help Will progress his goals. No, he liked to complain about the small things, that neither he nor Will had the power to change.
“If you’re cold, maybe you should go warm up with the others,” he commented dryly. “I don’t think I’ve seen you training for nearly a year.”
“What’s the point of training?” James asked, straightening his shoulders and looking bored. “I’ve already mastered it all.”
“Oh have you?” Will asked, arching an eyebrow. “Maybe the point of training is so that you can instruct the younger generation.”
And truly, James was one of the few members of the Thunder Nexus that showed his age. He was approaching forty now, and trace elements of grey could be found in his shortly trimmed beard and hair. Not that anyone would dare to point them out. James was touchy about his encroaching years, and was liable to mack anyone who mentioned the topic.
James’s face twisted into an expression of distaste at the idea. “I don’t like teaching the young ones. They’re always cocky, and barely have any talent to show for their over-confidence.”
A few feet away, there was the sound of splintering wood. Edward had apparently kicked his sparring opponent so hard that he’d flown back several feet, and burst through the door of the nearest building. Edward looked guiltily up at his father and Alpha. “Sorry, Dad. I thought he’d block that.”
Behind Edward, Kenta shook his head in that quiet, disapproving way he did so well. “Edward-san, how many times have I told you? Strength without control is no strength at all.”
“But Eric went flying nearly five feet that time!” Edward replied, the image of stubborn nonapology. “Besides, he’s fine.”
Sure enough, the rubble of the ruined doorway was shifting aside, and Eric, their newest recruit, was walking back into view. He showed no sign of damage or discomfort, but he did seem a tad annoyed at the harsh kick he’d received. Will watched him stalking toward his son with a determined, balanced stride and knew what was coming. Even Kenta seemed aware and took a gentle step back. Only Edward remained ignorant of the incoming figure, who broke into a sprint in the last few feet, electricity flickering to life all along his body.
Eric hit Edward with considerable force, but he hit low. Edward’s legs buckled under the impact, and he spun neatly in the air, landing face-first with a surprised grunt as Eric shot past. James let out a raucous laugh as Will’s son picked himself back up. Unlike Will, he was showing definite signs of discomfort, holding his ribs gently with one arm.
Kenta shook his head again. “See? If you’re too confident, you might miss something important. If you’d paid attention, you might have been able to dodge Eric-san.”
Edward threw Eric a quick glare, taking a hesitant step back as if expecting him to lunge again. But he remained where he was, his face even and his eyes glinting with pleasure. Will turned back to James. “Barely any talent? Could you have done that at their age?”
James said nothing, which was a rare occurrence. Now it was Will’s turn to laugh. Turning back to the training pair, he said, “Well done, Eric. You’ve even made James speechless.”
Eric inclined his head as he looked toward his Alpha. “Thank you, sir.”
“That’s enough training for now,” Will suggested. As usual, his suggestions were tantamount to orders, and the three knew at once to obey. Kenta gave a quick bow, then put an arm on Edward’s shoulder, steering him away. “Come, Edward-san. It’s time for your daily meditation.”
Edward’s groan of disappointment was clearly audible as he was led away, bringing another smile to his father’s face. “James, go see if Charlisa needs help with anything. Eric, come and talk with me for a while.”
James paused only long enough to give Eric a sidelong glance before obeying the order. Then, hands thrust deep into the pockets of his jacket, he strolled toward the main building of the campus. Eric watched him go for a moment while Will made his way down the stairs, then came to stiff attention as his Alpha drew close.
“Oh, relax,” Will said, grinning at the tense young man standing in front of him. Not so young, he thought. Eric seemed to be nearly his age, in his early twenties, maybe late twenties at the oldest. This prompted another question, one that had been on his mind most of the morning. “You’re not a soldier, you don’t have to come to attention for me.”
Eric nodded his understanding and relaxed a little, but his position could still be described as a stiff one, with his arms held behind his back and his feet spread shoulder-length apart. “You look like a soldier.”
Finally, Eric allowed himself to fully relax. “Sorry. Dealing with a Nexus is a relatively new experience for me.”
“Really? But you’re from Fairbanks originally, right?”
Eric nodded confirmation. “Yes, but I’ve spent quite a while in Germany, where there aren’t any Nexuses. I’d heard all about your fights, but I never thought I’d want to come back home and join up.”
The truth, of course, was that Eric had spent nearly the last fourteen years of his life in another world altogether. Time there had passed much more slowly than back on Earth, so he’d only experienced six or seven of those years. But that wasn’t a fact that he could share so easily with William Andrews. He felt it would be a bit of a taboo, breaking that secret and revealing the presence of other worlds to someone who didn’t know of them.
“I have to confess,” Will said, “That I looked into your past quite a bit when you asked to join the Nexus.”
Eric had expected this, of course. It was only fair to assume that he wanted to be sure of the allegiance of any of his recruits. Explaining away his long absence from the public eye would be a tricky endeavor. But he’d already thought up a plausible excuse for this should anyone ask. Now he just had to see if it worked.
“The truth is that I went to Germany illegally,” he said, doing his best to look apprehensive at revealing this secret. “I met a girl there, and stayed quite a while.”
He knew that his emotions would show in this statement because he’d already tied the woman of his lie to Emma in his mind. He watched his Alpha’s face closely, hoping that he’d be satisfied with that. It seemed that he was, and he let out a sigh of relief that he hid well.
“Understandable,” Will replied. “I’d planned on leaving Alaska eventually, but Charlisa convinced me to stay.”
“How’d she do that, sir?”
Will grinned widely at that and shook his head at the forced formality in Eric’s voice. “She existed. No chance I’d leave after meeting her.”
Then, his face going serious once again, he said, “When I looked you up, I noticed that you were a pretty good fighter. You won two international tournaments in the early two-thousands.”
Eric nodded, knowing that this fact would come out, as he couldn’t hide it. “True. I enjoy fighting. I even took part in some underground fighting clubs in Germany. The tournament scene wasn’t for me.”
He certainly seemed to have kept his physique maintained, Will thought, looking him up and down. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that a strong body is one of the side effects of being a Nexian. But martial arts knowledge only helps when it comes to harnessing the full powers of your Spark.”
“My Spark?” Eric asked, his eyebrows knitting into a frown. “What is that?”
Will waved a dismissive hand. “Just my own way of thinking of it. When I joined the Fire Nexus, we referred to our power’s core as our flame. But with electricity, it’s more of a spark.”
Eric let out a soft ‘ah’ of understanding. Then a short silence spread between the two of them, leaving both feeling a little awkward, not sure where to go next with the conversation. Eric was content to let it stretch as far as it could or to let Will take the next step. Which, unsurprisingly, he did.
“Well, it seems that you’ve been making a good name for yourself these past three months,” he commented. “Kenta speaks highly of you from your training sessions. Even Charlisa seems impressed, and that’s hard to do.”
Eric smiled politely. “I’m doing my best. I never thought I could learn something so quickly. Even fighting took me longer to get the hang of.”
“That’s certainly true,” Will agreed. “It’s hard to put into words, isn’t it? Controlling something that you never had as a human. It’s like trying to flex a muscle you grew overnight. Yet, strangely, it’s less difficult than you’d think.”
He put a hand on Eric’s shoulder then. “Take the rest of the day off. We’re entertaining guests in a week’s time, and I want you rested well. Keep up with your training, but don’t overdo it.”
Eric offered a quick bow, just inclining his head, and Will made his farewell, heading toward the central building to go and find his wife. As he left, he called over his shoulder, “Oh, and I know you’re a good cook too. I read about the restaurant your father started. I look forward to seeing your skills in the kitchen tonight!”
Ah, so he’d be in charge of cooking dinner, then. He’d eaten the Alpha’s cooking nearly every day since he’d arrived, and he had to admit that would be hard to surpass. But, like everything else about his life in the Thunder Nexus, it was simply a way to pass the time. Even his training came second to his true mission. As he thought of that, he took in a deep breath. It had been a peaceful three months, to be sure.
Just one week. Grimr would be here soon, as would Megan. It would be their first meeting, and he had to be sure that he was there for it. Grimr would likely have instructions for them, and they could being their work of dismantling the Nexuses. He hoped it wouldn’t take long. The sooner he accomplished this goal, the sooner he could go back to Ahya, and go back to his family.
*The other world mentioned in this chapter is the World of Ahya, a world that features about half of my stories. In that world, Eric is featured heavily in Path of the Outsiders, Curse of the Outsiders, and even has a feature or two in Heroes in the Making. There, he meets and falls in love with a woman named Emma, and they have a daughter named Emily.
