Chapter 36
The last of the BrunnenG
6000 years ago.
Darkness.
Timeless eternity.
More, the man who once had been Kai, last of the BrunnenG, didn´t remember in the beginning when he was suddenly torn out of it.
But then this darkness faded…something changed…to something that couldn´t be possible…
He knew that he had died…but why wasn´t he long in the place he should belong to?
Wasn´t he dead in the end?
He should have been…he somehow just knew it.
Slowly the part of his self, that woke confirmed that he must be dead: he didn´t feel any heartbeat, and no blood rushed through his veins.
But why did he despite wake?
That shouldn´t be possible – if he was dead.
Why was he still thinking in a way only living people do? Shouldn´t the dead be free of thoughts and of questions?
Why did it feel as if he was waking in his own body?
That shouldn´t be possible - if he was dead.
Everything that happened here was much too strange to believe it. His mind was thrown into chaos…it rebelled against such impossible thoughts.
What was it that drew him back into this so obvious dead body and how was that possible?
He knew he had died…but also he knew that his soul never had reached the DreamZone…the darkness he remembered wasn´t the place he should have gone to…
Kai tried to sort his thoughts…strange to sort thoughts if you´re dead…and then he remembered that there hadn´t been darkness all the time… shortly after he had closed his eyes in the world he had lived in for 30 years, he had seen the DreamZone…it existed, he knew it.
But he couldn´t reach it…something repelled his soul shortly before he could enter it…as if access was denied to this afterlife for him.
But why?
Had someone suddenly decided that he wasn´t worth to let his soul rest there forever? Weight the accuse of betraying his people by breaching the shield so much more than the furious attempt to defend them by sacrificing his life in battle?
What was it that held him back so suddenly before he could enter the DreamZone?
He couldn´t find an explanation…but the more he listened to his inner voice the more it became clear to him that there was something missing…something he couldn´t grab clearly.
He felt so…incomplete.
Because a part of you isn´t with you! Your soul is torn into two pieces, and so you´re…well, not complete. Kai yelled the explanation at his past self…fruitless, of course, he couldn´t communicate with him…only his present self knew the fact why he had felt this way.
His Shadow had stolen most of his personality when he had died. That explained the impossibility to reach the DreamZone. But His Shadow failed to absorb his soul completely…the part of him that almost had entered the afterlife was cut from the rest and so it happened: his soul had been torn apart.
Whereas the part that His Shadow had stolen was now with his past self, re-awakened in this dead body, the other part had been able to escape…to an unknown place.
He now was sure that it had been the planet Water –…there really was a reason why he had seen himself in the depth of the planet Water.
Incomplete…but despite he woke…in his dead body…what was happening here?
"He wakes, His Divine Shadow," he heard someone say.
Kai didn´t know if the voice came from his memories or if it was the video…but he clearly winced when he heard that name.
"Good, we will begin then," he heard another voice…
…a voice he knew too well…it had been the last thing he was aware of before he…had died!
Kai´s mind struggled with this yet unknown past, whilst a part of him wanted to turn away…to avoid Talerons mental torture, but another part was eager to close this gap in his memories - Kai knew that several questions were still unanswered, since he got aware of his self again 4000 years ago. Not that this was a good point in time to remember…but he knew that this would be the only way to get knowledge of the unspeakable horror that had turned him from a dead BrunnenG warrior into this cruel assassin.
He had no choice…he had to remember…he was forced to…
Flashy light blinded him from somewhere above, vaguely he saw some figures bending over him. At foot he recognized the dark figure of His Divine Shadow. Kai lifted his head to orient and why he wasn´t able to move and so strangely thinking that his body was dead.
The explanation was simple and hit him in an instant when he managed to look down:
He was tied to a table, completely naked and…
Not that only the figure of His Shadow startled him, nor the other unknown people watching him, something else terrified him much more:
He noticed the wound above his heart…where His Shadows knife had cut his flesh and…
Kai´s head sank back…no, this wasn´t possible. It couldn´t.
He was dead…he really was dead…but somehow alive too…
He still didn´t understand everything, it was hard to get accustomed to the fact that he was dead but – not dead. But what he understood right away was that he was in the sways of the tyrant who had killed him and his people. He suddenly felt sadness and hate emerging from somewhere… dead, yes, his body seemed to be…however it was possible that he was despite able to move and think, his mind didn´t feel as dead as his body and for that it was more active than ever…the feelings inside him showed that clearly.
Between all those sudden wrath and sadness he discovered something else…a brief thought he captured before it slipped away again:
So the prophecy hadn´t been fulfilled - yet. The accent lay on yet.
"Hello Kai, I thought it´s about time to talk with you about your future!" His Divine Shadow floated without noise at his side and stared out of the darkness of his huge hood down onto the young BrunnenG.
"His Shadow!" Kai managed to answer, surprised he could. His voice wasn´t able to filter the hate out of his voice – he refused to do that. He was dead…what had he to loose? His Shadow couldn´t kill him twice. "His Divine Shadow…," the tyrant corrected again, in an annoyed tone. "You really are – were - fractious people, you BrunnenG…well, you soon will learn how to respect me and how to follow my orders," "Never!" Kai interrupted him, without knowing at what His Shadow was aiming. It didn´t matter…this man was his bitterest enemy and still he didn´t fear this dark one.
"I think you will…."
Kai remembered clearly how much resistance and defiance he had shown against His Shadow. It seemed as if he tried to continue the battle with His Shadow…from before he had died…
Well, why should he stop? Like he already had thought in the past: he had nothing to lose, or? Kai shivered when he remembered the events…had His Shadow really re-awakened or re-animated him on the Cluster – before he was turned into an undead assassin? It seemed so…otherwise he wouldn´t remember anything that clearly.
His past self on the other hand had fewer speculations about His Shadow´s reasons…
His Divine Shadow had a plan, this became clear to him from one moment to the next…and despite the worse and confusing situation he was in, a part of him decided to fight on…his body was already in His Shadows sways, it was dead, it couldn´t fight any longer…but not his mind…he felt that his mind still belonged to him, that it was still him, and as long as he was himself, he would resist this tyrant.
Then His Divine Shadow talked anew, a bit amused about Kai´s reaction.
"You should know that you really ARE DEAD…like everyone else of your pitiless people. There´s nothing left to fight for…."
Kai ignored the statement, he wasn´t His Shadows opinion…there was always something to fight for…even when the cause is lost!
"No one can bring the dead back to life!" he stated instead, refusing to comment what the Shadow had said. His Shadow started to laugh. "Oh, I didn´t give you back you´re life… technically you´re really dead…but there are ways to revive dead bodies for some time."
"What do you want? Why all that?" Kai asked and tried to understand.
His Divine Shadow laughed again, he enjoyed the confusion and the horror in this ones eye. He stroked with his gloved hand above Kai´s body.
"I want to punish you and your people beyond death…that´s what I have in mind. The BrunnenG have caused enough resistance in the past…. It´s about time for a payback," he hissed, his voice full of hate when he spoke out the name of Kais´ people.
"I revived your body with the possibilities I possess, and I transferred your memories back to you so you can experience what will happen to the last of the BrunnenG and the prophecy. My future plan for you will ensure that you are going to be in my service, as one of my assassins. So there will never be any talk about a prophecy when you fulfill my orders and clean the LightZone from all heretics and disloyal people." His Divine Shadow bent lower, the final statement he made sounded like a curse: "And for my personal satisfaction: it´s not enough for me to see your entire people dead or the prophecy proofed wrong, no…" His Shadow´s voice decreased to a whisper so only Kai could hear what he said: "I want to punish your people and you beyond their existence…by making a mockery out of their proud warriors…and believe me, for what you have done…it´s just an act of mercy…you deserve far far worse. I´m going to ensure that you will forever be mine!"
When Kai remembered all this, his current confusion was history. It didn´t matter how he had felt about this strange dead-alive experience he was thrown in so suddenly and unexpected, it didn´t matter any longer what had happened at all. His Shadow had stated right away what he was up to…it didn´t matter what or how he would turn him into an assassin…it only mattered that he would do it. He wanted Kai to obey and to follow his orders…something a proud BrunnenG would never let happen…to give in and obey the enemy. This would indeed be unique in history of his people. The great warriors of old times rather had died than to do that…but what if you´re already dead?
Kai started to understand that there was indeed no way out of this…as hard as he tried to think about a solution…he was absolutely powerless.
His present self asked the same question. Kai knew that His Shadow of course had succeeded in making him obey and follow his orders, but Kai also knew that this had happened without being in possession of his personality…so why was His Shadow so interested in making him witness this act of violence to his body?
Could His Shadow really do that?
Making him witness by full consciousness what the Biovesirs will do to him?
For what reason? He was already in His Shadows sways…he couldn´t run, if His Shadow would turn away his memories again…he would do as His Shadow commands…without this memories he was only a body without a will…aware what was going on, because he remembered everything, but not paying attention or wasting any thoughts about it.
The purpose of all that evaded him.
Another question arose: If his mind had locked these memories away so securely…would a sane mind be able to take this experience in?
Inwardly Kai felt suddenly very sick…had he really to witness his own alteration into a Divine Assassin? Was this Talerons´ plan? To confront him with records from this event?
Somehow several puzzle pieces seemed to fit together.
He hadn´t thought that Taleron was able to find his weakpoint that fast…but Stan must have told him enough about his difficult start in this new life…and Kai knew that Taleron was intelligent enough to draw his conclusions out of that. And how he now had to learn bitterly: he had sufficient resources to find a way to rub it in.
His mind had protected him from this cognition…for a reason.
Would he be able to resist these new, undoubtedly hurting flood of memories?
It became clear to him that Taleron saw the best chance to get him talking by exchange physical with mental pain…in his case maybe the right choice.
Kai recognized with horror what would approach him now…inwardly he groaned and tried to prepare for it…
He wasn´t sure if his past self was in the better position that moment…cause it didn´t know completely what would happen now…but what it knew was enough.
He knew that His Shadow was about to make his life…his existence…a true misery from this day on. And that he wasn´t able to prevent it…he would be turned into an assassin.
But then something came into his mind. His rebellious warrior soul answered his question for resistance…there was only one way left to him: His Shadow had his body…but not his mind, his personality, his soul. At the moment it was completely his own. Oh, no doubt that His Shadow was able to change that anytime…but Kai swore to himself this very moment that he had to stay strong…to show his enemy not a single moment of success…he didn´t want the BrunnenG to be forgotten, whatever His Shadow would do to him…he wanted to keep this last fire of resistance alive…as long as possible. I won´t be yours he said to himself…if this was, what His Shadow wanted, he would find a way to deny the tyrant this last satisfaction.
It was the only power he had over this worst tyrant he could imagine: not granting him the success to break him.
Let them do what they want with his already dead body, but they will never triumph over his mind…and who knows…as long as he withstands…maybe there was at least someday a small chance to fulfill the prophecy…there must be a reason why he hadn´t succeeded in fulfilling it yet. And who besides him should fulfill the prophecy? There was no BrunnenG left besides him.
Kai knew that the first battle against His Shadow was only foreplay…now the real one would start…