Ben 10 Primix: chapter 25, Anur Vladias nearing completion
Summary:
The team is finally on their way to the Mariana Trench. They find some disturbing signs of panic during their travel. The council declared the Mariana Trench as a forbidden region, but that doesn't stop them from reaching their destination. Verdona tells Carl not to worry so much, but both her sons don't take that so well.
Gwens view:
I heard the lock on the bedroom door coming in place. They didn't take it so well. Verdona groaned while floating up from her seat. She glanced at her own monitors. During our last trip she learned how to operate them, so now she was in charge of keeping the energy levels contained. She glanced at me and then at her screen. This action was repeating itself. I groaned. "What do you want to ask Verdona, this silent way is nothing like you?" She floated near me and took my hand. "I'm worried Gwen just like the rest of you. My home world is in danger and the only person able to safe it is in a deep coma, controlled by that tricky system. Will this linking plan even work, will it be on time? What is the status of Anodyne right this moment? How can I not worry? Knowing that I can't change a thing about it is the worst for me. I have to rely on my grandchildren to get it done. My granddaughter is still so young." She strokes my cheek. "Do you think I enjoy putting my family in danger? After decades of regret my family is whole again and once again it is at the cost of Anodyne. Do you think I would make that torturous choice again?"
I kept silent, since I honestly didn't know what she would choose. She gave a soft sign. "Gwen, if you have any doubts about this link, we won't do it. We'll find another way. I was too hasty to shove it all on you. If you choose to continue I'll be there to keep you safe, I promise." Kevin sneered. "Finally the old with snaps, took you long enough! Bet you couldn't stand your sons dissing you!" Kevins head slammed against the console with a pink hand on his head. His head was slammed a second time, but a lot softer. The mana disappeared after the second hit. He glared at Verdona. There was no visual damage, but it must have hurt. Verdona snorted. "Mind your manners young man, I still don't approve of you. I can't have my precious granddaughter marry with such a low-class imp. I wonder what I could do to make you flee." Kevin touched the metal from the console and turned metallic black. "Do try you old hag. I don't mind pounding you now." I stepped between them with my mana-shield surrounding me. "No in-fighting until after the mission. Save your energy for whatever is down there! It is strong enough to keep humans and the council out. So you can take your dissatisfaction out on them!"
Kevin grumbled and stepped back, letting the metal disappear from his skin. I loosened the hand Verdona had on me. "I'm still okay with forming the link, but I worry about Ben…" I could see her trying to interrupt me again. "Not because of the coma!" She kept silent. "It's those memories he got. I saw a glimpse off them and honestly they felt real, very, very real. You saw how he snapped every time his home planet was mentioned. He reacts the same way you do Verdona, when you defend Anodyne. That's not the Ben we know…well except for his stubbornness…" Kevin laughed. "Please don't forget his annoying hero complex and his…!" I stopped him from continuing through glaring. Verdona floated back to her seat. Her pink hair draped over her shoulders, less shining than just before. She landed on the ground with her feet. "Gwen, I've lived all those years with the pain of betrayal and abandoning my husband and his people to their fate. I can guide Ben through his mourning process if he needs too. Don't worry too much; he's a fighter just like you. And he has his whole family to care about him." I felt a small smile on my lips; maybe she wasn't so bad after all.
Ben's view:
My heart rate gave me a stable and slow rhythm. The warmth between my claws felt lively and peaceful. I had heard all kinds of whispers and sounds coming from the core beneath my fingers. It was always too soft to hear clearly, but never to silent to miss. Until I heard muffled sounds behind me. They didn't come from the core beneath my hands. "Permis…to…tell?" A low and grumpy voice was a bit clearer. "Denied!" I ignored it at first, until the discussion turned louder. "Proposal to keep…dark!" The softer female voice spoke. "Denied!" It sounded like a male and a female arguing. Why was I hearing this while recreating Anur Vladias? I tried to concentrate on the core in my hand, but the voices were distracting to say in the least. The soft voice tried to reason. "Come now Bellicus, he deserves to know!" The grumpy voice snorted. "It has nothing to do with us, so proposal denied!" The female sighed. "That's where the problem lays Bellicus, we did have something to do with it." Wait, this was a little too familiar?
The grumpy voice snorted. "Do you agree to keep Benjamin out as long as he's ignoring us?" The female sighed again. Oh Bellicus, give the poor child a rest. It's his first time creating something. Remember the first time we did?" A grunt made the grumpy voice stop. It finally fell into place. I opened my eyes to see the black core that had turned white and blue. It glowed and pulsed between my hands. I was surrounded by stars. My view changed a bit until I saw to familiar green faces. I gave them a difficult smile. I hadn't forgotten our last encounters. "Long time no see Bellicus and Serena." The voice of anger and the voice compassion in alien X. Bellicus stared at the empty space not making eye contact. I noticed my long white nails and white robes. I was still an elder Vladat, so how was Alien X working? I glanced at Serena. "How can I be here with you when I'm not in my human appearance? I can only enter one transformation at a time right?" Serena smiled. "How polite you have become after turning into a Vladat. Bellicus, do you agree to answer Benjamin's question?"
The wrinkled face rolled his eyes. "I agree with your proposal." Serena's smile was really friendly. "We are no longer a transformation of the omnitrix. While mending your body, we integrated with it. So the being you change in, will show up in your mindscape. You are a Vladat at the moment to recreate your home planet, so here you will appear as such." What was she trying to tell me? Her words were a bit confusing. Bellicus gave a smirk in her direction. "Why so difficult? Just tell him that his mind is Vladat at the moment, so he'll appear as a Vladat. End of discussion!" Serena pouted at his sneer. My mind was trying to take all the information in. My mind was that of a Vladat? Did he mean my memories? Was that turning me into an actual Vladat? I could finally be whole? Wait what? Damn, this form was influencing me more and more.
I just had to know. "Was Benjamir my former reincarnation or something? Do those even exist? How did he know about me and the omnitrix?" Both faces laughed at me. Bellicus even had tears in his eyes from laughing. My cheeks reddened with shame. It felt like master laughing at my silly mistakes back home… I sighed. There I go again, accepting those memories as my own. Serena heaved a sigh before calming down. "Do you accept to enlighten Benjamin of our meddling?" Bellicus smiled. "Proposal denied… Agree to point out Benjamins mistaken opinion?" Serena closed her eyes to stop a grin forming on her lips. "Agreed." Really? You just had to include an insult to your sentence for basically the same proposal? I once again understood why I don't like him. I felt a small thump from the core under my fingers. "So back to my question? Is Benjamir…me, a past life or something?"
Serena laughed softly. "Yes and no. We've heard tales of Anur Vladias way before the disaster struck. Yet none of us could come close because of its powerful core." Bellicus snorted. "We never went near it, but creating an undead planet into our micro-universe? No way! I'm not creating anything like that!" I gripped the core under my nails. What did he intend to say with that? Serena giggled. "Oh Bellicus, it was your idea to scout the planet? We copied your soul and send it towards the glory days of Anur Vladias. We can't just meddle with time, without our voice of reason, so this was a safer option." Bellicus had a large grin. "Through our connection with your soul we could experience Anur Vladias as the first Celestialsapien. We did what no Celestialsapien has ever dared." Bellicus laughed at remembering it. "Kid you truly are one of a kind, our voice of reason. No matter the species you'll still have a hero complex."
It was finally starting to sink in. "So you sent a…clone of me to Anur Vladias… my parents…the two Vladats, who are they?" Serena's smile was full of grief. "The female that gave birth to you, her real son never made it. The planet had just recovered from a small attack which caused damage to her child. She raised you into a fine Vladat." Bellicus sneered. "More mature than your human one." My heart was beating faster. "So my memories are real? They happened? I've truly experienced them and master?" Bellicus snorted. "It's fake, since it was a duplicate of your soul that experienced it." Serena shook her head. "No Bellicus, I don't agree. It was real because he truly felt like a part of their family. He and his duplicate soul have merged again." Bellicus was angered. "Opinion denied! They are fake since we made it happen!" Serena started another argument with Bellicus on the topic. I silently listened to their yelling match. Wait, last time Primus was here too? "Serena why isn't Primus…"
Bellicus yelled. "Proposing to continue our discussion and ignore Benjamin's questions." Serena actually agreed on that one! She gave a barrage of arguments to strengthen her opinion. This was going nowhere. "Do you both agree to disagree about this topic and move on to the next one?" Both stared at me in wonder. Serena glanced at Bellicus. "I think I agree, never thought about it this way before?" Bellicus grumbled. "Fine, I agree to disagree. What do you want? Make it fast; we have still lots to discuss about our micro-universe." Wow, I never knew it could have been so simple. How to make the right proposal so that Bellicus will agree? "Do you agree to … teach this clueless … idiot why Primus isn't interfering with this conversation?" Bellicus was beaming with a smile. "I agree to teach you clueless idiot." Ugh, well at least he agreed. Serena gave a glare at Bellicus. "I'll agree to. Dear boy, right now we are in your mindscape. Last time we met in Primus mindscape. Only with our help could it create Menedite. You on the other hand are a part of us as a Celestialsapien. You can create a world without Primus help or interference. This core will be your fist true creation. You have to reach an agreement with us before we'll allow its creation."
This was what she mentioned in the beginning. I was now part of the Celestialsapien so I could transform all I want and still end up here. Serena went on. "This creation will not only appear in the micro-universe but also bound with our soul. The planet and all its living beings will belong to us and us alone. Even Primus wouldn't be able to meddle in it." Bellicus turned serious. "Are you truly ready for this task Benjamin? It shall hurt you, terrify you and torture you, for you will feel its existence until the end of time." My body trembled upon hearing this. Serena sounded worried. "I don't agree Bellicus. He's still too young to make such a large decision even as our voice of reason. The creation of this planet and its core is equal to our own existence. It was the reason we could never come near!" Bellicus groaned. "You worrywart, you give up too easily. The core that can overpower us, choose him for this task. Who are we to question it?" And they were back to quarreling.
Once again I was left alone with my thoughts. Serena's words had frightened me. It sounded like a grave and big decision, but my hearth wanted it so bad. Masters words were still in my head and made me hesitate. 'Please bring us back in a time of peace.' It wasn't peace yet, but the micro-universe could be counted as peaceful. Why was my planet so special? The easily agreed to create a micro-universe in my body, so what was so different about creating this planet? Well, except for Primus not being in control. That sounded lovely in my ears, something that wasn't in Primus control. Sadly it made my choice even harder… Who was I kidding? I really wanted to bring it back, to save my species like I did with all those others. Especially after how those… no my parents and teacher had raised and protected me with their own lives. I own that to them. The two green faces were still in a heated battle of word. How to make Serena agree this time?
"I agree to make Anur Vladias my first creation together with you as my guidance." Both were stunned into silence. Bellicus grinned. "I ag…" Seran yelled. "Denied!" It was the first time that Serena had interrupted Bellicus on such a level. I was honestly shocked. "You have no idea what kind of sorrow it can bring you. I won't accept it, no matter the argument you give." I felt a heavy weight in my stomach. "Allow me to make Anur Vladius as my first creation and guide me on this path that I have yet to discover with your wisdom?" All kinds of wrinkles appeared on Serena's face. I couldn't read her expression. Bellicus tried to persuade her, probably since he still wanted to win his argument. "Give him some time to explain his decision and we'll prepare our judgment upon them. I never thought that I would be the patient one."
Right the reasons I wished to create Anur Vladias. Well not entirely for Primus and his Arc. "First to give the people of Anur Vladias a second chance like I did with the others, since their lives were wrongfully taken by the council. Second to repay the people that not only allowed me, but us, to experience the true Anur Vladias and raised me in their society. My third reason is to find out the true power of Anur Vladias. What is the planet that no Celestialsapien has ever witnessed and why did it ask us to bring it back into the world? Bellicus told me before this discussion that he doesn't want to question the core for his reasoning. I want to know the reason Anur Vladias was attacked but never conquered. All these above are the reason I'm willing to bear the pain, torture and sorrow…of making it my first creation?" Bellicus snorted. "That last part didn't sound all too sure boy?"
Serena had tears in her eyes. "I agree if you honestly try to listen to our advice, for caring about a creation is not as easy as it seems." Before I could nod in agreement, Bellicus sneered. "Then I won't agree, since it sounds like way to much work." These two can really dig out the blood under my nails. Why could it never be just a yes? They'll become the end of me. How to… lesson the burden for Bellicus? I'm running out of ideas here. "Bellicus, will you agree if I admit your benevolence and truly wish for you to keep your advice and wisdom for yourself?" His face gave me a questioning look, until his eyes grew dark. "Fine I agree. I want the pain to torture him right now, insolent child!" Serena shook her head. "I agree as well to bring Anur Vladias back into existence. Benjamin, do you agree to bond Anur Vladias to your soul and truly learn what it means to be a Celestialsapien?" I gritted my teeth. "Yes, I agree!" both faces nodded. "The proposal is accepted!"
Stabbing pain assaulted me. It felt like my body was ripped apart into tiny pieces. Again and again like going through a shredder. Their voices became distant, yet I somehow understood everything clear. Serena rambled on about our duties, while guiding me through this torturing pain. The pain felt like it lasted an eternity, becoming worse every second.
Carls view:
I sat near Ben's bed together with Silvaros. The door was locked. I glanced at the blue male next to me. "So half-brother, I'm sorry that I'm not so open to you, but it's a bit?" Silvaros smiled. "Sudden? Yes it is. No worries though. I myself was never able to acknowledge Verdona after she left us and well… I had decades to hater her and curse her existence." I snorted, so he wasn't so happy about mother either? "Bet she was the achieving type?" Silvaros glanced at me. "It appears you've dealt with it too. It must have been hard, constantly hearing how disappointing it is that you're not a girl with her spark? Yet knowing that's she's somehow wrong?" I sighed; he took the words right out of my mouth. "Let me guess, same problems?" Silvaros snorted while nodding.
Authors note: Bonus chapter to make up for the last three months. ;-)