Chapter 21
-Somewhere outside Saurian space-
Still stewing over everything that'd recent taken place Marcus continued to look forward; there was no way of telling where everything was headed, he was only happy that he'd managed to plant a few bugs within the camp and on several of the individuals there as well as aboard the Colletta itself. It was a tiny bit reassuring that he'd have ears on them for the time being but, no matter how much he tried to hide it, it all still hurt. It tore at him, at away at his insides, it felt like some random individual had stabbed him, like fire in his chest and heart. He thanked whatever forces he could for auto-pilot as he was finding it increasingly difficult to fly and wipe the irritation from his eyes at the same time. Several times Maryk had attempted to contact him but, he continued to turn down the calls. Speaking softly with his hands over his eyes, taking deep cleansing breaths he simply did his best to calm himself with something his mother had told him before. Breath in, clear your mind. Breath out, close your eyes. Breath in, focus. Breath out, open your eyes. Wiping away more tears he cleared his throat, it hadn't worked for the first time, it didn't work at all. It still felt like a part of him had died, ignoring the video feed he flipped on his comms. There was only a long moment of silence as he could hear Maryk breathing on the line...
"You alright?" His voice finally came through.
Marcus shook his head even though he knew Maryk couldn't see him, "I don't know Maryk. I don't think … I've ever had anything hurt this much. Like..."
"Like trying to breath in a room that's too hot?"
Marcus's ears perked up, it was clear that Maryk was speaking from some sort of experience, "This sort of thing happen to you?"
"Not quite the same," Maryk replied exhaling fairly heavily, "look kid. Society isn't exactly fair on people like me understand? You're the first person I've talked about this with but, I'm...well...no easy way to say this I'm about as straight as the letter S. Well maby the letter C, sort of hard to explain."
Marcus cocked his head to one side, "You're … gay?"
Maryk laughed, "Well, started out that way; I guess you could say that I was lying to myself back then," He replied, "you know professional body builder, you were expected to look, act, even think a certain way. Can't say it wasn't a nice life; money, gorgeous females throwing themselves at you, but in the end I wasn't really happy. Ate away at me until, well drugs seemed like the only real way out; doesn't sound right I know but...well, if you hold on to shit like this too long, it can change you."
"What changed everything?" The young vulpine asked wiping his nose across his forearm.
Maryk chuckled, "Pretty much the opposite of you. Met a pretty little thing that changed my mind about just about everything I knew," He sighed, "convinced me that maybe it was all just some phase or something but, it was all still there, just didn't effect me as much. I guess you throw enough tail at a guy you can change his opinion of a lot of things; least that's how it felt. When it boiled down to it though, the old feelings were still there. She convinced me that she loved me, that I loved her. She … well she made me happy, everything else just didn't seem to matter all that much anymore. Then I made the mistake of asking her to marry me," His voice cracked as he cleared his throat, "that was when my manager came forward and told me I wouldn't be seeing her again. Come to find out the crooked son of a bitch, was using her to make me complacent. One he heard about the proposal he stopped paying her to keep his meal ticket in place. That was the night I blacked out, woke up strapped to a hospital bed, wrists were all bandaged up. That was several months before I joined the Viper program to get myself away from everything and two years later. I actually found a little bit of that self respect I'd lost. That was where I met Sierra, about a year later you came around and well, story pretty much goes on from there."
"Wow..." Marcus shook hi head, "I—I'm sorry Maryk I didn't know. I mean I hope we managed to help."
Maryk laughed this time, "Don't fucking kid yourself Marcus. You two kept me alive the last few years."
"You still..." Marcus paused, "...you know."
Maryk laughed, "Gay? Bi? Yeah, yeah..." He replied, "...you can catch me eyeing a male's tail just as fast as a female's. I guess you could say the urges aren't quite as strong as they once were but, they're still there. You don't have a problem with that do you?"
Marcus shook his head, "Hey none of my business who's slapping who with what."
"Colorful Marcus," Maryk chuckled, "very colorful. On that note, you're...you're not going back with me are you?"
Marcus's silence was more than enough, "Look kid, I know how much this sort of trauma can fuck with your head. Hell nearly killed me," He sighed, "I'm gonna head to Xenass, meet up with Tanya. I owe her a lot from the other day. Whatever choices you make here brother, I'm with you one hundred percent; just know you have people that you can count on. Especially me and Sierra; your parents too. Where you gonna go?"
Marcus shook his head, "Not sure, not exactly something that I've thought a whole lot into. I wish I could just forget about all of this but, it's hard to explain. It works different when you're a Cerinian; when you meet the right person, they imprint on your mind. I haven't been capable of thinking of anything else literally for years."
Maryk cringed, "Wow that's pretty fucking terrible. So every Cerinian?"
"No," Marcus shook his head, "according to mom it's fairly rare that a Cerinian experiences it. Dad imprinted on mom, that's why she took it so hard when dad left her a long time ago. It's what made her become Kursed. For a lont time she claimed the only think that made her forget about him was the constant killing. Guess that's why she's revered for her brutality."
"Fine," Maryk laughed a bit inwardly, "look Una, the Titanian moon. There's a little bar in a town called Feya. Couldn't miss it if you tried, only bar in town. Ask for Mina, tell her Pooky sent you; she'll help you figure some shit out."
Markus blinked, "Pooky?"
"Look, ran under some harsh shit at that time and I had to keep some shit," Maryk paused, "discreet. It was a fair place to keep some of my, stuff...out of public eye. Good place to disappear for a little while. Anyone asks I'll just tell 'em I lost track of you after we left and you gave me right to leave."
"I'm sorry Maryk," Marcus sighed, "I wish I could explain it a better way. I just need a place to be alone for a while, forget my life out here exists. See what happens," He sighed again, "I'll...I'll keep in touch."
With that said the two ships broke away from one another, one headed to Xenass the other far and off toward Titania. Maryk never thought he'd part with his crew so quickly or so easily but, more than anything he dreaded the thought of seeing Sierra's face once she learned that Marcus wouldn't be coming back. He wondered if Krystal already knew, he figured it was most likely that way, then again, what did he actually know about any of this? The entire system was falling to shit and he had no idea where anything was headed.
-Some time later-
-Una, Titanian moon-
The bar had turned out to be nothing like Marcus had expected, in fact as soon as he mentioned Maryk the panda who owned the bar was more than eager to help the young fox out. Unfortunately it all gave Marcus a chance to rediscover something that he'd swore he'd never touch again. He found the alcohol made it stop hurting, even if only for a few moments and the more he took in the more it all seemed to go away. Opening his eyes, the night still lingered, his head pounding as he slowly opened his eyes. A strange hot wind broke against his fur and skin, and as his eyes focused his jaw dropped. Corneria City rested just of the distance of the cliff he rested upon; endless screams and cries of torment echoed through the air and tore through his mind as the entire city had erupted into tall flames. His head felt like the flames off in the distance burned just as intensely inside his mind as they did upon the buildings, the longer he stood by the more he could hear the screams from the city echo through his skull before finally a voice carried through the wind calling his name. For a moment it was it was difficult to make out but after a few moment became more and more clear until finally his ears zeroed in on the voice's location, he very slowly turned only to see a sight that assured him he was hallucinating. Skye's familiar cream colored fur was riddled in gashes and covered over in blood, whatever clothes she'd been wearing only hung from her body in loose patches of torn cloth. She reached out her hands to him only to suddenly burst into flames,. Her fur and flesh seared and melted slowly away under the intense heat leaving partial bits of her skeleton exposed beneath before her mouth began to move...
"M-m-marcus," She muttered, "look what you've done."
She finally screamed in pain as the winds that blew slung the ashes that were once her body into his face. He could only scream as her voice kept echoing in his ears; threatening to drive him mad. The voice echoed over and over fading in and then out again before finally fading in as clearly as it had ever been. This time the voice was different however, his eyes shot open for a second time the face in front of him a topless young panda he did not recall seeing before. The screaming stopped and suddenly she stopped shaking him, unfortunately the motion had already done it's worst. His cheeks billowed out, "Oh god no." He wined rolling over and emptying his guts across the floor next to the bed he lay on.
"You okay?" The lovely young thing patting his back asked, "We didn't know what to think, you drank so much."
Marcus gasped for breath, "No...no...no more," He wretched a bit more, "never, never ever ever ever aga..." A moment of realization caused him to become aware of just how little he was wearing under the sheets. Just as much a cut of his eyes to the right caused him to see the state the young panda next to him was in.
She was a pretty little thing, not voluptuous as her kind tended to have a sightly different build, with slightly wider hips, a black patch of fur on her cheek made the shape of a slightly lop sided heart, and her light blue eyes were something he wasn't used to seeing that often as one of them was actually a pale green. Heterochromia was a rarity one he thought was interesting enough, and added an otherwise air of mystery to the pleasantly smiling face seated across his waist...
"Where?Who?" He stammered.
The young panda's lips pursed in a bit of a pouty face, "Oh...you don't remember us?" She suddenly smiled cupping her hands over her bare breasts, "Mina and Myra?" She shook her head, "nothing? Ohh...poo."
Marcus blinked as he managed to roll back over to only meet with the same face that straddled over top of him, only there was no mark on her cheek, rather there was a patch of black that completely covered her left eye. Looking to the pleasant face, the sleeping panda yawned before her eyes cracked open blinking as she dawned a similar smile to the other, her eyes mirroring the one above him. Twins, he'd heard it was a commonality in their species but, he'd never met a panda before. After a moment she sat up, this one of the two showing them to not be quite so identical, as her chest was several times that of her sister, as well her wast and hips carried a slightly narrower profile. Unusually as she sat up her sister reached down gently kissing the other's rather large breast, leaving Marcus a bit stunned...
"I can't help," He paused, "but sense there's some missing context here."
Wrapping her arm around her sister, the one continued to caress her sister's large chest from the side, "No missing context, Mina and I do everything together," Clearly the one named Myra chuckled, "to think the son of Fox McCloud would show up here of all people."
"And in the need of so much attention." Mina added, "what I wouldn't give to sink my claws into your dad for five minutes though."
"And you?" Marcus asked looking to Myra.
Myra laughed using her hands to jiggle Mina's rather sizable chest, "Oh not me. That's just ol' Titan Tits here," She replied, "I'm more a fan of ..." She chuckled, "well...your mother. In more ways than one you might say."
Suddenly a much older voice chimed in from behind the two, "Okay you two deviants get off and stop toying with him, you both know nothing happened last night. He was out cold before he ever got up here."
The two turned away from Marcus to face an older, slightly more heavyset panda with dark brown eyes, her markings what you would expect from a panda , while her long black hair was tired behind her in a tight tail, "Awww...you're no fun." The two wined in unison.
"No no no," The older one detested with her hands on her wide hips, "you two need to get dressed and get back downstairs. And put some clothes on for the love of god."
The two kissed Marcus on each cheek before climbing down and disappearing into a nearby bathroom, "I do apologize, those two can be a bit flighty at times," She pointed out, "they're good girls just, well they've got a thing for cute little guys like you."
Marcus looked her over a moment; the older panda was wearing a thick white apron stained with various alcohols. She wore a pair of slightly faded blue jeans and a short sleeved white shirt behind the apron. Her build seemed a bit between the two that had just left the room, "Feya? Maryk told me to find you."
"Pooky, yeah you brought that up last night," She laughed pointing a finger at Marcus and waving it around, "you're not one of his?"
Marcus held up his hands in defense, "No no no...nothing like that. He was...is, part of my Viper unit."
"Oh," Feya replied nodding, "well then," She smiled brightly clapping her hands together, "get some pants on that cute little butt of yours and head downstairs once this room stops spinning and I'll get you something to eat. And call me Auntie...everyone else does."
Marcus went about the job of finding his things and as he found his pants and finally pulled them on that he noticed a shadow in the far corner of the room. It grew darker and darker as he continued to look it over, before he finally turned and pulled his shirt over his head. Unfortunately, upon turning back around there was no longer a shadow there, in fact the only real thing in the area was an open door billowing steam while a familiar top heavy panda stood by...
"Um..." She giggled causing a large portion of her to bounce enticingly, "...would you mind passing me our things. Don't wanna get everything wet, Auntie Feya would skin me alive."
"Oh...and, sorry about," She sighed as Marcus passed her their clothes, "this was just a prank. We were asked to watch over you, you were pretty wasted last night. Kept talking about the Sky or something," She suddenly smiled, "you're more than welcome to join us though. I will warn you," She paused narrowing her eyes wickedly at him, "there's not much room."
Considering everything he'd been through lately something did seem somewhat enticing about it all. After all, it wasn't something he was familiar with really. Sierra had hinted at it, though he'd never gone so far. However, with caution to the wind the young Cerinian reached out allowing Mina to pull him gently into the open washroom. He'd hoped the twins would eliminate his thoughts about Skye but, in fact, despite how fun it was to let the twins have their way with him, he found that it, like the drinking was simply a short term solution to a long term problem. His mother had once told him about something dangerous with mating when it came to Cerinians, it was something that actually assisted him. Linking minds allowed one person to share in the feelings, experiences, and emotions of another, in this case making a normal experience quickly become unlike anything most would ever experience. Little more than an hour later and he found himself in the steamed up washroom alone, only a pair of pants covering him as he sat by a mirror drying his fur. What he'd just been through felt strange; almost like he was betraying someone but, at the same time it did actually make him feel much better than he would have originally hoped for. The strange dream he'd had before unfortunately still dug at his mind. Had it meant something? If so what? What had Skye meant by, look what you've done? Was the fire his fault? Was her death his fault? Both questions were equally horrifying. Yet, as he stood there Marcus wiped away the fog which had accumulated on the mirror something stood out to him; the shadow from before lingered behind him however, it was no longer in the shape of a shadow, rather a tall long cloak. Turning around, he found that beneath the hood only sat the white of what appeared to be a skull. He studied the image for a moment before he heard it...
"Hello...Marcus."
The strange figure's voice was unlike most anything he'd ever heard, it set him at odd ease it was hollow but full of bass, yet smooth and gentle all at the same time. Sort of like a distant whisper only several feet behind him. There was a flash and an instant of images that shot through his mind; images of a small camp surrounded with trees overlooking a cliff and a small city. He paused for a bit as the vision stopped, the stranger was no longer standing there, in fact he was completely alone. He fell back and leaned against the sink in the room with his hands on his head. Two massive hallucinations within the last few hours, "Great," He nodded to himself, "well...least I did manage to get laid before I went batshit crazy."
Little more than an hour passed before Marcus found himself downstairs happily digging into a meal he was not quite used to; it was a thick steak of sorts pounded flat and fried, served alongside a thick but sweet sauce, a bit of sliced and baked potatoes, and a pasta dish he was equally unfamiliar with. Alongside the dish was served a sort of drink that seemed alcoholic yet wasn't which Feya called Honeybrew; it was a sweet drink that was served mildly warm. As he ate however, he found that the bar was strangely empty even though it was a quaint little place. Most of the building was fashioned of older red masonry brick, and the furniture inside was mostly carved of a heavy white wood stained with a dark varnish of some kind; the hardwood floors were absolutely spotless, but, he imagined that Feya would not allow otherwise. At random intervals either Mina or Myra would sneak by, playfully touching his shoulders or ears, gently scratching at his arms as they passed, sneaking in small kisses on his cheeks, many things that proved to him that they were both quite sneaky. He found it fairly pleasant really, the two were legitimately enamored with him, true that Sierra was the same but, he'd always felt that he'd be taking advantage of Sierra had it ever come to that. If for no other reason he figured it would have happened some time ago, he knew how she felt and hated that she thought he didn't care but, maybe it was just something that was never meant to happen. The twins however made that transition a bit easier on him, after all he didn't even recall drinking anything the previous night, much the less what had happened between the three of them; it was still a little odd that the girls were so sexual toward one another but, it didn't really bother him all that much, just odd. He found it wasn't that strange however, that the two soon joined him at the table each with their own meals. Mina continued to tease him with her chest, Myra continued to find other ways of playing with his head. Marcus actually found this sort of cute, the two of the vying for his attention in her own way though doing nothing to stop or get in the way of the other. It was clear to him that the two were used to this sort of treatment with one another, on top of that he had quite a bit of fun with the two himself, he never really imagined that his first time would be not with one female but two, yet his adolescent mind back in the academy would have exploded at the thought. Something weighed heavy on his mind though; the figure in the restroom, the image of the cliff, he wondered if either of them had seen such a place. Oddly enough it seemed just as much that it all did strike a chord...
"Wait," Myra stopped eating for a moment, "that sounds a lot like The Lookout over near Valley Point. People don't go there anymore."
Marcus looked between the three bears for a moment, "Why?"
"People," Feya paused as she had caught the conversation on her way by, "used to jump from there when they gave up. There are a lot of jagged rocks at the bottom of those cliffs. It was a...messy way to go. City sort of restricted it. It's closed off."
The light blue furred vulpine sighed as he shook his head, "Look, this might sound stupid but, I think I need to go see what might be up there," He informed them all, "you know, peace of mind and shit like that. Something was really unsettling about that dream."
Feya led the area leaving the three behind, as he waited by Myra leaned in over the table, "I have some maps of that area," She shrugged her shoulders slightly, "sort of wanted to be a Map Maker when I was younger," She chuckled, "Mina and I were going to be dancers but, well her body kept growing, mine not so much. Most clubs don't want girls who don't have cans to shake."
After receiving what he needed Marcus stood up only to have Mina grab his hand, "You'll come back right?"
"Of course," Marcus chuckled, "I mean unless something terrible happens; but, how likely is that this place seems pretty nice by any real standard," He said gently tapping his elbow against her breast, "especially with the great hospitality around here."
Despite everything that was said Marcus really did want to return, after all a pair of beautiful twins were waiting for him to come back. What guy wouldn't want to come back? Walking out toward the edge of the city he quickly found that the place was nothing like Corneria, like many other places it seemed like a place living in a different Era. Buildings were mostly brick and stone, some still made of wood; there were none of the massively towering structures of the big city, just open land and trees mingling in with the buildings. He wondered if this was what Corneria used to look like. It was brisk and cool out, there was a northern wind, it was gentle but it carried scents that he was simply not used to, along with one that he was familiar with. It was a pungent smell, sort of crisp with a lumber smell, a fire, a controlled fire. He could see the ridge from where he stood, as well as a gentle pillow of smoke. Someone was up there, in a camp of some kind. He moved along the highways that lead out of the city and up into the surrounding hills. The paths led up from the roads, far off from what he thought, up and around a single small mountain until after a rather lengthy climb he found himself looking out over a familiar looking cliff; the ridge was a flat surface protruding from the side of the mountain overlooking a river of jagged rocks and boulders below. A nearby tree was carved with multiple initials, several small bandannas and ribbons hung from low branches. He continued to look out over the skyline before turning his attention to the tree...
"...and take me into open arms, for final flight on broken wings. Lest let me fall from heaven's heart, and break upon the stones."
The familiarity of the voice sent a very real chill up Marcus's spine as the talking continued...
"It is a sad thought to see such a place of beauty," It sighed heavily, "reduced to a place of such sickening depression and sadness. Hello again Marcus."
Still stricken with uncertain fear, Marcus turned to see the same figure, though much different now. He wore what appeared to be a synthetic shirt that fit very tight across his massive chest, leaving his tan skinned arms out in the open cold air. His amber colored eyes were something he'd never seen before and the strange skull shaped mask he wore covered the majority of his face, he almost looked human if not for his massive size. Every muscle on his body bulged even worse than Maryk's, and every inch of his skin tight shirt was pressed tightly into the valleys his muscles created. He tipped a large teacup, which was dwarfed by his mitts, before pointing to a nearby stone where another steaming cup sat...
"Have a seat...you and I have many things to discus."
It wasn't until the moment set in that Marcus realized there had preemptively been a second place set, as he approached the hot cup of tea Marcus waved a hand over the area, "You been expecting me or something?"
"A bit sooner I am afraid," The stranger chuckled, "I did not expect the twins to take up quite so much of your time; but, the future is not set in stone so I suppose anything was a possibility from the start. I can assure you that I will answer any questions you may have to the best of my ability."
Marcus paused a moment as he sat down and took the cup in his hands giving it a suspicious sniff as he did so, there was no real trace of anything questionable. He took a gentle sip finding the bitterness nicely balanced with a gentle sweetness, "You're..." He paused for a moment, "...you can't be human?"
The large man did fit the profile, almost Venomian in appearance, possibly even a fox if he had no muzzle, fur, tail or claws, "No, I am … something else. Much, much much older. Quite a bit more powerful, my people have lived on so long that we do not even recall our own species name. Some have come to call us Precursors, other The Timeless, we have many names really. I was discarded here by my ship," He sighed pointing toward the sky, "I suppose there was an error in transit. I was never supposed to leave the ship's routine path."
"Well if this wasn't meant to happen," Marcus sighed, "how did you know to set two places?"
The stranger laughed, leaning back against the rocks where he sat, "Good question," He replied, "first of all my name is Jaxon. It was given to me on Earth, when I was sent there to take care of a matter of business that had no business being there. You see Marcus, I am a lot like your people; Cerinians that is," He said holding out his cup causing the light brown liquid inside to motion as if to be unpoured slowly into the air forming a small sphere, "let me explain a few things first that your mother has failed to explain. Have you ever had a bit of curiosity about your mother's staff? The strange ability it has to manipulate elements or change shape?"
"Mom always called it magic," He replied, "the staff only really answers to it's owner."
Jaxon nodded as he continued to play with the mid-air ball of tea, "Did stories not say your father had an aptitude for the weapon as well?" He retorted causing Marcus to lower his head in thought, "you see; Cerinians are a much older species than typically let on to. Originally not much different than say, your father. Their civilization was radically advanced to the point where such ceremonial weapons, like your mother's staff were nothing more than massive constructs of nano-machines. Your mother's staff is less a weapon and more of a small, collapsible mass energy converter. It takes in energy, mostly from the environment and the kinetic force of blows from the weapon, then converts that on the fly to whatever your mother needs. Ice, fire, tremors, a verity of different uses. Technology of course rose at a massive rate on Cerinia," He sighed causing the ball of tea to expand changing shape as he spoke to the various objects he'd mention, "unfortunately, much like mankind would prove much later on. Power and technology only harbor a thirst for more power; that power grows and the cycle continues until someone else wants that power. That want tuns to jealousy, to lust, to desperation … to anger … to bloodshed … to war … to …" He cleared his throat causing the tea bubble to slowly drip away to the ground, "... genocide. Sadly, much like man. By the time your people put two and two together, it was a bit too late. Cerinia's atmosphere was turning toxic, the waters were just as bad, plant life was wasting away, and even the weather seemed out to end life on a rampant note. Three chiefs came together, council members; together they decided that the best recourse for the world and for their race was a mass exodus from their home..." Jaxon reached for the tea pot which gently glided through the air refilling his outstretched cup before returning to it's place beside the tiny fire, "...three massive ships ARKs left the planet. Two would land on a small planet in a far off star system called Krazoa. There the groups split up, some began to live in small villages, what remained of the ships were either repurposed or hidden away, and on that new Cerinia your mother's people started over. Something in the planet, over the course of quite a number of lifetimes, changed the Cerinians rather rapidly compared to the normal constituents of evolution. Their fur began to take on an Azure hue, their bodies changed only so slightly, and more than anything their minds began to rapidly change to incorporate many of the abilities like those that you display. Another exodus took place on this new Cerinia when your mother was still fairly young, due to a massive shift in the planet's climate which slowly began to make the planet uninhabitable."
Marcus was, needless to say, stunned. So much about the Cerinian race that he was not fully aware of, he'd always figured there was a bit more to his mother's staff than she'd let on but, did she even know? It didn't really matter, "We're mutates?"
"Filthy sort of word," Jaxon replied taking a sip from his cup, "if you boil it all down we are all the subjective product of random mutations throughout a line of history; that is quite literally the definition of evolution. You however," He smiled, "are a unique case. Tell me, have you ever heard of something the called The Mind?" Marcus simply shook his head, "firstly let me say that, Cerinians are not the only, or the first to develop such abilities, so this story goes a long way. People with our abilities," He said pointing back and forth between the two of them, "have this story, sort of a legend stating that one day a person would be born with a perfect mind. By this I do not mean that he or she themselves are perfect, rather that their mind is specially evolved beyond even our evolution. This person would display many abilities; this is known as an Omnikinetic and it is a vast leap in power compared to your average manipulator like myself. Unfortunately, for all individuals like you and myself, we are vastly more sensitive to the world around us sometimes giving us glimpses into..."
"The future?" Marcus interrupted causing Jaxon to chuckle.
The man nodded, "Possible, possible futures. That is why so often these visions are jumbled and unclear, sort of like looking through hazy glass," He assured the young fox, "over time and practice it is possible to learn to focus these visions until they are very clear. Almost premonition like. I have had thousands of your years to perfect this but, it can still miss for lack of a better term, because the visions are not always present but the future is in constant shift. Hence I knew you would be here, just hazy on the circumstances involved. I have however, seen far enough to know that you are unique even if you are not The Mind, there is however, one way to find out."
Marcus finally held up his hands after setting down his cup, "Okay, look thank you for the tea but, now that I've listened to, well some shit that gives me a lot to think about," He paused, "it's time for you to answer some shit. You're telling me that you're not human, but, you look like one. Can you explain that?"
"Of course," Jaxon nodded, "human kind is a deviation of my own species. We sent out our baser building blocks to primordial planets all over the galaxies and observed their process of growth. I suppose you would call it an Evolutionary study or sorts. When one's species lives as long as mine tend to, you look for things to pass the time."
"Studies in evolution through eons of sitting and watching," Marcus nodded, "least you weren't fucking with the process while it was happening, or trying to force it." He paused for a moment thinking, "alright. Second; you came here in that old derelict in orbit over Titania?" He asked causing Jaxon to give a single nod in agreement, "what exactly is it that's on that ship? And why do I feel like I sort of don't want to know?"
Jaxon sighed heavily, "There are things in this universe, Marcus. Horrifyingly dark things, things you cannot imagine even in your deepest nightmares. That ship houses one such presence that I wrested away from a dying planet you may well know as Terra, other whom lived there once called it Earth. What dwells in that ship currently, is not a living thing, more of an …... entity of sorts, not something you need concern yourself with at present. I will assure you that it is safely inside there and we are far more safe out here."
"Fair," Marcus sighed taking a moment to think, "you can manipulate things; I did it once by accident."
Jaxon once again caused the tea pot to float over to Marcus this time, pouring him a fresh cup of tea, "I can teach you to control it. Lean the extent of your abilities, possibly learn about some abilities you did not even know about," He said, "simply do one thing for me. Be weary of those whom speak to you in hushed tones, especially those of the Ether. Never trust what you hear from the other side."
The words brought his old vision to mind, "Speaking of which. Mom told me that every Cerinian goes through a stage called Ascension, when we gain full maturity of our abilities. She said that everyone experiences this stage differently. In mine I lapsed into a coma for quite a while, and while I was out I saw some things. A pair of individuals at a table, one of them offered me power in exchange for a part of myself. The other didn't speak."
Jaxon finally sat up his legs folded in front of him, and his massive hands on his knees, "Marcus, listen carefully. There are very few things that I have failed to see and I would like to simply state my concern in this. The spirits never offer power willingly. Be weary of who, and especially what it is you choose to trust. If you still wish to learn more about your abilities, I will be happy to help you first thing tomorrow morning. You may stay here or if you so choose," He smiled with a chuckle, "or return to the twins, until morning. Were I you I certainly would."
Marcus looked away for a moment before looking back, "Nah. I think a warm bed is probably best for me right now."
Jaxon laughed this time, a fairly low tone considering his normal voice, "Yes, warm BED, for certain."
The trek back was only half as eventful as his trip there, it seemed odd; he'd only been there for a short while but, it felt a lot like coming home after a long time away. There were smiling face to welcome him back, warm meals, a hot shower, perhaps a bit different with the twins there but, he felt he would have the same feeling with just his friends or family waiting for him. The night was almost similar to the former, yet, this time his mind and thoughts were almost instantly cleared, the girls had that sort of effect on a person it would seem, they were really gifted at making other thoughts in your mind vanish. Come morning however, all the old questions were still there. He wondered if he'd seen what he actually believed he saw none of it made any sense. How could Jaxon have known? Did he really see Marcus's coming to this place before it happened? What did that mean about his own visions? Were they visions? Jumbled puzzles of what could or could not be? Was there really a way of figuring it all out in a short amount of time? There were a plethora of questions that he wanted to ask but knew that there was no possible way for the man to have them all. A part of him wanted to fear the man but, for some reason every natural instinct in his body told him to return and as he did so he only found the mammoth of a man seated with his legs crossed, strangely hovering about knee's height off the ground. His face held a fairly peaceful expression, as if despite everything he'd told Marcus recently, he was at absolute ease with everything. Rather than interrupt, Marcus simply found a seat nearby and did his best to mimic the man's motions, a bit of peaceful contemplation wasn't exactly a side note after the strange turn his life had taken lately. As he closed his eyes and took a cleansing breath the air told it's own story; the far off city that was still humming with life and activity. His mind immediately tore through the streets in a manner that he was far too familiar with, firing from person to person, skipping from mind to mind, it had always been difficult for him to control once his mind got to this state and had learned that it was always better to let the trip run it's course. Soon his mind was filled with visions of the bar, odd that it was where his mind took him, though once it rested on the twins hard at work serving tables in the bar, he could only smile...
"Happiness is a fickle thing is it not?"
Opening his eyes Marcus found that Jaxon had left his current state and now sat by his fire, gingerly tending to a hot cup of tea in his hand,. The young vulpine sighed contently as he opened his eyes, "Yeah, comes and goes in a moment's notice without any kind of warning. Strong as stone, fragile as glass."
"May I ask you a fairly simple question Marcus?" Jaxon asked gesturing toward a waiting cup of tea.
Marcus scoffed, "You will anyway so...yes."
"What made you come back here?" Jaxon responded causing the young Cerinian to freeze up before he could drink from his cup, "I am clearly a species you do not fully understand. From this point you have not been capable of invading my mind despite your constant efforts to do so. You have no reason to trust in me, and yet...of all the things I understand...Why, is the biggest prospect to what and why."
Marcus stared into his cup, swirling the liquid inside about a bit, "Honestly, I'm not really sure myself..." He sighed, "...everything I thought I knew about myself eventually proves just how little I actually know. The more and more I think about it the more I wish I knew how to erase my own memories. You know sort of a fresh start."
Jaxon closed his eyes disappointingly, shaking his head, "Anyone your ages should never wish such things. Yet, of all the things that I have studied over the course of what we call civilization, the most befuddling of it all is how much more stress and woe is placed on the shoulders of a younger generation due to the hardships of those who came before. It has been this way for a very long time and sadly I see little in the way of a solution for it all. The idea is to find peace with yourself, and to love this life for what it is."
Marcus scoffed again sipping from his tea, "Not a lot to consider peaceful in my life. My parents think that they're hiding the fact that Dad is dying from me; but, is it possible in a small country home to hide such secrets from someone that can sense thoughts and hear voices across the span of a planet?" He rubbed an itch away from his left eye with a knuckle, "and the one person I can't stop thinking about...hates the fact I even exist right now. The only peace I've had lately is...well the twins and...this..."
Jaxon chuckled, "You my young friend," He said pointing a massive finger in the fox's direction, "are making a common mistake. The mistake of confusing Peace with comfort. You see, if you go looking for peace you will never find it. Peace, real peace; it is a state of mind unlike most others. It is not a joy, rather the act of being content with the life that you have. Comfort is different, in that you can find it anywhere; in a game, an activity..." He smiled, "...amidst the valley of soft high hills mounted upon a female's chest. Comfort is it's own reward, it is the gratification of complying to our own needs and desires. Peace. Peace teaches us that such things are not necessarily need, rather they are want. Loose the want and desires and you'll find that there is nothing further holding you back."
Marcus looked on in confusion for a moment, "So to be at peace..." He paused again in thought, "...give up all the things that you've ever wanted and only focus on your needs. That about the size of what you're saying?" He asked causing Jaxon to nod slightly, "then what's the point of life? If you have to give up on the lively pursuits that hold you together and make sense our of your life? Isn't the main point to living accomplishment? That's like saying the meaning to life is endless struggle."
Jaxon donned a half-cocked smile as he gently leaned his head to one side, "As I said, Peace is the contentment with the things that cannot be changed. I never said "give up" I said be content. Find that middle ground, know that in your life some things you want will never be yours, and just as much some things that you do not want are meant to be with you. It may sound unfair, and it is, but, when was there a rule that ever said life was meant to be fair to us?"
Marcus chuckled, "I get it. Life sucks get used to it."
"Yes," Jaxon replied, "I think I very much like that saying. Life sucks, get used to it. Never have I heard a deviated philosophy so expertly dictated in so few words."
"Can we focus on something else for a bit?" Marcus laughed.
Jaxon nodded, "Of course. Let us see how quickly you can learn."
Marcus was uncertain to what he was getting himself into, it was clear that this man had abilities very similar to his own but, would it really be so easy to teach him to control something that hed only used so far out of desperation? He was more than willing to give it his best. Anything to really get his mind off of everything else seemed like a fair enough bit, Myra and Mina kept his mind occupied but, only in part, he could only hope that his friends were doing well enough...
AN: Hey everyone, well shit looks like it's falling apart slowly. Nobody seems to know where Anaya has gotten off to, Skye's group is in hiding, Marcus is dealing with some shit, and Maryk is headed for Xenass to keep up a promise
