------------------
I. Dark Prologue
-------------------------
Yet on this day you lost someone
You loved with all your heart.
And with this truth, the world you knew
Abruptly fell apart.
I
Thera 17313.1354.1
Coordinates 7102 - 64 (C-R System)
Silhouetted against the great crimson star Selenea IX, the research vessel Seraph drifted aimlessly, kept aloft by the freedom of zero gravity. It was a fine frigate of excellent class, a Grade Omega vessel sporting more than a dozen immense RWX plasma engines; said engines were hard at work propelling the gigantic frigate through the vacuum of outer space, expelling brilliant orange flames into the frigid darkness. The exterior of the magnificent Seraph was forged of Black Reter, a metal native to the Ouqa Cluster (said system was a group of small planet-like asteroids rich with metallic ore. White and Gold Reter have the strength of ten times titanium's durability. Black Reter has nearly twenty times titanium's durability and is completely heat-resistant.) This allowed the Seraph to come in close contact with stars and other dangerous celestial bodies.
Seraph's ebony-black exterior was not the only protection given to the frigate. Four exterior docking hangars were located on the four cardinal points of the station; each was supported and protected by a strong, controlled gravitational force field. Said field enabled the occupants of Seraph to roam freely on the docking hangars and for vehicles to safely enter the frigate. The windows throughout the frigate were reinforced with thertha, a toxic, binding chemical that, once applied to an inanimate subject, renders it indestructible; for example, no amount of force, even from the most potent nuclear missiles in the universe, could shatter the thertha-coated windows.
But now the indomitable vessel was under the unusual Zeta Quarantine. Nothing could get in; nothing could escape. The energy-fueled doors would not open once accessed.
Deep inside of the Seraph, in the Athenaeum, (said sector of the frigate housed thousands of computer logs and terminals filled to their maximum memory capacities with knowledge from the far corners of the universe) a small screen blazed aqua-blue in the dimmed lighting.
Insert password – Welcome to the Athenaeum Log 30193 – Insert password –
The Athenaeum was a great chamber with a sole door; the door was a pathway to the Gathering Hall of the Athenaeum, a mere gateway room to the great library of the Seraph. The lone door of the Athenaeum was a tall, slender entrance made of the famous Gaean metal, "stainless steel"; it was at least forty feet tall, which describes the highness of the mighty ceiling of the frigate's library.
Suddenly, with no warning signals or alerting alarms, the huge steel door slid open with a gentle clang. The gateway to the Athenaeum was open to the Gathering Hall before it. It happened suddenly. A shadow was then cast into the library, its origin from the doorway of the two rooms. Then, a whine, as if from the screeching of two metals rubbing together, resounded out throughout the abandoned corridors; its sound was as strident as nails running down blackboard material. It ended as soon as it had begun.
Something glided past Terminal 001, the first of the computer stations in the archives, and as soon as the entity had passed by it, the screens dimmed out.
Terminal 001 – Shutting down…
The mechanical feminine voice - cold, tinny, apathetic – resounded out, the metallic echoes reverberating faintly through the derelict frigate; its inhuman AI could not register the Seraph's situation, nor could it recognize the lack of thermally active life signs.
Welcome to the Athenaeum Log 30193 – Insert password –
Password:
Welcome, High Commandress.
Please choose category of research:
SPECIMENS
FRIGATE DATA
WEAPONS OF "SERAPH"
KRONIAN SOCEITY PT. MXII
Category chosen: SPECIMENS
Please choose subcategory:
GN, GV, GS (Deported)
MISC. SPECIMENS
PROTOTYPES
DYCESTAR FAILURES
QUARANTINED SPECIMENS
Subcategory chosen: QUARANTINED SPECIMENS
Please choose requested SPECIMEN:
EA009
GAEA-066613
Hazardous Essences 3, 5B, and 221
Opening…
High Commandress, this is Athenaeum Log 30193.
Subject: GAEA-066613
Species: Unknown (presumably from Gaea Earth)
Time in stasis: 2 millitheras
Date of capture: 5.135.23985
Genetic structure: Unknown, likely unstable
Primary element composure: Unknown. Foreign form of energy.
Notes (written by Di Itheria, lead scientist of Seraph): 066613 has been haunting our frigate for countless decitheras. We are delighted to have finally captured the damnable entity. The entity was raiding a containment tank of X-Azure Ore (a strange, radioactive substance found deep within the core of the Lylatian planet Vuron Venom) and was assaulted by Seraph troopers. Subject, before its capture, transformed itself into a Gaean—
The words halted and immediately began to delete themselves. It was inexplicable, for there was no one at the controls of the terminal. As soon as the blinking black bar reached up to the beginning of the paragraph of "Notes", the words began to form again. They were different lexis than before, but just as eerily alien and cryptic as the original paragraph.
Notes (written from my wrath): For the unfortunates who dare to read this, heed my warning. Nothing can contain me. Nothing shall stop me. For desecrating the creation, you of this damnable vessel have all paid me back with your very lives. For allying with him, you shall all perish. Your elation will not last long. I leave you now with the hope that you will see the light and cease such senseless plans.
The computer terminal then suddenly shut down, its four azure screens dimming into blackness; on one of the useless screens, soundlessly, hauntingly, a large Gaean butterfly silently unfurled its scarlet wings.
II
February 26, 4281 UE
Novertha - Coordinates 330-21 (Rithar Galaxy)
There was a dread chill in the atmosphere above the volatile planet of Novertha, located near the outskirts of the peaceful Rithar galaxy. Nuclear snowstorms raged endlessly in the northern highlands; the substance frequently known as liquid nitrogen was slowly forming deep within the frigid snowcapped peaks. To the south there was a vast, gray plain that sprawled for thousands of miles across the planet's equatorial area. This boundless wilderness was home to the Noverthan people, a shy race of humble men and women skilled in the breeding of Novertha's native animals. The southernmost end of the planet, the southern pole, was covered in radioactive deserts with sands so blistering that to touch even the slightest grain would set a man afire.
Does this planet sound hospitable to you, my friends? No? Ah, but you are wrong. To you this frightening planet may seem dark and merciless, but to four stranded pilots, Novertha was a welcoming relief. At least it remained an appreciated mitigation for a while…until the tragedy struck.
The equator of this dark planet is where our story begins. The year was 4281 U.E. in Lylatian terms; if you are wishing to know the Gaean year, the time would most likely have been around twenty thousand AD. Five Lylatians found themselves stranded on Novertha after their aircraft was shot down and had crash-landed. As one can speculate, they were all quite frightened of the strange planet and of the events that had just transpired.
The Noverthans, being a peaceful, helpful race, saw fit to bring aid to the five weary Lylatians. They directed their path to a faraway Noverthan village across the equatorial wilderness. There the Noverthans kept a prototype spaceship in case of emergency. Since the Noverthans were mostly planet-bound, they saw no need for the aircraft and thus were willing to allow the five Lylatians to utilize it for their escape.
To cross the wastelands, the Lylatians needed transportation. The Noverthans bestowed upon the unfortunate pilots their most prized breeding animal, the Oorodwiss. These gentle giants resembled Gaean horses, only their faces were beak-like, almost like a Gaean hawk's sharp snout. Their icy blue eyes were soft with kindness and complacence. The Oorodwiss was a stupid, compliant beast that was a staple of Noverthan breeding; they had been bred to be the ultimate slave. Even the name, which comes from the Ancient Venomian "ooror" and "dwi", respectively meaning "good-hearted" and "stupid child", marks their blissful simple-mindedness.
I will tell you now of the pilots' unfortunate plight.
"Come on, now. Can't you go any faster?"
"It can't understand you, Miriam. It only understands the Noverthan language."
The young boy glanced behind him, peering over the hump of the Oorodwiss' backside. He had a charming, exotic accent that turned his w's and b's into v's.
"Vetter catch up, Mir."
"I'll have you a smacking once we return to Fortuna, David Swivt," barked the older woman playfully; her creature lagged stupidly behind its three brethren, stubbornly disobeying its rider.
"Should be grateful for the Oorodwiss, Miriam." The thick (almost a Gaean African-American accent) voice rung out from ahead, deep and baritone in pitch. "And you, Dave, are asking for trouble; you hear me?"
"Alvight, daddy. Brr, it's cold…"
The five Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, the lost pilots, trekked onward through the bitter chill of the wastelands upon the Oorodwiss' backs. There were three females and two males: Bernard (the owner of the African-American voice) and David Swivt, barely seven (yet outstandingly mature for his age), were the two men of the group. Amoré and her infant daughter, Phalene, were of the same Swivt family; Miriam D'Oeres was simply a family friend stranded along with the Swivts.
The five were all of the Lylatian planet of Fortuna; it was a varying world of different climates. Half of the planet was a harsh, icy tundra with very few, but very majestic, cities dotting the landscape. The other hemisphere of Fortuna was a more lush rainforest-type area; this half of the planet was, doubtlessly, more populated. The Swivts hailed from the icy regions of northern Fortuna, living in an immense city named Caernaté. Caernaté had everything the Swivts needed; it was protected by an impenetrable climate-controlling force field and provided adequate protection from nearly any kind of sinister invader that dared assail Fortunan airspace. The four spaniels lived comfortably in a high-rise apartment complex in the heart of the city; their spacious apartment had a bird's-eye view of the glimmering metropolis. They faced the famed Ada Ré Yieco, the largest frozen lake on all of Fortuna; Caernaté's military headquarters were also not too far from their dwelling, making the apartment's balcony a prime spot to view the frequent aircraft flight ceremonies.
Miriam D'Oeres hailed from Caernaté as well, though she was not from such an opulent part of the city. She lived alone in a small flat in the southern end of the city. Her mother had been a respectable officer in Caernaté's military; she grew up without a father or siblings. She had learned to cope with her frequent loneliness and lack of socialization; when her mother died in a tragic training accident, Miriam had to keep her flat running all by herself. The Swivts, who knew Miriam's mother due to their interest and involvement in the military, visited the troubled young woman often. They soon began to develop a tight friendship with her, thus Miriam was never truly alone ever again.
Years later, the Swivts had been offered a leisurely space-travel vacation from Fortuna's military headquarters (which was located in the bustling Alpha City on the other side of the planet). This was because the Swivts had always been dedicated, avid supporters of Caernaté's military and provided generous funding for many of its civic functions. The family of four happily agreed to it and decided to take along their good friend Miriam, for she had never been outside of Fortunan airspace. The trip seemed like a perfect getaway.
As the ship left Fortuna's atmosphere, the sprightly David Swivt bid his planet a cheery farewell. Phalene, the newborn, slept soundly in her mother's arms.
As the Swivts' ship was passing through the outskirts of the nearby Rithar galaxy, something terrible occurred. An unanticipated shot from a galvanic cruiser-mounted cannon had disrupted the flight path of the spaniels' spacecraft. A hostile cruiser was shooting at the ship, but no one to this day knows why. The radar of the Swivt's ship had been unable to pick up the cruiser's identity.
Bernard Swivt struggled desperately to regain control and save his family, but it was too late. The craft began to spiral out of control, reeling toward the looming planet of Novertha. In a stroke of luck, Bernard was able to pilot the doomed vessel onto the inhospitable Novertha, and their peril began.
"Amé, keep Phalene warm," advised Bernard in his husky voice, peering over to his right to gaze at his shivering wife through ebony eyes. He was mostly mahogany-and-white-furred, but he had a dapple of black on one ear, his left one; thus he was legally a tri-colored dog. Though he was not all that handsome for a spaniel, he made for an imposing, yet charming, figure.
Amoré returned the gaze, her hazel eyes burning with inner fire, "Of course, Vern. Now hush; ve don't vant to attract unvanted attention to ourselves."
Her mouth quivering in her subtle fear, Amoré lowered her glimmering eyes and stroked a paw up and down the bundled-up baby's back. She was a beautiful woman in her late thirties; her fur was a rich chestnut shade of brown, and her nose sloped cutely in a rounded fashion.
She had given her accent to her son (who was a full-fledged tri-colored spaniel); doubtlessly Phalene's voice would resemble her father's.
"Right," murmured Bernard softly, turning back his attention to his Oorodwiss; the creature breathed hot steam from its huge, flaring nostrils, uncaring of both the burden of its rider and of the stinging cold.
Phalene's pathetic wails suddenly drifted out from underneath the layers of warming blankets swaddling her. Doubtlessly she could feel the cold that managed to seep through the small wool sheets wrapped around her tiny body. Amoré clutched her daughter even closer to her chest, trying to warm the child as much as she could using her own precious body heat.
"Vernard," she murmured, adjusting the reins on her Oorodwiss while trying to keep Phalene warm, "vhen are ve to arrive at de Noverthan village? Did they not say dat ve vould ve dere shortly?"
Before Bernard could respond, David interrupted. He was clutching the reins of his Oorodwiss madly, and his icy eyes were wide with fright.
"Momma, I can veel something," his suddenly-terrified voice peeped, "Dere is something out dere. It's a chill in de air, Momma, it is very vad. It's going to get us, Momma, I svear…"
"Nonsense!" exclaimed Miriam, filling in for Amoré, who had her paws full with caring for Phalene and maintaining control of her Oorodwiss, "It's just the wind, Davie. Now stop with your troublemaking, young'n – whoah!"
Miriam's Oorodwiss began to stall and stumble about itself, apparently frightened of some unseen something before it. David's too was starting to falter; Bernard's and Amoré's soon began to shuffle around as well. Something was disturbing their animal instinct, thus they reacted in an animal fashion. Their silver eyes grew wide, twitching uncontrollably. Their long, lean legs began to quake unstoppably, not from the cold, but from distress; the tails of the Oorodwiss flopped about in the air, swatting at imaginary insects. Amoré's suddenly attempted to rear up in its building fear, but she somehow managed to subdue it before it could throw her off its back. She grimaced and uttered a curse before trying to quell the now-shrieking infant clutched tightly to her body.
"Vernard, do something." Amoré quickly wheezed, desperately grasping both the reins and her daughter. It was then that a dreadful chill crawled slowly down her spine. Amoré gasped slightly in fright; it was familiar.
"Goddess, no. Not him, Goddess…not him, mei reyu."
Something, a dark entity of unfathomable wickedness, was indeed nigh. David hadn't been the only one who had felt the same eerie feeling that Amoré felt now. The Oorodwiss could sense it as well; their animal keenness had picked up what she and her son were experiencing. That was why they were halting and stumbling, she concluded as she pulled back gently on her creature's reins.
It was no longer than a moment after Amoré had finished her theory that the nightmare began.
Five yards from where the four terrified Oorodwiss stood, trembling and halting, the air began to ripple. It shimmered with a supernatural vitality of all its own; clearly this was highly unnatural. From this apparition stepped a terrible creature, a hellish demon that had appeared to have had crawled up from the darkest pits of whatever foul afterlife the Second Universe believed in. Its body was lean and muscular, - a sturdy height of around twelve feet - with small tendons slightly bulging in random places. The fur covering its hideous frame was a deep ebony; it was short and fine, not long and wiry. Four lithe legs supported the gruesome body of the monster; these agile limbs ended in enormous hoofs, like those of Gaean horses. A thick tail swayed behind the foul beast; two sharp spikes adorned the tip, ready to butcher anything that dared near the demonic apparition. Its beaked face and head were plated with a solid-steel mask; near the base of the creature's neck, the faceplate was studded with four pairs of spikes running down the back of its skull. The metal vizard displayed only the creature's four glaring eyes, which hellishly burned a bright scarlet; a tattoo (the mark of the dark god) was engraved in the steel underneath both of the beast's bottommost eyes. Shriveled, maroon-colored skin could be discerned under and above the four eyes – the mask could not fully cover what horrific, deformed flesh lay beneath.
The monster then unfurled from its shoulderblades a pair of huge, leathery wings; the wingspan of the terrible beast was a good twenty or twenty-five feet in length. It stepped forward, advancing into the pale moonlight. And there was a man atop the horrible monstrosity, and he was to be more demonic than the dark stallion he commanded, for he was no mere man. Sitting in his high saddle, the fiery, envious eyes beheld his prey; the beast was his sinister throne, thus he regarded the trembling men and women below him with a kingly, godly mindset. In truth, he was a god – a dark, corrupt, black-hearted deity of unimaginable animosity and spite; now he leered through his furious eyes down at the cluster of forsaken Lylatians and met the gaze of one.
"Nosfiratu," Amoré Swivt declared icily, her hazel eyes shimmering with unbridled antipathy.
"Nosfiratu?" quietly murmured Bernard to his wife questioningly, "Amé, it can't be…? The dark god…?"
The god, in the permanent form of a handsome weasel anthropomorph, narrowed his eyes at the woman and addressed only her: "Amoré. It's been too long."
"Don't talk to me, you vastard," Amoré seethed, hissing viciously at the weasel through sharp, gritted teeth, "Vy do you try again, Nosfiratu? Vy me?"
"Because you're one of the most beautiful women in the universe, Amé," Nosfiratu grinned sinisterly, revealing tiny, serrated fangs, "and you know how I love beautiful women. Especially stubborn ones like you. You know, Amoré."
"I know enough avout you!" Amoré clutched her daughter even closer to her chest, controlling the stumbling Oorodwiss with her free paw; all the while she bore down the dark god with her sparkling, hateful eyes. "You kidnap children. You destroy vamilies. You're a monster, a true monster. I know, Nosfiratu. I know vhat you have done. It is written all over you. It is written everyvhere she has veen. And she vill not forget you. Your crimes are unvorgivable."
Nosfiratu was silent as he took in Amoré's spiteful words. His claws fondled the leathery reins of the ghoulish monster he rode atop; the beast exhaled a gust of steam through the nostril holes in its mask.
David Swivt's eyes were wide and trembling in his extreme fear. He was frozen in terror. Shivers endlessly ran up and down his spine, unmercifully bearing him down with eerie intensity. He prayed inwardly to himself for his mother's life; she was confronting a dangerous, unpredictable being.
Miriam had other plans. Rather than allow her horror to overcome her, she impulsively decided to make a run for it while the dark god was preoccupied with Amoré. Quietly, she managed to control her Oorodwiss long enough to turn it around and began to—
"No one can live!"
Unfortunately for her, Miriam had not escaped Nosfiratu's watchful, wrathful gaze. At a glance, Nosfiratu reduced the orphaned woman's body to a steaming mass of skeleton and muscle. The fur and flesh peeled away into nothingness, revealing the throbbing pink fibers underneath. Pale bones peeked through the slimy layers of blood vessels and sinews; the lumpy, disfigured, fleshless paws still grasped the Oorodwiss' reins. After a horrifically endless moment, the mutilated corpse of Miriam D'Oeres slumped off of the Noverthan animal and fell to the muddy ground with a heavy thud.
With a twisted, maniacal half-smile, Nosfiratu directed his focus back to a revolted Amoré.
"Now, Amé, dear—"
"Don't you fucking talk to her---aaaargh!"
Another leer from Nosfiratu silenced Bernard Swivt. His flesh melted away in a similar fashion to Miriam; his body fell swiftly from the terrified Oorodwiss. The animal, free of its burden, bolted off into the cold night, doubtlessly eager to flee from the demonic god.
"Two down, Amé," Nosfiratu said after a moment's pause, relishing the mother's terror and grief, "I doubt you want to lose your life."
"You vouldn't kill me. Not if you vant me dat badly."
"You of all people should know, Amé. I can – and will – destroy anything that does not satisfy my needs. And you're on thin ice, dear. But…I can save you, Amoré. Come with me, Amé. Do not resist me. I can purify you of your irreverent beliefs." A half-smile played upon the weasel's handsome face. "There is no Goddess, Amé. There never was. Only I am supreme. Accept me this time, and you shall indeed live."
"I can never truly live knowing dat you still exist. I vill never be yours, Nosfiratu."
"Then perhaps your daughter will make a more lenient disciple. Beautiful like her mother, no doubt." The god leered down at the wailing bundle clutched to Amoré's chest.
"You von't, vastard," the spaniel declared defiantly – impulsively, — turning her shoulder and daughter away from Nosfiratu's gaze, "because I vould rather have her die than serve you."
Amoré suddenly took back her words inwardly; she had just sentenced her daughter to death. Her threat had backfired upon herself. Now both she and her daughter were doomed. Inconceivable guilt began to scratch, claw, shred through her conscience; through the blinding guiltiness, her motherly instinct began to activate itself. From somewhere deep inside Amoré's subconscious mind, a hidden entity awakened, sensing danger for the offspring of its body. No, screamed the entity, breaking free of its secluded prison in a myriad of shattering, lustrous shards, You will not take my offspring without first destroying me! RUN NOW!
Fight or flight, fight or flight? Flight or flight? Fight or fight? Goddess o Goddess should this body fight or flee to save daughter Goddess let me decide day of wrath o why flee no fight o my mind make up choice that day of wrath no save child no defend daughter what about David wrath o what about son what happened to son where is wrath son no save daughter save daughter SAVE DAUGHTER—
She ran. Nosfiratu pursued.
Nyeeeeeeeeiiiiiaaagh!
The shriek of the Oorodwiss echoed long across the Noverthan wasteland; the beast galloped ferociously across the plain, kicking up clods of dirt as it sprinted faster and faster. Its nostrils worked fast, flaring larger and then shrinking swiftly as the beast inhaled and exhaled; the breaths came at lightning-fast intervals. In its hearing it could discern its own heartbeat pumping the much-appreciated blood into and out from its four overworking lungs. Badump badump badump…The heartbeats matched the rhythm of its gallop – its large hooves struck the dirt-covered ground with furious intensity, sending out diminutive shockwaves from the impacts. It was a thoroughbred Oorodwiss, skilled at galloping at its fastest for periods of time.
Amoré's heart was beating just as fiercely as her beast's was, though for a totally different reason. Hers was beating out of fear, not exertion – fear for her and her daughter's lives.
"Yah, yah!"
Nosfiratu urged his creature on, violently kicking the beast in the stomach to drive it faster. The ghoul was a nightmarish vision; its four glimmering eyes blazed hellishly in the darkness of the night and its jowls hung wide open, allowing as much air as possible in the gaping maw. Rows upon rows of four-inch-long, serrated teeth protruded from the glistening pink gums of the creature. Reeking breath exhaled out from the putrid mouth, turning swiftly to steam in the frigid air outside.
Nosfiratu's beast also galloped ferociously, pursuing the renegade Oorodwiss and its two frightened passengers with baneful intent.
Nosfiratu then leaned down slightly and murmured to the monster's bobbing head, "Ada overra reth." The beast gave a huge, horrific screech in reply to the foreign language; the three words seemed to then prompt it to gallop faster.
It let out another demonic shriek:
Aiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeaaaaaaaeeeeeiiiiiiiii…!
"Amoré, you can't get away!" Nosfiratu's eyes suddenly began to glow a fiery crimson, a similar hue to his creature's eyes; he grinned maniacally and hissed loudly, "Not from a god!"
Amoré's eyes then blazed the same scarlet red; she gasped loudly and shrilly, doubtlessly in agony. She felt an inferno erupt within her mind, but instinct still would not let go of her body's reins, much as she would never release her Oorodwiss' bridle. Oh, but what fiery holocaust blazed within her conscious mind; it now began to spread, she felt, down through her face and towards her throat. But she would not relinquish her body's hold on itself. Never would she allow such a demonic god to control her body. She was not his yet; she would go down fighting. Thus, onward the chase went, Amoré never surrendering to the mysterious crimson force.
"Don't stop, don't stop," the spaniel mother begged quietly to the Oorodwiss, blessing it inwardly through her terror. But it was becoming obvious that the beast was growing tired; though still a thoroughbred creature, its strength was limited. Nosfiratu's creature, on the other hand, was still pursing at the same speed from which it started at. Desolation began to well up from within Amoré's darkest depths, and for an instance she thought that—
"Nooooo…!" Amoré found herself splayed on the ground facedown. It had happened in a nightmarish blur; as she titled her head to one side, she could discern through her hazed vision the Oorodwiss slumped on the ground. It had tripped. The animal was doubtlessly in anguishing pain, for it was shrieking uncontrollably. The source of its distress was a broken neck; the long gullet was bent at a strange angle, thus it would die shortly and without much more suffering.
Phalene, her instinct reminded itself, my daughter! She flicked her eyes around to search for the baby; she could hear the screams of the infant, so she comforted herself with the fact that her daughter was alive. Her instinct satisfied with her child's survival, Amoré focused on the other matter at hand.
"Nosfiratu," she managed to whisper as she attempted to turn her body over. What had happened to the dark god? What—ow! She was met with a stab of sharp, agonizing pain in her left shoulder; it was probably broken. She cursed herself and Nosfiratu and the entire world inwardly and then thought of her broken family. Bernard was dead; she had no clue what had happened to David. And poor Miriam…and Phalene…
Through the blinding pain Amoré flipped her body over slowly and was immediately met with a sudden rush of hot breath and sharp fangs.
In the moment before death Amoré caught a glimpse of a glistening whiteness emerging from her open belly; she felt no more as Nosfiratu's demonic monster began to devour her innards.
Nosfiratu stroked his feeding creature on the neck, now off the saddle, scratching the thick skin through the short furs; he praised the beast for its vile accomplishment, cooing at it encouragingly as it continued to tear apart Amoré's already shredded torso. He watched his ghoulish monster eat the woman's pale entrails, grinning maniacally, obviously enjoying the nauseating display.
"Irat ka," Nosfiratu murmured, motioning to a large crimson organ still intact within the spaniel's body. The beast seemed to understand this and proceeded to wrench Amoré's heart out of her chest, tearing it from the attached aorta and other unnamable vital vessels. As the organ yielded to the penetrating fangs of the winged monster, Nosfiratu turned his attention to the wailing infant lying nearby at a distance of about ten feet.
He proceeded to walk over to Amoré's daughter, who was amazingly undamaged from the fall she and her late mother had taken on the Oorodwiss; regarding curiously the bundled-up baby, the dark god crouched down and began to unfurl the blankets covering the girl's face.
"She is beautiful!"
Nosfiratu, frozen, beheld the screaming little girl through his glimmering evil eyes, astounded by the baby's beauty. Though she was simply an infant, Phalene could still indeed be considered gorgeous. Her eyes – her mother's eyes – were a light hazel shade of green, and they sloped neatly in a perfect almond shape. Her nose was flawlessly rounded in perfect Cavalier King Charles spaniel fashion. Her fur colorations were different than anyone else's in her immediate family; she was a blenheim, which meant that her fur was a mahogany-and-white blend of color rather than her father and brother's tri-colored fur. Her open mouth displayed a row of tiny teeth, each barely half a centimeter long; they glimmered with a healthy, pearly glow.
At long last, the dark god rose from his crouching position; he held Phalene in his arms, cradling the little girl surprisingly gently. His glowering eyes suddenly softened in the slightest way. Emotions long kept at bay, such as compassion and tenderness, began to scratch through his dreary conscience, trying with all their strength to release themselves. Oh, and how Nosfiratu fought inwardly with himself to contain those damnable, fearsome emotions…
"A baby…"
Pity and guilt quickly overtook the tenderness the dark god was feeling. Such a helpless infant had been orphaned by his sinister deeds! What foul creature could dare disrupt such a beautiful, sweet child's life as such? Apparently, Nosfiratu; but now something unknown flooded through his psyche, a fatherly emotion last felt by him eons ago. And it was then that he regained control of himself.
No! You cannot allow such foolishness to consume you. Fight it! Fight her influence! It was the reason you killed Amoré, you fool! This is a child of one of her mindless demons; she will never be a disciple to you! Think, Nosfiratu; think of the last time you attempted to make a follower out of one of her believers. Death would have been welcomed to escape her wrath! Never again, Nosfiratu. Dispose of the child. Kill it, burn it, devour it…
"Not a baby. A Lylatian!" Nosfiratu cleared his mind with a quick shake of his head, rustling his cinnamon-colored furs; gone were the compassionate emotions, having been replaced by his sinister spirits again. He bared his teeth and held Phalene in the crook of his left arm, scowling in disgust at the child; he tried to prove to himself that such a beautiful infant was instead a figment of pure, unimaginable corruption.
"Lylatian vermin," the dark god spat viciously; a gruesome idea began to formulate within his twisted mind. He turned to face the still-feeding monster ten feet away and whistled for it; it raised its great head stupidly in response to the high-pitched signal and, realizing its master required something of it, slouched lazily over to the weasel god.
A flash of lightening crashed overhead, accompanied by a peal of roaring thunder. A thunderstorm was nigh, and it would not be welcomed on account of the frigid weather conditions.
As the monster drew nearer, Nosfiratu could smell its reeking breath; the repulsive scent of fresh blood and rotting entrails oppressively filled the god's nostrils with its horrid odor. He resisted the urge to retch as he raised his left arm, balancing the infant spaniel on his lower arm; he clutched her bundled-up head with his left paw, securing the girl in place. Now the baby was level with the beast's half-open mouth, and she was sniffed curiously by the monster. Of course, such approval was unnecessary seeing as the beast could and would devour anything containing meat.
Thus, with a demure roar of approval, Nosfiratu's wicked stallion craned its neck and spread its monstrous, demonic wings; with another, greater shriek, it thrust its head downward voraciously, its open jowls slobbering uncontrollably, lightning flashing, and—
"STOP!"
The beast suddenly froze, its four petrified eyes wide in paralyzed shock; it levitated gently just above the ground, an aura of shimmering azure encompassing its frame.
Nosfiratu whirled angrily, knowing already who had halted his gruesome massacre. He grinned painfully, distorting his furious facial expression into a twisted smile, as he regarded her. Phalene, still clutched in his paws, cried piteously as another lightning flash illuminated the dark sky.
"Good to see you, dear. It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Nosfiratu addressed the shimmering azure frame of Beta Splenden; it resembled a cerulean, feminine silhouette of the species, for there was neither a scrap of clothing on its body nor any expression upon its face whatsoever. Only the outline of a pair of cobalt eyes adorned the swirling, glimmering façade. The entity's body was formed of a swirling azure substance that whirled and intermingled with itself every time the mysterious being made a motion or spoke; from the back of its head sprouted the legendary Beta Splenden tail fins. These too were formed of the azure essence.
Now the entity addressed Nosfiratu, lowering its head slightly to glare accusingly at the wretched, villainous god with its furious, swirling cobalt eyes.
"Stop this madness, Nosfiratu. Why do you do this? Such senseless killings are the work not of a god, but of a monster."
"Now, sister," the dark god gushed mock-sincerity, his eyes smiling scornfully, " that was not a polite thing to say to your older brother. You should respect me—"
"AMORÉ WAS BLAMELESS!" roared the entity, the rich, feminine voice echoing coldly across the plain, "You had no right to kill her! See her blood, Nosfiratu. See the child; see something..."
"I am not blind," retaliated Nosfiratu calmly in a strangely dignified manner; another lightning bolt crashed overhead; "I can see everything here." He motioned to the carnage.
"Then why do you do these barbaric deeds? …How did you escape?" The entity then turned her attention to Nosfiratu's frozen monster hovering dumbly in the background, knowing that there would be no answer to her first queries. "And what is that terrible, foul beast you ride? I have seen nothing like it. Doubtlessly another one of your—"
"Actually, sister," interrupted the dark god, motioning his paw back to the monster, "it's called a Pegasus Wraith, an Oorodwiss modified by Genesis Thertha. It is Kronian bioengineering at its finest – vicious and unmerciful."
"Just like you," seethed the feminine entity. "How dare you come back. How dare you defy my law. The Blue Fire Fish's actions were indeed in vain. How dare you put my blessed son to shame."
Nosfiratu was silent for an eternity, the spaniel infant still wailing in his arms. Oh, how he hated that damnable entity, that foul, eerie woman. She haunted and disturbed him greatly; the mere presence of her was disruptive to him. As long as she existed, he would never be at peace; as long as she lived, he would pursue her and her damnable followers. For Nosfiratu was selfish and self-centered and cared for only himself; his sister, this shimmering azure form, had such great power… It was hard not to be jealous! He hadgood reason to be jealous! She had powers beyond his wildest dreams! She wielded the Blue Fire; she, damn it, created the Blue Fire! And those guises she utilized – oh, they were such illusory disguises! They masked the beautiful goddess behind their facades, a lovely woman with glimmering sienna eyes and shimmering crimson tail fins. He was jealous of her beauty and power, and nothing could stop him from desiring both.
Now, finally, Nosfiratu addressed the disguised Red-Finned Goddess. Phalene still wailed piteously in his arms.
"Let us go. You have let me go in the past; now release me here. I promise, sister, I will delay my assaults on your followers for a time. Just let my Wraith go." He motioned backwards toward the Pegasus Wraith, his face emotionless and stoic. "Please, let it go. It is dear to me. I know how you hate to lose what is dear to you…"
"Take it and leave," swiftly stated the disgusted goddess, doubtlessly perturbed by Nosfiratu's taunt, recalling agonizing memories past. She thrust a shimmering azure fin outward, as if to banish Nosfiratu, and declared, "I do not know how you escaped. But I do not want to see you here or anywhere else for a long time, Nosfiratu. And if you come within Lylatian boundaries, I will make sure that something terrible will happen to you."
"Your wrath?" Nosfiratu raised an eyebrow as if to say 'again?'.
"No." The entity stood her ground, proud and menacing. "Something far worse." Right on cue, a thunderbolt roared its fury in the atmosphere above.
She had the last word; the supreme, divine Goddess always had the last word.
Nosfiratu watched, stupefied, as his furious, unforgiving, righteous sister vanished in a swirling inferno of Blue Fire. As soon as she had left the plains of Novertha, the aura surrounding the Pegasus Wraith vanished; the beast fell disgracefully to the muddy ground. It stumbled up on shaky legs, groaning groggily; its four eyes swam due to the effects of the Blue Fire aura that had once surrounded it.
Yet again the lightning crackled in the heavens.
Nosfiratu gently placed Phalene upon the ground before walking over to the shaken Wraith, murmuring, "Come on, then." He mounted the huge beast and stroked its neck reassuringly as he got into a comfortable riding position. The god proceeded to open a trans-dimensional rift in the Noverthan continuum with his supernatural powers; he halted to take a last, longing look back upon Amoré's shredded body and the sobbing Phalene.
Grief? He considered it.
"Let's go. Ada!"
He lightly kicked the Pegasus Wraith's stomach, prompting the beast to saunter idly forward into the rift; with a dim flash, the fracture in the time continuum vanished, leaving no trace of Nosfiratu's existence save for the dreadful carnage he left behind.
"Mama…?"
David Swivt's tiny, scared voice echoed dimly on the vast, empty plains. He clutched at his Oorodwiss' reins anxiously, praying for his mother's safety. Oh, how he longed to see her. After Miriam and his father had been murdered, he had watched his mother flee from the fearsome god that was Nosfiratu. He had seen this as his chance to escape from the wrathful, watchful eyes of the weasel, thus he silently had reined his Oorodwiss and galloped off to safety. David had been out on the barren plain now for about an hour, waiting for a glimpse of his mother and his darling sister. Yet he did not see them at all. He shivered in the bitter frigidity of the Noverthan winter, clutching the reins of the Oorodwiss for comfort.
Something behind him startled the boy; he whirled his Oorodwiss around swiftly and beheld her.
"Mei reyu…!"
Her guise this time was the infamous shadow façade. It resembled her previous azure disguise; the only difference was the color of the masquerade. It was a deep ebony hue of black; the same guise had been used by her decades ago to inform the late Blue Fire Fish of his legendary destiny.
Now the Goddess raised her ebony head and directed her attention to David's shivering form atop the huge Oorodwiss – the monster dwarfed him. In the shadow's raven arms Phalene was cradled softly; the baby slept quietly, as compared to her hysterical state within Nosfiratu's sinister grasp. Phalene doubtlessly felt (to the extent of what babies can feel) quite serene in the arms of a goddess. There was a subtle and unseen presence about this deity that comforted a mortal on a deep, unknown, subconscious level.
She spoke to the trembling boy, who beheld her and his sleeping sister through wide, tremulous eyes.
"Your mother died tonight, David Swivt." The space around the Goddess shimmered gently as if there was an unseen heat distorting the air. "You and your sister are the survivors of my brother's fury." She paused, lowering her head to gaze down at the child in her arms. "To leave two beautiful children orphaned in such a twisted, unforgiving world is pure madness. He kills because of me. You cannot imagine my inconceivable guilt, my child."
"Mei reyu, no…" reassured David quickly, holding out a supportive paw to his dear, beloved Goddess, "Don't veel guilt, mei reyu. Please…"
He fought back bitter tears of sorrow for his deceased mother, trying to remain strong before the beautiful deity.
"You forgive easily, David," replied the Goddess, looking up, "but you should not. There are some things that should not be forgiven. Mindless acts of hatred such as the one performed tonight should not be pardoned." She paused again, and then continued, "You must take care of your sister just as your own mother would. I am entrusting you with her."
She strode forward, moving silently toward the boy on soundless, elegant feet. She outstretched Phalene in her blessed, shadowed fins up to David's perch on the still Oorodwiss; David took his sister from the Goddess, being careful not to touch the ebony guise. To touch the Red-Finned Goddess meant certain death for a normal Lylatian; he took care in making certain he would not meet such a fate.
He allowed a tear to trickle down his muzzle and quickly apologized, ashamed of himself for displaying such cowardice before her.
"Reyu, I am sorry. Vorgive my veakness."
"I can see your sorrow, David. Do not apologize; it is natural to lament for loved ones lost." The Goddess tilted her head gently to one side; David thought he would melt at the sight of those cobalt outlines regarding him with unimaginable kindness and compassion. "I am the one who is sorry." She paused yet again. "I hope with all my heart that you find some solace in knowing your sister still lives. You must treasure her with all your heart. Love her unconditionally as you would a daughter, and never tell anyone of what happened this night. Do not tell a soul, for no one must know now; inform your sister of tonight's happenings when the time is right, for there will be a time in her life when she will need to know and realize the truth. Live a lie for now, David: you will say that your parents died of a terrible disease. It will be better that way, David; though it will hurt for a while, it is best for your sister not to know at such a young age how foul your world is. Let her enjoy her childhood. Let her live happily without pain. Be responsible for her and be strong for her, David. That is what I request of you – not as a god, but as a protector, a guardian."
"Reyu…"
"I have made sure that my brother will not return for a long time, David, for my universe's safety; now I must return you to Fortuna. Close your eyes. When you open them, you will be in a beautiful naval academy; there you will be cared for and supported by your planet's military. Your parents have ensured for you a grand relationship with Fortunan military. David, you and your sister will be trained to be pilots for Fortuna's services, and then you shall live as you would. Close your eyes, David."
He obeyed without question; his Oorodwiss neighed quietly as the sorrowful spaniel closed his eyes, tossing its head gently to one side. It maintained its footing and adjusted its weight to suit its need.
David heard through numbed hearing the Goddess murmuring a foreign chant in the exotic dialect of Ancient Venomian. He squinted his closed eyelids even tighter together as he felt a sensation similar to a subtle chill surge through his veins; Phalene began to fuss, obviously experiencing the discomfort he was going through. Doubtlessly the Blue Fire was flooding through his body at that very moment, filling up every artery it could with its azure sortilege.
David found himself at the steel gates of a grand, beautiful academy, doubtlessly the one the Goddess had promised him; he was flanked by two tall adults of whose identity he could have cared less about; he did not look up to realize their presence. The academy was a vast, sprawling campus built in typical Fortunan standards; it covered at least thirty or forty acres. There were six large buildings located at random places across the campus; these were the auditorium, dining hall, women's and men's dormitories, infirmary, and library. Located at positions in between and around these five landmarks were the school halls, some of which included a science hall, mathematics hall, and a flight/astronomy hall. Two runways were located near the back of the campus. All of the buildings, excluding the library, were constructed of a strange mix of bricks and stainless steel; the library was a grander monument, a testament to the school's grandeur. It was a stunning 60-foot-tall structure carved out of a monstrous slab of rock; one outer wall of the library, the northernmost façade, was entirely formed of sheer sapphire rock; the slab that formed the library had obviously been cut out of an immense, pure sapphire quarry.
The campus itself was enclosed within the same type of climate-controlling force field that the city of Caernaté was encased in; the academy was indeed located upon an icy wasteland, however the campus itself was flourishing with green grasses and shimmering, foreign trees of every species imaginable. The impenetrable force field extended high into the atmosphere, as it did in Caernaté, and gave the illusion that there was a clear blue sky within its boundaries; beyond it, grey clouds billowed endlessly in the icy skies above the white tundra. Another benefit of the force field was that it offered the chance for the Fortunan students to experience rain, a nonexistent occurrence on the two icy hemispheres of the planet. Doubtlessly the Fortunan military had spent tens of billions of credits on the thriving campus.
In one arm David clutched Phalene; in his other paw he found himself to be holding a small lifelike doll of what appeared to be an Oorodwiss. Apparently, the Noverthan animal he had been riding had not reacted well to the spell of the Goddess. The fabric of the doll was velvety, resembling the real animal's fur; the eyes were the same color as well. It was the only reminder of that dark, fateful night he and his sister had survived.
The night! What had happened to the nighttime? What time was it? It was clearly daytime – sometime around noon, he speculated. What day was it, even? Hopefully it was not too far a date in the future; time in life was precious; David wished for it to be a date relatively close to the night of his family's murder.
He decided to gaze up at the two adults neighboring him; they dwarfed his scrawny four-and-a-half-foot frame. One of them was a thin domestic short-furred cat, who was holding a pretty little kitten around the age of six years old. The other adult was a brawny, muscular barracuda, doubtlessly a guard for the woman, whom David realized to be Madame Desirée T. Lorra, the current president of Fortuna. The little kitten's name was Ruby; she was a darling child blessed with rich calico fur. Her mother was marmalade-furred with white fur upon her underbelly.
"David," Madame Desirée Lorra addressed him gently, speaking to the seven-year-old as if he were just a helpless toddler, "this is where you will be living until you are grown up."
The barracuda bodyguard threw a silent, questioning glance at Mme. Lorra, raising a scaly eyebrow questioningly.
"Orphaned by disease," whispered the cat under her breath, making sure David could not hear her; Ruby's ears perked up in her deep slumber, her mother's words reacting subconsciously within her. The bodyguard, understanding, nodded solemnly, lowering his head silently in a moment of respect.
Tiring quickly of the adults flanking him, David turned around to face the gales of icy winds sweeping across the frozen tundra outside of the force field; he watched the never-ending snowstorms rush by with intent, now finding something to entertain himself for the time. He noticed that at the boundary separating campus from wasteland a transport ship emblazoned with the label "Fortunan HQ". The spaniel pup figured that this ship was where he had come from, though he had not remembered one second of the journey over to the campus…
"Vhat's dat?" The pup squinted through the thick storm, for something had caught his eye.
Something was indeed out there. Out in the vicious hurricane of ice, unaffected by the frigid temperatures, stood a woman. Chills ran up David's spine as he registered the familiar form of the Red-Finned Goddess; she was no longer disguised. She was now a full-formed Beta Splenden fish, complete with her gorgeous crimson tail fins and glimmering sienna eyes. Her aquamarine scales shimmered in the pale ivory light of the swirling snow like precious jewels. Her namesake tail fins, long and majestic, fluttered in the wind's harsh breath, flickering like a great scarlet flag in the intense storm.
She had appeared to David in her truest form; such an appearance was one of the
highest blessings the deity could possibly bestow upon a mortal. She had left David speechless.
The spaniel pup cradled Phalene ever closer to his chest as he watched the Goddess through incredulous eyes. He thought he could discern a subtle grin glinting across her kind, compassionate, beautiful face. This was an unforgettable moment, thus it should be shared, David reasoned. He wanted Mme. Lorra and her beautiful daughter to partake of his Goddess' radiance.
"Look at her, Madame."
He looked up swiftly, then returned his gaze to the Goddess. He saw her smile deepen intensely; her sienna eyes now blazed with a saffron light, lit up by the grand grin. She lowered her head slightly to gaze piercingly into David's own trembling eyes, and it was then that the pup could register a sweet chiming sound ringing dimly within his hearing. It was ethereal.
"Look at whom, David?" Desirée turned and gazed down at a focused David. The barracuda bodyguard remained facing forward, steadfastly keeping his silence.
David looked up at Mme. Lorra's sweet, gentle face, breaking away from his Goddess and pointing toward the vicious gales outside. He saw a frown crease the Madame's facial features, watching her forehead crease with confusion as she stared out into the storm.
"Who did you see, David?"
Confused as much as the Madame, David returned his gaze to the snowstorm; she was gone. There was not a single trace of the Goddess' presence. There were no clues or hints that she had been within the area, no subtle nudges toward her existence on Fortuna. It was as if she had never been there within that brilliant storm. David's eyes began to water; he wanted to see her again. He wanted to show her to the Madame, wanted to show her to the world. This is the woman who saved us, he wished to cry, this is the woman who let us live!
"There is no one there, sweetheart. Who did you see?"
Oh, how he loved her so. He begged her forgiveness inwardly; he begged forgiveness with all the strength he had within that small, brave, valiant seven-year-old soul for what he was about to say. Please, Goddess, forgive. Forgive me, forgive my sister, forgive your brother, forgive everyone…
"Nothing. It vas nothing, Madame."
David glanced back one last longing time at the rushing gales, hoping to catch a glance of her blessed form. There was none. He allowed himself then to be led away in the campus by the Madame. He was ready to start his new life.
Upon the wasteland, far from the sheltered campus, the Goddess stood yet again. She was out of sight, out of earshot, and as far away from Fortunan civilization as possible. Her tail fins fluttered before her; her back was to the increasing winds. Dark grey clouds were forming behind her, for there was a more violent snowstorm approaching; this was the reason for the great gales blustering about. But the Goddess was content out in the open, alone, beaten continuously by the rushing winds and stung unmercifully by the bitter sub-zero frigidity. With no one to hear her, no one to see her, and no one to question her, the deity tilted her head against the looming storm and smiled.
III
Thera 17314.11.123
Kronia (C-R System)
"SISTER!"
The shriek echoed down the huge vaulted hallways of the massive Rethra Uota, the Palace of Fear. Within the winding, majestic corridors, servants raised their hooded heads in the general direction of the scream, startled from their busy work.
"The Sovereign!" one murmured quickly before being reprimanded into silence by his nearby comrade. Before the brown-robed, hooded slave had a chance to shoot a hateful glance at his partner, something – someone- rushed by him; the velocity of the entity's speed left the silenced servant senseless for a short moment. In recovering, he shook his head about, and as he did, he managed to catch a glance of the thing that had rushed so hastily by. Grimacing silently, he shook his hooded head and went back to his work, casting dark glances everywhere under the brown hood.
"Serves her right."
The child cowered in the corner of her enormous room; the crimson bed sheets were rumpled on the floor, and ornaments of every kind were strewn about, as if a twister had struck within the area. Lamps lay upon the scuffed tiled floor, broken, shattered into millions of pieces. The scarlet curtains were astray, torn from the shingles that held them; sunlight beamed through the open windows peacefully, mocking the scene before it.
Her four eyes glimmered ebony; they shone with a fierce, brilliant light of sheer terror. Before her crouched a creature no taller than herself. It was crocodilian in appearance, with four long legs supporting its frame. Within the thighs of the legs, powerful muscles twitched in exertion. Attached to these mighty limbs were huge, impressive claws; each 'foot' possessed three enormous obsidian claws. Another claw was stationed at the back ankles of each leg in the style of an ancient Gaean raptor. Shackles fastened to each leg (as well as one wrapped around the creature's long neck) once had been used to restrain the thing. The beast's cavernous chest heaved violently as it drew breath through thin, working nostrils. Its torso then curved upwards in a neat slope, leading to a thick swishing tail; at the tip of the appendage were two great curved spikes seemingly formed of obsidian stone. Born to be aerodynamic, it was a perfect killing machine.
This horrible entity now glared down at the terrified girl through its own four glowering eyes; they blazed a frightful crimson color, a stark contrast to the child's. These eyes (and nostrils) were the only organic parts visible upon the creature's face. The rest of its face was covered with a metal mask that curved smoothly to fit its rounded jawbone, almost as if it had been tailored specifically to the beast's features. The metallic vizard then angled sharply upward to form a point that, when the creature's head was facing forward, would form a tall triangle upon its scaly neck for added protection. The mark of the dark god, a long spiral-like shape, was tattooed beneath the bottommost eye on both sides of the mask. What lay beneath the steel facade could be revealed only by close inspection of the creature's four eyes; if one were to scrutinize said area closely enough, one would find discolored, shriveled maroon skin beneath each of the sockets. This unfortunate beast was unquestionably an unnatural creation.
And now it slouched toward the terrified girl, growling lowly beneath its reeking breath. It seemed as though it was seething, almost raging, at the child before it. The claws clinked delicately upon the tiled flooring; the tail swished endlessly behind its frame, the spikes waiting to viciously slash. Watching the child helplessly cowering in the corner, the beast couldn't help but feel a sense of power flooding through its veins. How it had dreamed of freedom from this unfair oppression! How it had longed to be rid of its unnatural birthplace! Now it would be free from the starchy lights and cruel hands of its creators and tyrants. Now it would avenge itself and its doomed brethren. Now it prepared to go in for the kill, rearing its sinewy neck upwards, intending to rip off the child's horrid little face. The vengeful beast came down and fixed its fangs upon her—
"Set qarda! Na rotha Aegira da ro!"
Something searing hot burrowed into the creature's hunched lower back; it shrieked inhumanly in agonizing pain, thrashing in the wild throes of death. As suddenly as it had roared, it slumped over to its side with a heavy thud. The gleaming eyes were now clouded with death, wide open in everlasting suffering. The hole in its back began to violently expel a lavender liquid.
"Aegira, rethra sen. Ei tara qavno…neth."
The lithe woman stood in the doorway of the child's shattered room, clutching a telltale blaster at her side.
She was a Kronian, and a fine specimen at that. She was at least six and a half feet in height, an impressive stature. Doubtlessly a high-ranking official, the woman wore a splendid, long-sleeved black garment that had golden fringing upon the high, tight collar and sleeves. A steel ornament lay on and wrapped around her shoulders; its purpose was to hold a great, ragged violet cape that draped slightly upon the floor when the woman stood still.
Being a Kronian, the woman possessed a lithe, slender body frame; it was human-like in appearance, complete with full arms and legs. Her head, however, was alien, resembling that of an insect's. It was a round skull that curved downward to form two points; these points them led to an upward curve where a mouth would have normally been. She had no need for said mouth, however, for her prodigious, brilliant species (throughout eons of evolution) had developed a form of telepathy. This abnormal, unearthly gift, though, did not allow the stereotypical silent dialogue between minds – speech was entirely verbal and auditory, created and spoken out loud through the mind's impressive capability.
The woman possessed only two eyes, a contrast to the child's four. Compared to the girl's, they were wider and harsher, yet still they were the same hue of deep ebony, having no pupil or iris.
At the sides of her odd cranium were two strange appendages, one on each side respectively; they resembled a claw or a fang from some alien monster, being eight inches long each. These curious attachments curved from the side of her head downward, finishing in a point just above where the two mouth-apexes ended. Their color matched her black eyes.
In addition to the bizarreness of the woman's skull, her arms and legs were alien. Hands with three sharp obsidian claws and two opposable claws protruded grotesquely from her bony wrists. Attached to her thin ankles was a pair of similar feet, with the same black claws. The soles of these alien feet lay flat upon the ground like those of a human's.
The woman indeed presented a formidable sight, silhouetted by the lights of the corridor outside, her long shadowed frame spilling into the room.
"Speak English, sister," was all the little girl could manage, shaking uncontrollably; warm relief flooded through her arteries.
"Oh, Aegira," murmured the woman, striding in quickly to comfort the child, "Immediately unconcerned – that is you." As she helped the four-eyed girl up, she muttered under her breath in a sotto voice, "Perhaps that is why you failed to discipline your pet."
"Commandress, my pet was bad!" Aegira, the child, pointed accusingly to the lifeless mound of the dead beast's body, "Gaevertha was vicious!"
"Gaeverthawas a failed Gryffin, a young hatchling. That is why I let you have her. To think that a young ruler like yourself, Aegira, could not discipline an infant! It is a wonder that I appointed you the position of Sovereign." She considered herself and then muttered, "Perhaps because Sovereign is just a political title and means nothing. It is I who does all the work concerning our dear planet. Ir Echerhea helps, but barely. He is more concerned with our grand project. I'm amazed that he can work despite the fact that you kill all the prototypes that we need to research!"
Aegira's sister, the tall woman with four eyes, immediately began to then console her little sister, who was now guiltily slumped over the lifeless body of "Gaevertha", sobbing silently.
"I apologize. I remember now that you spared this one from death. But, Aegira, this worthless thing should not be your weakness. You only have one weakness. Remember that." A pause, then, "Gaevertha was a prototype and was unstable. Genesis thertha is a terrible chemical, dear. It causes madness. You never should have had her. Perhaps I was wrong in criticizing you; perhaps you are too young for such horrific creatures. But in the future, never let a mere animal, genesis thertha or not, stand in your way. Move on. Grief is wasted on the worthless. Stop crying. You have but one weakness."
Aegira stopped. She turned over, leaning against the still-warm corpse, gazing up at her reassuring sister. Her quadrupled eyes trembled, and it was then that the tall woman noticed them.
"Ah? What's this?" The woman leaned down and cupped Aegira's head in her clawed hand, scrutinizing the left side of her face. "Black eyes?" Indeed, Aegira sported a nasty set of black-and-blue eyes on the left side of her face. It was doubtlessly a result of the scuffle she and Gaevertha had had earlier on.
Something along the lines of fury flickered slightly within the woman's expression.
Straightening herself back into a standing position, Aegira's sister continued in a more vindictive tone of voice, "You are now scarred because you allowed a worthless monster to attack you? You have to learn, Aegira!" Malice began to line her spiteful words. "Learn to defend yourself; I look at you now and I see not a ruler, but instead a coward – a timid, nerveless little child!" Aegira sunk back against the corpse, clawing desperately at the scaly skin, praying for her sister to cease. She did not. "Know, dear, that Gaevertha did something right in attacking you. She proved to me that you do not believe in your unimaginable power. Aegira, damn it, you only have one weakness! Learn and accept it!"
She then began to rage not in the comforting language of English, but in the harsh, foreign Kronian dialect.
"Car neth ie Aegira qarna da! Uyer vereth eter sheneith eda; acc ret irataa! Aegira ra me qarthna noth. A mathner Gaevertha n'then setan foreth tou! Qeu vur fa me vaneth." Aegira shut her eyes tightly together, trying with all her strength to block out her sister's wrathful, loathsome words. "Et tha muteriseth ve ir! Ir weh opvertara egal tharnaroth ta. Aegira, fa me irat!"
Once the last word had been viciously expelled, the raging woman swooped her right hand down and, with a graceful sweep, slapped Aegira hard against the tender left side of her face. The child's head was thrust to the right due to the force of the strike. Upon impact, floods of stinging pain immediately raced through the sore bruises around her two left eyes; the little girl groaned piteously at the agonizing sensations. She knew that this outrageous violence satisfied her temperamental sister. Her sister fed upon fear. And one day, Aegira knew she would be just like her. Her sister's influence was enough to twist her young mind, but the struggle for power was harder still; fear was necessary in ruling the Kronian society, and that was exactly what Aegira gave to her sister. Cold, inconceivable fear. It fueled every aspect of her planet's perverted civilization; it was instilled within every Kronian's mindset, branded permanently into their heads by the terrible white-hot irons of the government.
"Sister—"
"My title, Aegira." The words were acrimoniously lined with hostility. The woman's arms were crossed before her chest, her wide eyes shimmering with contempt.
"Please, sister—" Aegira pitifully held up her right hand, extending her obsidian claws up at her brutal sibling.
"No. My title."
Eternities flew by like demonic birds sent by bittersweet angels. She loved her sister. Anything for her sister. Submission for her sister. Aegira dropped her right hand.
She managed to catch her breath and, drowning in dark agony, succeeded in hoarsely uttering the words: "The Lady Kronia, grand empress of science, and the exalted genius of military; my High Commandress…"
A silence pervaded the room, broken only by Aegira's whimpering sobs. When the macabre woman finally spoke, she did not look down upon Aegira. Instead, she focused her sight straight ahead, allowing the girl to cower at her feet like a maggot.
"Sovereign Aegira," she paused, then, "give me your left hand."
Aegira obliged, holding up her left arm. At the end of the limb, attached to the wrist, was not a Kronian hand. Instead, it was a fish's fin – a translucent, diaphanous fin. A shameful, outrageous, contemptible appendage, it was Aegira's most disgraceful physical trait. To have such an appendix as a fish's fin – it was scandalous; it was unheard of. Fish were their bane, their blight. The fish were Kronia's opposition; after the fateful alliance with him, the fish were Kronia's curse as well as his. It had been through some divine circumstance – intervention, almost – that Aegira had been born with such a terrible fin.
The woman, the High Commandress, grabbed the left arm by the wrist, just below where the fin part began. The blood vessels beneath the pale gray skin throbbed under the pressure being put upon them by the woman's wicked grip. Taking her three obsidian claws, the High Commandress then dug them deeply into Aegira's vulnerable wrist, making sure to cause as much hurt as she possibly could inflict. And oh, it was unbearable. Aegira writhed beneath her sister's death-grip, screaming inhumanly through her verbal telepathy; her wild voice was nothing but pure, unbridled agony; her very mind screamed. Fear coursed wildly through her entire body system. She was sure that her sister could sense the fear through her suffering; she saw the telltale glint in the Commandress' eyes that proclaimed her theory true.
"This is your weakness, Sovereign Aegira. This is what you must hide so that you may survive. This is what you must fear – it should frighten you much more than our campaign creatures do, much more than I do, even. Rethra iru evertha. Fear hardens the weak, Aegira. It is our planet's credo, our very way of life. Fear drives our society, our government…our relationship. I love you very much, Aegira." She tightened her grip on the girl's wrist, feeling the child convulse in her unimaginable pain. "But you have to learn. How else can you lead our society after I am gone? How can you live? If I do not train you through fear, you shall be soft when it is your time to govern the planet. You and your fin shall be overthrown in a heartbeat." She bitterly spat the word 'fin', narrowing her eyes. "Rethra iru evertha. Please, Aegira. Do you think I enjoy doing this to you?" Aegira writhed yet again. "Of course I don't."
The High Commandress' voice softened on this last sentence, and she finally released her hold on Aegira's fin. The child swiftly withdrew her injured wrist, hiding it in the long sleeve of her robe-like dress; she wrapped the sleeve's cloth around the fin, watching as dark splotches began to appear within the fabric. Her four eyes trembled as she registered the fact that her sister's vicious claws had penetrated her very skin.
Before Aegira could react, she felt comforting arms wrapping around her; the High Commandress was lovingly embracing her shorter sister as best as she possibly could have. Aegira, through some subconscious instinct, found condolence in this closeness, though it had been preceded by a malicious assault.
"Aegira, my darling, you mean the world to me. If not for you, I would be alone. You are the light of my life, dear; you are my greatest gift. Aegira, my little Sovereign, some day your time will come, but until then I must train you. You do not know how painful it is for me to do such things to you. I wish with all my heart that there is a better way for you to learn our society's expectations. But such is not the case, and society forces me to harm you. I do it for your own good, my Aegira. My love for you is immeasurable – know that."
The Commandress relinquished the embrace, and after a moment wordlessly turned and began to walk toward the doorway. Yet, before she reached the door, she stopped halfway and turned again to face Aegira.
"I will summon Ir Echerhea; when he comes, tell him you want him to dispose of Gaevertha. Then tell him to come to my chambers. I have…business to discuss with him. Tell him that, Aegira." It was as if nothing had ever transpired.
She whirled and vanished swiftly from view.
Alone at last, Aegira immediately flung herself over Gaevertha's body again, draping her frame over the hump of the upper body. Her head was facing the monster's own and her four eyes met the deadened quadruplets Gaevertha possessed.
Gazing deep in the blackened, clouded eyes, Aegira began to think, drowning herself in the dead orbs. The attack had been fueled by love, her sister claimed. It was true that her sister indeed loved her, but there was still something within. Deep, deep down, the Commandress enjoyed the fear given to her by the weak, helpless Aegira. That was what Aegira believed. Her sister loved her, but enjoyed her torture. She claimed sisterly love, but demonstrated brutal maliciousness. She—
Aegira heard the footsteps clinking down the hallway; she turned her head up from the body and saw the shadow advancing toward her room. Ir Echerhea was coming—he was always prompt, one of his proud habits. He would come to take Gaevertha. Suddenly, grief began to flood through Aegira as the reality of the situation dawned on her. Tearfully, Aegira turned back to her pet's corpse, stroking its long neck with her bloody left fin. Two weaknesses, one departed and one eternal.
"Oh, Gaevertha…"
She screwed her four eyes shut tight, leaning against the stiffening corpse, and soon after felt the body being lifted from beneath her by strong arms. She was returned gently to the tiled flooring, burying her head in her hands as she did so.
The presence of Ir Echerhea soon left the room, and shortly thereafter a sorrowful Aegira could discern the gentle hum of the nearby incinerator roaring to life.