Author's note:
Hey guys. Sorry for the late update (very late update). I just graduated and came back from vacation. I wouldn't be able to apologize enough times to make it up to you, so I won't try.
Chapter 15: A Son's Love
The sound of music wafts in the night air. Peals of laughter echo in the distance. Violins. A harp. The low hum of a cello. And the scent of the night blooming flowers floating through the colonnades. All Wilbur's senses tingle with the experience, savoring every moment, hoping to remember this night for the rest of his life.
Cassandra looks at him with those glittering eyes. So unnerving in that they seem to look past him, past flesh and bone. Past time and space…
"Wilbur…" Cassandra talks softer. Closer and closer until he feels the breath on his cheek. "I'm scared."
"Why? Is something wrong."
"I feel it…the eyes…"
"Is there someone here?" He looks through the row of columns. Other than the gigantic statue, no one else is present.
"No. At the sky." She hugs him tightly now. "The eyes in the Scar, constantly watching us."
Wilbur looks up. The Scar, pulsing in the dark sky. His gaze on it, a feeling of dread arises. The moon and the stars are present. But then, so horribly there, like a bleeding wound, is the familiar gash of colors he had seen before.
"Wilbur. I see the end coming from that. It is approaching quickly…and soon. So certain is this that it clouds my visions." She lets him go. "But know that you will feel despair. Soon, I think. I hear them crying out his name."
"Who's name?"
"Cereus. I do not see the outcome, but I hear many voices...screaming. Louder and louder now."
Before she turns to leave, Cassandra plants a kiss on his cheek. "Farewell. Be brave, my young hero. And may the spirit of the Golden Emperor protect and guide you."
"Will I ever see you again, Cassandra?"
"I believe this is as far as we'll go."
Her image fades into the shadows as she walks away without a backward glance.
Wilbur is dazed as he enters the ballroom. That kiss. Cassandra. The lingering scent of her perfume. These thoughts turn in his head, giving him butterflies in his stomach. A tinge of regret.
But he is so dazed in fact, it takes a while for him to notice the silence. No laughter. No music. Just the heavy atmosphere of whispers.
"Wilbur!" That voice!
"Dad!" Wilbur doesn't think as he runs toward Cornelius. "Dad! You're safe!"
A quick blur materializes in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.
"Wilson! What are you doing?" It is Gentian's voice.
"That's my dad!"
"He's with the enemy!"
"I know he is!" Wilbur exclaims.
"No! He's working for them!"
Wilbur doesn't believe what he sees. His father stands there, behind the line enemy power-users. His usually pristine, white coat is torn in places. Specks of mud and grime everywhere. His father always tried to be as sterile as possible. Seeing him like this sends a strange pang of regret in his heart.
Valerian walks to the fore to ask, "How were you able to enter the palace?"
The woman with the eye patch comes forward and ignores the question. "My, what a lovely party you have here ! We seemed to have lost our invitations. Hope you don't mind."
Valerian: "Guards! Come and protect your Emperor! Arrest these trespassers!"
Men in uniform circle around them, starfire blazing in their eyes.
"Put your hands up! Drop your weapons!" The captain exclaims.
"Doctor Robinson," she turns to Cornelius. "What is the range on your little toy?"
"Approximately ten feet," Cornelius answers.
"A shame," Snake states as she looks at Cereus.
"I said, 'Put your hands up!'" The captain repeats.
"All you had to do was say 'please,' darling." She raises her hands in the air. A blinking light glows in her left hand.
Valerian: "What is that?"
"Drop it!" The captain exclaims.
"No can do, darling. But, I'll be glad to show you what it does."
Antares: "Valerian! Barrier up! Now!"
A flash of green light. The captain falls to his knees. A few lady courtiers scream, then a moment of silence as the captain stands up, seemingly unharmed.
"Doctor. Are you sure this works?"
The captain roars as he throws his energy at them...but nothing happens. The captain tries one more time. No explosion ensues. Just a man standing in the middle of a ballroom, in a strange pose.
"I do believe it works," Cornelius answers.
"My starfire! It's gone!" The captain yells, his eyes without a hint of light. But then, his face takes on a look of horror as his skin begins to wrinkle, to sag. His hair suddenly recedes and turns gray. He stoops over and falls to the ground. An ancient man replaces him. He groans in pain.
Taken aback, a few more guards are caught by surprise and begin to age as well. One of them even turns to dust before their eyes. A tide of courtiers rush out in a panic, screams resounding against the marble walls.
"Ingenious, isn't it?" Snake doesn't bat an eye as waves of power slam against the shield around her. "And now that you know I mean my business, I want you to hand over the Luxiferre to me. If not, some of you gentlemen and ladies will be growing up faster than you expect."
Cereus signals the guards to stop their attack. He walks forward, unafraid, as all eyes focus on him. "And tell me. Will you give the doctor in exchange?"
Snake tosses her hair to the side, and says, "What do you want, Doctor?"
"Cereus... I know everything," Cornelius says.
"Do you now?"
"Yes. Please give yourself up."
"...As you wish...Doctor Robinson." The air in the room seems to darken as he speaks. Wilbur notices that his father is visibly upset.
The scuffling sound of feet on the floor is heard, and Gentian again appears in front to block his path.
"Stand back, Gentian," Cereus orders. "If that ray hits you, you will definitely age to dust."
"No! I will not comply! This is a trap and I won't let them have you!"
Cereus's angry face softens for a moment. "It's okay, Gent. I won't go down without a fight."
"Brother!" His voice catches as the emperor's arms encircle him, holding him tight against the man's wide chest. "My Lord, why?"
The Serene Emperor doesn't answer.
"Keep him safe, Soren." Cereus walks forward, past the Emperor and his brother. Wilbur catches the menacing look on his face. Starfire light seems to flood out of his eyes.
"So you used him against me. How cliche," Cereus states to the woman in front of him.
"It was the only way I could think to win against scum like yourself: the renowned Luxiferre..." Her words are cut short by the sudden pressure blowing from the Emperor's direction.
"Say another filthy word, and I will cut out your tongue," Soren says.
The boy in the emperor's arms stops struggling and shakes in fear. He isn't the only one. The few courtiers and Night agents that remain are caught by surprise at seeing the one known as The Serene, so angered to the point of baring his teeth.
"Peace," Cereus says, and the growing pressure quickly abates. Cereus turns to address Snake. "You know, out of the many names I've been called, that would be...the second on the list of names I hate."
Snake points the machine at him now. "This is no laughing matter! You will die here and pay for your crimes!"
"And tell me, young lady. Which crimes, out of the hundreds of atrocities I've supposedly committed, are you accusing me of?" Cereus asks. Wilbur hears his father stifle a cry, biting his lip as if to draw blood. "What is going on?" he thinks.
"I will find justice, here and now, for the the devastation on Alya-Nelaihah!"
Silence follows as all eyes look again towards the brooding Night agent.
"I see," he whispers after a few seconds of thought. His cavalier expression shockingly absent now.
"So it is true! You did do something so horrible." Cornelius's voice breaks through.
"Horrible? It is all perspective. Nothing more and nothing less," Cereus says.
"I can't believe I'm hearing this! What have you become?"
"Can somebody please tell me, what the hell is going on?" Wilbur interrupts.
"I do not have to explain myself to you! A man who I have not seen in countless lifetimes!" Cereus looks directly at the scientist. "Who started this mess in the first place? If you had just let me die, all this sorrow...all this suffering would not have started!"
Cornelius closes his eyes. "Yes...you're right. I shouldn't have saved you. That was a mistake..."
And Wilbur notices that Cereus's face grows colder. But not really since he recognizes that look. He had done it too sometimes. He had the gnawing suspicion that Cereus is now painfully on the verge of tears.
"Since you are after my life, I sincerely hope that you don't mind if I try to defend myself." Cereus straightens his back, his eyes still downcast and hidden in his forest of hair.
"Bring it, scum!" Snake charges the machine with a quick push of a button. The other ability-users behind her ready themselves for a fight.
The Night Blooming Flowers gather around Cereus in turn.
Antares: "Well. This is bothersome."
Valerian: "Anything involving our dear friend, Cereus, usually is."
Allysum: "..."
Cereus smiles. Again, a gentle smile. "Sorry everyone. But this is where we part. This is my battle to fight. My mess to clean up."
"What do you mean? Aren't you always telling us to stick together? So we're sticking together now (Valerian: Do we have to?), especially in your time of need," Antares says. Allysum nods once as Valerian sighs in defeat.
"Everyone...thank you so much." And with that, the Night agents are thrown backwards by the force of Cereus's will. "It was a wonderful thing... to have you as my friends."
"Brother! What are you doing?" Gentian screams as Night agents fall from the air and crumple to the ground behind him.
"Soren...it is time."
"Are you sure?" Cereus nods, and the Emperor loosens his hold on Gentian.
"Go to the others. They need you right now," Soren whispers. Gentian does not move as Soren walks to Cereus's side.
"Old friend...our time too is coming to an end," Cereus states as he pulls on the Emperor's beard. Gentian would have laughed if the circumstances weren't so surreal. "And you used to be such a cute little lad. My you've grown. Time does pass so quickly."
"My lord." A universal breath is held in the room as Soren kneels to the floor. "May you always continue to be worthy of praise, Noble One."
"That...is the name I always hated the most." Cereus turns, towards Cornelius, towards Snake and her companions, and a final smile towards Wilbur. "Release the seal, Abraxas Soren Val'Zion."
The Emperor's eyes briefly burn with starfire, and the hall of the Night Blooming Flowers shakes under the energy now flowing freely from Cereus's body. It is no longer a gentle light coming from him now but a fierce aura flooding the room in what seems like oil. It reaches all of those present and seeps into their bones. So much energy that a few unknowing courtiers disappear as their molecules separate entirely. The rest howl in pain, clutching themselves as if their bodies were slowly ripping apart. To Wilbur, the world becomes complete suffering. And as his body doesn't seem to be able to handle much more, it becomes merciful blackness.
Wilbur awakens to intense nausea, followed by intense vomiting. Unimaginable pain courses through him. Every inch of his body screaming. His blood is fire.
"Wilbur!" His father is also on the floor beside him, coughing up the contents of his stomach. He could barely see the man through the tears in his eyes. God, it hurts!
"I got you." His father's arms embrace him, and though the boy is currently retching uncomfortably, he can not contain the happiness welling up inside him.
Wilbur looks in front and doesn't even recognize Cereus anymore, with his eyes completely golden, wind raging all around them and it takes a few moments to see that the hall has been completely demolished by his unsealing. And the sky...the scar, why did it look so much bigger?
But then, Wilbur notices the person walking slowly towards them. The slow, shuffling gait. The eyes. The golden mask.
"Oh, God." He shuts his eyes. "Please be a dream! Please be a dream!"
He opens them, and still, the figure has not vanished. The figure of the man who had pushed him into the sea of colors. The masked man of the void.
"Dammit! Dammit!" Snake screams as she gets on her feet. "Damn you! Why?"
All her anger thrown at the golden form floating in the air before them. She fires the machine at him, the ray of light curving around and landing behind him.
A bolt of lightning flies across the room and explodes in front of Cereus. One of Snake's power-users had gathered the energy in his hands to attack. The ensuing cloud of dust obscures their view.
"Snake, calm down!" The man continues to throw lightning bolts into the cloud. "And for the love o' God, Georgie, keep up this shield! Slip up and we'll all be dust in a second."
"Will do Bends!" said the female power-user holding her hands up, the air shimmering around them. The pained look on her face belies the immense power she is fighting against.
"Snake, we have ta fall back!" Bends tugs at her arm. "We'll be killed! This amount of power wasn't in the data!"
A ball of light explodes on to the shield, and the rest of Bends words are drowned by Georgie's screams. "I can't hold it for much longer!"
"Wonderful!"
Snake, Bends, Cornelius, and Wilbur. All turn towards the unknown voice. A man with a golden mask, the face that of ecstatic joy.
"Mask?" Snake asks.
"Incredible! It's been so long since I beheld such majesty.!" The smoke clears, and Cereus remains floating in mid-air, seemingly unscathed. His whole body is now radiating a golden aura. "Such noble beauty!"
"Did you know this was going to happen?" And the look of that mask only seems to acknowledge Snake's suspicions. "You bastard!"
He does nothing but untie the red ribbon around his head, letting the mask fall to the floor.
"That is so much...better!" Mask laughs. He looks to be a man in his early twenties, baby-faced still. Starfire in his eyes. His hair silver.
"Do you recognize me?" Mask asks the floating figure before him. "Do you recognize me?"
Cereus keeps silent but his eyes stare deeply at him.
"Is there even any part of you still human in there?"
Cereus: "..."
"Hmm, I guess not." And he launches himself into the air, past the protection of the shield. "Let's dance!"
This Mask is the one Snake had been afraid of. His face is contorted into a parody of a smile which is pasted across his face. His eyes crazed by the battle ahead of him. And the realization slowly sets in.
"I've been used..."
Cereus
"Do you recognize me?"
What is "you" and "me" but mere separation of starlight.
"Do you recognize me?"
Yes... I know you.
"Is there even any part of you still human in there?"
No.
"I guess not..."
Sadness...why are you so sad?
And the child flies into the air, laughing as he releases his energy into his hands.
"Let's dance!"
Please tell me, child. What is this emotion that you are feeling? What causes you such sadness?
Cereus feels energy smash into him. Not as pain. More like a push or a lover's stroking hand.
"You truly are magnificent!"
Child. Why do you want me to kill you?
The child known as Mask extends his energy further, honing it like a blade in his hand. He swings, and to Cereus, it is like the batting of a fly's wings: so infinitely slow.
Cereus forces it away. Mask circles around, slashing his sword from the other side. Cereus wills it away with the energy from his other hand. This child truly was beautiful in Cereus's eyes. Arching into a kick. Is blocked. Sword extends towards his face. Is dodged. Spin to kick at his midsection. Cereus oversteps him with lightning speed and ends behind Mask.
"The stories were true. Such power!"
Please do not do this...
And Mask slips his way through that second of hesitation, the sword piercing into Cereus's shoulder. The momentary sensation of pain surprises him, and he brushes the child off with a slight wave of his hand.
Mask screams as he flies backwards into the air, his left arm traveling in the opposite direction in an arching spray of blood.
What is this you are feeling? Sorrow?
"You really are a monster." Mask's smile grows wider, blood pouring from the stump that is now his arm.
Cereus points a finger at him, and Mask quickly defends himself against a tidal wave of energy crashing against his barrier. Mask disappears. Reappears with sword swinging directly for Cereus's throat.
So infinitely slow.
All Wilbur can do is watch the battle unfold.
"Brother!" Gentian yells from across the room. He lay underneath the barrier created by the three other Night agents. "Brother, please stop this!"
"Gentian!" Wilbur exclaims. "What's happened? Why can't he hear us?"
The earth shakes again.
"Georgie. Can you hold up much longer?" Bends asks.
"I'm almost outta energy!"
"Can you at least move us over there?" Bends points towards the shield of the Night agents.
"I'll try."
And when it's done, Georgie collapses into Bends's arms. "Good job, Georgie. You deserve the rest."
"Now, can someone please tell me, what's going on?" Cornelius asks, though from the look of it, the four Night agents haven't a clue.
"I think I might be able to." The Emperor sits up from his position on the floor. Wilbur had mistaken it for a pile of rubble.
"Soren!" Wilbur rushes to his side and winces at the blood on the man's clothes. So much blood. "Your Highness. You're hurt."
"Nothing a little vodka won't cure." He laughs and coughs up blood in the process.
"Don't speak Your Majesty. Conserve your strength. You'll be just fine," Gentian whispers though the other agents keep silent, their faces grim.
"Hahaha! You were always such a bad liar." He ruffles his hand through the boy's hair. "I knew this day would come. When I signed up for it, I didn't know it would take so goddam long. Hahaha!"
Soren coughs up another batch of blood. "You probably have so many questions, but even I have little of the answers."
The lady with the snake eye patch walks to stand over him and points her ray gun at Soren. "You monster!"
"Snake! Don't!" Bends looks nervously at the Night agents surrounding him.
"Ah. The beautiful lady from Alya-Nelaihah. I would kiss your hand in greeting if I wasn't so...sticky at the moment." He smiles. "But at least put that away, my lady. It's already too late."
"How? How could you order such a thing? My home! My family! My friends! They died because of you." Snake charges the weapon in her hand.
"Yes. It was a shame. That world was so beautiful...but I did not order any attack."
"You sent him! The Luxiferre! One of your disgusting Night Blooming agents!"
Valerian: "Hey! I resent that!"
"I sent no one," Soren answers, his eyes slowly closing.
"Your Majesty. Please stay awake!" Gentian shakes him.
"You lie!" Snake screams.
"I do not lie. The one you call Cereus. Luxiferre. He is not one of my Night agents, and though emperor I am, I can not order one who is not in my command."
"What do you mean?" Gentian asks, surprised. "Of course, he is."
Allysum finally breaks his silence (to the amazement of all). "Your Majesty. We do not understand. Before, why did you bow to him? Who is he?"
Soren takes a second to think and breathe.
"I have known Cereus for a long time. So long, I've lost count of the years."
"And he was always gentle. Always kind."
"Those days of peace would have lasted forever, if she hadn't died...murdered."
"Who?" Cornelius asked.
"The beautiful Sahar. Such a lovely girl."
"Yes. She was our mother," Gentian states. "When she died, brother was hit the hardest."
"Mother! Hahaha! What a prankster that Cereus is." Soren stops in a fit of coughing. "Sahar was his wife."
Gentian stops breathing. "No, you're wrong, Your Majesty...it can't be."
Soren continues, "Sahar. So lovely. But so human. I knew their love wouldn't last. But to have it end like that...It was a sad fate."
Antares: "But your highness, that doesn't explain why you called him 'Lord.'"
"...Cereus was the one, who so long ago, plucked me from the streets." Soren's words become softer and softer. "Me...a slum-dog child...without ambition...without a future...caught the eye of the Golden Emperor himself..."
"He gave me everything I needed and more...gave me his powers...his throne...raised me as his own..."
"...loved him so much...that when asked to return the gift of immortality...I agreed...even though I knew...it meant my death."
"For what child...does not love...his father so..." Soren's breathing finally stops, and he lay quiet. A smile on his lips.
Note:
So that's chapter 15. I'm going to try to finish the whole story by the next chapter (Cross your bloody fingers!). This chapter really took forever. I also wanted to thank you for your book suggestions. Please keep them coming. I still have room for my 50 books resolution and another 4 months to go to fulfill it. Right now, reading Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain by David Eagleman. Very interesting non-fiction work especially if you're interested in the science concerning the mind and perception. Check it out.
And for readers who have tastes as eclectic as mine, hopefully you saw throughout the 15 chapters various references to other works as well (books, manga, etc) and hope you were tickled by it.
