Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 9
Chapter 10: Dinner For the Lonely
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
A few days prior on Shiganshina…
I was seeing everyone going about their business as I was also spotting Aleph outside shirtless and working out while doing pull-ups on a branch of one of the trees near the base. Still, I never expected him to be focused on taking down the Zenith Vectors and rescue his brother. By the time I saw him finish up, he had a couple members of Shion's unit surround him as he didn't resist due to the presence of everyone who still lived here in the base, for he was about to be taken away just to be detained.
"So, I'm about to be executed," he said.
"Don't you dare think of yourself to be above us, by-product!" yelled Quintus as he pointed his gun at Aleph. "You're not a real humanoid, but a by-product who has no right to exist!"
"Be lenient to him; he's done nothing wrong." I said cautiously.
"All clones must be killed, Sam, or have you forgotten about the numerous soulless dolls that the Executive Division had at their disposal?"
"I never forgot about it, but Aleph is no threat to you or me."
"All clones are a threat, remember it!"
"He gets the point, Quintus," said Shion as she saw the clone being led away after getting his shirt and cloak on. "We're not killing the clone right now because of the fact that if we did that, then we are no different than our enemies."
"Have it your way, My Lady, but if that waste of space happens to turn on us, then I'll be the one who will have his throat slit if he tries anything funny."
I saw Aleph being carted away as Quintus was dogging him the moment he left to the Order of Letters ship. I never saw a member of the Order display such a lingering grudge against someone who wasn't fully humanoid before as I had a gut feeling that Aleph would end up getting killed without anyone hearing him out first. I wanted to know more about the clone's plight as I was later stopped by Shion, for she didn't want any more conflict before returning to Westeros soon enough.
"I know that you're ready to kill the clone," I said.
"I don't steep too low into killing someone who can't defend himself, but I also know that someone like him shouldn't be allowed to walk freely," said Shion.
"Quintus wants to slit Aleph's throat just because he exists."
"I know it too well because he has a bias against humanoid clones."
"I can't let him do that because Aleph is innocent of what he is."
"You don't know the whole story about his plight, Sam. The true reason why the cloning of humanoids is illegal is because of what happened many years ago on Westeros. In a mining village known as Briarpatch, Quintus had a family and close friends in which they prospered just to exist. One day, he saw someone who was thought to be long dead in which it turned out to be a clone that caused a massacre in his village. He lost his wife and most of his relatives along with some of the townsfolk in which he and his daughter were the only survivors the moment they saw the clone getting his comeuppance when a werewolf killed him and feasted on his heart. Even though the clone got what was coming, Quintus was never able to recover from what happened in which he was also the lynchpin to spearhead a ban on humanoid cloning, even in cases when we don't have enough blood or organs for transplantation if one of us loses what was compromised. Therefore, any humanoid clone, whether he or she is guilty or innocent, must be tracked down and killed so there wouldn't be another repeat of the Briarpatch massacre again. It's how it is, but I'll do everything in my power to keep Aleph safe, even if it means by defying my subordinates who don't understand what is right or wrong."
"Let's hope that he survives Quintus' wrath…"
I watched Shion leave for her ship as I watched it take off from Shiganshina. Still, I was worried about Aleph's fate as I also had to fear for his safety all because he did nothing wrong, for he was a clone who was put on this planet for no apparent reason but to be shackled and scapegoated at the same time…
Shion's ship landed in a clearing at the Order's main headquarters on Westeros as everyone went inside into the main hall once they carted Aleph in shackles. He was ready to die as he noticed Quintus glaring at him with disdain for existing the whole time. When he was escorted into one of the residential areas, he stopped as he was expecting himself to be in another holding cell, for that was also Quintus' wish as well.
"Here is where you'll stay," said Shion as she took off the shackles on Aleph's wrists.
"Aren't you gonna put me in a holding cell?" he asked.
"Lady Shion is putting you here so you at the behest of Sam's wishes," said Quintus as he glared at Aleph. "You should thank him for sparing your miserable life!"
"You mean that guy with the jeweled sigil on his forehead?"
"Sam has that raw power, but his overexertion of it nearly killed him when he went up against Sawney Masbath and shut down Project Amaterasu three years ago," said Shion. "Recently, he destroyed Project Helios with the help of his wife and three other people the moment we won the war."
"At least you guys won, but you also have a problem with the dicks who stole my brother."
"Don't think we're lenient towards you because of Sam's generosity, by-product," said Quintus as he continued to glare at Aleph. "You're here in this residential area because it's better than being in a holding cell, but if one false move or slip-up comes up, then I will have your throat slit, is that understood, test-tuber?"
"I get your point, okay? But if I die, then I want you to find the guy with raw power so he can save my brother."
Aleph watched Shion and Quintus leave his quarters as he saw the door close. The room he was in was more spacious than the holding cell as he laid down on the bed. He was both dreading and accepting his fate of being killed for existing as he also wanted to know how I was doing, for he owed it to me for allowing Shion sparing him in the first place.
"This is one hell of a predicament I'm; right, Epsilon?" he said to himself. "Don't worry, I'll find you and I'll bury the bastards who pilfered you in the first place."
Aleph walked to the window as he stared at the numerous ships coming and going the moment he clenched his fists in shame. He wanted to shed tears, but his anger towards the Zenith Vectors kept him focused, for he wanted them gone just like the rest of us...
Present Day…
It was the last days of July as I was back at the castle on Skald Island on Valinor. Once again, I was stuck in my room after yet using my raw power to save people from a monster…, again! Still, I was aching all over as I became weak from what I did in which I saved the lives of Shion and Quintus the moment I also spared the life of my past self's clone, Aleph. Still, I had no choice but to leave him with them before I left Shiganshina, but I also sensed that he needed our protection due to the fact that he was an easy target that had put him in the crosshairs of his sworn enemies, the Zenith Vectors. When I sat up in my bed, I saw that it was raining again as I tried to get out of bed, but to no avail. All I did was lay back down as I was still exhausted from using my raw power to save Shion, Quintus, and Aleph from a Jefferson Starship a few days ago. I was out of it as I tried again to get out of bed until I saw the door to my room open up in which Kotori entered in which she was more than likely to be examining me on the spot, for I also had to take it easy after protecting everyone, for it was getting harder for me to do things by myself without any difficulty.
"You shouldn't have pushed yourself too hard, Sam," said Kotori as she got out her stethoscope from her medical bag. "Your body is still weakened after your tussle with Sawney Masbath three years ago as well as the battle against Liesel Eichenberg six months prior."
"On Shiganshina, I found a clone of me, but he's now in custody of Shion for now," I said.
"Are you talking about Aleph? From what I heard, he's no threat, but he also has a grudge against the Zenith Vectors for the death of Magda and stealing his twin brother."
"I know that cloning is illegal all over the Ashizoka System, but such creations like Aleph pose no threat. In the Elder Days, the only successful attempt at cloning was on a sheep, but humanoids adept to being cloned have been taboo over the centuries."
"Most of us fear the unknown, Sam." Kotori begins to listen to my heartbeat as I felt the diaphragm part of the stethoscope touch at my chest. "Your heart sounds like it's been through the ringer, but you can't just put your life at risk all the time. Let us do the heavy lifting for you instead."
"I was afraid of that…"
"Also, you lost some weight after you gave birth, but your metabolism needs to be replenished or else your body will end up shutting down if not tended to properly."
"I'm not hungry right now and I don't feel like overeating right now."
"It's two in the afternoon. When was the last time you ate?"
I felt my stomach growling as it kept bothering me the moment I tried to prevent myself from eating too much. Kotori noticed me trying to stave off the hunger as I didn't feel like eating right now in which she put away her stethoscope and helped me up to my feet. When she escorted me out of the room, I was put into my wheelchair as I was carted into the infirmary wing where I was forced to step on a bathroom scale. The verdict alarmed Kotori as she saw that I weighed less than the typical two hundred pound limit that was reserved for someone who was six-foot-four tall.
"You weigh a hundred and sixty-eight pounds, which is not healthy for a man like you," she said.
"I can still function," I said.
"You may still function, but not like this. Women have a healthy weight of a hundred and fifty while the men are up to two hundred. This isn't good for you and from what I heard, you had a healthy appetite when you carried Kazuko and Giles in your body, but not eating that much is alarming. Your metabolism needs to be replenished every time you use your raw power and having others eat before you isn't cutting it. You can't just be putting it off after all that has happened to you and it's not healthy for you to do so. You also make sure that you keep everyone safe, but you should also do the same for yourself. It's the most you can do."
I got off of the scale as I smelled the scent of food cooking from outside when I went towards the window. It was the start of the summer feast as I noticed some of the Norsefolk getting ready for the festivities. Still, I wasn't into it as I wanted to get back into bed in which I was feeling more depressed than normal. When I left the infirmary wing, I was more than likely to be going outside and observe the Norsefolk cooking their food. My worry for Aleph's safety unnerved me as I had a gut feeling that Shion would end up executing him until I saw a courier giving me a letter. Opening it up, I knew that it was from Shion as she was not in the mood to execute the clone of my past self, for I was also relieved that he was alive for now.
"That's good to hear…," I said to myself as I put away the letter.
When I went back inside, I returned to my room as I didn't want to do anything else for the rest of the day in which I was still feeling weak from using my raw power to get rid of that Jefferson Starship that stowed away on Shion's ship. All I'm glad for was that they were alive for now as I later crawled into bed and covered myself in my blankets. I was more than likely to be falling asleep until I heard footsteps approaching in which I saw Kotori coming into the room and getting me out of my bed and into my wheelchair. I didn't want to do anything today as I was carted out of my room and went to the lift near the stairs. By the time I went down to the main hall, I noticed Kotori wheeling me outside to where everyone was cooking their wares for the festival. The smell of meat and fish being smoked was inviting, but I wasn't into it right now. All I was doing was observing instead of trying food that was already done. I wasn't hungry as I was later being carted to a picnic table where I spotted some of the food that was put on it, for I was not ready to eat anything right now.
"Here's all the meat and cheeses that is put in front of you," said Kotori.
"I'm still not hungry," I said.
"You need to put on a little weight, Sam. You haven't eaten anything since you got back from going to Shiganshina. Even Reiko noticed you not doing too well after worrying about that clone you found and save the lives of Shion and Quintus from a Jefferson Starship. You did enough for us, for you should also need to do more for yourself. Bon appetit, Sam."
I was staring at the food that was on the picnic table as I was more than likely to be eating it. Just as I was about to do so, I saw a group of children sitting next to the picnic table as they were dressed in torn clothing with serial numbers. They were like the boy who pilfered the kimchi bun as they were hungry while wandering all over the place. I may have been suckered into having a lot of food at my table, but I couldn't say no to a starving child as I later noticed an Elf coming towards them and ushering them to another picnic table. I noticed him to be part of the Trujillo Clan as he was dressed with the family crest that consisted of bluebells surrounding a unicorn. He was new, but he also had a soft spot for orphans who were in dire need of attention and care, for the children he had with him also had to be put first.
"Vamanos," he said to the children. "There's a table of food courtesy of my clan despite the fact that my baby brother still wanders around the Tsubaki District."
I watched the Elf escort the children to the picnic table as they were given the food that was there. As for me, however, I was forced to give into eating a little bit of food as I took a bite of some smoked fish. It tasted okay as I continued to eat at it a little more. When I finished up with the smoked fish, I was ready to go back to the castle until Kotori stopped me from doing so, for she wanted me to finish what was there in front of me.
"I still don't want to eat anything after this," I said.
"Well, you ate the fish," said Kotori.
"I'm not eating anything else right now, okay? I don't want to be filled out like Jabba the Hutt right now because I don't feel like being outside."
"I saw the bathroom scale, Sam. You're underweight due to stress in which you worry too much about what's going on. You're concerned about Aleph and how he was taken away because of what he is and how he is treated due to him being a clone. We all know that cloning on humanoids is illegal, but it's legal to clone livestock for food."
"Like that sheep…"
"Now, I want you to stop worrying about things and eat the rest of your food."
I continued to eat at my food as I was starting to feel a little more better than normal in which it was replenishing my body after what I went through. The taste of the various cheeses and meats surrounded by bits of bread kept my stomach quiet as I finished the rest of it the moment I was about to go back to the castle and into my room. I didn't want to eat too much or pay attention to any festivities as I was worried about Aleph and the fate that was given to him in which he was under the mercy of Quintus and his long-standing grudge against humanoid clones. Just as I was about to do so, I noticed Qu'Vaar sprinting out of the ferry he was in as he was carrying the codex that he had in his hands. When he reached towards me, he was tired as he also wanted to give me the codex in which it was valuable more than anything, for it was also more important that I had it.
"Finally, I thought I never reached you," I heard him say to me as he fell to his knees. "I had to get out of Shiganshina just to give this thing to you in which I can't let those asshats who stole from my old man get it. Besides, I can't let anyone steal what made those clones in your past self's likeness because there are those who would wanna abuse it just like what those clowns did when they stole my old man's clothing concept."
"You came a long way, didn't you?" I said.
"Damn right! I would've given it to Shion, but I can't do it around those who are wanting all that knowledge that got put into it."
"You could've done so," said Kotori. "Besides, the Order of Letters have a much strict code of conduct when it comes to bringing vital archives to their collection."
It wasn't long until I noticed Qu'Vaar give me the codex as I opened it up in which it was a manual of how my past self had everything preserved just in case the prophecy of a golden age wasn't met. Still, I never expected whoever cloned Aleph and his brother to do this as it was a discovery in a nutshell. When I closed up the codex, I gave it back to Qu'Vaar as he was wanting me to have it for safe keeping in which he also bore a grudge against the Zenith Vectors for stealing his father's work as well.
"Oh, thank Fa'Uluur that you're getting this codex 'cause I can't trust it with anyone else, not even the Order's higher-ups," he said.
"And you're giving me a manual on humanoid cloning," I said.
"The author of it had his reasons to clone humanoid beings for a lot of purposes, but most of his efforts to keep them alive were in vain except for our friend who's in Shion's custody."
"I know, but I just don't want things to go sideways…"
"Oh, I'm so hungry I could eat a nebrie!"
It wasn't long until Qu'Vaar dug out his coin pouch as he found a few coins that fit were exchanged to this part of the Ashizoka System's currency in which he could afford a bit of shawarma from a stand that was cooking lamb and beef from rotating spits over an open fire. I could tell that he was hungry as I walked over to the stand and ordered some food for the Va'Kihri who delivered the codex to me. When he saw the shawarma that was cooked and brought to him, he began to eat it as he couldn't get enough of what he tasted. I was also grateful that my new friend got his fill of food as he was happy to get it despite the fact that he entered into Valinor where Skald Island was at, for he was mainly glad that he had something like the food he ate earlier.
"Almighty, Fa'Uluur, I'm forever grateful that you gave me sustenance, faram," he said as he finished off the shawarma. "Oh, that was so good! They did a good job for putting all that meat on a metal stick to cook. It was so tasty…"
"I'm glad that you liked it," I said.
"For the record, I came here to bear good news despite giving you the codex."
"Is it about Aleph?"
"From what I heard, Shion's got him in a residential room than in a holding cell. Let's just say that she spared him instead of keeping him in a jail cell throwing a tennis ball against the wall."
"That's good to hear…"
I was glad that Aleph was spared execution as such good news put my mind at ease. As for what could happen next, I was expecting the worst as I also feared that Quintus would take him out behind Shion's back, for he had a long grudge against clones in general…
Aleph was in the bathroom of his residential room as he was busy taking a bath. The soak didn't give him any comfort as he was wanting to put an end to the Zenith Vectors for the crimes they committed. By the time he finished up, he drained the water as he stepped out of the bathtub the moment he dried himself off with a towel and later placed it into the hamper. With some clean clothes put on him, he got out of the bathroom as he sat down on the bed in his room in which he wanted to go to bed before the day was over. When he heard a knock on the door, he ignored it after he had a "Do not disturb" sign on the doorknob earlier as he didn't want any visitors after being put here under a very lengthy "house arrest." Just as he was about to crawl into bed, he heard the door open as he saw Quintus bursting into his room the moment he was armed with his gun, for he had a grudge against clones whose only crime was existing.
"Don't you have anything better to do than to berate me?" he said.
"You have some nerve being high and mighty, don't you, test-tuber?" said Quintus as he pointed his gun at Aleph. "I despise clones like you because of what they stand for and that is causing mayhem everywhere they go."
"Not all clones cause mayhem because I heard Shion talk about how you lost your family and some of the townsfolk in your hometown of Briarpatch. The only survivors of that massacre were you and your daughter in which you saw the clone being killed by a werewolf. You may think that I have no soul, but I do and I feel angry at the bastards who raided the base in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina."
"I may be thankful that a monster finished the job in taking out the clone, but I only hunt the problematic ones who cause harm to the innocent."
"I keep telling you that I'm no threat to you and you still won't accept the fact that I'm wanting to stomp a mudhole into the Zenith Vectors for not only stealing my brother, but killed a pregnant woman as well. I won't let them get away with it when I find and take them out, I swear of it."
"Have it your way for now, but that doesn't mean that you can walk freely here in the Order's main headquarters on Westeros or any other planet that's there. Lady Shion will be there in the morning to assess you, but you can't leave your quarters under no circumstances, is that clear to you, test-tuber?"
Aleph saw Quintus leave his quarters as he was glad that the blowhard was gone for now. Still, he wanted to go to bed until he felt his stomach growling. He was hungry, but he was used to going without food for days on end as he checked into the cabinets to see what was in there. What he saw was nothing but a box of Cheez-It crackers just to keep his stomach quiet. When he opened up the box, he dug into the cheese-flavored crackers, he ate them quickly as he was glad that he had them. By the time he finished eating the crackers, he threw away the box into the trash as he was ready to go towards the bathroom to brush his teeth until he heard his stomach growling again, for it was getting to be annoying as hell.
"Enough, already!" he yelled as he pounded on his stomach.
Aleph went to the fridge to find what was there as it was empty. He was used to getting empty things as he decided to go back to bed the moment he was eager to summon up room service, but declined to do so. He believed getting room service was a waste of time as he had to deal with what he had in which his stomach wasn't letting him alone. When he crawled into bed, it was hard for him to fall asleep as the notion of food kept him awake in which he also dreaded Quintus' wrath once he left his quarters. He had to obey his captors as he didn't want to come out into the open in which he also wanted to avoid food, for he had to do so in order not to be executed on the spot.
"I'm so hungry right now that I could eat an entire turducken in one shot," he said to himself.
It wasn't long until he heard the door open again as he didn't want to see anyone nor come out of his quarters in which he sat up and noticed a woman dressed in a Medical Corps outfit come in as she had a tray of food for him. He never wanted room service, but he had no choice but to accept what was there as he saw the woman set the tray of food on the table, for she didn't want him to be starving while being confined in his quarters.
"Don't you need to report to your superiors?" he asked.
"Don't you need a bit of sustenance instead of gorging yourself on crackers?" said the woman.
"I take it that you're in the Medical Corps, aren't you?"
"I'm in the Medical Corps, but I just wish that my father would be lenient towards you despite the fact that you look like Sam Winchester."
"I'm a clone and from what your father says, most clones have no souls."
"You may sound soulless, but I can sense a soul residing within you in which you have a conscience that keeps you from lashing out. You may look like the god of the Ashizoka System, you're still under the microscope of my father in which he hated clones after one of them destroyed our village, killed our family members and friends, and eventually drove my father to enact a ban on humanoid cloning, even in cases such as organ transplantation and blood transfusion."
"And once again, clones like me get scapegoated to death. By the way, my name's Aleph, but I don't have a surname like the guy who looked like me."
"My name's Lapra Elendrix and my father and I survived the Briarpatch massacre in which the clone who did it ended up getting his heart ripped out by a werewolf in which he came from House Fitzgerald due to its close ties with the Winchesters of Old, especially with their ancestor, Garth."
"Lapra! You shouldn't be talking with the test-tuber!"
Aleph saw the woman leave as he later spotted Quintus coming into the room. He was starting to hate his captor as he tried his best to ignore his comments. He found his captor's company very irritating to him as he wanted him to leave his quarters. Still, he dealt with it as he also escorted Lapra out of there in which he was finally left alone just to eat the food that was brought to him. The sight of onigiri and spam musubi kept him busy as he began to eat what was there in front of him in which he enjoyed the meal without difficulty. By the time he finished his meal, he went to the sink to wash the tray and plate that the food were on as he cleaned them up and put them into the dish drainer afterwards. When he finally went to bed for the night, he began to close his eyes as he wanted to know how I was doing, for he wanted to know more about how I became the god of the Ashizoka System in this day and age.
"I bet that you're worried about me, aren't you?" he said to himself. "You're lucky that you surround yourself with family, but I don't have anyone else but my brother." He sighs to himself as he begins to shed tears. "Even though I'm in my quarters instead of a holding cell, I have everything to myself, but I feel so lonely… all the time! Still, if I don't succeed into getting back Epsilon, I hope that the guy who looks like me does so because I'm a dead man anyway…"
Aleph continued to shed tears as he longed to see his brother again. As for his fate, it remained uncertain as he dreaded the looming failure that he feared the most, for he had a goal to take down the Zenith Vectors once and for all…
I was in the bathhouse as I was soaking in one of the tubs after I cleaned myself earlier. Still, I was worried about Aleph as I also wanted to go there to Westeros myself in which the clone of my past self wanted to stop the Zenith Vectors once and for all. When I was still soaking, I pondered to find out more about the clone in question as I spotted Jack in another tub next to mine in which he was wanting me to intervene in this affair, for he was more than likely to be calling me to an errand to oversee instead of doing field work on the sly.
"You're worried about Aleph, aren't you?" he said to me.
"Ever since he was found at the base in the Dabb Mountains on Shiganshina, he's been in protective custody in which Quintus wants to kick his ass without Shion looking," I said.
"Quintus is misguided, Sam. He may be a seasoned soldier in the Order, but he literally despises divine intervention like the plague."
"From what I heard, a clone killed most of his family and friends in the Briarpatch massacre in which he and his daughter were the only survivors of this tragedy. It's sad that there is hardly any family left that he has..."
"Not entirely… Quintus has a younger brother in the Order, but he lives here near the Mahoney Clan homestead in Jomon Village. He's also married to an Elf from the Midorikawa Clan, but he doesn't want anything to do with Quintus in general after what happened in Briarpatch before the massacre."
"What actually happened?"
"Quintus had an older daughter that he married off against the wishes of the Rakuen Priesthood in which he forced her to marry the son of a Westerian noble in which he believed it to be a good match than what they wanted. After that, disaster happened in the mines near his village in which some of the miners were controlled by the infamous Khan worms from the Elder Days. It was swift punishment for Quintus for setting up his older daughter to a man that she never loved, but his brother called his meddling with the Rakuen Priesthood's matchmaking plans shameful and foolhardy. After that spat, his brother, Darius, left Briarpatch after he grew weary of him choosing honor over family after he saw the presence of the Khan worms causing hell for the miners."
"Quintus must've had his hands full…"
"Meddling with the affairs of the Rakuen Priesthood is strictly forbidden in which it can lead up to a life sentence. As for the clone that attacked Briarpatch, it was a demon that possessed it in which he fled out of his artificial host before one of the members of House Fitzgerald finished it off. He may have enacted a ban on humanoid cloning, but his meddling into familial affairs just to thumb his nose at the Rakuen Priesthood would cost him his life if he doesn't correct his mistakes, for his younger daughter will be selected with a suitor of their choosing instead of what he brings out."
"I hope that he doesn't try anything shady, especially when it comes to dealing with Aleph's house arrest. Still, I also hope that he finds his brother and put the clampdown on the Zenith Vectors, for they only bring terror instead of stability."
…And I was right about that one as I continued to soak in the bathtub I was in. Still, I wanted to reach out to Aleph in general as I sensed that he was lonely while having his time in his quarters instead of a holding cell, for he wanted to look for his brother soon enough…
The next morning, I was up as I received a letter from Shion in which I read it after a courier gave it to me earlier. What I didn't expect was that I would be taking part of a matchmaking ceremony by the Rakuen Priesthood as it would be held here on Valinor, but it would be held here on Skald Island. Still, I was glad that I didn't do any field work as I was also cleaned and dressed for the day, but I also had a gut feeling that there would be a disaster the moment I spotted an Order of Letters ship touching into the harbor. Rushing outside, I went to the dock as I saw a group of members of the Rakuen Priesthood coming out of the ship and making their way towards the castle. What I didn't expect was that Akio was there in that group as he was more than likely to be mediating in the selection that was most likely to be announced, for I would bear witness to this year's matchmaking ceremony.
"It seems that the Rakuen Priesthood is holding its ceremony here," I said.
"Yeah, and it's open season for unsuspecting people who are slated to be married within the Order's ranks," said Akio. "Therefore, the ringleaders of this ceremony are adamant to choose the matches that work 'cause there's no pussyfooting in this business."
It wasn't long until we followed the delegation of the Rakuen Priesthood into the castle courtyard as they were standing in front of a table while they sat down. All of them were ready to read out the further names of future matches, for they held the future in the hands in the Order of Letters in general.
"The time has come," said a woman as she was dressed in priestly robes. "For centuries, we held sway in making suitable matches that work in the favor of the future and what it holds. This year, our first future match has been made and the chosen couple for this year are… Maddox Stauber of the Stauber and Mitani Clans and Lapra Elendrix, daughter of Quintus and member of the Medical Corps. May their future be kept safe like a seaship sailing out into further waters. Faram."
I continued to hear the future matches that the Rakuen Priesthood brought out as I was glad to observe them at work while being hopeful for the future ahead. The ceremony lasted a grueling two hours as I later watched the delegation leave to their ship in which I was hoping for the best to those whose marriages had been decided by the Rakuen Priesthood. I was glad to hear good news to put my mind at ease as I later noticed Akio coming towards me with a letter in his hands that was addressed to me, for it was urgent indeed.
"It says that Aleph will be moved to the Order's main headquarters here on Valinor," I said as I read the letter carefully. "It's also said that Quintus doesn't want him there at the Order's main headquarters there on Westeros due to his staunch ban on humanoid cloning."
"Quintus may be one stubborn pain in the ass, but he's fought against our foes, both monster and humanoid," said Akio. "He's also become the proverbial thorn in the Rakuen Priesthood's side ever since he meddled into forcing his oldest daughter into an arranged marriage just to prevent her suitor from taking her hand, which resulted in a curse upon his village and oh, I remembered the Khan worms that we had to electrocute from their hosts. Those slimy little creepy-crawlies may be terrible, but their cousin, the Waziri worm is a hell of a lot worse in which their hosts consume liquids from their victims to the point of draining the marrow from their bones. The only way to kill them is to have them sweating to death to the point of leaving their hosts."
"Jack told me everything about it, but I just hope to the gods that he doesn't try anything to ruin the future matches that the Rakuen Priesthood announced earlier."
"But he won't 'cause he's been called to assist in his home government to scale back against any stragglers that the Executive Division left behind after the war was over. He's also gonna have to contend with the Zenith Vectors and their lingering agenda of bringing humanity to the top against the wishes of every single planetary government that put them on their shit list."
"And Aleph wants them all gone for what they did. They made Dean a widower, they took a clone's brother, and they want human supremacy all over the galaxy, even if it meant by bringing others that look like him and no others."
"There you are!"
I saw Kotori coming towards me as she grabbed me by the long silver hair the moment I was rushed into the infirmary wing. When I was put into an examination room, I stepped on a bathroom scale as I saw it to be accurate in which I ended up gaining a few pounds so I wouldn't be put under the microscope of scrutiny due to me being underweight. Still, I had to do a healthy weigh-in as I was also doing a little better after too much worrying, for I had to maintain what I had after all that I went through in the past three years.
"You've gained a bit, which is better than being underweight," said Kotori.
"It's complicated, but I can manage," I said.
"You have so much that you incorporated, Sam. You have a family to take care of, you got friends and other loved ones to protect, and a divine power to help those in need. You're not like Superman that's faster than a speeding bullet, you know."
"I saw the Rakuen Priesthood delivering the possible matches in the Order's ranks today, but one of the chosen happens to be Lapra Elendrix who happens to be Quintus' daughter."
"Lapra is stubborn, but her father may not like her possible suitor."
"What are you talking about?"
"Maddox Stauber may be an Elf, but he has autism in which some of his family members have been pushing him to marry a Terran named Audrey Wilcox, who has Down Syndrome. Most of the Stauber Clan, including Yokose, have great hope for Maddox in which his upcoming marriage to Lapra may strengthen the already fractured ties that her family once had after the Briarpatch massacre. Quintus, on the other hand, may try to sabotage Lapra's upcoming marriage just like he did with her older sister, Octavia, in which he sold her to a Westerian nobleman due to the close ties that he once had unlike the suitor that he drove away. In the end of that debacle, he returned to having an infestation of Khan worms in one of the mines of his village before the massacre occurred. His brother, Darius, warned him about meddling in the affairs of the Rakuen Priesthood in which there was divine punishment waiting in the form of a worm that was once feared in the time of the Elder Days."
"Quintus may be a good soldier, but a terrible father to his daughters in which the more he meddles in forbidden affairs, the more he sinks deeper into a tarpit."
"He may be treading on thin ice, but he can't bar his daughter from marrying her true suitor."
"I just hope that Lapra has better luck than her older sister. As for the other problems at hand, I still have to deal with the Zenith Vectors and what they stand for. They may think that they are putting humanity forward, but all they're doing is causing terrorism and racism in their wake. Their leader already killed Magda and nearly did away with Rory in which they even went too far into abducting one of the clones that my past self generated. No wonder Dean wants revenge and Aleph wants justice for what those terrorists were doing… Still, I can't let my guard down when it comes to dealing with threats, both monstrous and humanoid."
It wasn't long until I saw a white crow perched on top of the outside wall of the castle in which I had a gut feeling that there would be a bad omen coming. What I didn't expect was that a hawk swooped in and grabbed the white crow with its talons the moment it killed the omen before its body landed into the ocean. What I saw was a sign of good faith as I also didn't want any more bad things happening right now, for I saved them for another day. Still, I had to keep my guard up as the threat of the Zenith Vectors had reached a fever pitch in which I was also concerned about what was going on in the past six months, for this couldn't be ignored right now…
To be continued...