Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 9
Chapter 27: The Exiled Ancient
(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.)
It was a clear evening as the northern wind was blowing all over Skald Island. The various farmland in the Inland District was mostly in bed for the night as everyone had their livestock put up in their barns, pens, and chicken houses until morning. What everyone didn't expect was that a pair of aswangs were near one of the farmhouses as they were sniffing for possible fetuses to feast upon… or perhaps those who have given birth in many years. When they were sniffing all over the nearest farmhouse, they wanted to feast on whoever gave birth as they watched closely. The scent of afterbirth filled their noses as they were ready to strike until they saw the owner of the farmhouse emerge with a crossbow in his hands, for he didn't want anything bad to happen to his family, neighbors, or their livestock in general.
"You smell of being with child, for you're not a woman at all," said one of the aswang as she bore out her fangs. "Still, you look tasty enough to make my nethers quiver."
"And you and your friend are aswangs," said the farmhouse owner. "You've come a long way to feast on expectant mothers or perhaps the ones who gave birth over the years."
"It doesn't matter," said the other aswang. "You will do nicely because we want the crafted womb you bear."
"Really? I suggest that you bear this!"
The farmhouse owner fired two crossbow shots into the heads of the aswang as they fell to the ground the moment they ended up dead in agony. When he took out the spent rounds, he took them towards a special sterilization pool and cleaned them just in case more monsters showed up at his home. With the dead aswangs placed in a pit while being salted and burned, the farmhouse owner returned to his house as he saw an Elf sitting in a rocking chair while he had a newborn baby sucking at his pectorals, for he was worried about the presence of other things crawling all over the Inland district than the usual thieves and livestock rustlers that prowl around at night.
"You shouldn't be up at this hour," he said to the farmhouse owner as he felt the newborn unlatch from him. "We have a busy day tomorrow in which our children will be in school while we work our asses off."
"I just had to fend off a pair of aswangs not too long ago, my darling," he said as he put away his crossbow. "The lore from the Elder Days always has a way to stray over here to the Skalvarg Archipelago just to give people a headache."
"It's because they smelled the scent of us being Incubators, isn't it, Septimus?"
"We've come a long way since we left Claudius after a dispute with the Medicus defending that bastard, Abraham Sloane, all those years ago. That was also the start of our exile here in which we have a farm and children whose ovum came from one of the soldiers who died in the battle between the Oranges and the Blues."
"I remembered that war when we first moved here in which a divine wind carried off the enemies from causing widespread havoc. That was when we carried our children in the wombs that appeared in our bodies."
"For the record, Raminas, we left Claudius also to get away from the bastards who demanded us to be put in that golden cattle pen on Atreides. The real gut punch was having Abraham Sloane forcing medical rape to both women and men against their wishes was the last straw in which I had to work in the shadows to blow the whistle on him. From what I heard recently, the bastard is up to his old tricks, but at the behest of Atreides' resident rent boy king, Neville Schacter. And on top of that, the bastards had the gall to kidnap a member of the Order of Letters, drug him, and then have his seed milked from him just to fertilize an Ancient's ovum. To make things worse, they have the fertilized ovum injected in the crafted womb that High Elf bore after the Spillway mission on Shiganshina. Also, he wasn't the only male member to be with child, for the one with silver hair was also had to deal with what got put into him. They say that the gods play tricks on people to keep them in line, for it is their way to have them walk in the shoes of the less fortunate."
Septimus made his point clearly as he was also aware of the plight that had both Minara and myself in a vise grip. As for what could happen next, the scrutiny of all the trouble surrounding the issue of dealing with Neville's shenanigans would soon fill the Order's gossip columns, for this wasn't over for a long time yet…
I was up early in the morning as I was up and alert in which I saw the older children going to school after they ate their breakfast. With the younger children still in the castle, they were mainly kept in the nursery as they were playing with their toys while the youngest were crawling everywhere. Still, I had to do my part as I was also making sure that Kazuko and Giles were safe in which their first birthday was coming in November. While I was still in the nursery, I saw Reuben coming in here as he was concerned about the situation that I got myself into while holding the letter that I got from Minara yesterday along with the message that I found on a seagull. He had to talk to me as I also had to put the other children in their playpens while leaving the nursery, for this was going to be a long day that would put me in a corner.
"You're here unannounced," I said as I went out of the nursery.
"The Order's higher-ups have been onto my ass since you got that letter from Minara," said Reuben as he followed me. "Recently, there's been messages sent to you in which they say the same three words that kept Minara on edge."
"'It's baby time,' right?"
"Those were the same words that a certain pest in his hovel outside the Grey Havens used in which he up and harassed Minara to no end with a text message complete with a stork emoji."
"And Minara fell prey to Chuck's whims against his wishes…"
"And that's not all because I spotted two Claudian priests inquiring about the twin Ancients that Minara bears in his body. They also say that their birth will give Claudius a well-deserved shot in the arm just to keep the planet from further degradation unlike the last Ancient that was procured, conceived, fertilized, and welcomed into the world. Word has it that he lives here on Skald Island in the farming sector of the Inland District, but he refused to return to his homeworld."
"Does he have a name?"
"His name is Septimus Corri. He has a farmstead in which he is also known to be a hunter who doesn't tolerate suspicious people trying to steal his livestock. He has an Elf for a husband in which their children also live there, including his mother. Even though he lived through the tail end of the war between the Oranges and the Blues, he also had the gall to blow the whistle on Neville's accomplice and had his medical license stripped."
Without warning, I heard the clamor of commotion coming from the main hall as I sprinted out into the open to see what was going on. What I didn't expect was that a pair of Claudian priests were here on business as they refused to budge in which they also demanded an audience with me, for they were mainly part of something greater than what we know. Of the two priests, the older priest was bald with brown skin and a grey beard with a gold circlet on his head while dressed in purple robes. His accomplice, however, was a Cat Sidhe with blue hair and ears, amber eyes, and sporting a collar around his neck while wearing the same robes as his subordinate. Both of them were far from their homeworld on Claudius, but they were here on a different mission, for they wouldn't budge until they got a word out of me.
"Which one of you is Sam Winchester?" asked the older priest.
"I am," I answered. "Therefore, the two of you are far away from Claudius, but I know that you're from the Brotherhood of Lions in which is the official Claudian religion that rules over everyone after the ouster of Emperor Caedrios a thousand years ago."
"You're quite the historian, My Lord," said the younger priest.
"For the record, my half-brother is going to yet another assessment and then off to the Order's main headquarters here on Valinor to testify before an inquiry about the misconduct of Neville Schacter," said Reuben. "After what happened to Minara, Ryosuke sent word to Akio about what Neville is capable of in which he'll stop at nothing to force Sam to become an Incubator again."
"Let me remind you that Neville Schacter is doing what the Terran God has beckoned him to do after Minara continued to disobey his calling as an Incubator," said the older priest.
"You mean by committing medical rape? You may think that Neville is a everything and a bag of chips, but he is not a saint. Ryosuke still wants to kick his ass for his conduct in which he'll throw him in prison and have his homestead on Atreides confiscated."
"Before you accuse Neville of such a heinous crime by implanting a fertilized Ancient into Minara's body, I suggest that you know more about the further plight on our planet. For the millennia after the downfall of Emperor Caedrios, Claudius has been on the verge of disaster in which the last Ancient that was born ended up fleeing in exile instead of doing his duty to stay put. And for what?! By refusing to be trapped in a golden cattle pen on Atreides?! His departure did more than just cripple Claudius' olive production, but caused widespread disaster in the various regions that witnessed terrible omens from locusts destroying crops to a village decimated by cannibalism. Claudians who are born on our homeworld are connected to the planet and if one of them is exiled against their wishes, the rest of us suffer tenfold."
"So, you're looking for Septimus Corri, aren't you?" I said.
"Septimus Corri and his husband must return to Claudius," said the younger priest. "If not, then the rest of our homeworld will suffer widespread famine. He's an Ancient and he can't disobey his duty no matter what you try to do for him."
"I'll go and see him, but negotiating to bring his family back to your homeworld won't be easy. I also heard some of the Norsefolk talking about how he refused to go back home after being harassed by Neville and those who want to restrict his freedom. You can't force an exiled man against his wishes, for it will end up backfiring on you."
I made my point clear as I had to mediate in the matter that got tossed in front of me. Still, I needed to visit Septimus Corri as I also had to hear what he had to say, for this was getting more complicated than normal. When I left the castle, I was more than likely to be going towards the Inland District as it was mainly farmland with the citadel that was housing Dean and his unit. What I didn't know was that the two priests were following me as they were also interested in what I was up to, for their business was to steal the Ancient against his wishes. Still, I had to make my visit as I was mainly wanting to get to the bottom of the problem at hand, for this was something that I couldn't ignore right off the bat...
Septimus was busy with his livestock as he had to butcher three of them just for their meat, pelt, and wool for the upcoming months that consisted of the fall and winter. He was no stranger to dealing with preparing for the bitter cold as he had the meat quartered and stored while the wool and pelt were sterilized and placed for further use. When he went towards the greenhouse, he was seeing the cotton up to harvesting level as he saw Raminas picking it into the wicker basket that he had in his hand. Both loving spouses did their best to manage the farm they lived in as they also had to maintain what was put in front of them. With the silkworms spinning their best to add to the textile craft in their glass cases, they were hard at work like their masters as it was also a way and mean to add with the cotton and wool that was collected, for this was a harvest that would keep them clothed for a while.
"October is coming, but the Valinorian Farmer Almanac predicts an early snowstorm," said Raminas as he finished up with picking the cotton. "Still, the northern wind chills everyone here to the bone, but there's also the presence of stray monsters like those aswangs from last night."
"We better finish up because some unexpected company just arrived here from our homeworld," said Septimus as he wasn't too happy with what was going on. "For the record, Azelas Corvarian and his disciple, Jeremiah Trevelyan, just came here and went to the castle where the silver-haired god of the Ashizoka System resides. Therefore, their old habits to get us back to our homeworld will be a bust in which I don't want anything to do with their petty parlor tricks."
"I remembered when we were forced to give up our freedom for the golden cattle pen until you put your foot down and took me away from Claudius."
"I know… I was also pissed at the Medicus in our hometown of New Corinth in which he sided with Abraham Sloane over the victims who wanted him castrated."
It wasn't long until Septimus heard the bell ring from the greenhouse as he left for the farmhouse on his land. When he saw me approaching, he noticed me stopping as he was also aware of me going to visit Dean's unit at the citadel after this. Still, he was vigilant into staying put as he also didn't want to put up with those who would steal him away from the home he lives in, for he was someone who never wanted to go back to his homeworld to begin with. When he saw me go towards the farmhouse, he sprinted towards me as he was aware of my presence, for I was a mainly revered member of the Order after all.
"You're here on business, aren't you?" he said to me.
"You're Septimus Corri, aren't you?" I said.
"That's right; still, my husband and I left our homeworld when the war between the Oranges and the Blues still raged. After the divine wind blew away the Blues, we were left with the mess in which we had to cultivate the land from scratch starting with raising livestock and farming crops to restore what was lost."
"You have a nice farmhouse."
"I do, but I also have to put up with the usual thieves and livestock rustlers who show up on my property. Last night, I had to dispatch two aswangs who sniffed out the scent of me and Raminas due to our status as Incubators."
"I bet that the captain of his unit would've been pleased to see you protect your land here."
"We already know about how he fought in the Second Galvanic Uprising nearly eight months ago, we also heard his subordinates talking about how he dropped off the map when his wife was murdered at the hands of those terrorists in which his right-hand man saved his newborn son from certain death after he was cut from the womb."
"He suffered from the loss in which I caught him plastered at the Wonder Nook with the Impala littered with trash in which I had to clean it out. Thankfully, I got through to him in which he also vowed to get justice for his wife's death."
"Let's hope to the gods that he finds and kills the bastard who did that heinous crime." Septimus spots the two priests in the distance as he got out his crossbow. "Oh, bloody hell…"
I saw Septimus fire one crossbow round at the elder priest as it missed him, but was caught by his subordinate. He didn't want anything to do with them as he wanted them gone just to continue his own way of life by his own terms. When I saw the younger priest charge towards us, he was armed with a pair of brass knuckles as he used them to stun me the moment I fell to the ground. Septimus knew what they were as he was no stranger to the weapons that the younger priest used the moment he fired a crossbow round into his arm in which he was reeling from the attack. He didn't want anything to do with the priests as he wasn't about to abandon his farm here on Valinor, for this was his adopted home after all.
"Jeremiah Trevelyan in the flesh," he said as he was pointing his crossbow at him. "I thought that I made my point clear that I wasn't going to waste my years being trapped in a golden cattle pen."
"You can't abandon your calling forever, Septimus," he said as he was clutching at his arm after taking the crossbow round from it. "You can't spend the rest of your autumn years on this planet while Claudius is slowly on the verge of famine. You need to return in order to fulfill your duty or else all of Claudius will suffer far worse than what happened on Earth in the Elder Days."
"What calling? By spending my days in a golden cattle pen on Atreides? You priests are all talk and no actions. Your brethren and the Medicus in New Corinth sided with Abraham Sloane instead of bringing his ass to justice for what he was doing."
"Abraham Sloane is a saint, not a sinner!" Jeremiah sees me getting up onto my feet as he saw me bend the blood in his body. "Damn it! I underestimated the man with raw power…"
"Abraham Sloane was a lot of things, but he was never a saint," I said. "And do you want proof of his crimes, I've seen what was on surveillance in which he aided and abetted into medical rape with the help of Neville Schacter."
"Are you talking about Minara Mitani?" asked the older priest as he came to his subordinate's aid until Septimus aimed his crossbow at him. "We already know of it because of the signs that foretold of what has happened and the Terran God's meddling to make him an incubator is the greatest blessing of all Claudians."
"Keep talking, you old demented prune!" he yelled. "You're only here to steal me and my husband away from our home in which we're not leaving to be under the microscope of those who demand our freedom to be taken away from us! A little word of advice, Azelas, don't even force me to use my crossbow to kill you. As for your so-called 'prophecies,' they're nothing but a pile of burning rubbish just letting out fumes. You and your patsies only cater to restricting freedom and defending monsters like the bastard who lost his medical license due to the fact that I blew the whistle on him!"
Septimus was ready to fire another round at the two priests until he felt a diamond shard stick into his hand the moment he dropped his crossbow. I turned around and spotted Dean standing there as he was disappointed in what he saw earlier. When I got up on my feet, I had to dissipate the chaos as I had to mediate in what was going on. I didn't want things to get out of hand as I also spotted several several children coming home from school in which they were shocked at what they saw, for this situation has gotten from bad to worse in mind.
"This doesn't concern you, Captain," said Septimus as he took the diamond shard from his hand.
"It does when the kids are coming home from school," said Dean.
"This matter doesn't concern the Order of Letters, Captain," said Azelas as he got up on his feet.
"Well, you were and your friend were provoking the landowner of this farmstead," I said.
"We were only doing our job, My Lord," said Jeremiah as he was still reeling from the injury he sustained. "Septimus has abandoned his calling for far too long and the more he refuses to leave this planet, the more that Claudius suffers. All Claudians who were born on Claudius are connected to the planet and if one refuses to adhere to his or her calling, then all of us will suffer irreparable damage to the point of no return."
Septimus rushed over to Azelas as he punched him in the jaw with his good hand. He wasn't having it as he didn't want to be going back to a planet that didn't give a damn about his wishes. He was a man who didn't want to return to the restrictions as he left Claudius for a reason, for he preferred exile over spending the rest of his years in a golden cattle pen. He was ready to give Azelas another one until Dean stopped him in which he didn't want a brawl to ensue, for this had to be a matter that had to be resolved as soon as possible.
"Enough of your crap!" he yelled.
"This still doesn't concern you, Skunk Boy!" yelled Septimus.
"If you're wanting a beatdown on the Dynamic Duo, you better not be causing more of the crap that's been flying off the handle."
"They're not just priests, for they are from the Brotherhood of Lions, which happen to be the true rulers of Claudius over the Emperor. All they do is keep a stranglehold over the planet's population in which they believe that if an Ancient leaves, then the planet will go tits-up if they do. Their stories of superstition and so-called 'prophetic signs' have gotten stale over the years. The real nail in the coffin was that they defended the bastard who committed medical rape upon those who didn't want to bear the seed or ovum of extinct bloodlines. I couldn't take it anymore in which Raminas and I left for Valinor to start a new life away from the restrictions and the religious crackpots who don't give a damn about freedom."
"You don't know what happened after you left, do you?!" yelled Athelas as he stood firm. "You also don't know what happened in the time of the Elder Days, but we do! More and more, we suffer from disasters in which the Claudian people demand that you return home! You may call us crackpots all you want, but these things happened when you left! Everything bad happened when you left! And yet, you prefer exile over the beckoning of your people!"
It wasn't long until several local police officials showed up as they were ready to arrest Azelas and Jeremiah the moment they escorted them away from Septimus' property. Dean and I saw them being escorted into a pull-cart as they were embarrassed to be put in the situation of their own doing. With Septimus relieved that the two interlopers were taken away, he was adamant not to leave Valinor as he also didn't want to get roped into having his freedom restricted again, for he didn't like being under the microscope of those who only see him as an Incubator to be isolated.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish," he said.
"Really?" said Dean as he got a first aid kit from his hip holster. "It seems that you don't care for pious scumbags who don't respect you." He opens it up to get an alcohol towelette and bandages as he began to clean the wound from Septimus' hand. "Whoever they are, they don't look like crackpots compared to the Executive Division."
"They're called the Brotherhood of Lions. They're a religious group who truly rule Claudius after the downfall of Emperor Caedrios a thousand years ago and not stopping."
"They said that every Claudian born on Claudius is connected to the planet," I said.
"That's what they want you to believe. That is how their system of keeping Claudius under their thumbs work to no end. The worst was when they even defended Abraham Sloane of all people in which he was above the law. Luckily, I worked behind the scenes to bring the downfall on the bastard in which he lost his medical license to the point of not being allowed to work in a hospital or in the Medical Corps again. And if you're wanting me to adhere to the scum who wanted me to be stuck in that golden cattle pen on Atreides, I'll pass. I won't be goaded by those ridiculous fraudsters in purple robes and neither will the rest of my family."
It wasn't long until we saw a delegation that came here to the farmstead as we never expected more company to put a damper on the daily life of Septimus and his family. What we didn't expect in the delegation was a familiar face as she was dressed in regal medieval clothing while sporting a satchel that had the words, "What Would Falkor Do?" etched in white letters. She wasn't too happy with what was going on as we were in for a long inquiry on the horizon, for she would soon chew us out for our involvement into keeping Septimus from going back to Claudius. It wasn't long until the delegation slapped a pair of handcuffs on Septimus' wrists as he was led into the pull-cart in which he would soon be forced to go back to his homeworld, for this was too much for us to handle when it came to dealing with affairs that became troubling for me.
"You really screwed the pooch, didn't you?" she said to us.
"Charlie?" I said as I was stunned to see her here. "What are you doing here on Valinor?"
"After hearing about how those priests were accosted earlier, they were also doing their job to escort Septimus and his family back to their homeworld."
"He may be exiled, but it won't be easy for him to go back to a place that restricts his freedom."
"As I recall, didn't you and your family get exiled to Shiganshina for six months after Darbus Toller placed that bogus bounty on your head?"
"I remember it very well, but I can sympathize with Septimus' plight, but did you have to arrest him?"
"Let me remind you that the Brotherhood of Lions have been wanting Septimus to go back to Claudius after I went there, only to hear about the problems stemming from hot weather to an influx of locusts chowing down on crops. Before you say that the Brotherhood of Lions are a group of fraudsters, I suggest that you listen what you have to say first. Claudius is on the verge of famine and the only way to save the planet is to return the Ancient to it."
I saw Charlie fish out a tablet from her satchel as she showed me the images of what was happening all over Claudius. What I also didn't expect was that I found myself in a vision in which I saw the planet being slowly healed by a powerful source the moment I saw the images of twin High Elf girls standing in the Messalina Plateau. What I also noticed was that Minara was there as he was by the side of the twin girls as the future was already there the whole time. By the time I returned to reality, I fainted onto the ground as Dean rushed to my aid. The vision overwhelmed me as I ended up blacking out, for it was too much for me anyway…
I later woke up in a hospital room as I noticed Septimus sitting in a chair next to the bed I slept in. I never expected him to be set free after being arrested as I sensed that the two priests who tried to steal him back to Claudius would never leave him alone until he agreed to go back against his wishes. Still, I had to know more about what was going on as I tried to sit up until I spotted a catheter inserted in my member under the blanket. It wasn't fun for me as I wanted to do more, for I also had to make sure that Septimus stayed with his family here on Valinor.
"I thought that you were in jail," I said.
"The captain demanded to let me out in which Akio came here scolding the raiding party who tried to take me away from my farm," said Septimus.
"I'm sorry about all of this…"
"Don't be… From what I later heard from the White Lady, she saw the signs of twin Ancients in the form of saviors bringing new life towards Claudius. She also knew about the vision you had earlier, but Azelas happens to be the descendant of the wife of her apocalyptic counterpart who was brought back by Totsuka and Pendragon when Jack Kline took the reins of being the King of Heaven."
"I never knew of that before until now."
It wasn't long until Raminas burst into the room as he was hugging Septimus warmly. He was glad that his husband was safe as he also didn't want to see him taken away to Claudius prematurely. I was also thankful that Septimus was safe as I also didn't want him to return to a homeworld that didn't want him, for he had his family here on Valinor after all.
"I thought that the White Lady and her conspirators were gonna steal you away," said Raminas as he had tears in his eyes. "I feared the worst when I heard of what happened from the captain earlier."
"They let me off for good behavior, but Azelas and Jeremiah should also watch for the future signs of the Ancients that have now nestled in the body of Minara Mitani," said Septimus. "As for the White Lady's error in judgment, I bear no grudge against her, for her past self suffered a grim fate in the form of the Styne Family in the Elder Days."
"The vision of Minara's children in the future will be a boon to Claudius in which they'll be the saviors of the planet just like their father," I said. "Minara lived most of his life there through marriage and association with those related to the Elkins Clan, for he will also make sure to protect it."
It wasn't long until I saw a bird crashing in the window as Septimus opened it up. When it flew onto my hospital bed, I saw that it had a message attached to its leg as I removed it to see what it was. As usual, the message was the same as I saw the same words, "It's baby time," in black ink scrawled on the small piece of paper. When I saw the vent break open, I saw the myriad of papers blowing towards me as I noticed the same message again and that was starting to get very irritating indeed. Septimus picked up one of the messages as he saw the same words that kept plaguing me, for he also feared the worst when it came to Incubators being forced against their wishes.
"The gods really do know how to piss people off sometimes," he said.
More and more, the messages kept flooding the hospital room as I didn't want to adhere to the same message that Minara was subjected to. I didn't feel like giving birth a second time as I knew for a fact that it was mainly directed for the women in general, for the men had the spare parts to mold it with…
Dean was in the interrogation room with Azelas and Jeremiah as they were in the hot seat while having handcuffs on their wrists. He wasn't too thrilled with their meddling as he wasn't about to let them off the hook after all that has happened earlier. Still, he had to put up with the two priests from the Brotherhood of Lions as their failed attempt to bring Septimus back home to Claudius has hit a huge snag, for they weren't about to get away with such a heinous deed like that.
"You're looking smug for an acolyte," said Azelas as he was still reeling from the humiliation earlier.
"And you're looking more like Wile E. Coyote trying to take out the Road Runner," said Dean.
"We were simply just doing our job, Captain," said Jeremiah. "Can't you see that our homeworld is on the verge of collapse?"
"I saw how the delegation busted Septimus in which I had to get him out of captivity. Still, you can't force him to return to a planet that doesn't give a rat's ass about his wishes or his freedom."
"As soon as we take Septimus, the better we make sure that Claudius won't suffer another disaster again," said Azelas. "And another thing…, Captain…, we are a lot of things, but we are not crackpots or fraudsters, either. All we're doing is securing the Ancient and returning him to where he belongs and that's all."
"Is that so?" said Akio as he entered into he interrogation room. "You should look at the possible signs of renewal on your homeworld before jumping to conclusions."
Akio fished out a tablet as he showed it to the two priests in which they saw the signs of renewal overpowering the disasters and catastrophes that popped up all over Claudius. Still, it was a troubling form of embarrassment on their part as they were also about to hear Akio's verdict, for they would end up dreading what could be heard next.
"You're not breaking up that family," he said to them. "Septimus, his husband, and their children will remain on Valinor and not return to Claudius, you got that?"
"You're making a mistake!" yelled Jeremiah. "If Septimus continues to defy his duty, then Claudius is doomed just like Earth in the Elder Days when the Apocalypse started!"
"Didn't you see the signs of renewal on your homeworld or do you still wear the rose-tinted glasses that predict the usual doom and gloom?"
"It's just a small renewal due to what Minara Mitani bears in his body," said Azelas. "Just because the presence of Ancients vitalized Claudius, doesn't mean that it can last to full. All people born on Claudian soil are connected to the planet, can't you see that?"
"Ryosuke has been to your homeworld several times and didn't see a problem other than the presence of the terrorists that destroyed a federal building in New Capua. As for your stranglehold over the population, you can't depend on the meddling of hooligans or else it'll backfire on you. And another thing, I heard how some of your superiors sided with Abraham Sloane for committing medical rape in which Septimus blew the whistle on his shady activities. That is why the bastard lost his medical license and unable to work at any hospital again, but that doesn't stop him from working with Neville Schacter and they ended up succeeding in implanting Minara with Ancient's ovum that was fertilized by his own seed. If I were you chuckleheads, I suggest that you pull your heads out of your asses and start listening to reason."
The two priests were left speechless as Akio made his point clear the moment they were backed into a corner. As for the verdict, it hung over their heads as their failed attempt to take Septimus out of Valinor was a bust, for they were also at Dean's mercy as well…
Charlie rushed into my hospital room as she saw Septimus and Raminas picking up the mess that was on the floor earlier. The mess of messages addressed to me became troubling as most of them were tossed into the trashcan outside. When Charlie picked up the message that was on the floor, she read the same words in which they were none other than "It's baby time," scrawled in black ink on the paper. When she stared at me, I was still adamant into protecting myself as I also didn't want to be with child again. I had been through one pregnancy as I also didn't want to go through another one, for I couldn't do that again after all that has happened in the past three years of my furlough.
"It's the same message, Charlie," I said.
"Well, Harry Potter got letters from no one with the same message of him being accepted to Hogwarts," she said. "As for your predicament, you're going through the same harassment that Minara went through and sooner or later, the messenger who sent that message, he or she is onto you in which he won't stop until you become an Incubator again."
"If Neville thinks he can use me just to add to his golden dog kennel on Atreides, he'll be met with incarceration along with his accomplice. Medical rape is a serious crime and it can also lead to a life sentence in prison."
"I know what Claudian law is, but you also can't fight the decision of the Brotherhood of Lions when it comes to procuring a wayward Ancient. As for getting my ass chewed by Akio earlier, I can't give the go-ahead to steal Septimus out of here anyway. Besides, there's the fall season and he's already had his farmstead winterized. Do you know how many sheep he has? More than enough mutton to supply this island in which it's one of the greatest distributors of it just to feed everyone."
"And I've got plenty at my farmhouse," said Septimus as he entered into the room. "Therefore, I'm a free man again, but I also have a good home here with my family."
We were thankful that Septimus was here on Valinor as he also had to take care of his family and farmstead. With the matter resolved, I was also glad that my new friend's family wasn't broken up as he had work to do back at his farm. When I looked out the window again, I saw a white crow perched onto one of the oak trees as it was a sign of dread, for there were much bigger problems that concerned me than the petty kidnapping of an Ancient any day…
Reuben was in one of the labs as he was busy looking over my medical files. The latest incident of me being pressured to be an Incubator again worried him as he was looking at one of the x-rays that showed my body featuring the crafted womb that I bore. When he looked at the latest assessment, he had a sense of dread as he had a gut feeling that I wouldn't fight the pressure to be an Incubator once more. When he looked into a Claudian medical book, he saw an article that delved into the crafted wombs that were put into men by the gods as punishment for not paying enough attention to their wives. What also worried him was that the crafted womb I bore would cause problems for me as it would soon have a way to "make room" against my wishes, for this was a predicament that I could never get out of.
When he put the file away, he left the lab as he was ready to check up on me until he saw Chuck standing in front of him. He didn't have time to waste as he had to see how I was doing, for he also didn't have time to deal with a certain Pest who refused to keep His hands off the juicy details about the presence of Incubators.
"Coming attractions," He said.
"What the hell do you want?" asked Reuben suspiciously.
"Me? I was just checking up on Sam and nothing else."
"You mean by aiding and abetting in his misery to be an Incubator just like you meddled into Minara's personal affairs."
"Minara may have bent the knee to carry what he bears, but it's Sam's turn to do his part. Sooner or later, he'll be caught by Neville and Abraham and they'll do their best to implant an ovum that is fertilized by his own seed in which it will be a fitting defense against the Arbiter."
"Oh, Sam did his part alright, but his past self was forced to do his own by being goaded in the prizefight between Michael and Lucifer in the Elder Days. Jack Kline told me everything, Chuck! He told me about how you allowed Neville Schacter and his disgraced accomplice abduct Minara just to drug him, milk his seed, and fertilize an Ancient's ovum and later injecting it into his body. You may have got your wish by having Minara be with child, but you won't do the same shit to Sam!"
"Really? Sooner or later, he'll bear the same thing with his own seed in which he'll later accept them just as Minara did with his. There's no going back on it, for—"
It wasn't long until Reuben saw Chuck vanish without a trace in which he saw a banishing sigil that was used earlier. Whoever drew it had to make sure that I was safe as it was also a mean to keep me protected from Neville's influence. When Reuben saw Dean armed with a red crayon, he was glad that nothing else bad happened as the issue to keep me protected got up to a fever pitch, for this was only the beginning of what I would go through next…
To be continued...