Chapter 3: The little girl (3)

“Mommy..I want my mommy.”

“You can see her if you do this for us. You understand?”

“But…but…”

“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”

“…Yes”

…..

“Increase the voltage!”

“But sir, it will kill her at this rate.”

“I don’t care. Just do it!”

“AAWWWW!”

…..

“Still no result yet?”

“I am afraid not sir. Are you sure that she is his daughter?”

“The evidence said so. What exactly did you get from her so far?”

“Only the ability I mentioned in the previous report. Aside from that, there is absolutely nothing special about her physical condition. In fact, she is far weaker than what we expect from a child.”

“Did you increase the dosage as I instructed?”

“…..Not yet, sir.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?”

“But…she is just a kid…”

“That thing is a beast. Just think of her as a lab rat. If you can’t do it, there will be plenty of others who will.”

“…I…I will do it.”

“Then what are you still doing here? I need results. The next election is coming. If we can show some results to the public, our party will have a second term. Don’t you idiot understand that simple thing?”

“Of course sir….”

…..

“Little brat *SLAP*”

“…..”

“Fucking useless *punch* ”

“Sir, please stop! She is already unconscious.”

“Bring the bucket!”

*SPLASH*

“I will ask you again. Where is your father hiding?”

“I…I don’t know…”

“ *SLAP* ”

“ *cry* hic hic….I want my mommy.”

“Your mommy? I am afraid that she left you. You have already been abandoned. Else, why didn’t she come to rescue you by now? Not that I expect some freaks to share our human value.”

“Mommy….abandoned me?”

“Yes. She did. So in a way, this is your home now. So start talking! *PUNCH* “

“AWWW…..*cry* Mommy….Mommy…”

“SIR, stop! This is inhuman.”

“It will do it for now. We will continue this tomorrow.”

* * *

Five years have passed since then. In those five years, countless Greymen and those who possessed psychic powers were hunted down mercilessly. If they resisted, they would be killed on spot. If not, what awaited them was hell itself. With all countries portraying the espers as evil, branding them as terrorists who sought to bring down humanity, as a result, the Greymen lost their power and all humans who possessed special powers had their right stripped from them. For decades, they protected the people. Yet, this was what they got in return. It made one wonder about the nature of humanity, or the malevolence that stemmed from it. In the end, it was said that they were all put inside a concentration camp where who knew what awaited them there.

However, all hopes were not lost. Apparently, a small group of Greymen was able to escape the grasp of the world government and formed a resistance group. Still, there were few who sympathized with their cause because of all the propaganda. It was as if everyone forgot how the world nearly ended by the hands of the Monochromes and now just wanted to make a new enemy.

Meanwhile, in an underground facility hidden to the public, a young teenage girl was spending her night reading a fantasy book about various myths of gods from different religions in a white room with a single glass wall and a side door, the only way out of this room. She never quite understood the reason why many insisted on the existence of a higher being watching over them, guiding them and bringing salvation. If there was indeed a god, where were they when the girl needed them the most? Where were they when she was being tortured? Did they simply watch her suffering like some sort of entertainment? If that was the case, the girl too desired to share that feeling, to watch the gods in agony for her amusement. Alas, it was just a thought.

Suddenly the door slid aside and a man in white coat walked in holding a plate of food. For the last five years, he has been doing the same thing, aside from performing experiments on her body. From electrocution to inducing drugs, he did them all. But he was no monster, at least in his mind. A part of him wanted to free this girl from her daily torment. But in the end, he was too afraid of the consequences of what would happen to him if he freed her. What about his family? He could not just abandon them to save some girl he barely knew. The only thing he could do was to ease her suffering with the painkillers he secretly stashed in or the books she requested like the one she was holding.

“Astora, it is time for your meal.” The scientist said.

“…..” the girl ignored him and continued her reading.

“….I will just leave it here then.” The man put down the plate and went back to the door.

“Hey….can I get another one?” Astora raised the book toward the scientist.

“Sure.” The man grabbed the book. “Did you like it?”

“Not like. But at least it is something. It is not like I have anything else to do.” She spoke in a distant voice.

“….You know…I am sure your mother did not abandon you. She must have her reasons for….”

“I know.” Astora firmly spoke. “I know. You have been saying the same thing for years.”

“Uhm….I will do my best to find out where she is.” The scientist stood up and headed out.

“So you said three years ago.”

“I did….” It did hit the spot and it hurt for the man who could not keep his promises. “By the way, remember to rest well tonight. The Director is coming tomorrow.”

“……”

* * *

Location: Presidential palace of United Federation

In the oval office where the leader of this country was seated, two men in suit were discussing their strategy for the incoming election. On one side, a man who has been in powers for five years and wished to continue doing so. On the other side, a man who desired the extermination of all espers and the only way to do that was to keep the current president in powers. If another president came into power but shared a different view of the current state, who knew what could happen?

“How are things down there?” the president asked as he sipped a glass of red wine.

“There are still some remnants of the Resistance but that should not be something of concern. More than half of their operations have been decimated by us. They are now like rats trapped in corners. Our military will wipe them out when we find them.” The CIA director read the report.

“Chase a coward into a corner and even them would bare their fangs back. Don’t let your overconfidence blind you, Chris! We still have not finished yet.” The president advised. “Drop what you are doing and focus on the security for now! We don’t want any potential scandal while the election day is just two days ahead.”

“Of course, Mr. President.”

“By the way, what about the girl? Did she make any progress yet?” the president asked.

“Nothing consequential. She seems to be ignorant of everything and her powers are very disappointing. I am starting to doubt if we can really get anything out of her.” Chris reported.

“If she won’t be of any use then discard her. What about Vincent? Or the girl’s mother?”

“Our doctor still says the same thing. Apparently, he gave the Orbis-Exeo to the Traveler and did not have any contact with him since then.”

“Can we trust him?”

“I did threaten to kill the girl if he lied so I don’t think it is a lie. It would also explain why we never managed to find the Traveler after all these days despite our surveillance system. As for the girl’s mother, Fiora, our intelligence suggests that she is with the Resistance.”

“Make sense. Animals tend to gather around each other to lick their wounds.” The president uttered. “By the way, I am very pleased with your son’s achievement. I never thought he has that kind of talent.”

“So did I, Mr. President. As a father, I am proud that my son is able to serve his country.” The director smiled.

“That is good. For his accomplishment, I have decided to make him the person in charge of that project.”

“That is an honor, sir. I will make sure he won’t disappoint you.”

“I am sure he won’t.”

After exiting the office and entering a dark car as it drove away to his next destination, Chris reminisced his past. The guy never thought too highly of his son Steven. To him, the son was just a spoiled brat who stayed contently in his father’ shadow. But ever since the incident five years ago, Steven seemed to have become a changed man. He became more involved with the politics and spared no effort in the case, crackling down several hubs of terrorists while working with the research department to develop cutting edge weapons. Despite the sudden change, Chris only assumed that the experience changed something within Steven and never thought further.

“We have arrived, sir.” The driver awoke the tired director.

Shaking his head and cleaning his old glasses, the CIA director headed out to a plain building situated in a very heavily guarded location. With only one small floor, the building would have barely any space for an office or a secret hideout. But of course, it was just a façade. The only thing inside was a large elevator and the only entrance and exit of a large underground facility. As the platform descended to the lowest level, bypassing all the research areas and securities, it finally reached its destination.

The director entered a dark room with a large glass window. On the other side, he could see a girl leaning herself against the wall behind her as she stared blankly at the ceiling. Her long ashen hair has outgrown her height and stretched across the floor. Her lifeless eyes showed no interest or even a hint of hope of getting out of this place.

“How long has she been like this?” the director asked the scientist who has been watching over the girl.

“She is always like this.” The scientist answered coldly out of spite.

“Do you have any problem?” Chris raised his voice.

“No….” the scientist replied.

“Then get to work! Prepare the tools!” Chris shouted.

Unable to go against his boss’ will, the scientist had no choice but to follow. While he went out to prepare the next experiment, Chris sat down and watched the girl behind the glass window. If not for the info given to him by Edmur, Chris would have never guessed that this girl was in fact one of the so called espers he despised so much. She showed no sign of abnormality aside from the little power they discovered a while ago but judged it was too useless for any practical use, notably in combat. From a stranger’s point of view, this girl was but a normal kid.

Somehow, the poor girl’ sight resonated with something deep within the mind of the director, a part he thought he lost long ago.

‘Could I have made a mistake?’ a voice similar to his own echoed in Chris’ mind.

“NO!” the director furiously slammed the table, shocking his bodyguards behind him. “Where is that scientist? Tell him to hurry up!”

With the help of other scientists, the man from earlier reluctantly brought the girl and strapped her up to a special chair they brought in. All of them including the girl knew how painful it would be but the girl quietly obeyed the commands given to her with no sign of struggle. She simply was too used to kind of stuff. After all, she spent five years in this sickening room enduring the same thing over and over.

The scientist prepared a syringe filled with an unknown substance they often used to forcefully awake the powers of espers. However, it could seriously damage the brain if used too often.

“Make it double today!” Chris ordered via the telecom from inside the control room.

“Sir, a double dosage could potentially make her brain dead.” The scientist argued back.

“Or it could allow us to see her true potential. Just do it!”

“I….I won’t” the scientist threw syringe to the ground, shattering it in pieces. “This is not what I signed up for.”

“What? You suddenly gained a conscience after five years? Don’t make me laugh, you hypocrite! If you don’t want to dirty your hands, get out!” Chris spoke loudly. “A real man will do anything for his country, anything at all cost.”

The guards wielding guns came in and escorted the doctor out. The girl only watched. She showed no emotion. Perhaps her mind has been broken long ago.

“You there.” Chris turned to the assistant. “You are in charge now. Proceed with the experiment!”

“Y…yes sir!” the newly appointed scientist mumbled. He took a new syringe and prepared the fluid as instructed before injecting it in the girl’s arm.

The moment that liquid entered her system, the girl felt dizzy along with a painful headache. The world was turning around her and she has lost her balance.

“Any sign?” Chris asked.

“The drug is in effect but there is no sign of change in her mind. Perhaps she really does not have any unusual power.” The scientist concluded.

“That is impossible. She is that Traveler’s daughter. His flesh and blood. It is impossible that she would not inherit anything from him.” The director shouted angrily.

“Maybe all she inherited came from her mother? It could me that the mother’s genome is more dominant.” The scientist theorized.

“Urgg…..Bring in the helmet! Full charge!” the director ordered.

“What?”

“Do as I say! Or do you want to follow your colleague as well outside?”

“Yes sir…”

A short moment later, the scientist brought out a spiky helmet attached with a lot of wires and put it on the girl’s head.

“….Full charge!”

An electric voltage of more than a hundred volts ran pass through the girl’s body in an instant. Sparks of electricity illuminated the room as the scientists took a few step back. As for the girl, she could only scream in pain. No matter how much she struggled, she could not escape this place. Even if she showed no emotion on her face, inside her, a grudge has begun to swell. It was eating her from inside her mind. She wanted revenge against all those who tortured her. But most of all, even more than that desire of vengeance, she wanted to find her family. All those years, she never ceased to believe in them, that one day they would come to her rescue. If not, then she would come to them. No matter what it took, she would succeed. That determination has kept her alive all these years of torment.

Perhaps it was her enduring spirit. Perhaps it was something else more profound, on the borderlines of spiritual. Nevertheless, the girl’s cries managed to attract the attention of a peculiar being.

Watching attentively the experiment from beyond the glass window, Chris felt a pinch on his hand. Something just bit him. It did not hurt as much as it sounded but it was very uncomfortable.

“What the….?” Chris uttered as he looked at the culprit still on his hand: a small beautiful butterfly. It was not the fact that a butterfly just bit him but more about the presence of a butterfly in this facility that shocked the director. Ever since the climate change which eventually leaded to the construction of the domes decades ago, many species were extinct or pushed to the borderlines of extinction. One of those species was the butterfly which has been put in the danger list. Only rich collectors and the department of ecology preservation would be in possession of a few precious live samples. And yet, despite that rarity, one of those creatures was now in plain sight, not to mention in an underground facility. Did it get here through the air duct from the ground? That would be the only possible explanation.

But before the director could make his assumptions, something else much more major was taking place around him. That butterfly did not come alone. It brought its friends, hundreds of them, all swarming from the small air connected to the surface. While the butterflies did not do any real damage, they were all over the walls and stuff inside the experiment room and the control room. The glass window was covered with butterflies and even the camera installed inside the room was hindered by the bugs, blocking all vision to inside the room. While the scientists were scared and tried to evacuate, only the girl remained calm. She herself did not understand what was happening around her but despite the chaos, she felt not fear. There was no reason to be scared. For the first time ever since she was captured, she smiled. What about this situation that made her behave so? Could it be a sign?

Amidst this cyclone of butterflies, Astora felt a presence emerging from the swarm. One butterfly of deep blue color stood out among its peers. It stayed afloat in silence, staring at the girl as the girl watched it. What was so special about it? Then, the butterflies rallied together. The collectives of the bugs began to form the shape of an arm, reaching toward the stunned girl.

“What are you?” Astora asked.

“…..” but all she got in return was silence. Or perhaps there were no need for words in the first place. Why speak when you could just show it?

The butterfly hand touched the girl’s cheek but handled it with care. It caressed her soft skin with its finger. Unlike one would expect, it felt much better than it looked. And this warmness Astora felt when the butterflies touched her, it somehow reassured her that despite everything that happened, it would be okay.

“ᴄᴂᴉᴌᴅ ᴑᴈ ᴄᴚᴇᴁᴛᴉᴑᴎ

ᴃᴚᴉᴎᴔ ᴈᴑᴚᴛᴂ ᴁ ᴎᴇᴡ ᴡᴑᴚᴌᴅ

ᴄᴂᴉᴌᴅ ᴑᴈ ᴅᴇᴤᴛᴚᴝᴄᴛᴉᴑᴎ

ᴄᴚᴝᴤᴂ ᴛᴂᴇ ᴑᴌᴅ ᴑᴚᴅᴇᴚ

ᴘᴝᴛ ᴪᴑᴝᴚ ᴈᴁᴉᴛᴂ ᴉᴎ ᴍᴇ

ᴁᴎᴅ ᴉ ᴤᴂᴁᴌᴌ ᴔᴚᴁᴎᴛ ᴪᴑᴝ ᴘᴑᴡᴇᴚ”

As mysterious and cryptic as it sounded, Astora somehow was able to understand all of it. Or perhaps, saying she understood it would be a gross simplification. While Astora did not the meaning behind the words themselves, her body was able to pick up a certain wavelength in the air. This wavelength, undetectable by nearly everything, somehow sent the meaning of the message the mysterious being wished to convey. This explained why Astora understood the creature without having ever heard of this foreign language in her entire life.

“Are you a god?” Astora asked. Now that she was able to understand the creature, its words now seemed more like the common tongue to her.

“Not a god. But beyond that.” A voice answered in the girl’s mind. “Listen to my voice and I shall grant you power beyond your imagination!”

“He…hehehehe” Astora suddenly laughed at the idea. “And why would you?”

“What do you mean?” the entity seemed shocked. It did not expect this kind of answer. “Do you not want power? To take revenge upon those who wronged you? Like that man?” the butterflies arm pointed toward the glass window.

“Of course I do.” The girl shouted. “But I refuse to receive anything from you.”

“Why?”

“Because you gods, or whatever you are, you don’t give a damn care about us. For years, you ignored my prayers. And now I am supposed to just put my faith in you for some higher purpose? Don’t make me laugh!” Astora groaned in anger. All those angers, the frustrations built up over the years were now being let out in words.

“Is this your pride? Unable to accept help because of some trivial emotion? Do you intend to rot in this place until the rest of your life? Will you abandon the chance to save your kind for it?” the entity questioned.

“I will get out of here, but with my own power and not thanks to you! I reject the gods and all your CRAPS!!!”

At that moment, as if something has been awaken from its slumber, Astora felt a deep pain in her chest. Her heart beat rapidly. It was a burning feeling inside her, like a volcano starting to erupt. Then her body seemed to emit a faint white aura that kept getting denser and denser until it reached its peak. Finally, a shockwave radiated around her, disintegrating all the butterflies into dust as a pillar of light ascended to the sky, piercing through the atmosphere. The ray did not stop there. It continued its path. Anything on its way was melt in an instant. Then as the ray finally escaped the solar system, it seemed to collide with an invisible barrier. But that collision only lasted for seconds. The barrier was shattered easily and the light continued its path, unstoppable. However, it left a hole in the dimensional space itself. That light has broken what thought to be unbreakable: the law of the multiverse.

At the same time, outside the research facility at the surface, the soldiers were busy taking care of this mysterious swarm of butterflies that came out of nowhere. Not far from there, on a roof of a certain building, a figure made of hundreds of butterflies watched in awe at the pillar of light. But perhaps it was the only one who could really see the true nature of that light. Deep within the pillar, there was also a dark column that travelled within, hinting the true nature of the person responsible for this amazing occurrence.

“A being of light and dark. A mix of order and chaos. A child of creation and destruction.” The figure muttered.

“Quite an amazing sight isn’t it?” a voice spoke from behind. But the butterflies were already aware of their presence and were not surprised at all. It turned out to be Steven, the son of the CIA director. Or at least someone who looked awfully similar to him.

“Trickster, I won’t be deceived by your underhanded tactics.” The figure spoke. “Be gone!” It raised its hand against Steven, blowing him away.

However, although hit, Steven managed to land perfectly on another roof. Though it could not be said that it did not hurt him. “A bit too frisky, don’t you think, miss Cerulean Butterfly?” Steven wiped the blood on his chin. “As if I would use this kind of thing to trick you.”

“….” The butterflies stayed silent. To it, this man deserved not its attention. What mattered now was that the girl’s power has begun to awake. It failed to accomplish its goal and let this happen. Without a single word, the butterflies dispersed. The entity was already gone.

“Chee….no fun at all. Why can’t the two of you take a little bit of enjoyment out of this?” Steven smiled as he lied down on the roof. “I suppose that guy will be busy from now on.”

* * *

Location: Edge of the Multiverse - Unknown space

The pillar of light emitted by Astora did not only alarm the gods of her presence but also of the return of something much more dreadful.

In this world ruled over by the gods, there were little places they did not know about. One of such was this place. A system devoid of stars with only floating rocks circling around to form a ring of death. Yet, even in this place, there was a sign of life. But perhaps calling it “life” would be inappropriate, depending on the definition of the word. Would you consider something “life” if it was an organic being? Or as long as the being in question possessed a self-consciousness, would it be called “life”?

Amidst the rocky rings, a peculiar structure could be seen: a fortress of iron of unbelievable size. Built using unrecognizable ancient technology of mysterious origin, it could be said that this single fortress was perhaps the most advanced construct ever build in the history of the multiverse. But then, why would there be such a strange construct in this lifeless space? Made no mistake, the place was not abandoned and the owners of the place were still inside, sleeping.

The entities residing in this barren space existed even long before the gods themselves and have remained hidden from the rest of the multiverse. Only a few handful of individuals across the entire multiverse would even know about these entities or their true nature. Long ago, these beings were given a task. After they finished that particular task, they entered a deep slumber, during which the gods appeared and took over control of the multiverse. Even then, these beings were not interested in taking back what were theirs. They simply were not interested of such trivial thing. As long as their duties were not disturbed, these beings would never leave this place. And so a new age was born: the age of the gods.

However, that situation changed now. Just a moment ago, the barrier surrounding this space was broken by a pillar of light. As soon as it entered the unknown space, the ray aimed at the tallest point of the fortress where an antenna-like structure was. That moment, life was brought back to the fortress. The pillar of light dispersed into thousands of small paths of light trailing across the surface of the black fortress. Then, the iron mass started to change its form, signaling the awakening of its residents.

Inside the advanced fortress, in the most inner sanctum of the place, twelve sarcophagi made in a metal-like substance formed a circle, each facing the center of the room. All of them had large wires connected to their backs and a transparent hole on the faces of the sarcophagi, all still remaining closed but one. In fact, one of those iron boxes was already opened long ago. As for who it was, there was no need to search far away. The individual has waited long for this moment. It would not miss it after all that planning.

As the lights from above descended into the sarcophagi through the wires, lightning sparks travelled in the air. Steams One by one, the sarcophagi opened themselves and let out the entities long forgotten by history. The same entities who with only the name, sent shiver to the gods themselves. Behind those glass windows, humanoid beings made by chunks of metal began to move their limbs and awoke from their slumbers. Standing in front of his fellowmen, the entity who has escaped from his prison and the one behind the creation of the world of Astora, the one marked with the number XI in his back, the Ender Lord number Eleven addressed the crowd. But his speech did not involve words. Why would there be the needs for words when all the info they needed were already given by the fact that they were awoken? That pillar of light was never a weapon but a beacon. Its use only meant one purpose destined for them, the only beings in the world who knew it best more than anyone else.

Soon, the entire Multiverse and all the worlds it contained, will remember the terror that once eradicated all living beings, the Ender Lords.