Sachihiro

I’m chilling with Om on the balcony of his apartments looking out over the hive that the Den Compound has turned into. Looking at the number of people that have accumulated here and at the Academy I understand the necessity of Atrium being built up in the middle of Ulgeria by the Conclave; I'm still impressed by these people's industrial spirit, their audacity to build within a short time something that can stand next to kingdoms and civilizations of old. The town is an ambitious undertaking from what little I saw of it and the economy is thriving as the local inhabitants get jobs and circulate their funds in the area. The Conclave has a stake in the running of that fledging kingdom of Ulgeria now and a seat at the table of its governance.

It will be a few years before it’s ready for inhabitants but already people are flocking there for trade and when the Construe are done there will be little recognisable of the original towns surrounded by wooden palisades that make up the rural kingdom, nation of Ulgeria now.

Om taps me on the elbow and passes me the drink, I take a sip and nod, true dwarven ale. We stand leaning on the balcony watching the bustle of people going about their business, Om waves at his two mates leaving the apartment with his two sons in tow.

‘’How is the family?’’ I ask as I watch them walk away.

‘’Good, very good. Had some issues a few years back but now I’ve never been happier about my decision to start one. I nearly became an unmated Barbarian man with no children, I would have missed out."

"I know what you mean. I see da, ma, Dee, myself and my mates in my children and it’s interesting. But it’s when their own personalities come out and they are the most adorable people in the world that I completely melt.’’

Om grunts his accent as we enjoy the view in companionable peace and silence. How do men show each other they love each other? I know that my guy without hesitation would fight to the death for me if it were ever warranted as I would for him. I know if ever we argued and fought each other he wouldn’t kill me even when tempted, as I wouldn’t kill him. I know my guy would take an arrow for me in risk of his own life as I hope he knows I’d do the same for him. But I also know there are at least five people I should never get in the way of in his life, his ma Tadita, Kiera, Vuyo, little Andrew and little Hiro.

No one directly said the kid is named after me but I see it, one of the many things men don’t talk about but today is different, today I have to. ‘’I’ve been meaning to ask something of you my friend,’’ I say without looking at him.

He grunts and remains standing stalk still in his giant form beside me, did he get bigger? ‘’I’d like you and your family to permanently move into Deep Keep,’’ I say succinctly.

He had his serious face on with the little cringe between his eyes, we never did tell each other our abilities did we?

‘’Why?’’ He eventually asks after thinking about it a moment, probably running the pro’s and cons through his head before asking for my reasoning.

‘’I want you to help protect my family when the time comes,’’ I say turning to face him so our eyes meet so that we see each other. He looks and finds no humour in my eyes.

‘’You are a worthy warrior in your own right, I don’t know where you are with your training but you can catch up and besides, you not only have Damage and Helen you also have Mira and Shea. What use am I in what is to come compared to a tier 2 part vampire part behemoth like her?’’

I grin at his response because I can see he has already made the decision to come live with me and this is just to gauge my thinking. I shrug and finish my cup of ale in a swing before facing the crowd walking through the streets again.

‘’Shea may be powerful but she isn’t a warrior, it is through age and her bloodline that she has gained most of her advantages. I trust da and Aunt Helen to die fighting for my family but they will die, many will die regardless of anything we do.’’

‘’How do you know this?’’

‘’Well, I sort of inherited some of the pervert Albert’s summoned spirit person hybrids,’’ I say and Om nods already knowing this.

‘’Two years ago something happened in the spiritual integrity of Gaia somehow. Most people didn’t feel it but I did cause it caused all the spirit creatures he had summoned not anchored to me to perish, as they did I was able to communicate with them. They told me things, things that shook me deeply about the coming struggle. My friend, there may not be a Gaia at all in a few years and I am too far behind to ever catch up enough to make a difference with the few years we have left.’’ I say gravely as I look at him.

‘’What are you saying?’’ He asks seriously but I don’t answer the question as the aspen of death that’s been hanging over me for years now seems to come to the fore as I remember what those spirits showed themselves doing to my family when they got back to Gaia in stronger forms after the Gates to Omega come down.

"I will likely die in what is to come, in fact I am sure of it. I will die in the coming struggle and I thought of you when I thought of someone that could ever survive the gaol that this place will become. ‘’

‘’Sachi, we both know that you have always been the more talented, the faster to grow, the quicker learner,’’ Om says defensively completely believing himself but I’m already shaking my head not having the luxury of time this conversation takes. So I move quickly and engulf Om in a huge while conveying in a sending of emotion and spirit communication that even I can’t fully follow.

Om feels it, he feels my love for my children, he feels my hope for them my ambitions for myself, my secret fantasies of being one day more powerful than the gods, my hubris and secret confident that I will actually do it. He feels my warriors spirit, my true Barbarian self that hungers every moment for blood and battle that we all silently struggle against as our true curse.

He feels that I secretly initiate challenge at almost every turn and will fight death itself as it tries to take me. Yet behind it all he feels my despair, my unwavering belief that some of my children will soon die, some of my wives, some of my friends and loved ones. And there is absolutely nothing I could ever do against it even given a thousand more years to prepare.

We separate harshly and stand slightly defensively as if ready to step into a fight not sure which of us pushed the other away first. Om sighs as he disengages himself, standing up straight and keeping his arms at his sides. I follow quickly and turn to face the nameless crowds of people that have hardly seemed to slow, like a hive of ants that are always on the move. Sometimes it frustrates me that Om respects me so much, sometimes I’m angry that one of my closest friends who would probably crush me if he didn’t hold me in such high regard, that wants to be by my side instead of far ahead of me in life.

Om’s Rage Self is a stranger to me, a mature wise stranger that is so far ahead of me in intelligence and awareness but you never see Om in the rage experiencing life through that man. Stealing knowledge and secrets using the dark thing done to our people to his advantage as it gives him an avenue of Realisation that is hardly tapped into. And I know he does this to remain ‘normal’, I know he does this because he is also afraid of what he is truly capable of. Om, the big kid that could always beat anyone in his age group in a challenge of strength, Om the Mountain unmovable in battle.

‘’I am going to train and fight at my leisure because training and fight is part of who I am, but I will not do it with any hope of living past this time of struggle. I am too stubborn in the face of death to truly survive my friend, too stupid to retreat even against hopeless odds and it will be my death.’’ I say with a little grin to try and take the sting from my words.

He stays quiet a while looking at me and seeing in me fear for the very first time in his life. ‘’what do you need?’’ He finally asks and I nod then turn to clear my throat and wipe the speck of dust in my eye.

I will remain with our families and make sure they are immediately safe and taken care of, they will want for nothing as your mother becomes my mother and your children become my children.’’

‘’No!’’

‘’As your mates become my mates,’’

‘’Sachi!’’

‘’And your blood become my blood.’’

‘’Don’t do this!’’

‘’Om my friend, I request that you become my spectre of death!’’

‘’Sachi that is ancient superstition told to children in whispers on dark fireless nights in the wilds. It’s ancient superstition and not even a practiced part of our culture! Get up man, get up!’’ he yells in a panic as I had fallen on a single knee with my head bowed waiting for his decision.

"Do you accept?’’ I ask again ignoring him until he lifts me bodily up from the floor.

‘’Sachihiro, do you know what the fuck you are saying?’’ An Om much calmer than the one from a moment ago asks gazing at me coolly with an aura of a person that has never been rattled or ever been in doubt.

‘’Tell me my friend, what is that nick name the old hermit likes to call you by when he thinks you aren’t paying attention?’’

"World breaker Om.’’ He says holding me up effortlessly by the armpits but I feel absolutely not threat coming from his Rage Self.

"Yes, I am sure I want you to be my spectre of death."

‘’And so it has been repeated and so accepted, as Gaia is my witness I will become your spectre of death.’’ He says and a toll rings loudly inside me somewhere.

* * *

‘’So what the plan?’’ Om asks Sachi without worry as he places him back on the ground, still in the Rage but as cool and polite as he has ever been. As much as Sachi’s decision worries him and he remains resentful at Sachi for putting him in this position and probably gotten himself killed. There is also a grin inside him at the acknowledgement and confidence his friend has just placed in him.

Sachi just betting his life on Om’s for as long as there is a Gaia to stand witness over the oath, so eternity. It’s really fucked up and no pair of fools that do it live long enough to know what eventually happens to two people that have pledged their lives to being irrevocably being intertwined in ways only unbound by one of the seven creature gods themselves.

How Sachi found that ancient rite Om doesn’t know but he is aware someone has been teaching his friend occult secrets that should no longer be in the world outside the mind of a psionic wizard. Sachi’s body language was almost perfect as he bastardised the movements and used the wrong language but the words are not as important in this case as the intent, and it made little difference with a bit of divine intervention from his friend Sapientia meddling as deities do.

‘’the plan is simple.’’ Sachi says with a surreptitious grin as the two friends lean towards each other, Sachi proud having managed to achieve his goal, Om intently because his best friend’s life is now and forever in his hands.