Dark Earth: The Prophecy - 14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Shifting Winds

I was alarmed by Adriana’s statement. I had never thought about Talon Rider being dead. I figured the tough old bird could take punishment and come back for more, especially if Cristobel had healed him. Was it too late for Cristobel to heal him? So many thoughts were looming through my mind. Adriana cleared her throat before speaking. “He’s gone but not dead, Julian. When Cristobel healed him, he transformed and flew away immediately. It was the fight or flight mentality. The attack must have been too much for his mind. Bird ferals are especially susceptible to this type of reaction. They sense only danger and leave as soon as they possibly can. MOAF will be finding him soon.”

“What is MOAF,” I asked in a dumbfounded mindset.

“MOAF stands for Missing Operative Acquisition Force. There is no way that we could have prevented him from leaving. He is too powerful. He will calm down eventually. MOAF will probably find him within the hour.” Adriana was much more familiar with this particular problem. I had no idea why anyone would leave, because that could mean death. While they paid us handsomely, leaving was not an option. We belonged to the organization. They became our new family. It has always been a fact that I was not proud of. Being so powerful yet being at the mercy of others was such a humiliation, but I was still devoted to the cause of making the world a better place.

“I’m sure they will find him,” I replied cautiously. “Don’t they usually kill us for leaving when we do not have authorization?”

“This is a special circumstance, Julian.” This response was from Simon who had previously been standing beside Adriana and listening intently. “He would not have dared to do something like that in a normal state of mind. He has a high sense of self-preservation that he will protect with deadly force.” Simon sighed forcefully before turning his head towards Adriana. “Honey, I hate to use the fight as an example, but that was an example of his self-preservation in action.” He refocused his attention on me in an attempt to avoid the hostile look in Adriana’s eyes. “He could have killed her easily.”

“Shut up, Simon!” Adriana snapped. “I could have kicked his ass on a good day, and you know it.”

“Both of you shut the fuck up,” I ordered. “I’m not in the mood. We still have work to do. We have to destroy Tiempa. In fact, I want Cristobel to go with me to City Hall. We must take her out.”

“I suggest caution,” said a worried but emphatic Mystic Warrior. “Tiempa and Golem are notoriously powerful foes. I think you should take Cristobel with you. Tiempa is likely to force you to face Golem first. He is mean and has the most terrible temper I have ever seen.”

“I am well aware,” I replied cockily. “I have read the reports several times. Finding his weakness is the key to victory.”

“You really are an arrogant prick, Julian. I have no idea what my father sees in you.” Adriana’s haze was projecting uncontrollably from her body as it turned from beautiful lavender to an ominous black in an instant. “Someone needs to bring you down a notch.”

Before I could respond, Simon pulled Adriana aside. I knew instantly what his intention was. He was going to talk her down before she ended up dead. He knew my temperament, and he knew I was authorized to kill anyone who was out of line. What he did not know was that I actually thought Adriana had a point. I was letting my power elevate my pride. It was certainly not a good thing, because I was supposed to be a good example to the others. I had seemingly inherited my arrogance from Blackheart. He had always been known for arrogance. While I had not met him, I had read as much about him as I could. The parallels between us reiterated the fact that we were father and son. It was something I found intriguing, but it also scared me. How easy would it have been for me to act just as he did and not think twice about it? Was love the only thing stopping me from being like him, or was there an event or circumstance that could have driven me to unadulterated wrath?

Adriana and Simon were out of the room for what seemed like five minutes. I was not growing impatient, but the others in the room seemed to be brooding with impatience, a development I could not help but notice. Mystic Warrior’s demeanor was especially disturbing. He was pacing back and forth while speaking under his breath. “Gerald, is there something you would like to share? Something is obviously bothering you.”

“What the hell do you think?” he yammered. “Jan is gone! I am worried about him. Have you forgotten that I’m in love with him?”

“I’m sorry, Gerald,” was all I could manage to say. “He is a wonderful man, and I know you love him. He will come back. You have to have faith.”

“Don’t…” he began. However, he was suddenly unable to speak as a familiar purple haze surrounded him. Not wanting me to be infuriated further, Adriana decided to hush Mystic Warrior whose emotional state was completely out of balance and rightfully so. I would certainly have been unstable if it had been Cristobel. Though he had not been with me for long, Cristobel had become my ‘everything’. In my heart, I knew he was the one for me. Many would say that an 18-year-old is incapable of knowing that, but I did.

“Adriana, it’s okay. I was out of line earlier. I apologize. We need to let go of our petty differences. Our goal now is to take city hall. We cannot do that if we are fighting. Cristobel and I will face Tiempa and her bodyguard. The rest of you will need to dispatch anyone else who is in allegiance to the Dark Knights.” I knew it was time to ‘rally the troops’. Being a leader was still new to me, but I knew what had to be done. It was my destiny to lead the White Knights into victory. “We must not forget those who have sacrificed their lives so that we may continue our work this very day. Let not our emotions hinder us from duty. This day shall mark a pivotal shift in this war, and we will not be denied our triumph.”

Time had not been kind to the White Knights. There had been countless defeats at the hands of the Dark Knights. According to the records, thousands of soldiers had died in open conflicts with them. The Protectors in Centropolis and Empire City had had the majority of the victories. That did not mean that the White Knights had been successful overall before that point.

Adriana seemed pleased with my speech as she smiled and winked in my direction. Whatever Simon said had improved her attitude dramatically. Simon always seemed to know how to diffuse an awkward situation unless it involved Adriana and someone else he had been with in the past. He decided to respond vocally to my speech. “Julian, I agree whole-heartedly. I have been waiting a long time for this day to come. Every day I have been ready to see the sun, and now I am going to have that opportunity.”

“That is our intention. Once I have power over weather, it will be time to return this city back to normal. However, it will take some time before it will be safe without a dome.” I was hoping Simon and the others would know why that was the case, but I was not completely certain.

“Yes, that would be the case if Thornos were not alive, but you can take his powers.”

I had heard of Thornos, but I did not think he would still be alive. As a matter of fact, that was the last thing I expected. Thornos was indeed a powerful plant manipulator.

“Simon, that’s great, but I cannot absorb his powers. I will not be able to survive without sunlight after we leave Empire City. I would die a slow and painful death.” Simon knew it was true, but I had to remind him. Plant manipulators cannot live outside the domes because of the lack of sunlight (whether it is real or artificial.) Humans and plants were not like us.

Simon had an annoyed look on his face, because he had forgotten that for a moment. “Sorry! I forgot all about that problem. We will have to figure out a solution to the problem. We need to be able to restore plant life as soon as possible.”

“We need to ask the council. They might be able to think of a solution. I know we have to do something that will bring the plants back to this planet if we want humans to be able to survive outside the domes.” I paused for a moment in contemplation. There did not seem to be a simple solution. “Adriana, can you talk to the council. We must address this issue before we can proceed with the plan.” Always dutiful and quick to act, Adriana nodded and left without a verbal response knowing I would not object to a speedy exit.

We waited for Adriana’s return, knowing that she would return with the answers I sought. There was little doubt about the council being able to find a solution to the problem. They always seemed to have the answers. The plant manipulators were the only evoloids who could not survive without sunlight. It was (and still is) a testament to our survivability in a cruel universe.

About ten minutes after she left, Adriana returned to tell us what she had found out. The look in her eyes seemed rather indifferent. I was not sure if that meant good news or if it meant bad news. Adriana sometimes had a stoic manner in which she conducted herself. Other times her emotions were upon her sleeves.

“What did you find out?” I asked intently.

“They told me to give you a supply of this medication.” She handed me a self-injector full of a red liquid. “This one is called Herbolium. You use it to suppress the power and its side-effect. To reverse it…” Adriana handed me another self-injector that was full of blue liquid. “This one is called Herbolo. This reverses the effects instantly. You will need this too.” In addition, Adriana gave me a satchel to store the items. I knew it would not be easy, because taking shots was never something I liked doing. In fact, I made it a point to avoid doing so.

“I hate shots,” was all I could say at this point.

“Would you rather die?” was Adriana’s rebuttal.

“I’ll get back to you on that one,” was my smartass counter, one that was followed by a deep sigh. “Where’s Thornos?”

“He’s right here!” said Brian, who was excited about having apprehended the enemy.

“Good, bring him to me so that I can kill him,” was my cold-hearted response. Moments later I was face-to-face with a man subdued by energy shackles. “Are you going to beg for death or do I need to torture my mouse before I kill it?” There was no response from the beaten and broken Thornos. It seemed almost anti-climactic when I began to electrify my hand. The electricity began to leave my hand just when I was suddenly repelled by an unseen force. I crashed into the wall with great velocity as unconsciousness took hold of my then seemingly lifeless body.

********************

The dream world, not one of Cristobel’s creation, soon took me into the world that had been created in my dream from several days earlier. With the dragon defeated, the sky was clear, and the sun was beaming upon me with its omnipotent light. Ahead of me was the great jungle where we had discovered the ruins. The great tiger, Tarak, stood before me in all his glory and majesty. His eyes seemed to pierce through my very soul as he studied me from afar. Closer he came to me, not in a run, but a slow and methodical trot. The giant tiger was in no hurry to greet me, for he seemed unconcerned with time and seemingly wanted to conserve energy.

As Tarak’s stride brought him close to me he crouched down onto the ground. Without delay I jumped onto his back and our journey began. North was Tarak’s direction of choice as he became sky bound. The world below seemed infinitesimal compared to what I saw ahead of me. It was a mammoth structure in the distance made of ivory and gold. To the side stood a great statue of a man I had never seen before. The statue appeared to be wearing a robe. It was like nothing I had ever beheld. Tarak’s destination seemingly was the statue itself. Closer into view the magnificent structure became as Tarak’s flight perpetuated.

After landing at the feet of the great statue, which made Tarak appear infinitesimal in comparison, I jumped off Tarak’s back, using my power of flight to safely land in front of the gigantic likeness of a man before me. Studying the statue, I noticed it was aglow. Beams of light shimmered all over until a concentrated beam started at the top and slowly descended down the statue’s “body”. As the beam reached the chin, I noticed that the face looked alive. The giant man that emerged was elderly. I had no idea just how old he was, but he did appear to be human.

“Young Julian, I summoned you here for a reason,” he said sternly. “I cannot allow you to kill Thornos. He is too important. In the coming years, you will discover the ultimate truth. Cabora has all the answers you are seeking. More will be revealed to you when you are ready to make that journey.”

“Why can’t you tell me everything now?” I asked suspiciously. “I need to know why I cannot kill him.” He did not answer. Instead, I felt another burst of energy blast me away from the area. Suddenly, I was awake once again. I looked at Thornos who had some kind of barrier protecting him. I could not figure out the source of the barrier. The barrier had a light blue cast, and no one was daring to touch it.

“We are not to harm him,” I warned. “He has to be alive. I have no idea why, but I know he must live.”

“He’s a criminal,” Cristobel snapped. “How can you defend this idea?”

“Cristobel, did you see what happened to me when I was getting ready to kill him?” I was annoyed at this point, because I did not feel the need to be questioned about my intention. “There is a force beyond our understanding here. Obviously, he has some redeemable qualities.”

“He is one of them, Julian!” This time it was Simon chiming in. He was just as angry as his brother. “Why do you want to give this scumbag a chance?”

“That is something I need to discuss with the council as soon as we storm city hall. I do not know why I am supposed to spare his life, but I am. There is not a choice in the matter. It must be done.” I did not think they would believe me anyway. These visions were all too common. I wondered if they would find it too far-fetched. Obviously, it was unusual for someone to appear like that, but something told me that I was supposed to follow the instructions. “I don’t want to hear anymore complaints about this. I am not any happier about it than you are, but I know this is what I am supposed to do.”

Nobody questioned it anymore, but I did collect a few random thoughts. I was not trying to be intrusive, but sometimes people’s minds reveal answers during vulnerable moments. They thought I was foolish for allowing him to live. Hell, I thought I was foolish for letting him live. It was certainly not an easy choice, but it seemed to be the only one. Why did the man from the statue want this pile of pus to be allowed to breathe, and what was protecting him from death? He was working for the Dark Knights after all. Nothing about allowing him to live seemed logical.

********************

As soon as we were ready, we all made our journey to city hall. As the others engaged in battle, Cristobel and I sought the real target, Tiempa. She was supposed to be in the section north of the lavish atrium. As Cristobel and I made our way through the said atrium, we ran into some guards armed with electro swords. There must have been ten of them, but we sprung into action with vigor. I found myself surrounded by five of them. However, I opted for an easy way to dodge them. The power of attraction serving its purpose well, the guards all began making out. Meanwhile, I used telekinesis to disarm the five guards and levitated to move out of the way. Just as I had done before, I allowed the electro swords to slice and dice them into tiny pieces.

I was not a moment too soon as the other guards had Cristobel surrounded. Cristobel could have used my tactic. Thus, I showed him the tactic. Soon the other guards were feeling amorous. Two of the guards were kissing. With the remaining three, one was on his knees sucking one cock with another in his hand. Cristobel and I decided to leave them to their devices as we had more important matters to attend to.

Beyond the atrium was the office of Dolores Castro, or should I say Tiempa? As expected there were more guards for us to destroy. This time, I decided not to waste time, and neither did Cristobel. Electrical charges and nightmare balls were to be as far as the eye could see as at least a dozen guards were disabled or killed by our ruthless assault. Tiempa was nowhere to be seen. Instead, we were faced with a monster made of stone. Golem was even more imposing than I had imagined. At his great height, he towered over Cristobel and me. I knew this was going to be a fight to the death, and I had every intention of living.

Cristobel immediately decided to use telekinesis, but it had little effect as Golem was heavy. I tried the same, but he did not budge at all. Next, we tried some electrokinesis. Golem was only enraged by this as he stomped his foot on the ground and sent a powerful shockwave in Cristobel’s direction. The blast knocked Cristobel into a desk and rendered him unconscious. Before I had a chance to assure Cristobel’s well-being, I was dodging punches from Golem. I knew my best bet was the air. However, I had no idea what Golem would do. At first, all seemed well. I kept shooting him with laser beams from my hands. This did seem to have some effectiveness. However, Golem became angry and started projecting boulders at me. The first one I was able to quickly dodge. After that, I launched another laser beam, but he answered with yet another boulder. It took many several attempts, but he finally caught me. I fell to the ground unable to move.

The man from the statue returned to me in another subconscious vision. “You must defeat him, Julian. You cannot let this monster win. The barrier is protecting you now, but I do not know how much longer I can keep it going. I am dead after all. Cristobel had the key all along, but he has shared that gift with you. You know what to do. Now wake up and defeat it before time ceases to exist.”

I awoke to see the monster above me. I could feel our synergetic rage ignited the aura of anger around me. With great vengeance, I pushed the monster away with my enraged mind. Through a wall he crashed. My body levitated and moved seemingly of its own accord as I approached. My hands reaching out before me, the energy of nightmares circled in a tiny cloud which commenced rapid growth as I approached the soon to be slain monster. Launching the ball filled with hate and evil at my foe, I brazenly and eagerly watched the horror in his eyes as the nightmare ball approached his body. Evil laughter protruded from me as my disregard for the monster’s life intensified; I reveled in the fact that he would suffer mental anguish before his life force finally escaped. The merciful angel of death had put into accord the end of Golem’s life.

Assured of victory, I proceeded to the aid of my beloved. Barely clinging to life with labored breathing, Cristobel’s olive skin had faded to ivory. My love for Cristobel restoring my sense of mercy and compassion for humanity, I held my hands over his body and closed my eyes. The great energy of kindly forbearance flowing out of my hands and into my lover’s dying body slowly brought him back from the brink of quietus. Simultaneously, I could feel the cold blast of his injury entering my body, thus giving me the ingredients to inflict the damaging blow upon another when the timing was favorable and to my liking.

The eyelids of the object of my amour slowly unclosed and slowly revealed the most beautiful brown orbs I had ever witnessed. Awestruck by his beauty, I leaned down, aligned my lips with his own, and proceeded to kiss the most handsome man in the entire universe. The joyous reunion would not last long, however, as a powerful blast of lightning nearly bombarded us. Had it not been for my tiger-like reflexes, Cristobel and I would have perished in an instant. In the air above us was a beautiful yet evil woman called Tiempa. Her eyes having turned completely white, Tiempa was just as imposing as her bodyguard, if not more so.

“Tell me White Knights. Do you want me to make this quick and painless, or are you actually going to attempt to fight me?” Her arrogance was actually not surprising to me at all, because powerful evoloids often had a tinge of arrogance to their personalities, myself included.

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with, you insufferable wretch of a cunt.” Cristobel’s words were shocking.

“On the contrary, you vile piece of filth!” was how she responded to Cristobel’s uncharacteristic insult. “The dream maker and the power absorber… The two of you are already infamous. However, I doubt you will ever live up to the greatness of your fathers. I live to serve them every day of my life, and now I shall kill you both in their precious names.”

“You’re even more of a fool than I expected.” My words were followed by a wicked laugh, much to the antithesis of her amusement. “I haven’t heard a joke that good in a long time, Cristobel. She must have a death wish.”

Without warning, there were powerful, devastating winds throughout the room. There were also large chunks of hail covering the floor and bombarding our bodies. However, this great display of anger was a catalyst for my power, and soon not a single chunk of ice could even come close to touching me. Even a powerful thunderbolt glanced away from me. Soon, hurricane force winds were circulating throughout the room. Her anger, grown from her high level of frustration, was feeding the aura around me. Despite that, she was able to dodge every laser beam that came her way. Then I felt it. My consciousness faded as the aura reached the limit at which my body could no longer allow it sustenance.

Unable to move, I awoke to something surprising. Still engaged in battle, Tiempa was facing a new foe, and it was not Cristobel. Talon Rider had made his triumphant return. The flurry of activity above, while fascinating, was difficult to follow. Meanwhile, Cristobel was kneeling over me. Since I could not feel my body, I knew something was wrong. Cristobel’s hands were above me, but the healing power did not seem to be working. “You must allow love and compassion to fill your consciousness. Let go of any anger you may be feeling.” I knew I had to explain how to use the power. I was hoping he would not misinterpret my intentions, but I was desperate to be able to move freely once again. With an appropriate mindset, Cristobel once again tried to heal my broken neck. I could feel the changes as my spine was repaired.

No longer numb in the legs, I levitated from my position and placed my feet firmly on the floor. I looked up just in time to see devastation. Decimated by a powerful thunderbolt, Talon Rider fell to the floor below. “Allow great wrath to allow you to inflict her with a broken neck, Cristobel.” I could think of nothing else to say. Not wanting to fail, Cristobel raised his hand into the air. I could feel his anger as the darkness fled his hand. Soon she was falling. Not wanting the impact to kill her, I allowed her to descend slowly, holding her in place in a standing position. I walked closer to her while Cristobel went to find out if Talon Rider’s life could be saved. Helpless and unable to move, Tiempa was fearful as I approached. With a finger charged with shockwave energy, I touched Tiempa’s forehead. Bodily fluids and tissues exploded with fury as the shockwave destroyed Tiempa. Covered in blood yet too satisfied with victory to care, I reached out and grabbed the orb that only I could see. The great power ensnaring my consciousness, I felt more powerful than ever before. This was the first time since the power surge from the rage aura and the tiger transformation that I felt as though I might pass out. However, something seemed to be helping prevent it. As I relaxed, I could feel the power fall completely under my own control.

Gaining my composure enough to become ambulatory, I trudged to Cristobel’s location. Concentrating on healing, Cristobel tried to bring life back into Talon Rider. Unfortunately, the blast had caused him to stop breathing and permanently ceased the beating of his heart. “Honey, he is dead. There is nothing we can do now.” Hoping that did not seem too insensitive, I knelt down and wrapped my arms around him. Tears flowed abundantly as tried my very best to comfort Cristobel.

“He should still be alive!” he screamed. “Why did this have to happen? How can we face the others?”

“He saved us, Cristobel,” somehow slipped out of my mouth, and I knew it was a mistake, because Cristobel was already having difficulty with the fact that Talon Rider was dead and that there was nothing we could have done to bring him back.

“How can you say that?” bellowed Cristobel with intense indignation. “We were supposed to save him from her! If not for us, he would still be alive!”

Not a moment too soon Adriana, Calista, Simon, and the others entered the room. They did not know how the fight had turned out, but one look at an inconsolable, angry Cristobel was enough to remove all doubt of tragic occurrences. Adriana approached and as Talon Rider’s body came into focus, and she gasped. “I… I can’t believe he’s gone! Please tell me this isn’t so. I wanted to try to…”

Simon, trying to comfort Adriana just as I had comforted Cristobel, wrapped his arms around her. Cristobel was still seemingly angry with me as eye contact was a laborious venture. The others were eerily quiet from what they were witnessing. Not even a whisper could be heard. Aside from Adriana’s sniffles, the room was silent. “We need to finish healing him so that he will look presentable.” Moving to the other side and kneeling beside Talon Rider’s lifeless body, I placed my hands over him to heal the wounds posthumously. With the body restored, I called the cryogenics department, a White Knight subsidiary that always had its location separate from that of the army and the headquarters for The Protectors.

Moments later, the people from the cryogenics lab had arrived. The workers lifted him onto the motorized gurney and left with Mystic Warrior in tow. The rest of us slowly walked out of the room and into the hallway with the atrium in site. In an attempt to end the sullenness of silence, I spoke. “We should teleport back to HQ. I must go to White Knight City to report the days events. “Adriana, do you think you can teleport everyone back to HQ for me?” Unable or unwilling to speak, Adriana nodded and black haze escaped from her body and surrounded all the others, leaving me to teleport to White Knight City for what I would be an arduous report.

Taking my usual seat in the conference room, I waited for the council to arrive. It had been an emotional day. Talon Rider had escaped death only to end up dying anyway. Cristobel was angrier than I had ever seen him. This was not a good day at all. I knew the council would be displeased. I also had to tell them about Thornos. This was not going to be easy at all, because they had expectations about how to handle someone associated with the Dark Knights. Usually we killed them outright; other times they were tortured for intelligence gathering purposes, but allowing them to live was certainly not a typical protocol.

The three council members arrived in single file and sat in their usual spots without saying so much as a word. Looking at me intently, the three council members waited for me to speak. “Today we attacked both the headquarters of the EAS in Empire City as well as the city hall in Empire City. We have also lost one of our operatives. Talon Rider fought valiantly until the end, but it was not enough…”

“You can stop there, Julian,” chimed in a miffed Carculius. “We are well-aware of his death. We do not blame you for his death. However, we do know for a fact that Thornos is still alive. Why is this so?”

“That’s a good question, sir,” I replied hesitantly. “When I was about to kill him, an unknown force repelled me. Consequently, I crashed into a wall and was unconscious for a short time. During that time, I had a dream. A statue of a man came to life. He appeared to be almost human but I don’t think he was.”

“You expect me to believe that?” Carculius snapped.

“Carculius, have you forgotten?” Oracle’s tone of voice was laced with condescension. Carculius did not say a word. Instead, he grunted and rolled his eyes. “Julian is like me. He has visions. The visions seem to be even more frequent when Cristobel and Mystic Warrior are around him. We must listen when he speaks of such things. His dreams are not like most people’s dreams. Dreams have much more meaning for us.” Turning to me, Oracle asked, “What did the man say.” As I told her all about what the man had said to me, Oracle was listening carefully. I had no sense that she did not believe me. In fact, she was the only one who was not grumbling as I recalled the dreams and what the man had said.

“How in the hell can a man who’s dead protect someone who is alive?” Carculius’ tone of voice was more rude and condescending than I had ever recalled it being in the past. He was beside himself with arrogance and inability to listen to reasoning.

“I have no idea how he is doing it, but I know he helped me before. I wonder if this is something to do with answers I will be seeking on Cabora.” Looking into Carculius’ eyes, I still sensed hostility. I had no idea why he was being so hostile. In fact, I thought it was odd for him not to believe me. Something was bothering him, and I had no idea what it was. “I will find the answers one way or another.” That statement made his eyes grow with fear. It was unmistakable. It was a rarity for me to be able to sense fear, especially from a vampire, but this was fear. “Look, I meant about the man in the dream, not you. You don’t…”

“That’s enough,” Carculius screamed. “The two of you can handle the rest of this conversation yourselves. I’m out of here.”

“Julian, he’s been like this for a while now,” said Tempest assuredly. “He hates having to feed. He will cave in eventually. He’ll be fine.” Tempest had, as far as I was concerned, missed something important. Something other than feeding was bothering Carculius. It was obvious to me as though the mental blocks in his mind were slowly crumbling away. No one could have predicted this change in him, nor could anyone figure out why. Carculius had always been mysterious, yet he was usually calm. This was the first time I had ever known of him having an outburst.

“There’s something else, Tempest. I can feel it.” Tempest’s expression was unreadable. I could not tell if he was mad or if he was entrenched in deep thought. Either way, he did not like what I had said.

“I think he’s under stress,” Oracle was always the voice of assurance. “If there was something bad, surely I would have had a vision about it.” Unfortunately, it appeared as though she had not had a vision about what was bothering Carculius, either that or it was something that only involved him indirectly. “Now, about Thornos… I think you should let him live just as the man from the statue said. We can modify him easily enough. He will be a puppet. You won’t even have to use typical mind control procedures.” This news was certainly disturbing. If technology could control a person, the possibilities were literally endless. “Don’t worry. We won’t hurt him. He will not even know the difference.” That was exactly what I was afraid of. He would essentially be a machine. Even if he was evil, that level of control is inhumane.

“I really think we should find an alternative, ma’am.” I had to say it. I know I could have been in trouble for saying it.

“Then, he is your responsibility. You have to do soon, because you and Julian must call forth the knight so that Empire City and the surrounding area can have sunlight again. This moment is one that will be celebrated for generations to come. After you restore the sun, it will be time for him to join you. You had better make sure he does exactly what you say. I know you hate to do this, but I suggest attraction. You and Cristobel should seduce him.”

“I… I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I don’t think Cristobel would like that idea.” Pressing her comlink, Oracle was about ready to express an idea. In fact, she asked Adriana to bring Cristobel to White Knight City. Moments later, they appeared and Oracle decided to discuss the idea further after the two of them were seated. “Cristobel, as you know, Thornos needs to be part of the group. I need you and Julian to have sex with him and bring him into your control.”

“That’s a great idea,” Cristobel replied nonchalantly. “That won’t be a problem, will it Julian?”

“Of course not,” I murmured. “It should be loads of fun, loads being the keyword.”

“I… ummmm… just get to it,” Tempest quipped. “Dismissed!”

With that, Adriana teleported the three of us back to HQ in Empire City. As soon as we arrived, we sought Thornos. We escorted him to our room. Though he had been straight before this, we had no trouble getting him out of his clothes and willing to do anything we wanted him to do. First, I began licking his neck as Cristobel stroked Thornos’ cock. Soon, I lay on the bed and Thornos prepared me. He then slowly slipped inside me as Cristobel prepared Thornos to receive him. While I enjoyed the session, it was with purpose, and we had other important matters in which to attend to.

After teleporting to the outskirts of Empire City Adriana, Cristobel, and I prepared for our journey. Cristobel closed his eyes. A brisk wind suddenly surrounded us. A source of light appeared before me. I could see first the outline of a horse. Then I saw the magnificent knight’s outline in glowing splendor. Meanwhile, Adriana was also deep in meditation in preparation for what was to come. Cristobel finished his task, and it was time for us to begin. Adriana instructed us to sit down on the ground, and we eagerly complied. I soon had the most awesome yet eerie feeling in my body as I felt my consciousness exiting my own body. It was simply amazing. I entered the body of the knight and saw my unconscious body on the ground. It was odd yet somehow liberating. Cristobel, as the horse, took flight. I had no idea where Adriana’s consciousness was through this, but I knew she was close to me.

Instinctively raising my sword into the air, I used a wave of energy to part the clouds. Circling the skies, we cleared more of the clouds away little by little. The sun could soon be seen all around Empire City. I decided to keep going as Adriana said we had eight hours to return to our bodies before the process would become irreversible. Simon had the tedious job of watching our lifeless bodies to make sure they were not taken. He also had to use a flame to guide us back when we were ready. By the end of our journey, we had cleared an estimated 100 square miles. This was indeed a good day, because there was sunshine on the planet for the first time in over 200 years. Upon landing, Adriana activated her purple haze in order to return us back to our bodies.

Opening my eyes, I felt as though I had been awake and asleep at the same time. “That was weird.”

“That’s what I was about to say,” Cristobel grumbled, since he usually was not in a good mood after waking up. Looking into the sky, Cristobel smiled with pride. “Wow! I’ve never seen the sun before. This is a wonderful day. Now we have the rest of the planet.”

“This is only the beginning,” Simon warned. “The war is just beginning. Look up there.” Simon pointed us slightly to the eastern sky. The space ships were arriving. Instantly I knew it had to be the Dugamonians. They were ready for battle, and they knew there would be a plenty of battling in Centropolis. The winds of liberty were finally shifting into a promising direction. This was to be a great awakening for a planet that had been dead for years. Within hours, we would be back in Centropolis.