Arx couldn’t bring himself to look up. His whole body felt as if lead had poured through his veins.
“Arx?” The gentle, deep voice of Nova approached.
He didn’t want to see or talk to anyone right now, and Nova was at the top of that list.
“Sorry, sir. I need to go.” He stood to leave, but Nova stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
“Son, sit down.”
“I really don’t want to talk right now.”
Nova said nothing. His commanding presence was enough for Arx to sit back on the bench. There was a moment of silence between them as Nova slowly walked around and sat on the other side where Adrianne had been.
“There is a wisdom to some rules we apply to the heroes. This wisdom, I’m afraid, probably needs to be shared with the ATLAS teams.”
“This isn’t the time to discuss rules and procedures.”
Nova continued, “The reason most organizations find it logical to deny romantic fraternization is that it creates unnecessary divides that prove problematic to the operation of the job you intend to do.”
Arx asked, “How did you know?”
“Logical deduction of why you asked me about the rules before. Also, EB followed you guys out here. He is a nosy little imp, but he also is a concerned friend. He came to me a few moments ago and told me what happened.”
“Great. I’m broken and now everyone will be...”
“I told EB to not spread it around and he knows when to listen to me.”
“Thanks.” Arx let out a heavy sigh. “I should’ve listened to the wisdom of the BADGE rules and applied them to myself. I made a damn fool of myself and might have pushed away one of the most promising members of ATLAS I’ve ever met.”
“This isn’t about losing a good team member.”
Arx nodded, “No.” He leaned back and looked up at the dark, starry heavens. “You know, I hold a deep pain in me all the time. It started the moment I first saw those news broadcasts of who I was before. Watching myself murder innocent people because of my inflated ego hurt me in ways I can’t explain. And don’t tell me I’m not that man. He is responsible. I am not. That’s not fair. Justice is not that blind. That pain haunts me like a walking nightmare. I speak with the BADGE therapist every week, trying to come to grips with this.”
Nova nodded. “I can’t say that your past will ever go away. But you’ll find peace in time.”
“I found that peace,” Arx quietly said. “For a few fleeting moments, when I was with Adrianne in the training room, or having lunch with her, or just talking after lecture sessions, I found joy, peace, happiness in her eyes. I fell in love with her. But when I sobered up from the euphoria of love, I knew I had to tell her the truth. If she found out the truth any other way, it would seem that I was hiding my dark past. Maybe it was too soon. Maybe I should have let you or Chase tell her.”
“You had to be the one to tell her.”
Arx nodded, “Yeah, you’re right. But I should have never fallen for her in the first place. The pain of her rejection is almost as bad as the pain of realizing my past. Now I know I will never have love in my life.”
Nova said, “Son, I don’t know everything. I may be ancient and have lived many lifetimes. But, in reality, love remains a deep mystery to me. Don’t give up. Focus on who you are now and what you do best. That is all I can say.”
Arx stood up and looked back at the ongoing party. “I suppose we should get back in there. I’m the leader of half of the attendees.”
“You don’t have to go back. I can make the apologies for you and let you go back to your quarters.”
“I won’t hide. I am the leader of ATLAS. But I will take a few more quiet moments to myself and then get back in there. Besides, I enjoy a party far more than you.”
“True...” Nova stood and was about to say something when his comm activated. “This is Nova.”
Gar spoke, “Sir, we have a strange message coming in from Krystal Fae. You should come up to Operations and hear it.”
***
Two hours before the party:
Alex and Krystal worked with the small militia as they slunk through the underbrush near Antaeus’s encampment. They used the cover of night skies to make their approach.
In a low whisper, Krystal asked, “How far?”
The elder answered, “Just beyond that thicket of trees.”
Alex quickly held up his scanner. “I’m picking up a morphon signature. It’s weak, but moving. Someone is approaching.”
“It’s Antaeus!” A young woman cried out in fear.
Before Alex could shush her, the leader of Antaeus’s security pushed aside the grasses and held a gun in his face. “More intruders. Good, my lord wishes more worshipers. You’re coming with me.”
Krystal stood up, magic filling her hand. “Threaten my husband one more time and you will spend the next five hundred years in an inter-dimensional rift.”
“Another false god!” He turned his gun on her just as she blasted him with a bolt of magic. His body flew backward and tumbled across the ground, the gun flew free.
The militia rushed over and retrieved his gun and held theirs on him.
“Careful, he’s got powers.” Alex said, showing them the sensor readings.
“No. Only Antaeus and his witch have powers. They execute all others who have abilities.” The elders aid.
Alex held up the sensor again, scanning the man more directly. “No, this is clearly showing that he has active morphons in him. He has powers.”
“Do not touch me! Antaeus will destroy you!” The man yelled at them.
“Lets kill him. He helped raid our village.” A young man shoved his gun into the man’s chest.
Krystal held out her hand. “No. We need answers. Besides, killing him won’t help rescue your families. Revenge is a poison, not a solution.” Her words cooled the boy down a little, but the rage was still boiling in his eyes.
She knelt down and cast a spell over him.
“What are you doing to me? Antaeus!”
“Stop his yelling. He will wake every follower in five kilometers.” The elder said.
Two of his men rushed over and held the man by the head, shoving their arms over his mouth so he could speak and holding him down.
“Do you see something?” Alex asked
Krystal nodded. “He has powers, but he also has one of the most sophisticated brainwashing spells or powers I have ever seen. He is not in his own mind. It is like he’s a drone of someone far more powerful.”
“Could this Antaeus do this?” Alex asked the Elder.
“I honestly don’t know the extent of our enemy’s powers. He is terrible and strong.”
The ground under their feet shifted hard as the world shook. Alex caught Krystal before she fell over. Then both sunk into the ground as a hole opened up under them. Individual holes that partially swallowed each person to their chest, leaving their shoulders and head exposed.
A deep, confident voice spoke as a strong footstep approached. “I am indeed terrible and strong. I am a god, born of earth, master of all. You will worship me.” The stone figure of Antaeus stepped out of the darkness.
Krystal let out a short laugh. “Another impostor god. I’ve dealt with your kind before and I’ll be happy to do so again.” She blasted out of the hole and hit Antaeus with a powerful spell that sent the stone man stumbling back. Before he could regain any footing, she hit him again, this time with a far greater spell. He landed on his back.
With a strong slam of his fist against the ground, Alex and the others cried out in pain. “One more attack and they will all breathe their last.”
Krystal landed and said, “Fine, we negotiate. But, I won’t back down. This little divine kingdom you are setting up ends tonight.”
Antaeus slowly got to his feet and smiled. “I don’t negotiate with lesser beings.”
“Listen, rocky, you’re nothing compared to what I have destroyed in more universes than you can imagine. Don’t pretend to... to..“ She wavered and slowly fell to her knees.
Mama Pepo walked out of the brush, a wicked word on her lips and that greenish fog rolling around them.
“What... what is... this?” Krystal held up her hand to cast a way this strange spell, but she was too far gone. With a hard slam, she hit the ground face first.
The captain of his security hurried to his feet and then knelt down in a bow. “Should we execute these inferior gods and take the others to your congregation?”
“Yes.”
Mama Pepo approached, “No. These two are far more important than you know. I think we have an opportunity.”
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