Darius stared out the window of the observation lounge. It faced aft, which already limited its usefulness. Then the Jinn magic that darkened it under exposure to intense light broke on the day Hector became a Sage. It now could barely function for its intended purpose. If he turned off the interior lights, he could vaguely make out the setting sun.
A broken window seemed emblematic of recent events.
In a short time, they lost Hector and Piercing. Though he would tell anyone who asked that the annoying Arahant was no great loss, Darius keenly felt the absence of a trusted ally and a social adversary. So much was different in his life, yet there were certain truths about himself he could not change. Trading barbs with a known antagonist, a safe target, held a degree of familiar comfort.
Though he could never tell even Riley this one truth, he missed Piercing. The man might not have been a friend, but he filled a role Darius needed. He believed he’d done the same for the Sage. There was a certain loneliness being an eternal outsider. That state became easier to bare when there was someone to rage against. It didn’t even matter if it was performative. Though quite often Piercing gave Darius the courtesy of ensuring his anger would be genuine.
His confused reflections on Piercing were actually the easier issue to face. The loss of Hector strained his organs mightily. Heart and lungs and guts complained endlessly. His friend sometimes spoke in ways that made it clear he considered himself a surrogate father to Darius. Such was not the true shape of their relationship. Darius could not easily speak of sentimentality, but in the silence of his own thoughts he considered Hector a brother.
Darius didn’t think any other person could have befriended him. Even when he wasn’t actively hardening his heart, his bitterness warded away others. Hector was the lifeline Darius never asked for. The one person who would endure the myriad difficulties to rehabilitate someone who most certainly was not worth the effort.
The others spoke of their mission as Cruiser Erin carried them back to Union Central. None of this had ever been a mission for Darius. He was here for Hector and Riley. Maybe he was a fool to not care about the fate of the multiverse, but he didn’t. If the end of all things came, he would only regret that he hadn’t been able to make better use of what time he had. The masses of humanity could off themselves for all he cared. Though for the sake of Hector’s soft heart, he hoped all those endless strangers continued to exist.
He felt the cosmic energy signature approaching his hiding spot and knew Riley came for him. She hugged him from behind. “We’ll get him back,” she said.
The plans to free Hector were endlessly foolish. They intended to enlist the User Macy to enter Maya through her untrustworthy Slingshot Skill. That foolhardy first step was likely the safest. Darius didn’t want to risk Riley on a desperate gamble, but he knew her chaos bolt was worth more than what any other member of the retinue brought to the table.
“You must miss Hector terribly,” he said.
“We both do,” she agreed.
Darius felt his eyes heat as he looked at the perpetually darkened window. For all the changes wrought within him, his tongue still lacked freedom of expression. As much as he might wish to be better for his beloved, he was still broken and no amount of time could make him right. That Riley loved and accepted him was a miracle. She even gave voice to what he could not say for himself.
“Cruiser Erin is opening a singularity to Union Central now. We are supposed to take all of our things to the shuttle bay.”
Darius squeezed the hands clasped around him. They would abandon Cruiser Erin once they emerged onto the other world. He hardly knew how to think about the Jinn woman. She was a setting to him more than a person; the very vessel that was their home. He understood that Erin once was a normal human before uploading. Why any sane person would ever wish for such a transformation he could not understand, but it could not be denied that she had been his home for the best period of his life. The other Jinn would destroy Erin to place a new soul in the cruiser.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
He left the lounge to pack his small bag, then went to join the others in the bay. They crammed into the shuttle in preparation, which wasn’t so crowded as it was before they lost the Titan Ajax. Esther and Zelda spoke nonstop with each other and Cruiser Erin, brainstorming ideas for the Hector rescue. Conrad was supposed to be the person in charge when Hector wasn’t around, but the Jinn commando understood well enough that Esther commanded more respect among the retinue.
The pilot announced they were launching while still within the singularity. The shuttle slid free of its berth and crept forward in the tight confines of the spatial tunnel until its nose edged ahead of the cruiser. Darius barely saw the stars return ahead of them before words popped up in his vision.
Svarga incarcerated Hector in Abyss Penitentiary. If you wish, you will be included in the strike team. A surge of relief rose in Darius upon seeing the System’s message. It never addressed messages directly to him in the past, but he knew it spoke often to Hector.
Esther must have seen a similar message, based on her words. “We are Hector’s retinue, so of course we will be part of the strike team. Right now we need to focus on getting to Promise City.” She stopped speaking for a time, then turned to look at Zelda. “The System is spoofing a foreign transponder and obscuring the appearance of Cruiser Erin. She should be safe from detection. Our shuttle is going to be diverted to the outskirts of the city to hide it from Mercom intelligence agents. An air taxi will be taking us back to Tian Tower from there.”
Darius followed the Jinn talk well enough to understand the System was hiding their arrival. Riley leaned into him during their descent to the planet. He didn’t realize why she turned timid until they touched down and she took her time moving over to the line of waiting taxis. They had not been back to Tian Tower since Siegfried proposed. An awkward confrontation was inevitable.
“Should we rent a room elsewhere?”
Riley grimaced at his suggestion. “Better to get it over with sooner.”
The taxis delivered their group to what had been his first real home since the days of his childhood. Darius experienced a sense of vertigo as he entered the familiar environment. He’d been moving forward his entire life, ever since the day he finished the final meal prepared for him by his mother. Turning back had never been an option. Now he found his eyes feasting upon a space filled with memories.
He’d spent much time in the quaint cafe, for various reasons. Though rarely had he encountered Matthias, owner of the building, in that public space. Certainly not when the man – now level nine – wore such a formidable scowl. That hostility seemed directed towards Esther. Darius straightened his fingers to more thoroughly expose the portion of his palm he’d fused with the channel of his chaos bolt. If things grew violent, he was ready.
“My building has been commandeered as the headquarters for some rescue mission?”
Esther frowned. “It is a convenient rallying point given many of us make our home here.”
“I must insist otherwise.” Matthias blinked rapidly before swiping his hand across his eyes. “There appears to be little I can do when the System overrules my rights.”
“You cannot hope to remain a bystander, Matthias,” Esther said. “The multiverse is falling apart and Hector’s realm is the only thing that gives humanity a chance of surviving.”
The man shook his head. “There are always people predicting the end.”
“You’ve been on Aes!”
“The fall of a true world may be unprecedented, but I see no reason to believe the ridiculous claims that losing one would impact the wider multiverse.”
Whatever expression Esther made caused Matthias to break eye contact. His gaze panned over the group behind Esther, passing over Darius before darting back. “You!”
Darius hid his open palm, convinced he’d been caught preparing for violence at an inappropriate time. Firing a chaos bolt in a Promise City skyscraper would be foolish. The building owner wasn’t a true enemy, either.
Esther’s blood was still hot. She assessed the situation. “What are you yelling at Darius about? He’s had a room here for years.”
“Darius?” Matthias stared. “Darius son of Volithur?”
He'd forgotten that Matthias inherited his father’s memories. The man never recognized him before, but Darius had watched his own features grow more angular in the mirror under the influence of his restored biology. Those who remembered the treacherous Harridan would no doubt recognize him easier now. “My father’s identity is not your concern.”
“Of course you’re here. Hector cannot resist meddling anywhere, least of all our shared history.” Matthias spun away and marched to the elevators, ranting about how he had no say in what happened within his own building.
