Chapter 8: Welcome Home
Siever's ship was impossibly swift. A level of technology that was probably still unknown and unimaginable to the normal people of the galaxy. In less than 20 hours we had crossed more than three thousand parsecs to reach the quadrant 87. We did not talk much during the trip. Siever just explained the details.
I had compulsorily become the guardian of Creation Relic, which controlled the powers that involved matter.
Powers!
Magic!
I had never imagined getting into those things. My mother always said that those who practiced magic probably lived in alienated sects.
And the side effects were the worst. The Relic's power levels were always booming. Controlling did not mean keeping it in storage. It was just the opposite. I should use the relic to drain the excess power and thus prevent it from exploding. And it was all very confusing and scary.
As matter consume energy, including heat, the relic would forever suck the warmth from my body and from the things around me. The cold that this would cause would be a constant, the opposite of Siever for example. He became the guardian of the Transmutation Relic, corresponding with energy. And he would always be exuding pure energy from his body, so he should always keep an eye on himself to not overheat and cook from the inside out.
On the other hand, I would ironically be practically immune to the high temperatures, since no matter how hot, if I knew how, I could simply absorb the external heat, just as it would be to Siever, as he was immune to the cold, because no matter how cold, it would always produce more energy to supply his body.
The first and best way, according to him, to balance the two Relics was to maintain proximity to each other. The Creation Relic would always absorb the exceeding energy of the Transmutation Relic as long as it was within living beings, and so it could warm me up, and it could cool him down. The second form was literally exploding. We should look for an isolated spot and let the power surplus go freely out of our bodies. It was efficient, and potentially non-lethal, but from what it showed, hurt, and had to be done, especially by me since the Relic had been out of a living body for almost eighteen years, accumulating itself power, and should be incredibly unstable now.
But that was not the part that had scared me the most. Apparently my body would stop changing perceptibly. In a short time the Relic would be perfectly fused to my soul and this would be expressed in the body. I would not grow older anymore, nor would I bother so much with the cold. The problem was how to survive until this day. It was necessary for my body to be at least resistant enough to the intense flow of energy that would pass through every cell for every second of my existence.
Siever said that he had positioned himself so intensely against Marco's decision to expose me to the Relic, because even if the relic chose me as guardian, the structure of my body, as a Brard, would not last long and perish. I was living on borrowed time, and by his counts there were not many.
"Are you alright? We're almost there.." he said, preparing to orbit the planet. I nodded silently. He had no excuses to give, and he seemed not to have much tact with words. "Look, we've escaped from the palace, and even though we're here, I must try to erase some traces and we're going to sneaking illegally in your planet. Technically you have never left, so it will not be a problem if you reappear there, and it is good that my arrival is a secret so as not to cause any uproar."
"Hmm…" I grunted slightly irritated "I even wonder why would you cause an uproar... you have the same name as the most famous bioengineer in the galaxy .... the hero Siever ... Siever and Gionardi ... I myself would not be surprised if it was you, since you do not grow old and were, I'm just pointing out, beside the Emperor himself." I remembered Marco and the way everyone was afraid of him when he came to visit me "Emperor ... how surreal" I did'nt had say it for real, I was just mocking myself.
"Actually, that's right …" said Siever, without registering my tone of voice.
"That's what?" I was suddenly confused.
"I am that most famous bioengineer and was staying in the emperor's palace, or something like this." On hearing this, I giggled. It was very surreal. But he did not smile, looked confused at me and asked "Why are you laughing?"
"What do you mean, you are Sieve, the greatest bioengineer, and that other *sshole is the Emperor of the Galaxy? Like that .... GALAXY? I imagined you two a little older, especially you…" I just managed to laugh, nervous. Even notice the frowning expression on his face.
"In fact, I just look this young. I stopped growing old long before you were born, and even then that is quite recent from my point of view. Marco looks a little older, but we're about the same age…" he seemed to think a little "I've stopped counting, it would be about two and a half imperial centuries, give or take…"
I stopped laughing completely and looked at Siever in disbelief.
"You gotta be kidding me…" I insinuated.
"Why would I be? We are Jomons!"
"Not that!" I replied, imagining that he thought that I would be surprised at their longevity. "You guys ... are like the most important people in the galaxy! You're telling me that I've been dragged three thousand parsecs away from my home planet by an incomprehensible magic force to the presence of two of the most important people in the galaxy because I'm probably the reincarnation of the last person who kept this thing inside me now?"
"Ah... yeah?" Siever seemed to be amused now "No need to be upset about these details... I would only recommend" and now he was serious, with a mean face "in what I can avoid, always, ALWAYS stay away from Marco. He might even be a good emperor and diplomat, especially when he appears in front of the media, he even stands to be the cool guy.... but if you allow him, he will end up manipulating you. He's a cruel sadist that will not think twice before making you suffer just for fun."
I cringed in the bank. His attitude changed completely when he spoke of Marco. He exuded an appearance of pure hatred and resentment, so much that I felt the heat emanating from his body raising. I imagined what a terrible thing the emperor himself had done to him, though I began to share that view as well, reminding me of the torture of the day before, and how he forced me to that Creation thing
Just before entering Satie's atmosphere, Siever asked for my address and weasels our way into the airspace that had already passed through Immigration Dept. altitude, using some strange magic tricks to cover up our passage. Soon we were in the air traffic of the planet, towards my house that was in the Yellow Zone from Ivana City. He parked the ship two blocks away from my home. For a moment, the fear for imminent death was reallocated by the fear of facing Mom.
"What time is it? No… What Day is Today?" I asked nervously, not wanting to get out of the car.
Henry put the augmented reality generator on his face, apparently to consult a calendar, and said,
"It is seven in the morning on 10th month, 8, local time" he said quietly.
I could only moan. I had passed Three nights away, since I fled the hospital after supposedly causing a destruction. And I did not have an explanation to give. They would never believe me, even if I took Siever. But I had to go, it was my family. There were no friends left who were on my side, and I had no contact from other relatives who supported me.
"Thanks for the ride, Ms. Siever... see you again?" I asked insecure.
"Ah... of course!" he said, his face puzzled again. "Good luck with your mother. From what you've told me, it's going to be a difficult reception. And do not tell anything about the relic or where you were for anybody."
I could just smile a little. I closed the door of the ship and walked slowly to my house when I remembered to return the personal Link he had loaned me, but when I turned around the ship has already gone. I sighed deeply. At least I had an evidence in my hands that showed that I had not gone completely nuts, and that those days out had not been a great and painful hallucination.
I arrived at the door of my house, and was about to knock, but I stopped with the hand in the air, inches from the bell. What was I was going to say? As the truth, this time would not be so easy. It was not a memory that came out of nowhere for the ridiculous explanations that Siever had given me. I was starting to get colder. But before I could decide what to do, someone decided for me. Mom, who always left for work around this time, was coming out as usual, and stopped short when she came face to face with me. For a brief second I believed that everything would be all right. A tear trickled down her eyes, but in the second after... the slap.
I felt my face burn after Mama's palm came down hard. But I could not complain. I was hoping for it anyway. And with her body contorted with rage, she dragged me into the house and threw me into my room.
"When I get back, we'll talk!" she yelled and slammed the door. Shortly after, I heard the key turning in the lock from the outside. She would leave me locked.
Of course! If she thinks I ran away, she will not let the easy way out again ... but she had not even asked how I was... I could only rub my face where I'd picked up and massage my aching skin. I went to bed frustrated and angry.
But someone was already there.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone