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Gamma: A New Hope

Gamma: A New Hope

40 mins
347


Introduction

The universe, as we know it, was created by the Big Bang. Among the billions and billions of planets that formed following the supermassive explosion, some witnessed the formation, or rather, evolution, of intelligent life, from stardust. One of these was a planet named Gamma by its inhabitants.

Gamma, a planet yet unknown to selves. Green and blue, consisting of joy and life; yet holding the darkest secrets there could ever be.


The Rogue

He sighed, looking down the steep cliff. He had tried to end his misery once and for all, like many a time before, only to realise that his mind and body were far too strong to succumb to death. Tattered clothes hung from his body like discarded snakeskin.

He took a deep breath, drawing in as much air as his powerful lungs could hold and jumped, hoping for an end.

His life didn't flash before his eyes. Bedrick, as Jonathen called him, would survive yet again.

His wounds and several broken bones healed in a matter of hours. It was time to explore the valley that was, till now, unknown to him.


PROLOGUE

Month 1, Year 5000PR


"It's happening, Jonathen. It's here!" shouted Martha as she watched the single black egg slide down a transparent tube from the MACHINE and land on a soft, red velvet blanket. The oval shaped egg was a little bigger than a basketball. Its black, visibly coarse surface was spotless. Jonathen grabbed a hammer and walked towards the MACHINE as he whispered to Martha, "Listen to me, love. I'll finish it right here and right now. We can live the rest of our short lives in peace." Martha leapt from her chair and grabbed Jonathen by his arm, her deep, brown eyes fixed at his. "Remember what we talked about, Jonathen. We can keep him; we can prove them wrong." Jonathen looked at her in thought. He was not sure if that would end well.


Abruptly, the gate connecting the MACHINE to the dorms opened and Martha turned around, letting go of Jonathen's arm. It was Johnny, a 1½ year-old who lived in the place. "Mom, can I please play with the others? I like that other girl more than Milly," muttered Johnny. Martha walked over to Johnny, who stood a few feet away from her, and fondly placed her hand on his head, "Remember what Daddy told you? If you even look at someone other than Milly, we both will be sick, very sick. Do you want us to die, honey?" Johnny shook his head in shock. "Good boy." Martha smiled and went on, "Daddy and I are working on something, dear. Why don't you go back and play with Milly?" Johnny hesitated for a moment, but looking at his dad with a hammer and sensing the poorly concealed tension behind his mother's smile, he turned around and walked back towards the door to his dorm.


Martha turned back at Jonathen. He sighed and whispered "What if he turns out like Johnny? Or like the other one?" She knew the possibilities were not pleasant. Heavens forbid another one like that setting foot on their lands again. One of that kind was enough to rob Jonathen and Martha of their sleep. Jonathen continued in a more serious tone, "You know he's still around; we can't predict what he'll do, or when he'll do it."

"It was all their fault," snapped Martha. "This is what you get for leaving a child alone with no purpose in life. We keep him with us. That'll let us keep track of what he can be." She paused for a second and continued "If things go wrong, you can finish him off."


"But if something like that happens again, what will we tell them? They entrusted us with this work and if we fail, they'll be displeased."

"We won't fail. We have well over 5 centuries of experience. Let's put that to work. If we succeed, that'll be amazing, wouldn't it? Maybe we'll find a seat with the priests."

Martha barely finished speaking when the sound of an egg cracking echoed through the room. They turned around and noticed a chip on the black egg that was sitting on the red velvet. Martha's eyes lit up. The egg made another noise and moved, causing the chip to spread out and form a crack in the shell which slowly spread all around the egg. Martha and Jonathen watched in awe as the crack slowly moved apart and a fragile, pink leg emerged out of it. A loud cry came from inside the egg, so loud that the heavens could have heard. Slowly, one after the other, the baby kicked and punched its other limbs out, split the egg shell in two, and softly landed on the velvet. Martha rushed to the newborn and exclaimed in a high pitched voice, "It is a boy!"


Martha took him in her arms, covered him in the warm, comfortable blanket she had stitched for him and patted his back, "There, there, little one, momma is here. Don't worry about anything, you're safe." She held the baby close to her chest with great care and looked up at Jonathen. Her words were targeted more at Jonathen than at her infant son. Jonathen rolled his eyes and put the hammer away. "We're doing this only because you wanted to. Remember that if he does anything stupid, I will not hesitate to smash his head open."


Jonathen gave the baby a cold stare and walked away into the ROOM as the child fell asleep in his mother's arms, tired from the loud scream his soft throat had just let out. Martha smiled and gave his pink, bald head a soft kiss. We can prove them wrong, she had said. We better damn do.

She carefully put the baby in the cradle and looked towards the door leading to the dorms, locking eyes for a brief moment with Johnny, who was standing with half his body hidden behind the door. Catching Martha's eye, Johnny ran back to his dorm.


CHAPTER 1

Year 4498PR

"Look at these beautiful eggs, honey. I bet these two are going to make beautiful pair," said Shirley to Benjamin as the bright yellow eggs with rectangular patterns landed on the red velvet.

Benjamin replied harshly, "Whatever! They're slaves, stop getting too attached to them. I don't want to see you crying like the last time."

"Come on Benjamin, they're just kids. They're born with no expectations and live a short life of only 20 years. Even without knowing, whatever they do, is for us. Why can't you be kind to them? You know some of them cry even when they see you."


"It's better they be afraid. Until I am here, I won't let any of those little brats feel like they belong here. They'll live in fear. That's what they get for their ancestors' doing. They looked down on our kind, now we're looking down on them," said Benjamin, venting out his rage.

"Please calm down. Whatever you may act like, I know you always have a soft corner for kids. When we saw the first egg landing, I noticed tears in your eyes, sir. We both know that we'll never be able to see our kids grow. We have to treat each and every one of them as our child so we can live our lives with no regrets," Shirley stopped as tears rolled down her eyes.


"Will you stop reminding me of that? And wipe your tears for Lord's sake. We're Gods of the place, we're the almighty here. And tears definitely don't suit G-" he couldn't finish the sentence. Shirley looked at her husband. What she saw was a man, hiding his face, crying as he realised that he won't be seeing his kids ever again.

Shirley slowly moved towards him and hugged him gently. She kissed his cheek and said, "Now tell me, who's the soft one here?" He smiled and wiped his tears.

At that moment, they heard the sound of the eggs cracking.

Shirley exclaimed, "We better wipe our tears, my love. We don't want the children to meet us when we're crying?"

She further added, "We definitely don't want them to think that their parents are all gloomy."

Wiping their tears, the two walked to the eggs.


They saw a small head with a little tuft of silver hair popping out of one egg, while a leg pushed its way out the other.

"Isn't this the most beautiful sight in the world, honey? Looking at a new life emerging... This view, for me, is the most beautiful one. I'd love to be a parent for as long as possible. I wish I could live forever, just to see this beautiful scene of life coming into existence."

Benjamin nodded his head and slowly brushed his hands on the newborns who had just completely crawled out of the cracked eggs. The babies were smiling.

Tears rolled down his cheeks again as the babies grabbed his thumbs with their hands. The universal sign of affection and trust.

He looked towards his wife, with a faint smile on his face and tears in his eyes, and said, "Remember? When we were young, we decided that we'll name our kids Jonathen and Martha."

"See what daddy said? We'll name you after our most precious treasures. You'll be our treasure now on, my beauties. Your father will be harsh on you sometimes, but he's soft at heart. We'll take care of you like our own kids, and will never let you be sad or face fear. You'll live a happy life, my kids," said Shirley with tears of joy in her eyes as she took them both in her arms and walked towards Jonathen and Martha's dorm.


CHAPTER 2


Year 4498PR

Two months had passed since Jon and Martha were born. "Morning, Sweetheart," said Shirley as she woke Benjamin with a kiss on his cheek.

"Good morning, my beautiful wife," said Benjamin with a wide smile on his face.

Shirley replied with a surprised look on her face, "You sure are happy today darling, must have had a good dream last night."

Benjamin replied with an even broader smile, "They called me daddy for the first time darling, they called me DADDY!!"

Shirley chuckled, "That was definitely a dream then sweetheart because children can't speak before they're 5 months old."

Benjamin then looked into her eyes and said, "But they did when I went to their room yesterday to wish them goodnight. They said, 'Good night, daddy'. The voice wasn't clear, but they definitely replied, Shirley."


Shirley laughed and nudged him "I think you need to stop your daydreaming and get ready, you do remember we have to get those beans today if you want to continue drinking that beverage, don't you?" said Shirley as she grabbed his hand and pulled him up.

"God! Darling, you know that your grip is too strong, please be a little gentle," exclaimed Benjamin as he left his bed.

"Says the guy who lifts mountains for weight training."

"Let's first perform the inspection and then we'll leave," said Benjamin as he jotted down a list of daily chores for the kids.

They both then visited the dorm of each and every kid and handed the kids the list of the work they were to perform before they returned after their short outing. They visited the rooms in the order of higher to lower in terms of age. Finally, they visited Jonathen and Martha, with no list of chores but only love in their eyes as they kissed them both and left the house to gather the beans.


As they were leaving the room, Shirley said, "See honey, they can't speak, or they definitely would have replied."

"They must be scared of you. I swear they spoke last night."

"Oh, the irony!" Shirley exclaimed rolling her eyes, looking at her husband who was of humongously built and was the closest thing to a giant forest bear.

"Now let's get going, we need to return before evening," she added.

A couple of months passed and apart from the day Benjamin believed they spoke something, they didn't speak a word. Benjamin convinced himself he was mistaken until the day they turned 4 months old.


Shirley shouted from Jonathen and Martha's Dorm, "Oh, good heavens! BENJAMIN!"

Benjamin barged into the dorm running and was stunned by the sight before him. The kids were running around Martha, screaming on top of their lungs, playing.

He looked towards Shirley and exclaimed with joy, "I told you they're different, didn't I?!" He saw the kids, who were not supposed to leave the cradle till the age of 9 months, running around the room

"I am sure they'll be the next GODS, honey; our successors. These kids are going to be our successors!"


CHAPTER 3


Year 4500PR

As time passed, the bond between the parents and the children grew stronger. As the affection between them increased, even Benjamin got a little softer even towards other kids. And then the time came for the single egg to arrive.

"Benjamin, it's here again," said Shirley as she pointed towards the single egg, which just landed on the velvet cushion from the machine.

"Yeah, honey. Do you really expect me to forget the day?" replied Benjamin and grabbed his great sword from the arsenal to finish the egg.

"Benjamin... I was thinking something. What if--" Benjamin cut Shirley off in the middle of her sentence.


"We've already talked about this, Shirley. I know you're soft and your motherly nature does not allow this, but this egg, right here, can doom our future."

Shirley replied, "But it can make our future wonderful too, honey. If we can get one on our side, the future ones will follow. We do not have to torture these people anymore. This whole thing will end. The whole cycle of hatred will be gone, Benjamin. Maybe then, we can play with our own babies too, just like Jonathen and Martha. They'll be able to meet our children, not as master and slave but as siblings."

Benjamin replied, "You remember what father said, don't you? And we've seen it with our own eyes too. These creatures are dangerous, very dangerous. Even the priests have had a hard time against them, even with a twelve to one advantage."


Shirley grabbed his hand, "You know it very well that I am always against all the killing they do. No matter what these people did to them, they had no right to obliterate the population of the whole planet. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying they deserved what happened to them and they should forget about it, but what they did wasn't justified either. We can end all this. We can end our people's misery. We do not have to torture them anymore and you don't have to be cruel to people anymore. Think about Jonathen and Martha, do you want those two to become cruel and merciless too?"

Benjamin put his hand over Shirley's hand, "What if we fail? Will we be able to face the consequences? Will we be able to right our wrongs if things were to go out of our hands?"


Shirley looked into his eyes and said, "We don't know unless we try. Right now, all I care about is our kids' and our planet's future. I want this dictatorship to end and I want this to happen as soon as possible."

"You're not getting the point, Shirley. No matter how much we train, we won't be able to stand against the priests. They're even gods to us. If we fail, we'll surely be punished. They're heartless and cruel and they are powerful enough to clean each and every being off of this planet."

"I do not want to stand against them, Benjamin. I want them to stand with us, to make this place like it used to be. What we're doing is far worse than what they've faced. And do not forget about Jonathen and Martha. They're prodigies. I can already feel that they're going to surpass us in no time. I know their body isn't ready for your intense training, but they will be soon. And then you can train them all you want and, maybe, if things go wrong with this little fellow, they'll be able to lend us a hand in cleaning our dirt. Priests won't bother as long as the child doesn't become a threat to their throne. And if we look after this child properly, he'll be good."

Benjamin looked in disbelief. "So you mean, we should take this risk over how this kid will turn out without even knowing the nature of these beings. Why can't we do it just like our elders, finish it here and now and live our life on the top afterwards? Why should we risk everything we have over this?!"

"Because we care!" shouted Shirley.


The confidence in her voice shook Benjamin's resolve to destroy the egg.

He then replied, "OK, but then you won't interfere between me and Jonathen. You can train Martha."

Martha nodded. "They still have one year. Let's make them fit enough so that we can train them with ease," replied Shirley as she took the egg in her hands.

As she lifted the egg, it started cracking and moving like she had woken it up. Out of it came a baby. Dark skinned with smooth white hair on his head. She took his to his dorm and kept him in the cradle where he quitely fell asleep.


Shirley walked over to Benjamin and said, "That kid is nowhere near as strong as Jonathen and Martha were when they were born. I think we were worried for nothing. It'll be fine, honey."


CHAPTER 4


Year 4501PR

Benjamin and Shirley had decided that Jonathen and Martha's bodies were sturdy enough to handle the training intensity. Though they were only three years old at the time, they were exceptionally good. Meanwhile, the child from the single egg was progressing slower than expected. His progress was much slower than an average offspring, let alone Jonathen and Martha. His body was not half as strong as that of a normal child. He could barely go on with his daily chores properly due to his lack of stamina. He was so frail Benjamin had stopped considering him a threat anymore.

Even though they knew that they had to train Jonathen and Martha at any cost, they, being their parents, didn't want to force anything on them. They wanted Jonathen and Martha to request training, and for that particular reason, they came up with a plan.

"Benjamin, I hope you know what you're doing," said Shirley in a questioning voice.

"Yes, darling. Beam's more than willing to help us," replied Benjamin.

"So, when are we taking the kids out?"

"Honey, what I was thinking is that, can I take only Jo with me? Things can get dangerous out there and we know Martha will do whatever Jo does; that's how the relationship works."

"I was wondering how I'd put it myself. Take Jo from his room and I'll take care of Martha" suggested Shirley.

Benjamin nodded as he went to Jonathen and Martha's dorm.

"Son, get ready. We're going on an adventure," shouted an enthusiastic Benjamin standing at the door.

"Father, are we going out?" asked Martha.

"Yes, sweetheart. Your husband and I are going on a field trip together" answered Benjamin.

"But what about me, father? Will I be not be joining this trip of yours?" She was close to raising her voice. She was never comfortable away from her partner.

"We'll be back by evening, and I want you to take good care of your mom till we get back. You see, maybe you can help her with a thing or two!" said Benjamin, kissing Martha's forehead.

Even though she wasn't very sure about surviving a whole day without her husband, she nodded, seemingly convinced that her father genuinely wanted her to be with Shirley .

"Now, where is Jonathen?" asked Benjamin striding in and looking around the room.

"As always, he's being a lazy dork. In the bed, doing nothing," she replied.

A lump of blankets jerked and Jonathan appeared out of it, with his disheveled hair pointing in all directions.

"Father, she's lying. I was meditating the way you taught me," said Jonathen as he stood up from the bed and started getting ready for the trip.

"Forgive my naivety, father, but we don't snore while meditating, do we?" said Martha.

Jonathen opened his mouth before Benjamin snapped. "Stop it, you two. Come on, Jon. We have to make it back before sunset" Jonathen packed his things in a hurry and waved at Martha before following his father out of the room.

Benjamin took Jonathen to an open field. It was a bright evening. The sun was inching towards the horizon with every passing minute. Jonathan was running ahead of Benjamin, enjoying the breeze and the smell of fresh grass. Benjamin stopped short and asked Jon "Son, what'll you do if someone attacks Martha or your mom while I am away?"


"I'll protect them, father." Jonathan said running around on the field. He didn't have to think once to say what he will do. "With everything I have got".

"And you think you're strong enough to protect them from the dangers this world holds?" Benjamin's query seemed more of a threat.

"Of course I can." Jonathan said in a confident tone. His voice shivering as he ran with his arms in the air. "I am your son. I am strong enough to handle anything. And what danger could possibly-"

Before he could finish the sentence, he felt a strong blow on his back. The force of the blow emptied out his lungs as he fell to the ground. He let out a scream and scuffled around, facing a giant brown bear inches away from mauling his face. He could feel the bear breathing heavily on his face. He looked around and noticed his father was gone. He gathered all his strength and kicked its groin. The bear staggered back for a brief moment and Jon used this to crawl out from under it and run for his life. He sprinted back home, without ever taking a glance at the bear. By the time he reached home, he was shivering and sweating from all the adrenaline. He hugged Shirley and screamed "MOM, DAD, BEAR, SORRY!"


He repeated this line countless number of times. He couldn't stop crying. Shirley hugged him and said, "Your father is fine, Jonathen".

The door opened, and Benjamin entered the room, along with the bear that had attacked him.

He went straight to Jonathen and pulled him up by his shirt. Looking into his eyes, he said, "This is what I was talking about. Are you going to abandon your wife and mother just like you left me there to die ? Everything out there isn't as generous as Mr. Beam here," said Benjamin, pointing towards the bear.

He continued, "I want you to become strong enough to protect your family. I hope now you understand why."

Jonathen nodded in approval, still in shock. "Good, your training starts tomorrow. I hope you don't have any objection. And do remember Beam's name, you both are going to see each other a lot. Go to your room and rest. Tomorrow is going to be a rough day for you."

Martha, who was watching all this silently, took Jonathen to their dorm.


"Care to explain what happened out there? I haven't seen you in such a miserable state before," said Martha.

Jonathen told her about the field and his father's question and the bear.

"It was a rough day for you. You go and have some rest. I have to catch up with mother about something."

She kissed his forehead and left the dorm to meet Shirley.

"Mother, how come only he has to be strong to protect us? Can't we be strong enough to protect ourselves? I want father to train me too."

Shirley, realising that Benjamin's tactics worked, replied, "So, you want to get strong too, sweetheart... Your father's training regime isn't exactly suited for us. Mind if I train you in my own ways? I may not look like much, but I am on par with your father overall. See, as a couple we have to complement each other. He might be stronger physically, I compliment him with energy. It's not like I can't be physical or he can't use energy, but usually the women have more talent in the field of energy handling compared to men."

"Mother, I want to get strong. I want to be able to protect you and dad and Jonathen. Make me strong, mom, make me strong!" she begged with a glow in her eyes.


CHAPTER 5


Year 4504

Two and a half years had passed since Jonathen and Martha started training, and their mental and physical strength was growing exponentially. Then came the day when they had to choose a weapon for weapon specialised training.

"Benjamin, don't you think it's time they chose weapons for themselves?" enquires Shirley.

"Ohh, yes, why not? I personally think that Jo is ready to handle any weapon, but I am not sure about Martha."

"Stop doubting my student, I bet she can beat Jonathen to dust," Martha shot back.

"All right then... Let's talk to them first," said Benjamin as he and Martha walked to the kid's dorm to talk about further training.

Jonathen and Martha shouted together, "Not today too!"

to which Benjamin replied with a faint smile on his face, "No, kids. We're not here to take you for training, we're here to talk about your weapon training."

"Finally!" shouted Jonathen. He had waited for too long to actually use weapons.

"So it is decided. We will take you to our arsenal. You can choose a weapon for yourselves there. Be wary of what you choose, as it will be yours forever" said Shirley.

The kids were astonished to see the huge room filled with all kinds of weapons.

Jonathen salivated over every one of the dozens of weapons there were, but there was one particular weapon which caught his eye. It was a warhammer crested with stones.


"Father, I want this. Please teach me to use this hammer, please!" said Jonathen jumping with excitement.

"Nice choice. This'll suit your fighting style too," said Benjamin.

"What about you Martha?" asked Shirley.

"I'll take this one, mother," said Martha as she pointed towards a pair of twin sabres.

Suddenly Benjamin started laughing.


"Why are you laughing, father? Is something wrong with her weapon?"

"No, son. It's just that Martha chose the same weapon that your mother specialised in."

"I guess Martha'll be training with me again," said Shirley.

The next six months were Jonathan's favourite part of the training. He excelled at using his warhammer.

"Honey, it's high time we got the material for our weapons," said Benjamin to Shirley.


"You stole my words, Ben. But what about this place? We can't leave it alone for so long," Shirley looked worried.

"I think Jonathen and Martha are capable enough now to handle this place on their own now. They'll be fine."

"Are you sure, honey? They're just kids."

"Yes, they're kids, and if parents start doubting their kids' skills, how'll they ever learn anything?" replied Benjamin.

The two went to Jonathen and Martha's dorm.

"Jo!! Mary!!" Shouted Benjamin.


"Yes, father," they replied in unison as they came running from the other side of the dorm.

"Listen kids, your father and I are going out for work and we want you to look over this place in our absence," said Shirley.

"And yes, we have a task for you people too," said Benjamin.

Jo asked excitedly, "And what'd that be, father?"

"I want you both to be each other's sparring partner until we come back. And what you exactly have to do is make a list of each other's strengths and weaknesses. This'll help me and Shirley in your training."


"So, do we start our training today?" asked Martha, after Benjamin and Shirley left for their journey.

"No, maybe from tomorrow," saying that Jonathen went to sleep.

Next morning, after performing the daily chores, they started their sparring sessions without realising that someone was watching them from across the room.

"Wow! You guys are so cool," a very soft voice echoed.

Instinctively, Jonathen attacked him and knocked him down with his hammer pressed on his body while Shirley pointed the Sabers at his throat.

"Please don't kill me! I live in the dorm opposite to yours."


"Why were you spying on us?" asked Jonathen as he moved his hammer above his head, ready to smash it open.

"No, no! Please. I watch you guys training with father and mother all the time. Just wanted to see you train up close. I wish I could be as good as you are."

Hearing him calling Benjamin and Shirley, father and mother, Jonathen decided to trust the guy and pulled him up.

"So, you want to train too, huh, big guy?" The sarcasm was clear in Jonathen's voice; the kid's physique wasn't half as good as Jonathen's.

"Yes. I want to be as strong as you guys."

"Then take as much rest as you can, your training will start tomorrow," Jonathen didn't seem too pleased, but he was happy he could boss around someone.

"Thank you very much!"

Saying that the kid returned to his dorm, trembling.

"What are you thinking, Jo? Training someone without permission from father? I think you shouldn't do it," said Martha.

"It'll be ok. I'll train him so that he can be my sparring partner in physical battle. You know that we can't have a fist fight. But I sensed something in that guy, maybe he'll make a great sparring partner."


CHAPTER 6


Year 4508PR

Four years had passed since the day Benjamin and Shirley left to find the materials required to forge new weapons. Jonathen had started training the kid half a year later. His main motive was to use him as a punching bag, but the kid grew stronger and stronger every day. Soon, Jonathen grew fond of his company as they started fighting on equal grounds. Though Jonathen still had an upper hand due to his skills in wielding his weapon, they were almost comparable in terms of physical strength and fighting skills.


"So you think you can beat me, boy?!" shouted Jonathen as he blocked one power packed kick.

"You underestimate me, Jo. You know I can beat you any given day," said the kid as he threw another power packed punch towards Jo.

Meanwhile, Martha, who was watching all this from the sidelines, said, "Finish the session already, you two. We have to practice with our weapons as well."

"Yes, of course, we'll be doing that as soon as I knock this weakling out," replied Jonathen as he blocked the punch with one hand while countering the attack with a straight punch to the kid's face.


The kid almost fell down; seeing the opportunity to knock him out, Jonathen gathered all his power in a punch and attacked him with all his force, but his sparring partner somehow managed to dodge the attack. The attack created a hole on the floor and Jonathen's hand was stuck in it. Seeing the opportunity, the kid decided to take Jonathen out with a single blow.

"You're all mine now, Jo," he shouted as he concentrated all his power in one kick and jumped launched himself at Jonathen to give him the final blow.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a person appeared between the two. He grabbed the kid and threw him up in the air while another figure from the background punched him in the stomach while he was in the air. The searing attack threw him back against the wall. The boy passed out and fell on the ground.

"What the heck are you doing to my son?" the person shouted at the kid.

"Father, is that you?" said Jonathen as he managed to pull his arm out of the hole.

"Who else could it be?" replied Benjamin.


"You appearance... it's all changed! I can't even recognize you, father."

"And mother, you're all changed too. You two are emitting a totally different aura from before," Jonathen continued.

"What else can you expect when all you do is fighting and killing for 4 years, that too with negligible rest? " replied Shirley.

"But the good part is, we got what we needed to forge another hammer and Saber," Benjamin said. Shirley looked over at the passed out boy who was attacking her son and exclaimed. "Honey, isn't that.. the single offspring, who was attacking Jo?"


"See what you did Shirley? If only we had finished him that day... ," said Benjamin in an angry voice and charged towards the boy.

"Listen, no! Mother, Father! He's just helping me with my training. I needed a sparring partner as I outclassed Martha in physical battles years ago. He wanted to learn fighting, and I wanted a partner. It was a give and take the opportunity. Please, let us do it. We both enjoy it," Jonathen pleaded.

"You, boy! Go to your dorm. The practice session is over," said Shirley pointing towards the kid's room.

"Look at me, and tell me. Did he hurt you in any way? Did he do anything unusual? I don't want you to be harmed by that kid, son. He can be really dangerous," said Benjamin as he looked into the eyes of Jonathen to find signs of mind control.


"Dad, he won't do anything like that. We're friends now. He's the only one I know apart from you two and Martha. Everyone else here is just so dull... but not him. He understands things quickly, and he has grown so strong in the past four years."

"Son, I know how you feel about the kid, but all I want is the safety of you two. Promise me, if you see any unusual development in him, anything at all, we're the ones you'll tell about it as soon as possible," Shirley looked worried.

"Okay, mother. And you need not worry. Even if he tried to do anything, he still doesn't know how to use weapons, so I can take him down whenever I want."

"Now you guys should rest and later tell us all about your journey. We'd definitely love to know about your experience," said Martha, who was silently listening to the conversation till then.

"Honey, I think we should listen to the kids. They spent all this time with him, not us. And we do have four years' worth of catching up to do with them," said Shirley to Benjamin.


"You're always too soft on everybody, Shirley. But if they say it's fine, I can take their word for it, and if he does a single suspicious thing in the future, I'll crack his skull open with my bare hands."

"Okay kids. It's final now. You can hang around with him until he means no harm. Now go to your room and sleep. We'll tell you all about our journey later."

Shirley kissed both her kids on the forehead and sent them to their dorm to sleep.

As the kids fell asleep, Benjamin and Shirley retired to their room.

"Are you sure he won't harm Jo and Mary? Things have changed now. He's trained and strong. Will Mary and Jon be fine around such a dangerous... creature?," asked Shirley.

"I know, honey. I'll be keeping a close eye on him. If he ever tries to harm Jo or Mary, I'll kill him without any warning," replied Benjamin, as they both got ready to sleep.


CHAPTER 7


Year 4513PR

Jonathen, Martha, and Bendrick kept getting stronger. Whatever Benjamin taught Jonathen, he taught Bendrick. Both of them were improving at such a great rate that they were on equal grounds with Benjamin in a couple of years. All morning and half of the afternoon Benjamin used to train Jonathen, and then till night Jonathen used to teach the kid and then spar with him. Slowly, Benjamin noticed that the kid was holding back while fighting with Jonathen. He was right to be afraid that the kid might become too powerful for him later.


Benjamin decided to perform memory mapping, a ritual performed whenever the new GODS take the place of the older ones, on Jonathen.

"Shirley, did you notice something off with the kid lately?" asked Benjamin.

"If you're talking about his and Jo's battle, yes. He's definitely holding back," replied Shirley.

"This is what I was worried about; he's getting stronger. I think it's about time to perform the ritual."

"Are you sure? They're just 15, will they be able to handle all the pressure?" questioned Shirley.

"They're far stronger than what you give them credit for, Shirley. Do not underestimate our kids. If we do not tell them soon, God knows what can happen."

"So, how should we talk to them about it?"


"How about we tell them it's a part of their training? That way, they won't find it awkward and our motive of warning them about what that kid does shall also be completed."

"I think you're right. We need to warn them without hurting them or their feelings."

Later that night, Benjamin went to the kids' dorm to tell them about the change in their training regime.

"Tomorrow morning, I want you two to wake up early. We'll be doing a different sort of training from before. More of mental training. It'll be a week long schedule and you have to be prepared, physically and mentally. This is going to be the toughest training till date," said Benjamin.

Excited, Jonathen said, "I am excited already dad. I'll tell Bendrick about it too."


"I was going to tell you about that. This training is exclusive for you two. He won't be able to handle the intensity," said Benjamin as he stopped Jonathen.

"But dad, he's strong, very strong. He'll be able to handle it with ease."

"Son, I am telling you from my experience that someone who's strong on the outside need not necessarily be strong from the inside."

"But dad-"


Benjamin continued, "No, it's final. Your training starts at 6, tomorrow. You'll not be leaving your dorm for the next week. Or to be more precise, you won't be able to leave the dorm for a week. Goodnight" Benjamin left before Jon could speak anything.

Next morning, Benjamin and Shirley visited the dorm.

"I hope you both are prepared. This is going to be painful and will change your perspective of life," said Shirley as she placed her hands on Martha's forehead.

"Come here, son," said Benjamin as he pulled Jonathen towards him and placed his hands on his forehead.

"We'll start at the count of 3, it'll take us just a moment to activate it, but your brain will take a week to handle it all," said Shirley.

"1... 2.... And 3....," counted Benjamin and Shirley. On the count of three, they transferred their whole memory into the brains of Jonathen and Martha, all in a matter of seconds.


The kids started groaning in pain as centuries of memories were transferred into their minds. In seconds, the kids passed out and fell unconscious.

"I hope the kids will be fine. They do not know of the harsh world. They do not know that we belong to a society of mass murderers." whispered Shirley, gentling caressing Martha's hair.

"Honey, we had to do it sooner or later. But for our future, or rather, their future, we needed to do it as soon as possible, which we did. Now, all we can do is hope that they understand why we did it."


"Are you trying to justify their doing? What they did was wrong, what we are doing is also wrong, and you know it very well, Ben."

"Still, you can see that he's stronger than Jo, and we don't know how much stronger. If things take a turn for the worst, I am not sure if I'll be able to hold him back alone. We need to give them a genuine reason and this is the best we can do. Let them decide it for themselves what's good for them and what's not."

Jon and Martha were not able to even form complete sentences. Their mind was too full of the past. Days passed before their speech started making sense. A week later, they both woke up screaming. This was the indication that the mapping was complete. Hearing the scream, Benjamin and Shirley ran to their dorm and what they saw was something that haunted them for the rest of their lives.


CHAPTER 8


The eyes that were once full of hope and aspirations had now become lifeless. The faces that were once the home of a beautiful smile had now become a barren land gloom.

"Is this what you wanted, Ben? Look at them, just look at them. Do you really think they'll be able to forget all this and move forward in their life?" asked Shirley as she looked into Benjamin's eyes with anger.

Suddenly, Jonathen grabbed Benjamin's leg and said, "Father, what was that? That was all a lie, right? We're the good guys, taking care of the place and saving everyone, right? Why are you not saying anything? Tell me!"

Benjamin wasn't able to look at Jonathen in his eyes. His eyes were full of shame and repent.

"So, it's all true. We overtook the world, committed genocide. I always wondered how there could be such a difference in everything between us and others. So, this is the reason," said Martha.


"It wasn't us who killed them all, it was those people..."

Martha interrupted before Shirley could finish, "And you never raised your voice against them. You never tried. Never spoke a word; you just followed them blindly. And on top of this, Father is treating everyone like they have no life just because he's being told to. I am ashamed that I got training from you just to become a weapon of destruction and mass murder." Martha looked at Jon, who was sweating and panting in anger.

"Look at him," she pointed at Jonathen. "Do you have the guts to face him anymore? Remember the day when you faked that bear attack? He told me that evening that he'll not let anybody lay a finger on you guys. He always looked up to you two as heroes. He used to talk about you two day and night while you were away. There was no day when he hadn't explained how he felt when father was attacked by the bear," continued Martha.

"Honey, we didn't have a choice. We can't stand against them. They're too strong and cruel. Your Father and I have talked about this numerous times. We came to the conclusion that all we can do is talk to them and we planned about it. Why do you think we kept on training even when there's no real threat? This is because we have to prove ourselves in front of them to even speak to them. That's the only reason that kid is alive. We wanted to end this once and forever," said Shirley.

"The kid's parents tried to kill him even before he saw the light, and his ancestors were killed by his best friend's ancestors just because they were afraid of them!" Martha was furious.


"That kid is the only reason why we had to do all this. Train you, hide things from you and even tell you things before the actual time. He shouldn't know anything about all this or things can get worse," said Shirley.

"Stop defending yourself and your actions, mother," said Martha.

Benjamin fell to his knees and hugged both Jonathen and Martha.

"I know we failed you. Our image as parents and your mentors is no longer what it used to be. But I promise you, we'll do all we can to bring an end to this. Just have some trust in us. As soon as we retire, we're going to talk to them. Just hope that they listen to us. I know we're misusing these people and that we misused a lot of other people till date. But we're facing the consequences ourselves. We're not allowed to see our own kids. I know this is nothing as compared to what we had done to others, but not being able to see one's child is the greatest pain one can have."

"I can't even tell if you're lying or speaking the truth anymore, father," replied Martha.

Standing at the door of the dorm was Jonathen's sparring partner, who overheard all the conversation from the other side of the door and was now in a state of shock. Soon, shock turned into anger and he ran straight towards Benjamin and punched him in the face. Even before Benjamin could realise what was happening, he was on the floor with the kid aiming a fist holding enough power to crumble the floor, towards Benjamin's face.


CHAPTER 9


"It's been a week since I last slept peacefully. I was having nightmares. I was seeing things which made no sense... until now. Now it's all clear. I always wondered why there were not many people here; and now I know the answer. You murdered everyone, every person on the planet just for the sake of revenge?!" screamed the kid as he punched Benjamin on his face.

"You're getting ahead of yourself, kid. You better stay away from all this," said Shirley as she kicked him away from Benjamin.

"Mother, you were always kind to me. Please stay away, I do not want you to get hurt," said the kid as he charged towards Benjamin, who had just gotten hold of himself.

"Kid, what you're trying to do will only lead to a dark future for both of us," said Benjamin as he defended against his kick with his arm, to which he responded with a roundhouse kick on Benjamin's back that made him go down on his knees.

"You better stop it right now. We do not want to hurt you. We're in the middle of..." as Shirley was speaking, she realised that the kid was no longer listening to her. He had lost his senses to anger and was letting it all out on Benjamin with a barrage of punches and kicks.

"Honey, you need not hold back. He's not conscious anymore. His anger had taken over his senses," said Shirley as she tried to block the attacks targeted towards Benjamin so that he could get up.


"You're mistaken here, Shirley. I am not holding back anymore, he's just too fast and strong for me to handle alone. I could use any help possible at the moment," replied Benjamin as he charged towards the kid and shouldered him into the wall.

"Martha, can you please take care of Jonathen? Join us as soon as he comes back to his senses. You need to calm him down. Remember what I taught you? Use that. The book is in the arsenal."

Shirley ran towards Benjamin to help him out.

Martha ran for the weapon room to get the book, leaving Jonathen on the ground.


"We need to take him out of this place," said Benjamin as he held his legs and threw him into their own room through the door.

Even though the throw was powerful, the kid managed to land on his feet. But before he could read the situation, Shirley kicked him on the face, flinging him into the weapon room, breaking the wooden door.

"Ben, Martha is in there, we should hurry or he might harm her," said Shirley as she rushed towards the room.

Reaching the room, they saw that the kid was still down, with Martha holding the Sabers against his throat.

"Martha, you go help Jonathen and let me and your father handle him. Throw those Sabers towards me," said Shirley as she kicked the kid on his face.

As soon as she grabbed the Sabers, she went directly for his head. But he pushed himself back with his legs to dodge the attack.

As he was still down, Benjamin grabbed his hammer with both hands and aimed for his body.

He jumped back to dodge the attack but it was so powerful that the shockwave produced due to hammer's impact with the floor pushed him back, and he was thrown onto the main door.


Shirley, realizing that he was cornered, attacked him with the intention of slicing him into halves with her sabers, but he somehow blocked the attack with the help of a battleaxe that was on one of the weapon racks. Shirley punched him and pushed him out through a window sending him floors below to land on his back.

Meanwhile, in Jonathen and Martha's dorm, Martha had her hands over Jonathen's head as she read the book.

Soon, Jonathen, who was unconscious, stopped shivering and slowly opened his eyes. Even though he was calmer than before, he still had those eyes of a murderer.

"Where are mom and dad? They have a lot of explaining to do," said Jonathen.

"Before that, you have to save them. They're fighting him, just because of us. Remember the memory sync? I forgot to undo it," said Martha.

"And now he knows everything and attacked mother and father out of rage?" asked Jonathen.

"Exactly. They need our help."

Hearing that, Jonathen ran out of the dorm to the arsenal and picked up his warhammer.

Then he ran out to assist Benjamin and Shirley.


As Bendrick was recovering from the fall, Benjamin took the opportunity to finish him off. He jumped high from the top to land a powerful hit that would finish the fight at that very moment. But having the axe in one hand, the kid pushed himself up with the other hand to stop the momentum while using the sword to block the massive hammer, but the impact was more than enough to throw him away. Bendrick got up on his feet and ran into the wild outside the building. Even though he was only barely surviving the attacks of Benjamin and Shirley, Benjamin realized that he was getting stronger with time, while both of them were starting to wear out.

As he was in the jungle, Benjamin swung his hammer in the air creating large shockwaves which uprooted the trees in the vicinity so that they could move freely.

The battle turned into a two versus one as Benjamin and Shirley started attacking him together. That flanked him and attacked him continuously with their weapons while he was holding them off on his own. Soon, the battle moved deeper within the forest.

As they were attacking him together, Benjamin lost his footing over the root of a tree which wasn't fully uprooted.

Seeing that, Shirley came to his defence as she blocked the attack aimed at Benjamin with her Sabers, but she wasn't fast enough to save herself as within another second, the kid moved to her back and gave a clean strike to her back, and then a hit on her head with the back of the axe.

Being hit by the axe's back, she went down within a second and there was nothing but blood around her.

"Shirley!" screamed Benjamin as he saw a pool of blood around his wife.


Enraged, he charged towards the kid. He attacked him several times with the hammer. Every time, the kid defended with ease. As he lost his cool to agony and the spirit of vengeance, Benjamin was leaving a lot of open areas and before long, he was hit on one of them with the tip of the sword. He still kept going. He was soon tired and he was losing blood, and while he was going for another strike, Bendrick cut his stomach before he could bring the hammer down to hit him.

Benjamin went down on his knees. Bendrick spat the blood out of his mouth and walked to Benjemin, with the axe on his shoulder. The kid lifted the heavy axe far up, ready to drop it on Benjamin's neck when he felt a jolt and heard the axe split in two and drop behind him. It was Jonathan. His eyes were swelling with rage. His warhammer gripped by both hands. Before Bendrick could react, he swung his hammer aiming at the kid's face. Bendrick blocked the blow with his hands in front of his face shattering the bones in his arms.


Jonathen shouted, "Martha, mother, and father are hurt. Stop the bleeding and do whatever you can to cover the wounds. I am going to finish this once and for all".

While Jonathen was giving directions, unable to use his hands, the kid tried to kick him from behind. Jonathen realised that and before the kick could hit him, he used his hammer to smash the leg which was held mid-air.

Unable to move, but still engulfed by rage, the boy dragged his body towards Jonathen.


"Please don't make me hurt you anymore." Jonathen gave him a powerful blow on his back, causing the immobile body to fly to the very edge of the cliff.

The hit was so powerful, it shattered his back. Jonathen was shocked to see that his former sparring mate was still trying to move. His movements only caused him to move closer to the edge. Jonathen, realising that he could fall off any minute now, couldn't bear to consider the notion of losing someone who was so far to him.

Benjamin drifted in and out of consciousness. Through his tired eyes, he could see what was happening. That's how the other one vanished. He smiled to himself. History repeats itself.

Time slowed down as Jonathen rushed to save his friend. A fraction of a second late, he could do nothing but cry out in helplessness as his companion fell into the abyss... 

"BEDRICK!"


************************************************TO BE CONTINUED ************************************************



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