Kalon

  Chapter Eighty-One: Varasha Ul Thakos

  Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant

  Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation

  Solar System: D-447

  Planet: Ora

  Location: Above the planet's surface

  Luna’s purple eyes hold my gaze, her hands still trembling from the work they wrought. She waits for me to ask my first question, why is there hesitation in me now? Which is the most important thing to ask? I want to ask about Krotha, perhaps she has a weakness, but she has not shown herself in some time now. If I say her name, is it an invitation to torment me? My mind feels like it is spinning. Start with something, anything besides Krotha, I need more information on many things.

  “What are the boundaries?” I ask her again, my eyes are narrowed and my ears are ready.

  Her eyes blink for a few moments, as though considering the question, she does not make the face she does before she thinks of lying to me. She is trying to find a way to explain it.

  “We don’t have time for this slag.” Fennec says, throwing the wrench against the wall, “I’m not saying this to be a pessimist,” he pauses, shooting a glance at Luna for a moment, “Well, mostly not because I’m being a pessimist. Either way, we need another plan, my vote is…”

  “The plan is sound.” She interrupts, clenching her jaw and giving him a look, “Mostly.”

  “For frag's sake,” Fennec grumbles shaking his head with anxious eyes.

  Luna turns from him to look back at me.

  “The boundaries you asked of, it is forbidden to speak of anything above the fifth.” She says, my mouth is about to move but she holds up a finger, “Before you ask why, I don’t know, my guess is that it’s just another way for the Imperium to control people and information.”

  “Dangerous sentiment to voice out loud,” Fennec says with a wary eye that moves back to the panel and the wires beneath it.

  “Regardless, it is their rule, Kotina wouldn’t even tell me what is beyond the fifth,” Luna says, then seeing my jaw flexing she adds, “But I can guess if you want, based on what I have seen.”

  “I felt something like a boundary break in my…” I try to place the words for it, it feels strange to speak of it with anyone besides Arrum and the Sage before he died, “In my realm of dreams.”

  She looks at me sideways, not understanding what I am saying.

  “The Sage called it Varasha Ul Thakos,” I say, Fennec’s hand freezes for a moment as he turns to me, I am about to translate it for Luna, but she speaks before I can.

  “The Realm of Spirits,” She says softly.

  My head turns as I look at her, this is one of the few times she has known the meaning of what I am saying.

  “My… the Sage, he taught me those words, and he was the one who guided me to it the first time.” She reveals.

  He taught her too, it is strange to think that the Sage would teach a master. Let alone, one like her… a noble. My stomach churns again as I push the thought away, part of me doesn’t want to know. Part of me hopes that Fennec saying it earlier was him trying to get a rise from her or to just insult her.

  “That’s the first boundary,” Fennec says, turning back to the panel, though his hands don’t move as fast as they did before.

  That’s a boundary? It was so long ago, I don’t remember it feeling anything like the ones that I broke earlier. They seemed fundamentally different. Like there was a physical effect from them. I don’t know why I began calling it the Realm of Dreams, perhaps it was because Arrum said that’s what it felt like. It makes sense now why the Sage always said for us to keep it to ourselves. Did he know of the boundaries? He must have, what else did he know? How much did he keep from us?

  “In that place, the Realm of Spirits as you and the Sage call it. I broke a boundary I think, or at least it felt that way, I don’t know how to describe it exactly.”

  She looks at me intently. Waiting for me to continue.

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  “In the realm, it was like a barrier that I had to press through, I heard what Dallus said to you, and I…” My eyes fall from hers, I did not need to add that, my lips purse for a second before they relax, “When I reached the barrier, it was like a pressure that sucked all the energy from me, I almost didn’t break it, but I did, and when I did…”

  “Like everything came flooding out suddenly?” She asks.

  I nod.

  “That sounds a lot like it was for me. When I reached into the skies and found the bubble that wished to hold me back.” She begins.

  “The skies?” I ask, interrupting her, strange, “For me it was…”

  My tongue catches, and time stops as Krotha steps into my vision. Her head shaking playfully as her voice grates in my mind.

  If you tell them how you broke the boundary, they will suspect something is different about you. More so than your ability to wield Netherium. She is well versed in the boundaries, mortal, do not overshare, less you find yourself with a blade in your chest and your eyes looking at your separated body, just like the one you fed to the blade.

  She snickers. Time reverts back to its normal flow. My body shutters, not from the threat of what they may do, but because she does not leave my vision, she stands behind Luna, looking at her intently, with a disgusted look on her face.

  “What was different?” Luna asks.

  I shake my head, “It was like you said.”

  The lie rolled off my tongue easily, but from the look that Fennec gives, I am not sure he fully believed it.

  “I had felt a tremor of power when we were fighting…” her eyes blink back a painful memory as she swallows hard, “When we were fighting Dallus, but I thought it was from the Edict.”

  Did she not feel the boundary that I broke when I was in the Realm of Dreams? She felt the next time I did, which means I am past the third. I almost broke the fourth, I know I was close. With more Netherium I think I could have done it.

  Fennec turns to her now, then back to me, a gaze of uncertainty, one with regret. Perhaps he is regretting having enough honor to take me with them. Krotha’s voice slides into my mind, like a cruel slither.

  You surround yourself with filth, those who would become dust beneath your boot if you would only submit to your Goddess.

  Goddess, I don’t believe her. Does a god truly need my permission? I would think not. I do not deny she is powerful and skilled with Maka, I saw as much when she warped my dream realm and fought off the being swathed in light, the one I think is Leora… her sister. More questions. But first among them, even more important than the boundaries, why has the Cursed Edict come back, let alone how did it manage to. I sensed from Luna and Fennec’s pitiful gazes when they saw it that it means something bad, bad for me at least. What it means for them and their mission, I do not know.

  “Why did the box come back to me after I threw it both times?” I ask her.

  Her jaw slams closed as her eyes flicker back and forth in mine, her trembling hands growing more fervent. She does not answer the question, as though it is stuck in her throat. My temper threatens to flare. What is she hiding from me?

  “It has latched to you, and will not stop returning to you until it gets what it wants,” Fennec says behind his shoulder. His hand pulls out a long wire, he shoots Luna a glance before he cuts it, she doesn’t seem to notice, her attention is on me as her face becomes pale.

  “What does it want?” I ask, though, I think I already know. I feel a prickle down my spine as though Krotha’s hand traces it. I hear her malicious laughter, causing my eyes to close for a moment. Her voice fills my mind.

  You know what I want.

  She wants me to suffer and to cause suffering. She wants me to feed the blade, for what purpose beyond her own delight, I do not know. My heart is thudding in my chest, but the tempo soon falls as I regain my composure, this demon, she does not control me. I am in control. The calm seeps against the torrents of strife in me as the shallow breaths become more measured and purposeful.

  “From that look, I’d wager you already know,” Fennec says, then giving me a strangely somber expression, “Death can sometimes be a mercy.”

  From his eyes, I can tell that he means that he is willing to kill me, not out of spite, but mercy. Is my situation really that dire? I don’t know if it is the sincereness of his expression or the lack of hostility, but the statement does not offend me. My eyes blink at him for a moment, taking in the words.

  “Fennec, I will not warn you again,” Luna says, biting back more words that wish to come from her mouth as she looks at him, “He is not so far gone that it needs to come to that.”

  “Time will tell, I suppose.” Fennec sighs.

  “I have another question,” I say. Daring to know more about the demon. It would appear that I need to risk it. Perhaps I can write her name, or just refer to her. They seem to have some knowledge of the Cursed Edict. They should know its resident. Krotha.

  “Say it.” She says.

  I am about to speak of it, but a buzzing at the comms panel draws all of our attention… it is time. Whatever they have planned, it is time. Fennec rushes over to the panel, a mixing of emotions on his sweat-laden brow.

  From the viewport of the shuttle, I see a larger ship approaching in the distance, nearly three times the size of our own. The hull is painted grey, the insignia of the Talum Merchant Federation emblazoned across it. Far below them is the Arasha city which we are about to be overhead of, the shimmering metal glints in the suns rays.

  “JL987-GH316 this is Federation Space Command, prepare to open your rear loading bay door for the escort team.”

  “Negative Federation Space Command, I repeat negative, cannot comply,” Fennec says.

  There is a pause from the voice on the other side for a moment. Fennec shoots a glance at Luna.

  “JL987-GH316 if you do not comply, you will be breached. As per regulation…”

  Fennec slams his hand on the comm button interrupting them.

  “We are a civilian vessel experiencing mechanical failure, the containment field generator is down and our engine is malfunctioning. If you breach you could cause the engines to explode and kill all occupants, which is a violation of…”

  Fennec pauses as he swipes through his holopad, a concentrated look across his face.

  “Regulation TMFSC-5679-642-11 regarding the treatment of civilians in distress.” He says finally.

  There is a long silence that follows. Luna gives me one last glance before moving towards the front of the shuttle with Fennec. Krotha moves to stand next to me now, placing a cold-feeling hand on my shoulder. Her venomous voice rattling in my skull.

  This should be fun.

  What to expect:

  ● A unique, fully fleshed-out world and magic system

  ● Flawed but lovable characters

  ● Action and tension

  ● Humour

  ● Feels

  ● Secrets and mysteries

  What not to expect:

  ● Constant blue boxes

  ● An unending, 19+ book series

  !