Chapter 7: Ryan’s Pledge

To that end, my creations would require a live connecter. An organic transmitter, if you will. They would need a creature that shares their physical attributes while also possessing the complexity of a sentient lifeform. For that reason, I don’t see any danger in anyone suffering ‘Zombification’, as my staff have so colorfully put it.

The children awakened a few hours later. Éclair woke before Ryan did and quickly extracted herself from his bedside. It seemed that she still did not want him to get the wrong idea. Zanderius was relieved by that. Although, despite his conservative standards when it came to relationships, Zanderius allowed Éclair the respite of being close to Ryan while she slept simply because of the context of the situation.

These two children had recently endured more than most adults ever would, and they did it together. Éclair had literally depended on Ryan for her physical and mental wellbeing for the past several months, and he, in turn, had depended on her for much the same reasons. It wounded Zand’s heart to know that Éclair had been subjugated to another needless horror in her life, another trauma to add to her emotional scars. And that was why he did not object, no matter how much he may have wanted to.

Besides, Éclair’s mental state is what mattered most to Zanderius at the moment given everything he had just told her. Though he ultimately decided that now was not the best time, Zanderius had considered telling Éclair about Leon as well when she asked about the Third Child of Destiny. After all, it was Zand’s hope when Éclair and Leon met that she could temper him somehow, perhaps even deprive him of the darkness that threatened to swallow his soul. There had been times in the past when the Sacred Vessels of Corruption were able to resist their destructive tendencies and hold back the powers of the Realm of Shadows. Such events were extremely rare, but not unheard of. If Leon did fully embrace his role as a Child of Destiny, and one day inherited the burden of darkness, Zanderius fervently hoped that he could resist the temptation of evil if and when the time came.

Not even I could resist, Zand, Zorron suddenly said into Zand’s psyche. And believe me, I tried for a very long time. You and I both know that your safest bet is to just kill Leon now. After all, you are no stranger to sacrifice.

Zanderius tried not to react as he heard his adversary’s voice in his head yet again. Zand was not altogether surprised by the intrusion since he knew that Zorron was still watching him closely, but that didn’t make it any easier to ignore. Adding to Zand’s burdens was the fact that he truly had considered taking Leon’s life when he found the boy in Chissler’s clutches around seven years ago. Though he knew that it would have been wrong, Zanderius started thinking of all the lives he could save if he denied Zorron his successor. However, Zanderius also knew full well that it would not stop the Cycle of Selection; delay it perhaps, but never stop it. Nothing could ever stop the Cycle, at least not any solution that he or Zorron could think of when they were young, when the choice was theirs to make. That was the purpose of the Grand Solution, a phenomenon that required all Three Children of Destiny to do their part.

When Zanderius met Leon, he decided that the potential for good outweighed the possibility of evil. So he kept the young Lurranna alive and sought to endow him with the right teachings in the hopes that such a thing could prove more beneficial to the universe than the alternative. Illogical as it may have sounded, Zanderius was almost certain that it was the first step to ending the Cycle which had persisted throughout the universe since the dawn of creation. And so, Zand took Leon under his wing, sent him to the Ministry of Fire, and arranged his eventual meeting with Éclair. Only time would tell if Zand’s decision had been the right one.

As Éclair waited for Ryan to wake, Zanderius could still feel Zorron’s focus on him, no doubt quick to react if Zand made a single move out of line. Should Zanderius act recklessly, it would cost the lives of billions. But Zand knew that Zorron would honor their bargain; that was just who Zorron was. As long as Zand did not seek out to destroy any more Parasites and took his leave of the children soon, Zorron would curb his bloodlust and not seek out recompense for the tactical defeat. Though it frustrated Zanderius to know that there were still Parasites about and there was nothing more he could do about it, he trusted that things would work themselves out in the end. After all, that was where Ryan and Éclair would come in.

Zanderius was counting on Ryan and Éclair to return to the Fire Ministry with news and evidence gathered from their misadventure in Black Star. He had already sent several telepathic messages to Saria explaining the situation. Although, he wasn’t allowed to send her the coordinates for the children’s location with Zorron watching, not that it would help if he could. It would take weeks before the Fire Ministry could get out to this world, and by then, Zorron would’ve undoubtedly sent minions of his own. Zand could’ve waited for the Fire Ministry to arrive as they established a presence in the systems under threat by Black Star, but that would take too long. Even with all the warnings Saria had raised for the last few months, the Emperor still refused to believe that a Parasite threat was imminent. Emperor Chissler, having a longstanding mistrust of Elementals, thought Saria was just trying some political ploy to gain an advantage. It didn’t help that the battle of Nirvana went so smoothly, adding to the Fire Ministry’s influence and Chissler’s hatred of Saria. Zand knew that Saria could not take the Ministry of Fire to war on his word alone since he was, in the eyes of the public, a fugitive. She would need physical evidence and witnesses to convince Chissler. After all, the Parasites had not been seen for centuries. Some in the current generation even thought of them as a myth, much like the Dark Dragon Lords. Ironic what fantasies people would fabricate for themselves to help them sleep at night.

Ryan began to stir, and Zanderius could not help but hear Éclair’s heart quicken with anticipation. This was most disconcerting to Zand, not only because of his role as her adopted father, but for the consequences that such a union would entail. There were still many aspects of Ryan’s powers that Zand had not shared. However, this too was part of Ryan’s journey, one that Zand had predicted might happen. If Ryan was to attain his full status of a Balanced Vessel, he would have to face the temptation of love. Whether Ryan’s progress continued or not depended on how things played out between them on their journey.

But not only was this dangerous for Ryan, it was perhaps even more so for Éclair. Zand could feel Éclair’s affections for Ryan growing, their bond with one another becoming stronger. There had been extremely few instances of romance developing between Children of Destiny, but none quite like this. As far as Zanderius knew, the future Balanced Vessel as well as the future Corrupted Vessel were both in love with the future Pure Vessel. And the worst part was that she was starting to develop feelings for both. It was all so ridiculous that it almost made Zanderius want to laugh.

I am meant to preserve the sanctity of life in the universe, and yet I am reduced to watching a teen melodrama unfold right before my eyes, Zand thought to himself. Solving the problems of the universe itself almost seems preferable.

As Ryan woke, he searched for Eclair frantically until he finally noticed her standing in the corner watching him just as intensely. Zand felt Ryan’s tension leave his body, but he thought he could also detect the slightest hint of disappointment from the boy at not seeing Éclair sleeping at his side yet again. Teenagers were such insecure, fragile little things. Zanderius could only pray that he possessed the wisdom to steer them down the right path before their follies cost the universe tremendously.

Ryan then looked to Zanderius. Some of the fire from last night returned to the boy’s eyes. But surprisingly, Ryan managed to compose himself. An unexpected sign of maturity on the adolescent’s part. “You’re not going to tell me what I want to know, are you?”

Zand shook his head. “Not yet, Ryan. First, you must focus on the task at hand. You must escape Black Star and return to the Ministry. There are more Parasites hiding throughout this system, and perhaps even throughout this galaxy. This was but a single colony. Their numbers will continue to swell until it is too late.”

“But what does that matter now that you’re here? You’re like omnipotent, right?”

“Please do not use that word to describe me,” said Zand. “I am not a god, nor will I ever be, or ever desire to be. I am simply here to help.”

Ryan and Éclair studied Zanderius silently, trying to grasp the meaning of his words. They were still so young. They could hardly fathom the mysteries of the universe and all its intricacies, the far greater power behind Zanderius, making him only a speck in comparison.

“Besides, my time here is coming to a close,” explained Zand in a sad tone. “Very soon now, I must leave you. I cannot tarry here much longer, lest I risk other systems paying the price for my absence.”

Éclair looked sad, but Ryan grew angry. “So that’s it! You’re just gonna leave! You killed a whole planet’s worth of those things without breaking a sweat! I bet you could deal with the other nests in no time!”

“Ryan, stop!” cried out Éclair, coming to Zand’s defense.

“It’s alright, precious one,” said Zand, subtly moving to Éclair’s side and placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Éclair looked up at him in surprise, either because he was defending Ryan’s outburst, or because he had forgotten not to move so fast when around normal people ... well, somewhat normal at least. Probably the latter as Ryan looked equally surprised as well.

Turning to Ryan, Zanderius could not help but find the boy’s earnest passions somewhat endearing. “I have already risked much just by coming here. It’s like I told you earlier. You must chart your own destiny. It won’t solve anything if I do everything for you. Though it is my duty to safeguard the universe, if there are problems that you all can deal with yourselves without my help, then you have a responsibility to do so. Otherwise, I’m just coddling you without giving you a chance to grow. But take heart, young ones. The Parasites have been dealt with in the past without my intervention, and they will be defeated again if each of you does your part.”

Ryan almost seemed offended by Zand’s response, and he wondered if he had been too harsh. But the boy quickly recovered, looking at Zand with a newfound resolve and respect. “I understand completely. Do what you have to do, Zand. We’ll take it from here.”

Zanderius smiled. He’s finally starting to understand. Instead of shrinking from my challenge, he’s going to meet it head-on. He really did inherit his father’s grit. But that tender heart of his that he keeps hidden just below the surface, that came from Brianna.

“I know you will,” said Zand, feeling encouraged by Ryan’s confidence.

Zanderius then waved a hand in the air, causing their makeshift abode of vines to return into the depths of the earth. The terrain quickly returned to that of the blackened, barren pit, though all the Parasite corpses had vanished after being disintegrated by Zand’s power. As the vines slowly retracted, Éclair and Ryan had to adjust their eyes in the morning light. It had been a while since they had stared out at the open sunlight. Even with Zanderius using his special Healing Elemency, it had taken them three days of rest to fully recover.

Ryan suddenly gasped and ran to the side of the pit. Zanderius was confused by Ryan’s strange behavior when the boy picked up a half-burnt pile of sticks that had been strewn together haphazardly with vines. It took Zanderius a few moments to realize that the sticks had been fashioned to resemble a man, if somewhat distorted and lopsided.

“I don’t believe it!” shouted Ryan at the height of jubilation. “Sticky survived!”

“Oh, dear Lord,” Zand heard Éclair mutter under her breath as she rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

It was one of those rare occasions that Zand felt completely flabbergasted. “I’m sorry, but I’m a little confused right now, and that does not happen too often.”

“It’s this stupid little doll that he made to talk to when he was recovering. Please don’t pry any further than that, or I’m going to get a migraine,” explained Éclair, seemingly equal parts annoyed and amused with a slight grin on her face.

“This is the happiest day of my freakin’ life!” persisted Ryan, still unwilling to let the joke go as he held the stickman up proudly. “He survived the Parasites and the fires! We are bearing witness to a miracle, people!”

“The only miracle is how you’ve managed to pass the Ministry’s psychological evaluations every year,” joked Éclair.

“Oh, please,” said Ryan, feigning offense. “This little guy is ten times the therapist those shrinks were. And I didn’t even have to pay him. Oh, the stimulating conversations we’ve had together would put Hannibal Lecter to shame.”

“So, you’re telling me that you actually conversed with this ... creation of yours?” asked Zanderius, somewhat disturbed by the boy’s eccentricities.

“Yeah! Haven’t you ever heard of Cast Away?” asked Ryan, citing a pop culture reference from Ancient Earth that Zanderius would not deign to think about. “Besides, how else was I supposed to stay sane with no one to talk to?”

“Excuse me,” burst out Éclair with her hands on her hips. “You had me to talk to.”

“I meant someone sophisticated,” said Ryan with a grin.

Éclair sniffed loudly, and muttered, “You don’t even know what that word means.”

“I rest my case.”

I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that they feel comfortable enough with one another to joke like this, but at least it means that they can work together almost seamlessly. In fact, they’ve already proven that they can.

“Before you leave,” started Zand. “I just remembered that there’s someone who’d like to see you off.”

As Zanderius put fingers to his lips to summon Green-Eyes with a whistle, he could hear her in his thoughts. Hauling North Star through the neutral zone’s barrier took a little longer than he thought it would.

“Speaking of leaving, how are we supposed to do that exactly without a ship?” asked Ryan. “What, are we supposed to piggyback on you or something?”

That did elicit a slight smirk from Zanderius. “No need for that. Green-Eyes will be bringing the transportation presently.”

As Zanderius spoke, dust started swirling around in a circle about a dozen meters away from the crater. Zanderius slowly made his way out of the pit to see to the landing, and Éclair and Ryan followed him. As the dust twirled until it was the size of a tornado, Ryan and Éclair instinctively backed away, but Zanderius stood his ground as the winds bellowed through his hair and his cape. Then out of the whirlpool of dust materialized a vessel of pure white crystal. It was called the North Star, a spacecraft that Zanderius had fashioned himself using Elemency. Zanderius designed the craft to look like a snowflake, giving it an oval-shaped hull and curving crests sticking out on the top and the sides in patterns reminiscent of snow. The vessel was a little larger than the average starfighter, but twice as maneuverable, and with enough firepower to rival a frigate. He had built North Star years ago as a birthday present to Éclair. It was their private toy, and they had toured Tarrus many times within its cockpit.

Éclair gasped and looked like she was ready to jump out of her skin as she ran up to the vessel with the zeal of a child. Zanderius couldn’t help but laugh merrily at his goddaughter’s reaction.

As the elegant craft came to rest on its strut-like legs while humming quietly, Éclair was beside herself with joy. “Is that what I think it is?”

“Indeed, precious one,” said Zand, laughing to himself. “It’s the North Star. One of my favorite creations, because it was inspired by you.”

“Wait. You built this ship?” asked Ryan, pointing to the vessel.

“He didn’t just build her, Ryan,” said Éclair in a voice filled with wonder. “He grew her ... with Elemency. He used ice and crystal and bonded them together using Light Elemency. To sustain his creation and make it permanent, he used a large Sun Gem as the vehicle’s power source. He made it for me on my fifth birthday and took me flying in it. It was the first time I ever flew in a starship. I haven’t seen it since the day I left the palace. She’s just as beautiful as I remember.”