Kid Miracle

“Sir, you have an incoming call,” buzzed a voice from the EYE.

Iscarius sat on an old bench under a skylight, the light rays above him highlighted every spec of dust that floated in the air. His teeth were gritted as he tended to his wounds, Surazal did not go down without a fight. The slices across his body from the fanged wings left deep cuts, his only choice to use his orchid resonance to seal the wounds until time could properly heal them.

Although, this required a significant amount of energy. Energy he did not have to deal with the incoming call.

I feel like passing out, he thought. Damn it. Let’s get this over with so I can rest, if he lets me.

“Go ahead,” he groaned in half pain and half annoyance. He was dreading the response of his failed mission.

A screen lit up in the empty space in front of him, existing out of nowhere, with a darkened figure centered in its frame. Before the figure had a chance to speak, Iscarius spoke up.

“My Lord, I am sorry. I have failed you. The other two have been dealt with as you wished, but the boy…he got away. I was distracted, and he had a chance to flee. I will accept any punishment you deem fit,” Iscarius softly said, dropping to one knee and bowing his head.

Any punishment, just not the deprivation chamber. Anything but tha-

The figure on the screen interrupted his thoughts, and Iscarius thought he could almost sense a smile creeping across his shadowed face, as the voice slithered. “Failed me? You have succeeded exactly as I had hoped.”

Iscarius raised his head, shocked by the response. “But the boy, you asked me to rid this city of him as well.”

“Well of course Iscarius, I did not want you to hold back. Your bloodlust is far more vicious when you believe there should be no survivors, and it was crucial for Lain and Surazal to be removed. But that boy,” he said those last words with disgust, “is far more than he seems. I had planned for him to flee, accounted for his every move. He is exactly where I want him to be. This is not a game of snakes and ladders, Iscarius, this is a game of chess. And I am all the pieces. You have done well for now.”

Iscarius was grateful he was spared a tormentful night. “Thank you, my Lord. I am at your service should you require anything else.

The figure on the screen paused, but the slithering voice returned all the same.

“I must wait my turn before I can move my next piece, the dust needs to finish settling. But you will receive your next instructions soon enough, and I am sure you will once again be able to complete them.”

The screen flickered off and disappeared, the room returned to dim darkness. Iscarius breathed a sigh of relief, even after all this time his heart still pounded through his chest when they spoke.

What did I miss about that boy? Was there really something there, something worth…waiting for?

Iscarius didn’t move from the bench and tried to mediate on these thoughts while his wounds continued to heal, biding his time until the King announced his orders.

***

“I can’t listen to this, I need to go make some calls,” Umbra said, holding her voice back from cracking. Stepping out of the room, she slammed the door behind her with more force than she intended.

Lucius and Ultra remained in the room, sat right across the desk from one another. Lucius dared not speak first, waiting for Ultra to set the tone of conversation.

“This is troubling news for my sister, and myself. Lain and Surazal were close friends. I am not sure how much you have been told, but we…had the same goals,” Ultra calmly said, the last part twinkling in his eye like a star in the void of space.

“I…I want to help. They both told me a bit. About what this place looked like before the Amber King. But I think I’ll just be more of a burden to you. I won’t sit back and let more people die because of me.” Lucius looked down at the floor, holding back his tears for now.

Ultra got up from his seat and walked around the desk, pacing back and forth in thought.

“The four of us grew up together, we have seen many ages of this city evolve and deform. Lain always spoke about this dream that she had, that one day she wanted a massive garden, overflowing like a sea of green over rolling hills and beautiful scenery. Surazal as well, for as quiet as he was, wanted a family that could grow up without fears for the future, to live a quiet, peaceful life. They both fought for their dreams, they were driven to pursue it, so driven, they were willing to risk everything for its sake.”

Lucius felt Ultra’s teal eyes narrow in on him with focus, like a beam of pure energy.

“Tell me Lucius, what is your dream?”

Dream? What does he mean, what’s my dream? Lucius thought.

“I…don’t have a dream, not anymore. All that matters to me is ensuring their deaths weren’t in vain. I owe them that much.”

A faint green glow swiftly emitted in the room, but maybe it was just a trick of the light.

“Then this,” Ultra pointed to the drawing. “What is this to you?”

“That tree is why I’m here, why I’m stuck in this world. I need to find it. But not until I avenge Lain and Surazal, their sacrifices need to be made worth something first.”

Ultra’s interest was now piqued even more than before, realizing just how little Lucius really knew.

“It seems your problems are two sides of the same coin. This tree, this was also the focus of my friend’s goals. Their attempts at new life, at a new beginning, it all revolved around this,” Ultra said, his pointed finger pressing down hard onto the sketched trunk, the faint streak of Lain’s blood still smeared across the charcoal.

Lucius lifted his head and turned to face Ultra.

“So you really know where this is? Then let’s go, you need to take me there!”

Ultra frowned at the boy’s excitement, regretting the fact that he was the one tasked with the explanation.

“Allow me to tell you a story, Lucius, one that not many people have ever heard.”

He view was focused down on the dance floor, as he continued.

“A long time ago, long before any of us existed, there was a tree. It was the original, the only life. But after ages of being in solitary, it grew lonely. It desperately wished for companions, and so it granted its own wish. Foliage, moss, vines and grass began to sprout up and cover the rough, cold, earth. This pleased the tree, finally some company. But the plants were not enough, they weren’t able to move freely, they couldn’t speak, and the tree longed for more.

“So the tree tried again, this time creating animals. Birds, foxes, sheep, and deer, all scattered across the lands. Finally, the tree thought, he could have some real friends. But the animals couldn’t speak either. They all got along well and a beautiful paradise was created, but the tree still longed for personal interaction. So the tree summoned all its energy, all its resonance, and it gave it one more attempt.

“There, out of the grass, it grew a single man. The tree was delighted, finally he could have one true friend, and friends they were. They spent hours playing and having discussions, surrounded by beautiful wildlife and greenery. The tree was happy.”

Ultra turned away from the window, pacing back to lean against the desk.

“But eventually, the man turned to the tree and told him that he too felt lonely, that he wanted someone like himself. The tree understood the man’s pain, and so it reached inside him and took a piece of his heart, from it growing the first woman. The two were able to give the tree more and more friends, and the land began to develop and nurture from their descendant’s touch. The tree was pleased. All was well, for a long time, all was right with the world.

“Until one day, in a flash of lightning that scorched the ground, a little boy crawled out from a smoldering ditch, wiping the tears from his eyes. The people were confused, but immediately accepted the boy as one of their own, welcoming him into their home. He was surrounded by love and care, a witness to the beauty of the lands.

“But that wasn’t enough for the boy. While everyone was gathered in celebration, he climbed up the hill towards the old tree, and stood in its presence under the blossoming leaves. The boy guided his hand along the smooth bark, running his fingers through the indented grooves. With his hand pointed at the center of the trunk, he used all his might, all his anger, all his rage, and he pushed in, slicing a diagonal gash right across the tree. A cry shrieked throughout the skies, alerting all the people celebrating down below. But it was too late.

“Red immanence began to spill out from the gash, blood flowed down and pooled on the green ground. The boy’s eyes burned brightly with an amber hue, his whole body wrapped in a blinding glow of flickering flames. He soared up into the sky, and rained down chaos on the people below. When he was satisfied with his destruction, with a snap of his fingers a palace emerged from the ground on the tree’s hill, its dark aura brooding over the delicate land. The tree was surrounded, barricaded by walls that cackled with glee. The boy’s reign was only beginning, but the tree, the tree continued to bleed.”

Ultra once again stood up and began pacing, as Lucius remained seated but motionless, unsure how to react from the story he was just told.

“That story…it’s really true?” Lucius asked, not sure which answer he would have preferred to hear.

Ultra’s blue eyes glowed intensely. He halted and turned back towards the seated boy, with a grave expression on his face.

“Lucius, there may be something we can do.”