Chapter 21: Invitation to War

“What the hell are we supposed to do now?!” Fischer said, panicked.

“What can we do?” Sanchez replied. “That thing’s immortal!”

The entire group was in a terror-filled frenzy. Panic and dread filled the air and their hearts. After witnessing that the clone of Ferral born from the Lucifer Hand fungus was still alive, he displayed his merciless nature by destroying Amber Village and murdering Empress Nia. Amidst the distress, Laura and Berus had to separate parts of the island to process their different grief. Cello had gone with Laura to comfort her, while Berus sulked in solitude. His mind was more filled with anger, so it was better to let him cool off.

“It’s all that monster Ferral’s fault,” Fischer scoffed, replacing his fear with resentment. “All of this is because of him.”

The rest of the group muttered in agreement. The sides of Anthony’s lips twitched, and he clenched his jaw. Anthony was torn between going to comfort Laura or staying for Armin’s order, but after hearing these comments, he chose to stay.

The young man came walking over to the others with a scowl on his face. “Hey!” He said, his voice raised. “Why don’t you guys just shut up about Ferral, okay?”

The group looked at him, upset by his words. Taylor walked right up to Anthony’s face, staring down at the young man. “Why?” Taylor asked, cocking his head. “Because it’ll upset your little crush? Grow up.”

"That's not the point,” Anthony retorted, shoving the soldier.

Barely phased by the push, Taylor snorted and shoved Anthony back, nearly knocking him over. Before a fight would potentially break out, Armin came walking back with Hudgens.

Seeing the rising conflict, Hudgens shouted, “Fucking knock it off! All of you!”

Anthony and Taylor stopped, and the group turned to face Armin and Hudgens.

Arimin took a step forward and said, “We’re going to head back to the facility in Australia to regroup and send out messages about the upcoming conflict.” His voice was still calm and composed.

Anthony turned and walked off. He wanted to go tell Laura and the other two they were heading out soon. He found Laura and Cello sitting quietly together on the roof of a collapsed building, looking out to the ocean. Anthony became hesitant to tell them, worried that now might not be a good time. He crept a little close, tilting his head to peek at Laura’s right side. She held her flute in her hands; her expression was distant, but there was a glint of anger. She clenched her right hand tighter, snapping the flute in two.

Laura turned her head and said, “You should go see how Berus is doing, Cello.”

Cello silently nodded, standing up and hopping off the building. She started walking in the direction of where Anthony was watching. Seeing her approach, for some odd reason, Anthony hid behind a pile of rubble. Once Cello was gone, Anthony slightly peeked his head out. That’s when he glanced at Armin coming over. Anthony was going to come out, but decided to stay hidden and see what the two would talk about.

Armin managed to find a path up the building. “Hey, kiddo,” He said as he walked up.

Laura looked at the doctor and said, “Hi, Uncle.” Her voice was melancholy and defeated.

“How are you doing?”

Laura lowered her gaze, darting her eyes. “I’m…fine,” she hesitantly replied.

Armin sat beside her, in the same spot as Cello, and looked out to the sea. Upon hearing her response, he snorted and said, “You don’t have to hide your feelings, Laura. Your father did the same, and it wasn’t very healthy.”

Laura slowly turned her head straight, not saying a word for a moment. She looked up and responded, “I wanna kill him.” Laura turned to look at Armin and continued, “I want to make him pay for what he’s done.”

She clenched her fists, but despite showing clear anger and ire, Laura kept herself composed.

Armin placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “I know, and we will take him down.”

Laura’s expression changed; she became more annoyed by something. “Can we?” She asked. “Can I? How can I say I want someone dead if they’re just so much stronger than me? How can I do anything if I’m never strong enough?!”

Her voice cracked, almost as if on the verge of tears. Armin could see the young woman’s distress; he brought her closer, resting Laura’s head on his shoulder.

“I know, kiddo,” Armin said, stroking Laura's head. “You’re much stronger than you think you are. Even Ferral knew you were incredible.”

“What does that even matter?” Laura muttered, agitated. “He’s lied to me all my life; how can I believe what he says now? For all I know, he could’ve said I was great because he didn’t believe in me either.”

Anthony lowered his head. He didn’t really think too much of it, but Laura and Berus must really see their father in a more negative light now. Finding out just how bad he was must have really changed their perception of the man. Anthony quietly stood up, jogging back to the group.

Armin let out a soft sigh and said, “That’s not true, Laura. But let’s not dwell on this now, okay? We’ve got to get back to the facility in Australia and come up with our next plan.”

Laura silently nodded, removing her head from Armin’s shoulder. The two got up and made their way off of the building. Meanwhile, Cello had found Berus sitting curled up against a wall. He had most of his face covered by his arms; only his eyes peeked out. They looked cold and emotionless.

“Berus,” Cello said, “are you alright?”

Berus's brow furrowed, and his eyes shifted to look at Cello. He lifted his head and asked, “What do you think?” Irritation filled the young man’s voice. Upset that she would even dare ask such a ridiculous question.

“I know what happened was terrible, and I feel the same way. You shouldn’t be like this, Berus. It couldn’t be…”

Before Cello could finish, Berus slammed his fist against the wall, causing a crater. He whipped his head to face her and snapped, “How am I supposed to feel?!”

Berus stood up and continued, “I just saw my home in flames, my mother murdered before my eyes! Before that? I find out my own father is some genocidal maniac! So tell me, Cello, how should I feel?!”

Berus looked down at Cello, huffing furiously through his nostrils, his face in a sneer. She looked away, unable to respond to his words. He shook his head and walked back to the wall.

“I’m going to kill that bastard,” Berus continued. “I’m going to rip him to pieces. Make sure there’s nothing fucking left!”

Cello finally spoke up and said, “Don’t get too worked up, Berus. You don’t want to do anything reckless and get others hurt.”

Berus turned and shook his head. “I don’t care,” He said in a dark tone. “I just want him dead.”

Cello was stunned to hear such words come out of someone like Berus. The young prince who was once the brightest joy in the village, now bruised and filthy. Whose smile never faded, now contorted in a nasty sneer covered by darkness. It was almost like staring at an entirely different person.

Before she could say anything more, she turned her head when she heard Laura and Armin walking over.

“Come on!” Armin called out. “Let’s get going!”

Without saying a word, Berus walked towards them. Laura was going to say something, but Berus swiftly moved past her without breaking stride.

Laura turned back to see her brother continue storming off. “Berus,” She called out to him, but that didn’t stop the prince. She looked back at Cello and asked, “What happened?”

Cello let out an exasperated sigh and said, “I’ll tell you about it on the way.”

The three made their way to join the rest of the group inside the helicopter. It took off, heading back to the facility they left from. The fly home was dead silent, the air was heavy with negative emotions. Suddenly, Armin’s tablet began dinged again. Multiple dings went off all at once, Armin was taken aback. He quickly reached into his bag, pulling out the tablet while the dings kept doing. He opened it, and jumped back startled, nearly dropping the device. On the screen was the sinister smile of the clone.

“Humans and experiments of the world!” The clone said loud and clear. “You are all being sent this message, so listen closely!”

All around the world, in each of the empires and human settlements, drones hovered above them, speakers letting the clone’s voice be heard. Only Armin and the rest of the group were able to see the villain’s face.

The clone continued, “I’m sure some of you have heard or even seen the deaths of a few of your leaders. Ha ha ha ha, that was me. But, don’t fret, you all will meet your end just the same. I suppose an introduction is required before we continue. I am this world’s end. Born by conflict, given the face of history’s greatest villain, and bequeathed the power to wipe away all life without remorse. I am an immortal god of death. I am death! I. Am. Mortem!

“Ha ha, now that introductions are over, back to the topic at hand. I will give you all one final feeble attempt to stop the inevitable doomsday of your repulsive living. Bring as big of an army as you, bring all life on earth for all I care! I will be waiting at cordinates 39.9168° N, 116.3972° E. Please do not make me wait, my patience can wear thin. Consider this a declaration of war. For those who choose to cower, so be it, I will hunt you down with great delight. Simple enough? Good.”

Mortem laughed loudly before crushing the drone that the group was watching. The entire world was brought into a panic, one on seen since the massacre brought by Ferral. Humans and experiments alike were all in turmoil. The group was shaken to their core, they were never going to beat him by themselves. He has declared war on all life on the planet.