Chapter 12 (The cocoons)

“Zeya, have ye awakened?”

Zeya observed the person before him. It was not an alien as guessed. He wore the robe precisely and had a hair knot wrapped with beads, just like ordinary ascetics. His face had aged. His beard, mustaches, and hair were white. Slender was his body. Strong were his arms in contrast. His tone was stable and calm. If this monk bagged for alms, nobody could resist but donate.

Knowing it was U Agga, Zeya used all his might to get up and fight. But the chains bounded him, and the wall of electromagnetic waves stopped him. Still, he struggled.

“I understand that the chains could not hold thee for long. But, thou art weak now. The magicians from Shambella had attacked thee. Consider that,”

U Agga’s voice was steady and worth the respect. Zeya was disheartened by knowing the identity of his attackers. Perhaps the old man is lying to him, he thought.

“Here, thou are in the prime of age, having the indescribable power. Why are ye caring about these people? Use thy power and build thy reign upon them,”

“Shut thy mouth up, ye fibber. I am not the one thou could tempt. Never shall I enslave others for my own,”

“Thou can define the term ‘enslaving’ as ye wish. When thou art an elephant, will thou care about the ants? Will thou avoid stepping them? It is nature that makes the stronger the winner. Thou does not understand this basic,”

“You want me, right? U Agga, Ye will never get,” Upon saying this, Zeya tried using his psychic power to get control over U Agga. But it was in vain.

After Zeya’s failed attempt, U Agga began laughing menacingly without caring about his composure. He was as if he were maddened. Only then, his sweetened mask finally fell.

“Zeya, ye will understand. I need ye not. Ye will need me,” he said harshly and moved in front of him. Zeya couldn’t understand his saying. All he worried was about Saw Nan Mon, Shin Ye Htut, and the residents of the twenty-village alliance. Where were they? Were they captured by U Agga, also? Who were those magicians? Such questions confused his mind, increasing his dizziness. But slowly, he calmed himself down a bit and tried to get a way out of the cage.

The wall of electromagnetic waves was surely powerful but still, there must be a source, a transmitter. Where can it be? He observed the surroundings and could find no source. However, he noticed the metallic pipes embedded inside the walls. They might be the source, he guessed. Zeya used all his might to control them. Yet, he was still too weak to use psychic power.

Zeya concentrated more and focused all his might on one metallic pipe. His hands were still shaking.

“Bang!” The metallic pipe burst out and Zeya was delighted for he thought he could use his power. However, upon seeing a snake, he realized it was the work of Saw Nan Mon. Anyway, he was relieved to know that she was safe. Lady Saw Nan Mon turned into her human form from a snake and went near him.
“Oh, my brother, you are still weak,” she muttered and cut a binding chain with her swords. To show he was not, Zeya broke the other by himself.
“Ma Saw, where’s Shin Ye Htut and the other?” he asked and noticed a slight change in Saw Nan Mon’s face. Her expression turned dreary. Not answering, she said, “Now, your escape is important,” and instructed to follow her. Zeya felt dissatisfied with her facial expression. In his mind, he was worried.

The so-called monastery of U Agga was built like a labyrinth with rooms in different sections connected by hallways. Every wall was metallic. All rooms had installed air-conditioning systems, defying the high temperature of Upper Burma. There was also a lighting system attached to each ceiling. The lighting made a bluish glow, giving a crisp feeling. It was, overall, a modern design that reminded Zeya of the spaceship interiors. The duo seemed to be in an underground layer of the base. Zeya, at first, thought of breaking the walls. But since they were metallic and layered, it would take both time and effort, as well as attract attention.

As soon as he got to the adjacent room he asked,
“Ma Saw, is the others’ situation so bad? so unspeakable for ye?”

She was speechless, gesturing, “Don’t ye wanna know,” But Zeya could bear no longer. As they arrived in a hallway, he stopped and spoke,

“I won’t move a step unless ye tell me what had happened to the others,”
Lady Saw Nan Mon looked at him with widened eyes and began weeping. Her weeps caused him to worry more.

“The… The magicians of Shamballa had taken the young men!” she said and began wiping her tears.
By then, Zeya had believed that the Shamballa worked for U Agga. Perhaps, as these were true, the young men would still be in the lier of U Agga, he guessed. In other words, they might even be in the same building as him.

“Now, it is an urgent matter of saving you immediately. U Agga want ye,” she said.

“Um…” “Ah….” “Helppp…”

Just then, an unsettling mourning emerged from one of the adjacent rooms. A miserable mourning, a plea of a youth. It was as if a lament of a ghost. Being low pitch yet uncanny, it indicated the suffering and the lack of energy of the mourner. It insinuated to all ears the pain he suffered. It sank all hearts of sympathy.

Being moved by passion, the duo entered the room the sound came. Upon entering, the scenery astonished them and stunned them for a while. The room was a decent hall with layers of cocoon-like metallic coffins inside. They were erected, arranged in rows, and also stacked on one another. Those coffins resemble the cocoons of moths and stood longer than an average person. There was a network of wires connected to each cocoon. The hall-room was kept at a temperature lower than the others. Hence the duo felt a sudden chill upon entering. The cocoons were cold to the touch also. There was the smell of sterile antiseptic in the air. The hall was also darker than the others, having only greenish-dim lights hanging from the ceilings. It was a hall that gave everyone a chill down their spine.

As the mourning came from a cocoon, the duo opened the adjacent ones.

“Bomp,” “Bump,”

Inside the cocoon, appeared young men from the ages of thirteen to thirty. Zeya recognized them as residents of the twenty-village alliance. They were weakened, pale, and frail, having only fabric of clothes on their bodies. Metallic parts were attached and injected into their hands, chest, abdomen, and legs. In other words, they were slowly being transformed into cyborgs. Weakened by the transformation procedures, they could barely walk or stand on their own. They collapsed as soon as their cocoons were opened. All of them were high in body temperature.

Zeya and Saw Nan Mon opened all the cocoons, hoping to find Shin Ye Htut. Zeya used his strength, and Saw Nan Mon used her magic and mantras. The mantras (Spells) worked quickly, but Shin Ye Htut couldn’t be found.

Through the security camera, U Agga watched their behavior while grinning.
“This boy still does not understand his might. Still unescaped from the bounds,” he remarked.

Although the search for Shin Ye Htut had failed, the duo couldn’t leave the miserable young men in this situation. Zeya recounted how Saw Nan Mon used a magic circle to transport him and Shin Ye Htut to the hall of weizzas. He pleaded with her to use it again. Saw Nan Mon had never drawn a gigantic circle for a crowd of people. Still, she tried her best by scratching the metallic with her sword. Zeya had to unite the weak ones at the center.

But the plan was in vain as the sound of metallic staps approached nearby. The phantom robots that Zeya once encountered marched inside the room, along with a legion of cyborgs. Thus, the fight began.