Joaquim sunk into the levitating peach couch. Half of it was due to how comfy it was compared to anything he laid on in No Man's Land, and the other half was due to despair.
"Hey Joaquim?" Iker asked.
Joaquim glanced up at Iker.
"Is Gabe coming back?" Iker asked. "Did he go to the barracks? I'll need to send a message for them to let him in."
Joaquim did not respond, he stared forward towards the circular window that wrapped around the home.
"Alright I'll send a message. And I do have to annoy you about one more thing.. sorry," Iker said. "I also grew up in No Man's Land so I know how it is, but you're leaving stains on my couch. Can I please get you to take a shower and put on a new set of clothes? What did you want to eat?"
"Yea I'll clean myself up," Joaquim said. "I also want a Harlynx poutine."
"Wow, look at you, already wanting an Ember Tree specialty," Iker said.
Joaquim forced himself to get up from the couch, trying to shake off the heaviness that weighed on his heart. He appreciated Iker's concern and understanding, but he wasn't ready to open up just yet. The pain of Gabe's departure and the struggle with his own identity felt too raw, too vulnerable to share with someone he had just met.
Heading to the bathroom, Joaquim turned on the shower and let the warm water wash over him. The sound of the running water provided a temporary distraction from his thoughts. He took his time, letting the droplets cascade over him.
"Joaquim?" a voice asked from the hallway.
What was his name again? Joaquim asked himself. Iker... Lucia...
"Hey Noah!" Joaquim answered. "Sorry I almost forgot your name."
"It's alright. However, it is essential that you remember my name if you wish to issue commands," Noah said. "Iker has allowed me to answer your call from anywhere in Ember Tree City."
Joaquim raised an eyebrow. "Okay sounds good."
"Iker has asked me specifically to ask you for any products you may need for your hair or skin," Noah said. "Iker said he is sure you'll need additional products."
Iker was right. All the products in the bathroom were either for sensitive skin or for Lucia. It would be nice to have a much more hydrating lotion and something for his 4C hair once it was longer. With all the sensitive products Iker had, it seemed as if he adopted his skin conditions from his half Italian side rather than his half Puerto Rican side. Two other countries that no longer existed.
It was also a curiosity as to how Iker thought about all this. He must have had a lot of black friends growing up or something, Joaquim thought.
"Sorry if it came off as nosy," Iker yelled from further down the hallway. "My cousin has a similar complexion to yours."
"I'm really grateful!" Joaquim yelled. "You have no idea how welcome you're all making me feel."
"I did come up to ask you something though. I wouldn't want to assume anything," Iker said. "You want boy clothes right? What kind of wardrobe do you want? Noah can get you a wardrobe based on a prompt, then you can print out additional pieces or recycle clothes you don't like."
"Drip that looks effortless," Joaquim said. "Nothing red."
"People still say drip in No Man's Land?" Iker asked.
"No, I just wanted to use a word someone older would understand," Joaquim said with a small smile.
"I'm not that old you little shit."
Joaquim chuckled.
There was only darkness when Joaquim woke up [https://img.wattpad.com/e2866b0f9fa7f97eb372f007fed39734f1195080/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5a6531525339495066656c474a413d3d2d313336363837353337322e313737356165613234616636616632343635353533333735323837322e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
There was only darkness when Joaquim woke up.
Joaquim clapped his hands once, and the lights inside his bedroom lit up. Nothing inside was remarkable; it was as if Iker and Noah wanted him to decorate it the way he wants to. The walls and sheets were blue and there was a big walk-in closet. The bed was bigger than anything he had slept on in the past, but he did not know the name of the size.
He was sure it was the first time he had a good night's sleep.
Or a day's sleep.
Did he sleep through the day and night? He glanced at the red hologram on his steel nightstand.
9:30P.M.
Joaquim ran downstairs.
"I had a feeling you'd wake up soon," Iker said.
Holographic yellow spheres from the earthplexus lit up the living room while Iker and Lucia sat together on the sofa.
"Were you two waiting or something?" Joaquim asked.
"I was," Iker said. "I was busy setting up your doctor's appointment just so she can give you a check up. I offered it to Gabe as well. I was also dealing with Wexil giving me shit for letting Gabe walk there on his own. Wexil should live in a sundown town instead of living here."
"Is he okay?" Joaquim asked.
"Yea, but I realized due to my scheduling I need to do the 2 platoon test for you two sooner than I thought," Iker said. "Maverick will be training Gabe. I thought he'd be too busy as until recently only humans could run for the World Elections."
"Maverick is an arak?" Joaquim asked.
"Nope, he's a talking lion," Iker said.
"He's embarassing," Lucia said. "He even wears tailored suits to be more... presentable."
"Oh I know of him, is he still in 3 platoon?" Joaquim asked.
"He would have needed to quit being in the army to become the Harlynx platform's chief," Iker said. "They are like district chiefs in No Man's Land if they manage to not be killed by the Byza gang or Prophet Ameen, but that's besides the point."
Iker got up and walked closer to the hothouse with the square vegetables. "Come with me."
Inside the hothouse and down a secret set of stairs was Iker's lair inside the platform [https://img.wattpad.com/959725d493729301d7a48794534a8f246ec31180/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4e6c646d4b5861795461527a42513d3d2d313336363837353337322e313737356166306637346334643033313230303337323534353739332e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Inside the hothouse and down a secret set of stairs was Iker's lair inside the platform. Joaquim's mouth gaped as he saw different versions of Noah's body at different stages of repair, and the hundreds of earthplexus interfaces running scripts or displaying information.
"I knew it," Joaquim said, staring directly at one of Noah's prototypes.
"I never tried to hide it," Iker said.
"Are you going to tell me why you took me down here?" Joaquim asked.
"You haven't figured it out?" Iker asked. "Well, part of it is because I sent a request to Ember Comsa to allow our platform to fly around for a city tour, so I didn't want to sit upstairs waiting."
That sentence gave Joaquim an emotional whiplash. There was the excitement of the tour, but there was the mention of a name he would be happy never hearing again.
"Now that you mention it," Joaquim said. "You said that Maverick was traini-"
When they entered an underground room that resembled a dojo, Iker tried to land a hit on Joaquim's face. Joaquim was able to block it successfully; Iker did not put any influx into the attack and he slowed down before the hit would have done any damage.
"That was my first test to join 2 platoon," Iker said, his hoodie settling in after his sudden movement. "This will be the first and last time I do anything like that. I need my soldiers to be able to have sufficient reaction time."
2 platoon, the third strongest platoon after 0 and 1 platoon under Ember Tree Incorporated. All funded by Ember Comsa. Joaquim knew joining would not be easy. Ever since Iker became its commander it has failed every new cadet. Only supersoldiers that were already in another platoon were able to join.
"So wait, you'll be like my sensei then?" Joaquim asked. "Like Kakashi!"
"How do you know these old references?" Iker asked. "My favorite century in history is the 21st century. I annoy a lot of people with how much I reference it."
"Common, you grew up in No Man's Land," Joaquim groaned.
"Ah, the earthplexus veins," Iker said. "If there was a pocket that wasn't too strong, you could still get an older anime or movie to stream as lower quality versions would be available."
"Yea. I was against classics for a long time, but Gabe kept encouraging me as we would have more to watch in No Man's Land," Joaquim said. "Luckily I got used to the lower quality and was able to watch them."
"I don't look like Kakashi though," Iker said.
Joaquim shrugged. "You have the same 'no flying fucks to give' vibe he has though."
Iker took a few steps back, corrected his posture, and stood still while closing his eyes. He focused his influx across his body, which made his muscles ripple and his clothes dance as if a sentient wind was flowing through him.
"I do have a TEIS unit, but I think it'll limit your growth," Iker said. "It's also the reason why the world became more comfortable with child soldiers as it only works during puberty. Rarely does it work between the ages of 18 and 25. Thank you so much TEIS unit for regressing children's rights. We highly appreciate it."
"What will we do instead?" Joaquim asked.
"I'll keep passing along my own influx throughout your body," Iker explained. "I want you to imagine yourself catching it with your nervous system. As influx is receptive to our imagination, I'll explain to you what it is while we do this training. By the time I finish explaining it, you'll tap into Kaya form."
"Kaya form?" Joaquim asked.
"Yes Kaya form; the ability to control the influx in your body. The manifestation of your mind when you're in survival mode or fight or fly mode," Iker said. "Everyone can achieve super strength, speed, perception, and super durability with this form, but not everyone can carry it on to Anagami form. During the cyberpunk age this state had no name and was assumed to be the only abilities a supersoldier could achieve."
Iker grabbed Joaquim's hand, and Iker's influx jolted him out of his grogginess.
"Anagami form. It was determined from birth that it was a form I could never achieve," Iker said. "The ability to control influx outside of your body. A manifestation of your inner child."
"Wait," Joaquim said. He did try to catch Iker's influx that was released into him but nothing happened. "So this is all determined by genetics right? I thought the only way to awaken it is if you have the genes required and a TEIS unit, but here you are using a natural method."
"I think some of it is," Iker said. "I awakened it on my own with no interaction from another supersoldier."
"How?" Joaquim asked.
"Frankly, I am not comfortable talking about that day to you yet," Iker said. "I know you're keeping secrets from me too."
Those last words made Joaquim's chest tighten. He failed multiple times already to catch any influx Iker released.
"So maybe you can still tap into Anagami form one day? Maybe the people who told you otherwise were wrong?" Joaquim wondered.
"I have tried everything," Iker murmured.
"I'm piecing it together already," Joaquim said. "If all you used up to this point was martial arts, super strength, and drones while fighting with only Kaya form, then all the other special abilities at least require Anagami form to use influx in other locations. Teleportation, esper abilities, fireballs, lightning bolts."
"Bingo," Iker said. "This was the real reason I didn't mind having you under my wing; I could tell you were incredibly smart since the first time I met you."
"What is influx anyway?" Joaquim asked, preparing himself for the next wave of influx.
"And this is how you show that you're still 14 years old," Iker said with a grin. "That should have been the first question you asked me instead of failing again."
Iker was right once again. Iker's last release already left Joaquim's nervous system.
"You know about Imogen right?" Iker asked.
"She was the strongest supersoldier that has ever lived," Joaquim said.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
"It's highly probable Ameen and Ember already surpassed her," Iker said.
"True," Joaquim agreed. "When the world pretty much fired every nuke, Imogen, using a power system that was completely different from influx, wished that nuclear weapons could no longer work. Imogen and Ameen were struck by a nuke while mounted on crosses, but the rest of the world saw nukes unleash a beautiful petal storm, like the petal and plant powers Imogen had."
"And chemistry, physics, and biology had to be reassessed, and the abilities supersoldiers used to have, which they referred to as 'magical abilities' no longer worked," Iker said. "Instead, something replaced radiation altogether. Scientists from India, Russia and Iceland came together to go to Chernobyl to find radiation that would heal DNA code and cancer cells, and this 'radiation' would instead be called..."
"Influx," Joaquim said, awakening his own.
Joaquim, Noah, and Iker went through the hothouse and climbed the spiral stairs that wrapped the almost-diamond-shaped building in the center [https://img.wattpad.com/f2ac997eb1e4f9744444a858b4a42d8901542833/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f526e6731327667456b52467968513d3d2d313336363837353337322e313737356230363934383461666232373431333330313833343334302e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
Joaquim, Noah, and Iker went through the hothouse and climbed the spiral stairs that wrapped the almost-diamond-shaped building in the center. When they arrived at the top, Joaquim spotted the telescope on the patio.
"May I use the telescope?" Joaquim asked.
"Not now. Please feel free to come here on your own when you want to," Iker said. "I would suggest using the telescope another night though. I don't think you want to miss the views of the city while my platform is moving. Uhm, is that why you joined the army?"
Joaquim raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to ask?"
"Did you join the army to explore the cosmos?" Iker asked. "Some people join the army in hopes of joining zero platoon. I have seen you smile earlier, but since you looked at that telescope, it was the first time I have seen you be genuinely excited about something."
"To be honest, since I was a little kid I wanted to explore the unknown in space," Joaquim said. "It's against my religion though."
Iker shrugged. "You sure? Maybe you're interpreting the passage wrong?"
"I don't think I am," Joaquim said.
"Well, there are different denominations in the Alkrezian religion that disagree with your interpretation," Iker said.
The platform moved closer to the top of the anti-influx bubble that ensphered the city, and then descended.
Ember Tree City had two massive platforms that resembled natural environments, and they were at the highest point inside the anti-influx bubble to provide a grand free sky instead of a sky cluttered with buildings. One was a taiga with a snow resort and a small mountain, and the second one had a rainforest, a small desert, and a beach.
"See that platform with the snow?" Iker asked while pointing at it. "That's where your 2 platoon test will be. I'll decide then if you'll be my cadet or not."
Skyscrapers loomed over the patio. Ember Tree Finance's main headquarters was first with its earthplexus towers, yellow steel frame, and windows made of black glass. The towers contrasted the intricate glass building with its archaic structures and runic designs. It let out faint bursts of sulfur yellow lights.
"Most of your first blue missions will be in there," Iker said. "You'll learn to channel influx into the earthplexus and the platforms. The towers you are seeing are basically computers that manage electricity and influx, and their main job is to chain the influx with electrons to create multiple leylines. Some earthplexus servers are housed in them as well. The influx waves give instructions to the matter and energy in the air to do stuff; it's not the influx itself that powers it all. It can tap into the unused energy that is all around us."
The platform descended lower until Sentienica's headquarters was next to loom over them, a skinnier skyscraper than Ember Tree Finance's.
"Aren't these both owned by Ember Comsa?" Joaquim asked reluctantly.
"Yup, the tallest skyscrapers in the city are owned by her," Iker said.
Sentienica was the company Ember started herself to invent and create all her AI and police robots, while Ember Tree Finance was a company her father started back in the 21st century. It was passed on to her after her father passed away.
On the right of Joaquim, the New Libertarian Electoral Headquarters also appeared, shorter than the other two skyscrapers but stubbier. Joaquim read that Ember had been its primary donor over the century, and now plans to run as a candidate for the World Elections of 2194.
"It can't be a coincidence all the tallest buildings are hers," Joaquim said. "I would guess she was the one running this city behind the scenes."
"I would say so, but it's up in the air with the Party of Love winning most of the platform seats during midterms," Iker said. "There hasn't been any form of government for the past century, so people are skeptical as to how much power this new one has. We'll either see it fail, or we'll see new nations rise ever since they all disappeared towards the end of the 21st century."
After rows of windows, the New Libertarian Party's symbol appeared, a house cat in the American colors of red, white, and blue. It was once a porcupine, but the party transformed when Ember's father became a donor. He reinvented the party, got politicians, araks, and wealthy humans on board to make it easier for third parties to win, and changed the party's symbol as the first step to improve the party's public image. There were multiple jokes that mentioned libertarians being like cats in the past, and the reinvented party embraced it. The philosophy to embrace humor became an encompassing one, and they won the final American election. They disassembled the national government over time.
On Joaquim's right, Ember's supersoldier company Infamogen rose, its building made of caramel-colored steel. The rest of the skyscrapers on the financial platform appeared in the patio's view. None of the businesses in the view sold anything that would compete with Ember's conglomerate.
A mystical drowsiness overtook Joaquim.
"Where's the Party of Love's headquarters? And who leads it?" Joaquim asked. He just slept, but something was wrong. He almost slurred his words.
"They are on the Harlynx platform," Iker said. "Talking animals and new supersoldiers that don't make enough r0cbytes live there."
Another rush of drowsiness hit Joaquim. Not only did he sleep for more than ten hours earlier, but he was used to relying on naps in No Man's Land. He could will his tiredness away in the past, but this sudden trance made him teeter.
"I think I am going to bed now," Joaquim said. Darkness covered his eyes, then he forced his eyes open to find the floor ahead of him. He slammed his right foot into the patio to catch himself from falling.
"Uhm, what would you be up to?" Iker asked.
"No, I am actually really tired. I don't know why," Joaquim said.
"Are you okay?" Iker asked.
"I am seeing genuine signs of lethargy," Noah said.
"Joaquim?" Iker asked.
Joaquim stumbled down the stairs. He tripped on the last step as his vision faded to darkness, seeing glimpses of the prickly hothouse's fake grass. He heard his name being called, going from yelling to distant echos.
He heard his name being called, going from yelling to distant echos [https://img.wattpad.com/d57066c66ffc951102c718d2e212e11bf20132b2/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f7249706569716f6e48676c345a413d3d2d313336363837353337322e313737356230373938616561623136383932333830343433313635382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
A dense heat awoke Joaquim. His body felt as if it doubled in weight as he tried to push himself up. A light breeze brushed his eye lashes, and he spun himself to sit on his rear. White skies filled with angels were above him, but the familiar smell of mortar and pollution filled his lungs. Joaquim almost coughed from the stark difference it had from the air in Ember Tree city. He looked to the distant right to see a massive statue of Prophet Ameen, raising his hands as if he were holding up the sky. Crawling on his behind, he moved away from the statue while burying his hands deeper into the rough sand beneath him.
Around him, crosses were erected, sometimes glitching into looking like power lines. Some would glitch so fast that it looked as if some of the crosses were made of power line components. Sometimes they would appear in uniform lines, and at other times they blinked at random locations.
An instant sandstorm manifested over Joaquim. When he could glimpse past the arm he was using to cover his eyes, he could see a row of human heads being dragged across face first into the sand. When he focused long enough he could hear faint but agonizing screams.
"Joaquim 'Godbane' Wami," a voice said. Joaquim stood on his feet and turned around to see an ethereal blonde man.
"How do you know my name?" Joaquim asked.
"Look at yourself. Go to the water," the man said.
Past a row of roofless homes that spawned, a tired oasis was a few meters away from Joaquim. He ran past the palm tree that was holding on to its last leaf, got on his knees, and looked at his reflection in the water. In his reflection, he saw a wider jaw, buzzed hair, and broader shoulders. The euphoria he experienced was even greater than the first time he let Ember Tree City oxygen into his lungs.
"You look even more heroic in person Godbane," the man said, levitating above Joaquim.
"Godbane?" Joaquim asked.
"It is the name the enemy will give you, like Iker Trickster Felix," the man said. "I have been reborn for the upteemth time to prevent the worst outcome imaginable for beingkind. I must be strategic with the information I reveal so please avoid asking me questions. I will give you what you need but not what you want."
Joaquim nodded, reminding himself to stay silent.
"Joaquim, you must understand that this is no mere dream," the man said. "This is Ameen's influx ability named 'Secret of the 9th Circle: Dream Convergence.' Whoever has been given an angel seed by Ameen can be forced to sleep, and they will be able to meet and communicate in the 9th circle."
"So if we were to betray him, we would need to remove the seeds first, or he could put us to a permanent sleep," Joaquim said.
"Yes exactly," the man said. While in midair he turned to glance at the human heads being tortured. "The first nations he went after were Israel and Palestine. He appeared where many of their leaders and diplomats were gathered and gave them an order. The order was to give up their worldly obsession with their nations, and let him rule over them as part of New Earth. If they decided to go against him, they will be punished for eternity by staring at a border literally. Literally in the sense that their eyes will be forced open while outlining borders on a desert. He did not care to make any distinctions between Israelites and Palestinians, Jewish or Muslim, or neither. Even tourists who were nearby are trapped here until this day."
Joaquin frowned as he watched the unimaginable suffering in front of him.
"This ability takes place in a pocket dimension that exists somewhere in the multiverse, and the strange visions you are seeing is due to your subconscious traveling through space and time," the man said.
The sandstorm, the oasis, and the tortured humans vanished, and instead Joaquim was all alone with the ethereal man in a field of mechanical crosses.
"Joaquim, you must be steadfast when he arrives," the man said. "Nothing good will come from you continuing to repress yourself. You must do it for me. For you. For Gabriel. For all the beings Ameen is torturing. This is all you need to remember. He is coming closer, and his power is too strong for me to continue intervening like this."
An ominous black smoke consumed the horizon. As the black smoke glitched, Joaquim could see a mushroom cloud, a burning apartment building, and an inflamed flying city in a crash course towards the ground.
As soon as the smoke manifested, the ethereal man began to break down into sparks.
"Joaquim 'Godbane' Wami. Protector of the innocent, punisher of the harmful and complacent," slipped his lips before he vanished.
There was no mistaking the glint of light in the middle of the towering black smoke. The same glint of light Joaquim saw at the funeral.
Prophet Ameen was descending down towards Joaquim like a levitating saucer.
"Naomi, is that you?" a voice asked.
"Who's that?" Joaquim asked.
"It's me, Camilo, the shapeshifter," Camilo said. "In this reality marble, you'll appear as your true self. You can't see me?"
Joaquim did not want to say it out loud, but Camilo appeared as nothing. His voice was right beside Joaquim, but there was no body that hosted it.
"You need to change back, dumbass."
Even though it sounded like he was using a voice changer, that was obviously Farouq. Joaquim turned back to see that he had his eyes back, but he hid himself inside a giant hoodie.
"So this is who you are? Someone who hides their voice and face?" Joaquim asked.
"You can willingly change your appearance here dumbfuck," Farouq said. "I got punished because you were stupid enough to fall for my prank. Don't believe everything I say next time."
"That assumes I ever believed anything you say," Joaquim said.
"You have gotten much bolder sister."
Joaquim turned around to see that Gabe had already appeared. He looked exactly the same way he did the last time Joaquim saw him. "When he lands you need to repent."
"You told him didn't you? Is that why this is happening?" Joaquim asked.
Gabe's silence said everything.
He could not even look at Joaquim.
Prophet Ameen's bare feet landed on the sand. He stood in front of the aberration made of black smoke, his white robes flowing with the desert wind. The smoke used the different mirages of mushroom clouds and flames to form an insect-like face.
Fear swept Joaquim as the realization of its sentience dawned on him. More Alkrezian boys and men were still appearing around Joaquim to be greeted with the image of the two powerful beings in front of them.
Joaquim's mouth dropped ever so slowly to speak. "It's a... it's a..."
"Yedaliuth," Joaquim and Prophet Ameen said at the same time.
Humanity had yet to figure out if it was a black hole, some other space phenomena, or a lifeform. A group of scientists, supersoldiers, and PhD students pooled their knowledge, technology, and talents together to research what happened to GN-z11, and all the humans came back to their families with scribbles and the vernacular of a newborn. Ever since then academia had decided to leave it as a mystery.
Yet a Yedaliuth was here as Prophet Ameen's household pet. His pocket dimension plaything.
"How are we still keeping our sanity looking at it?" Joaquim asked.
"Because anything is possible through God. Can I get an amen?" Prophet Ameen requested.
The large group of boys and men murmured amen.
"This is a demon," Prophet Ameen said. "There have been warnings that demons will come and pretend to be alien species, but let it be known that they are agents of the devil. The araks that have subjugated the human race are also servants of Satan. We must go to the flying cities and exterminate them all."
The Alkrezian boys and men cheered.
Joaquim frowned. Even he knew not every arak was like Wexil.
"Once the flying cities come down, I will declare a holy war on Brennistein, and I will wipe out their civilization before first contact," Prophet Ameen said.
Whether humans and araks have made first contact in the official sense was debated amongst scholars, but what was true was that both cultures were still mostly unaware of each other.
"You know a lot about this creature, don't you, Naomi?" Prophet Ameen said, pointing to the Yedaliuth. "You've always been fascinated with space even though you want to serve the lord. God will not be happy with you entering the heavens with your foolish ambitions, but it seems you are doing everything you can to stray from God."
"I think if anything you copied passages you do not understand," Joaquim said.
The atmosphere compressed around Joaquim, the bloodlust of everyone around him pouring onto him. The ominous glares coming his way were like lasers piercing through his body.
"I have been waiting for you to be forthright with me ever since we met in No Man's Land," Prophet Ameen said. "This can be a moment of healing. A moment for us to exorcize the male demon that is trying to possess you."
"Please, let him help you," Gabe begged Joaquim, taking a few steps closer towards him. "You don't have to be this way."
"I know who I am," Joaquim declared. "And you do too."
Spurts of feathers flew out of Gabe's shirt. Feathers manifested themselves and grew over his face, then his head transformed into one of a chicken. A beak came out of his mouth, and his lips disappeared.
The group of boys and men laughed at him.
"Gabe..." Joaquim muttered.
"Wait," Farouq said. "So deep down he wants to help her? "
"Gabe," Joaquim said. "You always knew this, didn't you? I never bought your obliviousness back in Ember Tree city."
"No, I had no idea," Gabe said.
"Why did you pretend at the police station that you never gave me the black t-shirt and shorts?" Joaquim asked. "Farouq never had them. You gave them to me."
"What?" Farouq asked.
Gabe stayed quiet, lowering his wattle.
"You let me wear that biker helmet that only boys were allowed to wear," Joaquim said. "You always knew I was your brother. You know about our parents, don't you?"
Gabe turned his back to him.
"Don't run away again from me," Joaquim said. "I would never abandon you like you did to me."
"From what I'm hearing from letting you speak, Naomi, is that you have no intention to return to God," Prophet Ameen said. "Gabe's intervention has not convinced you."
"Ameen," Joaquim said, letting Ameen's name without a title hang in the air. "I remembered who you used to be when I talked about you earlier today. Taming Yedaliuth came at the cost of your sanity, didn't it?"
Ameen's seemingly impeccable composure cracked. The white in his eyes amplified, and he gnarled his mouth.
"How dare someone who pretends to be a man allude that I am not sane!" Ameen shouted.
"I am the most sensible one here," Joaquim said. "And that includes my brother, who clearly doesn't know who actually loves him."
Gabe turned around to meet Joaquim's eyes, some feathers falling off his face to reveal human skin.
"Begone, you abomination," Ameen said, raising a hand to the sky.
"Gabe, I love you," Joaquim said.
Ameen brought his hand down and made Joaquim's avatar vanish.
Ameen brought his hand down and made Joaquim's avatar vanish [https://img.wattpad.com/8313f8a2b9a29d3f001b50b1adea7ceb1602fc12/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f54344c4f6b6a72724d59467a64413d3d2d313336363837353337322e313737356433626536613866383134633735373833323636313237382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Joaquim, wake up!" Iker yelled.
Joaquim lifted himself. His face smelt like mint after he laid on a plant that was now plastered onto the hothouse floor, feeling even groggier than earlier.
"What's going on?" Joaquim whispered.
"You didn't eat anything, did you?" Iker said. "The Harlynx poutine I ordered for you has been sitting in the 3D printer since you took your shower. You went to bed without eating it."
"You fainted here," Noah said.
"Yeah, you're seeing a doctor ASAP," Iker said. "You'll have a few days to rest before the 2 platoon test."
Skyscrapers surrounded the house's platform. Joaquim recognized that they were still floating above the financial platform of Ember Tree. The neon lights on the surrounding rhombus-shaped buildings were a uniform blue and yellow. The larger streaks of yellow looked like radiant gold cut into neat prisms. Behind the building, on its own secluded platform, was the neon crimson lights from the military base Joaquim was in earlier.
"Yeah, I definitely should eat something," Joaquim yawned while rubbing his eyes.
"Man, you look like you went to hell and back," Iker said.