“We have plans for this one. I understand he has been spending an extended amount of time around the Oracle we are pursuing. If he dies we won’t be able to pick his mind for the information we seek. Understand?”

“Yes, sir. I guess I’ll go back to hunting that little boy. It won’t give me as much pleasure but I guess it’ll have to do,” Reaka says as she releases me from her constricting grip.

I rub my throat to sooth the burning sensation before turning around to see the person that holds the God of death under his control. He stands boldly before me though he appears to be fifteen years old. His face is cold and his stare piercing as if he is looking into my soul. He wears a tight black, leather suit that covers his entire body from his feet to his neck, fit for space travel and has the Gandole griffin stitched on his arm sleeves. Two dog ears poke through his long hair, his teeth sharp. Is this being human?

Reaka snaps and suddenly the five unarmed soldiers run out from behind me to her. One of them takes her sword and shield while the others stand at attention to wait for further orders. She waves her arm to shoo them and they quickly run out of sight.

“Get up,” the boy says. “I’d rather not have to drag you.”

“I don’t think he can. I hit him pretty hard,” Reaka says.

“He’s not as pathetic as you are,” he says to her before turning back to me. “Get up you,” he yells.

I try with all my might to stand. I want to show these people Aidoshians aren’t weak. We can face them. It does not matter the strength of their weapons or the Black Technology they wield. As long as Fantasia lives, future generations will rebuild our kingdom and our cause. Blood flows from my mouth and the bones within my chest crackles. I stand up as confidently as I can.

“Ah, see. This one is different. Unlike you he has a reason to fight, to protect someone he adores,” the boy says in a spiteful tone to Reaka. “It has been a long time since I’ve seen such fury in one’s eyes… Reaka you used to be like that before you saw the light. How fun it is to break people who are strong in will.”

“I’d rather kill him and watch the last moments of his life be torturous and painful then break him, but whatever,” Reaka says with disappointment before she walks to the manhole and carelessly jumps in probably in search for the boy I rescued hours ago.

“And that’s why she is nothing more than a rat only fit to wander the sewer. You on the other hand,” the boy says with a slight smile on his face, “you aren’t some has-been. You’re the last of your kind—a member of an endangered species.”

“You’re wrong,” I say taking one step forward.

“Am I?” he asks.

“You might have killed us within Aidon but we still have those…”

He cuts me off, “Outside of Aidon. This is genocide, a holocaust, a racial purge or whatever you want to call this war. It is not just going on inside of Aidon and you’re a fool for thinking such. We want a complete eradication of you Aidoshian trash! The fastest way to destroy a people is to destroy their hope, crush their God and the people soon follow.”

“That’s why you killed our oracles first,” I scream.

“Not me personally, but yeah, you seem to be getting it,” he says.

“You’re my enemy. Why are you telling me this?” I ask.

“I’m not so cruel that I would not tell the last of your kind why his people are dead,” the boy responds.

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“Reaka is Aidoshian. Why keep her alive?” I ask. “Are you going to betray and kill her later?”

“That wretch is no longer a human. She traded her humanity and her saneness for false immortality. She might as well be dead.”

He turns around after someone contacts him on his earpiece. He can’t be that stupid to turn his back on an armed enemy. I slowly bend down to pick the gun off the ground, take aim and fire. Nothing happens. Click, click, click one after the other. I cannot be out of ammo so quickly. I only fired four rounds at Reaka. That was an extended mag with twenty-five rounds. I quickly look at the gun to find the mag is gone completely. That’s impossible. It was loaded when I picked it up. I then look up at the boy. He has in his hand both of my magazines as he flicks out bullet after bullet on the ground with his finger. He turns looking me straight in the eyes.

“I am Aihl—the ultimate life form,” he says just as I black out.

I wake in a hospital bed. The sheets are covered in blood. The room is revolting. The floor is covered in dried blood and rotting human remains. Terrible screams are echoing the hallway. Suddenly I hear Aihl’s voice coming from outside the door.

“I brought him here so you could find out what we need to know. Why, Creator, aren’t you taking this opportunity to do just that?” Asks Aihl.

“That thing you brought me is no Aidoshian. He is Januian not even one percent Aidoshian. It looks like he played you for a fool.” Says the person Aihl calls Creator.

“Does that matter?” Aihl asks angrily. “He still has information!”

“Only a drop of Aidoshian blood is necessary to survive the procedure. Otherwise he’ll go insane before we get any information from him. What use is that to us?” The Creator challenges.

“Are we going to release him, Creator?” Aihl asks.

“Do you have a better idea, Aihl? Even if this Januian knows where the Oracle is hiding, or some Univernism psycho or wanna-be Aidoshian, he is not Aidoshian himself. Real Aidoshians won’t find hope in his words because he is not truly one of them.”

“Are Aidoshian so cold they’d forsake their own?” Aihl asks.

“Of course they are,” the Creator replies. “They’re evil and before the war they were violent towards outsiders, even ones that shared their beliefs. It was before your time but, Aidoshians were imperialists who were forcing other nations under them. Gandalia is punishing them for their crimes against humanity. Call Reaka. Tell her she can have her prey after all. I think she is in her quarters.” His voice fades as he walks away.

“Why not torture him?” Ailh asks, “We can get the information that way.”

“Aihl, I draw the line on that when we are dealing with a real human being, not an Aidoshian. Neither of us shall spill his blood. He has lived his whole life believing he was one of those Aidoshian monsters, so what is more fair a fate than to die by one?”

The door swings open. From the light, out walks Aihl. He doesn’t say a word. He tosses me my clothes and shoes then walks back to the door.

“You’re free, Januian. Sorry for the confusion,” he says before leaving.

“I’m Aidoshian. That’s why I have been fighting.” I yell after him.

I quickly put on my jeans and once white shirt, now red with blood, and my dirty brown shoes. I jump down off the bed. I hear a clunk. It’s my gun but it is not loaded. I pocket it and run to the door. I hesitate for a minute before opening it. Aihl is standing outside.

“Follow me,” he says without turning to look at me.

“Why are you letting me go? You think I am stupid? I heard your conversation with whoever the Creator is!”

“Good. Then you already know Reaka is going to kill you, Januian,” Aihl says.

“I’m not a Januian. I’m an Aidoshian and my name is Kai!”

“Believe what you will, Kai. Blood doesn’t lie,” Aihl responds.

We get to the end of the long blood-stained hallway. Aihl unlocks and opens the door. All that lies on the other side is darkness.

He jerks his head towards the open door. “Now get out,” he says with the most blood- thirsty look I’ve ever seen. “You’ve made enough of an idiot of me already.” He doesn’t give me the chance to walk before he grabs me by my arm throwing me like a ragdoll out of the building. “You’re not bleeding from that are you?” he asks as I hit the soft grassy ground.

“What’s it to you?” I snap.

“I can’t spill your blood. It was an order from my Creator.” He throws me the magazines “You’ll need these. Good luck. You can go back to what’s left of your capital Ralkain twelve miles east of here or continue west to Kenton. Your choice,” he says and closes the door.