Winter 2045

Zane Hannes

Zane approached the campsite hesitantly, but did sit down by the fire. The sun had begun to rise—and as much as he hated to admit it—taking pressure off of his burning feet was more than a small comfort. The gathering that was before him was strange indeed. The robed man was not alone—nor was he even robed anymore. He had dirty blond hair that could rival his own for how unkempt it looked. He was older—probably nearing his forties and his face wore experience like a well styled suit.

It was no surprise that he had managed to predict his movements—this man has great power...and suddenly Zane’s anger started to fizzle out. The opportunities he saw in working alongside this man grew exponentially in his brain. If he were to consume such a being...it would not be by brute force. He would need to play this out, and it seems the man is fine with allowing that risk.

Those that sat next to the man...they were different. The one that had grabbed his attention so simply was Emily Majors. She had been his original target...back when he was nothing more than a time hunter—a Chronamaly. Those who searched out those who stole time by living multiple lives and reclaiming their time back.

She was also romantically interested in the boy who owned and operated this body before he claimed Zane for himself. The look on her face was of horror—it sickened him. She should be grateful she still breathes—he could have just as easily followed his inner directive and consumed her—returned to the void, and been done with it. He’s done nothing to her but a favor.

And the man to her left...he wore a mask, but something else about him was different. His build didn’t seem naturally human. He couldn’t gauge specifics because the clothes he wore were baggy and covered most everything except the top of his head which flowed down long raven-dark hair down to his shoulders in thick strands. The eyes that he could see through the slits in the mask were a golden wildfire, and Zane then knew what kind of beast he was sitting across from.

“Let me get this straight,” Zane said, eyeing them down the line. “A man of complete mystery who can fight better than he lets on, a pathfinder, and a dragon have assembled together and wish to have palaver with little old me?”

The man smiled small, “Perceptive, I see. You are exactly the kind of person I am wishing to speak to, but clearly it seems I am not the first, so I will open the floor to allow everyone to get on an even level.”

“Even level?” Emily asked. She tensed as she said it, she was staring daggers at Zane. “This is the creature who does nothing but kill for its own profit—and the body its inhabiting—”

“Was rightfully taken,” Zane said. “If Zane wanted it more than I did, he would have offered more of a fight.”

Emily bared her teeth in disgust. “Normal people don’t have to fight creatures like you to survive.”

“No, but that would be your fault, wouldn’t it?” Zane mused. “I wasn’t preoccupied with such drab things such as morality, manners, those were all given to me by Zane. And offered up as a gift to ensure your survival.”

Emily looked away. “I refuse to try to reason with a beast.”

“Beast or not, it seems I’m not the only one in present company. What’s your name, firebrand? What makes you tick?”

He grunted, and spoke in short bursts, each like a spitfire. “Blaise. But don’t compare your demonic likeness to anything other than what it is. I am unlike you in more ways than you boast.”

“Oh, Blaise. How very on the nose,” Zane sneered. “Did your mum name you that knowing you’d be what you are or were the fates extra unkind to you.”

Blaise offered a disgusted sound in return.

He turned finally to Gavin, “And the man of the hour. Who do I have the pleasure of keeping company with, and what task is it that you will no doubt ask of me...and do make it worth my while. I’m very busy exploring and finding places of value in this new world here.” There was a haunting smile on his face as he said it.

Gavin’s look was neutral, he was studying Zane’s every move—that much he could tell. He couldn’t stand the sight of that analytical look and so he barked out another command. “Just talk, damn you! Enough with the active research.”

“You are unnerved by my presence,” Gavin said. “Rightly so, considering how our last meeting went. You’re used to crushing opposition and gathering power like a vacuum...yet here you’ve found a situation where you are unprepared, and so in order to cope—in order to not give into your basest desires of unleashing your anger at me—at all of us, you use a foul sense of humor. Thinking that if you can get us off our balance by being crude you can consider it victory enough.”

Zane’s brows furrowed as the man continued speaking. That anger he dampened started to flicker to life.

“And you hold back because you believe yourself better than your base desires—to eat and to consume. You figure that kind of behavior is better suited for...nothing more than a small dog. To eat without care, so you pretend to have purpose. Donning another’s skin and inhabiting their name to pretend that you’ve ascended past your desires.”

Like a fuse lit, Zane leapt forward. He roared and leapt toward the man in the flash of a moment—but he was restrained. As he blinked he felt arms over his and the both of them were standing. He hadn’t realized the movement in the moment, but his leap had pushed Gavin back several feet—the dust around them billowed into clouds around them.

Zane’s arms shook with the boiling anger and his tendrils launched out of his skin—causing a searing sensation on his back—ripping them out. This had always been more painful but in this moment he didn’t care. He clasped tight on the Monolith in his hand and felt power surge through his blood.

He launched two of the tendrils from his side—claws extended to impale the man, but again found himself restrained. The man’s form shifted before his eyes to a figure of what looked like golden mist—held together by a golden light and filled in by a cosmic void into the shape of what looked like a seven foot tall gecko. Three legs on each side grabbed and restrained all of Zane’s appendages—even the final tendril that ended in the stinger.

Zane growled once more and tried to free his arms—his tendrils—anything.

The gecko’s eyes glowed red and a voice entered deep within his brain.

“You do not want to continue this if you wish to continue breathing.”

Zane looked up into its eyes and he stopped struggling. It was one thing for a man to have the reflexes that he did...but now he understood that this was no man...they were a lot more similar than he thought. A monster wearing the skin of man.

He realized now that his anger would get him killed if he did not reign it in and control it. He knew that. He had reasoned with himself that his anger was not the path to get what he wanted...and yet he still found himself being dominated by it when challenged. Was what he said true—that he was still nothing more than a baseless monster—no matter what skin he wore?

His anger had ceased completely and now confusion dawned on him, and it was at that point that the monster let go of him and shifted form back into the man.

“There we go...that’s more like it. You’re not a baseless monster because you have the capacity to learn. And it’s that capacity I’d like to indulge, but you have to be able to follow some rules.”

“What’s your name…?” Zane asked, looking up to him. “Not the name of the human you stole, your real name.”

The man smiled. “We aren’t as similar as you might think. I didn’t steal this body...it was mine. I’ve hung onto it all this time. So you can call me by either name. The human’s name is Gavin,” he shifted back into the ethereal form, “and in this shape I am known as Ormus.”

“Ormus...you mean you’re one of…” Zane said, looking at him and then realizing his opportunity. His eyes widened up and then he took in a deep breath. “Well it makes sense that the only kind of person that could so thoroughly match me and then some tit for tat is a famed dark one.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Gavin shifted back into the human shape—clearly the one he felt the most comfort in—that was something Zane had agreed with—and a look of confusion came across his face. “Well it is very interesting you know of that, but we’ll discuss those matters in due time. We’ve run a bit off track I believe and I would really rather not waste any time. There’s something I’m going to need of you and you can decide how you want to go about it.”

Zane studied him for a moment. The dark ones were innate knowledge that Chronomalies come into existence with. Back in the den where they propagate they were aware of those that held domain in the darkness. The Chronomaly Den existed outside light and dark—so overseeing was his duty—at least before he was sent on a hunt for a known trail.

The thing was—the dark ones were bounties so large that even a group of their hunters couldn’t pin down. Their might was like gods to them—so even though they compiled large swathes of time and space to themselves, they were generally considered off-limits. It made sense now why he was so thoroughly beaten down. There was no overcoming a dark one—yet if Zane were able to follow the rules and control his anger, by proxy he could ensure that he stays in the dark one’s good graces.

“Yes, I would love to hear your request. I…” the next words were like a venom to him, but he knew he would have to swallow his pride sooner or later. “I apologize for my behavior. I did not understand my situation but now I believe I have an even greater understanding of such…” he turned to Emily and Blaise. “I understand your feelings toward me are about as equal as mine toward you, and I hope in some sort of mutual disgust we can at least act somewhat cordial as we work together.”

The look on Emily’s face had said all that needed to be said, but Blaise seemed to more positively receive the notion.

Turning back to Gavin, he stared. “What’s your request?”

“There’s someone who shouldn’t exist in this time. I’m going to need you to find them for us. I’m not sure on their identity, but my research into the matter says they have a massive amount of power within them—not to mention the very act of time travel itself being a power untoward a single being...but it is likely they are using what I know you to be familiar with—the Monoliths.”

“That which you took from me at the tournament,” Zane said.

“Reclaimed,” Gavin corrected. “And I know you to have come in the possession of another, and the only reason I haven’t reclaimed that yet is a show of trust, I hope you understand. You may keep it for now if you align yourself with our little crew here, but any show of betrayal and I’ll reclaim it and finish you off simply, is that clear?”

Zane clasped the gem in his hand and felt a sense of ease come over him. He felt normally he would have lashed out at a threat like that, but he breathed slowly and understood the point behind it. “Yes, that is clear.”

“Great, it’s wonderful to know we have an understanding. It’s also come to light that this person may have been in Enforal during the tournament. Do you have any insight on any additional people within the city’s limits that had that sort of strength?”

Zane smiled, “Well, of course I do. I happened to enter the city with one such person. Real tough cookie that one was. And last I remember she did manage to have two of those Monoliths there—”

“No,” Gavin said. “Not her, I am aware of her presence. She is not your target, do you understand?”

Zane was confused by this. “Does she not match the description exactly?”

“I will not repeat myself,” Gavin said, this time his tone was deadly serious. “She is not your target. If you come across her you are to back off immediately. The target was elsewhere—I couldn’t immediately sense their presence among the contenders, so it was possible they were watching the events as they happened.”

Zane let the point be, he was curious as to why that girl was so special. She was plenty strong—he knew that much, but he also knew the secret of that ‘monolith’ that Gavin had mentioned. That red gem that was filled with so much delectable energy...but it had been cursed. That creatures dying place had been no coincidence, and whatever else had been inside that gem had infected it with a poison that Zane could sense from a mile away.

He was curious how the girl was able to manage it—was she dead already...or did she find some way to conquer its toxins and wield its strength...he figured either way was dangerous for him to get involved with. He was more than happy to let that gem go until he was sure he could contain the poison within—or somehow destroy it.

“I may have felt some sort of power in the stands,” Zane said, coming back into his front mind. “I was preoccupied with the overwhelming scents coming from you, that girl, and the emperor before the ship came crashing down.”

“Ship?” Gavin asked.

“Well it seems there’s plenty about Enforal you missed after you left,” Zane offered a smile.

“Seems so,” Gavin said. “Let’s discuss matters back by the fire and see if we can’t set a course for this chaos agent.”

Zane nodded and resumed sitting by the fire. SO quickly had his situation changed, so quickly had his emotions been staked and torn, and yet here at the end he felt like he was feeling better than ever. This hunt would give him the joys of his desires in the control he liked.

You better watch out, traveler...you won’t see me coming. And when that stinger impales your heart, you’ll feel like your entire body is exploding from the inside out until you’re finally dead.

~...~

The next morning was electric—if Zane had to ascribe a word to it. His wounds had fully healed—he had believed having the gemstone near him had helped in some regard in addition to his own natural metabolism. That, and the idea of hunting had encouraged him greatly—his mind had played out the possibilities of what a grand fight it would be when he had found his prey. He wondered what state they would push him too—he was hungry for a fight he could actually win that pushed him to his heights.

Blaze and Gavin were the last to wake after their night—it had seemed that the two of them had shielded the truth of how much their bodies needed rest. It was almost humorous. Emily woke first with a sour look on her face. He simply stared at her and then looked toward the two others who had rested beside them.

“You have questions,” Zane said. “I promise I won’t bite your head off...I no longer have that job.”

She gave him an off-color look. “You are my mortal enemy—those like you. Why is it that you hate life so much? What draws you to taking away what others have? I just don’t understand how mindless one could act.”

“You say it as an insult, but that is the truth,” Zane offered. “Mindless is a good way to put it. When I hunted you it wasn’t because I despised you. I lived a very simple life—I didn’t even have to think about it—considering I had no brain, of course I couldn’t think about it. I did, however, know a few things.” He held up his hand with three fingers extended. “One, like anything that lives, I needed to eat to survive. Problem is that where I come from—food does not grow. Two, there exists people—like you—who are living lives a thousand times over—and each second you steal is like a ringing in my head like a steel gong on repeat, banging and banging incessantly.”

He looked to the ground and then back up to her, “And three. I can leave the den in which I inhabited but for minuscule amounts of time. So tell me, those are the three things you know—the only things you know of the world. What do you do?”

Emily looked at him and her look was not sympathetic. “You want me to feel sorry for you?”

Zane started laughing. “It says a lot that to a logical problem the first thing you think to feel is a forced empathy.” He shook his head. “No, I do not seek pity. I give you logic. I do not apologize for trying to kill you. I can confirm your existence no longer bleeds into my every waking moment so I have no more desire to see you dead than I do to see any other person I don’t know.”

She looked down to the ground and sighed. “I have no desire to work with you yet I understand times like these are not ones for our choosing. I can understand the will to survive—it is entirely why I have explored the powers I myself have...I won’t pretend to be on any moral high ground over that point,” She looked up to Zane with an intense stare. “But for the man I loved—he who only had that single life…”

Zane furrowed his brow, “What do you mean?”

“You should still have those memories considering you stole his body,” Emily said. “Or have you shed those as well?”

Memories...huh? He did have those lingering around—he remembered the events of the Cosmic Wasteland when he had first awoken. There were lingering memories that he had believed were his until the truth of his existence was made clear. If he thought on it he could drag those feelings to the surface.

This was uncomfortable. He looked at Emily in a new light—he felt a rush of wind that seemed to blow within his chest. It was a rumbling that stirred deep within him and he understood. He hated it, but he understood.

He sighed and looked off to the side. “I can feel the things he felt for you. He missed you...thought about your death a lot…” His eyes opened wide and he looked back up to her. “He remembered you dying…”

Now it was her turn to look confused. “What do you mean?”

“The memories I have of you...his memories are of you dying.”

“I don’t understand what that matters any…”

“Think,” Zane said, his mind was working faster than it had for any of his own problems. It felt like a fire was lit under him and the words wouldn’t come quickly enough. “Think about it—did the Zane you know ever experience you dying?”

“No, we had...a lovely time together until you showed up that horrible night. We’ve been through that.”

“Okay, I get that, we’re past that specific moment,” Zane said, bored of the guilt trip she kept trying to take him down. “But think, the Zane I am currently inhabiting has that memory. Which means he’s experienced it—which means…” He sent the idea out to her hoping it would land.”

“He was like me…” the realization dawned in her eyes. “Are you telling me that he was like me this entire time?!”

“I don’t have access to a lot of memories,” Zane admitted. “I think most of them have worn away with time, but the most powerful ones remain if I go searching for them. And everything I encountered in that space…” he said, although turning into himself as his mind kept whirring.

“So he could be out there still is what you’re saying.”

“I think so...I hadn’t even picked up his scent on that day—he must have spent a long time in that life, but now that I think about it...isn’t it strange this body hasn’t started to fully decay yet? I mean,” he motioned to himself, “obviously it isn’t a looker, as if I care, but I never really had reason to stop to think why a body like this had continued to push itself to the lengths I do so.”

There was something else in her eyes now—he could see tears. While he wouldn’t allow them to form on his face, he could understand them. He figured the best thing to do was to say nothing and look up to the sky.

“I don’t desire your forgiveness,” Zane said. “But if that knowledge helps ease your sorrows…”

She nodded slowly, and in that moment there seemed to be some sort of silent acknowledgment between the two.