For as long as Stefan could remember, he had heard rumors being spread around by the elders of Derban. Light Pillars were the reason there were so few communities left in Yeupis, that they were the reason almost no young people were alive, that they transported beautiful, powerful aliens who came from somewhere else to cause havoc. Now, he knew they were not simple rumors. They were real. Unable to push himself to run any further, he collapsed and went unconscious.
-
The inside of the mine was frigid and unforgiving. Even the most northern, isolated part of Yeupis couldn’t compare to it. Still, hundreds of figures were being made to push carts full of ore throughout the passages. Not all the carts contained ores. Some carried the bodies of those who couldn’t handle the extreme conditions. Only worn-out coats and shoes protected their bodies, and ancient-looking gas masks attached to heavy metal canisters on their backs were the only things keeping them alive from the oxygen-free atmosphere. Orders were being barked at the slaves in an unfamiliar, strange accent by supervisors who wore less layers, like they didn’t need them. The biggest distinction was that their inhumanly charming faces were not covered by masks. Whether it was because they were able to breathe the air of this foreign place or to differentiate their status from the slaves, it was unknown. However, it was already clear which side was superior. Suddenly, a man in exquisite attire was being escorted into the mine. He was of the same people as the supervisors, but it was easy to see that he was in an even higher position than them. He didn’t belong inside the mines at all. He said no words, and simply pointed a finger at the crowd of slaves. The supervisors forcefully grabbed a younger female slave from the rest, but she did something that was unheard of in the mines. She tried to resist.
-
Stefan awoke to the sound of a horse’s gentle footsteps against the snow. What did he just see? Where was he? It was nothing, just a dream. He looked below him and saw that he was being carried on someone’s shoulder as they rode on a horse. Fearing that one of the Angels had captured him, he started to kick and scream, struggling to be released.
“Oh, you’re awake. That’s good.”
Rather than punish him, the rider gently sat him down on the back of the saddle. This wasn’t an Angel. It was a human man. He appeared to be very strong and tall and could’ve easily killed Stefan at any point while he was asleep. He wore armor underneath a thick coat and light-brown wavy hair reached his shoulders.
“Where are they?” Stefan asked. “Joakim, Uncle Ruben, Mum… where are they?”
“Not where we’re going.” The rider said nonchalantly.
The boy’s heart dropped. Were they all dead?
“Take me back to Derban, now! I need to go back to my family… wait, who even are you, old man?”
“I’m not an old man,” the man said, completely ignoring Stefan’s request. “I’m 36, just a couple years older than Holt and Ms. Laine. You should be thanking me for getting you away from that mess. It was a pain to clean up.”
“T-Thank you?” Stefan said hesitantly. He now knew that this man had rescued him, but still couldn’t trust him yet.
“I don’t need a verbal thanking. You can show me your gratitude by lending me a hand after we reach my base.”
“A base?” Stefan laughed nervously. “What are you, some kind of supervillain?”
“Someone out there might consider me a supervillain.” The man said in an expressionless tone.
“I didn’t know supervillains used horses as their way of transport.” Stefan said.
“Well, I do. Way harder to track than artificial vehicles. And he’s not just a horse. His name’s Esperance.”
“And what’s your name, Mr. Supervillain?” Stefan asked. “I can’t exactly agree to help you if I don’t know who you are.”
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“Gareth Koppel.” The man said in his stoic tone.
“Doesn’t ring a bell.” Stefan said.
“Of course, it doesn’t. All you need to know right now is that the ones that Terrans call Angels are my foes. We have a common goal now, don’t we?”
The image of the Angel pointing its rifle flashed in Stefan’s mind. He remembered the shots that were fired after Ruben shoved him away, and the sound of a body falling right after. He remembered Joakim sprinting out towards their mother, trying to protect her even though he didn’t know what the Angels were. He had to find out about them. He had to destroy them. He tightly closed his good fist as he reflected on the last moments before he lost consciousness.
“I get it now… Uncle Ruben tried to protect us from learning about them. Those were the things Mum and him fought when they were soldiers…” he thought out loud.
Gareth said nothing as Esperance trotted through the snow-covered plains, an environment that contrasted the heavily forested area Stefan was so familiar with.
“Where even are we going?” Stefan asked. “This is nowhere near Derban.”
“The East of Yeupis.” Gareth answered. That’s where his base was.
“Already? How long have we been traveling?” Stefan asked.
“Six days, five nights.” Gareth answered.
It was still cold, but only a couple degrees below freezing. But that begged a question. How was he supposed to hide a base that would stick out like a sore thumb in this flat, sprawling land?
The answer was simple: it was underground. Gareth dismounted from Esperance and landed on the thin, powdery snow. From up on the horse, Stefan could truly appreciate him in all his glory. He was practically a towering giant, even more so than Ruben who was the biggest man in Derban. But even through his size, Stefan could see a certain kind of grace within him that only royalty could have. Gareth kicked a very particular rock on the ground a bit, exposing a palm-size metal lid. He flipped it open and below it was a pull cord which he yanked with only a little force, which showed the sheer amount of strength he possessed. A rectangular patch of the ground began to ascend until what seemed to be a metal box the size of a small bedroom appeared before them.
“That’s so cool!” Stefan said with glee. For a moment, he nearly forgot that his family’s whereabouts and condition were completely unknown.
A set of double doors at the front of the box opened. Although Stefan didn’t know what it was, Gareth was very familiar with it.
“Is this something that Angels made?” Stefan asked with curiosity.
“Yeah,” Gareth replied. “Well, technically it is ancient Terran technology. But the Angels stole it from our ancestors many, many years ago. We call it an elevator.”
‘Were humans once as powerful as those things?” Stefan wondered.
Gareth led Esperance inside the grand contraption and gestured Stefan to join them. The doors closed and the elevator descended. It was faster than it looked, and the boy began to feel nauseous. He grabbed Esperance’s saddle for comfort. The patient horse allowed him to hold on to him. Just when Stefan thought he was going to throw up, the elevator came to a halt. They were now inside Gareth’s base.
“Welcome to your home, for now.” Gareth said after the doors opened again. In front of them was a long hallway made from stone, with at least a half dozen doors on each side. This alone surprised Stefan since all buildings in Derban were made from wood. Immediately greeting them on the right was a holding pen for keeping Esperance in when he and Gareth were not traveling. It was filled with haystacks and a water trough to feed the horse. Other rooms included at least two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a common room for eating and lounging, and a small library. Another room was filled with plants of different forms, and artificial lights covered the entire ceiling, making the room hot and humid.
“That’s a greenhouse,” Gareth explained. “Another invention our ancestors created. We can farm all year-round with it.”
“Amazing!” Stefan said in awe. He had only ever eaten preserved, over-salted meats and vegetables during the endless winter. He found it refreshing that he could eat something fresh during that season.
“You need to rest, Stefan.” Gareth said, holding the boy before he could go off running and exploring every single room. “It was a long journey and dozing off on my shoulder isn’t enough for your body. Especially with that broken arm of yours. I also need to rest.”
The man put Esperance in his holding pen before escorting Stefan to his new bedroom. Before Gareth could return to his own room, Stefan faced him with another question. It was only one of many that he had about so many things.
“How do you know who Uncle Ruben and Mum are? It’s no coincidence that you just found me lying in that forest.”
Gareth sighed and looked down at the boy.
“All I’ll say for now, is that coincidences are not that common. Now change into the clothes I left on that bed and rest. I want to start your Initiation as soon as possible.”
Stefan reluctantly complied and shut the door. He plopped onto the soft mattress and spread his arms and legs with a light stretch. The last words Gareth had told him only added to a huge mountain of questions he already had. He didn’t know what to think of him. All he could say was that he was a lot like Ruben Holt but was boring and much more serious. The man hardly gave him answers and left him with more to think about, but that just pushed him to pursue his goals further.