Tyreceus took his son’s hand and helped him navigate the rubble of their home. Ace gripped his blanket and they walked through the desolate and empty streets. Dead pets that had escaped the rubble littered the side of the road, along with their dead neighbors.
Ace cried when he saw his friend from school, Nio, dead on the ground, and Tyreceus picked Ace up. He carried his son, too tired to walk, and he tried to leave as fast as he could, hoping that they would not see the body of anyone else they knew.
Sadly they saw several corpses of people that they knew, and after some time, Tyreceus just decided to stare at the ground as he walked so he wouldn’t have to see anything else.
After an hour of walking, long after the sun had set, they finally arrived at the center of town. All the buildings that were still standing had windows and doors blown in by the blast. Very few of the street lights worked, vermin roamed looking for corpses to eat, and Tyreceus saw several people with guns.
They didn’t look like soldiers or police officers and tried his hardest to avoid them.
After wandering the town, Tyreceus found an abandoned apartment building that was still standing. He went door to door until he finally found one that was unlocked. The people inside had simply left, and he found that they had thankfully left some food in the house.
Tyreceus pushed the couch up against the front door, found a trash bag and industrial tape, and taped over the broken windows to block out debris from getting into the apartment. He and his son slept in the bed of a stranger until the next day.
They would continue like this until they could no more.
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The cities were no longer safe places to be. Most of the fighting took place there as the Empire captured major cities and ports all over Methuselah. Tyreceus and Ace were trying to make it to the town of Geno.
It was a major port defended by Methuselian forces along with the Union. Mary Sue had given them the tickets as she was instructed to do so, but Geno was very far. In fact, all the tickets she had were only for the port of Geno, and clearly, it showed how very little the Union was making an effort to help, only to be a thorn in the side of the Empire.
How could every single refugee escape at one port? It did not matter to the Union, as long as they could continue their many proxy wars with the Empire.
Tyreceus and Ace now had to avoid the major roads and cities. It made their trip much longer, and half of the time Tyreceus had no idea where they were going. He did not have many chances to charge his phone, and when he did he had no service.
The Empire had targeted communication towers all over Methuselah, and even if they did work, Tyreceus couldn’t ever pay the bill. Whenever he could catch a fleeting wi-fi signal he tried to take as many pictures of maps as he could. There were not many paper maps left.
Of the few that were still made, everyone had stolen them, believing that soon the Empire would burn everything down and that a map would be the only piece of proof that their home ever existed. Tyreceus knew the Empire wouldn’t destroy everything.
They would take all their natural resources, enslave those they thought had strong bodies, take a few comfort women, and then they would be well on their way to terrorizing another peaceful nation.
At night they would travel, and during the day they would sleep.
There were fewer people and soldiers out at night, and they finally had a chance to sneak into the city, get some food, and quickly leave. Tyreceus had long used up all his money, so they resorted to stealing.
At first, Tyreceus was guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed. He became even more embarrassed as it became clear his son had an affinity for it. Ace finally had his ability develop. With the blink of an eye, he could teleport. He couldn’t go very far, and sometimes when he was frightened, coughed too hard, or suddenly sneezed he would be gone.
Tyreceus would wait a few seconds and Ace would return, flustered and confused.
Ace used his ability to steal things and just blink away, not even having to hide that he was doing it. Tyreceus was embarrassed that he encouraged his son to break the law every day, but he saw others escaping the war and quickly changed his mind.
Their clothes were dirty and torn, they were malnourished and tired. Tyreceus and Ace were slightly better. They had clothes and food they had stolen which weren’t as dirty, but they still smelled from the rare chances they got to shower.
Soon their crime spree became an everyday occurrence. Ace became better at using his ability, and he could now bring Tyreceus with him, wherever he teleported. They would teleport inside empty homes when their owners were away, shower, eat some food, steal some things, and be on their way.
During the day they would sleep in the woods, shelters, abandoned buildings, under a tree, or anywhere away from people. Tyreceus did not trust people. Mary Sue had made him wary of anybody, enemy or ally.
Ace was tired of walking through fields and forests. His feet always hurt and he couldn’t travel as long as his father could. Tyreceus carried him on his back once he couldn’t go any further.
One night, when they had both awoken in the woods, Ace suggested they try something different.
“I saw some people up ahead. They’re like us. They stay together. We should join them,” Ace said.
Tyreceus was about to yell at him, but then he closed his mouth. Ace didn’t speak very often anymore. He wasn’t a quiet person, but the constant threat of death had changed the both of them. Tyreceus was no longer calm and well mannered, but short-tempered and distrustful of others.
Ace was now quiet and soft-spoken, only speaking when he felt he had no choice but to. Tyreceus noticed the change in his once-vibrant son and decided that maybe being around others would be good for the both of them.
“That’s a good idea,” he sighed. Ace let out a weak smile, and Tyreceus helped him put on his heavy camping bag. They walked through the forest and followed the sounds of people and the smell of food. They came upon a small clearing in the forest, with a fire, tents, and best of all, people.
Ace was excited when he saw other children his age. Before they could say anything they were immediately greeted by a tall man. He had black hair, brown eyes, and a large scar on his chin.
"What do you need,” he asked them. Tyreceus instinctively gripped his son’s hand and tried to humble himself.
“I would like to join,” he said. “There is strength in numbers, and you all get that.” The tall man seemed to be in charge. Tyreceus tried to grab his hand and kiss it, as was the usual greeting, but the man snatched it away.
Tyreceus was offended and glared at him. The simple act was the equivalency of ignoring someone on Methuselah. “We will check your bags first,” he replied. “Then we can decide if you can stay.”
Tyreceus was nervous they would steal his things, as many others have whom they tried to help as they traveled to Geno. Instead, the tall man watched as two others went through their things. The only thing that seemed to be dangerous was Tyreceus’ sword and the small camping knife they had.
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“You can stay, but we need the sword,” the man said. “It's just how it is.”
The man expected him to protest, but Tyreceus smiled and handed him the sword. The moment he touched it he screamed in agony, as the hottest thing he ever felt burnt his skin.
“What have you done,” he screamed.
“It wasn’t me,” Tyreceus said colly. “He doesn’t like you.”
Tyreceus picked the sword up from the ground. The tall man became nervous as he saw Tyreceus apologize to it for being dropped.
That poor child is stuck with an insane man, the tall man thought. Why does he have someone else’s child?
“The boy can stay but you have to leave,” the tall man announced. “You are strange, running around with a child that is not yours.” Ace and Tyreceus were long used to hearing that for years.
Tyreceus was grateful he did not have the same problem with Aegeus, or when he was with his wife, but neither were there to vouch for him.
“He is my dad,” Ace insisted. “I’m adopted.”
The man was embarrassed and mumbled a quick apology. “I’m not leaving my son with strangers,” Tyreceus said. “We’re going.”
“Wait,” the tall man said. “We can’t let you leave.” Tyreceus glared at him, thinking that he was threatening them. “You can stay,” he rasped. “You have to just keep your distance for now.”
“I have no problem with that,” Tyreceus replied. “I don’t like you anyway.”
The tall man introduced himself as Sage. He and the group of refugees were making their way to Geno as well, as the protection from two armies made it the safest place on Methuselah. He was surprised when Tyreceus told him that they were leaving for the Union.
“What makes you think that the Union is better than here,” Sage asked.
“Because it's not here,” Tyreceus replied bluntly.
Ace was excited to finally meet other kids and he played with them and talked about how much they missed school and the things they used to do. Tyreceus was happy to see his son show a bit of spark in himself.
Sage watched Tyreceus intently, worried that he was a predator. He did not believe that Tyreceus was his father, as they had no resemblance, other than the same eye color. He told everyone that he was simply allowed to stay for the sake of the child and that no one else should approach him.
For the next few weeks, Tyreceus and Ace traveled with them toward Geno. The other refugees didn’t trust Tyreceus, but once Ace would teleport and return with food and other supplies they quickly threw the thought out of their minds.
Sage was still convinced that Tyreceus was a predator. Tyreceus was very good with children since he was a teacher. Sage mistook this for grooming. Tyreceus got along very well with the other parents, as he was well-spoken, and had met many different kinds of people because of his job. Sage saw this as fake charisma and manipulation, to make the parents lower their walls and allow their children around him.
Once he learned that Tyreceus was a teacher, his belief that he was a molester was only solidified, and he started to tell the others. They didn’t believe he was dangerous, just that he had his pride hurt over getting burned by his magic sword.
Sage was convinced that Tyreceus had burnt him with his ability, but he didn’t. Tyreceus used his ability to entertain the kids while their parents were busy. He would create little images and pictures, small fireworks, and light shows.
Sage was now fearful of him, worried that he would create illusions and hide his perversions in plain view.
One night, when the children were all asleep in the tent they left them all in, they were found. Soldiers from the Empire were cutting through the forest to get to a nearby town. Everyone raised their hands and made it clear they were not dangerous, but the soldiers did not believe them nor care.
One of them made his way through the dirty encampment, covered with litter and waste, and stuck his gun right at Tyreceus.
“Take off your sword,” the soldier commanded. Tyreceus sighed and removed the sword from its scabbard and dropped it on the ground. The soldier picked it up, and he screamed in agony. He burst into flames, and everyone watched as he ran around the camp, spreading the fire as he stumbled into a tent.
Tyreceus grabbed his sword again and glared at the small infantry.
“Leave us,” he boomed. “Or I will do the same to you.”
They all pointed their guns at him and Tyreceus screamed. Hot flames poured out of his mouth and nose. Steam came out of his ears, and his hair flew back from the intensity and power.
He lit them all on fire and they ran around, screaming, rolling on the forest ground to stop the fire, but it didn’t work. His flames would only go out if Tyreceus wanted them to, and he did not.
As if he were riding a bike, Tyreceus knew how to extinguish the flames. Tyreceus stared at the flames spreading across the camp. They immediately fizzled out and the screams from the refugees stopped.
They all watched in fear as they knew Tyreceus could put out the fires, but didn’t do so for the soldiers. They continued to scream, on fire, and Tyreceus took great joy in their pain
“Will their deaths ease your pain,” Unas asked him, for the first time of many.
“Yes,” Tyreceus smiled. “It already has.”
He stood patiently, waiting until they all died, and then he extinguished the flames.
Tyreceus put the sword back in its scabbard and turned to look at all of them. They were fearful of him, and Tyreceus was angry.
“Don’t give me that look,” he screamed.
His hair lit aflame, and they all shrieked.
“I saved you,” he hissed. “You’re all so ungrateful.”
Ace stumbled out of a nearby tent and cried.
“They kicked me out,” he sobbed.
Sage quickly went over to him, and Tyreceus saw red. He thought Sage was the one who had ulterior motives for his child, as he was constantly watching him when Sage was just worried about Ace.
“You can stay here,” Sage assured him. “Tyreceus however, has to go.”
“I beg your pardon,” Tyreceus said. “You are crazy. You need to get away from him.”
“No,” Sage shouted. “You’re a monster. Preying on this child and now this.” Tyreceus chuckled and shook his head.
“He is my son,” Tyreceus stated. “I’m not going to repeat that fact ever again. I’m not asking you to let go of him. I’m telling you.”
“Let him go,” a woman urged Sage. “He can have the child if he wants. Don’t let him get ours.” Ace blinked and he reappeared next to his father.
“Don’t worry,” Tyreceus sneered. “We’ll be on our way.” They left, but Sage was not satisfied. “How could you let him go with that man,” Sage bellowed.
“You would let us all die to save one child,” a man asked. “Maybe you are the pervert.” Sage shut his mouth and said nothing more of the matter.