***

Realm of Dreams

***

I am adrift in the realm of dreams, I see the silver tree that grows within me. It is ablaze in a purple fire, the leaves turning to ash. The words the creature in the box spoke rattle the dream world.

You are unworthy of my power

Bile rises in my throat, even the darkness casts me away – forsaking me. Vindicating every person who has hurt me, vindicating all of those who have wronged me.

“I do not want your power!” I find my lips yelling.

Clouds above form rapidly in the realm of dreams, dark enough to swallow the little light there is. Red lightning erupts from it. A thundering laughter from high above me. My jaw clenches tightly as I hear the laughter turn into words.

“Liar.” The creature says, it’s voice distorted as before.

My heart thumps, I did not expect them to hear me.

“You will call for me, and when you do – I will feast upon the marrow of your pitiful soul.”

“I will not.” I growl, defiance in my soul.

The creature cackles a villainous laugh, the clouds begin to leave. Something is calling me away from the realm of dreams. I do not fight the pull, as I wish to be free of the creatures torments.

***

Realm of Reality

***

“Do not give up, you are strong – I have seen it.” The soft voice of a woman says, her voice breaks the darkness in my heart, like the first ray of light come dawn.

My eyes are heavy, too heavy to open, I am far away from her voice, my body aches all over.

“My lady, we must leave him. You have the Black Edict, our mission is complete.” Another voice says.

Black Edict, do they speak of the black box?

“I will not leave him.” The woman says, her voice feels familiar to me somehow.

“My lady, he is surely going to die, we with him if we do not depart from here.” The second voice says, it is a mans voice I realize.

“Then so be it.” The first voice says “My honor demands I not leave him. My honor does not demand you stay, flee if you so choose.”

“My lady, his mind will be broken, the tox screen shows Compound 76 and 132, used in extreme torture – used to break people’s minds. I have seen the effects of it.” The man says, there is a strain in the voice “You saw what Mallock did to him, your honor does not demand…”

“Do not speak to me of honor! You were supposed to keep him from danger, not deliver him into the clutches of a madman.” The first voice says, there is rage in her voice.

“My lady, had I known…” the man says.

“It was your job to know, you assured me they could be trusted.” The woman says.

I feel someone running their hand through my hair softly. My eyes begin slowly opening. I try to form words, but my mouth is covered by some kind of mask that pushes air into my lungs. I am in a small room made of stone.

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“My lady, he is not worth the risk, they will be searching for him. Your father…” he begins but his gaze turns to me “He is awake.”

“Can you hear me?” the woman says.

My gaze turns to meet her, my eyes widen as I take her in. She is the blue haired woman, her face now free of soot and blood from when I saw her last. My heart betrays me as it stirs, she is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes upon. I see it is her hand that moves through my hair, my mind catches up now, pushing the stirrings of my heart down deep. She is one of the masters. I turn my gaze from her, afraid that my heart will betray me again.

“My lady, we must…” the man begins.

“Enough Fennec!” she yells.

“As you wish.” He replies, there is a bitterness in his voice. He stands now, moving to the edge of the room, peering through the cracks of a shuttered window to the outside.

The woman continues to move her hand through my hair, I try to reach my right hand up to swat it away, but see my arm is gone, the price for using the black box. Sekat. I move my left hand now and move hers from me. I try to sit up, but she puts a hand on my chest, she is stronger than she looks, much stronger.

“You need to rest, do not try to sit up.” She says.

I turn to her again trying to speak but the mask muffles it. She pulls it from my face.

“What were you trying to say?” she asks, there is care in her voice, the tenderness of it makes me sick.

“Degora Ul Giba.” I say to her, turning my head back to the ceiling.

“What does that mean?” she asks, but I do not reply. She is not worthy of it.

The man approaches me now, anger in his eyes as he leans down to me.

“Direct your anger elsewhere, she has done more than you deserve.”

“Fennec, he is within his right to dislike me.” The woman says, then finishing she asks “What he said, what does it mean?”

“In the old tongue it means roughly - Your words are worthless to my ears.” The man named Fennec says, then turning to her “As I said before, we should leave him my lady. He is clearly hostile.”

He knows the words of my people, is he Kuwathi? Is he yet another one of my people that cozy up to the demons who torment us? The thought sickens me, almost as much as the woman.

“I see, well I hope that in time you will learn to trust me.” She says looking down at me, there is sincerity in her eyes which only frustrates me further.

The pain from my wounds begins to rise higher, becoming more present in my mind. Beads of sweat falling from my brow.

“I think he needs more medigel.” She says.

“Any more will probably kill him.” Fennec says.

“You’re sure this planet doesn’t have a medipod?” she asks.

“No one in this system can afford one of those, except maybe the Interim Governor.” Fennec replies, there is a chime from a device on his wrist. Looking closer I see it is a holopad. The make much different from the ones us hunters were allowed to use.

“Then we should take him to another system.” She says.

“They are looking for him my lady.” He says showing her a projection on his wrist “The moment we even get close to this system’s jump gate, five republic cruisers will shoot us down.”

“Surely not. They wouldn’t dare. The Grand Senate requested his presence.” She says.

“My lady, my inside source says the Governor does not want him to testify.”

“Even Adonius is not that brazen.” She says.

“My lady, do not underestimate those whose depravity begs a redefinition of the word.” Fennec replies, there is a hollowing of his eyes, a look I know too well. It is the dead who haunt behind his eyes in the recesses of his mind.

The woman does not reply, she looks down at her holopad, her face growing pale as though she has met Fennec’s ghosts. Fennec is about to speak but something chimes on his holopad now as well. His eyes grow wider, his hands begin to tremble.

“It is not too late to leave.” The blue haired woman says.

“I told your grandfather I would not abandon you. I have only broken my honor once – never again.” Fennec says resolutely, grasping his hands tightly together until they shake no more.

“You don’t…” the woman begins but is interrupted.

A thunderous roar erupts in the room as one of the stone walls shatters violently. Dusting the area and dazing me. There is a secondary explosion that causes my eardrums to rupture as my eyes are flashed with a bright light.

As my eyes readjust to the light, I see the woman is already up, fighting against a squad of soldiers. Sekat. She is much stronger than she looks. She does not aim to kill. I can feel in her stride that she is experienced with fighting, but a novice with taking life. She does not use a weapon, except for her hands and feet. Each strike denting the metal of their armor. Each kick bending the frame.

The man named Fennec finally rises now, blood dripping from his ears. He yells something, but I can’t hear what, my own ears still ring. As he yells, lights erupt upon his flesh, his flesh hand revealing itself to be something more as it blossoms into a plasma weapon of some kind. I did not know such contraptions existed, I have never seen one hidden so well.

Fennec points it outwards holding the stubbed arm by the elbow, light rockets out in quick succession, burning through the metal of the soldiers armor. There is a smile forming on his mouth as he mows them down. A smile formed by madness clawing at the edges.

To my right I feel another explosion, it knocks me from the table I lay upon, into a heap upon the ground. I struggle to move, missing an arm and a leg. Sekat, I am beginning to understand why Nekam was so depressed, the uselessness I feel is overwhelming. I crawl on the fragments of my pride, away from the battle. On the edges of my perception I feel an uneasy feeling trying to creep into my mind. Words pushing themselves out.

Call for me, you are nothing without me

Followed by the cackling of the creature. My blood begins to boil, I will not call them. I would rather die.

Look at the coward crawling away from battle

The voice mocks me. It is vile. If I could stop its calls I would. I turn now to move back towards the battle, I will not let it shame me. Not again.