Chapter 6

Arla’s First Alignment of Reality

“To predict the future, one must first understand the past, how that got them to the present, in order to understand the future.” – Dr. Urisiah Hylinch

The Past

<7 Years ago, an 11-Year-old Arla>

“Why is she here?” The new patient asked, he was a tall skinny man who looked oddly twitchy for someone in his position.

Marcon, seeing the gesture, followed the man’s outstretched finger and saw Arla there standing in her own smaller lab coat, and mask. Looking at her, it was clear why anyone would be frightened of the girl, for she had deep bewitching Cerusian eyes that almost shone like frost. Then her hair, even with having applied the dye what two, no, three days ago, her roots were showing.

Not that the roots were showing everywhere, which would have been more annoying than anything, but the fact that they did seem to note or hint at her odd parentage was a problem.

“It is Take an Apprentice to Work day,” Marcon replied, his response instantaneous.

“I don’t want her here, I don’t want her to see this,” the man stated coldly after seeing the girl who had done nothing other than stand by patiently in the corner with her hands clasped tightly behind her back, her posture straight, while others yelled at her.

Seeing her stand there so stoically, Marcon couldn’t help but be proud of the girl. She’ll make one Hell of a soldier, he thought to himself not for the first time as he realized this would have to be her future career path.

While he wouldn’t wish that life on anyone, he couldn’t help but feel that this would be the best thing for her to do, given her unfortunate set of circumstances.

Realizing the man’s persistence, Marcon mentally switched gears and then went for the Lab Tech approach.

“Look, I didn’t want to say this, but the kid is a wizard with electronics, getting them to work when there is seemingly no hope for them,” Marcon stated.

“Well yes, that is to be expected, she is one of those monsters,” the man continued.

WHAM!

Before Marcon could even pause himself, his protective instincts took over and he swung his fist right into the odd man’s jaw as hard as he could.

Crunch.

As soon as his fist collided, he felt an all too satisfying crunch on the man’s jaw.

Rage filled Marcon’s face as he desperately tried to control himself, and his anger.

“One, two, three, four…” Marcon began counting out loud, a sign that he desperately needed to calm down.

Gentle touch.

Only the feel of a small set of cold hands grabbing hold of his still clenched fist let Marcon relax enough. He knew whose hands those were, the same cold calming hands that spoke volumes without ever speaking a single word.

Pausing mid-count, Marcon took a deep breath and looked down at those same frost blue eyes that he fell in love with so long ago. There was an entire pleading and conversation that was held between the two at just that gaze alone.

Seeing her stare, and furrowed brows, Marcon could read her thoughts almost instantly and then nodded to himself.

Then turning back to the man who was cowering in the chair as he gripped his jaw and looked at Marcon in fear.

“Look you have fully pre-paid, I am willing to give that all back to you, no questions asked this one time on account of your unforeseen medical expenses. That said, if you want this, then shut up and let me do my thing.”

There was a brief pause, as the skinny man looked at Marcon and seemed to read volumes with his glance.

Shaking his head, the man through a clearly broken jaw spoke in broken words, “do it.”

With that Marcon just nodded to himself.

“Assistant, start charging up the equipment,” Marcon demanded. Without even a word, the little girl who had been so instrumental in getting Marcon to calm down began flurrying about, fusing energy into a light stone that had its energies amplified and directed straight at the patient’s chest. The girl even inadvertently brushed her hand against the patient’s own, causing a note of revulsion to go down the man’s body.

He didn’t want her near him, as he knew what she was, even a watered down version was too much for him.

As he looked at the girl who was now directing the light source that was designed to look like a futuristic laser right at his midsection and crotch, the man began to panic. Then his eyes went wide with recognition as he saw the stone for what it was.

Wait, that is just a heat stone?

Then before he knew it, Marcon went over his body fully directed the ‘laser’ before moving it all around.

“How does that feel? Does it feel like your powers are awakening within you?” Marcon asked, his voice gruff.

At first the man wanted to protest, but then paused himself as he realized while the light source had done almost nothing to him, as he knew what an archaic glow stone was and looked like, for he had one of his own. It didn’t work, and his could never have powered something that vast, he had to admit that he did feel something shifting within his body.

The patient with a broken jaw was about to say no, that he knew nothing had happened, as he began to shake his head.

“Oh, why don’t you pull up your status screen first, before responding there,” Marcon insisted, his voice close to anger again.

Hearing the command for what it was, the patient annoyedly opened his Status screen and then baulked at the sight that was before him.

There he had not one but two powers maxed out to the S-Class, just as promised.

Primary Power Light Power [Permanent Support]: Precognition (S) Can see the future of all native species of the universe. Secondary Power Light Power [Permanent Support]: Phantasmal Burst (S) Can condense light into a power source capable of emitting destructive bursts.

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Seeing the messages himself, Marcon just nodded.

“Not many ‘Cogs that survived the war,” Marcon noted.

At that the skinny man just nodded, a look of sadness filling his face.

“Good luck, realize that you can see the future of everything from this universe, but nothing that the Harbingers do,” Marcon warned, as he helped escort the frail man out of the lab room.

As soon as they were gone, Arla came out from her corner and began deconstructing the entire setting, knowing they would need to likely use many of the same props again later.

When he came back, a somber Marcon stood there at the door and just watched Arla go about opening shipping crates and unpacking materials so they fit perfectly into the tight storage spaces. Seeing her work without having to be told, Marcon just smiled proudly to himself before going over to her.

Then as he got closer, he could see that she was oddly tense for some strange reason.

“Look, about that guy, he’s just a jerk. He doesn’t know you,” Marcon explained.

“It’s fine,” Arla responded, her voice clear and hearing her words Marcon knew that this was not the issue then.

“So, what has you bothered?” Marcon asked.

Arla paused, as if trying to give her thoughts time to percolate. Then finally she responded with a question that floored Marcon, if only for a second.

“How do you know if you are being watched magically?” Arla asked.

Looking around, Marcon instantly looked towards the runes around the room. Given how gifted the girl was, it was not beyond the realm of comprehension that she could see if even the most powerful scryers were noted by her observations.

“Do you know who might be watching us?” Marcon asked.

Arla just nodded her head, “yes, I think I’m watching myself, but I don’t know why exactly?”

At that, Marcon just stared at Arla and was utterly lost for an answer.

***

The Present

Whoosh!

The minute Arla’s hand touched the orb, her body and mind began processing the foreign energy and melding with it almost perfectly.

In that instant, Arla could feel that a new power had somehow registered within her body. Not a full power, but a partial or broken power as most seem to refer to ones that are at such a state.

Arla was still bent down, letting the large back of the sofa that held her patient, which was good as it meant she had cover while she fought to regain control over her body, while her mind sent out streams of power to the past and present, in a way that brought her back here, to the present. To this moment.

Movement.

She moved, or at least she tried to stand up, only to feel three versions of her moving, the past that was hesitant to move. The Present that was where she was, and the future, where she was going to eventually move her hand.

This was but a microcosm of her new power, as she worked to gain control over her own mind and body. The only problem was that with it being a fractured power, it could either be more or less powerful than a real version that covers the same.

“Do you know what I have found to be most interesting?” The client, Mr. Fortuna began, his words almost echoing as her mind quickly worked to bring together all three states of being into one coherent thought.

There was a slight pause, as no one, not even the daughter answered. But this was okay as Mr. Fortuna continued to converse with Arla through the couch, as if she was actively engaged in the conversation.

“That, there are a few points in time when changes can happen. Two times, I found that my future would change. Darling, no doubt you are aware of my time before I fully awakened my powers?” Mr. Fortuna asked.

This time it was his daughter, the future client, who responded.

“You told me bits and pieces, but I don’t know what you want me to respond with currently.” The teenager responded.

“I broke the law, which you are aware of, as I intend to have you undergo the same situation here. What you might not know is that I was effectively shut out of my power. I was a middling D-Rank Precognitive, but I had more, I knew it, my parents knew it, and so I pushed myself daily to find a way to fully unlock my true potential.” The Father continued.

“I began trying everything, elixirs, concoctions, working out. Everything and everything that had been reported, I tried. Then after the first few attempts almost killed me, I became more and more cautious. It was only once all options were exhausted, that I found myself hearing from word of mouth about a possible cure. A traveling broker would be stopping into town, and they performed miracles.” Mr. Fortuna continued, the longer he spoke, the more time Arla had to recover.

Though she did not rise above the lip of the couch, content to give herself more time to recover and wait for what the old man had next in store.

It was clear that the orb had been purposefully dislodged towards her, she was confident of that, even with the awkward positioning and seemingly randomness of the exchange, it was now clear that Mr. Fortuna had orchestrated the whole event, but why?

“It took months, I spent a fortune on finders fees, people to vouch for me, and then there was the actual operation itself.” There was a slight pause here, as the man brought back the memory and almost seemed to be reliving that exact moment in time.

“Do you know what they did?”

“No?” The daughter asked.

“They infused energy into a dead Cerusian heat rock. One that had likely been out of power for millennia. This little girl came over, touched it, and turned it on, causing an intense wave of heat. It was all misdirection, as the light and head had nothing to do with anything. Even my powers of Precognition at the time were telling me that this had nothing to do with what was going on. But yet, I still managed to fully Awaken my powers at the time. Not just the full capabilities of my Precognition power, but my defensive power as well.” He stated the last part conspiratorially, as if it was a secret that only the two of them would have. Despite Arla being right there to hear everything.

“Wait, you know…” the daughter cried out, even turning her head to peer over the side of the couch at the still crouching but fully recovered Arla.

“Oh, I know. What do you think did this to me, A heat rock? Or someone who would change the very balance of power in this universe,” Mr. Fortuna stated.

Hearing that, Arla’s worst fears came to life in her mind, as she realized this was the exact scenario that Marcon warned against.

“What does that mean?” The daughter asked.

“It means, that this person behind you, is the one person who could help us finally conquer the Harbingers, once and for all.”

“What? That old wives’ tale?” The daughter quipped.

“They are real, in fact, that is why we are on this very trip right now. So I can prove to you both that they exist,” Mr. Fortuna stated.

Whank-rink-whank.

Then at that very moment, as if choreographed perfectly, the internal alarms began to blare loudly.

At that Arla’s eyes flashed up to see that indeed all of the lights in the protective cube had been set ablaze.

Click.

Then by the pressing of a button the opaque walls of the safety cube suddenly pulsed with energy, as their structure changed, allowing for everything that was not a solid object to appear, showing the area outside of the protective cube, were even now, unimaginable monsters were boarding the luxury liner that had been housing the security vault.

Looking out into the hull of the ship, Arla could see a giant breached hull, which served as a landing point for hundreds of the grotesque and insatiable creatures that made up the Harbinger faction as a whole to appear.

Seeing the giant hole, it was clear that this ship, regardless of whether they survived or not would not be space worthy.

It also meant that things had suddenly gone from bad to worse.

But it was okay, as Arla began scanning the room once more to see her options. There were indeed plenty of food and ration supplies available. But most importantly, the automatic weapons that Arla had seen on her way in were still there, meaning she had an option to defend herself.

And options were always welcome in circumstances like this.

***

The Future

<6+ Years from Now, a 24-Year-old Arla>

Arla stood outside the commander’s office, her space suit immaculate, despite having spent the past fourteen hours in straight transit from the Military Academy to her first duty station. Taking one last second to look over her uniform, ensuring that nothing from her rank, to her badges denoting professions, to her appearance were anything less than perfect.

This was her first time meeting her new commander, and while she didn’t expect to be seen in a positive light, she did expect to have to be forced to prove herself constantly. Which was why, she took the extra second to look over her uniform and ensure that everything was perfect and to Federation Military Standards, which it all was.

Rap-tap.

As was customary, Arla gave the customary two tap on the door of her commanding officer, and then straightened her back to attention and waited.

“Come in,” a familiar voice called out, though she expected this.

Immediately upon command, Arla turned the nob, entered the room and presented herself right in front of her receiving commander.

“Commander Hylinch, Lieutenant Proma reporting for duty,” Arla said rendering a salute, a copy of her orders already sent, she had the commands preloaded to be transferred once she executed a salute.

Beep.

Then like clockwork, as the hand reached her forehead for a salute, a copy of her electronic orders were sent to her new commander.

Commander Hylinch was about to say at ease, when she noticed the simultaneous arrival of orders and the salute. Glancing at the new incoming officer, she took her in.

The girl was average height, maybe a smidge over at about 170 CM. Her uniform as Hylinch had been expected was perfect. As her eyes scanned up, Hylinch noted that the incoming officer had not one but two powers listed, though there was a third that Hylinch knew about perfectly well.

Then looking up to her face, Commander Hylinch saw the same stoic face, the same piercing ice blue eyes, but this time something had changed.

“You stopped dying your hair?” Hylinch asked, her question pointing out the fact that now her one raven black mop of hair was now a lustrous white silver that looked oddly majestic on her face.

“Yes, I am Fortunate enough to now be a full-fledged citizen of the Federation, and stationed out here at the edge to fight against the Harbingers, I realized getting and maintaining the façade that I am something I am not would be pointless,” Arla explained.

“Pointless?” The Commander asked, purposefully avoiding the obvious annunciation of Fortuna, the contrived alias that her father insisted upon using when first meeting the odd woman before her.

“Yes, I am now a full Citizen of the Federation, as of now, even if I am proven to be incompetent or noted for dereliction of duty, I will be a Citizen of the Federation, even if that requires me to spend the rest of my days in Federation prisons,” Arla noted, her words not challenging, but highly self-aware, which was what Commander Hylinch expected from the top graduate of the doctoral class. A top graduate who, while sporting many breakthroughs and course records was passed on by everyone as their first choice of soldier. Which was how Commander Hylinch found the chance to once again be reunited with the normally calm and stoic woman who had seemingly become more and more attuned to her Cerusian heritage, at least if her now full head of silver-white hair was anything to go from.

“As your commander, and given our location, I am forced to ask this to everyone who comes in that door. But this duty station is designed to be the first line of defense against Harbingers, meaning you will be tried and tested in combat against the deadly foe. While the rest of the Universe is content to forget that the Harbingers even exist, it is our duty as soldiers to allow the peaceful citizens of the Federation to rest easy. So I will ask, are you prepared to fight Harbingers?” Commander Hylinch asked, this was a standard question given to all incoming soldiers, and was her way of vetting out the weak from the strong. Those that thought the Harbingers were just fictitious monsters from times long past.

“I guess we will have to wait and see,” Lieutenant Proma replied, her voice confident as she stood there waiting for what will come next.

Seeing that the Lieutenant before her didn’t even flinch, mock, or heckle at the comment, Commander Hylinch just nodded to herself, before continuing her customary speech.

“I guess we will.”