Chapter 10

Tony

My thoughts were clear. My body was freezing and I was no longer in my own protection. I was finally at risk of dying, sitting in a chair of chains between a dark stone room that allowed the cold air breeze against my body.

I was waiting for it to happen. Waiting for Liam to pop out and annoy me. For some reason, even though he’s been the demon in my head, I just wanted him to talk to me. I was alone in this room and dying.

“Liam!” I screamed. “Where are you?!”

After each scream I sobbed and sobbed. Life could not get worse than this. I hoped and prayed to God, Nancy, and even Maurice didn’t die out there. For the rest too. I’d be miserable if they died on me.

Oh, and poor Jones. He was probably out of his mind. If he survived this, he’d have nobody. He would traumatized and willing to see his girlfriend back at home.

Me. I had nobody to go back home to. That. That was actually sad. I’d get out of this terrifying and have absolutely no soul waiting to welcome me in a safe place.

That was mind blowing to me. For the first time, I realized I was alone. I wasn’t doubting it but thinking about it now, was disheartening.

“What’s going on?” I heard Liam and he was sitting up right in front of me.

“Now, you show up,” I said.

“You look defeated,” he stood up and walked along the room like he was actually there. He raised my chin up and said, “Have you been defeated yet?”

“Honestly,” I muttered. “Now that I see it. Now that I’ve seen I’m alone here, waiting to die. Yes, I am defeated.”

“That’s great to know,” he said and smiled. “But unfortunately, you waited too long to leave. The moon has finally shaped into a crescent and from here, whether you think I’m in your head or not, you are truly alone.”

“Huh?” I shook my chains and shouted.

“You can’t! You can’t leave me here!” I screamed and shot blood out of my mouth.

“You are an animal. And you’ll die an animal. I’ll see you in the end,” he let go of my chin and disappeared away with a black smoke.

I was willing to make a deal. I was finally to make a deal and he left. That was all my own mistake.

“Black Knight!” I heard outside the door.

They busted open the door and revealed all the light inside. It was blinding and disorienting.

“Today’s the day for the mark,” the Lok said and pulled across the cement floor. My face was being dragging along it and cutting open cheek until the finally lifted me up and faced me against the wall.

“Toxic humans like you deserve to be punished for their sins!” the Lok said.

Over my arm, I saw a red sword, glowing like the sun and planted it against my back. For a second, I felt nothing but then blood began boiling and skin was shedding.

Then he pressed it harder. My bones and flesh all turned into hot rocks. My breath was stolen and I was now defeated.

“Do it again!” the Lok gargled.

Under his breath, I heard a faint cry. It was Nancy dropping tears left and right. Then heavy breathing from Jones. He was getting involved in this.

A seventeen-year-old who didn’t choose this war, was about to tortured like I was. That. That would unforgivable if I let him die like I was.

“Ahhhh!” I shot a scream out of my lungs and forced the chains through my fist. My hands turned red and burned. Blood came out of my nails and soon, I detached myself from the chains and fell on my knees.

The Lok was ready to swing but I dared myself to grip that flaming hot sword and burned my palms even worse. I headbutt the Lok twice and gave one battle ready stare to Jones.

I slid my palm down to the handle of the sword and cut the Lok’s head off in front of everyone. My skin crawled and all I could do next was stare at a Lok next to me, trembling in spider crawling fear.

He kneeled before me and I said, “The next mark would fall on you.”

I kicked the Lok to the floor, held his arm out and burned his orange skin like charcoal. His screams and his cries matter nothing to me. He was a demon and he deserved to feel it all.

Later the back of his head, met the sharp end of the sword and called it a day. I took the blade out clean and observed the blood and questioned what I should I do next.

“I wonder what a Lok’s brain taste like?” I said and was freaky enough to lick the blood out of the blade. It was sour and texture less. It needed more sugar and a chunk of more flesh.

“Tony!” Nancy shouted and shot back into existence. I gave a disturbing stare to Jones and thought to myself. I was showing off my insane side. I should have never done that. Jones and I would regret seeing that for eternity and that was my fault.

“Get us out of here!” Nancy screamed.

I heard her but I kept thinking. I just did a terrible deed. How was I going to repair Jones’ head after that? There was no going back.

“Come on!” Maurice shouted. “Get us out of here!

Instead of listening, my legs lost control and fell like jelly. I was a victim of my own body and they were just watching me fall apart.

Bang! The door burst open. “Pick him up first! Untie the rest!” Their voices were so human. We were saved by outsiders. Unfortunately, I did none of the saving today. How disgusting is it to kill myself out of my chains and not get everyone out safely.

I was a victim of being carried out to safety. I should have done the saving. Was Liam expecting this? I bet he was. He knew I was going to fall apart and I never listened.

Chapter 11

Tony

There I was hopeless, laying down on a white hospital bed, expecting a doctor every day. It might have been horrifying but at least we got out alive.

“Where are we doctor?” I asked.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“You’re in orbit.” He pulled his glasses out. “One of your pilots tracked down where your team was captured and ordered a raid on the place. If it weren’t for him, who knows what would have happened.

“I don’t need to be here,” I said. “I want to go now.”

“Hold on,” he stopped me. “You may be a Rhino but you require some attention right now. Take some time to heal.”

“Listen,” I made my tone higher. “All I need is my armor and I can get down there any time. I don’t need you babying me every second. I can go whenever I want.”

By that point, the doctor stopped responding and took it between himself to get out of the room. I might have been a bit too threatening. I had to stop doing that.

Surprising how there’s TVs in orbiting ships. We didn’t get any back in the airships when traveling to Orson. I had to take the chance to relax and watch whatever was available.

Channel 59, Earth International. All about the best vacation spots for the year 2759. Not interested. Not right now.

Channel 103, Orson’s biggest landscapes. I’d rather not see my memories on TV.

Channel 607, Military today. That would be me but I need to rest and not think about murdering someone for once.

Then channel 705, Fox of Orson. The media that runs Orson. Wait until we get that.

Before turning off the TV, Nancy entered my room looking healthier than me. She had a few cuts on her arm but her skin was brighter than mine.

“How are you holding up?” she asked.

“I’m okay, how about you?”

“I just took a few meds and laid down for a few days,” she said skipping over the obstacles of stools the doctor left behind. “You were out for almost a week.”

“What are you watching?” she questioned.

“Um, I’m guessing the news,” I said.

“Can I join you?” she said.

“Sure, grab whatever stool isn’t too uncomfortable.”

She pulled up one very close to my bed and sat beside me. I ignored how close she was getting until she grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight like a snake.

I was attempting to let go or say something but her grip was too strong and very smooth. I let the hairless skin warm up my own hand and squeeze back.

“The world of Orson is in shock,” the news reporter said. “As of right now, Earth and other human colonized planets, prepare for reckoning in cases where the Lox take over Orson.”

“Oh my god,” Nancy sighed. “Here we go with media misinformation.”

“Our heroes of the war were last over a month ago according to authorities,” the reporter said and proceeded to show an image of me in my armor along side Nancy when we were attacking the town in the south.

“His name has been spreading around as the Black Knight to many Lox,” he said. “We’ve been told, Tony, the Black Knight has a kill record over two thousand. So far he has been proven to be the strongest Rhino in any military organization.”

“The news seems to like you,” Nancy said.

“Yeah, and I don’t like it,” I muttered.

My first thought was to turn off the TV. It was just more noise in the room.

“How’s your mark?” Nancy questioned.

I forgot the Lox were cooking my back. I never got to see how that looked like.

Nancy turned me to my back and hissed at the scene. “It’s really red,” she said.

“I imagine,” I laughed. I was waiting for her to touch my scar and realized that was my own tension.

“That’s not going to heal for a while,” she said and pulled me back around. All of a sudden, her hair was brighter than the sun. I wasn’t blinded by the hair. It was just beauty.

“I need to get out of here,” I said. “I want to finish the war and go wherever life takes me next.”

“Yeah.” She grabbed my hand again and rested her head on my chest. I was getting tickled by her blonde hair but it was warm and soothing at the same time. In a few moments, I’ll be going somewhere I’ve been avoiding for years.

My heart was beating faster and harder. I knew she was listening. What was I going to do?

“Let’s relax for now.” She lifted her head off my chest and released all the pressure. Then her soothing touch left my hand empty and scared. “I’m going to grab a cup of coffee. I’ll be back later.”

“Sure,” that’s all I could say. No attempt to stop her. I was nervous and hopeless. I wasn’t a Rhino. I wasn’t a soldier. I have become a human with a heart in mere seconds.

Just when she took her existence out of my room, I was back to thinking. I needed to strategize. The moment I leave orbit, it’ll be back to Hell. I didn’t want to go back but there was no defying the murder of war.

I rung the bell and told the staff, “Hey, who is making my new armor?”

“I believe it is Doctor Carter, Tony,” they said.

“I need him in the room now!” I demanded and it was clear to them what I needed.

It only rushed to his head. He was in immediate play and reached my room for my talk.

“Doctor Atom Carter,” I said. “We need to have a conversation.”

“Alright,” he spoke in an Australian accent. “I’m assuming you’d care to check out your new suit and armor.”

“That’s what I will get to in a minute,” I said and waved him to get closer. “Right now, there is a huge threat on the table. We need to focus our pawns and assets on the main battlefield.”

“Speak English, please,” he said.

“HellFire,” I muttered. “The one time I’ve seen him he’s been a terrifying issue. I’ve been told nothing can hurt him, but there’s a weapon we can use against him. A weapon that can fire a bolt of lightning that will dampen his main strength and allow us to kill him on the spot.”

“Reiterate for that me please?” he questioned. “You want me to craft a weapon that can fire a bolt of lightning? Do you know the possibilities of how I can craft a destructive weapon as explained?”

“You’re a Gisene, aren’t you?” I asked.

“Gisene?” He placed his hand on his forehead like he had received a headache. “I haven’t heard such a name for years. Where did you hear that name?”

“I just heard it,” I said.

“I don’t know what happened, but as soon as you said that word, eons worth of life and knowledge hit my head like magic.”

He pulled my hand and whispered, “Tony, don’t dare say such a word again. I’ll craft you the weapon needed but don’t say it in front of anyone again.”

“Why?” I questioned.

“I will not explain but if you want to avoid undesired outcomes, remember when I tell you this,” then he whispered closer to my ear. “HellFire is not the biggest threat in the universe.”

“Then who is?” I asked.

“If you survive, you’ll know. Everyone has a threatening power in them but it will come with pain and destruction. Don't take matters into your own hands, soldier. They're not worth your time just yet.”

I knew the doctor had good intentions but something felt off. Something in my shaken bones was telling me Doctor Carter knew something from a specific man. Was it Liam?

“You know something,” I said. “What else do you know?”

“I’m afraid that’s all I’ll fit into your head. Please, Tony. Get out of here alive,” he said and stepped out of the room without closing the scene.

Something was telling me I was going to see him in the future. I watched his hand wave out the door and suddenly lights were flickering but it wasn’t the room’s lights. It was the light in my eyes.

After each flicker, I saw an image of a person. He was carrying a giant red glowing spear and his eyes were similar to Liam’s except his were glowing blue.

From seeing his image, I received a strong scent of charcoal, like he was lighting the room on fire. For a second, the flickering paused and I saw him clear. Well almost clear.

He was wearing Rhino armor similar to mine. He had blood dripping out of his chest. The air around him was thick and toxic. The heat was overpowering it could melt my body and last thing I dared to notice, was how I could tell how many people he has killed.

For some reason a number popped in my head and said this man killed billions upon billions and there was no end to it. The number kept stacking up the longer he was alive. It wasn’t going one by one. It was millions of deaths per second. I could even hear the screaming before they all died.

“One day,” he said in a deep voice I could not understand. “One day you’ll see me and I’ll be relying on your strength along the road. Let me down and millions of planets will burn to ashes.”

Then suddenly his spear was on my neck without a single movement from him. “You made the right decision by defying the Devil. Now you need to defy the Gods. I’ll see you and you’ll see me soon.”

The touch of the spear itself was boiling my neck to the point I could smell my own skin. All I asked was for the spear to leave me alone. I couldn’t attempt to move the spear myself as I was paralyzed.

He only turned to his back and walked out of the room as his spear continued to burn my neck until it felt like my neck was melting.

“You want the spear out of your neck?” he asked with his back on me. “Prove you’re a strong Rhino by telling your arm to pull it out. You’ll need that strength in the future, Tony. Otherwise, you won’t have a chance to pull it out of your heart.”

My life was counting on moving my arm. A scream of air shot out of my mouth. I felt my bones shake but none of the strength could help me move. Then the spear was beginning to leave another mark.

My teeth grinded on their own to the point they were splitting. My will was nonexistent but my mind knew I had it in me. Until I thought about earlier. About how close Nancy was to me. About how it brought warm feelings towards my heart. I finally had a heart and it was waiting to connect with hers.

A final scream left my body and arm yanked the spear away from my neck. The man showed half of his face to me and smiled then said, “You’ve proven to be a strong Rhino. Now, do the entire universe a favor and survive this war.”

The spear and his body disappeared away in a flash. A gust of wind hit my face and knocked my head against the wall. Everything in the room was shaken by his departure. The ship’s lights shut off for a few seconds too. I even felt the entire ship move slightly.

That was no human for sure.

That was different from Liam. Liam would let me speak and he’d yell at me, but this man, I didn’t have a chance to speak at all.

The pain was different too. I had no power and it felt more real. I could still feel the heat on my neck. The entire ship was affected by him too.

The worst, Liam seemed like a menace and a murderer just by speaking. This guy, he showed you the numbers and he kept stacking them to prove a point. The screaming itself proved well enough how murderous he was.

Even though I could not see the man’s face, something about him, felt a lot like me. It could have been me in the future, someone else or something far worse.