Intermezzo – A Brief Pause

Interlude of a Dream – A Brief Pause; Part III (Chapters 31-44)

The next time Z woke up, he found himself inside the ship’s compartment. Alzrius was at the helm and Aria was still sleeping inside another room. They already left the gravitational field of Azurei hours ago, without Sumire. Understanding, but not really understanding the situation, Z broke down completely, filled with anger, frustration, confusion, guilt, and sorrow. Alzrius did his best to comfort Z, but surprisingly, Aria’s presence was enough for the moment, placing Z in a lull and completely weariness.

Soon after, Alzrius landed the ship back on the Evening Star, and the Prophet provided a large mansion as shelter for Aria and Z to recover. Feeling slightly sane, Z used his power to resuscitate Aria before meeting the Prophet for the first time in months. After a short summary, they both realized that Aria was awake, and from then on, Z made a promise to himself and Sumire that he would forever be Aria’s guardian.

Although it was uneasy at first, the girl from Z’s dreams had stepped into the realm of reality, and with time, she allowed Z to forget about his painful past. It was also because he had decided to place his duties for her and the vows he made first, and emotions last. In a sense, it also made it hard for him to accept Aria that easily, since he could only see her as his responsibility.

However, being of the same age, Aria wasted no time to bother and play with Z. After all, she told him, she retained all of her sister’s memories, and also Sumire’s feelings before leaving. Z was in a tough spot; he knew in his heart he liked Aria, but after the painful loss of Sumire, he also knew he just couldn’t forget about her. Staring at Aria was like staring at the mirror image, but it was unfair for both sides. Left in an utter confusion of his own heart, Z decided to just place his mask on. It was easier that way, and it was also easier for him to follow orders and participate in the war soon-to-come. He simply didn’t know that what he had thought best might hurt Aria in the process.

The first place the Te’anari was invading was Cerasil, a planet of dense forests, badlands, and dusk sunlight that reflected the scenery Z saw in his dream. There, he met with Kiri and Narcissu, as it seemed that while the main attack fleet had already left the system to directly invade Sirius II, the system where Te’anaris inhabit, all of Spartan Command’s forces joined Sirius orbital defense forces to defend their home worlds against the invaders.

Z, unable to leave Aria alone in the big mansion, brought her with him to Cerasil. Narcissu and Kiri quickly grasped the gist of what had happened, so they did what friends do: ignoring topics regarding Sumire, and treated Aria like their own. Z finally settled down somewhat, his mind somewhat at ease as all of his focus shifted to the approaching conflict.

That night, Z and the others discussed about what was to come, and apparently, the Te’anari were invading only a few hours before Cerasil’s annual solar eclipse, which render the entire planet surface covered in sheer darkness. When the time came, Aria was instructed to stay within the well-fortified Fortress Alpha, while Z and the others approach them directly.

Many hours later, Z participated in the first interstellar war in his life, with more to come. The Te’anari resembled gigantic black clouds composed of hundreds of millions of individual creatures, each fully capable of wrecking havoc on any military force Earth could provide.

Summoning Knight Visage upon himself, Z encased himself in a mechanized armor around fifteen feet in height. Z also learned of how to fly for the first time within his protective suit. Flying to the altitude where the majority of the defense fleets were in place, Z stared down the approaching swarm that threatened to block out the entire sky. He raised a long rifle larger than his own body, and with it, he fired what was literally nukes at the enemies. That was the beginning of the most violent experience Z faced.

War was war, nothing was pretty. The Sirius defense fleet suffered major casualties, and even though Z was doing quite well in eliminating the Te’anari, he couldn’t stop the reality of war from hitting him hard. It was then that three separate, unique Te’anari approached him, telling him of something vaguely familiar: the Te’anari were also looking for the Prophesized One – him.

Trying to break away from them, Z failed to do so and ended up heavily wounded as he regained conscious, his armor a mess and his own body shattered. Managing to heal himself just in time, Z escaped, and charged toward the fortress as fast as he could. However, the three Te’anaris showed up once more, but despite escaping them once more, Z couldn’t prevent one of them from capturing Aria, who had wandered off on her own. The Te’anari in charge of the whole operation flew away, leaving his two subordinates behind to deal with the captives.

In the end, Z found within him the conceptual weapon necessary to kill these Te’anari once and for all. Desperate to save Aria, he deftly killed the two remaining Te’anaris despite suffering grievous wounds. However, when he regained consciousness, Z realized that somehow, he had healed, with Aria caring for him. Unsure of whether it was his own doing or if Aria had powers of her own, Z returned to the task at hand, and rendezvous with Kiri and the others.

Apparently, the solar eclipse was approaching the very nightfall to come. Fearing for the safety of Aria, Z sent her off one of the escape vessels housing all the wounded, albeit her unwillingness. As the eclipse fast approached, Z was informed that all of the defense fleets were destroyed, and all the forts except Fortress Alpha were annihilated. All that remained were the able-bodied soldiers and what remained of land batteries and assault vehicles.

Facing the desperate situation, Z thought out a plan to place the defense forces on at least an even edge. They were finally given all the necessary imbuing to kill the Te’anari: molecular disintegration, preventing the creatures from self-regenerating completely.

This was the last standoff on Cerasil. Swarms of Te’anari -, large and small, grotesque and downright terrifying, land and air – assaulted as one against Z and the brave defenders. As the world was thrown in darkness and chaos, the fortress emitted radiant white light, the sole protestor against a world of shadows. Z, Kiri, and Narcissu fought hard alongside their compatriots, but soon it became apparent that the power Z wielded was far from enough.

The Te’anari was an outstanding race. All of the species under the race had evolved until their true functions were determined. However, facing harsh conditions like the battle on Cerasil, their evolutionary mechanisms were activated once more. The more the Te’anari were pushed back, the more of them came back in the next wave, capable of shrugging off attacks that were deadly to them just minutes before.

People and monsters alike were dying around Z, and in the melee, he was separated from his friends. The fortress was also falling apart, and the lights that pierced the darkness were dimming. In the end, caught in an ambush, Z and some of the defenders came face to face with none other than the Te’anari in charge. Restrained by other creatures that assault from beneath the ground, Z was faced with a terrible situation, but with hatred and anger hot in his blood, the Child of Prophecy unleashed his power, a glimpse of its true potential.

The end result destroyed all remaining Te’anari on the planet, and at the same time destroyed the darkness that covered Cerasil. In a surprising turn of events, Z and the others had survived. However, all was not well, as on the journey home, Z suffered what wars would often do to others. When the others saw what Z was capable of, they blamed him for their comrades’ death, blaming him for not being able to save them earlier. Although Kiri and Narcissu supported him nonetheless, a part of Z, far from the morals and values that bound him, was agreeing to the logic of the blames.

After recovering from his injuries, but still on bad terms with Aria, who waited for his return with anxiety, Z stayed on the Evening Star only long enough to head off to his next battlefield: Borealis.

On this world were unpredictable weather, magnetic storms, and heavy continuous rainfall. Z, Kiri, and Narcissu, all making it through the previous battle, faced against the Te’anari already lying in wait. Strangely, despite heavy resistance and low reinforcements, Z began to play solo, no longer concerned with keeping his powers in check. He had decided that he could no longer limit himself. To save others, he must kill the Te’anari as fast and efficient as possible, without any mercy.

Outside of his control, something else unknown to Z was brewing. The Te’anari invaders were here, looking for something, and the military were also looking for it. Volunteering himself, Z entered a ruined factory alone, the taste of battle still fresh in his limbs. Making his way past absolute darkness, with limited guidance from headquarters, Z ventured down the abysmal depth, facing against numerous Te’anari that were evidently guarding the place.

Upon finally reaching the very bottom, where the vaults containing the hidden objects laid to rest, Z opened the vault doors and submerged his world into the unknown. The large vault was filled with crystals made of substance beyond comparison, but Z eventually found his way to a large crystal; brilliant white and nothing covered it except long, sharp spikes. It was glowing; an effigy of unfathomable energy seemed to reside in it.

When Z touched it, the spike pricked his finger, sending down a trail of blood that seemed to activate the crystal, and before he could react, the crystal shrank to the size of a tennis ball, and grew brighter until Z’s sight was blinded by that light. Seconds after, a strange, prophetic vision hit his senses, and from there he learned of what was necessary to fulfill the Prophecy.

Z was entrusted to break the Twin Star Pact, an unfathomable contract that chained Sirius I and II together. The two systems teetered in balance, but eventually, one shall be destroyed, followed by the remaining one. To set the star systems free, he must first fulfill the pact, and according to the Prophecy, Aria was the other ‘half’ of the missing puzzle. The vision told of the past, where the two systems were separate. The vision told of a man, who also found the crystal, and with it, set one world to chaos and war, while the other a lush land of peace. Finally, the vision told of the four essences to which was of great significance: the white orb Z found, the green leafy scale of an unknown creature or origin, the ceremonial curved sword of ancient design, and a basin filled to the rim with water. Within the basin reflected not of Z’s face, but the visage of someone else, familiar yet at the same time distant. Between Z and this person held a thin red ribbon.

After the vision had faded, the crystal obliterated and absorbed all the crystals within the vault, before Z quickly took it into his possession. Proceeding to escape the stalking Te’anari and escaping the ruined factory, Z decided that what he had discovered was too important to let anyone else even reach. Conjuring two fake crystals to satisfy the military higher-ups, realizing that once again, they were hiding something great, Z escaped from the headquarters with Z. By this time, he had already transformed the white crystal to the left lens of his glasses, and replaced that lens with the crystal.

Through further exchanging of facts, both Z and Kiri realized that something beyond their control was happening, both in Sirius I and II. Facing the growing unease, Kiri revealed his true feelings for Narcissu, but quickly redirected the question on Z, making him embarrassed and at the same time aware of the swelling within his heart.

Z knew he was dense, he knew he was placing his duty above caring for Aria, and he also knew that a part of him was afraid of confronting Aria, perhaps because of his memories of Sumire, and perhaps because Aria also possessed the memories and feelings. Unable to make a clear decision, Z eased off the conflicts within him by scouting ahead, destroying all the remaining facilities that housed the crystals. These were extracted from beneath the crust, but their secrets shall be forever buried within the earth. That was what Z decided as he faced off against numerous Te’anari, brushing them past with his absolute power.

The more he fought, the more Z could distract himself, and felt that he was at least trying to atone for his sins. However, when he observed how just like him and any other living being, the Te’anari were ultimately an intelligent race with its own civilization, Z’s will trembled, but only a little as he obliterated them.

At the same time, Kiri and Narcissu were not so slow in noticing these changes in Z. They let the thoughts be known to him, but in the end decided to let him sort out these things. After a complete success in Borealis, Z proceeded toward Juiblex, where he continued the emotionless slaughter of all the attacking Te’anari. For four days, Z braved through Borealis and Juiblex, and finally took a break, returning to the Evening Star.

Z was no longer the same, and Aria also changed since they last talked. Aria had learned to cook, and Lycoris, the Arkrusha that originally hatched from the egg Z stole, was much bigger than before. It resembled a serpentine dragon with its scales covered in bark-like carapace, with twigs, vines, and leaves sticking here and there, intertwining around its entire body and sticking out at odd places.

Z experienced a lot, but as he rested for the first time in days, experienced the short moments of relaxation with Aria, he realized that apart from her newly acquired culinary skill, she hadn’t changed much. She was still the girl that smiled at him, still the one that at odd times reflected the shadows of her past. She still hid pained expressions behind her blue-green eyes reflecting the sparkle of tropical sea, and locks of beautiful, golden-brown curls.

After a long talk about his growing conflict against his values, and also what future held in store for them both, Z shared a rare chance to talk to Aria as he would a friend. He soon realized that yes, he changed. The gentle warmth from Aria’s words was like angelic hands granting Z the solace he didn’t deserve, and he could no longer deny his feelings. He could no longer be apart from her. However, before he could sort these emotions in order, surprising news came, separating Z from Aria once more.

Once again stepping into the Enclave, where the highest council of thirty or more members gathered for an emergency meeting, Z found himself beside the Prophet, a part of the assembly, and quite nervous.

Apparently, the main fleet housing over twenty billion forces had returned from Sirius II, where it was supposed to lay siege upon the home worlds of the Te’anari under alliance of the military and ISA. Since none of them had heard of any news regarding the assault frontline, Z awaited with bated breath of the news.

However, when Admiral Duranthall, the man in command of the main fleet appeared before the Enclave, what he brought was not optimistic news. The Te’anari were offering negotiations at a strange time when they had the advantage, since the main fleet was down to half strength since it had left. Sensing oddities, the Prophet voiced what Z was thinking to the admiral. However, ignoring these oddities, Duranthall wasted no time to seek the approval of the only autonomous world in Sirius I – the Evening Star. According to him, the military and ISA had conducted a plan which would allow them the chance to strike back hard, with a plan of deceit set to take place during the negotiations.

The only reason the admiral revealed so much was more than simple approval from the Enclave. He wished for cooperation and the assistance of Alzrius, who was a hybrid of the Te’anari. When refused with a barrage of arguments, Admiral Duranthall smiled deviously, as if expecting such a thing to happen.

With a warning that the Prophet’s dreams and hopes were at an end, the Admiral left. The events that had occurred sent disorder throughout the Enclave, but as the speaker of the Enclave told Z and the Prophet, they still wished to hold on to the hope that the two star systems might be saved, instead of wishing for the destruction of one another.

Leaving the Enclave, Z, desiring to find out more about the ancient history of Sirius, followed the Prophet to her study. There, he went through articles written by past generations of the Prophet lineage. Z learned from those writing that the Prophet lineage was one chosen by fate, and it arise during a time of peril and need, to guide the troubled worlds with the words of the Prophecy.

At the same time, Z also learned about the ‘God’ that had walked the paths holding the fate of Sirius II in one hand and the destiny of Sirius I. The origin of the Twin Star Pact was but a curse that such ‘God’ bound along with the help of four essences. Instantly connecting the readings, Z wasted no time to reveal of his finding down in the depth of Borealis, and the vision he had seen. Even more certain that he had finally uncovered a clue, Z left the Prophet’s study.

Her trailing words had been a request for him to do all he could for Aria, for the sake of the Prophecy, and also for the sake of the two individuals whose destinies intertwined. Still, Z had found it strange that the Prophet’s words were more like farewells than anything else.

Finally, back at the mansion, Z shared a succulent dinner, and small talk of worry with Aria, both uncertain of the future to come. However, they both knew – they could sense it. Something was coming; an unseen storm.

That night, Evening Star was attacked by unseen enemies. Z feared that the short but peaceful time was finally broken.