Chapter Six: Fighting Shadows

Rebecca humored me most of the time, and Saul was almost never around. So, I was stuck with Rebecca and Elijah, who were suddenly becoming my two favorite people in the world (sorry, young Grace).

The life they lived was not too different from the life I was used to, except they had a Kaiju or two to think about, and I couldn’t use their appliances without almost hurting myself. Saul calls it healthy training, but I have a nagging suspicion he’s trying to murder the socks off of me.

Elijah was the older sibling, and his academic achievements were nothing to scoff at. Even on the New Liberty Front, he was a force to be reckoned with. I also found out about the amount of knowledge I was lacking, and the thought almost sent me into a spiral of depression.

The world had become a technocratic society, ruled by the technologically savvy. With the threats of the other worlds and the tear in space, AI became humanity’s biggest weapon to ward off the danger.

The platform—that’s what it was called. That step that takes you from the ground to the world residing above. The hospital I was in was on the ground floor since it was dirt cheap, and the debts I’d racked would have killed me a second time if I’d been taken above.

The world operated differently from what I was used to—a mix of cyberpunk and fantasy in a Lovecraftian space. I couldn’t wrap my head around the eldritch horrors that popped out to say hi, and I only saw them through picture books that Rebecca curated.

They were the offspring of Death and Darkness, beings not meant to exist on a 3D plane. But they were here, and there was nothing I could do about it.

“So, these monsters—people fight them?” I asked, lounging in the sun. Or rather, the artificial power that mimicked the sun. The beings swallowed up the sun even before arriving on Earth. They were a mass of mayhem and darkness, and I didn’t know how the earth survived. Grace confided in me that it was the ability of one man, and it was called Treating Things That Aren’t As Though They Are. In simple terms, he replaced the sun with his imagination, and nobody could fault that. He died over twenty years before then, but the artificial sun stood without budging.

It was a feat that wowed me considerably.

“People fight them, yes. They also have fight arenas where the smaller ones are chained and made to fight. It’s a whole deal, and many people die. A significant amount, now that I think about it. Talk about being stupid,” Rebecca said, biting into an apple with glee. She spoke with childlike wonder, and it was nothing short of extraordinary.

“It’s not exactly about stupidity, Becca; I’ve told you this before. Stupidity is the last thing that should be on your mind. When gladiators fought in the old days, was it because they were stupid or because they needed to survive?” Elijah had joined the conversation.

“I don’t know; I’m not a geek like you,” Rebecca quipped, but Elijah wasn’t having it.

“Becca. Answer me.” The authoritative tone stunned me, and I was a little bit slow on the uptake. But his voice wasn’t just the usual thing I was used to hearing, no. It was something else. Something truly sinister.

It felt like a thousand ants were crawling over my skin, and as the world phased in and out of my vision, I reached out to them, but the weakness that overtook my body was nothing to scoff at. I passed out with one question on my lips: What the hell?

~~

I woke up with a banging headache, and I opened my eyes to see Elijah and Rebecca by my bedside, looking concerned about my well-being. That feeling might have gone away, but the memory was stuck in my head. And I needed the truth.

“You’re okay, aren’t you? Please say yes.” Rebecca was beside herself with guilt, but I said nothing; I just stared at her without looking away.

“I didn’t mean to—“ Elijah tried to explain, but he cut himself off, running a finger through his head of hair, as black as night.

“Are the both of you fine?” I asked after they were done fidgeting. Rebecca almost stumbled over herself while trying to respond, but Elijah maintained his poise and grace.

“Yes, we are,” Elijah said. I looked at Rebecca, and she nodded in the affirmative.

“Good. Now, what was that?” I said, my eyes going colder than icicles. I didn’t like being lied to; it chaffed against my skin and often turned me into something I wasn’t. So, I always steered clear of liars.

But what if they were my relatives? What could I do, then?

“I know how it looks, but let me explain.“ Rebecca tried to say, but I stopped her in her tracks with a glare. I turned to Elijah, knowing he had the answers I didn’t.

“You both were too accepting of me, a ‘grand uncle’ who practically changed overnight from a vegetable to a full-blooded teenager. None of you saw me as a liar, and you treated me with respect. I appreciate that. But why lie to me? Did you think that would endear me to you?”

I had no idea where the anger was coming from, but it was palpable; I could taste it on my tongue, and my anger was a finely honed sword.

“I’m sorry. But you’re one of us. And we knew, but we couldn’t say anything. Mother wouldn’t believe it anyway. My ability is to be the voice of the world; I can make anybody listen to me, anywhere. Rebecca’s is The Puppeteer. She can mimic anyone she desires. We didn’t want to keep this from you, but...”

He trailed off, and I knew something was off in the whole thing.

“But what?” I asked.

He couldn’t respond.