Xerxes by Micheal Achonye

Bar fight!

It was midnight and I could not sleep. I stood at the edge of the ship watching the moonlight kiss the open sea. It was quiet now, maybe too quiet. It is what happens when war becomes a norm in a person's life, peace makes one uneasy. 

My birth had brought about the death of so many people, and I knew it would not end until the tyrant was stopped. Ang did not deserve to die. Little Georgey, the abbot and so many warriors I had grown up knowing did not deserve to die. When the news of his death was announced, I broke down. The sweet lovely kid, dying in a brutal way, it really was horrible.

"May I join you?" she asked, breaking my train of thoughts. 

I wanted to be alone, I wanted a 'me' time right now. I was tired of the heroic life I was forced to live because I was seen as some kind of saviour. I'm not a hero, I'm a mistake.

"Look, I know you hate me so much for not saving Ang, George or the abbot, but just know that I tried everything in my power..."

"Don't... Just don't... please," I whispered causing her to flinch where she stood.

I could not look at her. I understood it was not her fault and I could see her injuries from the battle as a reminder but I hated myself for having emotions, I should have known better. Everytime someone new comes into my life, something terrible happens to them. I promise to feel nothing and move on, however, someone breaks in with a smile and I forget the pain they would give when they leave. 

The moon got covered with a cloud, maybe it would rain, maybe it would not. I gazed intently at a star. Was I a curse? Was that why my mother died leaving me to this crazy world? Did I kill her? 

The cloud floated by, letting the moon shine down once more. Maybe I did kill her. I sighed at how lucky Queen was. She was gone from this earth, but at least she had peace. All I had was a beat-up god as a father trying to seal my powers, and an uncle who was trying to kill me. I felt nothing but grief. If she was here, what would she say to me? I smiled, as an image of her face appeared before me. She was still beautiful. I missed her so much. She meant everything to me. But she was gone, and it was all my fault. 

Her cane tapped on the deck as she took each step. Dropping the cane by her side, she leaned over the ship, looking into the horizon with me. 

"She was sweet you know," she uttered. "She had dreams and visions. I had known about her being my family for a long time and just like how I had failed in saving her mother I had failed in saving her as well."

Seeing the light of the moon on her face brought out features I had never seen before. I had known her to be strong, but right now, she looked weak — frail and fragile — almost human. Facing the brutal King and coming out alive was a feat on its own.

"Did you know what she wanted to do when the war was finally over?" she asked with endearment. 

"Yeah," I answered. "She was going to open up a library and teach children from far and wide about strange and magical creatures. She was going to teach about herbs and medicines that were used in ancient times. She said she was going to change the world," I said with a light chuckle before sighing, it was too much to bear. 

Well, she was spared from seeing more death and pain. 

A warm feeling came over me when a hand touched my shoulder. She rolled her hand around, calming my emotions. I silently thanked her letting the warmth flow through me. 

"After you collapsed in the catacomb, we took you back to the camp, where you slept for almost a week," she narrated, taking away her hand to swat a night fly. 

"Throughout that period, she stayed by your side and never stood up to do anything for herself. She always talked about you with a light in her eyes, saying you were going to change the world and bring back hope."

Hope. It was too late for her now. 

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, to which she shifted her gaze from the moon to me. 

"Because, Xerxes, you don't have to feel like it's your fault that she died, it is not. Fate just happened to not be on our side that is all," she blurted out. 

"We have a trump card and that is the power you have inside of you. Ang believed in you, just as I did," she said with a final note, putting up a fist with a necklace dangling from it. It was Angs charm necklace which she had gotten from her mother. 

"She wanted you to have this," she remarked. 

I put out my hand to receive the silver necklace. It was stained with blood — Angs blood. A pang of pain hit me while I imagined Angs face not being able to see the sun again.

"Did she suffer?" I asked firmly. I had to know. 

She bit her lower lip, looking at the sky with tears running down her face. 

"Please, tell me the truth," I pleaded. My heart raged with pain when she nodded with a choke. 

'Hello'

'Georgey is fine, He's below deck with some friends. You're that spear guy right? The one who walks around with Lady Queen'

'Xerxes, why do we have wars? All this senseless violence could have been quelled a long time ago. I would still have my parents, you would have been in your hometown with magic, and everything would have been — normal'

'Hey, are you okay?'

'I'm the one who should be thanking you. If you had not jumped in front of the lightning ball and discovered who you were, I would have been dead with my brother'

'Something's bothering you. Tell me, what is it?'

'Come on, I want you to meet someone'

'It's okay, you can open your eyes now'

My eyes welled up from the memories I had shared with her. She did not deserve to die. Wearing the necklace with a vow to enact vengeance, I leaned against the ships structure, looking into the sky with the Xaj. 

"I promised to stop the war with these powers and that is what I am going to do," I stated with conviction. "I will make that demon suffer so bad, he would wish he had not crawled out of hell in the first place. I will break off his hands and his feet, tear out his eyes and make him eat it while I rip out his guts. I will break his ribs and spine as a stake is launched through his lungs. He will beg me to kill him by the time I am done with him. He crossed the line when he killed her. She was innocent, unlike Queen and the rest of the people who died, she was innocent. She was human without any blemish or fault."

So much power coursed through my body as I imploded with rage. 

"That demon should get ready. I will show him the true meaning of power. I will destroy everything he has built and I will show him no mercy."

***

"Hey, wake up," a grumpy voice called out, followed by a kick on my shin. 

Two figures stood in front of me, silhouetted by the light. Squinting to see who they were, I made out Petra's cane and coat, with my father's towering physic. The ship was bustling with life this morning, a complete opposite of last night's serenity. Recollecting what had happened, I remembered that I had fallen asleep during my conversation with the Xaj. 

"Let's go, we've got a busy day today," he announced flatly, before walking off the ship. 

"He's a real sunshine this morning, isn't he?" I asked rhetorically.

"You should know your father by now," she yawned. "He isn't a morning person."

Yeah, I thought, me neither.

Struggling to get to my feet, something cold touched my chest making me stiffen — Angs charm necklace. It reminded me of the vow I had made and I nodded with determination.

She started to walk towards the harbour, signalling me to follow. 

Where were we going? I thought. 

We stepped off the ship, making our way through the crowds to where he stood. I looked around, but nothing gave me a hint of where we were. 

"Eat this," he croaked, giving me a half eaten roll of cake. 

He always did this whenever I was around him. He would eat and keep the rest for me. It was the only father-son moment I got to have with him.

"Thanks," I said, receiving it with displeasure.

"What's next?" Petra asked.

"We move into town," he replied coldly, walking past a big sign that screamed 'WEL OME'.

Petra sighed, following the hunk of a man into the strange town.

Stashing the roll into my jacket, I dragged my feet along the road as I walked behind, slowly. 

***

They walked in front — my father's towering figure giving off an aura of authority and power, with Petra giving off an aura of danger and importance. 

We had been walking for what seemed like an hour. My stomach rumbled noisily, notifying me that I had not eaten anything since yesterday. I wondered if I could get something to eat from any open shop, the cake would not be enough. It was still early and all the shops were locked, with the exception of a merchant who sold clay pots and iron swords. 

The town was a rough-and-tumble kind. It was a merchants paradise where people would gather to sell and buy. The destroyed shops and neglected road explained why it would be unwise to travel alone through this path. You could get robbed or lynched, maybe even mobbed. 

We stopped in front of a noisy, run-down bar, with drunks laying on the ground singing merrily without worries.

"They said they would be here," Petra chirped. 

"They better be," he mumbled, climbing the over lapped wooden stairs of the bar, disappearing into the structure.

"Let's go inside," she moaned softly limping after the man.

I walked in after her as the stench of stale alcohol hit my nose. I wrinkled my nose in disgust, wondering why we were in such a place. She walked to a table, shook it around, then called me over, to which I hurriedly wobbled to, trying to avoid making contact with the people drinking.

"What are we doing here, and where is he?" I asked impatiently. "Has he gone off to start drinking again?"

"Relax, he'll be back," she said with disturbing calm.

"Here", she went on, dragging a chair for me to sit on. "Just sit and worry less about your father." 

I clenched my fists in anger. What was he thinking? Pulling the chair close, I sat with uneasiness, looking around nervously. Everyone here drank with gusto while seeming to enjoy themselves. It was loud and unruly, making me dislike it even more. 

"It would help if you would behave like you're one of the people who come here to drink away their sorrows," she advised considerably. 

"Don't look so tensed up, be free like a bird — smile," she continued, faking a happy smile. 

"Your smiles are fake Petra," I retorted unimpressed. "Even a blind oaf knows you're not comfortable here."

"You're right," she scowled, falling back into her seat. "Why pretend anyway."

My stomach rumbled again as I remembered the roll I had stashed away. I looked at the counter to see what I could get when I heard a loud crash. 

Turning quickly to see what had caused such ruckus, I saw that our table had been toppled by a huge man who was intending to fight. He was so drunk he could barely stand, wobbling and hiccuping from left to right. 

"Herryyy, bwoy," he snapped. "Diad ya call mei arn oaf?"

I chuckled lightly, to which Petra shook her head saying it was a bad idea. I could not help but laugh at his accent. He was pretty funny for a drunk man. 

"Ummm... No...", I said, before being grabbed by the neck and lifted violently into the air. For a drunk guy, he was very strong and he had excellent grip. I could hear Petra scream at the man to let me go, but it made him squeeze even tighter. A great cheer went up from the crowd, with men and women placing their bets on how long it would take for me to hold out. I punched his face over and over again to no avail. His face had a sheepish smile when I slapped his hands as a last resort to let go. I was beginning to lose consciousness, when I heard a voice rumble within me.

"XERXES! LET ME OUT. I CAN HELP YOU," it growled. 

Hallucination? Well, it wouldnt matter anytime soon. Everything was losing meaning with my head about to explode. 

"I'M INSIDE YOU XERXES, JUST LET ME OUT. WE'LL WIN TOGETHER," it raged on.

I didn't know how to let 'it' out, so I said a silent prayer.

Breathing in and then out by some mysterious means, I felt power course through my body in ways I had never felt before. Looking into his eyes with murderous intent, a baffled look appeared on his face as I touched his chest, sending him flying through the walls and columns in the process. 

I dropped on the ground hacking a cough, while trying to clear my throat from the horror it had gone through. The bar had quieted down when I looked up to see everyone staring at me with shock written on their faces. 

What was wrong with these people? What if he had killed me? Yeah, he lost to me, so what? My vision was blurry, but it was expected after what had happened. 

"Yupppppiiieeeeeee," an old man screamed, shattering the stillness of the bar. He rushed to the counter taking up a bag of coins before limping over to me. 

"Thanks kid, I owe you one," he burst with elation. "I bet on you even when I knew you would lose."

My breathing had begun to get stable with the man still showering me with accolades. 

"By the gods! What mighty strength you have!" he exclamated, beaming with smiles while helping me up.

"Thanks?" I croaked, my throat still sore from the assault.

Nodding and walking away proudly like a man who had just gotten married, he stopped at the door with elation.

"Oh, and his hands are still on you," he said, pointing to his neck. "You'd better take it out, it's creepy. I'm sure that's why these losers are still staring at you."

Using a hand to feel around, I felt the hold of an arm still gripping my neck. 

"Anyway, hope to see you some other time kid," he blurted with a final note, before walking out of the bar screaming, 'I'm rich!'

His hands were still on my neck? How was that possible? 

Without hesitation, I pulled them off, dropping them on a table. 

What have I done, I asked myself. 

I stared in shock and disbelief at the arms in front of me. It had been broken out from his shoulders and blood still poured from it's end.

I had killed someone. 

Looking through the large hole in the wall and seeing him sprawled out on the street in his pool of blood my heart skipped a beat. 

He wasn't moving, I had really killed someone. 

"Oi, what did you just do?" a familiar voice squealed in shock. 

I turned to see a scared Indigo with her hands over her mouth, as my father stood behind her with a shocked Trina, Harry, and Olly, my former squad mates.

What have I done!? 

***

"It was not my fault. I had to defend myself," I countered, trying to explain things to the man. I was shaken up from the incident but there was nothing more to do.

"I told you the power in you was dangerous, but you wouldn't listen. What if you had lost control, huh? Then what? You would have levelled not just the bar but this entire town and it's neighbors as well," he blew out in anger. 

"What did you expect me to do!? He had me in his grip, he could've killed... "

"Just do nothing, it's not that hard!" his voice cried out in hysteria.

"Now he's dead. His brain is over on that wall, his arms on the table and his guts are all over the floor," he pointed out. 

He waved his arms around in a frustrating manner while we stood over the dismembered body. 

"Roman it was not his fault, it was..."

"Oh shut it! You had one job, one job and you failed!" he snapped. "Babysit him and let him not get out of control, that was it."

Why was he going after the Xaj when I was the real culprit? 

"You're right, it wasn't his fault, it was yours, because you're useless both as a Xaj and a human," he cursed with bitterness walking away from the group.

I was pissed at him for what he had said. He had issues with me, he did not need to take it out on the Xaj. 

"Hey!" I cried out, not caring if he was a god or not. 

"Apologize to her right now!" I exclaimed, stopping him in his tracks.

He turned with a confused look on his face. I was tired of his rude attitude towards the Xaj. She had done nothing to deserve his bitter and harsh words.

"What did you just say to me?" he asked in disbelief. 

"He said nothing. Xerxes stand down..." Petra started but I wasn't having any of it.

"You heard me," my voice thundered back. "You are being selfish, rude and really unappreciative of all the efforts she has put out to help you. I get why you're angry at me, but why her? She has done nothing to attract your ugly side. Can't you see that she's not a god or a demon like you? She's human. You are so lucky to have someone stick by you when things start going wrong. She might not be as strong as you want her to be, but she's trying her best. Stop treating her like a slave, she is not your slave!"

I was sure I had made some solid points which would have him change his attitude towards her, but he roared out laughing. 

"Is she your slave?" he rejoindered sarcastically.

I was so angry at the god that I lost control of my fist, striking him across the jaw causing him to fly into the bar bringing it down to a rubble.

"What are you doing Xerxes!?" cried a horrified Petra.

"Teaching him a lesson," I angrily answered.

For a minute nothing happened, but as was expected, the rubble exploded with him standing unscathed. He walked up to me, looking into my eyes with his glowing a deep red as we stared intently at each other.

"Once I'm done sealing that monster away and defeating my brother, you and I are done," his voice declared coldly. "I have had with you."

I didn't care about any of his words, I was furious. He was a bitter being and I was better off without him.

"For now the mission continues," he went on. "But the next time you try out that stunt you just pulled off, I will make sure that your journey ends there and then — permanently."