Kareivis: Warrior

CHAPTER 17: UKUNA UNLEASHED

“…I juos dabar (take them now).” When Muhali lifted her eyes, Cordell could sense that she was ready for war. He quickly bolted from the observation room, and he headed straight for her holding cell. Agent Matthews ran after him because he thought that Cordell was attempting to rescue the alien known as Kariai. As Cordell was running, he felt as though all the corridors had become infinite and he was afraid that he wouldn’t reach her in time. He reached a certain point, and he felt a burst of her energy coursing through his body, and he just stopped instantly. He couldn’t explain it. It felt like she was calling to him and leading him to where she was. Agent Matthews kept calling him and telling him to stop but Cordell could not hear anything. His mind was solely focused on Muhali. Since Matthews couldn’t reach Cordell he decided to follow him and find out what he was going to do. They maneuvered their way around the base until they arrived at a kind of boiler room in the somewhere on the base. Matthews didn’t know which part of the base they were in. He had never seen the room before and he couldn’t remember which turns they took to get there. “…wait for me my draugas. I won’t allow anyone to harm you ever again.” Cordell whispered to himself as he was searching around. While he was still searching for something even he did not know of, another wave of energy coursed through his body. This time it was much stronger. He felt as though he was in her mind. He could feel the energy draining out of her like water. He could see the soldiers putting small charges on the glass in an attempt to enter the cell with the titanium door and the t*****e room. He could feel the urgency with which he needed to find whatever it was that he was looking for. Matthews was worried about Cordell and he kept screaming: “…SpongeBob! Sponge! Come on! Sponge you are acting crazy. Stop this nonsense right now, before you do something you won’t be able to come back from. Sponge! Sponge can you hear me?” Matthews could see that Cordell was in another world and when he tried to touch him, Cordell would just dodge his attempts. Cordell could feel that time was running out because Muhali’s Ukuna form at the south wing of the base had released a strong energy burst known as miegantis (the sleeper). This was another one of the specialities of the House of Kariai. Miegantis was destroying every piece of technology in its path and the soldiers who came into contact with it were falling unconscious. Cordell could see all of this as if he too had an Ukuna form. His draugas mark was glowing with the Inthian pure blood colour. Finally Cordell looked up and he saw some barrels and above the barrels was an air vent. Without hesitation Cordell climbed the barrels and entered the air vent system. He had no idea where he was going but he knew that the direction he was taking would lead him to her. He could see the life draining from the soldier who was caught in Muhali’s energy whip. He was starting to sweat and he felt faint as a way for his body to report that the occurrence that was taking place was foreign to it. Of course, agent Matthews had followed him because he was not about to let Cordell out of his sight. After crawling in the air vents for what seemed like a long time another burst of energy hit Cordell. And when he looked below him he could see Muhali in her corporeal form. He kicked the vent open and he fell into her cell like an mango falling out of a tree. He stood up unaffected by the fall and walked slowly toward her. Her right hand had been clinched like a fist as she was tightening the grip of the energy whip. She was becoming drowsy and therefore she could not see properly any longer. “No one will harm you. I am here now, everything is going to be alright.” said Cordell as he approached Muhali. As he got closer, he could tell she had been crying. His heart hurt for her. Or heart was hurting. He couldn’t tell anymore which feelings were his and what feelings were hers. And if he was being honest with himself, he didn’t care because it was all the same to him. It felt natural, like that is how it was always supposed to be. And for the first time in a long time, he felt whole. That void he had always tried to fill was filled by this girl. This mysterious girl who could very well be trying to destroy his entire species. He lifted his hand and caressed her cheek and when his hand met with her tears he used his thumb to gently wipe it away. “…they hurt my little one. She is my charge and they hurt her. She is just a child. They are courting death and she will grant their wish. She will not make it swift. She will draw it out. They will beg for mercy but they will not find it…” Cordell could feel the rage seeping out of her and merging with her energy. Her energy had felt like a cooling menthol running through his veins. And her rage felt like molten lava trying to explode his veins. The contrast was frightening. Cordell didn’t know why, but instinctually he put his nose on her forehead between her eyebrows. To Matthews who was watching from inside the vent, it seemed like the two were in a world of their own. Until a loud thud snapped Cordell back to reality. When he looked to the direction of the noise he saw the soldier unconsciously sprawled out on the floor. Even Muhali was snapped back to reality and when she looked around she saw not only one person but she saw two figures. She could no longer see properly because she had exhausted too much energy but from the sound of one voice she could tell that it was Cordell. “Who could the other one have been?” She thought to herself. “…I have come a long way to protect you, my princess. I heard you calling to me and I just had to come.” She recognised the voice as that of the young prince whose life she had been dropping in and out of. She smiled gently and she said: “Greitas… Varetu… Kartu (together), manu aizsargi (my protectors).” As she said this, she stumbled and fell on Cordell and they both fell to the ground. He held on to her very tightly without uttering a single word. Cordell could still feel the presence of the force that had been compelling him to save Muhali all along. Now he was sure that besides Muhali there was another alien on the base, he felt a presence in front of him and when he looked up, he saw a young man, a boy standing over him and Muhali smiling at them. The presence then continued to make a way for Muhali’s Ukuna form to merge with Muhali. She closed her eyes as if she was going to sleep and just like that, she was unconscious.