Remnants of Worlds

Chapter 2 - The Recording

“Help! Please help! Have mercy! I don’t want to die!”

Their voices echoed in her ears and everywhere she turned, all she could see were bodies littering the ground. The buildings around them were in ruins: rubble, fires, and blood covered the streets, where the dying people dragged themselves without purpose or hope.

She stood in the middle, holding a spear made of light that flickered with a dulled glow because of all the blood that it was covered with. The metallic taste in her mouth and the slippery feel on her fingers told her the blood was all over her too.

She couldn’t remember how she got there and who those people were, why she had conjured the spear, or why she was covered in blood. She couldn’t remember who she was and where she had come from. All she knew was that it was her fault.

“Their blood is on your hands,” a voice said from behind her and she spun around, staring at the dark figure standing at the end of the street. She couldn’t see his face, but his voice was low and husky and he was extremely tall—taller than anyone else she knew. His skin was dark and his hair was falling to his ears in gentle waves, but what got her attention was his face. Shadows obscured his features, shifting and twisting like they were alive. And his eyes…his eyes looked like they belonged to a wraith. “If you hadn’t broken the balance, all of them would be alive right now. Who do you think is the true villain here?”

“Who are you to say what the balance should be?” she snarled, her hands tightening around her spear. She noticed he didn’t bore any weapon, nor did he look ready to fight. Good, that will give her a much-needed advantage. “Just because you are a god…”

Her eyes widened as the realization hit her. Her name, her name was Annabel, and she was an Ascendant. And this…this was her world. The rift that William opened to save her had brought the gods here. The fighting between humans and Ascendants had come to a halt because a bigger threat had appeared. Because of the man that stood in front of her.

Ozias. The God of Death had come to restore his precious balance and kill everyone that broke it. And those people… all those familiar faces from the night when the wraiths had killed them, all the news reports about people missing or found dead close to the lake and the forest surrounding it. And more…

“You get it now, don’t you?” he asked, c*****g his head to the side. “Struggle is futile. Repent and accept your punishment, or more people will die for your selfish aspirations.”

Annabel opened her mouth to reply, but the voice that echoed through the street wasn’t hers.

“That’s enough.”

Anna turned just as Etheera stepped to stand beside her, clad in shiny battle armor that glowed with the light of her power. Annabel stared at her in awe, but the goddess didn’t even glance at her before stepping between Anna and the man.

Etheera said something again, but this time it was in a language Annabel didn’t understand. The man in front of her growled in reply, then suddenly the sky grew darker. The shadows around him grew denser, with more and more eyes appearing in them like they were all living creatures. He raised his hands and his energy exploded, like a bomb that had been set off.

Etheera raised her hands, creating a protective dome around them that held Ozias’ cursed power, but after a few seconds of struggle, her feet began sliding back as if she were pushed by something extremely powerful.

Etheera turned over her shoulder and looked at Annabel at last, her eyes full of acceptance and a hint of regret. She said something, but Anna couldn’t hear her over the buzzing in her ears and the growing tension in her head. Etheera’s face turned frantic and she took a step back, gripping Anna’s shoulder.

“Live,” she whispered, her fingers digging painfully into Anna’s flesh. “The burden is yours now.”

The protective dome shattered and Etheera shoved Annabel back just before the shadows devoured the goddess.

Annabel jumped in her bed, panting heavily as she looked around with confusion. She summoned her powers instinctively, raising her hands in case she needed to continue the fight, but then she realized she was no longer on that street and she was alone. Well, almost alone.

Her eyes fell on William, who was sleeping soundly next to her. She was surprised he hadn’t woken up, she must have tossed around a lot since she could feel her shirt sticking to her back from all the sweating. But then she remembered his tired look and decided that he probably needed more rest than he showed.

Annabel slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake him. Gathering her clothes, she tiptoed to the door and stepped out into the corridor. Wincing at the loud sound the door made as it closed, she hurried toward the bathroom at the end of the hall.

The place they had found thanks to Mary was an old abandoned training base, probably military judging by the markings of the place and the facilities, so there was only one bathroom in every wing, with the sleeping quarters being situated in the outer sections of the one-story building, while the control room and the empty halls were placed in the center.

There weren’t many Ascendants currently at the base since most of them were out helping with the safe transportation of the civilian Ascendants into bunkers they had secured. So the place was mostly empty, which she now regretted because the eerie feeling from the dream still clung to her.

Etheera? Annabel called her a few times as she slipped into the bathroom and flicked the light switch on. The goddess remained silent yet again, so Annabel sighed with disappointment. It might have been for the best since she didn’t want to tell her about her dream—if it actually was her dream. She had felt oddly out of place the whole time.

Anna took a quick shower and got dressed, heading toward the control center where Mary had set up the equipment they bought. After that night, the military seemed to have changed tactics—they had stopped the public persecution of Ascendants or trying to get to the Order members, so Mary had deemed it safe, or at least worth the risk, to get some more equipment even if the humans could track it. Keeping an eye on what was going on in the news and that damn forest was their top priority.

The humans must have thought the same because there were so many soldiers situated around that forest, one would think they were planning to invade the Otherworld. The public seemed blissfully unaware of what was truly going on, debating if there were terrorists hiding in there or if there was some kind of weapon that was threatening the country. There were even speculations about high radiation flooding the area, which was supposedly the reason they were evacuating everyone living in the vicinity.

Once she reached the control room, she knocked a few times, patiently waiting for a reply. She had stopped barging in there after the last time when she walked in on Mary and Jordan making out on the table they used for meetings.

Mary’s voice invited her in a moment later. Anna found her friend sitting behind her screens, turning in her spinning chair as she heard the door close. Jordan was nowhere in sight and all the lights were on which meant Mary was hard at work again.

“Anna? What are you doing here at this time…” she looked at the clock on one of her monitors, then back to Annabel, “I guess it’s morning already since it’s seven am. I swear it was one o’clock a few minutes ago!” She winced, making a funny face. “Damn it, he’ll be grumbling for a week again.” As if realizing she was not alone, she blushed and locked her attention back on the other girl. “Anyway, do you need something?”

“Uh, no, just couldn’t sleep.” Anna shrugged, glancing at the monitors. “Do you want me to take over so you can get some rest? What are you doing?”

“Nothing, really. Things have been quiet in the last few days, disturbingly so,” she murmured, turning back to her monitors. Anna pulled the extra chair that stood by Mary’s desk and took a seat next to her. “So I’ve just been monitoring chatrooms and news boards for any mention of gods, ascendants, end of the world, and other fun stuff.”

“Did you find anything?”

“No, there was nothing inte—” she started when a notification on her computer rang out and a window opened with a stream to one of the morning TV shows that Anna’s mother used to watch.

Mary maximized the window on one of the screens and the two girls locked their attention to the group of people that seemed to be in the middle of a debate. The host was sitting between two couches that held three people—one woman and two men. Everyone in the room seemed tense while the host tried to keep his smile.

“Did you just say ‘the end of the world’?” The woman laughed dismissively, pushing her hair over her shoulder and rolling her eyes. “Oh, Kevin, don’t start again with your conspiracy theories! It’s true that the government has declared war on the Ascendants, but for god’s sake, poor man, we’re winning! Up until recently, the military has been picking them up like flowers from a pot, and with the new technology they have developed, it’s now easy to make them powerless. I have no doubt that they have cornered the remaining members of their Order in that place and are now preparing to take them down once and for all.”

“Do you hear yourself, Patricia?” the man sitting alone on the sofa across from her replied with a frown. He looked in his forties, with a bit of gray making its way into his short hair and beard. He wore rectangular glasses that had fallen to the bridge of his nose and as he stared at the woman from above them, his eyes shone with disbelief. “First off, the Ascendants are human beings, you shouldn’t be so quick to rejoice about the fact that they are being deprived not only of their freedom and basic human rights but they are also being illegally experimented on and even killed without due process!”

“Oh, not that again.” The man next to Patricia sighed, shaking his head before leaning it on his hand as if he had suddenly grown bored. “The Ascendants are not like us, they said so themselves. No one who could blow up a building with their mind or burn you to a crisp can be human. We have to take measures to protect ourselves.”

“People die every day. From gun wounds, from hit-and-runs, from stabbings, from being burned to a crisp or having a building dropped on top of their head,” Kevin replied with a calm, collected voice, despite the storm raging in his eyes. “I’m not saying all of the Ascendants are good people. But if you look at the statistics, there is a bigger chance of you getting mugged or hit by a drunk driver than there is of you facing an Ascendant who just so happens to be in a bad mood and wants to make barbeque out of you!”

“Let’s all calm down a little, we are not here to attack each other, but to discuss—” the host tried to interfere, but neither of his guests paid him any mind.

“So you’re saying that the measures the government and military are taking are unnecessary? That they are in the wrong? What have the Ascendants done that deserves our trust? Besides killing and destroying with full disregard of our lives?” The man next to Patricia scoffed and the woman nodded in agreement.

“I’m glad you asked.” Kevin smiled, getting to his feet. “Can you put this on the screen, please? Thanks.” He stepped out of the camera focus and handed a flash drive to someone before returning to his seat. The host shrugged helplessly, his smile even more crooked.

Annabel glanced at Mary who watched the screen with her eyebrows raised. It had been a while since they had heard some of the humans talking in their defense. It felt good, but bitter, especially after what they did.

“How about those weapons that the military devised?” Kevin continued, turning toward the other guests. “I agree that we should have the means to stop them if the need arises—for example, if one of them goes on a rampage and needs to be apprehended. Which, I must add, may happen to a human too. How many school shootings have we had this year? How many of those people were actually Ascendants?” Patricia opened her mouth as if to reply, but Kevin didn’t give her the chance to. “But forget that. What about New York? When the city was attacked by the group led by Damien Blackwell, who put their lives on the line to protect the humans that were stuck in the middle of it? The Ascendant Order, who cooperated with the military. There is footage and there are witnesses that can confirm that—and if you look at the footage you’ll see none of those Ascendants were wearing the bracelets that suppress their powers. They weren’t controlled or forced to do it. They chose to risk their lives to help.”

“So what? Just because they agreed to stop one of their own, now we should give them tribute?” The man across from Kevin sneered, sitting straighter.

“No. They don’t want our tribute or our praise. All they ever wanted was to be given equal rights and left alone. And they were ready to go above and beyond in return for what we take for granted. Watch!” Kevin commanded, pointing at the screen behind the host which had just turned black. “I have a source in the government that provided me with this video. After being hunted down, killed, and experimented on, not only were the Ascendants willing to still make peace with us and help us, some of them were ready to sacrifice their lives so we, both humans and Ascendants, remain safe. And what did we do? We betrayed them.”

The video started playing and everyone locked their eyes on it. The image of the president appeared, sitting behind his desk with his back straight and his face even straighter.

“Dear citizens of the United States of America, I am addressing you today with a heart heavy with regret and shame. Even before I swore an oath to serve and protect this country, I had my homeland and my countrymen at heart and all I ever wanted was for there to be peace, unity, and a bright future for everyone. When I took this seat, I thought I knew what that meant, so I confidently strode forward with all those bright minds to help me. But somewhere along the way, I lost my fair judgment. Swayed by fear of the unknown, I turned my back on a group of my fellow citizens, taking actions that not only cost many lives but instilled fear and hatred in even more hearts. For this, I am offering my sincerest apologies.” He paused for a second, looking down at his hands while the room with the guests grew quieter.

“A new bill has been passed today that gives back the human rights to the people that define themselves as Ascendants. All instances of persecution, unlawful imprisonment, or experimentation will be considered capital crimes and punished to the fullest extent of the law. Discrimination and acts of racism will not be tolerated. We are one people, despite our differences. Race, skin color, religion, powers—those are all things that make us unique and diverse, but neither is good or bad. So I implore you. Look within your hearts and see that the only way we can grow stronger is together. The only way we can have a future is through acceptance and understanding, not through violence and fear.”

“Is this…?” Mary whispered, looking at Anna with wide eyes.

“The recording we were promised in return for our help.” Annabel nodded, staring at the President’s face with shock. “But did he…?”

“Shh, listen!” Mary hushed her.

The recording disappeared from the screen even though the president was just preparing to speak again, and Kevin looked at the others around him who still stared with shocked expressions.

“This was never broadcasted even though it was part of the promise our president made to the Ascendants. In return for their cooperation in sending those so-called gods back to where they came from, he agreed to give the Ascendants equal rights and stop their persecution. But before that could happen, the Ascendants that took the gods down were betrayed and the military tried to wipe them out along with the gods. That thing that is in the forest the military is guarding, it’s not an Ascendant! It’s a door to the world the gods came from and what is going to come through that door next will be scarier than anything we have faced with the Ascendants!”

“Kevin, please calm down and give the others a chance to speak,” the host said desperately, looking at someone to the side. “This recording, you didn’t—”

“Because of our actions and our narrowmindedness, the Ascendants have gone underground and will not help us anymore. You heard the recording the new leader of the Ascendants made—they are calling for all Ascendants to hide and seek them out for protection. They don’t care about us humans anymore, because all they have seen from us is hate, violence, and lies. I don’t blame them! But we need them because once that thing comes here, we will be powerless. Without the Ascendants, we will all die!”

“What are you saying, Kevin? There is nothing coming. Our military is the best in the world! Even if there was, they can now handle anyone with powers.” The host laughed awkwardly, giving a sign to somebody to cut off the transmission. He then turned to the camera, giving it a bright smile. “Thank you for watching, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll go for a short commercial break and we’ll be right back with the weath—”

“Annabel Campbell!” Kevin shouted over him, turning to the camera and ignoring the glaring host. “If you are watching this, please remember. We are not all the same. What the military did was unforgivable, but there are humans who support you and will stand by your side. Please, do not abandon…”

The transmission cut off and the commercial started, featuring a skinny woman running home and pouring herself juice before talking about her dieting pills. Mary closed the window, turning to look at Annabel with a conflicted expression.

“Now what?” she asked just as Annabel closed her eyes, sighing heavily.