Eternal Squad - The Resurrection

Synchronization - Origins

The warriors run full of fear. Nothing about this looks good. The full speed steps invade nonstop the serenity of the land. Going away until finding how to escape could be an option, but they all know they have to stick together.

Krein feels guilty. The idea of taking his brothers to their last parade is killing him. However, that man doesn’t seem like an enemy, and that thought calms him down. Besides, this is not a situation that five Super Soldiers couldn’t handle… but thinking about the strange apparition from last night gives him back his nervousness after a few minutes of calmness. Finishing their duty, the novices get together at the encounter spot, each one with their respective animals, victims of their next lunch.

None of them dare to come out of their hiding place between the trees. The ten eyes sincerely contemplate the stranger; a man with apparently older age. He wears a kind of gray colored tunica that almost reaches his knees, long and baggy sleeves and a triangular collar that covers until the middle of his stomach. A darker gray bandage inside his suit covers his body and chest, rounding him under his arms. The same kind of bandage covers his forearms and legs. In the inferior part, he has pants of the same kind, same material and color as his tunica, while his feet are exposed. A really long belt, also grey, darker than the bandage, rounds his waist and falls by the middle of him, looking to the front. His skin is a caucasian tone. His head, hairless. He has no hair in his body, but his eyebrows and eyelashes… light gray. He is meditating at the center with firm position, crossed legs and hands on his knees. It seems that he is a specie of antique monk, the ones that supposedly lived in this remote lands decades ago… but, how?

-Will you keep staring or you coming to eat?- Says the old man, while he opens his really clear blue eyes.

Shyly, the brothers get up to the circle and slowly walk where their armors are laying at, they sit beside them and wait until the next event. The stranger looks to each of them, but after getting a not nice surprise, he strongly extends his arms to the sides, unleashing some kind of energy, making the soldiers open their arms, letting their preys go.

-Those were defenseless creatures only.- Continues, while he observe the surprising faces of the warriors -We don’t deserve to feed from them.-

The soldiers look at each other, scared but upset by what the monk had done.

-Luckily, I knew what were you bringing.- He says, while he stands up -So I decided to get ahead.-

Finishing the sentence, the monk uncovers a big basket full of vegetables, located on the edge of the immense staircase, takes it and bring it to the center of the circle.

-Come. Take whatever you want.- Concludes, while he sits and takes food from the basket.

Dan is the first standing up, he places in front of the monk and takes one piece from the interior. Not very convinced, his brothers follow his move and place around the basket to star killing their hunger.

The old man looks really hungry… nothing that he touches ends up visible. By the other hand, the doubt slowly scrags the five soldiers, but it is not easy to release any comment. Not to someone that appears from nowhere… not without knowing who are they dealing with.

-How…? How did you know?- Asks Three, trying to break the tension.

-Know what?- Responds the monk.

-How did you know what we were bringing to eat?-

-I just deducted it, Kay.-

-What! Who told you…?-

-Your name?- Interrupts the stranger, while he looks the surprise face of Three -Calm down… Krein did.-

-What?- Asks One, feeling scared, looking to each member of his team -I haven’t… I haven’t said anything!-

Trying to recall the events, Krein remembers the voice in his head of the night before… he remembers that, while he followed those instructions, he thought about his brothers… perhaps?

-I swear I haven’t said anything!- He arguments worried, after being for some seconds in silence.

-Easy. Here you’ll be safe from any danger.-

All of them look at the monk to his eyes. They know he is here to help them, but the illogical way that he appeared, plus everything he says and knows from them… it is not easy to give confidence to a being who only the assumptions makes him an ally and not an enemy.

-How can you speak our language?- Asks Two, after some minutes of the frozen conversation.

-I can speak your language… or you can speak mine?-

After saying this, the team realizes that, every time they talk to the monk, the words that they speak are from a nature totally different and unknown for them, but anyone knows how they are able to understand it.

-Dammit…- Comments Dan, surprised by the fact that they just realized.

-You knew that we were coming to this place, right?- Continues Kay, disinterested by the last topic.

-That’s not right, son. You called me.-

-Us? I, I don’t understand…-

The monk slowly sees into the eyes of all the squad members, stoping his view in Krein… it seems that he is the only one who knows what is he talking about.

The basket doesn’t remain full too long. The old man stands up and walks to the staircase, and giving them his back, concludes:

-I assume you are exhausted. Sleep for a while. Rest. I’ll need your energy when the night comes.-

Effectively, a failed mission, five dead brothers and a long path have the survivors weak, so, without any argument, they get up, take their equipment and weapons to lay down together at the end of the main road. Before joining his brothers, One turns back and walks to the monk, staying a few steps behind him.

-We called you?-

-I think, son… that we mutually did.-

-You think?- Asks Krein, a little upset -Hey, I brought them here, but I need to know what’s going on… who are you?-

The monk turns to One, look into his eyes, and with a discreet smile, responds:

-Everything on it’s time, Krein… everything on it’s time.-

After being asleep for some hours, a beam of light coming from six torches made out of wood and cloth set up symmetrically around the circle wake up the novices in the middle of the night. The monk is parallel to them, very focused meditating in the same position they have already seen him before.

-It is time.- He says, while he opens his eyes.

Without using his hands, the old man slowly stands up and walks to the middle point of the platform.

-Come here. Put on your armors and set on the places I found you last night.-

After all, the monk doesn’t seem nothing more but a being designated to help them. Without any question, the soldiers follow his instructions and set in their respective places.

-Be alert. Follow me and focus.-

The old man closes his eyes, deeply breaths and extends his arms to the front, positions his wrists looking to him in diagonal, touching the tips of his fingers, opening his thumbs and joining them together, forming a triangle in front of his chest. The brothers look at each other while carefully following the movements of the old man. At the moment, the monk starts saying words that seem to be from the same language that they speak when talking to him, but none of them can understand them. Finishing this phrases, he extends his arms again, now to the sides, and without opening his eyes, he waits until the team follows him. When the young soldiers open their arms, the flames from the torches increase their energy, quickly extending up. Once again, unknown words come out from the mouth of the old man. After this second round, the monk throws his arms to the sky, with his wrists looking at it. The warriors follow him and wait for the next indication.

-Brothers…- Whispers Ten, to not interrupt the old man -look.-

Without abandoning the position of his arms, Ten ups his look while his brothers follow his view.

No one can believe it. It’s an unrepeatable scene. The sky is full of a condensed and flowing fog, showered by blue lights similar to the glare where the stranger came from, coming from the surface of all around them. By the first time since they arrived, the soldiers find a reason to naturally smile.

-Now I need your help.- Requests the monk, taking their attention again.

-What do we have to do?- Asks Krein, and after some silent seconds, the monk finishes:

-Sync me.- Concludes, descending his arms to his waist.

The flames from the torches turn color blue, and having no idea of how, the brothers already know what they have to do; they look at each other, settle with their heads and take down their arms pointing with their hands extended to the monk. An identical light that showers the sky starts to emerge from the interior of his suit and, slowly, it spreads by all the visible and invisible space of the place. It’s so clear that, as it grows, it’s same shining blinds the eyes of the warriors. And, when it seems that the only palpable thing is the same light… everything gets dark, collapsing in a single instant. The flames, the lights in the sky… everything turns off and goes back to natural state.

The brothers turn their eyes everywhere around them; they look at each other, the monk, the jungle, and without any word to say, a happy laugh suddenly invades them. The monk looks at them for some instants, but, catching their happiness, he destroys his serious expression and joins them with an honest laugh. The moment was something mystique… the only one in it’s kind, and they have lived it together.

The squad joins in a little circle, they hug each other, hit their heads and release the rest of the laugh they still have inside. The old man looks at them for some seconds, turns around and walks to the intense staircase. The young ones misfit their armors, leave all their equipment on the floor and start to lay next to each other to finish the night.

-What is this place?- Asks Kay, breaking the silence -I mean, it’s so antique, but… looks trapped in time.-

His brothers turn to see him with confusion in their faces.

-Just look! The ground, the temples, everything seems…-

-Brand new.- Interrupts Two.

-Exactly! Everything is so fresh, the trees, the animals, there is a lot of life around it… but, I don’t get it.-

-The monk?-

-Why is he the only one here? Shouldn’t there be more like him?-

-Man, didn’t you see how he appeared from nowhere? Shouldn’t you ask that yourself first?-

-Maybe he came to welcome us.- Answers Dan, introducing himself to the conversation -This ritual, or whatever it was… it seemed like a welcome thing.-

Five receives the look of all of his brothers, looking at them while they do an expression like they just have heard something stupid.

-What?-

-In fact, Dan is right.- Says the monk, standing on the staircase, now speaking the original language of the soldiers -But it wasn’t your welcome… it was mine.-