The Acolytes of Crane

10 THEODORE: EVIL WITHIN





“Position and ranking itself does not always command respect from followers. To be a leader, a person must also submit to integrity and discipline.”

We had to do the right thing, and I knew, in order to become a great leader, I needed to stick my neck out and bring a team together.

It was 2016, on a Sunday in October. Crisp autumn air revisited my lungs. I had a flashback, rewinding my memories to those of three years ago: sinewy, rough hands around my neck, I was only a boy, held against the wall in the hallway of a crappy apartment by a man with no conscience. Now, I was a budding teenager, tasked with the urgent quest to save Earth.

I marveled at how much had changed in the last three years. One event the day before pounded reality into my head: I actually flew. Yup, right above the astonished faces of Lincoln and Dan. Without a skateboard. It was like magic. I performed this incredible feat in a clearing out in the woods behind my grandparents’ house, where no one could see us.

After I took flight with my space boots, I decided to have Dan and Lincoln tag along to hang out at my house to discuss the next steps. Grandma Laverne allowed us to retreat privately in my bedroom, and for hours, I regurgitated everything that I learned about the multiverse to Lincoln and Dan. Bless my grandma. Sensing that we badly valued our private time together, she brought supper up to my room for all of us three. Dusk arrived early enough; it was fall, after all. After another hour, Dan and Lincoln had to go home.

Before they left, I explained to them that it wasn’t about us, it was about the greater good. I told them that the Dacturons could rise out of nowhere to destroy us all on Earth if we didn’t act quickly.

I showed them an old picture I had hidden in my closet under a floorboard. It was a picture of Jason, and Travis was in it.

I wanted to be sure that they would be able to identify Travis.

He was still stalking me.

I believed he was there that night. I could not see him as I looked out my brightly lit room with my friends, but I felt him looking in on me from the darkness.

“My amulet glowed in order to confirm that something—or someone—was out there. I could feel hatred glaring in on me. It is almost like a sixth sense, which tempted me to turn and look about frantically. I need a break. Oh yeah.”

Now is the time. Just do it.

I lay down this tablet and kneel, placing my hands on the floor, which disgustingly is caked with thick dust that still causes me breathing difficulties.

I am on to something, and I wish to do a few solid push-ups to disguise my maneuver. My weak shoulders and twig-like wrists tremble from the weight they bear.

Building muscle isn’t my goal, so I slow my repetitions. I search for that interesting thing, as I push my body away from the dirty floor.

I look around frantically, losing hope. My mind has been playing tricks on me lately. I glumly conclude one thing: if I die now, I have nothing to show for it. I would die a failure; just a young man in a cell.


Wait! I see something. What is it? A disk lies upon my cell’s floor—about an inch in diameter. The guards are watching me though, and I act as unnoticeable as I can—slyly clutching the disc, and slowly moseying over to my mats. Feeling apprehensive over getting caught, I lie down.

What is this thing? I pretend to rub my eyes, but I conceal the disk in the palm of my hand, and take a couple of quick glances at it as I mime my fatigue. It is dull silver, and has a circular grid of tiny microscopic holes over the top surface.

Before I insert it discreetly into my pocket, a slight sound escapes from it and barely reaches my ears. Excited, but careful not to show my panic, I pretend to scratch my scalp behind my right ear. In doing so, I hold the wafer-thin disk about one inch from my ear. The sound has faded out.

I think I know what it is, and I think I know who left it. That shapely nurse. With a smooth move, I drop it off in my shirt pocket, as I mime stroking my shoulder.

Exhilarated, I inhale the musty old air deeply, take a sip of stale water, and turn the tablet on.

I see my reflection among the oily smears of my tablet’s screen: a shadowy depression under each cheekbone, and eyes sunk in deep, highlighting my cheekbones. My hair is straw-like and matted.

Looking up at the turret, I see it is bathed in green floodlights. The floodlights switch from blue to green each evening. Between changes, there is a burst of red, signaling the transition. In the beginning, I used to count how many incidences of red illuminations I had seen, so I could count my number of days in captivity. However, I had long ago stopped counting.

I do know I am nineteen. I am far too young to perform the despairing, excruciating dalliance with the ultimate Prince of Darkness—Death. Shuddering at yet again peering into the bottom of the abyss, I lift the tablet again, and I begin:

“Two weeks went by. My new friends and I used the time to build our relationships. We skated, played games, and learned about each other. To describe us, I would say we were inseparable. We felt we had bonded for life.”

We tried to bring-in a couple of people on our recruitment list, yet they gleefully shot down their chances with unintended bravado. We shook our heads. For example, we stood with mouths agape as we stood in a 7-Eleven and watched a promising candidate surreptitiously stuff a candy bar right into his pocket, without paying. There went that prospect.

We were heading toward panic mode—we had seven days left. It was Sunday again, and it was colder than usual. We were down to the last two people on our list, and probably the most unlikely to join, Mariah Espinosa and Liam McCaffrey. Mariah was the girl I long had a long-time crush on. Liam was the guy on the farm whose mother we had already suspected of a possible act of “hanky panky.”

It was a brisk evening as Lincoln and I hitched a ride with my grandpa, who had kindly agreed to drop us off at the Woodland Fun Haven Center, which was a cool arcade, with the latest in interactive video games, laser tag, mini bowling alley, and make-your-own soft ice cream dispensing machines. I had the window down in the car, because my grandpa was puffing away on a cigarette. The wind whipped my face, but it was better than burning my lungs with second-hand smoke.

Our next target was Mariah. One of our sources told us the day before that she might be at Fun Haven, because her girlfriend was having a birthday party there. That was where we would try to recruit her.

Once again, we didn’t have a plan. We had faith in all of our allies, with the Dietons on my side.

As I sat in the back seat, I was daydreaming about Mariah. I flashed back to the conversation I had at home with grandpa this morning. I had found him reading the sports section, as usual, on his favorite armchair, which had garish-looking duct tape splayed across the upper part. My adrenalin raced, but I instinctively knew I could trust him. Standing behind him stupidly, I hesitated to speak out. He did not know I was right behind him.

A minute passed. I cleared my throat, but he did not hear me. I urged myself to take the bull by the horns; I could hear my grandma’s shower still running.

‘Grandpa,’ I said.

Marv moved his head back slightly at the sound of my voice, and turned his head back to look at me. One sight at my blushing face alerted him that something was up. He put his entire paper down on the folding table in front of him, and gently said, ‘Yes, Theodore?’

‘Grandpa, there’s this girl,’ I said, walking over to face him man-to-man. ‘She—she is so beautiful. I don’t know how to talk to her.’

Grandpa chuckled. He clasped his hands on his lap.

‘Son, it does not matter what you do, if she is the girl for you, then all you need is to be cool and be yourself. She will be attracted to whatever she likes. You’re just the right age to start thinking about girls, but since you are, I must warn you. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. If this is the perfect girl for you, go talk to her before another guy does. The good girls always go quickly. Don’t even think about what you are going to say, just say it. If she’s right for you, she will like you for who you are.’

‘Thanks, grandpa.’ I wasn’t sure what to say. I still felt troubled.

Grandpa searched for clues in my expression. ‘Is there something you’re not telling me, Theodore?’

‘Well, I mean, even if a guy and a girl love each other, and get married, there’s no way it’s forever, right?’

Marv appeared concerned. He reached out for my hand, and gently pulled me closer. ‘I assure you, son, grandma and I are rock solid. Rock solid. Don’t you worry.’ He gave my hand a light squeeze.

‘It’s not you.’

‘Oh. Who is it, then?’

I blurted out, ‘Grandpa, I think Liam’s mom had another man in her house.’

‘What, McCaffrey! Absurd, that is the preacher’s wife. Theodore Daniel Crane, you tell me exactly what you think you saw.’

I told him what I saw, and grandpa kept on nodding, absorbing the sordid details. When I had finished, he told me to put it to rest. He said that there was any possible explanation; maybe the man was Mrs. McCaffrey’s father, staying over in the guest room? He warned me not to jump to conclusions. He didn’t want me uttering a word to anyone about what I experienced. As I listened to his wise words, I felt better that I’d told a grown-up. There is a serene feeling of relief once a scandal—bottled up inside you for so long—is shared.

Lincoln jabbed me into my side with his elbow. ‘Wake up, dude, we’re here.’

We had arrived at Fun Haven, There were about ten kids hanging out in front of the building, waiting for their parents. Lincoln and I stepped out of the car and waved goodbye to Marv as he pulled away.

Whack! A light, tiny object clipped me in the face. Stunned, I turned my head at the direction from which it had come. From a distance, Jack Winters and his friends were firing tightly wadded pieces of paper at people with rubber bands.

As Lincoln and I gaped in surprise, I saw another tiny ball of paper rotating in the air, suspended, just an inch from my cheek. Then, like a rock, it fell to the ground. Signaling to Lincoln, I started sprinting and we both ran inside to avoid the impish boys.

Thank goodness the bullies had not even noticed that wad of paper behaving strangely. Choosing my battles carefully was a skill that I was honing. Maturing was a side effect of carrying the weight of the multiverse.

I noticed the Dietons usually intervened only if I first had my turn to defend myself from something that wasn’t fatal. The Dietons seemed to wisely allow me to develop my skills first, before intervening. I agreed with these ground rules. I preferred to rely on my own actions first whenever possible.


Lincoln and I paid the admission fee. Once inside, I marveled at the black lights and fluorescent colors everywhere. The music was shaking the walls with bass, and everyone was blasting away with laser guns and having fun. At the back, there was a small bowling alley as well as some indoor basketball hoops. We had to rent the bowling shoes if we didn’t have our own.

One downside from renting bowling shoes is that they stink, because it seems like one thousand people wear them every week. It is disgusting if you think hard about it.

I didn’t feel like taking my X73-21’s off, but I needed to program my kicks to look like bowling shoes. I sat down next to Lincoln when he was trying his stinky bowling shoes on, and since the dressing room was empty, I took my opportunity to program a bowling shoe image onto them. Instantly, they mirrored Lincoln’s bowling shoes. Lincoln’s eyes widened in approval.

‘Don’t be showing off, maverick,’ he said.

I said, ‘Alright, let’s go rip it up, keep your eyes open for M.E.’

Mariah was nowhere to be seen. We just carried on with our fun, and what an evening it was! Without a prospect to zero in on, we were blissfully free to do as we wished, just to goof off like teenagers again. I felt so liberated within the arcade, blasting away with laser guns; and grabbing the steering wheels and planting my butt firmly on top of fake seats of the car racing cabinets. Above us, the disco ball radiated millions of colors onto everything within sight. It was as if the disco ball was absorbing my pressing, singular mission, successfully diffusing it into a spectacle of harmony.

Losing Lincoln, I stopped to catch a break at the soft ice cream self-help machines, and I saw him arguing with someone in a dark corner of the rink near the arcade. He was furious.

The person he spoke to was taller and wore a dark hoodie. When the conversation appeared to be over, he slipped away into a crowd. Not letting him out of my sight, I strolled over to him. I nearly tripped due to these butt-ugly, ill-fitting bowling shoes, and a couple of girls laughed at me as I stumbled.

‘Hey Linc, let’s go hit the bumper cars. Dude, what was that? Who was that person?’ I inquired.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ he said lowering his voice to say something under his breath.

‘What?’ I asked. I didn’t hear what he had said.

He shouted, ‘I said, it is none of your damn business. Back off!’

‘Okay,’ I said, and stepped back out of respect.

This wasn’t working well. Lincoln was pissed off, and we didn’t even find…

Then, my heart froze. There, standing near the entrance, was Mariah. Pumped up with anticipation, I worked up my nerve and walked up to her. Seeing me, she smiled at me, settling my anxiety somewhat. I saw her moving her lips as she spoke to me, but I couldn’t hear. All the beeps, blasts, and laughs within the arcade were creating a din.

‘What?’ I yelled, pointing to my right ear.

‘I said, it is nice to see you,’ Mariah shouted.

I knew what to do. Weeks before, I had studied Spanish in the library’s reference section at school, because it would improve my chances with her.

‘Hola Mariah, como estas?’ I then asked her how she was, and she told me that she didn’t feel well. Her mother was going to pick her up in ten minutes. My heart sank as I realized that our task for today likely was not going to bring the accomplishment we had sought. Still, I thought she looked damn good, even if she was feeling under the weather. I thought I detected a hint of dejection on her face as she turned away. ‘Excuse me,’ she said as she walked over to the coat check attendant.

As she walked away like a vision, I started daydreaming about Mariah and I, holding hands as we bravely dodged laser shots together. Then I jerked myself back to reality.

I had to inform Lincoln what was going on, and I needed to do it quickly.

I zinged around the arcade frantically in search of my friend. When I found him, I rattled off everything I was thinking—in a sentence that sounded like it was strung together into one giant word. I said, ‘Dude-we-have-to-go-the-girl-she-is-leaving-Mariah’s-leaving-c’mon-c’mon-let’s-go-let’s-go!”

Lincoln got the hint right away. Returning his rented bowling shoes, he rendezvoused with me near the building’s entrance. As Lincoln and I rushed out to look for Mariah, it was as if a do-or-die dilemma had harshly slapped us in our faces.

The scene for a free-for-all confrontation was set. Jack Winters, the leader of the rogue pack that had shot paper wads our way earlier, was now grabbing Mariah around her waist, from behind. She was shouting angrily at Jack to let her go. Jack’s minions cheered him on. Lincoln and I glanced around desperately: there were no adults around.

Mariah was in trouble. My Mariah, even if it wasn’t politically correct for me to say so. Without a thought in the world, I spontaneously hollered at the bully. ‘Hey, get your hands off her, Jack, what is your problem?’

Jack gleefully retorted as he laughed for show. ‘My problem? I don’t think I have a problem, do you, Mariah?’

‘Let me go!’ she yelled.

I hesitated to take action, fully conscious that if something unexpected happened, I could derail the intentions of Zane.

Lincoln solved my dilemma for me. My impression of Lincoln as a quiet, studious guy was forever shattered as he came tearing forward like a beast unchained. He took three swift strides toward Jack and ferociously punched his shoulder. I gasped at his bravery.

Unhurt but aggravated by the sudden move, Jack threw his elbow in the direction of Lincoln’s nose and blasted his nostrils flat. My friend looked like he had been drilled with a croquet hammer. Jack laughed at all of us.

Jack let Mariah go and hopped toward me, extending his fists outwards like a prize fighter. He took jabs through the air with absolutely no fear, closing in on to me.

‘Huh? Huh?’ he sneered, dripping sarcasm. ‘You want some too, Ted? Your girlfriend Lincoln has a bloody nose. What is the matter, you wishing Jason were here to defend you? Everyone knows it was you that pushed him off that cliff!’

As the other kids, including Mariah, physically shrank away from our altercation, I stood there, breathing heavy. My peripheral vision collapsed, and a force within strangled my throat. Jack was about to move in for the kill.

Rather than be intimidated, I instead became resolute. There were only two issues that mattered to me now. First, he had accosted Mariah, the girl of my dreams. Secondly, this bully had directly challenged my manhood, and I had to defend it at all costs. I kicked my foot forward to take a blow at Jack, whatever the consequences.

Something froze my action. Instinctively, I remembered The Intervention. It was back. The Dietons, unseen to the others, wrangled me completely still. Someone was definitely monitoring me with a rolesk. I groaned inwardly.

Jack hooted at me with derision. As he was about to take a swing at me, there was another intervention. No, not the Dietons. It was Liam McCaffrey! Like a wild buffalo snorting and blowing hot air from his nostrils, he had grabbed Jack with two hands and elevated him into the air.

Showing no weakening as he lifted Jack like a pro hockey player would hoist the Stanley Cup in celebration, Liam growled at him. ‘You remind me of a grape I stepped on yesterday. I picked it up and ate it.’

‘Don’t do anything Liam, it isn’t worth it; he isn’t worth it,’ Mariah cried out.

Very reluctantly, Liam lowered Jack safely. Jack’s legs began to stride before they even hit the ground. He, and his posse, were gone in a blink. Released from my Dieton shackles, I ran over to Liam as if to give him a hug, but instead we slapped a high-five. Then we both tended to Lincoln.


‘What were you guys thinking, messing with Jack? That guy has been acting weird lately,’ Liam said, while we helped Lincoln recover.

Mariah stepped up to Lincoln, and placed her hand on his shoulder. ‘That was brave of you, Lincoln. Thank you.’

Lincoln’s face turned a crimson red.

I was next. As I dreamily observed her delicate features, she gazed at me in the eyes and said, ‘Thank you, Ted.’

I averted my eyes. ‘No problem.’ In the next instant, she touched my shoulder, sending an electric tingling running up and down my body.

‘Bye bye,’ she waved. Mariah’s mom arrived and like that, the object of my crush was gone. We had to act fast with what we had left. There was a chance to invite Liam to our group, and I wasn’t going to miss it. To my chagrin, Liam started walking toward Fun Haven.

‘Ted, why didn’t you stop Jack?’ Lincoln asked me, while he rubbed his nose that was probably stinging from the blow.

Now was not a time to discuss old battles. We had to get Liam.

‘Hold on, Lincoln,’ I said, and he understood the delay. I ran after Liam before he entered the building. ‘Liam, do you work here?’ I asked in a rush. He stopped and looked at me.

‘I sure do, they hired me to keep control of this outside area. I am supposed to keep kids from loitering,’ he said as he pointed up to the No Loitering sign hanging over his head. ‘If you don’t need anything else I will just get back to work. I get off at six.’

I checked my watch. ‘In about fifteen minutes.’ I looked up at him. ‘Didn’t you work at Miller Industrial?’

‘Yeah, that job was lame,’ he said.

‘I want to invite you over to my house for dinner. You finish soon. Then you can just ride home with me and Lincoln.’

‘No thanks, I would not want to impose. Besides, you have not even asked your parents yet.’

‘Liam, what you did for us back there was awesome. No one ever looks out for us, but you did. Please come over to my house for dinner, I insist.’

Lincoln quickly added, ‘We owe it to ya.’

Upon reflection, Liam accepted my invitation and walked back inside the building to finish his shift. We called Dan from the pay phone to see if he could help us out in recruiting Liam, but his mom told us he wasn’t home at the moment.

Liam was unique. He was number one on a short list of gifted individuals. He was adeptly equipped with fortitude, compassion, and obvious physical superiority. We had to try.

We next phoned my grandpa to pick us up, and in twenty minutes, he arrived. ‘Hey grandpa, is it okay if Lincoln comes over for dinner?’

‘Not a problem. We’re used to him chowing over at our place.’

I tested my grandpa further, pushing his boundaries. ‘And my friend Liam too?’ I asked.

My grandpa spun around with a disconcerted expression. ‘McCaffrey? I told you to drop that. I’m on the verge of a major breakthrough with my research. I don’t want to be disturbed.’

Picking up his cue, Lincoln backed me up. He said, ‘I know how you feel, Marv.’ Lincoln didn’t know my grandpa’s last name, so he winged it. ‘I think what Ted means is that we owe him one. You see, Liam saved us tonight from getting our butts kicked by Jack Winters.’

‘Please grandpa, it is the least we could do for him, I will not mention anything about what we talked about earlier, and we will stay out of your hair. I promise.’

‘Will I have to call this Jack Winters’ parents, or did you boys handle it like gentleman?’

‘No it is fine. We handled it, so can Liam come for dinner?’

My grandpa thought briefly, then said yes, and I went to fetch Liam from inside.

We were now three strong. We all hopped into my grandpa’s tan car. The seats were leather and were cold to the touch. It took at least five minutes to warm up to them. We finally ended up at home, and dinner was just about ready for us when we arrived in the kitchen.

‘Grandma, this is Liam McCaffrey. He helped us out with a bully tonight, and we invited him to dinner to thank him. I hope you don’t mind.’

‘Well, luckily I had extra, next time you and grandpa need to ask me first. I am glad the older kids are looking out for the younger kids. It is a fine line, Liam. If you are not careful when you get involved in a situation, you may become the bully yourself. I appreciate you helping these boys. I hope you like liver,” she said.

Liver. My face fell. I should’ve been able to tell from the odor that greeted my nose when I entered the kitchen. Of all the meals that I could have invited Liam over for, this was definitely the worst. I hoped that wouldn’t deter Liam later on.

As we ate, I looked over at my friends, and I noticed we had an agreement with our eyes of disgust, while we gnashed at the dry “delicacy.”

Even though the food was gross, the company was great and one could see by the looks on our faces that we were laughing inside about the dish. Dinner was quick. I think we all figured the faster we ate, the quicker it might be over. We fled to my bedroom to chat.

‘Liam, there is a different reason why we brought you here. You have to promise you will not freak out when we tell you,’ I said.

‘Yeah, you have to promise, at least listen. Maybe I should do the talking this time, Ted,’ Lincoln added.

Liam’s face changed in that one second. He went from his usual jolly self, to a mood of melancholy. He hung his face. ‘I already know what you guys are going to say. My mom told me that you stopped over when my dad and I were gone. So yeah, it is true. My mom is having an affair with another man. I know that is what you guys wanted to tell me. My dad and I already know about it. She left us last night. It is really tough and I don’t want to talk about it, so can we just do something else?’ Now he was fighting back tears.

Lincoln jumped in, and said, ‘You’re right. We did expect something, but that isn’t why we brought you here. What we wanted to discuss is out of this world as we know it.’

‘Are you guys about to sell me something?’ Liam asked.

I couldn’t hold myself back. ‘Okay stop! I am going to tell him because you are taking too long.’ I pled with Liam. ‘Liam, we were chosen by a demigod named Zane to save the world and Sephera from these Dacturon devils. There, I said it. We need you to leave with us into space to help fight evil. That is as simple as I can make this.’

‘That’s it, you guys are nuts!’ Liam exclaimed. ‘I had to put up with liver for this?’ He stomped out of my bedroom, accidentally knocking over a couple of trophies to the floor. ‘Sorry,’ Liam muttered, but he continued his stride.

‘Please give us a chance,’ I begged him. ‘We are under attack. The Dacturons are at our doorstep, and if we don’t do something, they are going to consign Earth to the dustbin. You have to help us.’

‘Dacterrians? Earth?’ Liam spat out, unable to emulate the exact pronunciation of the alien race. ‘I did help you, and now you expect me to believe this nonsense. You guys are weird! I am outta here,’ Liam said, as he marched out the front door. He darted to the cul-de-sac, and down the road.

I cupped my mouth with my hands and yelled after him, ‘Dude, if you change your mind, be at County Hearth on Saturday at noon!’ trying not to be a disturbance to the rest of the neighborhood. I just hoped that he would change his mind, although that was a very long shot.


I looked over at Lincoln, ‘That really didn’t go as planned.’

‘Yeah, I think you need more patience. Please, next time let me do the talking. You cannot just shove the end of the world down someone’s throat like that . . .’ Lincoln said, as he was obviously angry with me. He continued to ramble, and I was just too shocked to think.

‘Why didn’t you just give him a taste of your powers?’ Lincoln spurted out.

I felt as if the ground would swallow me. ‘Oh, right. I never thought of that,’ I said meekly.

‘Just like you did with me!’ Lincoln retorted.

‘Well, you could have thought of that too, Mr. Smarty Pants!’

‘I’m leaving now!’

We heard my grandmother’s concerned voice from downstairs. ‘Are you boys all right up there?’

‘We’re fine, grandma!’ I shouted though my door.

Lincoln glared at me, then stormed out of my room, leaving me alone to collect my thoughts.

Sunday was almost gone, and the clock was ticking. I heard was the ticking from the grandfather clock in the living room. Tick, tick, tick, tick, ding-dong-ding-dong, it was nine-o-clock, and the chiming from the clock snagged me back toward reality.

I felt like I was ruining the adventure for everyone, and we weren’t even close to assembling a full team. I ran into my room, and cried into my pillow.

There was a knock at my room, and my grandma was standing there.

‘What’s wrong, honey? You okay?’

I continued to cry. ‘Honey, listen to me,’ she said, as she sat down beside me and ran her fingers through my hair, ‘You have been living a tough life. I know, but it is only going to get worse if you don’t sit down and try to figure things out right from the beginning. You cannot fix everything around you before forgiving yourself. I know that you are holding yourself responsible for many things. The reason why you are crying right now is because you are trying to understand things that you are not even capable of understanding . . . Am I right?’

‘Yes, but you don’t understand. There is a battle going on right now, in my head. There are many tough things for me right now. You wouldn’t understand, because you and grandpa are not my parents. Please, just leave!’ I yelled.

Tears welling in her eyes, Laverne drew in her lips. She was about to say something, but stopped herself just in time. Jolting up from her sitting position on my bed, she abruptly left my room. She was such a saint, because even after her obvious upset, she took great pain to ease up on my door as she closed it behind her.

I knew that what I said was wrong and unfair. A scream of frustration stayed throttled in the back of my throat, and a whiplash of trauma seared my mind. Taking deep breaths, I composed myself and calmed down. I needed to understand more about what I was fighting for, so I dug deeper. I held up my hand to consult my IPU.

I thought—Nezatron, what is this war all about?

Nezatron said, ‘Sephera, clearance level three. In the beginning, space was deep, black, and infinitely sparse. There was a universe, planets and stars were few, and living beings evolved over billions of years from a single cell . . .’

I could have sat and listened to Nezatron’s historical account about the Dacturon creation of two Omnians—Odion and Zane—all night. Sure. If I wanted my mind to grow so numb that it would think no better than a slab of particleboard. I turned off the nanocom so that I could finally get some sleep.

In the middle of the night, as I lay tossing and turning in my bed, dreaming, I was soaked with sweat. In my fitful dream, I saw myself sitting in a strange room in what appeared to be an industrial warehouse. The smell of dust and oiled machinery hung about in the air like a heavy mist. Moonlight shone through a shattered window; several shadows emerged from the large-scale machinery inside, as well as from the gigantic oak tree just outside.

In the dark, a vile, demonic figure arose from the gloom, directly blocking my view of the window. The moonlight bathed his dark maroon frock. The manner in which he emerged, the sinister pose he assumed—there was no doubt his intention was to frighten, to intimidate, and to terrify.

He stood inside that cold, dark, and condemned room with the shadows as his army.

The brisk chill felt real; goose bumps ribbed my arms, and crept to my shoulders.

Although I had never seen this monstrosity before, I instinctively knew who it was.

‘Odion,’ I said.

The evil Dacturon Omnian didn’t even introduce himself. In one powerful swoop, he grasped me around the throat, and lifted me to the ceiling. I screamed, but no sound escaped my lips.

It was if I was drifting away from my own body. My heart rallied with a pounding ferocity upon the throat grip, but slowed to a faint murmur, as if readying me for death. I felt light and woozy. For some unknown reason, my skin glowed with yellow and green fluorescence. Perhaps the Dietons were frantically attempting to signal protest against Odion’s villainy? Repeatedly squeezing in and then withdrawing his thumb and fingers into my neck, he finally spoke to me as he hissed:

‘You are the human they say will defeat me? Your bones are pitifully weak,’ the devilish demon said, as he laughed from within the hood of his robe, ‘Oh that is right. You cannot speak!’

He drew me in closer as if nonchalantly examining an object under a bright light. I became petrified by fear. My hope dangled like a T-bone next to a rabid dog’s jowl. As if reacting to his touch, my skin turned blotchy and pustular where he clutched my throat.

His free hand grasped the apex of his robe, rapidly pulled back his hood, and revealed the vilest face, pale white, with varicose veins running down his neck. There was total savagery in his eyes—grey eyes, and stunning red pupils.

‘Do you think Zane foresaw this? You know he wants to add you to his collection of Sepherans, which are nothing better than instruments of dead souls. Zane only preys upon those who have no spark of life left, robbing them from the grave!! You cannot see how sick that is?’ He was gazing off to his side as he spat out these words, as if he was confronting Zane in the very room. I tried to squirm, and he leaned in closer, ‘What if I send your grandparents to Sephera? Two adorable souls to become wilted by time and burned by flame, only to be resurrected as particles of matter by Zane? All for vanity!’ The walls reverberated with his guffaws, which sounded more like screams due to the echo effect.

He released his grip ever so slightly and peered at me with eyes of hatred. ‘Where is the research?’

I had no clue what he was referring to, and there was no way I could even summon the breath to answer. I was only left with my power of thought. Nezatron, Nezatron—I frantically delved into my mind, before it turned into a black void.

Over my nanocom Nezatron said, ‘Migalt is closing in on your location now.’

Just as I was about to pass out, there was a flash of blinding white light and a huge bang, as if there was an explosion. Immediately, the grip on my neck was released, and I fell to the floor, gulping down precious oxygen.

Looking up, I saw a glowing, towering angelic figure, as if heaven had intervened. Perhaps it had. Scattered flames licked at the walls and the floor, surrounding my guardian.

It was Migalt, the Bromel, whom I had earlier met along with King Trazuline when I had boarded the Uriel for a very short time. He must have seriously scared the crap out of Odion, because there he lay, kneeling, whimpering like freshly caught prey. It was quite a sight to behold.


What a magnificent creature, this Bromel! He scraped the room’s ceiling with the tips of his monumental twelve-foot wings. In his large hands he held a spear that shimmered with a radiant blue light, brightening the entire room and blinding me somewhat. The majestic spear was humming; every time it crackled, white-hot light burst from the blinding bluish beam.

As if conveying evidence of my guardian’s dramatic entry into this room, the walls were freshly splintered. Migalt had so much power that various cogs and wheels from the industrial machinery in the room had exploded straight off their supports and rammed into the walls.

Odion kneeled before the Bromel, writhing out of severe pain dealt upon him by the aura of the blade. He was clawing away at his own body. It was as if he could not stand the radiating power of the Bromel’s weapon.

‘I am Migalt, and you are not welcome in the mind of the boy,’ he said, as he rose taller, posturing over Odion.

The Bromel was at least twelve feet tall, but Odion showed no fear as he overcame his searing pain and rose on his feet.

‘You don’t get it, you winged-freak? I can go and do whatever I please! There is no touching me here in this realm or any realm. Do you understand me?’ he screamed, as he rose up and punched into the massively broad chest of Migalt.

As if offended by Odion’s assault, Migalt’s spear blazed with a dazzling array of ultraviolet blue. I squinted as Migalt raised the spear high above his head, his muscles striated and flexed. With a mighty heave, Migalt threw the spear and impaled Odion.

Odion gave one final scream that night. ‘Travis, go get the research!’

Then Odion’s image de-pixelated before us. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, the devilish Omnian in charge of the Dacturons was nowhere to be seen.

I woke up, drenched in sweat. The industrial warehouse room had vanished and I was back under the covers of my bed. Jumping to my feet, I ran to my bedroom window quickly and looked out. I saw Travis walking away from my house. He was heading north, toward Seventh Street. He looked back with a sneer, flipped me the bird, and in a burst of evanescence—he was gone. Only a pool of molten blacktop was left behind by his teleport.

A large thud on the side of my house grabbed my attention. I had to see what it was, so I walked along the side of the house past the garden of perennials. Standing there, proud and majestic, was the Bromel—Migalt.

‘Thank you so much, sir,’ I said.

‘You are very lucky. Any longer in Odion’s grasp and you would have been killed in your subconscious, boy,’ Migalt said. He took a knee, and the ground trembled. He whispered to me, ‘It has been your newly presented weakness of mind that let Odion in, and by allowing that, you have opened a pathway in your brain for him to re-enter as he wishes. Travis most certainly used a device to project him into your mind from the window. You need to finish your objective here, by getting that team of four to follow you. Then you must all leave. The longer you stay, the sooner your death will be. We need representatives from Earth.’

Migalt carried on about the sovereignty of Zane and his record of accomplishment for providing the multiverse with freedom, liberating them from misdirection. My angst fled slightly and was overwhelmed by a feeling of guilt.

‘This is the only way I know, Migalt. I have been fighting my whole life. And that makes me think twice before I trust anything good or unexplainable,’ I said.

Migalt leaned forward, hugging me with his arms and wings, and said, ‘Theodore. I know that you have been dealt misfortune; you were brought into a difficult position. Don’t waste your time trying to figure out the intricacies of the multiverse. Accept that there will be things out there you cannot explain. I have been monitoring your inquiries with Nezatron and I know of your doubts. You need to take up the sword, and fight as you did against your parents. Believe me, Theodore, when I say, Odion rules in a way not far from how your father ruled his house.’

Migalt stroked an emblem on the shoulder strap of his armor, and he instantly was tailored in a majestic metallic suit. He slowly squatted toward the ground and with a magnificent leap through the air, he launched into the star-lit sky, and I lost him in the handle of the Little Dipper.

“I had a task to complete, and there was no time to whimper and sulk. If I had learned anything from Migalt, Nezatron, and Trazuline, it was that Zane had done so much for me, and I had not done enough. I needed to complete my goal once and for all.”