Story: The Void: Part 2

by Nicholas Lemieux

Over the years, as I matured into adulthood, I was given only the most vigorous training from Qatal who was now grooming me to be his successor. It was a gruelling process, though arguably necessary, and I was able to make many close friends along the way. My training underground educated me to a great extent. This feeling of freedom was a wondrous sensation and one I was eager to share with the rest of the world. For once, I had finally found a purpose in my life. 

One late night however, whilst exploring the forbidden lower levels of the caverns, I was suddenly startled by the sound of a repeated banging, echoing along the corridor.  Curious, I went to investigate and I uncovered a metal cell door, marked by various dents, accompanied with a thin rusted slot. As I could just about make out the sound of some coarse breathing, I cautiously opened the slot. 

Enveloped within the cell’s darkness, there was a slouching figure present hopelessly attempting to break free. She was bound in chains as if she was some savage animal and her hair was an unruly mess. Perhaps most unnatural of all was the strange marking she had etched on her forehead. It almost looked like a third eye. Whilst keeping my voice down to avoid attraction attention, I called out to her and asked her who she was. She didn’t look too dangerous to me, she just reminded me of a wounded animal of sorts and she also looked about my age.  She said her name was Kiara and she had been locked away in here for at least 10 years. The eye was apparently something she was born with. It gave her devastating superhuman powers, the telekinetic ability to generate beams of explosive energy capable of causing immense destruction. Her combustion powers could apparently level entire cities and it was for that reason she was locked away by Qatal, who only saw her as a last resort weapon.

I asked Kiara how Qatal, a man I had thought was so empathetic and dedicated in spreading freedom to all, could have permitted such treatment of her. As it happened, Qatal knew Kiara better than anyone and was especially aware of the great damage her powers could cause. He was her father and he saw her as a liability to his plans to change to the world.

I confronted Qatal about it the next day and he tried to defend himself with a flimsy excuse, insisting Kiara’s powers were too dangerous to be let out in the world, that she was only being kept alive as a last resort for the Shadow’s plans if they never came to fruition. Absurdly, even though he had dedicated his life to spreading freedom across the world, he believed his own daughter was beneath that. He only saw her as a monster, an abnormal freak of nature whose only purpose was to be a weapon for his own selfish goals. Fruitlessly I tried to protest, arguing that Kiara rightfully deserved freedom just like the rest of us. But he refused to even listen me. Nonchalantly he dismissed me and made me specifically promise never to see her again.

Despite his direct orders, I continued to secretly visit Kiara every night just to make sure she knew I hadn’t forgotten about her. We would talk in hushed whispers and complete blackness, laughing the night away as we shared our wildest dreams of what we’d do if we ruled the world. She talked at length of how desperately she yearned for freedom. She hadn’t seen what the sky looked like since she was young and I would entertain her by giving her the most vivid details of the glinting stars heightened by the moonlight. At these torturous times, she made it clear that I was her only light in the dark.

Seeing Kiara’s vulnerability in the face of  her kind character only further ignited my anger with Qatal. The self-proclaimed saviour of the world was a hypocrite; just as decadent as all the other leaders he was supposedly against. Above all he was weak, saying it was too dangerous for the Shadow to properly operate in the outside world under the guise that we were still biding our time for the opportune moment. I saw the burning potential of the Shadow. In the face of all of the world’s injustice, we needed to act now and bring about change to spare anyone else from the sufferings I had endured. I wanted the children of tomorrow to wake up to a changed world of peace and prosperity. From the looks of things,   it was obvious the Shadow was in dire need of change itself.  

When the time was right, a coup was instigated. It didn’t take much effort to rally others behind me. As it turned out, many shared my opinion that the Shadow has been passive for too long.  Over the course of one night, the leadership of the Shadow was completely overthrown, the leaders all rounded up and summarily executed. With some luck, we were able to break Kiara free from the strains of her shackles and with her combustion powers we made short work of those against us.

As soon as the coup was finalised, I had Qatal specifically brought to me, his mouth gagged and his hands tied behind his back. I knew I would have to make an example of him in the name of the Shadow’s progress.  Begrudgingly, I would have to admit the decision wasn’t entirely an easy one. After all, I suppose it was he who first unveiled the world’s true corrupt nature to me. He had been like a father to me at my lowest point. But he had been a horrible father to Kiara and I just couldn’t forgive him for the deserving freedom he had robbed of her. To that end, I allowed Kiara to take out her own vengeance upon him.  Once the dust settled, there was scarcely anything to salvage from his remains.

With the Shadow’s leadership disposed of, its assets were now mine and from its ashes I was intent it would be reborn more powerful than ever. I called this new syndicate the Light, seeing as though that was what we would gift the world with, and from that day forth no longer would we cower in the mountains in the face of the people’s suffering.

For all my life, I had dealt with an amoral world poisoned by moronic presidents, tyrannical queens. In this word, leaders were nothing more but veritable maelstroms of avarice, parasites leaching off of the suffering of those worse off than them.  Now I was the one calling the shots.

Change was coming for the world, whether it liked it or not.

If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'

-          Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin'