Renegade Reborn (29 page)

“That’s why I think of you like a brother, Purah. Every thought you have is about others, never about yourself. There isn’t one prideful cell in your body. What happened to you in your past, to push you here, to join with me, I will never know, but that is what keeps you interesting, nearly as interesting as our now deceased brother . . .” Drakearon said. Again, Purah felt sadness fill Drakearon. He knew exactly who he was talking about.

“Falcon Vadid made his choice,” Purah said.

“And yet he still holds a special place in my heart. He always will. You both will. The two of you, in a way, define your generation, but, alas, enough revelations of the past. It’s time to look forward to our impending future. Let’s get to the reason why I called you here, my dearest friend. I need you now more than ever,” Drakearon said.

“What do you desire?” Purah asked.

“Materials and resources. These men and woman who are now of my blood are growing exponentially, along with my power, but we will still need more. It will only be a matter of time until our resources are diminished. More importantly however, is this light, powered by my own Flarian essence. Keeping it lit at all times, well, it is greatly beginning to weigh down upon me. We will need a separate power source to keep this city shining, and I know just the thing, but, it will require utmost obedience from you, as well as Lokin. Now, listen carefully . . .” Drakearon said.

Elsewhere, Ranto Narroway watched from the highest point in Glaknabrade city. It had taken a lot of violence, a lot of blood, and a lot of time, but now, things were finally coming together. He had separated those who would join him and his righteous cause, from those who wouldn’t, with their very lives. He watched now as his Strife Army ran all about, gathering weapons, forming formations, and burning the bodies of those who would rebel, and that’s when it hit him. All of these people skittering about below, now moved, because he had demanded it so. In this space, he was king and the only thing above him was IAM himself, a necessary thing Ranto decided, but Thera was a big place, and there were still those out there who would attempt to look down upon him.

He would change that.

Ranto then closed his eyes and listened to the stomping of boots, the clanging of hammers upon steel, the hissing and crackling of the fires and did not take them as the sounds of war, but the sounds of a spreading, new world. A world free from Drakearon, Gisbo, and Chaos, and for the first time since he could remember, Ranto felt as if he were truly in control of not just his own destiny, but Thera’s as well, and when he felt in control, Ranto, felt at peace.

Drakearon watched Ranto, saw what he saw through his eyes. Everything was going well. Not according to plan, but such was the way sometimes. Even the best-laid plans could come to ruin. Victory, he knew, came to the man who was able to adapt and claim the moment, and he had no doubt in his mind that Ranto was fully capable of carrying out his mission, and from the background, he would do all he could to help him succeed, and that’s when it happened.

Suddenly, in Drakearon’s mind, the image of a board game appeared, but it was not square like that of a chess or a checker board. Instead, it was a perfect triangle, and upon that board, across from where he sat, laid two pieces, a Phoenix, and a Goat, and he realized that the Goat piece had already moved. It didn’t take Drakearon long to figure out the symbolism, or know where this sudden intrusion of his mind came from. In that Goat piece, he saw Chaos, and Chaos, was only crushed by one thing . . .

Order.

Drakearon, in his mind, picked up the Dragon piece, representing Ranto, and moved it, so it stood right before the Goat, blocking, any and all movement forward. If it wanted to get past, it would have to go right through him . . .

Vadid the Valiant’s eyes snapped open, and took in a slow, deep breath to maintain his focus. He knew it wouldn’t be long now. His grandson would wake up soon, and when he did . . .

“Old friend? I need a quick break, would you?” Vadid asked aloud. There was a screech and the Phoenix landed by his side in a flash, nuzzling his face, then, closed its eyes, and the control over the ability, was passed from man to bird.

Vadid rose to his feet and stretched, feeling his spine pop downward in a series of blasts. With a huge, pleasurable sigh of relief, he walked over to his grandson and squatted down next to him to look him in the face, a face, that was now older, and wiser than it had arrived.

“Boy, do you look just like your Daddy,” Vadid said. A warm smile graced his face then as he reached forward and rubbed the now bearded cheek of Gisbo, his own flesh and blood, his descendant, and felt a sudden rush of pride and amazement, in the way only a Grandfather could.

“Maybe one day you’ll remember this, what I’m about to say, and maybe you won’t. Either way, you can’t know it now. There’s still so much ahead, and still so much you don’t know, or understand. I had no choice, Gisbo. I had to undermine the tragedy that happened to you, had to make it seem it wasn’t a big deal. I couldn’t coddle you. I could only show you that it wasn’t your fault and, that what happened to you and what he did . . . “ Vadid started, rubbing his own chin, flustered to find the right words.

“What he did to you, I can barely even discuss it out loud. You asked why I didn’t come for you earlier? When you were at the bottom of your rope? It’s not because I didn’t want to, it’s because you had to learn the most important lesson possible if you are going to take on the mantle of Man-Phoenix, and that lesson is, if you want to change, YOU, need to be the one to do it. I, and no one else can do it for you, and it’s only when you can change yourself, have you the right to use your power, to help those who cannot help themselves.

We as humans deserve nothing in this life. Even the air we breathe, it’s just a lucky break. Entitlement, it is a disease that is spreading like wildfire, and in a way, it’s even worse than the Drakeness. People today, they want the rewards, without the work, and they don’t realize, that when something comes for free, something else, is taken from someone else, and that something they receive, is not appreciated, and when something is not appreciated, it’s not loved, and when it’s not loved, well, I’m sure you can see where I’m going with this, but you Gisbo, you are not what I just spoke of.” Vadid said, his eyes watering as another proud smile erupted across his face.

“You, Gisbo, have turned into a fine, young man,” Vadid said, wiping the corner of his eyes before continuing.

“I still don’t know how you sit here. All I know is that if our roles had been reversed, hell, I don’t know where Thera would be right now. In my case, once the fighting was done, when my purpose became sitting between two political parties, by IAM, I never felt more dead inside. I was better suited to swinging a sword, leading a charge, than leading a land. When the battle died and there was peace, my purpose was served. I brought peace to a world corrupted by war, and believe me, the irony is not lost on me, for you, you’re going to bring war to a world corrupted, in a way, by peace, and when it is over, and when your fight is done, they will want your leadership, just as they did mine.

Politics, an evil beyond even Drakearon in some ways, and it was standing neutral between two parties, that my frustrations grew and my patience died, and that was when I felt him, Drakearon, deep in my heart, having conversations with me just as I have with you now, due to our connection. That was why I had to leave. If I stayed, through me, Drakearon would have found a way to escape the Reath, and returned to claim Thera, and I just couldn’t allow that. I needed to leave while people still had hope in me, and in the middle of the night, without telling my wife, my daughter, my sons, no one . . . I left. It was a decision I made for Thera, not myself.” Vadid said, tears pouring down his face. He couldn’t let his mind travel to their faces now.

“And it’s true, Gisbo. When I was Man-Phoenix, I was what the people wanted to be, but never could. I had a pure, moral compass; I was gifted beyond belief, and in all regards, a prodigy. Though you come from my blood, Gisbo, you aren’t me, and that, that is wonderful. We don’t need another me right now. We need someone flawed, damaged, unsure of themselves because, to the people of Thera, unlike me, you will not represent something above them, you will represent the best of what they can be with a little faith and a little tenacity.

You are a good man, Gisbo Falcon, an everyday man, and because of that you can inspire the world in a way I never could! You can, you can, ugh . . .” Vadid started, he walked away, picked up the phoenix blade, then returned to stand over his grandson once again.

“I speak better with a sword in my hand. Always have. The past, the past is done. The future is ahead, and you, my grandson, my flesh and blood, my piece of my heart, you are not only going to save this world, you’re going to change it. It’s one thing to inspire hope in people. It’s a whole other thing to get people to act upon that hope, but that’s only when you get back into the right mindset, the mindset of your fairy tales . . .

There was a time when you were thinking mythically. You were strong when you said, how do you want your ending? You were right to believe there was a story, that your life does matter, that we are part of something big and grand, and that every story, has a destination. And then, he came. He saw your happy ending, with Kennis, and he took it away from you, and you fell away. You dealt with your pain your way . . .” Vadid said, his fist clenching tighter around the sword.

“As you know, a battle is coming, but not the final battle, not yet. All this battle will determine is who will be left to decide the fate of Thera. After this, the world, it will be split in two, and you, you and your friends need to win, need to be one of these two sides, for if you’re not . . . hope, love, mercy, compassion, goodness, and all that’s is just and good, it all dies, and believe me, HE, above all others, knows this, and when it comes time to face the outcome of your decisions, he’ll be there, personally, to collect the cost.” Vadid said. Upon saying this, Gisbo’s neck twitched slightly. Vadid took in another breath and continued.

“The word villain, it’s not tossed around in everyday speech, neither is archenemy. These words, it’s something saved for the stories of fiction, of something so horrible, it lives and thrives only at the peak of our imaginations, and it is only fiction that can contain such evil, but not anymore. Evil has a name Gisbo, and it is as real, as you and I. Not a dark, grisly, decrepit evil either, no. I feel in most stories, evil is portrayed that way, because even the authors themselves are afraid of it, because evil, true evil, is wrapped in good. It is something bright, something captivating, even beautiful, untraceable, because the potential for it lies within all of us. Untraceable evil, yes, that is the most dangerous kind.

“I’m sorry for rambling. Heh, you probably won’t even remember this, even after spilling my guts to you. I just, I’ve been alone for so long, Gisbo. Have thought of so many things to share with you over these years. Maybe, maybe I’m being selfish, spilling all of this more so for me, than you, maybe I just needed to get that monologue out of me. Either way, thank you, Gizzy, thank you for listening, you saint you . . .” Vadid said, as he kneeled down, and kissed Gisbo upon the forehead.

“Just hold on. You will get through this, not because I want you to, but because you have to. There is, no one else . . . “ Vadid said, as he then turned, and looked at the Phoenix. “Ok, old friend, tap me back in, I’m ready.” Vadid said, as he sat back down, and closed his eyes, but rather than be reconnected to Gisbo, he strangely found himself seeing a triangle shaped game in his mind. Vadid stared at the game board closely and saw that two pieces had already made their move, a Goat, and a Dragon, and behind each piece, were two shrouded figures, looking at him, waiting for him to move the piece sitting in front of him, a blue carved Phoenix, but Vadid, rather than move, simply, laughed, long and hard, then eyed the two figures behind the pieces with a hot stare.

“Games? GAMES? This is a game to you all? Oh, I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with here. My Grandson, he doesn’t play games with the likes of you two. Games have rules, and rules, have never sit well with him, and if he were here, he would look you right in the eyes, and find a dark place, in each of you, to shove this game board, and its pieces, but luckily for you, he’s not here, not yet, but let me tell you that he IS coming, and when he does . . . well, let me tell ya a little bit about my grandson . . .

His name is Gisbo Falcon. Pretty stupid ass name isn’t it? Despite what they tell you, he’s not the greatest fighter. Not at first. He doesn’t move like he should. He’s clumsy. He’s reckless, but then, he take a few shots, and a part of him that he knows is there, but doesn’t like admitting, rises on up, knocks on his skull, and asks to come in, to take control.

Now, he’s kicked back down this part of himself where it belongs, many times, but sometimes it's just easier for him to just let it in, and stay a while. Not because it feels wrong, but because it feels, oh, so right . . . and when he does, just like that, you and he will suddenly feel your inner devils vacating the area. Why? Because, they know what's coming next, even before you do, and what's coming next, gives even devils cause to blush . . .

This game’s already over. Why? Because, there’s already a winner,” Vadid said as he rose his fist, and in one clean drop, shattered the board, its game pieces, and the vision.

Instantly, Vadid was brought back. He smiled widely, then, continued his connection with Gisbo, molding, and shaping him into everything he had just bragged about.