Kalon

  Chapter Ninety-Four: Bra’Ul Kuta

  Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant

  Ruling Government: Talum Merchant Federation

  Solar System: D-447

  Planet: Ora

  Location: Above the planet's surface

  Anger floods me, everyone who is strong is always taking from me the peace I seek.

  “Bra’Ul Kuta,” I say, leveling my eyes with Kotina.

  “Do your worst,” Kotina repeats in her tongue, raising an eyebrow. A grin slides over her mouth at my defiance, not in the way that Krotha’s does, but in the way that a warrior recognizes the strength of another’s will.

  There is no use in struggling, the restraints only tighten the more I resist. Calm fills me as the slow exhales release me from anxiety’s tight grip. My eyes search the metal that wraps me, it is all the same hue, solid yet pliable under her will it would seem. The fingers of her hands seem to control the tendrils. Luna does not look surprised, she has seen this before then.

  “Well, you’re rather strong aren’t you?” she asks, looking at her display, “Stronger than someone naturally should be at least, given the fact that the system has this marked as your home world.”

  “Kotina, if you…” Luna begins with a snarl that ends quicker than it began as metal slithers over her mouth.

  “If you weren’t so trusting, I wouldn’t have to do this,” Kotina sighs, shaking her head, her eyes move back to me now, intent blooms across her stance, “I don’t know how you’re suppressing your aura, but I can confirm a few things about you.”

  She moves her hand through a holo coming from her wrist.

  “You asked about the boundaries, well, let’s recap them, shall we?” her face has a challenging grin, as though she thinks she has caught me in a lie, “I know that you’re at least past the third boundary.”

  My eyes narrow, how much does she know though?

  “Because,” she begins, rolling her neck, “I dosed you with Promat 9 and you’re not dead.”

  Luna thrashes, her eyes growing wide. Kotina clenches her hand a little firmer, the metal tightens with it.

  “Relax, I have the antidote on board,” Kotina says rolling her eyes, then turning back to me now, “If you truly were from Ora and grew up in an internment city, you would have died about five minutes ago.”

  The cut she gave me before I showered, the heat in my body. I was foolish to think it was a warning, foolish to not be more on guard. Just because she is strong, does not mean that she is simple.

  “I never said I hadn’t passed any boundaries,” I begin, Kotina is about to speak, but I finish with, “Breaking and understanding are two different things.”

  “Still, there’s no way that Talum Federation of Slagholes would not have noticed you,” she begins, moving towards me, she touches my face with her bare hand.

  A torrent of Etheric Maka bleeds into me rapidly, causing my breath to catch, my heart rate exploding to rhythm.

  “And stranger still, you are runeless,” she says, curiosity in her tone, “The first boundary, finding the Spiritual Realm and tethering your will to it. The second boundary, the heart becomes a conduit for the soul’s power, making your control of Mana more visceral and, for those with runes, making the pathways of mana between them flow more seamlessly. I’ve never seen a runeless even joke about passing the first boundary, let alone going past the third.”

  My eyes blink at the information, finally an answer, is it truly that simple? My eyes glance at Luna, could she not have just said the same? Irritation flares for but a moment.

  “The third, blood infuses Mana from the heart throughout your body. Improving your organs and strengthening them. Breathing becomes more efficient. Also increasing your resistance to poisons and diseases or illnesses, all the while making your healing time exponentially less. It also expands the connection of the soul to the heart, increasing the amount of Mana one can control, making it more articulate,” she lets out a long sigh, “There are downsides to the third and beyond, unfortunately with the improved organ function, it also makes it incredibly difficult to get drunk.”

  Kotina clenches her fist slowly, the tendril that wraps my arm tightens in response.

  “The fourth boundary, Mana begins to improve the physical structure of one’s body, increasing bone density, tendon strength and muscle capabilities. It is easy to confirm if someone has passed it. Especially for people not born from high gravity worlds,” she explains.

  The tendril of metal alloy grips tighter, I feel the bones groaning under the pressure.

  “So you see, I have a hard slagging time trusting your intentions, given the fact that they would never allow a Kuwathi on a prison world to reach the fourth,” she grips firmer with her alloy, I feel the bones in my arm beginning to fracture under the pressure, but I do not give her the satisfaction of whimpering like a child, I have endured far worse.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Again, I never said I did not pass boundaries.”

  “Right, but you want me to believe that…”

  “I do not care what you believe, I have not lied to you,” I interrupt, my patience long gone.

  The pressure on my arm releases, a dull throb around the bones.

  “Who was your master, who taught you…”

  “The Sage, Artemius, he showed me to the place you called the first boundary.”

  Kotina blinks at me, looking toward Luna whose eyes speak to the anger in her bones.

  “Her grandfather taught you?” Kotina scoffs, shaking her head, “No, that cannot be true.”

  Grandfather… my eyes turn slowly to Luna, the anger falling from her eyes as they catch mine.

  “You lie,” I say to Kotina, not taking my eyes from Luna, she would not have kept something like this from me… would she? Pain burrows deep into my chest as Luna’s eyes fall to the floor.

  She didn’t tell me. My heart pangs, it feels like I have been betrayed. Why wouldn’t she tell me? It all makes sense now though, her fervent need to find a dead man. My stomach turns as that which once blossomed in my chest for her begins to wither. There is no truth between us. There can never be trust. Without trust, nothing deeper can sink roots. The chasm between us stretches further, regret forming in me for having laid with her.

  “You didn’t know?” Kotina asks, her tone is not abrasive.

  “No,” I admit. Again, feeling the fool.

  “Well, you’re either an amazing liar, or you're telling the truth,” Kotina says.

  My eyes trace her stance. As I search her determination, I see behind it hesitation, somewhere buried deep beyond the resolve. She does not want to cause me pain, not really, not like Krotha would. Yet within the churn of her emotions, I sense that she will do it. My teeth grit, perhaps there is a way we can both get what we want. Perhaps I can use Kotina to help me, since I cannot trust Luna.

  “I will answer all of your questions, and tell you the truths that Luna would not,” I say, narrowing my eyes, “In exchange you will help me with two tasks.”

  Kotina does not react for a moment as she thinks on it, “I don’t like being ordered around, but, you did save her more than once, and I have not treated you very well so far,” she admits, letting out a long, exaggerated sigh, “Fine, two things, what are they?”

  “I need you to help me free Haki and Daki, brothers taken to be slaves from Naro city, I believe they were taken to Tarvashal,” I begin, weighing my next words, “And I need you to find the owner of an expended plasma cartridge.”

  “What do you intend to do to the owner?” she asks me.

  “Kill them, slowly.”

  She raises an eyebrow.

  “Swear on your honor to do these things and I will…”

  “I do not swear on my honor for someone outside of my house. It is a perilous thing to do,” she begins, but seeing my disappointment she adds, “That does not mean I will not help you, I am technically somewhat honor bound to repay you.”

  My teeth grind, her words are conflicting, yet I believe the look on her face is sincere, and the fact that she did not break my body as others would have is helping my belief in her.

  “We have an agreement then,” I say.

  “We do, but start from the beginning, tell me everything that really happened since you met her,” Kotina says, crossing her arms, releasing the tendrils of metal from both of us.

  “Kalon, I…” Luna begins, rushing to my side, but I brush her off.

  “Don’t.”

  “But I…”

  “There is no trust, which means there cannot be more.”

  Luna looks at me, her eyes blinking, her hand moving to grip the fabric in front of her chest.

  “When Kotina has finished helping me, we will go our separate ways.”

  “If you tell her your secret, she will kill you…” Luna says.

  “If I do not, she will not help me.”

  Kotina coughs loudly, “Well, this is, awkward.”

  Silence hangs between the three of us for a few moments.

  “Look, unless his secret is that he’s working with Draconis or another House, honestly I don’t slagging care. I just want to know what’s actually going on.”

  Luna shakes her head at me, eyes filled with warning past the glisten of heart break.

  “It began in the markets,” I begin.

  ***

  After twenty painful minutes of recalling in great detail things that occurred, Kotina finally moves to speak.

  “So, Luna made a pact with a Kuwathi Goddess,” Kotina says, her hands rubbing her temples, “You’re some kind of I don’t know what, Netherium eater, you’ve used the cursed Edict twice now, meaning you’re basically slagged and a walking time bomb.”

  Her words cut straight through the matter.

  “Luna has become far too comfortable with lying to me,” Kotina scolds with a glare, “And yeah, it makes a little more sense now, fragging gods, always pulling strings, should’ve connected that.”

  “So, what now?” Luna asks, tension in her voice.

  “Well, he definitely has to die,” Kotina says, looking at me now, “I don’t know what the Tavjac fellow gave you, but if I had to guess, Etherius Prism Flower. The only substance in the Galaxy that I know of which can suppress the soul and body connection. It’s ridiculously rare and expensive. It does not last forever though. So, why he gave it to you, I don’t know, and honestly I don’t really want to, my duty as an Edict holder is clear.”

  “He doesn’t have to die,” Luna protests.

  “He does,” Kotina says, running her hand through her short hair, “But not before I help him, that much I can do at least.”

  “He doesn’t…”

  “Girl, you have no idea how badly your new Goddess slagged him over by putting that thing in his hand. If you think for even a second that it was not intentional, you’re beyond na?ve.”

  “She would never do something like that, she is good,” Luna says with a defiant undertone.

  “She’s one of the few surviving Gods from the Kuwathi Pantheon. You don’t survive Thane’s wrath by being good. Trust me when I say, she is not who she seems.”

  Her words do not bear falsehood. She does not say why, but I get the impression she has known Leora’s work before. Besides, she is Krotha’s sister, it is hard to imagine that she could be any different. Even if she pretends to be. None of the gods are good. The galaxy and the pain within it are a testament to that fact. If I was stronger…

  “She helped me save him from the Edict after he saved me from the crash,” Luna begins, but does not get to finish.

  “A crash I suspect she had a hand in somehow,” Kotina mutters, rolling her eyes, “The good news is this; Ravena likely will make herself known to you now once you return and place yourself before her altar. Her and Leora are rivals, or were at least before the Kuwathi crumbled.”

  Luna’s jaw clenches.

  “I will not beg a deaf Goddess, not when I have another already who answered in my time of need,” she seethes.

  “You’re lucky she can’t hear you with the Etheric dampeners on this ship, do not ever repeat something like that again,” Kotina warns, “Regardless of how you feel, your duty is to your House’s Patron Goddess above all others.”

  Luna does not reply, there is a begrudging understanding on her face though. My mind replays what Kotina said, that I am to die. There was no mistaking that she meant by her own hand. A mercy perhaps if she is right and the effects will not last forever. There is a weariness in me. I have escaped death’s embrace many times, perhaps it will claim me finally, but I am too stubborn to give it what it seeks without a fight.

  If Kotina keeps her word and helps me, there may be an opportunity to escape before she slays me. The Ulima in me says to be patient and find that moment, worry about the rest after.

  Luna is still sulking at Kotina’s prior words. When she tries to find my gaze, she only finds resentment and disappointment staring back.

  “Do you have the cartridge?” Kotina asks me.

  “No, but I memorized the serial number.”

  13th, then another bundle of chapters on Saturday the 17th

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