A dark-haired, green-eyed Egyptian man sat in a dimly lit room hidden underground within one of Earth's few remaining unexplored boundaries. There were seven others present at the large round table. All 8 pairs of eyes were staring at a hooded individual to the left of the green-eyed Egyptian man,

  “You’re telling me that not only did we lose 5 Theronites, but you also blew my sons’ cover in the process?” A green-eyed Egyptian man rested his elbows on the table before her. His fingers interlocked as he sighed with frustration, not even wanting to look at the hooded figure beside him.

  “Come on, honey. Seli’s identity was bound to be revealed sooner rather than later. As long as Roratha and her son are alive, there won’t be much Seli could do to keep his identity secret.” A blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman sitting next to him caressed his arm as she tried to calm him.

  “Don’t remind me about that disappointment and her spawn.” The man responded and looked at the others at the table before him. Someone cleared their throat and then said,

  “On the bright side, we did manage to prevent that thing from being born. Who knows the monstrosity those two could have created?”

  “However, it is a shame that the girl had to die. There aren’t many of her bloodline remaining, and the way things are heading, we need as many exceptional humans as possible.” Someone else spoke in disappointment.

  “So, you lied to me and went against my wishes.” Devin's voice echoed through the room, and as he walked out, a ripple in space appeared next to the blonde woman. Several individuals at the table tensed up, and the hooded figure temporarily went on high alert before relaxing again.

  “Seli!!!” The blonde woman stood up with a radiant smile and quickly hugged her son, who gently held her back. The woman looked distraught at her son’s standoffish demeanor.

  “Selistar Luminara Dyrithon, properly respond to your mother.” Devin or Selistar balked under his father’s gaze and authoritative tone. He then embraced his mother,

  “I’m sorry mother.” Selistar mumbled.

  “It’s ok, sweetheart, I understand. Things must be complicated for you right now.” She smiled.

  “Seren, your coddling is why the boy is the way he is.” The green-eyed Egyptian man chided.

  “And what way is that father? Responsible? Someone who can properly maintain an agreement?” Selistar admonished, with rage in his eyes.

  The two men stared each other down. The sounds of cracking glass echoed as space twisted where their gazes met.

  “That’s enough, you two. Especially you, Aron.” Seren’s blue eyes focused on her partners, who sighed and averted his eyes away from their son.

  “Ok, I know you didn’t come here just to insult your father. What is it, Seli?” Seren responded.

  “Do you really not know? I was in this very spot when you and everyone in this room agreed to my proposition to not harm the child!” Seli exploded.

  “Lower your voice, and we agreed to observe the situation before making a decision,” Aron commented.

  “So what changed?”

  “You lost to him,” Aron said, crossing his arms.

  Selistar’s eyes widened. He was sure his parents had Persequions within the Oleanders and Adders; he didn’t expect them to place spies within his own ranks.

  “I didn’t use my abilities; it was just a hand-to-hand bout.” Selistar protested.

  “And he had no idea how to use his abilities; he hadn't even gone through his first shedding. That was more than enough reason. There’s already 2 of those things, I’ll be damned if we let a 3rd exist. Especially one mixed with such exalted blood.” Aron scoffed.

  Selistar frowned at his father's words. Not only had he spied on him, but he withheld information from him.

  “You know exactly what Zac and his mother are, right? And if you were so concerned, why didn’t you kill him as well? It’s unlike you to be so sloppy!” Selistar raged.

  He didn’t wish for his parents to have killed Zac, but it would have made things a lot easier than they were now. He was disgusted with himself for even asking such a thing.

  “Of course we know what they are, and they are not of this world; even if we wanted to kill him, it wouldn’t be that simple.” This time, it was Seren who responded,

  “Mother?” Selistar seemed somewhat taken aback by his mother's sudden shift in tone.

  “You know that me and your father met that woman… that thing your pet calls a mother. But that’s barely half the story.” Seren sighed.

  At her words, everyone at the table lowered their heads, somewhat distraught.

  “What happened?”

  “We went to do our job, to eliminate a threat to humanity. We tracked her to a remote location, not too far from here, where she sat in front of something resembling a floating embryo the size of a small child.”

  “And?” Selistar asked.

  “She was single-handedly responsible for more deaths in 30 minutes than what we’ve collectively experienced over the past 30 centuries. Both pairs of your grandparents were part of those casualties. Devoured in a single snap of her maw.” Seren explains with rage apparent on her face.

  Selistar found it hard to swallow. He always felt an instinctive fear when he was around Zac’s mother.

  “She then informed us that she intended to raise her child here for a while, declaring herself this world’s owner. If we didn’t bother her or her offspring before he’s first shedding, she would leave us to our own devices.” Aron's voice sounded strained as he tightened the grip of his fist in frustration.

  “Then why go after Zac and his child!!”

  “We didn’t have a choice!” One of the others stood up and slammed his hand on the table. He then pointed at Selistar with frustration,

  “We’d hoped you could leash that thing before he became a threat. Hell, the only reason we sent you to slowly take control of the Chasers was to shackle that thing. But not only did you not succeed, you let it run so wild that it almost produced a third!” The man sat down in a huff.

  Selistars eyes widened,

  “It was more so to keep that thing’s mother in check,” Seren responded.

  “There’s a chance, no, it’s almost certain that he would have been a Zero. You realize that? So shackling him with nanites would have been pointless.” Selistar added.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

  “Of course, but it was the best-case scenario, all things considered. The worst was the birth of that child.”

  “I disagree; I firmly believe that child could have been Auranthos’ Threnos,” Selistar said sternly.

  Loud mumbling spread through the room as many doubted the validity of that statement. Aron and Seren simply looked at each other, not knowing what to say to their son's outburst. However, everyone wasn’t at a loss for words.

  “Blasphemous words! There is no way that such a creature could have been Auranthos’Threnos. Born of blazing light, they will guide us through the shadow cast by coming storms. That is the translation of what is to come.” The man protested Selistar’s statement. Many sitting there nodded in agreement.

  The bronze skin, dark-eyed man felt emboldened by the apparent support and continued,

  “If you had properly seduced that girl and sired an heir, that child certainly would have been Auranthos’Threnos. But you lost that chance to a monster.” Silence overcame the room for a moment.

  While everyone believed this to be accurate, no one wanted to speak such words in the presence of Selistar. Aron looked at his son, who had a dark expression, but shockingly, Selistar closed his eyes, took a breath, and responded,

  “I don’t agree with that interpretation.”

  “That has been the accepted interpretation for centuries.” The man responded.

  “The Earth being flat was also accepted as fact for centuries, but now most of us know better.” Selistar snapped, and the man silenced himself.

  “Born of the light of night, to guide through coming storms.” Selistar presented his own interpretation.

  “Mytherian sayings and phrases are short and concise but have deep meaning. That old interpretation is labored, dull, and shallow. Mine holds true to the principles of the actual language and thus gives a more accurate retelling of its meaning.” Selistar folded his arms as he stared at the man.

  Everyone went silent once again. Born of the light of night, Zac represented the night; his birth was indirectly the cause of one of the darkest moments in Persequion history. Shaila represented the light, born of the purest of bloodlines, and the human that the beast cared for most.

  “If your interpretation is accurate, then perhaps your theory could be correct. But why not share your thoughts on this earlier?” Seren asked, contemplating.

  “Because I wasn’t certain yet, and I thought I’d have time to sort out my doubts because I had my parents' words that they would just wait and observe!” Selistar snapped.

  His body quaked, and space began to quake with him.

  “Now, I fear your actions are the very cause of that storm!” Selistar raised his voice even higher, unable to control his anger.

  “Calm down, sweetheart. Nina will not make a move; we have maintained our part of the agreement; we have not killed nor even laid a hand on Zac.” Seren said.

  “Even if we did… I don’t think she’s as untouchable as we think. She didn’t seem in good shape when we encountered her before, and it looks like her condition has worsened. There's a reason she made that deal with us rather than just kill us all then and there.” Aron smirked.

  “Regardless of her condition, I’d rather we not engage with her if not necessary,” Seren responded.

  “I’m not talking about Nina! Zac! Zac is the issue. With every breath he takes, he is growing more powerful and is out for revenge.” Selistar interrupted their train of thought.

  “I was informed that all Theronites assigned to kill Shaila were, in turn, killed by Zac,” Aron said, looking over at the hooded figure to his left.

  “You don’t understand him… that sort of shallow revenge will not be enough for him.” Selistar sighed as he rubbed his brow. He then looked at his parents,

  “He’s coming for mother. He wants you to watch her die… and he plans on killing anyone who stands in his way, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to stop him by the time he arrives. He claims mother will be dead by the end of winter.” Selistar looked at his mother, who had a complicated expression.

  This was the first time in her life she was threatened like this. She didn’t know whether to feel fear or anger. Aron, on the other hand, began to chuckle with rage. He then stared at his son and then said,

  “Can you handle him?”

  “By the time he finds you, I don’t think anyone will be able to handle him. Not even you, at least not alone.” Selistar responded.

  “Let him come. We can handle that whelp ourselves. As long as his mother doesn’t interfere.” Aron smirked.

  However, the images of what Nina had done to them years ago played in his mind. If that boy was even half the monster his mother was at the time, what they had would not be enough. He swallowed his pride and then continued,

  “Finish your subjugation of the Adders as planned,” Aron concluded.

  “Are you sure that we can not handle him ourselves?” Seren looked at her son.

  “Aside from his mother, I don’t think anything on this earth will be able to handle him, let alone anyone human.” Selistar had a sudden realization, and his parents saw the epiphany sparking in his eyes,

  “There is maybe one person.”

  “Who’s that?” Seren asked

  “Aiono Murmus.” Selistar closed his eyes.

  “Roratha’s misbegotten spawn?!” Aron frowned at the thought.

  Many at the table began to trade glances at each other. Selistar saw their shifting gazes and smirked.

  “The one and the same. It shouldn’t be too much of a shock. A few at this table believed him to be Auranthos’Threnos, did you not?” Selistar smirked at them and then looked towards his father.

  “You have Yu-jun contained?” Aron asked.

  “Yes…”

  Aron was aware of the situation with Kenji. He was Zac's protege and galavanted around with that monster as they spoke. The boy was also now aware that Heka was making threats to his life even before he was born. There was no way to win him over to their side.

  “Is the relationship with his father still strained?” Seren added.

  “As far as I can tell, yes, although they have made some reconciliation attempts recently,” Selistar responded.

  “Even better, his thoughts of what could be will be just as strong as if he had a good relationship with his father.” Seren smiled.

  “I don’t want to gamble any longer,” Aron grunted. Seren looked at her husband and nodded,

  “I agree.”

  Aron looked over at the hooded figure to his left and then commanded,

  “Gather 4 of your best; you will assist Selistar when I tell you.”

  “Assist me in what?” Selistar said in confusion.

  “Roratha has been left to run free for long enough. After you finish your business with the Adders, bring Roratha home…”

  “I have my own team.” Selistar protested.

  “Speaking of, before you go after Roratha, bring the best of those Chasers here. It’s about time they learn who this world belongs to.”

  “Father, I-” Selistar protests were cut off by the raising of Aron's hand.

  “Make sure you bring those… Tiny Tots as well. If the beast cares for them, we can also use them as leverage.”

  Silence was cast over that dimly lit room. They had never seen Aron consider going to such lengths for a “Chase.” He let out a sigh and then waved his hand,

  “Dismissed. We will reconvene after I have gathered all my thoughts.” Everyone got up from their seats and left the room. Only Selistar and his mother remained there with his father. Selistar took a step towards him and spoke,

  “I don’t think that…”

  “Are you with me or not, son?” Aron asked.

  “What?” Selistar was taken aback.

  “Are you with me or not?” Aron asked and shot a glare at his son.

  “Have you lost your mind, old man? He is… was my best friend, but he’s coming for mother’s life. Even if I hated your guts, I wouldn’t sit back and let him kill the two of you.” Selistar seemed visibly upset.

  Aron nodded his head in understanding. Selistar was always a very willful child, but he had the ability and competence to be allowed to be so. If he wasn’t slated to take over his position, Aron was certain Selistar would make one of the finest, if not the finest, Theronites in history.

  “So these nanites, how have they progressed? You haven’t had time to properly report, through all this chaos.” Aron changed the topic.

  “They can now achieve similar levels as Nevilara Mystara.”

  “With the benefit of near-instant understanding of the basics of their abilities. And having the added effect of being able to annihilate any undesirables… aside from these Zeroes, correct?”

  “Correct…” Selistar confirmed.

  “Do you think Nevilara Mystara and the nanites can be used in tandem to create even stronger Persequion?”

  “Nevilara Mystara changes us, and the nanites enhance what we have. Theoretically, they could be used in tandem for a greater effect.” Selistar said, a bit hesitant.

  There would need to be copious amounts of testing to verify, mostly on living Chasers or Persequion. It would no doubt result in deaths. He didn’t need to explain this to his parents,

  “It seems I have much to think about. You are dismissed. You have enough on your plate as it is. Handle it.” Aron waved his son off.

  “Good luck, dear. I’m sorry all this has fallen on you.” Seren said, as Selistar disappeared through the folding space.