Close Nemesis

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Final Straw

XALIR:

When news reached me of the destruction of the Plassilmavern settlement where my father and extended family lived, fury swelled within me.

Seven hundred confirmed deaths.

I already know who's responsible, and so, I know what I must do. I must kill her. I must kill Laiva before more lives are lost.

I find her hovering over the sinkhole replacing the Plassilmavern city . She doesn't have my elemental powers anymore, so she must be using stolen levitation powers. The cylindrical helmet of Oppugnant is the most distinguishing part of her silhouette.

"Good. You've come to kill me?"

"I've come to stop you, Laiva!"

"I go by Oppugnant, now, Rotcetorp!" she poises, opening her arms in invitation for me to kill her.

I aim my palms at her, directing hot flames towards her.

She creates an energy shield, blocking the flames.

"I thought you wanted to kill you!" I say bitterly.

"I do! But, I just want to say that I like your suit."

Zieré built me a new suit, now contained in a hexagonal clothing disc when I'm not using it. To honour Lygor's death, the suit is now burgundy instead of black. I now wear a magnificent red cape imbued with the yellow symbol of Rotcetorp.

"Thanks," I respond. "Now, can I kill you?"

Those words sting, as it sets in how much I love Laiva. I love her more than I loved my parents. Sure, she killed many innocents, and she should be stopped. But I can't bring myself to kill her. I need time to contemplate. So, I turn around, ignoring Oppugnant's screams of anger.

"If you're not going to take this seriously, I'm just going to leave. I'll keep killing people more often now! Until you're ready to do what needs to be done in order for superpowers to no longer exist, then just sit back in your little house and take some time to yourself."

My peripheral vision catches the flash of blue light caused by Oppugnant's teleportation. I don't get her motives. She wants to end superpowers by letting herself die? I guess that's why she's a villain. She doesn't fully understand the situation she is in. I do, however. So, I guess I'll keep on having to defend worlds from her until she comes to her senses.

|\

As I flew myself at the speed of light back to Occos II, something within me changed. Not only did grief start to creep inside me, but that familiar taste of vengeance also returned. As much as I love Laiva, I still can't forget about the deaths she's caused. She killed Aacis. She killed the friends I had made in Entrek City And worst of all, she killed my family. Now, that rage that ignited within me when I thought Oppugnant killed Laiva burns a million times stronger now. Nothing can sate this fire. Not even the last drops of love I have for Laiva.

She must die!

LAIVA:

Okay, so I have a problem. Jofie's cousin Gertamie is now staying with me. She says she's worried about me. I don't really care about how worried she is for me, but I can't just kick her out, otherwise she'll think something's up.

I can't be Oppugnant with Gertamie here. So, I've decided to find her a love interest. Jofie's journal says that she's single, and I know just the person for her.

Xalir.

He works at the bartender, and I've seen him sometimes. Of course, he doesn't recognise me. I'm now Jofie. To him, she's just another stranger.

I've used my powers to change the packaging of a soda can into a beer can so that I may keep up Jofie's loud personality. She likes drinking, but I don't. I've made sure to act really tipsy in front of Gertamie, and so far, I think she's buying my ruse.

Currently, she's chatting up Xalir, which makes me happy, knowing that when he eventually kills me, he'll still have someone special to him.

"If you're a very sociable person, then I think you're better off with Jofie."

"What?" I exclaim loudly, sipping my secret soda. "No, no! You should date him!"

I place the 'beer can' onto the wooden bar top, and playfully punch Gertamie in the arm.

"O hould iss him, ow, Gertamie!" I remark, slurring my words.

"Okay," Gertamie remarks, dragging me outside as I play with her brown ribbon like hair 'drunkenly'.

When we return to my house, I clumsily crash into my house.

"I feel sick," I lie. "I edding to the toilet."

As I enter the blue tiled bathroom to the left of the stairwell, I feel a sudden kick in my stomach. Bile rises from my stomach, and I lean over the toilet bowl to throw up.

While one part of me thinks throwing up means that I can keep my drunken ruse up, another part of me worries.

I didn't consume any alcohol. So, why did I throw...

Suddenly, I vomit again into the basin of the black toilet.

I feel a bit better after throwing up, so I decide to figure out what that kick was.

I take out a pregnancy test monitor Jofie bought when she was still alive, and I scan my stomach. It beeps, displaying the words: two month year old foetus.

I'm pregnant.

It's never bothered me until today because Namuhsolian foetus's don't kick until they've been in the womb for two months.

But during my brief stay with the crew during those two months, I got spacesick a couple times. I shrugged it off as just that, yet now I realise the truth.

I can't believe it.

I'm pregnant.

This changes everything. I can't get Rotcetorp to kill me now. At least, not until this baby is born.

However, I've just killed his remaining family. I remember Rotcetorp's rage from when he thought I was dead. He will hunt me down, to the ends of the galaxy if I let him.

I remember the new future I saw of the destruction caused by Rotcetorp. While the first future I saw was not Rotcetorp's fault, the altered future is. Xalir's rage is strong, and it is poisoning his heroic values.

He will try to lure me out. I am sure of it. And when he does, I know I have to do everything in my power to fight against him.

Even though I'm pregnant.

I have a duty to protect my baby, but I also have a duty to protect this galaxy. Sure, I've done terrible things in the name of protecting the lives of the Aurega, but this baby reminds me of the love that once existed between Xalir and I.

This love reminds me of my purpose:

To prevent the future destruction that Rotcetorp will cause.

I've always wanted to destroy Rotcetorp. I wanted to stop the evil within this galaxy.

And now, it's finally time to achieve my ultimate goal.

By absorbing everyone's powers, including Rotcetorp's, into myself.

Then, I'll end it all. I'll fling myself into a black hole, with the pebble star energy inside me, and relieve the galaxy of all its superpowers for good.

I could end it all in an instant, if I wanted. I could teleport myself into a black hole right at this instant. It would be a selfless act. The most selfless thing I've ever done.

In fact, let's do it right now!