Deirdre Chen: Saviour of the Multiverse

Chapter 12

Mengo

He felt it, for the first time he felt it. Before, they were just memories that haunted him, but now he saw how he had haunted others. He saw the roaring fire again, looked into his brother’s eyes, like he had centuries ago. Only this time, he knew that the fear wasn’t shared, but directed at Mengo. Bengo was looking up at Mengo, like a bug must look up at the sole of a shoe. And then, Bengo’s whisper boomed, like the door of hell being slammed shut.
  “Stop this, please.”  Never once, did Mengo think to throw his mother in there instead. But how can you blame a child for believing his mother was as immovable as the skies above?
  The moment passed, not as quickly as Mengo had wanted it to. The field of iron, the soldiers, so easily defeated. Mengo’s heart tightened; he was suffocating, a thousand times, he suffocated. A thousand lives flashed before his eyes, a thousand families torn apart. After that, he felt the pain of the allies of allies, where thousands became millions, became billions. Agony amplified by conquest, and Bengo’s resentment along with it. He finally understood. How could his sweetest Bengo, pure of soul, look upon his brother’s atrocities and do nothing?
  But worse, throughout all of this, he felt pride. His mother’s pride, gazing upon all of this death and thinking, my work is complete. The future was not yet visible, but Mengo sensed a catastrophe. It possessed his mind, took command until all that he could think or say was. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove.
Didn’t he build wonderful things? Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Glorious structures. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. On rancid foundations. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Mengo wanted washed from his memories. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. That which he had seared onto the memories of others. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. He called out for his mother. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. He missed her lashings. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. They were sweet. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Compared to this torture. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. All the justifications. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Fell at the sight of his deeds. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. What about those liberated by him? Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Fed by him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Enriched by him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Enslaved by him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Widowed by him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Orphaned by him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Lacerated by him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Incinerated by him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. By him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. By him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. All of this done by him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. The past was not sentimental. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. It told no comforting lies. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Now he was forced to confront it. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. No longer looking at the light in front. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. He now stood between the darkness of the past. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. And the future. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Four figures. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. The Ram. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. The Bridge. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. The Apple. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. And the Cove, each a step towards devastation. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. That would consume him. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. And the Chen girl too. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove. Ram. Bridge. Apple. Cove.