Descension

CHAPTER 34

Ben stands at the apex of the revolution as the catalyst. His face bathed in the light of flame, he stares horrified at the bloodbath before him. Knowing now that this is reality and not another vision, thorns of dread coil around his spine and steal the breath from his lungs, every limb of his body paralyzed in utter shock. His heart beats in tandem with distant, marching footsteps, and as he forces a step forward, his boot sinks into a puddle of blood. He shivers at the coagulated thickness of it. He shuffles forwards, dredging his way down the hill, eyes fixated on the spires of Omnicore, fading in and out of view behind cloud cover.

The sound of gunfire pierces the air, not distant from Ben by any means. He whips his gun around by the strap from his back, holding it with an iron-tight grip as he swiftly scans around his environment. Nothing emerges. Ben's fear quells, though his caution remains peaked. He silently slides his feet along the stone pathway, his gun ready to fire at any moment, his stance strong as his limbs move with graceful fluidity. He reaches the bottom of the hill and exits through a myriad of maze-like alleys, blinking as droplets of rain patter along his cheeks and nose.

Another round of gunfire; Ben slams his back against the wall of the alley and crouches down, glancing around the corner into an open courtyard. Ordership soldiers pile bodies of Cyborgs on one end of the square, and their own fallen men in the corner opposite. Dawn begins to break over Mizu through the waning nimbus, lilac light bathing the contorted faces of fallen soldiers in an ethereal glow. Ben huffs for breath to keep up with his racing heart, large puffs of fog blooming from his lips. He waits nearly an hour as the soldiers finish piling up the dozens, possibly hundreds, of casualties. By now, the sun has risen to a blushy golden, raindrops glistening in the light as if tears cried from the sun, washing away the blood of the fallen. Their duties complete, the Ordership soldiers leave, and Ben emerges. He saunters through the square, oscillating his field of view at the turn of his waist.

As he creeps through the labyrinth of Mizu, he finds himself nearing an emergence into Genesis, the spires of Capitol Hall looming behind a distant haze of smoke. Taking cover within an alley, Ben nestles himself behind a pile of metal crates. He sits down cross-legged and places his palms firmly onto his knees. With a deep breath in, he steadies his heart. Exhaling slowly, his muscles unfurl their tension like young leaves. Another deep breath in, and he clears his mind.

"I see you've honed your skills, dreamwalker."

Ben opens his eyes to find himself within a nebula of stars, so close you could reach out and touch them and be burned by their beauty. Sitting before him is also the violet-eyed shadow. It mirrors Ben's position, hovering just a hair above the ground, though there doesn't seem to be ground at all. Ben wonders if perhaps he is levitating too. Ben leans forward eagerly before speaking to the shadow, the movement sending ripples throughout the ground. He realizes now that he sits upon water, and that the stars below are only a reflection of that above.

"I need your guidance," Ben says, "You've been leading me along these mindwalks, to an end I don't know, but you seem to be helping me... helping my cause." Ben puffs a sigh and hunches over, clasping his hands in his lap. "Why me?"

The shadow hums deeply, the sound vibrating throughout Ben's body.

It speaks monotonously, "I didn't choose you. You chose yourself to be the one that changes the world."

Ben lifts his head in attentiveness, a lock of hair falling between his eyes.

The shadow continues, "The extent of my power is to see every possible outcome..." a second set of arms, translucent and violet as its eyes, unfurls from his back. "Using that, I may communicate suggestions to you," another pair of arms bloom, taking a different position from the last, "lead your body if you allow it," the pairs continue to manifest as he speaks, stacking upon one another all the way until they reach the top of the figure's head, "show you visions, and speak to you like this."

Ben dips the tip of his finger into the water below him, then plunges deeper until the top of the water skims his knuckles. "I still don't..."

"I know. You're not ready to. Now is not the time."

Ben pulls his hand from the water and cups it in his opposite hand, curling it tightly in his palm, "Then... if I wasn't foretold, or prophesied, or a 'chosen one' of any kind..."

The figure nods slowly, "The power has come from within you the entire time." The shadow seems to speak with a kinder, gentler voice now, "That you do understand, Bennett."

Ben stands up, tall, strong, invigorated with power that flows throughout his entirety. He bows to the figure deeply. "Thank you."