Hao. The Awakening of the Chosen (Finish)

Chapter 9.3

"On their part, the second group, formed by Gonzalo and Giorgi, had the task of searching for Luis, a comedian, as Gonzalo remembered, from the fair. They began searching around his house, a small wooden hut with a stone chimney reaching the roof. The stove's ash looked recent, but currently, the hut was completely silent.They decided to re-enter the fair, with the idea of finding Luis again, telling jokes to the fair attendees. However, upon arriving, disillusionment struck them; everything was also deserted. Gonzalo thought that after the attack, all attendees must have fled the fair and barricaded themselves in the castle walls. After sharing his thoughts with Giorgi, they headed towards the castle. Gonzalo was surprised by the scarce number of soldiers in the city, but his shock peaked upon reaching the main wall of the castle, where hundreds of citizens were fighting against the Union's army, aiming to enter the castle. Gonzalo was frozen by the scene.After a moment of confusion, he saw Natalia in the distance, cornered by several dozens of civilians wielding clubs and stones; Natalia seemed quite frightened. In a moment of clarity, Gonzalo suggested to Giorgi to transform into something large and make a loud enough sound to grab everyone's attention. And so, Giorgi gradually transformed into a woolly mammoth, emitting a loud sound from its trunk that made everyone turn to look at him. At that moment, Natalia took the opportunity to regroup with her army while Gonzalo shouted at the top of his lungs for everyone to relax, that the attack had ceased, that they could return to their routine, their work life. In other words, he explained why at that moment, it was absurd to continue trying to enter the castle because the threat no longer existed.After several seconds of reflection, the citizens looked at each other and immediately apologized to the soldiers, helping the wounded to be taken to the medical tents. Natalia approached Gonzalo, this time alone, without her escort. Giorgi began to revert to his original form."Good afternoon, Gonzalo, right?" Natalia asked."Good afternoon, yes, I'm Gonzalo, Berto's brother," Gonzalo replied."I wanted to thank you firsthand for saving me earlier. Thank you," Natalia expressed her gratitude."You're welcome, it's my duty. By the way, do you happen to know where someone named Luis, a comedian, is? Have you seen him?" Gonzalo inquired."Well, I've seen him before, trying to calm the situation, but right now, I don't know where he'll be. Why don't you start by looking at the medical tents?" suggested Natalia."Thank you. By the way, what I wanted to tell you earlier, Lukotico said that just like us, you are someone special, very special. He will explain it more in-depth, but the summary is this. We must change this world with the help of a few as special as you. You must help us in that task," Gonzalo told Natalia."Well, I have to go, I need to find Luis. We'll talk later. See you!" Gonzalo concluded.They said their goodbyes. He bent down to pick up Giorgi and put him in one of the large pockets of his outfit and set off to find Luis. He walked and searched through the various and numerous medical tents where both soldiers and civilians were injured due to the attack and protest. He asked one of the doctors in charge of the tents; they were distinguishable from the others due to a golden bracelet on their forearm. The doctor replied that Luis was located at the far right, patient number 382.Gonzalo headed towards the indicated area, and indeed, upon entering the tent, it was overflowing with injured people, some asleep, others awake. One by one, he asked for the name Luis until he reached the middle of the tent, where there was a person with their head completely bandaged. Gonzalo looked at Giorgi. He asked if he was Luis; there was no response. Gonzalo realized that Giorgi was trying to climb out of the pocket where he was kept. Given the circumstances, Gonzalo nodded and reached his hand down to the pocket, helping Giorgi to emerge. Giorgi sat on top of the injured person and began to sleep; he was glowing, and Gonzalo, from experience, knew what that meant. Gonzalo sat in a nearby chair.They waited there for several hours, during which they inquired about the condition of the injured from the doctors in the area, but all assumed the injured person was beyond saving. Gonzalo felt hopeless about the situation. He stood up from the chair with the idea of picking up Giorgi again and leaving the tent with him; he would explain the situation of Luis to Lukotico later. When he touched Giorgi, time stopped. Gonzalo's eyes turned to the purest white while Giorgi's closed. Gonzalo underwent a kind of transition; he felt as if in a tunnel, completely dark. Suddenly, he heard a voice, coming from the entire room; the room suddenly illuminated, showing Gonzalo a man, with white hair, middle-aged."Good afternoon, chosen one, I am Zenith," said the man."Good afternoon, I'm Gonzalo. Where am I?" Gonzalo asked, his voice altered."Don't worry, you're in an ancestral reality," the man tried to reassure Gonzalo."Have I died?" Gonzalo asked."No! On the contrary, Giorgi has chosen you as a worthy successor to the Antler's knowledge. You should feel proud; only choose those pure of heart," announced Zenith."Okay, but who are you?" Gonzalo asked again."Oh, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I am the narrator of all the Antler knowledge; the first Antler created me to guide all the chosen ones and show them their full potential. Sounds good, doesn't it?" Zenith replied."Yes, but I have a question. Can I talk about you with the other chosen ones and with Lukotico?" Gonzalo asked."Of course, talk about me to those you trust. Although my knowledge is better not shared with Lukotico; he's not a chosen one, and what I'm about to teach you now shouldn't be known by anyone other than the chosen ones," Zenith suggested."I understand," said Gonzalo."Well, today, seeing that one of the chosen ones is injured, should we not save him? So today, you will learn how to save someone.The first thing you need to know is that all the powers I teach you, others can also use, and if you combine them, you will enhance them much more than if used separately. After saying this, place one hand on top of the other, making an X, then place your hands on the chest of the injured person and say these words aloud: 'aliki eni'," said Zenith."Thank you," Gonzalo thanked."Earlier, I saw how you defended against a wave, and you created a kind of shield. In reality, that was light in its most primitive form. You all must learn how to use light to your advantage. It's simple; today, you'll also learn a new power. In this case, you must learn that each of the chosen ones controls a different power, which can be: control of the elements, object creation, necromancy, animal control, creation of dimensional portals, and the last chosen one has the ability to use the mind and manipulate it. The leader of the chosen ones has a very special power, the ability to manipulate sound and transformation into other beings, like the astral animals do. You all have the power of light, but you must discover what your pure and primitive power is. So, for now, I will teach you basic powers.The next power is for traveling at the speed of light. It will be useful for you to reunite with the rest of the group before the next attack hits the kingdom. Concentrate on a fixed point with your eyes closed and merge with the light; it will show you what you need to see to guide you.Now it's time for you to go; the doctors will think something happened to you. Practice with your new powers and find your primitive power. See you later!" Zenith concluded.Gonzalo woke up suddenly from the dream, sweating. He looked back to where Luis had been before, and after several seconds of thinking about how to position his hands, he placed them on Luis's chest and uttered the words softly.— "aliki eni," Gonzalo said.Nothing happened. He tried again and again. Giorgi approached him, and upon touching Gonzalo, he felt a surge of new energy. He tried again, with Giorgi in his arm. This time, a powerful green wave emerged from his hands, causing Gonzalo to fall backward, losing balance.Several minutes passed, and Luis still didn't wake up. But after a while of waiting, Luis began to move his fingers while slowly regaining consciousness. Gonzalo approached him, helping him sit up and removed the bandages from his face, revealing his completely healed face."Thank you very much for saving me! I'm Luis, nice to meet you," Luis expressed his gratitude."Pleased to meet you, Luis. I'm Gonzalo. I'm sorry I can't introduce us properly, but we're expected; there's no time to waste. Come with me," Gonzalo said."Where are we going then?" Luis asked."To meet Lukotico," Gonzalo replied."Who is Lukotico?" Luis asked."Lukotico is my guide; he'll know what to do with you. You'll see. Besides, according to Giorgi, you're just like me, someone very special. Come on, cheer up, don't put on that long face; we still have a long journey ahead where we can talk. Let's leave this tent," Gonzalo replied.Both exited the tent; the doctors looked at Luis with astonishment because he had been a hopeless case just a moment ago. Some knelt before them, thinking Gonzalo was a kind of deity. Gonzalo asked Luis to hold onto him as tightly as possible because they were going to move a bit quickly.With Gonzalo carrying Giorgi in his arm and Luis on his back, it presented a grotesque scene, worthy of being remembered by those present. Although they hardly had time to look, as in the blink of an eye, Gonzalo began to run at the speed of light, making it impossible to keep track of him.It took several minutes to arrive where Berto and Mafalda were waiting, in the market square, the meeting place after completing the task."Good afternoon, everyone. It's a spectacular day today, you'll all agree with me, won't you?" Luis affirmed as he got off Gonzalo's back."There are storm clouds on the horizon," Gonzalo asserted."Why, brother?" Berto asked."I have a lot of news, and not all of them are good. It's better if we sit somewhere," Gonzalo told them.The four of them sat on benches located at one end of the square; the seats were made of stone but comfortable enough to sit for a while."You see, I went to find Luis; he was very badly injured in one of the medical tents. I asked the doctors, and they told me he was terminal, to leave him alone. I tried to revive him with healing herbs I had been collecting along the way, a recipe from the orphanage. But nothing worked. I was about to leave when suddenly, by touching Giorgi to take him with me, I entered a kind of trance, where I had a conversation with someone who called himself Zenith. He introduced himself as a narrator of all the Antler stories; he told me he would help me develop my powers and told me that each of us has a pure primitive power, and each one is different. I still don't know what mine is.Later, he taught me how to create a healing power and a power to travel at the speed of light. For the healing power, we have to cross our hands," Gonzalo made a cross with his hands, "and say the words 'aliki eni.' It didn't work for me the first time, but if I said them while touching Giorgi, my power increased, and I was able to finally unleash the power.He told me that— Gonzalo was interrupted by a shout from a young man approaching them, shouting,"Elected ones! Lukotico has been captured, and they're going to sell him," the young man said.