The Crusaders

Chapter 9: The Window To The Soul

Somewhere in Maine, May 31st, 2029

"Thank you." Nyx said to the store owner as she paid for the food. It was mostly junk food and energy drinks, but the convenience store that was the closest to them didn't have much in the way of quality products. Thankfully Jasper still had some money on him so they could pay. Grabbing the plastic bags, she remarked silently on how in the past, people still used paper as a form of currency. She wondered how something so fragile could mean so much to so many.

Walking down the dirt road next to the highway, the sunny day that Portland was currently having shone down on her face. Maine was the sort of town where not much seemed to happen, and since it was on the opposite side of the country, it seemed like the best place to hide from the rest of the world. Nyx just hoped that they were hidden well enough.

Making it back to the small, abandoned farmhouse that was surrounded by wheat that was just starting to grow back in, Nyx went up to the door and knocked twice on the front, waiting 5 seconds in between knocks. The door unlatched, and then she walked in, seeing Jasper waiting behind it. "You got everything?" Nyx nodded. "Water, Red Bull, and about 100 pounds of artificial flavours."

Arthur was sitting on a dusty old couch in the living room. Excalibur was on his lap, and was currently being sharpened by a stone that he had found on the ground. Incredibly, the stone itself was being shaven down to a smooth edge by the incredibly sharp blade. He looked up when he heard Jasper and Nyx walk in. "Sustenance has arrived. Thank you, my friend."

Nyx smiled, sitting next to him, waving away the dust that blew upwards when she sat down. "No problem, big guy." She tore open a bag of chips, and ate one. Her eyes lit up. She had forgotten that despite how artificial all of the food of the past was, it still tasted really good. She was soon scarfing down most of the bag, her adrenaline from the past few days accounting for her sudden hunger. 

After watching her eat the chips for a while, Arthur picked up a bag of pretzels, hungry himself. "Where is Lara?" He asked Jasper, not having seen her in a while. "Upstairs. She's having a nap." Arthur nodded, understanding how tired they all were. "And Mark?" Jasper looked out towards the wheat fields. "Being Mark."

The breeze made the wheat stalks gently wave back and forth, like a golden ocean. In the middle was a man not from this world. He may have looked human, but he was anything but. Yet, even with his heritage, in places like this, he felt at home. Like he finally belonged somewhere. He knew that he had been sent to this Earth for a purpose, and he knew what it was. To protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Still, he wondered if what he and the others were doing was the right decision. 

Mark kept thinking back towards the visions that he had when the strange creature looked at him. From that, he knew that the monolith and the Inquisition were connected, but how, none of them knew. He wanted to find out. He needed to find out. Then, as if carried by the wind, he heard a voice speaking to him. Ver'Zonn...your time has come...fulfill your destiny...become who you truly were meant to be... Mark looked around, not seeing anybody, and as soon as the voice stopped, so did the wind.

He felt a familiar energy rising up within himself, and looked down at his hands. He remembered how strong he had gotten once he had managed to push back the monolith in New York. That sudden surge of power...he'd never felt anything like it before. He still wasn't sure what the extent of his abilities was, but one thing was for sure: he intended to find out what they were.

Lara sat on the edge of the bed on the upper floor of the old farmhouse. She was looking down, her hair hanging around her head. Everyone else thought she was asleep, and she wanted to keep it that way. If anyone saw what she was about to do...she didn't know what they would think.