From Shattered Darkness

Chapter 3

A cloud of dark smoke engulfed Thana as she stepped through the opened window of her bedroom.

Thana, you are needed in space. The others wish to speak with you about your task. Universe's words rang in her head. It was the first time she's heard his voice in a month, though she wasn't sure she was ready to hear it again. Last time she spoke with the others, they argued against her when she defended her species.

When the black wisps cleared away, Thana stood on the floating cloud once more, faced by her fellow representatives of the Milky Way.

"It's good to see you again Thana." Hali smiled making Thana feel more welcome than before.

As much as she didn't want to admit it, Thana felt like an outsider. Maybe it was Blaise, always finding ways to alienate her, or Beval who never talked but unlike her, seemed to fit in. Terran was a few centuries older than all of them, but he always sided with Blaise, possibly out of fear. Hali was the only one who ever showed Thana true kindness. She had taught Thana how to use darkness the right way, not allowing it to take over in a sea of emotions. It was Hali who agreed to wait for the war to end, and Hali who defended her from Blaise's endless torment. Thana smiled and shifted uncomfortably when she realized all eyes were on her.

"So, has the war ended? Or have your human friends not been able to get over themselves yet?" Blaise snickered. The right end of her mouth angled upward just slightly, but enough to make it clear the question was meant to target Thana.

"No, I'm afraid the war isn't over. It could be another year before I have any news for you guys," Thana said.

Thana, I want news soon. I can't afford to wait much longer! The Universe seemed more impatient every time he spoke. He pressured Thana and it overwhelmed her. His voice in her head was demanding and frustrated. Thana wanted to either yell and scream at him or break down in tears from stress.

Just give me some time and I'll get it! How do we even know if we've wiped all of them off the planet when the time comes? Thana snapped. Dark shadows jolted out from her, flailing wildly with her burst of anger.

We have an ancient book, a timeline of events in every Galaxy. The book has the power of creation as you are the power of destruction. The book will tell us when your task has been completed. Until then, I suggest you make up your mind and get to work.

Make up her mind? Did the Universe know she was still against their assignment? It dawned on her that the Universe could have been reading her mind. He was in fact The Universe. He probably had unlimited power, aside from the ability to obliterate something from existence.

The Universe's voice left Thana speechless. There was no way she could do it. She had always read stories as a child about heroes who made hard decisions and felt as if she were one of them, standing at the edge of the Galaxy, looking out over her home world, and wondering what to do.

Thana leaned against one of the stone cold pillars and slumped down. She set her head back, pressing it into the groves in the rock and closed her eyes. She didn't know what to do. She may not have had any family or friends, but decimating a population was against her better judgement. There were other ways to solve problems besides killing. In a year, the population of humans could decrease immensely. There would be almost no need for them and she could forget this whole mess ever happened.

Sometimes, she wished everyone were dead, the people around her, and herself. Other times, she wished her grandma was with her. As strange as she had been, always talking about some day in the future, when humans would change, and Earth would become a beautiful planet once again, Thana loved her.

She felt helpless, drowned in a sea of expectations and taunts. It was an inescapable prison. What had she done to end up like this?

She sat at the edge of the grey cloud with her knees tucked under her chin, looking out over the vast darkness at her planet. Sure, her people had their flaws, but she couldn't kill them. She could only imagine what humans would do in the future.

The rest of the team stood around the table talking. Thana could hear their voices loud and clear, but her focus never left the blue and green of her home. Blaise was losing her temper over some disagreement but Thana didn't care. All she wanted was her old life, with her parents. She wouldn't have to make such hard decisions. The Universe wouldn't be depending on her.

Hali glanced at the teenage immortal engulfed in black smoke. "The job is breaking her. She has no one left and now we've put a heavy weight on her shoulders. She can't handle it."

That was the last thing Thana heard before she became deaf to her surroundings. She tuned out the sound of the others' voices and disappeared into her own thoughts. She didn't hear the rest of the conversation behind her. Thana was in her own little world, far away from all of her troubles.