บท 63: Breathe Deep, Seek Peace
'Future Rio Speaking'
"Normal Speaking"
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I was reading the Book Of Spells and I was learning a lot about the spells that Kamar Taj is using.
'It is fascinating that a group of magic users would only be able to borrow power instead of developing their own mana cores. It seems like such an odd way of doing things. I wonder what caused them to develop such a magic system. I also find it odd that they wouldn't let some of the more intelligent magical creatures help them protect the planet. Even the so-called evil creatures would still defend Earth as they lived there as well. Instead, they developed numerous spells to hurt and harvest magical creatures. Maybe there is a piece of history I am missing.'
Kaede moved slightly and I looked to see if she was waking up. Instead, I see her vectors wrap around me like I am a body pillow.
'If I was weaker I would be squeezed to death. Though she looks so innocent when she is like this. Hmm, I wonder if the Omnitrix would see her as a species that can be cataloged'
I decide to cast a silencing bubble before having the Omnitrix scan her. It works and the Omnitrix turns yellow. I put it away while I went back to reading. After a few hours, Kaede woke up. When she realizes where she is she seems scared for a few seconds before I use my wing to comfort her.
Rio: "Hello my name is Rio and I am the one who summoned you. May I hear your name?"
Kaede: "Kaede. Thank you."
Rio: "Nice to meet you and you're welcome. If you want to talk about it we can. I won't assume to know what happened to you but I can tell you a bit about myself."
Kaede looks at me with a curious but muted look.
Rio: "Very well, let me start with my first life. I grew up in a peaceful little town in the United States. I was the youngest of the family. I was the black sheep of the family. I didn't fit in. I didn't like to hunt, I didn't like religion or talking with other kids my age. No, I was interested in games and TV. I grew up as a smart kid but a loner. I would have a few friends here and there but they never stayed around for too long. When I grew up I went to college and got a degree in Physics. From there I lived a somewhat normal life until the day I made something I shouldn't have."
POV Rio's First Life
Dave: "Do you realize what you just made?"
Rio: "Something to save billions of lives if used properly?"
Dave: "No this will end the current status quo! Your invention would make Nuclear Weapons useless!"
Rio: "I mean that was kind of why I made it."
Dave: "You idiot! No one thought you would actually succeed. That's why we never funded it all that much. You cannot publish this invention. The government will send you to a black site if you try. Now get out of my office and I will pretend I never saw anything."
The thing is it didn't matter as the government had already learned of my invention.
Agent: "Mr. Magus. I am Agent Muller with the FBI and I need you to come with me."
Rio: "What is this about? I hope I didn't do something wrong."
Agent: "Just come with me, sir. You aren't in trouble I assure you."
I should have followed the advice of a lawyer and said no, not without a warrant but I was still naive back then. I was brought to a facility where I would be kept for 2 years before they trusted me enough to see my family again. I was forced to create things for them and do things I greatly regret. I worked with scum. People who had no empathy and saw every living thing as nothing more than a tool to elevate them. I created things that killed millions. My first invention was very valuable and a certain country was threatened by its creation. So they sent assassins after me and failed. When the assassin failed they killed my whole family. That was their biggest mistake. Once I lost my family I had nothing left to lose. So I did what think my second life would do. I got revenge.
Agent: "Mr. Magus why did you do that? You killed tens of thousands through your actions!"
Rio: "They killed my family. It was revenge, plain and simple."
Agent: "I know what they did was wrong but you went AWOL. We can't let this go."
Rio: "You only seek to enslave me to gain my knowledge. I am afraid I have no interest in our arrangement anymore. The government was supposed to protect me and my family. You failed."
Agent: "I don't think you understand your situation. We gave you everything you could ever need. You owe us. There is no walking away. If you try you will either face execution or you will rot in a hole for the rest of your life."
I had predicted that they wouldn't let me go so I had prepared ahead of time and made it so I would escape captivity. I just wanted to hold on to the last shred of hope I had for humanity. When I proved myself right I moved to escape. I activated a device I had hidden in my mouth.
PEW
A blast was shot out of Rios's mouth that vaporized the upper half of the agent and melted the door making it impossible to open.
POV Present Time
Rio: "I escaped the facility and went on the run. I ended up in Antarctica where I built a base to further my research. I spent many years in isolation. After 10 years I discovered a slow aging serum. I created a supercomputer to calculate Humanitys likelihood of surviving the next 100 years and determined it would kill itself off before then. I would have left humanity to destroy itself if I could. Unfortunately despite my dislike to many humans, I knew I could let the innocent millions suffer for the few guilty. I was trying to find a way to help guide humanity when an esoteric rift in reality killed me. I am pretty sure someone attempted to alter time."
Kaede: "Why would you continue to try and help humanity after what you went through?"
Rio: "I think it was because despite my occasional dips into madness I refused to become as bad as them. I was raised to try to help others around me. My mother was very kind and never gave up on her children. That's why I couldn't give up on humanity."
Kaede: "I am not sure I could do that. Even now after your song helped me let go I can't forget what happened to me. My whole life has been nothing but a hellish nightmare. I was born different from the humans and they saw me as a monster and treated me like one."
Rio: "A wise being once said the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are. You have been given another chance at life. If you are willing to give this new life a chance I will be there for you."
Kaede: "Do I even deserve another chance?"
Rio: "Yes, you were given a terrible first life I think you deserve to have a happy new life. But what I think means nothing if you don't believe it yourself. Come meditate with me. We shall see your inner fears and you can conquer them, once you do you will have broken your chains."
I get into a lotus position and Kaede does the same.
Rio: "As a wise being once said, breathe deep, seek peace. Let your worries fade away. Look into yourself and see the being that is trying to control you. That is your fear. One must never ruled by fear. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering. You are the one who must rule yourself. Now tell me what you see."
Kaede: "I see someone covered in bandages they are saying something but I cannot hear them."
Rio: "Good now focus on this other being. Acknowledge their existence. Accept that they exist. Then see if you can hear them."
Kaede: "I don't know if I can accept them."
Rio: "Yes, I know what you mean. They are different. I see they are a ghost who is clinging to you. They are trying to control you. But you do not have to let them. Use your mind to isolate them from your consciousness."
As she is doing that I lend her my power and I try to help her remove the spirit that is clinging to her. Once she isolates it I grab it in my magic and force it out.
Rio: "There now it is gone. Now the spirit is gone and it can move on. Now look back into yourself and tell me what you see."
Kaede: "I see I am not sure."
Rio: "You carry an aura of confusion and despair. Tell me what did you see."
Kaede: "I see a familiar place, covered in strange shadows. Shadows that are in plain view, yet hidden. Crawling silently among us. Releasing poisons of deceit and hatred. Shadows that grow and soar in power. As chaos unfolds and consumes the world."
Rio: "What happened next?"
Kaede shudders and I place a hoof on her shoulder.
Kaede: "I died, all was lost. I failed and never got to taste freedom again."
Rio: "Yet you did escape. You are here now in a land of beauty. Freedom is yours, all you must do is accept it."
Kaede opens her eyes and looks at me. Then she smiles for the first time since I summoned her.
Kaede: "I do, I accept this new life."
Rio: "Good, that is the first step. Now let us continue. You have accepted your new life, now you must accept your past and your regrets."
We begin meditating and we talk about a great many things. I taught her things she never knew before and helped her move beyond her past and look towards a brighter future. I also trained her in meditation and how to control but not suppress her emotions.
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Authors Note:
I decided to take a chapter to introduce Kaede and also expand a bit into Rio's first life. I hope you liked the chapter and until next time Ciao.
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