Chapter Fifty-One

The Rain of Fire

Love has its own powers. It can create life but can also destroy a whole world.

Aden

6L 1/1/1/10

"This is the last warning. We request you all to retreat into your homes. The King has announced a curfew with immediate effect. If you don't follow the orders we will have to use force."

Michael was standing on the balcony above the gateway with a megaphone in his hand.

"To hell with your King. Let us out," shouted a man from the crowd.

"Open the gate."

"Don't drag our children in this war."

"Let us escape."

Michael knew that his warnings were useless.

He grabbed his mic and shouted, "Fire."

His voice shook despite his efforts to control his emotions. He was a ruthlessly ambitious man, but open-firing at thousands of innocents was too big, even for his dark soul.

A ghostly silence followed his command. Soldiers looked in his direction to ascertain whether he actually wanted them to fire at their people. Everyone in the crowd stopped in their tracks to gauge the seriousness of this command.

"Fire," Michael shouted again.

Now there was no doubt that Aden's soldiers had been given an order to kill the very people they had sworn to protect. There was a long, seemingly never-ending, pause, some sweaty palms, furrowed brows, flushed faces but then someone's finger slipped on the trigger. It had a rippling effect and others followed suit. In a moment of frenzy, the whole hell broke loose.

Adeners were confident that their own army will never shoot at them. But that first bullet shattered their trust, hopes, and dreams, and what followed after that took away their lives. Shrieks of clueless men, helpless women, and innocent children drowned the rumble of the thunderstorms. They tried to flee but there was no escape from the raining death. They cried for help but there was no savior to protect them. Every bullet that pierced flesh left a never-healing wound in the mind of this world. Every body that fell left a curse on its soul.

Michael never ordered his men to hold fire. His soldiers, stuck in a trance as if possessed by some invisible demons, just kept shooting. It was difficult to understand whether the downpour from the sky was heavier or the shower of bullets. Just like seven cycles ago, the blood of the fallen mixed with the rainwater to form Rivers of blood. But this time around, these streams were much darker and muckier. There was more blood than water. The history of one world had repeated itself in the other, in the most gruesome way.

Children have to pay for their father's sins, Adeners paid for it with their blood. To start a new era, all previous debts had to be cleared and the balance had to be restored. But that balance claimed a heavy price. And Aden was left on the brink of an endless abyss.

***

Jennifer was planning for the next morning's attack when Arnold brought the news to the Command tent.

"They are butchering people. We can't wait till tomorrow. There will be an ocean of blood and all that blood will be on us."

Jennifer paused for a moment. Her fingers started snapping. "There is no time for secret ambushes. We have to charge at them."

"You know that could be suicidal. They might be expecting us to do something like that." Jacob tried to rein her in.

"If you have a better idea, Jennifer is all ears. If we follow our plan and attack tomorrow, we might just be walking into a massive graveyard. Tell me, Jacob, do you want us to bide our time while that monster is on a killing spree. We promised those people a safe haven, so now we cannot abandon them at the time of their need."

David looked at Arnold. "Ready our troops. We attack right now."

***

Michael was standing on the balcony above the gateway of Aurae, monitoring the highway that led to the city. Sounds of gunshots were echoing behind his back as his men were still struggling to control the crowds inside Aurae.

He was quite surprised by the spine shown by some individuals. Anguish steers people towards foolhardy bravado that leads to their destruction. Many Adeners in Aurae were suffering such a fate right now. Confronting armed soldiers with knives and sticks, or even bare hands should certainly qualify as the height of stupid heroism.

Michael was reminiscing on such incidents when his eyes fell on some vehicles speeding down the highway. "Here they come," Michael muttered under his breath. "Just as we expected. Emotional fools, charging towards their deaths."

"Point all our guns and cannons towards the highway. Let us fry a few enemies." Killing his own people had had an inverse effect on Michael. It had freed him from the shackles of morality, right and wrong, good or evil. Nothing mattered to him anymore. All he wanted was to win this war and destroy his enemies.

The soldiers hurriedly turned the levers of their heavy cannons to target the highway. The automatic guns installed on the walls were also turned in that same direction.

Michael ordered them to fire. All the cannons roared in unison. Several enemy trucks were blown away. Many more trucks approached the gateway and Michael told his men to kept firing. He smiled to himself as vehicles after vehicles were blasted by his cannons. This was turning out to be quite easy. His enemies had lost their heads and were simply committing mass suicide.

Nevertheless, Michael knew that the war wasn't over yet. He couldn't afford to relax till he had got rid of the miracle girl. He just hoped that she was in one of the vehicles shot down by his cannons, but he knew that his enemies weren't that foolish to send her right upfront.

Michael was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard the cry of one of his lieutenants.

"To the left. They are on the left.." His sentence was never completed as he was blown up by a Star-Rock pellet.

Michael turned around to see David's Army targetting the wall from the other side, from behind the bushes. His troops had concentrated all their efforts towards the highway but that turned out to be just a diversion.

By the time Michael's men could make the necessary adjustment they were caught in a shower of Star-Rock pellets and shells. Their own sophisticated weapons and ammunition, which had been confiscated from the troops that surrendered in Elisium, were now being used against them. The assault was intense and unrelenting and Michael's men were in disarray.

While Michael was trying to salvage the situation his eyes fell on Jennifer. She was standing amidst a protective ring of her soldiers. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Michael could swear that he saw her smile before she closed her eyes. Although he had never faced her in a battle, still Michael knew what she was about to do.

***

The massacre inside Aurae had necessitated an immediate response but even during this emergency, Jennifer had not lost her head.

Just remember what grandpa David has told you a thousand times. A calm head in a critical situation is the key to success. You can't afford a mistake here.

When David ordered his troops to charge towards Aurae, Jennifer instantly remembered scenes from her visions where their vehicles were getting blown up by cannons of Aurae.

Your enemies are expecting you to come charging at them. First, live up to their expectations and then catch them by surprise.

Jennifer asked her troops to come within a mile of the gateway of Aurae, then get off their vehicles and slip into the thick bushes on the right side of the highway. The soldiers were then told to stealthily move within the bushes towards the wall of Aurae. Once they had reached their positions, the empty vehicles should be set loose down the straight road, one after another, to serve as diversions.

Things panned out exactly as Jennifer had planned. These trucks caught Michael's attention. All cannons, heavy guns, and the majority of Michael's troops were concentrating on the highway when David's Army attacked from the other side. By the time Michael's troops could recalibrate their cannons, and their plans, they were under heavy fire and suffered many casualties.

However, Michael wasn't the one to give up that easily. He had spotted Jennifer and ordered all his men to target her. "Shoot her down. We kill her, we win the war," Michael shouted.

The heavy cannons and guns needed time to turn around. The soldiers of Aden tried to shoot at Jennifer but her invisible divine shield and her protective ring of soldiers shielded her from any harm. All Jennifer needed was a clear view of the target and a few seconds.

She opened her eyes, stretched her hands in front of her body, and pointed them towards the gateway of Aurae. Her fingers snapped and her lips moved.

Her eyes met Michael's. The look on his face told her that he knew that it was all over. He had seen the end in her eyes.

The earth began to tremble. The gateway of Aurae and the thick walls around it shook like a boat on a turbulent sea. Soldiers of Aden guarding the wall were tossed around. Bullets and shells coming out of their guns and cannons went haywire. Even the soldiers of David's army sunk to the ground due to these wild tremors.

Jennifer firmly stood there, channelizing all her energy and the forces of mother nature to bring down the final barrier, the gateway of Aurae. However, the structure, as if it had a mind of its own, kept defying her. It held its own against the tremendous might of the elements.

Jennifer exerted all her strengths and soon it started to drain her out. Her body shuddered, her face grew pale and her knees buckled. Her heart sank.

What the hell is happening here. Why isn't this thing falling? How can something overcome the brute forces of nature? You are letting your people down? All the lives sacrificed so far will count for nothing? You are proving to be useless.

And then, through the corner of her eyes, she saw Shaun calmly step beside her. He took a deep breath and then looked towards the sky. He then spread his hands in front of his body and directed his gaze at the gateway of Aurae.

Jennifer felt a surge of energy course through her body as a violent rumble shook the world. The next second, skies opened up and balls of fire started to batter the wall and the gateway. These fireballs exploded the moment they touched any surface.

People of Aden were eventually getting the Star-Rocks they so badly wanted, although this wasn't exactly the way they had wished to get them.

Shaun's whole body was trembling as he targeted the gateway with the might of the elements.

Holy God! Your cousin also has powers. He has unleashed a tremendous force and hope he can keep that in check. You can't afford a repeat of what happened exactly a loop ago when this same power was unleashed by an angry mind. You don't want Aurae turned into the Ruins.

Jennifer was still lost in her thoughts when she heard a thunderous roar. The gateway and the surrounding wall began to collapse. They had finally given in to the battering from the earth and the sky. The two-pronged attack proved a little too much, even for the strongest of the structures.

The final frontier was breached. A large chunk of Aden's army and its defense mechanism was wiped out with the gateway. Jennifer breathed a sigh of relief.

At long last, David's army entered Aurae. From being the ones getting persecuted to becoming the ones who now held the aces, Jennifer and his people had come a long one.

It was now time to get hold of their biggest nemesis.

It was time to face Marcus, the demon king.

***

Jennifer was lying to the ground, breathing heavily. Shaun sat down beside her.

"Thanks for the support, my dear cousin. Jennifer must admit that you took every one of us by surprise by the timely display of your powers."

Shaun folded his arms. "I myself wasn't sure about them, but of late I have been having some strange dreams, where an old man.."

"Our dear grandpa Adam. He just can't stop invading people's minds." Jennifer chuckled.

Shaun nodded. "Yes, it is so annoying to have someone walking around in your brain. Anyways, he kept telling me that since I am the twin of Moses and was born on that special date, I can access the powers of the Transitioners. He believed that during the turn of the loop I might be able to control the elements, even without the amulet. He believed that if a situation arises and the chosen one needs some help, I could provide that extra support."

"And you did a great job."

"I wasn't convinced by Adam's idea because he said that no one other than the Transitioner has been able to control the elements in earlier loops. However, when I saw you under pressure I thought this was the time to at least give it a try."

"Thank God you did that. To be honest, Jennifer was on the edge. That wall and the gateway had pushed her to limits. The Star-Rock shower was a great idea."

"Grandpa Adam taught me a few tricks. Since you were already shaking the earth I thought a little help from the skies should do the job. Thankfully it worked."

David came from behind and patted Shaun on his back. "A great job by our secret hero. Now we must get moving and end this before Marcus has any new demonic ideas."

Jennifer looked at the clear skies. The ominous dark clouds had disappeared after the Star-Rock shower.

"Even the all-powerful elements are exhausted and you expect this humble mortal to keep going on." Jennifer gave her brother a complaining look.

David smiled and offered her his hand to stand up. "One last task my little sister, and then your brother won't bother you anymore. And please keep your elemental friends ready. We might need them for one last hurrah."

***

David's army entered Aurae through the debris of the fallen gateway. Despite Shaun's best efforts, some Star-Rocks had hit buildings inside Aurae. Many structures close to the wall were on fire.

But the actual scene of horror was spread out on the road. Thousands of dead bodies were strewn across the street. Men, women, and children, young and old, healthy and sick, none had been spared. The scattered bodies indicated that people had tried to run but were savagely hunted down. The street was still waterlogged, with blood-red water. And it was hard to tell what was more, the blood or the water?

Marcus's warning echoed in Jennifer's mind while walking through this blood-flooded road. If you want to capture this world you will have to get your hands tainted with innocent blood. If your consciences allow you to win this city after wading through rivers of blood, then be my guest. He had exactly done what he had promised. All this blood was on her.

Jennifer's eyes fell on the body of a young woman clutching her infant child to her chest. A bullet had pierced her child's face and then passed through her heart. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

Smith pulled her out of her trance. "We have survivors on the wall and the gateway, including Michael. He is badly injured but alive"

"Keep them alive. Jennifer will make them pay for every drop of blood they have spilled here."

David turned to Darren, who was walking alongside him. "Take Arnold with you and secure the other two gateways. We don't want any more massacres."

Darren quietly nodded and went on his way.

"Joseph, you take Kepler with you. Make him mark out the strategic locations inside the city and take control of them. I hope he is cooperating?"

"He had pinned his hopes on the wall. After it fell, he seems to have acknowledged that this is a lost cause now. Has been quite useful since then."

"Okay, get moving and sweep the whole city. In the meantime, Jennifer and I must take care of the devil. It's time to see Marcus."

Aurae was a huge city but its streets were deserted due to the curfew. Quite surprisingly there was very little resistance from the remaining troops of Aden. Apart from a few small companies defending some important buildings, their troops were conspicuously absent. David's army was quickly able to secure most parts of the city.

Jennifer and David reached the Grand Palace. It took their troops more than an hour to overcome the soldiers on the outer boundaries of the courtyard before storming the inner grounds.

And that is where their forces faced real resistance. More than two thousand heavily armed soldiers were protecting the Palace. They were positioned in different areas of the courtyard and also at the windows and the balconies. These soldiers opened fire at David's army when they entered the inner premises. David's men suffered heavy casualties in this cross-firing before Marcus, who was standing on the central balcony, ordered his men to hold fire.

Marcus grabbed a microphone and called out Jennifer. "Jennifer my dear, come forward. Let us talk, face to face."

Jennifer, who was in the outer courtyard, looked at David who shook his head. Marcus couldn't be trusted.

Marcus called out again. "I assume you are not too keen about seeing me, so let me tell you something which might influence your decision. My troops are holding thousands of people as hostages on the two other gateways of Aurae. I am holding a radio in my hand and my soldiers are waiting for my command. One word from me and those people will suffer the same fate that some unfortunate ones suffered this morning. If we can reach an amicable solution, I will order my troops to stand down. The decision lies with you. We can meet and talk and no more people need to die. But if you are too scared for your own life, then prepare to get more blood on your soul."

Jennifer didn't wait for his brother's approval. She stepped inside the courtyard and walked towards the palace. David was on her side, with a company of soldiers shielding them from every direction. Most of them had their guns leveled at Marcus. They were ready to shoot him down if he played any tricks. They stopped a few meters from the palace.

Marcus surveyed the ring of soldiers surrounding Jennifer. "I assume we don't have each other's trust. Don't worry, I am well within the range of your guns. I can't try anything silly here. Can I? Now I am coming down to the courtyard and I want you to step forward as well. We meet in the center where our troops can watch over both of us."

"Why can't we talk from here only?" Jennifer asked.

"Negotiations can't be done like this. We need to discuss a few fine points which I can't let everyone hear."

"We both rejected each other's peace proposals. What's new to discuss now?"

"Situation has changed a lot in the last day or so. Yes, you have broken through my defenses but I too have a little bit of leverage over you." Marcus said waving the walkie in his hand. "I think under these changed circumstances we might be able to reach some sort of agreement."

Marcus descended from the balcony and stood behind his troops. David stepped forward. "Being the chief of David's army and Jennifer's elder brother, I will talk to you on her behalf."

"Brother, let Jennifer go. She can handle him," Jennifer whispered to David.

"You are my responsibility and I don't trust this venomous snake. I promised our father that I will protect you till the last drop of my blood. I can't allow you to take such a risk."

Marcus interrupted their discreet conversation. "Might not work that way. The talks should be between the current king and the future Queen. I don't want a situation where you agree to something, which your sister doesn't approve of later."

"My sister has given me the complete authority," David said gesturing towards Jennifer, who nodded her approval. "She will abide by every decision I take on her behalf."

Marcus shook his head, but before he could say anything else, David started to walk towards the center. Marcus reluctantly took a few steps and then stopped behind the lines of his troops. Before David could register that Marcus wasn't walking, he heard something click under his foot.

His heart stopped and his muscles stiffened when he realized what had just happened. He turned around to have one last look at his sister.

Their eyes met before a loud explosion reverberated through the courtyard. Jennifer let out a cry of anguish when she saw her mentor, protector, and only brother blown to pieces.

Marcus ducked behind the lines of his soldiers. "Damn! Kill her. Shoot her down."

Both armies started firing at each other. Marcus barked into his walkie, "Kill them all. They are all rebels. Let rivers of blood flow in Aurae. Let Adeners know what happens to those who go against their king."

Jennifer was on her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Her heart was gutted. She was beyond herself. Her brother's brutal murder had shaken her to the core.

They took away your father by betrayal and now they have killed your brother through another act of treachery. They are monsters. You must punish them all.

Jennifer slowly got back on her feet. As if in a trance, she started to move forward. Her grieving heart messed up her brain and her invisible divine shield was no longer there to protect her. Enemy soldiers sensed an opportunity to finish off the mourning Savior.

A flurry of bullets traveled in her direction, but they fell to the ground inches from her. Shaun had once again come to her aide and, just at the right moment, conjured an invisible shield in front of her.

"Jennifer stop. What the hell are you trying to do?" Shaun screamed, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Jennifer kept walking till she reached the spot where his brother was blown to pieces. She looked in Marcus's direction and called him out in a thunderous voice, that echoed around the courtyard. Everyone just froze. The fiery battle paused for that moment. "Marcus, you venomous treacherous monster. You, and everyone who has aided you, will have to pay for your deceit. No one will be spared. Nature's wrath will fall on you."

Jennifer looked towards the sky and closed her eyes. Her lips quivered, her fingers snapped and the ruby in her forehead turned crimson.

Shaun had seen that rage in her eyes and guessed what was about to happen. He shouted to his men, "Retreat. Run. Get as far away from here as possible."

Soldiers of David's army fell back as Shaun continued to shield Jennifer and himself from the enemy bullets.

In a matter of few seconds, an ominous dark cloud engulfed Aurae. Forces of nature gathered to help their Transitioner for one last time. On cue, the moment Jennifer opened her eyes, the heavens opened their gates. And it wasn't water that was raining from the skies.

Everything became a blur. Star-Rocks pelted down on Aurae. Balconies of the palace, walls of the courtyard, the fountains, the statues, the trees, and humans, anything and everything started to explode. The Grand Palace was the epicenter of the mayhem, but there was carnage all around it.

Soldiers of Aden tried to flee, but there was no escaping the rain of death. In their panic, some of them ran towards the courtyard and set off the mines they had laid down for their enemies. They were trapped within their own trap.

Shaun helplessly witnessed the destruction. This wasn't a controlled assault but a raging fury. This was the repeat of Solomon taking down Thomas. History was replaying itself in the most gruesome manner. Aurae was getting turned into the Ruins. Shaun could also hear the explosions outside the palace boundaries. Jennifer had to be reined in before it was too late, but ironically, the murder of the only person who could control her had triggered this catastrophe.

Marcus, cowering behind a pillar, watched everything around him getting destroyed. His plan to treacherously kill Jennifer had most spectacularly backfired. All he could do now was to see his family, his men, his palace, his city, and everything he loved getting blown away.

James somehow managed to dodge the Star-Rocks and reached Jennifer. He looked at his wife, frozen like a statue, staring at the sky. She was trembling with fury and it looked as if all her veins might burst due to the powers she was exerting to destroy this place. The ruby within her forehead was glowing like a red beacon. However, James noticed that all color had left her face and her whole body had turned pale.

James hugged his wife. He didn't know the magic words that David had spoken to pull her back the other day, but he knew that love has a magic of its own. "Come back to me, my love. This is over. We have won. Our enemies are finished and you don't want to destroy this whole world. You don't want to end up killing the very people for whom we started this fight. You don't want to repeat the mistakes of the foregone era. Look at me, my love. Please, come back to me." James tightened his embrace and felt her rigid body loosening up.

Jennifer broke her gaze from the sky and looked into her husband's eyes. She felt like she was melting in his arms. She kissed him on his lips. "I love you, James. Jennifer loves you more than her life."

"I love you too my girl. I love you too."

Jennifer tightly held onto him, as a drowning person holds onto a log. "Thank you, James, for pulling Jennifer back from the abyss. She had drifted away, don't know where. Maybe in some other world, some other space, but your love reached out to her and brought her back."

"I won't let you go anywhere. I will always be there for you."

The Star-Rock shower began to slow down. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The Catastrophe of Aurae, which began because of Jennifer's love for her brother, was ended by her husband's love.

Love has its own powers. It can create life but can also destroy a whole world.

Jennifer's eyes fell on Marcus, who had somehow survived the carnage. "Jennifer can blow you up right now, just like Solomon blasted Thomas, but that would be too easy a death for you. Jennifer has a much better plan."

Some soldiers of David's army nabbed him and took him away

The great war, at last, came to an end.

Every war is followed by celebrations and mournings. But this was an unusual war. This was a war where the attackers tried to save the people they were invading when their own army opened fire at them. A war that began with rivers of innocent blood and concluded by a rain of fire. A war where victors weren't celebrating because despite the victory they felt that somewhere they had failed in their mission. And a war where not all the vanquished were mourning because they saw a silver lining behind this cloud of gloom. This war was not like others. This was a war of twins. A war of identicals. A war between two parts of a one, to make it whole once again.

However, the toughest part about war is to take stock of its damage. In this strange war, its aftermath was going to decide the future of the two worlds.