Chapter Twenty-Two

The Flying Train

Absolute power knows no friends or foes, just destruction

Vasilias Hazernoth

Earth (The Mainland) EarthYear 999

Vasilias remembered his little chat with Gilbert atop the minaret. They didn't have time for doubt and had to set the wheels in motion. Reckoning was less than two years away and there was a lot left to do.

"Gilbert, will your King George and his armies support us?" Vasilias tried to divert the meeting away from the mishap and bring it to the point.

"Thunderstorms and earthquakes have shaken him up. He does believe that some demons have indeed escaped Mount Tenebra and want to take over his kingdom, but like all the other states he too has negligible troops. There has been no war on Earth for centuries. No one fancies risking his Soul on a backward journey."

"Didn't you tell that scumbag that there will be no forward journey as well if the demons take over the Earth? And his own father has sent us to fight for this cause?" Theoreous asked Gilbert.

"Yes, I did. But since he is no longer inheriting his father's chair in the Chamber of Bliss he is not so welcoming. He always hides behind the excuse that he is more concerned about protecting his towns because he is the closest to Tenebra. We must count him out."

Bealor stroked his chin. "All these Scions have one reason or another to not help us. Maybe we need to scare them even more with some more accidents. Fear is the biggest motivator."

Sherwin slammed his fist on the table. "More such incidents?" He spoke like a dragon spitting fire. "Do you know why I lost control over the storm? Because I was worried about what kind of backlash will I face this time around. The last hurricane almost paralyzed my left side. I feel the darkness of these Soulments affecting my soul. Sometimes I think that my body will burst, my Soul will split apart."

A grim silence engulfed the room. Antionne had warned them about the repercussions of these powers but none of them had experienced any major side effects so far. "You should have told us about that earlier." Gilbert broke the silence.

"Gilbert you, the most learned one, are saying this? All of you know these powers come at a price but no one even bothers to ask me what price I paid. Why do I feel that I am the only one doing the heavy lifting whereas you all are just passing orders."

"Because only your powers have the desired effects. You can manipulate the elements to create an atmosphere of chaos and that is what we need for now." Gilbert tried to reason with him.

"Antionne said I was the strongest of all and had to take the big responsibility, but he never said that I had to do everything alone."

"We all have to do our part when the time comes."

"What are we waiting for? Why can't Theoreous tweak the minds of these Scions and make them pledge their human and Unseen Armies to us?"

"I can only control people's minds for a short time. It doesn't have a lasting impact. The moment I leave the reins of their minds they will turn back on their pledge."

"And what about you Baelor? And you Gilbert? The Masters of Time and Space? Don't you have anything to contribute?"

Baelor leaned forward in his chair. "I am open to any ideas you can come up with. Always ready to help."

Gilbert had heard enough whining. "You know what Sherwin, I will have to do the actual killing during the war because only I can whoosh in the time freeze. I will have to get my hands dirty and darken my soul. So, if you are tired of creating some feeble storms I am more than happy to swap places with you."

"We all have jobs to do but we cannot let Sherwin suffer alone." Vasilias tried to diffuse the tension in the room. As the leader of this group, he can't have his friends pointing fingers at each other. "And besides that, I am not in favor of creating any more false alarms. We are supposed to protect people not put them into trouble."

Gilbert wasn't ready to give up on this plan yet. "We adopted this strategy out of desperation and it has produced decent results. The receding floods of Balerion got us many believers. I am sure the miracle of the sinking ship will provide us lots more."

But Theoreous, as always, saw what others couldn't. "We are running out of time and these small miracles won't do us much good. It is time for us to take the enemy head-on. Nox Tenebris is just a few months away. We must not only surprise our enemies on the big night but also cause such a bang that this whole world opens its eyes and sees the reality."

***

Mysha

Earth (The Mainland) EarthYear 1998

Julian sitting on a garden chair, sipping his tea, and barely looking up from his book, was having a blast. "You are Out-and-Out miserable. I had set the bar for you at the bottom of the deepest trench of the Great Ocean but you are determined to dig a hole below that." Giving Max a heavy dose of some of the most imaginative insults had become a part of Julian's morning routine.

"Let me tell you, it is easy to sit there and comment on others' performances when all someone has achieved is move a sack of books." Max's lips were aching due to the constant whistling, but the truck he was trying to lift, didn't budge.

Julian looked at the truck and whistled. The truck rose several feet off the ground and hovered there for a few seconds. Julian nonchalantly waved his hand and the truck, weighing several tons, flew like a frisbee for hundreds of yards before toppling on the ground.

"Tiny-Little-Witch, tell your grandson to arrange for a new truck. This one won't be of much use now."

"Grandma, you have to ask your friend to stop playing her tricks," Graham emerged from the castle having a heated argument with Tri.

Grandma! When are you leaping Mysha?

Mystic, he is overwhelmed by me. Can't bring himself to call me by my name.

Mysha, it makes me sick. A handsome young man calling me grandma.

Don't overreact, Mystic. I will ask him to stop doing this.

"Well Graham, I feel like jumping into Tenebra when you call me grandma."

Graham was too charged up to pay attention to Mysha's little joke. "Three more maids ran away."

"Now, what did Tri do?"

"Four lions attacked them inside the castle. They ran towards the garden but three giant crocodiles were waiting for them with their jaws open. When they somehow dodged them a dozen headless demons pursued them."

"Headless demons? Seriously?" Tri frowned. "They were supposed to be two-headed demons. There is always some tiny error in the projections."

"Your illusions are driving the staff nuts over here," Graham shouted. "That day you filled their quarters with molten lava. Those people were not ready to come down from the terrace. It took me hours to convince them that they all had a collective nightmare. You know how absurd that term sounds."

Tri shrugged. "Honestly, what should I do? My powers don't work on my friends and you will kick me out of this palace if I try something on you."

Graham quietly gestured towards Julian.

"Seriously? Julian is my teacher so I don't want to bother him out of respect."

"Dumpy-Brainsucker, tell the truth. You tried and failed, quite miserably. That snake you let loose on my bed was quite decent, but it took me seconds to discern illusion from reality."

"Hmm, you are good, but no need to blow your trumpet," Tri said through pursed lips and then switched to her Holy Goddess face. "Graham my child, I have to practice my mind projections on your staff. You just heard that heads were missing on demons. We can't risk such a lapse during the war. I can't believe it, Graham. How can you have such dirty thoughts about your grandma's best friend?"

"Wait. Did you just? I mean how..." Graham stammered. "You didn't break into my mind. I am sure about that."

"Yes, I didn't," Tri said with a playful smile. "But I felt the saucy vibes coming from you and you stammered. Mysha, believe me, your grandson is such a naughty boy."

"For God's sake Tri, stop pulling his leg. And please find some other ways to test your skills or else you will have to do all the cooking and cleaning for all of us."

"Tiny-Little-Witch, have you completed your assignment?" Julian interrupted the little chit-chat. "I don't see you practicing. Where is your utterly worthless djinni?"

On cue, Queen Elizabeth the third appeared in the garden.

"Two Grandmas! One here another there," Graham exclaimed switching his gaze between Elizabeth and Mysha.

"Well, that is Harbux. He loves taking the forms that annoy me."

"But how can you be annoyed by your own self?" Graham asked.

"You answered your question kid," Julian said picking up another chocolate brownie from the plate. "If I had been her I would be more than just annoyed by my previous self. I would have actually died of shame."

"Mister I-Can't-Stop-Myself-From-Badmouthing-People, why don't you tell me what exactly I did that you can't just stop whining about?"

"From where do I start? You arm-twisted my father to give away all the Anti-soulment tech necessary to cordon off the most demon-infested place on Earth, Mount Tenebra. Then you threatened me, a young king who had just ascended the throne, with an all-out attack if I didn't give up the resources received from India. Resources we were using to develop that neglected and underdeveloped region."

Mysha, you are a fool. You again gave someone a chance to take out Elizabeth's vendetta against you.

Mystic, I need to understand mistakes from my previous life so that I can rectify them here.

Thankfully Brendon is not here. Or else he would have had an absolute ball.

Mystic, Julian is not letting me miss Brendon. He is more than making up for him.

Julian looked at Mysha who was fidgeting with a lock of her hair. "It may take years to recount those utterly horrific stories of your unmentionable atrocities, but I assume we are short on time. After the war, although after seeing your mediocre skills I doubt you will survive it, We can sit around a bonfire and I will surely tell you why you make me cringe. For now, forget the past and prepare for the future."

Julian was like an annoying fly that always kept buzzing in their ears, but no other Scion knew even half of what Julian did. His knowledge was unparalleled and his skills were out of this world. With Harbux having wild mood swings of late, Julian had been a lifesaver.

Initially, Mysha kept her distance from Julian. Being repeatedly called a Tiny-Little-Witch kept hammering her brain, but she couldn't help but notice the way he tutored Max. Although Graham was quite competent, he was no match for Julian. Apart from his immense knowledge of the Mover's abilities, he was well-educated in all other Poten Powers.

Tri asked him questions and Julian, after exhausting his quota of insufferable insults at her, regularly pulled out magnificent rabbits from his large hat, his plethora of books. Tri had been mentored by a champion Scion, yet Julian opened new horizons for her to explore.

Graham sought Julian's help whenever he got stuck on something. And Julain duly took out Elizabeth's grudge against her grandson. After a while, Graham conceded. He quietly told his grandmother that he was no match for Julian and it would be best if she joined her friends in training with him.

Mysha, you don't want to do this. He will slap you, grind your nose into the dirt, and dance all over you.

Mystic, I don't have a choice.

Mysha, he will make fun of you. Will call you names. Will make you plead and beg.

But I must do what is right, Mystic. Knowledge comes at a cost.

Mysha's gaze was fixed on the ground when she finally mustered the courage to ask Julian the big question. "Will you mentor me as well?"

"We start tomorrow. At five in the morning. I am a little fussy about time so don't be late. And don't give me that surprised look. I haven't changed. I will have all the time in the world to hurl the choicest of abuses at you when we work together so there is no point rushing it right now. Go and get some sleep. Hopefully, you are better than your utterly hopeless friends."

Julian's main strength was his command over the books. Whenever he reached a dead end, he dived deep and came up with answers. Unlike other Pieteous Scions, the RightHearts had documented their experiences. Almost all RightHeart Scions maintained a journal and many of those contained their shared experiences with other Pieteous families. Julian wandered into the wide expanses of these books and unearthed solutions for all Poten Problems.

Amongst his books, Julian treated the Memoirs of Gilbert RightHeart like a Holy Scripture. Gilbert had documented every little detail, from the Pente Poten's journey to the valley to the conclusion of the Great War, in this enormous book. Julian always kept this book close to him and used it as their training manual.

The three of them made phenomenal progress under Julian. Max made objects fly, jumped from city to city, and even attempted some blind landings, teleporting to a place even without seeing a map. His teleporting range had reached hundreds of miles.

Tri was wreaking havoc with her illusions. The spells Julian had unearthed for her were doing wonders. She Mind-Chatted with Brendon in America every night before going to bed. She invaded the brains of random people in different parts of the world just by looking at their pictures online.

However, Mysha was the biggest gainer. Julian's all-round knowledge enabled her to test her skills in all four branches of the Poten dynamics. For the first time, she successfully started a wildfire and then quickly extinguished it by conjuring some rain. She even stirred a mini storm and froze a small loch.

Mysha joined Julian and Max in their city-hopping tours. Her teleporting range increased, although she was still nowhere close to Max's control. One fine morning, she effortlessly broke into the mind of her maid. The images were blurry, and she found it difficult to navigate through the dark alleys, but Tri was thrilled at her friend's massive achievement.

Then during one of their training sessions, Julian brought Max and Mysha to a railway yard.

"I thought someone said he didn't like traveling by train," Max said looking around the yard.

"The Dimwit Dullard can't help but show off his ignorance. We are not traveling by train, rather we are going to make a train travel."

"Let me tell you, I still don't get your point."

"Even after all my efforts, the abysmal standards of your common sense didn't improve. We were practicing moving large objects, now, here is a large object," Julian said pointing to a stationary train. "Do you get my point or shall I write it on a board and explain it to you?"

"You kind of want us to move this train?" Mysha asked raising an eyebrow.

"The Wrong RightHeart and the Hazardous Hazernoth, you both make a perfect pair. Move the train, that's your limit? My little devil Jennifer can do that in her sleep, and she is a year shy of teenage. I want Max to make this thing fly."

Fly a train. Mysha, this old gnome has lost it.

Mystic, Max once moved a truck without my support.

Mysha, he barely lifted it a foot from the ground. Here he wants you to send this train flying. This thing weighs a hundred times more than that poor little truck.

But isn't that what I am supposed to do, Mystic? Amplify the powers of others.

Mysha, everything has a limit. You don't want to stretch yourself to the point of breaking.

Okay Mystic, let me check.

"Well, lifting cars and trucks is something but you understand that a train is different?"

"Tiny-Little-Witch, you are useless if you can't help him fly a small train. Is your connection so weak?"

"Mister I-Love-to-Bash-People-for-No-Reason, Max and I carried Tri to America, to give kind of a surprise to Brendon. A single jump from here to America while carrying another person. That is our connection."

There was a hint of a sense of achievement in Mysha's tone and Julian was a merciless destroyer of self-esteem. "I feel like throwing up seeing your pathetically poor aspirations. It took two of you to transport one person? You must amplify his powers to such an extent that Max should be able to carry all the Potens and their armies, from one corner of the world to another without breaking a sweat. Mind my words, you will need these transporting skills during the war."

Mysha, this ruthless demon will never be satisfied with whatever you do.

Mystic, he wants us to reach our full potential.

I am not convinced that his methods work.

Mystic, it works with Tri. She can reach people anywhere in the world, enter their dreams, even make them see things with just a little push from me. Last week she incepted her projection into the dreams of a whole town.

So Mysha, do you think you can make Max lift a train?

Well Mystic, I can give it a try at least.

"Max, there is no point arguing. Let us get to work." Mysha held Max's hand and closed her eyes. Max fixed his gaze on the train. Stokes began glowing like the sun and Harbux's pitch-black avatar filled up the yard. Max whistled and Mysha snapped her fingers. The train, all the twelve coaches of it, rose in the air.

"Foul," Julian shouted. "Harbux is doing the lifting and this is peanuts for him. You have to do this without his help."

"For God's sake why? Harbux will be with me in the war. Why can't we use him?"

"Another absolutely stupid question that stinks of ignorance. Tiny-Little-Witch, you have four Potens to assist and at a given time, Harbux can only concentrate his powers on one. You will have to help the other three by using the lesser beings."

"Mister I-Like-to-Complicate-Things, this is unfair."

"This is reality," Julian said in a dismissive tone. "Harbux, see you at dinner. Tiny-Little-Witch won't need your services till then."

Harbux threw a questioning glance at his mistress. Mysha paused for a second and then nodded. Harbux vanished with a whoosh.

Mysha joined hands with Max and started all over. A whistle, a snap, and a boom. Nothing happened. The train was still like a statue. They tried again.

"It moved. Well, a foot or so. I swear."

"If that is your goal then I better pack my bags and go to the valley right now."

Mysha closed her eyes and clutched Max's hand, as tight as she could.

"Can you stop holding each other like some love-stricken fools and concentrate on the task."

"Well, holding hands and being close helps me transfer my energies."

"Tiny-Little-Witch, why didn't you tell me that the key to unlock your true powers is to turn you on? I would have carried a bed for you two. So, do you want me to close my eyes while you two are at it, or are you comfortable with me watching because I don't think Hubberts will give you privacy during the war?"

Max stepped in to protect Mysha from Julian's verbal lashing. "There is no need for someone to switch on his Brendon mode. Holding hands doesn't necessarily mean getting intimate."

"But your lust-filled eyes tell a completely different story."

Mysha's cheeks were flushed too but she didn't open her eyes."Max, ignore him and concentrate."

Max returned his attention to the task and whistled. Mysha snapped her fingers and the train was airborne.

"So apart from being aroused, being agitated also helps you maximize your potential. Emotions affecting powers, that is horribly sickening."

Mysha turned a deaf ear to Julian's jibes while Max maneuvered the train with his eyes. They held it in the air for ten seconds before it crash-landed on the tracks.

Mysha clapped, jumped, and embraced Max in a tight hug. "Wow Max, we did it."

"No need to dance. That is a petty start, nothing more."

"Mister I-Can-Never-Appreciate-Anyone, that is some feat and you know that."

Three hours later Mysha and Max lifted the train from the yard, maneuvered it for a few minutes in the air, and then neatly placed it on a track near a deserted platform, half a mile away from them.

"Half a mile in three hours?" Julian said with an exaggerated shake of his head. "The shamefully low standards of our young generation."

Mysha, the old man was right. You can fly a train.

Mystic, I truly feel like the One. I can enhance their powers to no limit. I can become any of them.

Mysha, no need to get carried away. You are still nothing compared to Vasilias.

Mystic, why are you always cynical? Why can't you cherish my achievements?

Achievements? Mysha, this is practice. Your real test will be on the battlefield.

I will pass that with flying colors. Mystic, do you think now is the time to ask the big question?

Mysha, you still have a long way to go. You won't get an answer.

But Mystic, let me ask, at least.

"How do I become the One?" Mysha blurted.

"I am hungry. Let us talk at the dinner table," Julian replied curtly and whooshed away.

***

"I asked you a question during the training." Mysha cornered Julian at the dinner table.

"You ask a lot of questions. Spending too much time with the Dimwit Dullard is having its effects. Anyways, which one are you talking about?" Julian asked taking a big bite from the crispy chicken leg.

"About the One, the Omnipotent. What is the process? Does it require some ritual or some kind of spell?"

Julian put down his chicken. "My soul, scorched for eternity by the extreme levels of ignorance around me, is pleasantly surprised that you guys even know about the One."

"Mister I-Am-a-Sadist-Who-Loves-Verbal-Lashing, please inform me when you have finished your daily diet of indigestible sarcasm because I don't have an appetite for it anymore."

"Is Tiny-Little-Witch grumpy because I interrupted her super charged-up intimate session with her boyfriend? I can understand that not getting satisfied could be quite frustrating."

"Why someone is hell-bent on giving Brendon's dirty brain a run for its money? Julian, can you please answer her question."

"The Wrong RightHeart jumps to rescue his fathead girlfriend. Anyways, from what I know, becoming the One isn't a ritual or process, but rather a chain of events. There is no fixed manual for it."

"Well, that was so enlightening. That is all you know?"

"Tiny-Little-Witch needs to shut up and listen. During the war, you play your role. Connect everyone, back them up, let your energy flow through them till they all reach their respective optimums. Once your sync reaches its peak then, if the need arises, you can take over all of them and become the One, the Indestructible."

Harbux, who was floating nearby, darted towards the table when he heard those words. "Harbux warns you again, you don't want to go down that path. You don't know the consequences of becoming the One."

"What consequences?" Max asked.

Julian sighed. "I was just thinking when the abysmally ignorant dullard will show up, and here he is. Can't you use simple logic? When you five use your powers individually, although your minds are connected as one, you remain separate physical entities. You aren't unbeatable, but there is a backup plan to fall back on."

"What kind of backup?"

"If one of you falls the others hold on. However, when you become the One, although nothing in this world can defeat it, if it falls everything is gone. The system holding these worlds collapses. The Symphony is finished. It is like putting all your eggs in a single basket."

"I am not the only one who called you eggs," Harbux reminded Max of an old conversation.

"The Dimwit Dullard's face does look like a rotten egg," Julian chimed in Harbux's tone.

"Honestly, if that basket is unbreakable, isn't that a good idea?" Tri pulled them back on track.

"Yes Dumpy-Brainsucker, but even the most impenetrable armor has a chink."

"There is more to it." Harbux switched back to his serious tone. He always loved to prove his point, but today he looked desperate. "You know the backlash of these powers. The more you unleash the more you suffer."

Max's knife dropped from his hand with a loud clink. He closed his palm into a tight fist but still, his hand was shaking uncontrollably as if he was suffering from Parkinson's disease.

"That is another aspect you need to consider," Julian said looking at Max's trembling hand. "You can see the side effects of your powers even when you are using them just for practice. These consequences will increase manifolds when you inflict actual damage with them."

"Let me tell you, there is no need to worry." Max tried to downplay the situation. "I just overstretched myself today while lifting that train."

"Dimwit Dullard, you will be stretched beyond your limits during the war, so don't neglect the signs."

Mysha, Tri's screams are getting louder. Max keeps vomiting, his hands don't look under his control, and there are scars all over his body. And I don't need to remind you of what your body is going through.

Mystic, these are normal side effects. There is nothing ominous.

Nothing ominous, Mysha? If you are suffering like this in practice, imagine the after-effects when these powers are increased by a thousandfold.

Mystic, stop exaggerating. Don't think too much.

Harbux could almost see what was going on inside Mysha's head. "And don't forget about its effects on this world. You don't create rain, you pull it from somewhere else. When you flood a town, you cause drought in another. A cyclone here creates a depression there."

"I don't generally praise people, but I have to admit that was very precisely put," Julian said mocking a clap. "Your every single action has a strong reaction. Now magnify these effects a million times. Just imagine what unleashing such a tremendous force will do to this world, and also to your own self. Yes, you might win, but not without immense destruction. The sheer force of the One could be catastrophic."

"Absolute power knows no friends or foes, only destruction," Harbux said in a cumbersome tone.

"That is what Gilbert said to Vasilias," Julian noted.

"Nope, the other way around."

"Gilbert has specifically mentioned this in his memoirs."

"Harbux was there when Vasilias said this to Gilbert. He was never a fan of the One but Gilbert thought it was the only realistic option to finish the war."

"For God's sake, will you two great scholars leave your little academic debate for some other day?" Mysha interrupted them. "So should I or should I not go for the One."

Julian was always ready with an answer but here he stared at Mysha for a few seconds before speaking. "Control is a two-edged sword. It cuts down your foes but also inflicts deep wounds on you."

"Why is Mister I-Love-to-Shout-My-Brain-Off so cryptic today? Why is he shy to give an opinion."

"It depends on what you want or rather what you are. That old hag will go for it much sooner than required. The One is all about seeking control, Vasilias and Elizabeth thrived on control. If you are their true heiress, my advice is the last thing you will remember."

"Well, I can understand about Elizabeth, but you don't even seem to rate Vasilias too highly?"

Julian gave an enigmatic smile. "Gilbert, Vasilias, all the Potens were humans. No one is infallible."

"For God's sake, the foulmouthed Julian is more endurable than this Mister I-will-Only-Answer-in-Riddles."

"Some answers aren't learned but discovered. Some riddles you need to solve yourself. Although given your disgraceful IQ levels, I doubt you will ever find them."

Harbux sounded one last warning. "Harbux would never use it even as the last resort. Mindless force only brings endless gloom. Destruction is never a path to eternal peace."