Courage (8 page)

“But you can command them to throw themselves into danger and put their lives on the line for you. You! That’s the same as commanding them to commit suicide! You didn’t see Roxie when she came back to me all black and blue. I thought she’d died before twenty four hours went by of her being a proper Aigis. And then you made Aerigo take her away into I don’t know how much more danger! How do you justify all that?”

Baku sighed again, pushed his plate away, and leaned on the table with his arms. “Let me tell you the story of the first Aigis ever created. It was eons ago, eons well beyond your counting, a time before Earth ever existed, before even I existed.” He looked up. Eve had watery eyes and a slight frown, but the mention of his story had deflated her justified tirade. “Back then there had been a war among the gods. They were warring over the rules of creation, the way things should be. Even today, gods debate over changes we wish to make, but for now things are at a stalemate.

“Long ago, one of the gods decided to end the warring all by himself, and without throwing a single blow, since no god can kill another. This god, Olod, set to what seemed to be an impossible task within an impossible task. The War of Creationism seemed it would never end. But Olod refused to give in to despair and the fighting, for the focus of the war gave him an idea: what if he created a mortal that could kill gods?

“While the most willful gods clashed, Olod spent many a thousand years testing and tweaking his creations on his realm, each one growing more powerful than the last. He taught them individually, too, until the first generation was able to mentor the following generations. But as their power grew, he began to fear them, for he had created something that could kill him. As a measure of protection, he bound his will to them, robbing them of free will if he should command anything of them. In addition, he divided the god-slaying power in halves within them, making the first half, called Mana, unlock-able without a mentor, but only under strict emotional circumstances. The second half, called Frava, could be unlocked only by those who already knew how to find it. So right there is where Aerigo’s and Roxie’s problem is.”

“Then why did you even bother to set them on this task?” Eve looked ready to cry.

“Nexus cannot have his way. Simple as that. There’s got to be some sort of trick or riddle to unlocking Frava.”

“You mean you don’t know how to teach them?”

“Another one of Olod’s fail-safes. To the gods, he passed on the knowledge of what his Aigis were and what they could do, but kept the inner workings of their powers secret from us.”

Eve looked at the table. “Then why bother teaching you only half of it?”

Baku couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. “To complicate things. But that explanation can wait for another day. Let me continue the tale.”

Eve nodded and popped a potato chip in her mouth.

“Olod ended up calling his creations Aigis, which means ‘shield of the gods.’ He considered it a fitting term, since what he was doing was saving the gods from themselves.” Baku searchingly looked at Eve. “I know what you’re thinking. How could gods stoop so low as to war among themselves? We’re not infallible, unlike what you’ve been led to believe, and what some of us have tricked ourselves into believing. The war was more a battle of wills, yet they’d still walk away looking worse than what I do right now.”

“But gods are supposed to be supremely intelligent, I thought.”

“I don’t mean to sound self-absorbed, but we are. What happens is that we do so much thinking, planning, hypothesizing, etcetera before coming to a decision and taking action. Back then, a bunch of gods came to different conclusions and wanted to take deviating action. And when a bunch of people who consider themselves right butt heads, the War of Creationism is spawned. Mortals do the same thing, but the fighting is over mortal beliefs.” Baku let out a pitiable laugh. “We really did create you all in our own images.

“Anyway, after millennia, Olod took his army of one hundred Aigis to where the gods still warred. He spoke up, trying to get them to stop without the use of his Aigis. The gods stopped fighting long enough to either scoff or try and persuade him to join a side and help fight. Olod refused, then commanded his Aigis to put an end to the War of Creationism. And that they did. Most of his Aigis were killed, but enough gods either died or had their wills shattered that the laws of creation that could finally be agreed upon unanimously.” Baku shifted in his seat and pushed around his handful of potato chips. “There’s a price for killing a Creator like myself. Thankfully Nexus isn’t a Creator, so we don’t have to worry about it this time around.”

“Dare I ask what the price is?”

“The creations pay the price. If I were killed, you and the rest wouldn’t die with me. You’d go on living, godless, with no one to answer your prayers, until you either ruined yourselves or something else did, like your sun dying out.” Baku frowned and shook his head. “There are many worlds out there like that, sadly.”

“Couldn’t you or another god take over or adopt them, or something?”

“It’s happened, but it’s so incredibly rare, Eve.” Not knowing what else to say, Baku resumed eating his sandwich. Another stretch of silence followed.

“What happened to Olod?”

Baku thought a moment. “Gods, there are so many tales. The only common detail is that Olod is gone now. Gods come and go. We can reincarnate into mortals, but never a god again, but that’s a whole another story. We can choose to die as well, having had enough of existence, but that’s rarer than reincarnation. Sometimes gods feel like it’s time for them to go. You mortals do the same, actually, those who die of old age. They just know it’s their turn to die. It’s bittersweet. Death is a subject I could explain up to the day you die, Eve, but please spare us both that right now.”

“That’s fine. What are the tales surrounding Olod’s death or disappearance?”

“Death. Most say his Aigis killed him. It wouldn’t surprise me.” The gods found Aigis very useful so long as their numbers stay low, but being an Aigis was tough. Many gods wouldn’t hesitate to kill any Aigis that crossed their path. But that was a tidbit of information he wasn’t eager to pass on to Eve. Baku’s own son wanted Roxie dead anyway. “Other gods said he decided to reincarnate, and others believe that bestowing every god with the knowledge to create an Aigis was his parting gift before choosing to die and let the rest of the divine realm deal with his decision. I think too much time has passed to know the full truth, to be honest.”

Eve nodded. “What does Aerigo think of having no free will when it comes to you? Does Roxie even know yet?”

“Roxie doesn’t know, but it’s inevitable that she will, if she survives this madness. Aerigo more or less doesn’t care. I’ve never commanded him to do anything. I vowed to never command him. I’ve come close now and then, but I can’t bring myself to do it. Eighteen years ago, I asked him to take Roxie under his wing and train her. He didn’t want to, didn’t see the point in it. She’s so young.”

“She’s not a soldier or a killer,” Eve said. “Why did Aerigo agree?”

Baku pulled his plate closer and pushed around his potato chips. “Aerigo is a warrior,” he said softly. “A broken one. He knows it. He lives for other people these days; never himself. Now his purpose is Roxie, which is far from easy for him.”

“Why?”

Baku picked up a chip and tapped it against his plate. “I thought I was helping him, but apparently I was wrong. Aerigo was married once. It’s a tale quite like your own, but at least you have a family. Aerigo has none. When I created Roxie, I made her the spitting image of his wife. Your family’s genetic makeup matches Sandra’s well.”

“Is that his wife?”

Baku nodded and ate the potato chip.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I met someone who looked just like Liam from thirty seven years ago.” Eve picked up her sandwich and examined where she’d bit into it. “Maybe smile and cry. I’d be in love all over again, but it would feel strange knowing this person isn’t the person I lost. At my age, I can’t say that I’d want to marry again, though.”

“That’s understandable. Aerigo’s reaction was more painful. He’s been suffering from some PTSD and, considering the dangers, fears a repeat of history.”

“Were you expecting them to fall head-over-heels for each other, or something?”

“No, actually. I was hoping Roxie would be able to mend Aerigo’s broken heart. He needs to let go of what happened. They don’t need to fall in love, just be good friends that deeply trust one another. Have you ever wondered why their eyes glow in response to their emotions?”

“Yes. It made raising Roxie quite difficult.”

“Their unique powers are linked to their emotions. An Aigis stuck like Aerigo can’t hope to unlock the power that allows them to kill a god. Aerigo knows he’s close to that power, but he’s afraid of it and hates it. If Roxie can find a way to help him, then she can preserve her innocence and Aerigo can be a whole warrior, figure out how to unlock the other half of his power, and take care of Nexus. She’s a strong girl, compassionate, and full of courage. I have faith in her.”

“Where are they, now?” Eve took a bite of her sandwich.

Baku froze. This topic was the main reason he’d come, but he hadn’t expected it to arrive so suddenly. Of course he hadn’t. He hadn’t factored his own slip into this visit. He looked at Eve, forced himself to hold her gaze, and said, “I don’t know.”

Eve stopped mid-chew and stared over the top of her sandwich. She swallowed hard and put her food down. She wanted to say something, it was plain on her pained face, but she couldn’t find the words for it.

“Roxie and Aerigo have been hopping from one world to another ever since you last saw them. Spies and enemies have dogged their every move, as you caught hints of on television. Recently, something terrible happened on another world and I lost track of them.”

“How?”

“There are places where not even my mind can go. Gods can hide their worlds from others, even memory of them if they’ve been discovered.”

“Well then couldn’t you just summon them to your presence?”

“First off, I have to know where they are,” Baku said, thinking of the tissue box he’d summoned for Roger. Roger knew where it was, and through his knowledge, Baku was able to find it and summon it. “Secondly, it then becomes a ‘what if’ scenario. What if they’re actually fine, and just hiding somewhere they need to be, or in the middle of training? It would be unwise to interrupt them.”

“So then why are you here now, of all times? What was this terrible thing that happened to them?”

“Nothing terrible happened to them; it was to a city on another world.” And a god’s icon. He couldn’t mention that, though, then he’d have to do more explaining and parry the idea to hunt down Nexus’ icon. “Another god begged for Aerigo’s help, which he agreed to, a bunch of things happened, they both survived, and now I don’t know where they went.”
And now I have this horrible sense of foreboding
. He’d felt Roxie’s death at one point, but she felt alive again. It was strange. “I was hoping you could help me locate them--more specifically Rox. Wherever she is, so should Aerigo be.”

Eve raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have any magical powers.”

Baku smiled and held out his hands across the table. The old woman looked suspiciously at him a moment, then pushed aside her plate and clasped hands with him. “This world used to be full of extended reality. It can return to that over time, but I don’t see that happening. But anyway, there’s a strong bond between parent and child. I know you didn’t give birth to Roxie, but you raised her from day one.” Baku began rubbing his thumbs back and forth over Eve’s fingers. She watched him and slowly became mesmerized. He’d offered his hands. She’d chosen to take them. He rubbed her hands with his thumbs. She chose to watch.

The wind chimes fell silent outside, and the birds stopped chirping. The TV muted itself. “For a moment, forget the world around you; there is only the bond between you and your granddaughter. The world will return when you are ready for it.” He spoke in a subdued tone, soft and lilting. “Your bond is like two hands forever clasped together, connected to arms that are as long as they need to be.  Send your mind across the immense expanse of the universe. Feel the reach of your bond and see where it leads you.”

Eve closed her eyes and she began breathing deep and slow. Baku entered her mind like one would slip into a still pond for a swim, and he rode the awareness of her thoughts to where they led her. Glimpses of galaxies and blank spots whipped by as she drew closer to the hand she held. The arm’s reach was more felt than seen, a mere ghost of an outline that she followed to her destination. And then they came to the end of the clasping hands and they both felt the weakness of Roxie’s life force. It was like looking at a drooping flower that been weakened by a late frost. Baku lost sight and sense of the dying girl, and Eve’s voice was like a gunshot going off.

“She’s dying!” Tears welled in the old woman’s eyes and she clenched Baku’s hands.

“Where is she? Did you see?”

“I don’t--” Eve gazed out over his head, searching her memory. Her face screwed up with tearful hysteria. “I don’t know! I can’t feel the bond!” She started crying hard.

Baku got to his feet and rushed to Eve’s side and embraced her. “Don’t cry. Just try and calm down so you can find the bond again.”

She clung to his arms with heartbroken despair. “I can’t! You gave me a chance to help her and I can’t feel the bond anymore!”