Harmonizer's Evolution (Balancer's Soul cycle) (48 page)

Sorono’s eyes were wild and extremely dangerous.
Did I
ever
look like that?
Connor
had forgotten to pull
his
thoughts back because Sorono heard
the innocent question
.

His massive he
ad turned to
Connor
and
he
back
ed
away
. The look in Sorono’s
eyes said he saw
those standing before him
as a threat and
also
as
a
small
source of
food. He didn’t recognize
Connor
at all, because he’s been away from his connection
to nature
for too long.
His current diet was also a factor to this predatory behavior.

Sorono
slowly began rising on all fours while glaring intently at
Connor
. Mark tr
ied getting his attention, but Connor
raised
a
hand and he stopped.

Connor
spoke calmly
“Sorono, it
’
s me.
Do you understand what I’m saying?
” he hissed dangerously while taking a
menacing
step closer. “Try to remember… Hey! Listen to me…
Wake up
!” Sorono continued hissing while moving
into an advantageous position
,
whil
e Connor’s
feet were planted
firmly in place
.
He was holding his
ground.
When
Sorono
nipped at
him
and tried to make
him
run
for
his
life
that
had been
more than enough.

As his head
recoiled
back
for another
try
,
Connor
lunged forward
to bridge the gap
.
He
brought
his
right fist around and screamed “GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF, YOU IDIOT!
!!
” and
his
fist connected on the side of
Sorono’s jaw. Connor
used a sufficient force to rattle his brain around and knock him
over
on his side at the same time.
He needed to come back
, but not with a shattered jaw
.

Mark ran over
and barred his teeth in preparation for a counter attack.

Connor’s
punch seemed to do the trick because
Sorono
began rubbing his jaw.
An angry and wild creature wouldn’t do that.
When he reopened his eyes he looked a
round
his surroundings. Then they
felt
a
familiar mind once ag
ain, even if he didn’t notice them
yet.
“What? How did I… When did someone release me?”

“I released you, Sorono!” His large hazel eyes found
his brother’s
and then Mark’s. His eyes were still wild and darting everywhere, but recognition was there.

“Connor? Is that really you or am I
still
hallucinating?”
Sorono slowly sat up
on his hind end
and looked at them
a little
bit
closer. Then his eyes opened wide
in honest recognition
.
“
It is you! What…? How?”
H
e
tried
to form coherent thoughts, but came up empty handed
at the moment
.

“First, we need to get you out of here. I don’t need
you to think that your next meal
would be me. Once you eat and calm down, then we can talk.”

“Alright, lead the way.”

Sorono stood up weakly on his hind legs while trying to regain
a
proud
composure
again
. Mark and Connor
turned around and began walking. Soro
no followed, but then stopped. They
turned to see him spit on his deceased captor.
“Filthy creature. I wish I could have tortured you like you and your brethren did to me!”

Not another word was uttered a
fter
Soron
o resumed walking slowly with them
.
They
all noticed the crumpled stone at the corner where Mark crashed into it and broke his leg. Luckily he
’s
quick
to
forg
ive such an accident
.
His
brother
was breathing heavily as
they
made
their
way up to the surface once again.

The moment Connor
swung the outside door ope
n, Sorono quickly stepped over him
and Mark. Sorono
almost ran
off
into the night
as he
came
out in the freedom of life. H
e went straight to the
high
grass and plopped down in it.
Then the nighttime grass began to caress and move against his scaly body.
The grass didn’t have enough wind for them to be moving like that.
It was strange to see him reconnect with nature
,
from
Connor’s
perspective.
He’s
only
noticed
the trees
a
nd grass move
from close up.
Sorono rolled on his back and
then
started
slowly
breathing the fresh air of the
warm
night. He
began
looking straight up into the stars and
Connor
watched as
the wild quality of his
eyes were quickly quelled. Within five minutes he
grew
calm and more like himself.
The
sense of danger that came from him had lessened dramatically.

Sorono sat up slowly
, saw the two of them
standing several yards away
and asked
“Before we speak
about what has transpired
, is there any food? I’m sorely starving. They’ve only allowed me to live off of less than a
single
percent of
my energies
. Please tell me there is food.”

Connor
walked closer to him while saying. “Ye
s
, we found food, but it won’t be anywhere
near
the amounts that you will require. Follow me and I’ll show you.”

Sorono gritted his teeth
and
stood up again. He and Mark followed
him
over to
the
safe location. Once
they
entered the woods
,
the food was easily seen.
They
made three large piles of bananas,
peeled coconuts, several un-ripened pine apples and
they
harvested all the cultivated vegetables from where
they
found the small f
arms. Each pile
stood nearly
six feet tall
.

Sorono commented
“Your right about the quantity. This might bring my energy to three or four percent.”

“Since that’s the case, I’ll deliver some of my energy to you. I will only give you ten percent though.”

Sorono looked down
at the pair
and grinned.
“Anything you can give, I’ll
accept
graciously. Thank you.”

The eldest Harmonizer
sat down and began eating everything before him. He ate the bananas, skin and all. He also ate the de-husked coconuts whole and made a lot of crunching sounds. His throat rumbled in pleasure after each successful swallow. As he ate
,
Mark and Connor
sat to either side of him.
He
placed
a
hand on
Sorono’s
cold
scaly thigh and slowly funneled
s
tored energy
over the connection.
By the time he
absorbed
his ten percent, one full pile
vanished
.

As he ate
the meager meal
Connor
asked “Sorono, how did you become
so
drained? I mean even after all that I did, I’m only running on half a tank right now.
Shouldn’t you produce energy?
”

He spoke as he continued consuming.
“Normally your observations are easy to understand, but in this case you must be told. Some powerful Keepers have the strength to rip the energy away from another. When I was unconscious
,
someone
or several someone’s drained the
energ
ies
from my
very
body. It works by physical contact
and
as long as their target remains alive. Just like how you give energy, you can remove it and add it to your own strength. That
i
s how I became so weak.”

H
e
became
silent as did Mark
.

Sorono finally spoke as his last pile disappeared.
“Connor, we do not have time to waste. We have much to discuss on our way back.”
T
hen his scaly brow creased.
“It seems like I will have to use you to find my mate
. Something enormous is in the works and we have an approaching deadline.”

Even a child could understand
the fear in his eyes. “Alright, we’ll leave just a
fter
I do something first.” Sorono knew that what
Connor
needed to do had to be done
or else they
would have already be
en
on
their
way
. “If you want to see what has happened, you’re more than welcome to tag along.”

Together the three of them
walked through the night and came upon the carnage. Sorono growled as he looked at all the piles of human corpses
that were as tall as he
. Then he hissed while s
t
a
t
ing
“This is unforgivable! For this transgression there will be no mercy for those who have done this audacious act.”

Knowing that there wasn’t time to give a proper burial for
each person, Connor
gave a quick mass burial. Using Terra,
he
opened holes beneath each pile and allowed them to sink slowly into the volcanic ground. Then
he
covered the tops of the holes
with the soil
to complete their burial.

Mark came along and placed a single blank piece of wood as an unmarked grave
. Then the three of them
shared a moment of silence.

Not long after, Mark stated “Connor, if there is a deadline for something to happen, we
’d
better get moving. Like you said
to me
before ‘We need to worry about the living right now’.” He then looked up at Sorono. “Am I correct in guessing that there are many more lives in peril?”

Sorono nodded.
“More than
even
I
dare
hope to imagine
,
I’m afraid.”

“Alright, then if that is the case, let’s go.”
Mark unfurled his enormous hawk-like wings.

Connor
summoned
his
energy and began flying
,
Mark already flank
ed
his
right. Sorono summoned energy
of his own
and quickly caught up to take
the
left flank.

They
began flying in a northeast direction beca
use that
i
s where Sarah
remained
. His
bond
i
s infallible and provided a direct location to
his
mate.