Throne Of Steam

His name was Vellen, right? Childhood memories that didn"t pertain to him flashed through his eyes, sequestrating his senses as he could even taste the food that the young boy had eaten. The muddy taste of porridge and hard bread made it possible to understand exactly how poor of a life the young man led.

"If you want to be respected in this city, you need to be strong!" His father barked as he drunk, and he could clearly remember how insupportable he became when drunk.

My father? Or Vellen"s father? Who am I now?... Garett felt as if he was two people at the same time, his emotions a rollercoaster of uncertainties!

A long period of time ensued, he eventually met a young girl who taught him how to read. She was the ray of sunshine amidst his dark days, and he aspired to be accepted into the College, just to follow her.

"I"m sending you to the church! You"ll become strong in there, and you"ll bring pride to this family!" His father yelled, his face flushed red due to the alcohol.

I don"t want to! I want to be a scholar! Please don"t force me, father!... These were the words he should"ve said, but he could not go against his father"s will. Even if he was a p.r.i.c.k, he was still his father!

Eventually, he forgot his ambitions.

...

"Vellen!" Clarissa yelled, angry at him when he revealed that he enrolled in the church"s training program. "I thought you were coming with me! I helped you get a letter of acceptance, did I not!? And now you just back off!?"

I lowered my head. I knew she was right. I promised her, but some things are not meant to happen.

"I... I"m sorry, Clarissa. But my father..." He tried hard to stammer some excuse, even if he knew that it would only make things worse.

"It"s always your father! Can"t you go against his wishes one time? You"re already a man, Vellen! He can"t dictate your life forever!" She stormed off after leaving these words, her shouts echoing throughout the streets; every one of the pa.s.sersby could hear the contents of their conversation.

I miss you, mom... I"m certain you would know what to do... He felt miserable but continued to pack his belongings.

"Tomorrow is the day my training begins..." He mumbled with vacant eyes.

...

"Get up, kid! How do you expect to protect the people if you can"t even stand straight after a punch?" The instructor lectured, his angry voice serving as a reminder of where he was.

I"m not at the College...

...

"Vellen!" A figure happily clasped my hands, his eyes shining like newly-polished gems.

"Hilren!" I also called his name, just on courtesy as I waited for him to continue, he seemed to bring good news.

"I was accepted at Captain"s Lurmon team! I"ll be formally accepted as an Executor!" He puffed his chest up, pride and joy unconcealed from his face.

I wish you the best, my friend. I know how hard you worked... He thought before firmly hugging his friend.

"Let"s celebrate, then! Drinks on me! We"ll only leave after emptying a whole keg!

Celebration ensued, this was one of the happier days of his life. A friend"s happiness was his happiness, after all.

...

"You were selected to be part of the expedition team. You"ll follow Captain Jeffrey, and investigate a possible Rank-C mutant nest." One of the church"s vicars said one day, his tone refusing any kind of negotiation.

A rank C nest? Doesn"t that mean at least one Rank-B mutant? Why are they sending me? I didn"t take part in a ritual yet... He accepted the mission, as any good soldier would. Even if he didn"t possess an ability, the other members of the expedition were all veterans, so he should be safe.

The vicar left as soon as it came, leaving him alone with his reveries.

"Mother, I"m an Executor now. I"ve accomplished father"s dream, would he be proud of me?" He said as he grasped an old pendant, a portrait of his mother engraved inside it.

...

"The fog is thick today, be careful of where you step. We"re nearing the nest, and some mutants have the ability to create traps." Captain Jeffrey announced, speaking more to Vellen than to the rest of the team. Every other one was an experienced Executor, and he was the only novice.

"Yes, sir." He answered, much of his attention diverging to step exactly on his Captain"s footprints.

Would father still have forced me to join the Church"s patrol if he knew about things like mutants? Maybe he wouldn"t have cared at all... He shook his head, this was a thought that reoccurred often in his mind. He wanted to convince himself that his father really cared about him, even if he hadn"t spoken to his father in a long time.

After this expedition, I"ll pay him a visit. He"d be happy, right? I finally became what he wanted me to be... He shook his head, trying to shake these thoughts out of his mind. He was on an expedition and needed to stay sharp at all times.

...

I"m hearing things, that"s an ability of one of the mutants? Should I tell the others? But they have surely noticed it already... Since yesterday, he could hear the voice of his mother. She was calling him, telling him to enter deep into the woods.

"Come closer, Lil" Vel". You"ve already done too much... Don"t you want to rest? Mommy will take care of you." The voice whispered once more, like a magnet, it attracted him into the woods.

"Okay, we"ll be entering the nest now! Everyone, check your equipment, and get ready for action." The captain ordered, with his countenance calm. He had cleaned many Rank-C nests, it was a simple process, and the team"s members were mostly veterans. There was no need to fret too much.

"Lil" Vel"? Do you not love your mother anymore? Why do you keep ignoring me?" The sweet whispering voice sounded once more, its attraction reaching indescribable heights.

Maybe... I should take a look? Mother would not hurt me... right? She was always so kind to everyone... His mind befuddled, and the voice of reason waned.

"Yes, my darling. Mommy would never hurt you..." As if it could read his mind, the voice kept its tune, trapping his sanity like quicksand.

"Yes, mom." He stood up, already decided to seek the sweet embrace of his mother. His life has been too hard until now, and he wasn"t strong enough to go against his father"s wishes. He lost the woman he loved in his incompetence and forgot his ambitions in pa.s.sing.

A mother always knows best... The phrase surfaced on his mind, convincing the last shred of judgment he got. What was wrong with following your mother? She"s the only person who loves you unconditionally.

"Kid? Where are you going?" The captain blocked his path, somewhat noticing the unusual behavior of the young Executor.

"I-I"m going to take a p.i.s.s." His mouth blabbered against his will, every phrase that formulated in his mind turning nonsense when reaching the tip of his tongue.

No! Captain! There"s something wrong with my body! Please, save me!... He screamed inwardly, his heart in a state of disarray. He was scared, but at the same time, he felt relieved.

"Huh." The captain scanned the young Executor, his eyes a.n.a.lyzing the situation, but he didn"t find anything abnormal. "Do not take too long, or we"ll enter without you."

"Y-Yes, sir! It won"t take long" He hurriedly pa.s.sed by, his figure eventually disappearing amidst the trees.

"Are you sure, cap"n? His behavior seemed off since yesterday. Shouldn"t someone keep an eye on him?" Another member of the team gave his opinion, his intuition ringing alarm bells.

"He"s just a kid, let him be. He should be afraid of entering the nest, and if he"s not ready to fight, he"d end up being a liability." The captain replied, turning to focus on the mission at hand. "Besides, are you willing to follow him to see if he"s really taking a p.i.s.s?"

"Not interested." The team member returned, not interested in entertaining the captain"s lousy sense of humor.

"That settles it then, everyone is ready?"

...

"Lil" Vel"? What"s wrong? Give mommy a hug!" The voice continued to whisper sweet nothings in his ears, the temptation of love was too great to bear for someone like him.

"Mommy..." He started to mumble, stumbling through the trees without a care in the world.

"Yes, my darling. We"ll finally be together, forever." The voice got mellower the closer he got, and he could even feel the warm embrace that awaited him!

"Mommy... Forever..." His pace quickened, almost breaking into a run just to arrive faster at the source of the voice.

Just as he was about to arrive, a huge serpent came crashing and snapped Garett out of his reverie! The image started to fall apart, the world dissipating until he found himself floating at the sea of stars again!

Hiss!

It was then that he realized, it wasn"t a sea of stars that he floated into! He was actually resting atop a huge serpent, and the creature"s body was formed of the stars that surrounded him!

"What... What just hap-" He choked, tears starting to fall from his eyes, the emotions he felt as Vellen being gradually washed out by tears!

"You... you showed me that, right? What are you? Why can I recollect everything so clearly, as if I was Vellen himself!" Doubs flooding his being, he couldn"t say for sure that he was Garett. What if he was actually Vellen at Garett"s body? What about his own memories?

Hiss!

He only got hissing in response.

"Vellen..." He uttered the name, and one of the surrounding stars shone, its energy the same as that tiny snake that he found on the crater! It came rushing at him and started to float around him, just like the earth spinning around the sun. "You... Are you Vellen?"

Hiss!

He could feel his connection with the tiny snake strengthening, it wanted to protect him, and he wanted to protect it. He felt as if he could draw upon a limited amount of the mutant abilities, even if for just a second, he was able to strengthen his flesh to resist a devastating blow!

"Vellen..."

After he connected with the tiny snake, the surroundings started to brighten, his consciousness returning to his body.

...

"Kid!?" He could hear Lurmon"s shout of alarm and confusion, not even a second had pa.s.sed here, and in fact, he hadn"t even hit the ground yet!

"I"m fine... I-I just slipped." He came up with an excuse, his mind still trapped by the sensations of floating in the cosmos, unfettered and free of the human trap.

Hurriedly getting up, he bowed in the direction of the crater, his expression solemn.

"May the G.o.ddess bless you, Vellen. Even if you weren"t her devout, she helps those that are in need." His voice reverberated in the ears of every single Hunter present, eliciting helpless and heavy sighs from some of them.

"May the G.o.ddess bless you." Captain Dante echoed, his expression satisfied with the actions of the recruit.