CHAPTER 10 - Judgment of the Clone Elders

  The Rectoliner finally docked in the new base, Sector V-9.

  The place they entered was vast, an immense cavern carved out of rock, holding what looked like an underground city. It felt rough and utilitarian, yet nothing Kael had ever seen. The interior was a colossal bunker, connected by interlocking metal walkways and strange, glowing power conduits—a hidden machine world. Even though the structure was undeniably rusty and salvaged, to Kael, it looked more beautiful than the pristine, cold inner sanctum of the Citadel he had witnessed.

  Kael was still dizzy from the brief, blinding foresight he’d experienced. He was intensely nervous about this new place and these new people.

  "Don't look so tense. I'll be with you," Mira said, leaning close. As she spoke, she reached out and held Kael’s hand. Kael was taken aback by the simple, rough gesture. Her palm was calloused and firm, as if she had been working tirelessly with metal and wire, the complete opposite of the soft, cold hand he remembered Mavis having.

  As they both exited the Rectoliner, Kael witnessed the full extent of the crowd: hundreds of people staring, murmuring, their eyes fixed on him and Aura, who was leading the column. Kael didn't dare to look at them.

  At the end of the docking pathway stood a circular void covered by a massive sheet of polished, fortified glass, flanked by five heavily armed guards. As soon as they saw Aura, the guards snapped to attention. Aura extended her hand; the guards immediately bowed their heads, respecting her authority.

  Suddenly, the vast void behind the armored guards lit up with an eerie violet glow. A low, rhythmic wheezing sound preceded the glass door sliding open.

  Three large, imposing figures emerged. They wore identical black robes and cowls that concealed their faces in deep shadow.

  Every single Nemesis present—the wounded, the rebels, the guards—immediately bowed low, not daring to look at the approaching figures, except for Aura herself.

  Kael stood frozen, confused about the protocol. Instantly, Mira pulled him down by the shoulder.

  "Idiot! Bow! Don't look at them!" Mira hissed, her voice tight with urgency, keeping her head lowered next to his.

  "Why? Who are they?" Kael whispered.

  "That is the Elder. One of the three founders of the Nemesis," she said.

  Kael glanced up, seeing all three figures advancing. He looked back at Mira with confusion. "There are three of them. What do you mean, the Elder?"

  "No. They all are the same person. As far as I know, they are clones," Mira whispered back, her voice tinged with both fear and wonder.

  Clones? What? Kael thought, the concept of such forbidden, advanced technology feeling like a myth from the old world.

  Suddenly, the Elder in the center stopped and spoke. Their voice was chillingly powerful, echoing around the quiet room. It was not a single voice, but a layered chorus—the clone standing on the left and the clone on the right spoke simultaneously with a lower, reverberating tone, creating a resonant, overwhelming speech pattern.

  "Did you rescue Elpis Valer, and the sacred artifact? Aura of Unit S5," the Elders commanded.

  Aura stood straight and replied shamefully, yet courageously. "Elder, we failed to extract Elpis Valer." Her voice felt notably weaker than the Elder's terrifying chorus.

  "What? Speak." The single, repeated word, layered by three voices, hit Kael with an unnerving force.

  "We are sorry," Aura continued, sadness mixing with a fierce pride. "Our planning and timing didn't go as planned. He fought hard trying to protect a child, and the sacred Nidhi is safe with us."

  "A child?! Elpis Valer sacrificing himself for a mere child?" the Elders echoed, their tone shifting from command to disbelief, yet their eyes—hidden in the cowls—seemed to pierce Aura, as if they already knew the answer. "Who may be that child, Aura?"

  Aura turned and pointed directly at Kael, who was still bowing low, held down by Mira. Mira instantly let go, allowing Kael to stand up into the full, penetrating gaze of the three Clone Elders.

  The Elders looked at Kael with unnerving, collective curiosity.

  "Come here, Kael," Aura commanded, a small spark of defiant hope visible in her eyes.

  Kael walked slowly forward, the silence of the crowd pressing on him like a physical weight. As he moved, he overheard the rebels whispering from their bowed positions:

  "This fragile child?" "They are lying! Elpis Valer would never sacrifice himself for this weakling!" "Is it possible? Can it be?" was the last, desperate whisper he heard before he stood side-by-side with Aura.

  He looked up, directly at the Elder in the center. They were larger and more disturbing up close than Kael had imagined. He caught a glimpse of their face: the flesh was horrifyingly scarred, almost burned, and they possessed no eyes. Instead, a single, black camera lens was mounted at the apex of the cowl, aimed directly at him.

  The central clone walked forward, extended a long, black-robed arm, and raised its hand. It took Kael's chin in a cold, unnaturally firm grip, forcing his head up for examination.

  The touch sent an instantaneous, deep chill down Kael’s spine—a chilling cold that felt beyond temperature. He instinctively flinched, pulling back slightly. The Elder instantly retracted its hand, its attention snapping back to Aura.

  "He has the echoes," Aura stated immediately, standing firm against the Elder's scrutiny. "He could be the Redeemer. He even saved me, proving his ability to foresee the danger."

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  Immediately, the room erupted. The entire crowd stood up, forgetting their fear of the Elders, desperate to see the potential Redeemer. The silent room fell into total chaos, the rebels shouting and demanding answers.

  The three Elders did not tolerate the interruption.

  "HUSH!"

  The single, layered word was a sonic explosion, an agonizing high-pitch that momentarily overloaded Kael’s eardrums and hammered the air out of the room. The chaos instantly died. The crowd recoiled and bowed low once more, shaking in fear.

  "That explains the sacrifice. But what guarantee do we have that he is different from Ardyn Voss?" the Elders asked, the past disappointment echoing through their triple voice. "The Redeemer has failed us before."

  "Unlike him, Kael is entirely human," Aura argued, her voice strong despite the threat. "He was born from chaos and oppression, just as the prophecy demands. He can see the foresight, and his actions are selfless."

  Ardyn? Why did they mention Prince Ardyn? Kael thought, the name of his tormentor being linked to their past failure adding a new layer of confusing dread.

  "Fascinating. But foresight is insufficient," the Elders decided, their voices returning to a calm, terrifying resonance. "He must be tested. A fake would crumble before the Last Test."

  "Very well," Aura replied, accepting the challenge. She reached into her cloak and picked up a glowing object: the sacred Nidhi. The key was vibrating with a high, radiant violet light, reacting intensely to Kael's proximity.

  The central Elder swiftly reached out and took the Nidhi from Aura's hand. It immediately tucked the violently glowing artifact deep within its black robes, hiding the light from view.

  The decision was final. The Elders turned, preparing to leave the chamber.

  Aura turned to Mira. "Mira, escort the child to his vacant room. After that, show him around Sector V-9. Ensure he receives a fresh change of clothing."

  She looked at Kael with a gentle smile—a beautiful, unexpected warmth Kael had never seen on her cold, commanding face. "I hope you get the rest you need, Kael. You went through a lot these past few days."

  With that, her expression snapped back to its usual cold composure. She joined the three black-robed Elders. With the same rhythmic wheezing sound, the glass door closed, and the four figures descended into the void. The light that had illuminated the pathway went dark.

  "Quickly, before they swarm us!" Mira urged, grabbing Kael's hand.

  The large crowd, now relieved of the Elders' presence, surged forward, drawn toward Kael, the rumored Redeemer. Mira quickly pulled Kael's cloak up, covering his face, and the five armed guards formed a tight perimeter around them. Mira held Kael's hand firmly and ran with him toward a small, unmarked door at the end of the pathway.

  She quickly touched a series of buttons on a console. The small platform they were standing on instantly began a rapid, controlled descent. Kael nearly lost his balance, but Mira caught him, giggling.

  "You can never stand straight, can you? Haha!"

  Kael finally smiled—a genuine, unburdened response. Mira's easy warmth, even in this strange, dangerous place, began to fill the emptiness Mavis had left.

  The small platform descended into the vast, luminous heart of Sector V-9. Hundreds of yellow and orange lights illuminated a massive, multi-layered city built in concentric circles around the central void.

  "It's so beautiful," Kael whispered, looking through the glass at the tiered platforms below.

  Mira giggled again, her excitement evident. "Wait till you meet my friends! I'll show you my favorite places, too! Oh, and tell me: Do you like sweets?"

  "Sweets?" Kael replied, genuinely confused. "I... I never had them before."

  Mira's expression faltered. She instantly understood: Kael had been raised in the outer walls, where such basic comforts were nonexistent. It was a moment of sadness as she realized how much of the world Kael had yet to experience, but she quickly hid her sorrow behind a wide, determined grin.

  "Then I'll fix that!" she declared.

  The platform reached the bottom, and the small door opened. They stepped out into the bustling city below. Though underground, the yellow light bathed the entire place in a constant, artificial day. Mira gestured for Kael to keep his face covered, and holding his hand tightly, they ran through the crowded street.

  Kael saw small children playing, parents laughing, and people talking freely. It was profoundly different from the constant tension and misery of the Outer Walls. Mavis, you would have loved this place, Kael thought, a heavy sadness mixing with the new sights.

  Mira led him through a series of turns and alleyways that quickly left Kael lost. Finally, she stopped. Kael gasped for air. Mira turned back, looking apologetic.

  "Oops, sorry! I ran too fast, haha!" she said playfully. "We're here! Your own house!"

  Kael looked at the small house, connected to others in a long row. He entered the simple, rustic dwelling. To his surprise, it felt spacious, primarily because he was accustomed to sleeping on a worn-out mattress next to Mavis in a cramped, broken shack.

  "I'm sorry if it feels small," Mira said. "But maybe soon you could move into the lower layers!"

  "No, no, it's vast! I like it. What do you mean by lower layers?" Kael asked.

  "Those layers are less crowded—sections below this one where the established Nemesis soldiers live and rest," Mira explained. Kael realized he was being kept in the common area; he hadn't fully been accepted by the Nemesis yet, but he wasn't disappointed.

  Mira showed him the simple console, called the Manilop, used for communication. "I have to report back now, but I will come visit again tomorrow! Sleep well, Kael. If you need anything, just use the Manilop and it will inform me!"

  She left. Kael closed the door and slowly undressed, making his way to the bathroom. He filled the rusty bathtub with water, then sank into it. He turned off the light, closed his eyes, and finally cracked.

  He let go of everything he had held in: the death of Mavis, the sacrifice of Elpis, the lingering pressure from the Arena, and the impossible weight the Nemesis had placed on him. He began to mourn, sobbing uncontrollably. He kept mumbling the same words into the dark: "I'm sorry..."

  Though he believed he was alone, Mira had never left. She stood silently outside the closed door, her shoulders slumped, listening to his heartbroken cries

  At the lowest, most restricted layer of Sector V-9, the air was cold and still. The three Clone Elders approached a huge, vast, torn-out machine. The central Elder reached into its robes, retrieved the glowing Nidhi, and placed it on a small table beneath the machine. Immediately, the machine sparked, whirred, and began drawing power, as if absorbing the energy directly from the artifact.

  The central Elder turned away from the pulsing machine. Without looking back at Aura, they spoke, the resonant voice heavy with a question only she could answer.

  "Did you see him?"

  Aura understood instantly who the question referred to. "Yes," she confirmed, her voice barely a whisper. "After seventeen years, I saw his vibrant blue eyes again. But the light was lingering with sadness. He looked the same as he did back then, but instead of that beautiful black hair, it was white." She slowly raised a trembling hand and covered her face, overcome by sudden, overwhelming grief.

  "He chose that path," the Elder stated, their cowled head slowly turning toward Aura. "Do not mourn a coward, Aura."

  Aura lowered her hand, her voice firming with resolution. "The entire Inner Sanctum, including the King and the Regent Ardyn, witnessed Kael's abilities. I just received a coded flash: the Citadel has put all Outer Walls under a search warrant for him. We must keep him safe from Ardyn's hands."

  The Elder walked closer to Aura, their black robes rustling, emphasizing the gravity of their next statement.

  "We know Ardyn will not stop," the Elder stated, their terrifying, resonant voice dropping low. "He will go to any lengths to prevent the prophecy from being fulfilled."

  The Elder turned and faced the silent machine. "The commanders of Units S1, S2, S3, and S4 will be arriving soon. Take rest for now, Aura, and brief the child about the Nidhi's use. It appears only he can interface with it."

  "Very well," Aura replied, nodding once. She turned and walked toward the glass door, leaving the Clone Elders alone with the pulsing, dangerous machine.

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