The Heart of Gaia

Finally the lock clicked as soon as One crashed on the gates, the impact dented the gates inwards as he slumped on floor. My heart pumped so fast that I could feel it pounding through my head. Sera fell to the ground after sighing in relief. I told her we need to get out of here as soon as possible so I helped her from the floor. We roamed the musty hallways of the unknown, the maze-like interior made it hard to navigate. The eerie presence of the dimly lit passageways sent an undescribable feeling down my spine. The odd silence and the bone-chilling air as we tread through intensified the dreadful feeling of this place, naturally my instincts lay unsettled within the confines of my mind that signalled my whole body; get out.

"Where are we Knoxx?" Sera whispered.

"I don't know, this doesn't feel like The Black Market anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"One abducted me from the Black Market, from there I don't know how we got here."

"Then how are we suppose to get out?"

"We'll have to keep moving."

We stumbled upon a double door with a sign plastered on top after the long hours of walking around.

[Archives]

"What are you doing?!" she asked.

"Taking a look..."

"What if someone is in there?"

I peeked in through the dusty glass panels of the door and saw nothing.

"There's nothing in here."

"Well, I don't wa--"

"WHERE THE F*CK ARE YOU!?"

We felt our bodies tremble with fear as his voice echoed throughout the hall.

"DOC IS GOIN' BE MAD IF HE FOUND THAT I SLIPPED AGAIN!"

"YOU KIDS BETT'R COME BACK!"

His constant growling in the open made me feel anxious, soon his heavy footsteps followed. The fear made it felt like he was right on track, so I cranked open the knob and went inside while pulling Sera in with me. Inside we stumbled upon countless drawers and lockers all in a row, papers were lying everywhere and box of documents laid untouched. Some of the metal lockers were empty, they were only filled with dust and cobwebs.

"What is all this?" I questioned.

I saw Sera grab one of the papers. She was thoroughly reading it, until her expression suddenly turned sour, slowly regretting she ever read it.

"What is it?"

"Read it for yourself." she held out.

(Entry experiment no. 162 by Doctor Archibald Oppoldt

A child of at least eight years old bought from the Black Market slavery, her overall condition was at unacceptable state for the experiment. So I nurtured the soul to meet the requirements of a whole body stabilization. I fed her daily like any parent would and treated the child with paternal affection or "Love" as people name it nowadays. The child deemed to be in the right state after a whole year, it would always refer myself as "Father". Well to many of my experiments they would always assume I am their father, a savior, a beloved, a paternal figure. But the right term I would bestow myself would be a Prophet, a Messiah. Gaia has given me the wisdom of the world to improve upon the genetic structure of humans. We are no longer to be inferior, to those that are entitled and selfish, once I reach the pinnacle of my achievements. But in the end the child only had disappointed its Father, the first trial went down to ashes as the physical being of humans couldn't handle the very unstable power of Viscorr. The child immediately bled internally, every orifice of its body oozed with blood. Surprisingly it still had the strength to talk, it begged for mercy as I went on with the experiment. As I continued its unbearable screams were a nuisance but I solely focused on the bonding. Five percent into the bonding process and the body already deteriorated, disfigured. The charred meat of what once a living...)

I felt my stomach twisting out of disgust, acid rose from my stomach as I gagged. The inhumane acts of this Doctor Archibald Oppoldt laid victim to an innocent and helpless child, maybe this was the same person that took Madame Cordelia's eyesight. I needed to inform them of this location but without the knowledge of exit; I could only hope. I stared at Sera as I saw the sadness in her eyes while she read another. I took the document from her and threw it away after crumpling it.

"You don't need to read more." I said abruptly.

"Those people in the cages..."

"I know, the only way for us to save them is to get out of here."

Soon we heard the heavy Footsteps from the outside gradually gaining volume.

"We need to hide." She exclaimed.

She ran towards the piles of paper laying on the ground and hid beneath it while I slipped inside a dusty locker, as I placed the document in my pocket. I didn't entirely close the locker as I might get stuck inside.

*SLAM*

I saw the door swing open from the small holes of the locker, There I saw One with his humongous and horridly grotesque looking body. This time his whole body took a distinct purple color, he had grew mass and his head was covered by the intense pulsating muscles that his body barely contained. The door was crushed the moment he placed his hand on it, barely closing his fist.

"WHERE ARE YOU!" HE SHOUTED.

The floor beneath him gave out as he stepped one foot at a time. Finally he was in front of me with only a metal wall keeping me safe from him. He turned towards my direction with burning eyes. His forehead was gleaming with a bright light that scattered like veins throughout his head from a single point. I held my breath out of terror, my heart was pumping so hard that I could barely hear myself thinking. The cold sweat riddled my spine as my legs stood stiff. He reached out towards me.

*BANG! BOOM! CRASH! BANG!*

From afar I could hear constant explosions, the crashing of debris and the cries of men. One stopped midway and turned back.

"Doc! I'm comin' don't replace me for that Titan!" he cried.

When I heard titan, I was alarmed. After a few moments of making sure he left I came out and saw Sera was already out the pile. Out of curiosity we headed outside and followed the persistent voices of men. Through the debris filled hallway, we saw a junction and towards the right our eyes met a bright light as we saw dozens of men fighting inhumane figures by the end.

"People! there's people Knoxx!"

"I know..."

"What's wrong? you seem gloomy, we can get out now."

"I..." I paused.

"You can go Sera, I still have to find my father."

"But I can't leave you... especially you helped me through this."

"It's up to you, I won't force you."

I saw large footprints towards the left that faded through the darkness, she stared at me with hesitation and so I went off to leave her. After constant twists and turns following the prints on the ground, I heard my father's voice. I immediately ran towards its direction following it by ear. Excitement filled my heart as I knew I was close, I could feel a tear running down my cheek out of happiness. I found myself in front of a large dungeon and there, I saw my father kneeling under the dim light in the middle of a platform bound by chains that extended towards the dark corners of the area. From the darkness emerged a figure, soon the light exposed his identity. He wore a white laboratory coat with goggles that dug under his wrinkled skin, he was bald with some hair growing unevenly atop his head. He stood with utter confidence as his hands were shoved deep the pockets of his plaid trousers.

"Father!"

He slowly raised his head.

"S-son?" he answered lowly.

I ran closer to him and saw his badly beaten face, his body was riddled with bruises, wounds, scratches.

"I'd stop right there if I were you."

I stopped in my tracks.

"You're the Doctor aren't you?!"

"Hm, so what if I am?"

"I'm going to punish you for all the pain you've caused! those people didn't deserve any of that! Free my father or else!"

I raised my palm towards him.

"It seems you have raised a rude child, haven't you Leo?"

"Don't hurt h-him!" He shouted.

"Why did you come! I told you don't come for me..."

"I came to save you!"

As I inched forward.

"You're not listening are you?"

"Set him free or else!"

"Or else what child? what can you possible do?"

"Don't do it son!"

As I was filled with hate and contempt for this evil presence. I charged up everything I could right into my palm, my eyes burned and finally my vision changed. The traces of Corr inside the vile man was as horrifying as he is, truly depicting his inhumane ways; a monster. I blasted every bit of Corr I had inside me towards him.

*BOOM*

Amidst the dust I heard him maniacally laughing.

"HAHAHA! so this is it?! the power of the Vihztecians?! extraordinary! I can feel the raw energy!"

"Just run away Knoxx!"

"I'm not done yet!"

I blasted out everything I could, sending waves of concentrated Corr towards him. I shouted at the top of my lungs bringing out every bit of emotion I had with each burst. Until I finally gave out of exhaustion and thought "He couldn't have possibly survived that". I stared at him with awe and shock as he came out unscathed from the explosion that once turned a person into a corpse.

"H-how?!"

He smiled menacingly towards me. As I questioned my strength, was that all I could do? both of my palms were red and bruised as I saw them.

"You really are extraordinary."

He stared at me with curious eyes, as if he was dissecting a corpse. The lack of compassion in his eyes explained that his humanity had gone for good.

"You don't get to talk to me like that!"

"I can't but your father can? Hm? right Leo?"

I saw him pat my father on the back while calling him that name, it agitated me more.

"Why're you calling him that?"

"Oh indeed, why am I? care to answer your 'SON' Leonovich Sokolov!?" he shouted

"Shut up Archibald!" exclaimed my father.

"What is he saying father? you're Hector Abbot right? right?!"

"What's the matter Leonovich?! Can't you tell the truth?!" He demanded.

My father didn't answer.

"Well... If you don't want to... HE WAS NEVER YOUR FATHER! HAHA!"

"Wha-what?" I answered stammering.

"You were forced to live a lie ever since you were born! Leo had to play 'Father' because you were the only hope! It's because of your blood!"

"YOU'RE LYING!"

"If I am! better ask your father over here."

I stared at him as I saw his guilt ridden expression telling me that everything this monster said was the truth. I felt every emotion rushing in my head, the raging anger I could barely contain. I refused to believe it was the truth.

"Tell me he's lying father! TELL ME!"

He couldn't bare to look as he knelt there lifelessly. I clenched my right hand with burning emotion, my eyes felt like hell as tears poured down like magma on my cheeks. My hand was trembling with power that I could barely control my arm...

"Finally! Display everything! I want to see!" Exclaimed Oppoldt.

"THERE YOU ARE BROTHER!"

I turned around and immediately saw One running towards me, as I felt the earth trembling from his sheer mass. I held my ground as he lunged forward catching me with his hand. He grabbed tightly as I was at the mercy of his hand, he raised me upwards only to meet him eye-to-eye.

"I finally caught you! where your sister at?!" he said angrily.

"What are you doing you big oaf! you've disrupted my experiment!" shouted the Doc.

"NO! KNOXX! LET HIM GO!"

I could feel his grip gradually tightening as I felt woozy from the blood rising to my head and the fading voice of my father as his chains clinked around. The burning energy I felt died out as the life out of me was being squeezed by a giant, soon my vision faded and I couldn't hear anything except for a loud constant ringing. In the darkness of my unconscious mind was the only settler of my head, the enigma presented itself. This time his figure was formed in the sunlight, a bright beacon in shape of a man that illuminated my final moments.

"Am I dead?" I asked.

"Not yet..."

"I couldn't do anything, I'm useless."

I felt hatred and self pity.

"There was nothing you could've done."

"If only... If only I was strong enough!"

Soon the enigma neared me as it held out its hand.

"I could lend you a hand."

"How?!"

"Are you willing to accept the consequences?"

"If it means I could save my father then I will!"

I grasped firmly into its non-existent hands as a bright light shone blinding me.