Twenty-Nine

Nine years ago

Terra, Gaea star system 

Milkway Galaxy

Neutral Free Zone

"Sam! Samantha!" James Sinclair's voice called for Sam, the tone raised higher than he normally spoke, but the little girl ignored it as she practiced her attack on the practice dummy that her Father had constructed for their training. Night had arrived but she wanted to get the exact technique right. Father had shown her the technique, he had named it Thunder recoil, a martial art technique that was part of the Adamantium fist style. If she could time it correctly, all she had to do was to strike her target with her fist which should be infused with Od, and then use it to create a shockwave that could destroy her opponent externally and internally. Father had made it look so easy, that Sam was determined to get it right. She focused her Od within her fist and then tried to influence the vibrational waves that would create the shockwave. If she listened she could not only hear the sound that her Od emitted but was also able to feel it. Every living thing had a vibrational frequency to them, Father had explained. The Universe operated through a musical system. Sam picked up on it, the cymatic sound of her Od, and then she struck the dummy, channeling Od into it. It happened quickly, the dummy bursting apart confirming that her attack had been successful. Sam couldn't stop the glee that formed on her face, jumping up in joy, thinking of the praises Father would have for her. She quietly went back to their tent, where he was waiting for her. The forest was alive with crickets, and fireflies flying around as Sam observed the forest. Ever since she could remember, Father had been bringing her to this campsite, where he taught her things. How to fight and defend herself. Taught her things about the stars, how most of them were once a living entity that had been slain a long time ago by Celestial warriors, their empty husk remaining behind as stars in their sky. He showed her how to use her sight to distinguish between the world of the living and the other side. The world of the Astral plane where the Spirits and the Elementals resided. Sam had met some of them. The inhabitants of the Astral plane couldn't interact with the physical plane but there were special cases where the physical plane and the Astral plane intersected and this forest was one of those places. Due to their nature, Spirits despise those of the physical plane due to the harm they bring to the forests and places filled with nature. They rarely showed themselves to mortal but when it came to the little girl, the spirits were impartial to her. They loved speaking to Sam and playing with her... Tiny balls of light hovered above Sam, clittering sounds coming off them. They couldn't speak the common tongue, but thanks to Sam's special power, she could understand them. Sam could connect to them through her empathic abilities that came from her soul. Father had warned her how dangerous her ability could be, so the first thing he had taught Sam was how to use her ability to connect with animals in the forests. And not only the animals, but Sam could also connect to the plant life around her. He promised Sam when she grew up, he would train her on how to use it past animal and plant life. One of the Spirits flew to Sam's shoulder, its clittering lowered so it wouldn't disturb her.

"Your father is mad," It said. Sam nodded knowing full well that Father won't be happy with her. She had sneaked off to the training side of the camp, without his permission and used her Od. Father warned her against using it, especially when she wasn't around him. But Sam wanted to learn, she wanted to be as strong as her father was. The Spirits all flew away as she reached her Father. He was waiting for her by the clearing of the forest. His hands were crossed together, a look of disappointment on his face as she finally got to him. Father was tall, taller than most humans, with a ferocious gaze that could make one feel smaller than they were. He had the same brown hair as she did and dark brown skin, but his eyes were emerald green different from her brown. His body was built bigger than most adults that Sam knew of. 

"What were you doing," James Sinclair asked.

"I was practicing the Thunder recoil move that you showed me," Sam said. She forced herself not to cower from his gaze, to stand tall and proud of the fact that she was able to do the technique.

"Did you use your Od?" James said. Sam kept quiet, her silence was taken as a yes. "I warned you that channeling Od is dangerous. You're not supposed to be using it. Not right now."

"Then why did you show me the technique," Sam pouted. He knelt before her, putting his hands on her shoulder. "I can only use it with Od."

"I showed you cause I wanted you to understand how strong you can become," James said. "You're my daughter, which means within you Sam, is a great power, a power that could change everything as we know it to be. But right now, it's still too early for you to master it all." He gave her a small smile and then he tussled her hair. "Did you at least get it right," Sam smiled, sending a jab at him but Father merely caught her hand and brilliantly canceled the energy within her fist.

"It's still too early for you to defeat me," Her Father said. "Maybe when you're past fifty or something." Sam groaned, not liking the idea of waiting too long. After dinner, Father and daughter spent the night stargazing, looking at the stars within them as James Sinclair pointed at the constellations and explained their significance. He pointed out Orion's belt to Sam, a short, straight row at the middle of the hunter's star. The ten-year-old girl was giddy as he pointed out others, enjoying the time she spent with her Father that she didn't realize when she fell asleep. Sam had the same dream again...she was there...or should she say another her was there, covered in the darkness, the shadows hugging her twin. She looked exactly like Sam but while she belonged to the shadows, Sam belonged to the light. Pure white lights filled her side of the space. Sam waved at her and she copied Sam's movements...Sam tried to speak and she did too. They stared at each other for a while, their feelings reaching each other...her pain becoming part of Sam while her happiness, her serenity she fed off like she didn't know what it was. And when Sam woke up, her pain was too much for her to handle. Father had carried her inside the tent, and he was asleep beside her. Sam left the tent, taking a glimpse at the moon itself. The moon was beautiful and she wanted to sketch it, something Father had been encouraging her to do more of lately. She had discovered her love of drawing not so long ago alongside her musical talents. Father had been so proud of her for being so gifted. It was one of those memories that Sam felt she would remember for the rest of her life. Sam couldn't draw right now because she had left her sketchbook back at home. She raised her hand towards the sky like she could pick up the moon from it when she caught a movement by the base of the forest. Something was moving out of it, towards the moonlight. The creature stopped just before it reached the moonlight, moving around it towards the shadow of the forest. But Sam could tell what it was even without the light. A canine creature that looked like a little child. Its body was dabbled, elongated, and spindly thin with a large head. The creature smiled at her with canine teeth and then without warning, it screeched loudly. The sound was like her brain tearing apart, one cell at a time. Images, Images that she couldn't understand began to swim through her mind, an image of two people stargazing in a mountain in a location that she didn't recognize, the same two couples fighting against monsters and then one of the couples falling, with a huge size hole in his chest. The images were overwhelming like her brain was about to be crushed and then it was gone. Sam blinked, tears slipping through her eyelids. Father stood above the creature, a blade in the stomach of it. He looked different, fear and anger burning through as he ran to her.

"You're okay. You're okay." He said. " It's just a Drekavac. it's nothing serious." Sam's heart was beating fast, not understanding what was happening. "But Sam, we have to leave. We have to leave, right now." Sam didn't know what to say so she just nodded, grabbing his hands as he led them out of the forest clearing. Dad didn't bother with the tents, taking them straight to where the car was. They stopped when they got to it as someone was waiting for them next to it. She wore a white tactical suit, her green hair tied in a bun with a burning rage that could burn the whole world, her beautiful oval-shaped face with her hourglass body that exuded a sensual grace.

"James," The woman whispered.

"Sophia," James said. He looked surprised, checking around the campsite as from the shadows, soldiers in white armor gear and helmets surrounded them. "That was faster than I thought."

"So this is where you've been hiding. Away from me and our daughter." Sophia said. 

"Our daughter is dead," Dad said. Sam couldn't understand what was going on, but her leg was shaking. She was scared and had no idea what Dad was saying. She was right here.

"Dad...what's going on," Sam pulled his arm but that caught the woman's attention. Her eyes widened at her, a strange look of affection was written on her face. Sam felt an odd feeling of familiarity with the woman. Like her blood was being pulled towards her.

"She's grown so much. She looks so much like her," The woman said. Then a look of anger washed the kindness away from her eyes as she glanced at James. "Eight years you kept her from me. Eight years I have searched for you. It wasn't enough that you took her from me, but you had to go steal the Crown. Where is it, James? The Crown. Give it back!"

"You know I can't do that," James said. "I'm sorry you came all the way here but I'm afraid this is where the line draws short for you." James moved quickly, flexing his hands in the air, the ground broke apart, and hot lava sprouted out, forming into shards of hard magma rocks that shot like bullets at the guards. Sophia reacted faster than the others, using a shield to push the attacks away from her. She moved towards James, but he had already released a blast of seismic waves that sent Sophia bulldozing through the trees. James didn't waste time. He grabbed Sam and put her in the passenger seat, strapping the seat belt on her. Sam watched as the woman walked out of the forest, unharmed by what her Father did to her. Her eyes were glowing greenish, a green aura sparking around her. 

"Look forward, Samantha," James said. Sam did as he told her as the car roared to life and they drove away. They had just reached the bridge that led away from the campsite when a huge blast of green light shot the road. James reacted quickly, swerving the car out of danger, the site where the car had been was gone, disintegrated into dust. He swore, getting the car back into control. Sam checked the rearview mirror, seeing some of the guards that survived her Father's magma attack running after them. Sam was scared to see them able to run and keep up with them even as they were driving. They were just that fast, to be able to keep up with a moving vehicle. But it was the woman, running in the sky that had Sam scared to death. She could feel the power, unbelievable power swelling within the woman, a green burst of energy gathered around her. The energy formed into two rolls of eight balls and they shot towards them like a slingshot. There was a huge explosion, her Father was able to evade each of the blasts of energy attacks. His face looked calm, even with the explosion and the shooting from the guns by the foot soldiers, James was extremely calm. He smiled at Sam, bringing out a device from his pocket. Sam held her seatbelt tightly as the car served around another explosion, rocks, and debris flying through the front screen of the car. Why was this happening? Sam wondered. Was this her fault? Was this because she didn't listen to Father about using Od? Or maybe it was that creature...

"Sam, take this," Father said. He handed Sam the device, her dumbfounded self taking it in her small hand.

"What's this?" Sam muttered.

"It's called an Exodus," James said. "It causes warping in space allowing for teleportation. If anything happens to me, click the button and it will take you straight to your aunt."

"Dad...No...we can.." She couldn't finish her sentence as tears sprung out of her eyes. She hiccupped as she cried, thinking that they were going to die. "Dad...What's going on? I...I... am scared....it's...It's all my fault... my fault...."

"No!" James grabbed her little arm and squeezed it. "It's no one's fault but mine. I'm sorry Sam. I...I lied to you....hid things from you...I thought I alone could give you a better life...a life worth living...but -" James didn't finish as he felt a huge ominous presence emerge. In front of them, a darkness appeared, and out of it, a being exuding a powerful aura came out of the darkness. The being was dressed in yellow armor, with shaggy orange hair and a feline face. The Woman, Sophia, stopped flying, hovering in the air as an intruder joined the fray of the chase. James tried to bring the car to a pause, but the intruder released pressure from his aura, the force sending the car off the road, crashing down towards the bottom of the river. Darkness flooded Sam, panic and fear kicking her insides as the front of the car splintered, letting in water. James struggled with his seat belts, screaming at Sam to teleport away. But Sam couldn't. She had lost the Exodus that he had given her, the device gone. All she could do was wail and cry as her Father tore off the seatbelt. He broke through the car door, swimming over to Sam's side and breaking it apart. He got her away from the car as it sank to the bottom. Water filled her lungs as her surroundings got mixed with red. She didn't realize it, but her Father was bleeding. Blood was sipping out of his gut but Sam couldn't think about it. They were drowning, James trying to do his best to swim to the surface but his wounds were severe, his strength failing him just when he needed it. The darkness was calling out to Sam, and within the shadows, Sam saw her again. Her twin who belonged to the shadows. She was crying, calling out for Sam, as she tried to channel her pain from her.....