Chapter 1 Daughter

  SD Chapter 1 Daughter

This is a planet whose civilisation has developed to the point where they have managed to colonise their star system, just on the cusp of developing warp travel.

Floating buildings, moving ships, magnetic trains, nature reserve domes, artificial parks, super efficient cities...almost every kind of technology had been developed and the planet was capable of handling the slightly more than 10 billion people on its surface.

In a certain building, something that would make this civilisation a bit different from the others was a black sword, straight and two fingers wide, stabbed into the floor. It's obsidian broadside gleaned in the soft light as a palm was wrapped around it with the knuckles faintly white due to the power with which it was being gripped with. Its hilt ended into a small carving of a lightning bolt, which was also black in color.

The man gripping the sword had black long hair that was cascading down the front side of his face, hiding its features from view. It was caused by the fact that his head was dipping below as if to look at the gleaming white floor.

He was dressed in a black shirt that appeared too small a size on him. He wasn't built overly muscular...no, he was lean with well defined muscles in his arms that gave off a feeling of strength and the thought that he had trained to get his body onto this level.

A rhythmic tapping sound echoed within this corridor as his foot tapped uneasily and restlessly onto the floor causing those who were with him immense discomfort yet no one dared to speak up. Considering that the long waiting bench was only occupied by himself, then you can only imagine the kind of fear he inspired in them. 

"Lighten up, uncle Dark!" 

Someone, clearly of the minority that didn't apparently fear him, spoke. He was light skinned, a contrast to his brown skin.

He was clad in a floral shirt paired with brown shorts and playing with what appeared to be a dagger in his hands, rolling it between his fingers with such finesse, he had attracted the younger crowd among the people here. It was as white as snow, mesmerising in its appearance. He had blue eyes and wheat colored hair. He was leisurely leaning against the wall, the picture of cool calmness, a contrast to Dark, who was on the verge of losing nerve control.

His foot tapped even faster upon those words, not providing any kind of response. 

"Hey! Lake! Keep it low! This is a hospital! Besides, he's already this nervous! And you just added to it!" Someone, a woman in a business suit, looking like she had just turned twenty spoke in a whisper, yet all those words entered his ears.

This moment here...was something he had already expected, yet the worry within him was eating away at his very mind. His wife, the woman he had chosen to spend the rest of his life with, had just gone into labour and been rushed into this hospital. Just ten minutes had passed, yet to him, it felt like a lifetime. The technology had advanced to the level of being capable at preventing the death of both child and mother, yet that didn't stop his mind from fretting, giving him the most possible worst case scenarios.

He could recall the first moment he had met her like yesterday. Everything about that memory was vivid. Honestly, she had been blinding. That smile that had reached her pale blue eyes and the wheat colored hair. She had made his heart flutter from that very moment. It had been a duel, one he had agreed to because he had wanted to fight someone more challenging...and what a hard opponent she had been, with those dual short swords of hers. She didn't have the same drive to push herself to the limits or fight to become the strongest...no, she fought because she loved it. The clash of the weapons, the sparks that flew, the dance that the feet conjured during the battle. The moniker, 'The Dual Dance Goddess' had been apt for her.

At the time, she had been stronger than him, one of the top ten great duelists in the world. Yet, that title hadn't mattered, all that had been on her mind had been the joy she found in the battle, not the wins or the losses.

And now, 4 years later, here she was, having his first child. She had been calm even when her water broke, yet here he was, a mess.

"Will you be any fun?"

"I want you!"

Even now, he could still remember the scorching feeling that had risen into his cheeks when he had shouted out that line, like some lunatic. Many had done the same before her, and he had been no different from them. She had smiled, not in a mocking way, but a warm indulgent smile that had caused his heart to flutter, and the butterflies in his stomach to go wild.

"I want to hold my grand kid. Has the kid popped out yet?" A boisterous voice, one that caused him to abruptly rise to his feet, rang out in the corridor, its owner appearing at the far end.

His nervousness vanished, only to be replaced by something blazing, the impulse to attack! He added more force into the hand holding down the sword, to prevent himself from raising it from the ground. 

Her father had arrived, a man who gave people the uneasy feeling of being watched by a powerful predator. He was a monster of a man who had awoken a pair of gloves as his weapons upon turning a year old. Many had mocked him, yet he had smacked them down to achieve his seat as one of the strongest in the world right now. In this era, a person's maximum lifespan had been increased to 1000 years, and with him just shy of 500...you could say, that he was still in prime condition.

He was sure it was nerves. There was absolutely no way he would try to attack his father-in-law...though, shouting in this hospital, where his wife was giving birth was probably one of the reasons he should attack, right?

He stood in the path of the man who was larger and taller than himself. It was like standing in front of a bear. A bear that looked like it was barely restraining its own power.

"What? Have the nerves gotten to you too, Dark?" 

Dark raised his eyes to those of his father-in-law and wordlessly stared at the man. He was right. He was barely restraining himself from simply running away from here and challenging the nearest person to a duel, where he could do what he did best...and that was to fight. Sitting here on the sidelines while his loved one struggled wasn't something made for him. 

Ting! Ting! Ting!

His finger tapped the guard of his black sword, causing ringing sounds within the corridor, and most of all, broadcasting his nervousness.

"The old geezer was the same as you at the time. Don't let him intimidate you." 

A gentle, warm and motherly voice came from behind the bear that was his father-in-law.

The man was pushed to the side and a plump woman entered Dark's view. She had red locks of hair partly obscuring her face and those gray eyes of hers held a warmth that caused him to feel as if he had been pacified.

"Alicia...its nice to see you." Dark planted his sword into the hospital floor, an act that would have caused immense dissatisfaction if this entire place wasn't made of 4D material, capable of responding to outside stimulus and repairing itself.

He walked over and gave the woman a hug. She was like a mother to him, who had grown up as an orphan. He could still vividly recall that first meeting with these in-laws because it had become one of the many important memories he now treasured.

"Its okay to feel like this. There is no need to try and curb this feeling. I remember how Ben howled outside the room like a wolf, causing him to be banned from the hospital at the time of Camilla's birth. It had been...hilarious!" She chuckled while Ben looked off to the side, pretending to whistle...but the tell-tale signs of pink cheeks brought a smile to Dark's face.

The door to the room that had been the focus of their attention, slid to the side causing all their ears to catch the sound that was the first cry of a baby. 

Dark's body blurred, as he raced towards the room, his sword forgotten where he had left it. But the moment he reached inside the room, his feet became rooted to the ground as he took in a scene that he was sure he would remember for the rest of his life...

A woman with wheat colored hair and blue eyes appeared within his gaze. Her face appeared haggard from exertion, but even with its freckles and other minor imperfections that made her just an average beauty, she was stunning as she purred softly towards a bundle in her arms. She hadn't noticed him yet, with all her attention on the young one, like the baby was her entire world. 

There were no sun's rays hitting her face or anything fantastical about the scene for that matter, but he found himself mesmerised by her.

"Oh! Dark! Come meet our daughter!" She beckoned the moment her eyes rose and met his, with hers holding a faint hint of amusement, probably from whatever expression his face was pasted with, though he didn't know and didn't care.

He walked as slowly as possible while taking in this moment, trying to engrave it within his mind, to etch it within himself forever.

"She's...tiny." Those were his first words when he laid eyes on that tiny face with the brown eyes that had no doubt originated from him.

"Hahahahaha...babies are supposed to be small." She said while passing the little girl to him.

He held her to his chest, like the most delicate treasure in the world, a warm smile suffusing his face.

"Your smile right now, I will never forget it." Camilla spoke while gazing at him softly. He leaned down involuntarily and captured her lips, making sure not to harm the baby in any way. She had stopped crying a while ago, and now was gazing at him with curiosity.

"You just made me the happiest man alive!" Dark uttered those words from the bottom of his heart. Seeing this child, holding her-

"Now now, I bet that was more than enough time, Alicia. I want to hold my granddaughter!" Ben burst into the room and snatched the baby from Dark's hands.

"Father! Be careful! If anything happens to him I will kill you!" Shouted out Camilla, clearly flustered with the rude manhandling of the baby.

"Don't worry dear, if anything happens, I will be the first to strangle him." Alicia said while strolling in from behind her husband, while the rest of the family and friends entered after her.

"Hmmm...she is tiny, but overall came out all right."

Those words from Ben set the entire room into a fit of laughter that eventually startled the baby into crying. 

Dark snatched her back while Camilla made small talk with the rest of the well-wishers. 

Thirty minutes passed before the young couple was left alone with their baby.

"Are you going to quit duelling now?" Dark asked after a few minutes of silence. He was sitting beside the bed on a chair, watching his wife breastfeeding the baby.

"Haha...funny. Why would I give up something that I enjoy very much?"

"...but we agreed to be there for our child." Dark spoke the words as if tasting them. He hadn't had any parent figure growing up, so he had sworn to look after his own kids without vanishing on them, or pretending to be too busy.

"I can do both! I am going to be both a mother and a duelist!" Camilla declared.

"I will also make more time to be there for the both of you." Dark made a commitment to himself with those words.

"Are you okay?"

"Come on! The others already asked that a million times! I am okay! Your awkwardness with conversation...I hope our girl becomes outspoken and outgoing."

"That will most definitely be headache inducing." Dark chuckled at an image his mind conjured up.

"You should go. I caught all the hints father was leaving behind of wanting to speak to you. Its probably related to company matters." 

"Will you be okay here? I can stay longer." Dark really wanted to stay beside her. He couldn't get enough of looking at their child. She and the mother both were beautiful.

"Whatever it is, it must be important."

"Okay." He stood up and started walking towards the door.

*****

"Dr. Martino, bring me up to speed." Dark ordered the moment he walked into the wide observation room.

Holographic consoles were hovering around as people dressed in matching black uniforms worked diligently upon them. They were just shy of 40 in number, and everyone was a genius in their fields. They were talents that had taken significant investments to draw over to work for him.

On the far end of the large room, there was a large display that took up the entire wall with outer space and stars visible upon it. Though, other smaller screens were taking up its edges, showing other parts of dark-star filled space.

Dark had just entered, with Ben following right behind him. Whatever had brought the man was important, but he had to check upon this research first.

This was the top-most floor of the floating scraper. His wife was located somewhere in the middle sections with their newborn child. This entire building was owned by his wife's family, yet he was one of the more important decision makers. 

This project here gave him purpose and excitement. This was the second thing he loved after duelling, scanning space for new frontiers.

"We have discovered another three wormholes and managed to open the tunnels, but still..." The man, who sported black wavy hair and a pair of glasses spoke while patting the back of his neck. He was thin, young and most of all, radiated confidence. Among the geniuses here, he was a cut above the rest, and hadn't Dark had history with the man, he was sure he would have been snatched up by those large groups.

Around 50 years ago, the space race happened. This planet didn't have countries, instead, they had domains, each ruled by its own conglomerate empire and were the makers of their own rules. 

This domain he was in, was called the Golden Wheat domain and was governed by his in-laws. 50 years ago, he had been scouted to start this project because of his expertise, and here it was, in its prime stages. 

What they lacked right now was simply, luck. So far, none of the other domains had released any news of having opened a wormhole within or closer to another star system. Whoever became the first, would have many opportunities come their way, so it was a matter of who became the first.

"One at least managed to be close to a star system, but with our current advancements in warp technology, it would still take the ship 60 years to reach the system. That isn't cost effective." Dr. Martino stoically pointed out. 

"We just have to keep searching. Though, the costs are racking up. The fuel needed to open wormholes is too rare. I think this year, we will only be able to open three more before we have to stop." Ben lamented with a sigh. This was a money guzzling endeavor but no one in their right mind wanted to give it up.

Why? Simple! Imagine having an entire star system filled with resources at your disposal! There was no need to find one with a habitable planet. As long as it even had one planet, they would make back all the costs they were incurring and some more, not to mention the fact that other domains would have to pay them to get permission to use their wormhole. The merits were simply too many to ignore!

"Dr. Martino, follow us!" Ben ordered as he took the lead towards a side room. Dark shrugged at the other man's questioning look as he also lacked an understanding about whatever the older man was here for.

*****

The trio sat down in a triangle around a round table in a room that was filled with lots of brown things...from the tables to the walls to the carpet to the floor, to the little trinkets decorating the room. There were spears made of simple wood with heads made of simple rocks, to baskets woven out of calino leaf, a plant that grew leaves that were similar to grass, only wider and longer, up to three meters. Many other such ancient artifacts decorated the office, which by the way, was Ben's. Even though the man had essentially retired, his office had still been kept. Of course, all these were virtual constructs as the real articles would be cumbersome to make or downright redundant to keep in an office.

"So, what are you being all secretive about, Ben. We have known each other a few years...and I still don't peg you as a secret keeping person." Dr. Martino grinned after spouting those words.

"Who knew that you could develop a sense of humor after being an ice cube for so long. Could it be that you are evolving?" Ben spat back good naturedly.

"Okay, you can stop now. If you get into this, you will take forever to finish. What is it that required you to arrive personally?" Dark broke them up, his question causing Ben's face to adopt an expression of seriousness which they both also took on. Whatever he had come to reveal was most definitely important.

"A domain has managed to find a wormhole that leads into a star system."

Dark felt as if he had been hit with a sledge hammer at those words, causing him to stand up abruptly, only to sit back down slowly. Even Dr. Martino, who was mostly unflappable had shock painting his features.

The goal he...and all those at this table had been chasing...they had been beaten by another domain.

"This is going to cause a seismic shift. Seeing that you told us behind closed doors means that the public isn't going to be privy to this any time soon, right?" Dr. Martino asked.

"It would have been hidden as long as possible if it had been any other domain that had made the discovery, but it was the Roseblade domain..."

"Yup! That woman has always been a rebel. That is good news! Those old geezers in other domains who favor secrecy will have to buckle under her." Dark almost smiled at the chaos the woman was about to unleash upon the world.

"How did you come across this particular piece of Intel?" Dr. Martino asked with narrowed eyes.

"She revealed it upon me indulging her by accepting her invitation." 

"What? Why would she do that?" Dark asked, his features darkening considerably. Was she scheming to have them tied to her? If she sunk then they would be going down with her.

"She wants to collaborate with us on the exploration, though, she noted a condition."

""What?"" 

Both of them asked simultaneously.

"Dark, she wants to duel you in the Cosmic Pit. And she is going to display her full power, even that which the public hasn't seen. Also, we must make sure that we spread this particular piece of information, that this duel is going to allow the rest of humanity to get a glimpse into the next level of weapon mastery."

"This woman was really born to cause chaos. She has been stifled for far too long, and now, she wants to get back at them. It looks like we are going to be the ones launching this planet into a new era." Dr. Martino spoke with a faint smile, an excited gleam flashing within those eyes of his.

Dark felt the blood flow of his body spreading up and the sword within his mind space trembling with excitement. This was surely going to be a splendid duel! Having to hide his true strength because of those old relics had been constantly gnawing on his mind, but now, he was going to have the chance to unleash it!