Do you accept the power of the eon?

Her body was there, lying on the ground. Lips purple, wet due to the faint drops of rain. Igneous saw her stiff, lifeless. Something inside him shuddered. A sadness like never before.

"She died immediately, Igneous," said Kev, the Jaguares gang's second-in-command, soothingly, "she didn't suffer."

"How do you know?" Igneous asked. There was no way for Kev to know if she suffered or not. He said that just to reassure him. A white lie. A false hope.

Kevin (Kev) didn't reply.

Igneous knelt beside Breeze's body. Her brown skin was pale as if she had lost color. And her face was tight like she was holding back the pain.

That was not the face of a peaceful death.

"How did it happen?" Igneous asked.

All the members of Los Jaguares gang saw each other's faces. Nobody wanted to tell the truth to Igneous, to the leader. Nobody was able, except Kev, the second in command.

"Um... Igneous," Kev spoke up, "it's just that Eider... wanted to rob a house and..."

"Eider?" Igneous' voice cut through the air, "Breeze died because of my brother?"

Kev (Kevin) nodded slowly, his eyes full of pain.

Igneous cursed inside, clenched his fist, and hit the ground with all his might. He bled, but he didn't care. The rage and impotence were greater.

"Breeze asked Eider not to," Kev continued, "but he didn't listen. He wanted to carry out a coup, a heist on the big ones, the politicians, the rich. Breeze followed him to stop him, but apparently… apparently… the politician's bodyguards shot and it was Breeze who took the bullets."

Igneous clenched his teeth and fists. The rules in the Los Jaguares gang were clear. NEVER, NEVER steal from a big target. They had to keep a low profile. Steal from ordinary citizens, insignificant people.

Politicians were dangerous. They had the power to mobilize all the police and destroy the city in order to find the thieves.

"And Eider?" Asked Igneous, with a suppressed rage.

"He's fine," Kev replied.

"Where is he?"

"Nobody knows. He escaped. "

The whole gang was gathered at the hideout. An abandoned car park. Dirty, damp, and full of rats. Flanked by abandoned buildings. But that was his home. Surrounded by a wire fence and he was constantly guarded by members of Los Jaguares.

Igneous caressed Breeze's face. She was so beautiful, with her fat cheekbones, her slender body, her long olive green hair… and she died… she died without knowing that Igneous loved her.

The leader of the Jaguars never, NEVER cried. He thought that was for weaklings. Many thought that Igneous had an inner fire that burned the crying before it happened. That's why he had red hair, like flames. However, that moment was different. The pain was so great that it didn't fit his heart and it overflowed. It overflowed in tears that were mixed with raindrops.

"Breeze…," he lamented, caressing the damp forehead of his late friend.

Why? Why did it have to be just her? Breeze was the best of all. She never stole, she never hurt anyone.

Why? Why? Why did the good guys have to die? There were enough bad people in the world already. Why didn't they die?

Igneous wiped away his tears, stood up, and glared at Kev.

"I'm going to find Eider."

"And what are you going to do when you find him?" Kev asked, sounding worried.

Igneous didn't answer.

"Boss?" The second-in-command insisted, "Don't do something crazy."

"Kev," Igneous spoke, "if anything happens to me, you will command the Jaguars."

"Boss?"

"Please don't follow me," was the last thing he said to his gang, before going after his brother.

Igneous was proud of the band he had formed: Los Jaguares. All of them were young people, not older than 18. All orphans of the war. No, not orphans, all CHILDREN of war. All were raised on the streets, in the midst of fighting, bombing, and death.

All survivors. All one family. All a pack.

They had a uniform: brown jackets with a jaguar on the back. That was a symbol that commanded respect from the other gangs.

When someone from another gang saw the jaguar, they knew what to expect if they dared to mess with Igneous and his jaguars.

It was like that for years, until that day, that day that Breeze died… that day that Eider made an unforgivable mistake…

<Come find me> THE voice spoke.

Igneous shook his head.

"Please, not now," he replied.

<Come find me>

Dammit…

That voice wouldn't leave him alone. He had been listening to it for days. Was he going crazy?

<You know where your brother is. Find him and you'll find me>

"I know, damn voice."

Igneous went to look for his younger brother in the only place where he could be. The leader of the Jaguars knew him very well.

It was night, the streets were lonely and wet after hours of rain.

He went to 80th Street, found the nearest subway station, and went downstairs. Then he jumped the entrance turnstiles, where he was supposed to insert the ticket.

Years ago Eider tried to jump onto the train tracks. He suffered from nightmares every night and witnessed many deaths. Due to the war, dismembered bodies littered the streets of the city.

Fortunately, Breeze found him in time and managed to convince him to live. Since then, Eider always thanked her for saving his life. She was his guardian angel. His reason for living.

The underground station was lonely. It was already late at night. However, there was still one person there.

"Eider?" Igneous spoke.

The younger brother was on the edge of the boarding platform, one step away from falling onto the train tracks.

Eider turned around and looked at his older brother, his boss, and their jaguar leader.

"Igneous…"

"You're not going to jump."

"How do you know?" Eider replied, with a challenging tone.

"Come back to us," that sounded like an order.

"Let's not. Breeze is dead because of me. I have to pay."

The sound of the train echoed in the distance, approaching.

Igneous shuddered and held out his hand to his brother.

"Stop being stupid, Eider, come back."

"No!" The younger brother roared, "How can you ask me that after she died because of me! Ah, Igneous?"

"Damn it, Eider, are you going to make me take you by force?" Igneous asked, getting into a combat stance.

"We're not going to fight."

"You don't leave me another choice, you jerk."

Igneous might be the oldest, but both brothers were just as strong. They were both athletic and with toned muscles. A fight between them could leave anyone as the winner.

"Please, Eider, for Breeze's sake, come back," Igneous begged and he never begged. Never.

The train was heard closer.

"I hear it too, brother," Eider confessed.

Igneous' heart jumped. Was he… Was he referring to THE voice?

"I have heard you answer it," the younger brother continued, "you think no one noticed, but many of us heard you talking to yourself."

"I don't know what are you talking about…"

"It calls me, Igneous, it asks me to come to its call. And we will be able to see Breeze again."

To see Breeze again? To tell her that he loved her? That was crazy.

The train heard closer. The floor shook, announcing its arrival.

Eider spread his hands and gave his brother a wistful smile.

"I'm going to meet her, Igneous."

"Eider, NO!"

Igneous launched to catch his brother's body. The place shook with the arrival of the train and a white light enveloped everything.

<Come, my children. Come to me and all your wishes shall be granted> THE voice spoke.

***

The whole world was in flames. Everything was fire.

'Is this what hell looks like?'

Igneous found himself among violent embers, but he felt no pain. It was as if he was one with the flames.

In front of him stood an enormous red lion, with a fiery mane and four elongated eyes that shone like small stars.

Igneous felt no fear. Rather, fascination.

"Were you THE voice?" He asked.

The lion shook his head.

"Where is Eider?"

"He is waiting for you in Duniya," the gigantic beast spoke without opening its mouth as if communicating with its mind. And his voice was loud, omnipresent as if it were heard throughout the universe.

"Duniya? But what a ridiculous name," Igneous scoffed, "I want to see my brother, lion. Show me the way."

Can lions laugh? Because that one seemed so.

"I will give you a power you can only dream of, human," the lion said.

"What?"

"You will be assigned a mission. If you fulfill it, your wish shall be granted."

'My wish?' thought Igneous.

He remembered Breeze's smile, he remembered his brother's crying when he regretted jumping onto the train tracks. He remembered the stories around the campfire with his gang.

"Your mission will be… to find the Shrines and free them," the Lion announced, his voice authoritative.

"Shrines? But… what nonsense are you saying?" Igneous scoffed.

Everything clouded over and the young man fell unconscious.

Soon he would discover that none of it was nonsense.

***

Igneous woke up in the middle of a forest.

'Where the hell am I?'

His head ached so much that he felt like it was going to explode.

"What the heck?" He complained.

He looked around and saw only trees, bushes, and dirt.

He stood up and walked, without a clear direction.

"Eider! EIDER!" He yelled, "Eider? Where are you?"

Something moved behind him, Igneous went on alert. What was that? An animal?

"Who is there?"

Unanswered.

Igneous continued walking.

'What is this place?'

His feet took him to a high ravine, from where he could see an extensive landscape of flora and mountains.

Igneous was speechless. That place was nothing like what he had seen before. The sky was not blue, at least not completely, but as a spectrum of various colors, like a rainbow.

Some trees were gigantic, so tall they reached the clouds. And its leaves were not like the others. They were blue and bright.

The rest of the plants were not green; their leaves were gray or brown.

On the horizon rose a column of black mist. Since when has the mist had that color? It had a sinister look.

"What the hell?"

That definitely wasn't the Earth.

"Eider!" Igneous yelled. Only the echo replied, "EIDER!" He yelled louder.

Nothing. Unanswered.

Beep, beep! Igneous listened.

It was like the new notification sound of a cell phone.

Where did that sound come from?

Beep, beep! He listened again.

Does it come from my pocket?

Igneous checked his pants pocket and found a red sphere, no bigger than his index finger, half-covered by golden ornaments and hanging from a small chain with a hook, like a keyring.

"What is this?"

<User > the sphere spoke.

Igneous shuddered in fright and dropped the strange red jewel.

<User > spoke again.

"WHAT THE FUCK? YOU CAN TALK?"

<I can communicate with you, yes>

Igneous crouched down and looked closely at the keychain sphere.

"What the hell are you?" He asked as he poked it with his finger.

<I am a liberator candidate improvement guidance system>

"Guidance system? What the hell are you talking about?" Igneous scratched his head.

<I am here to guide you on your pilgrimage liberation>

"Damn, I don't understand anything," the boy complained, "what a load of slop, are you alive or something?"

<I am a consciousness trapped in this Treasure, but I don't think that means alive>

"What do you want from me?"

<I told you: my purpose is to guide you liberation>

"My liberation?"

<Yes, in other words: help you accomplish your mission>

Igneous felt a warmth in his chest. His mission… that was what the giant lion had told him. That if he fulfilled his mission, his wish would be granted.

"My wish…"

The boy grabbed the sphere and shook it hard.

"Hey, you! Strange thing, tell me, where am I?

<You are in Duniya>

"What is Duniya?"

<It is the world>

'So, I am not on earth…'

"Tell me: what is this mission you speak of?"

<The eon who bestowed this treasure on you has given a mission: liberate the shrines. I am your improvement and guidance system. Accept powers of Eon shall assist answer questions during quest>

"What a bunch of weird things you say," Igneous said, frustrated, "Do you know where my brother is?"

<I do not know that>

"Do you know how I can get back to Earth?"

<Accomplishing your mission>

"Damn, for my assistant you're not much help."

<Will you accept the powers of eon?>

"I don't know what the hell is that!"

Igneous felt something cold and sharp on the back of his neck, something like metal...

"Don't move," said a female voice behind him, "don't talk, and put your hands up. I warn you, I have a sword."

The boy paled and raised his hands.

"Stand up," the voice commanded.

He obeyed.

"Why are you so loud?" The voice asked, annoyed, "Screaming like crazy. Drawing the attention of whoever is nearby."

"Who the hell are you?" Igneous asked.

"It's none of your business."

"Idiot, if you're threatening me with a sword, of course, it's my business," Igneous retorted.

He turned around and nearly gasped when he saw her. His legs trembled and the words caught in his mouth.

It was not possible… it was like seeing a ghost. Her brown skin… her fat cheekbones…her olive green hair.

"Bre… Breeze?" Igneous stammered.

The girl raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Who is Breeze?" she asked.

The face of that stranger was a little rougher, heavier than Breeze's, who was kinder and more smiling. But they were definitely the same person.

Igneous launched himself to hug her, but the girl kicked him in the stomach.

"Stay away!"

The boy fell to the ground breathless. With his hands on his stomach, trying to breathe.

"Breeze… Since when do you have such strength?"

"Do not call me that! That's not my name!" The stranger pointed at him with the point of her sword.

She was wearing strange clothes. As if she were from the middle ages. Her pants were leather and wore a green shirt, and a brown sleeveless jacket.

"Breeze…"

"Don't call me that, you filthy Marked One!"

What had she called him? Marked One?

Why was everyone talking nonsense in that world?

The ground shook and the stranger's eyes widened, frightened, upset.

"Oh... no... they're here..."

"Who?" Igneous asked, getting to his feet and catching his breath lost from her kick.

"It is your fault!" She scolded him, "You were screaming your head off!"

"Really, Breeze, I don't understand a damn thing."

The ground shook again as if the footsteps of a giant were approaching.

She grabbed his arm tightly and pulled him.

"Run!"

Without quite knowing why he followed her. He would go wherever Breeze took him. He would never be separated from her again.

They ran as if their lives depended on it, dodging trees and bushes.

However, BOOM! An explosion of splinters, rocks, and dirt sent them flying. They crashed to the ground.

Igneous' ears were ringing and everything was spinning. What was that explosion?

He tried to stand up. He did.

The ground vibrated. Something big was coming.

Igneous saw them. They were metal, maybe three meters high. Round body, with a half crystal ball in the middle, which shone sky blue. They seemed to be the eyes of those machines. There were three of them and they stood on four pointed legs, like crabs.

They approached menacingly towards Igneous and the stranger.

"What the hell?"

The boy would swear they were looking at them with those shiny half balls.

Hatches were opened in the bodies of the round machines. One in the right loop and one in the left loop, arms came out of both, no, not arms, pincers.

"I see… Do they want to catch us?" Igneous asked.

<User > The sphere spoke.

"What do you want?'"

<Do you accept the power of eon?>

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

<If you accept it, will be able to destroy those sentinels with ease>

"Oh, will I?"

<But there shall be no turning back. That will mean that you accept the mission Eon assigned to>

The boy turned around and saw the stranger girl, unconscious, helpless on the ground.

The machines approached threateningly, about to subdue Igneous and the girl with their pincers.

<User? Do you accept the power of eon?>

'Breeze... I won't let anything bad happen to you.'

"Yes, I accept."

The sphere glowed with a red light that flooded the entire place.