Antanria Choice

Apophis, escorted by two guards, finally arrived at Antanria's cell.

Though Apophis had been kept in what was essentially a top-security vault, Antanria's cell was a simple interrogation room with a one-way mirror that allowed those on the outside to look in, but not the other way around.

Antanria had been provided with a cot, pillow, and heavy blanket, which she had buried herself under. The standard heavy table sat in the middle of the interrogation room, and the same kind of food which had been given to Apophis sat on a plate. It was untouched.

The guards unlocked the door, and Apophis entered. "Antanria!" he called. The door closed behind him to allow them both some privacy.

As soon as the Zetark princess heard his voice, she flung off the blanket, dashed to the doorway, and threw herself in his arms! "Where were you, Dad? I was so scared for you! All I knew is I was alone, and had not a single clue what was going on! Where are we?"

Apophis was disturbed by all this, despite the fact that they didn't seem to have mistreated her. He wanted to tear the jaws off all the people in the building for what they'd done!

But he had to play his cards right and make the most of the situation. The universe was full of dangers that would make Colonel Ralfot look like a pathetic child. After all, a cosmic-level threat was coming in a matter of years. Apophis would need to survive now and gain all the power he could if he hoped to defeat it.

So for now, Apophis hugged Antanria tightly to his chest, kissed the top of her head, and said, "It's okay now. Daddy's here! Grab the food before we leave. You have to keep your strength up!"

Antanria hugged him more tightly. "I don't want to be separated like this ever again! I want to be like you, strong enough that I can protect myself! I cannot be just a little girl who hides and waits while you risk your life to protect everyone else. I want you to teach me how to fight, both in ordinary combat and how to use what we found in the Zetark manuals!"

Apophis was quite surprised. In the world of Horus, most children across all different cultures took a "Halo" test at the age of six to determine how much cosmic Energy their body could hold.

Those who achieved a certain level of potential were deemed "SuperSoldiers" or "Ascensionists" in most galactic cultures. It was considered a tremendous blessing to have an Ascensionist child… but Apophis wondered if this was the same for the Zetark species.

Apophis might have been one of the most knowledgeable people alive when it came to Zetark scholarship, but even he knew little about the race and their culture. Even still, he suspected they didn't give the Halo test to their own children while their civilization had existed. They were known to have numerous religious rituals and taboos which would make such a simple test seem like a crass thing.

And they especially wouldn't have given it to Antanria, a female. No matter their potential, Zetark women were not permitted to fight. Zetark society was deeply traditional in this way and rejected the idea of equal societal rights for women. It was believed that men and women in Zetark society had completely different roles, and women were simply not warriors.

Apophis replied, "I don't think it'd be a good idea to teach you how to fight. SuperSoldiers are often trained from a very young age, so you might be too old to make use of the training that's available. Besides, if you started fighting, I'd just worry more. I'm immortal, remember, like the rest of my Eternal allies. It's no big deal if we die in battle, because we just come back. But your death would be permanent!"

Antanria went quiet for a long time before speaking up again. "You know... I lied to you. I do remember what happened at the fall of Oralia… before I was cryogenically frozen."

Apophis held his breath.

She continued, "Despite the legions of guards protecting us, despite all our defenses, one man slaughtered my people and my entire family! We relied on trained guards to protect us, but they failed. It seems obvious to me that relying on others to save you is always a bad idea! So I don't want to just be weak. I want to be useful, like Lotus!"

Apophis grew more uncomfortable with every word.

He'd freed Antanria involuntarily, intending to kill her for EXP. If he'd understood how her cryogenic pod worked, he would've simply killed her in a different way.

But then he'd kept her close to him so he could learn more about the Zetark and their science.

Now, though? Things had changed a lot. Apophis was no longer simply keeping Antanria around because she was useful to him. Apophis truly loved the Zetark girl like a father does a daughter, and the memory of how he'd almost casually killed her… it horrified him. Apophis really had changed a lot in only a few months.

But their moving reunion was cut short. Someone knocked on the cell door and entered without waiting for a reply.

It was Ralfot, with a brand new general's badge hanging from his uniform.