Meet The One Who Stands Above

Year 2033, February

13:00 P.M.

Atlantic Ocean

. . .

I found myself constantly looking out of the jet's window. The clouds were so close and some even brushed over the jet itself. Yet it just passed through like that.

Perhaps it was normal, and I just never knew that. It was also the first time I was in an aircraft. Agatha and Caesar were minding their own businesses as I looked out at the sky.

Agatha was reading a magazine at the front seat, while Caesar was playing a game on his phone.

"No...NOOOO!" Caesar stood up and stomped the orange mat furiously. "This game's broken! How can I lose to a level one Computer?!" He continued his ramble and caught Agatha's attention.

She had a scowl on her face. "Oh, please, Caesar. Pipe down, will you?"

Caesar whispered some words to himself about the game and sat back on his seat.

I turned my eyes to the blue far below. "The sea!" It was sparkling and glittering under the sun as the jet flew. There was nothing but blue.

"It's amazing..." I felt an imaginary crack inside me as if an absent emotion finally bubbled up in my heart. My face flattened from the glass window, focusing on any unique detail that I could notice at the blue sea.

"Young miss Ava."

I shrieked from the voice. It was Caesar.

"Um, yes?" I replied.

"You never got a chance to get into a plane, right? How do you feel?"

"It's amazing. It's like I'm riding a bus, that can fly," I replied.

"Hmm, that's one way to put it," said Caesar. ''I've been meaning to ask you this, miss Ava." He pulled out his smartphone, displaying a chess video game. "Want to play?"

"Oh, okay." I had played chess a lot a few years back with my friends. I wondered what they were doing, or if they were safe.

Caesar whirled his black robe and sat beside me. "I'm on the white side!"

"I'll take black then."

Quite some time passed as we both played one round of the chess video game. A thought came to mind.

"Caesar, how long will it take to go to Chad?" I asked absently. Caesar moved his white knight to capture my pawn at b5.

"About ten hours, considering this jet moves at the same speed... Your turn, Miss Ava."

I pressed my finger two times at the screen and the phone buzzed.

"Hmm, you checked my king. But that's not a problem!" Caesar moved his white king at the space to the left.

My finger tapped the screen and the phone buzzed again.

CHECKMATE! BLACK WINS!

"W-What?! Miss Ava!" Caesar grumbled from his loss and hunched below his seat. "I've been beaten. By young miss AVA!" He scrambled at my seat and his Aegis mask touched my nose. "You have to teach me!"

"Um, okay," I replied simply.

And so, for the rest of our time in the jet, Caesar forced me to battle him in chess, which ended up with him losing all of it. Sometimes, I even questioned his moves.

. . .

The next day, we arrived at Chad around two in the afternoon. The capital city of Chad, N'Djamena, was beautiful.

I had never seen so much sand before in my life when the jet flew above the Sahara desert. It later landed at an open area near the capital city. I put away my scarf and winter jacket as it was too hot. I did not expect that kind of temperature difference from where Canada was. I supposed another country placed in the middle of the world map had always been like that.

"Welcome to Neo Africa." A tall dark-skinned man with a white headscarf neatly wrapped around his forehead greeted us as we walked out of the jet.

Caesar persistently wore his black robe and boots. Agatha had replaced her jacket with a sun-protective pale blue thin jacket. I wished I had one.

"Anuman! Nice to see you again. Uhh, how's the MASTER?" said Caesar.

'Master?' I thought.

"He's fine. I'm glad you asked. He's awaiting your presence in his palace. I'll be your escort," said Anuman.

He smiled and proceeded to take the lead, and we all soon follow him. All of us used an unusually long, silver car that Caesar called a limousine to go to the meeting place. I looked at my surrounding as we drove along the road.

The city was pretty much like my town in Mansel Island from a glance. I noticed a huge, white building right away. It was simple, with its boxy arrangement that connected to other smaller buildings in a 'U' shape.

"What is that?" I pointed at it.

Agatha who was next to me stopped her reading and turned to me. "It's our meeting place. The Grand Amina. It's actually another palace built by Gheele Folami other than the one he has in Goz Beida."

My eyes gleamed at the mention of Amina. "Oh! Isn't she the queen of Zazzau in Nigeria back in the days? She was also a warrior belonged to the ethnic group, Hausa!"

Agatha had her eyes wide opened. "Wow. How do you know that much about her?" asked Agatha.

I was silent, as we continued to drive down the road leading towards the Grand Amina whence the people took their time to look at us. In a way, the limousine attracted attention. Given that other vehicles that I caught with my eyes were all very modest wholly, as to say.

The hatred inside me started to prick a little bit, mentally whispering that those civilians were looking down at me, judging me because of my eyes. I had become accustomed to that hatred inside me for some time, but since there were no soldiers of the Great Corporate United there, it felt unnatural.

'But I hate everyone, everything.' That thought kept repeating and plastered itself at the forefront of my mind.

Indeed, that malevolent, sordid hatred was something I had integrated into myself, permanently changing how I perceived any external stimuli I ought to experience.

Perhaps for eternity.

I kept reminding myself I was there to move closer to where Alicia and Bart were at.

"I read about Amina a long time ago. I think her name and description was mentioned in a book called 'Rulers' so to speak," I said.

"Hm, avid reader, aren't you?" concluded Agatha. She resumed reading her magazine.

My eyes kept peeling for any kinds of constructions and vehicles around me. There was this large building that intrigued me and I was tempted to go check it out. "Um, miss Agatha, what's that?"

"Oh, that's the University of N'Djamena."

"What's a university?"

"You didn't know?" Agatha looked up for a moment. "It's sort of like your normal school. The exception is that you get an education at a university only after you have graduated from high school."

My mind memorized what she had explained. "I see, I see."

Soon after, we arrived at the bronze door of Grand Amina and stepped out to the many servants greeting us. There were a lot of people outside doing different tasks and chores that I found myself frozen under the streaking sunlight. A woman noticed my stare and smiled. I reluctantly returned her smile and moved to Agatha's side.

Anuman introduced a young girl to us whose purpose was to guide us inside the Great Amina palace. My focus was entirely on her.

She was pretty.

Her skin was pale brown and her dark hair tied into a large braid that washed over her back. Her snowy white dress complimented her demure behavior as she talked to Caesar.

"The Master is waiting for you inside. Please, let me guide you to where he is."

"Amaryllis, isn't it? Haven't seen you before," said Caesar. He touched his yellow mask, observing her from underneath.

"Oh, I'm quite new here. I'm usually in the kitchen." Amaryllis continued, "Then, shall we?"

Caesar nodded and gestured for both Agatha and me to follow the girl as the bronze door creaked open.

"You've been here?" I asked Agatha.

"A few years ago when Caesar and I were investigating an incursion operation done by the Great Corporate United in Chad," replied Agatha.

"An incursion operation?"

"A squad of soldiers launched an attack towards the other palace, but it was thwarted."

"Oh..."

There were a lot of decorations and items inside the palace. 'A lot' may be an understatement. I accidentally kicked a golden kettle lying on the marble floor and Amaryllis shrieked.

"I-I'll take this away." She took the kettle and placed it on a small ledge protruding from the white wall. She sighed and turned towards us like nothing happened.

"Uh, I'm sorry, miss Amaryllis," I apologized as my body bowed.

"N-No, it's fine. R-Really." She chuckled nervously and walked in front of us in haste.

Caesar shook his head at me. "Young miss AVA. You should be careful. Gheele Folami, as far as I'm concerned, really cares about his... things."

"But there's so many."

"Hm, indeed it is. The palace seems like it had run out of place to put all these stuff," said Caesar.

We arrived at a golden door and Amaryllis pushed it open. I covered my face from all the light that the room radiated as we entered the room. The walls were all covered with orange crystals and a pedestal stood out at the end of the room. A dark-skinned man was sitting on an ebony chair and looked down at us from his spot.

He wore a golden coat and a white collared shirt on the inside. His shirt and trousers were engraved with an intricate design in orange. His hair was dark and reached his shoulders.

He was nothing like any people I met. His overpowering presence in that huge room made me tense.