Chapter 11 – New Powers

There’s an awkward silence in the air as Michael was called into Chase’s office. They both know why he’s here. Yesterday he disobeyed a direct order from the General to capture Chaos Man. After the loss of Alice, her men in Wolf Squad turned to their lieutenant for guidance. But now he’s been removed from command and Michael does feel like he let them, and Alice, down. But he knew in his heart he did the right thing even if he may be courtmartialed for it.

He was sitting uncomfortably in his chair, looking down at his feet, bracing himself for all the yelling his father will be unleashing at him. His throat felt dry, and he was fidgeting with his fingers. Chase can see clear as day that he was not looking forward to this talk. Truth was, neither was he. He’s courtmartialed disobedient soldiers before, but who would’ve ever imagined that he might have to banish his own son from Aegis?

He readjusts himself in his office chair and leans over the desk to get a proper look at Michael with his only good eye, clears his throat, and says what needs to be said.

Chase: You know why I’ve called you here, Michael. You’ve disobeyed a direct order from me. This is a very serious matter, you know. Why would you choose to let that man go?

Michael slowly looks up from the floor and gives Chase his full attention before answering.

Michael: Because I believe Chaos Man is a good person. The men shot first, he was only defending himself. And even when they attempted to kill him, he didn’t hurt anyone. Just because he possesses power doesn’t make him an immediate threat.

Chase: Yes it does. Power shouldn’t be handled by anyone, especially a childish teenager trying to play hero. At first, he may claim to use if for good. But eventually it’ll consume him, and he’ll use it for selfish reasons. Think he’s above the rest of humanity. How long until he becomes the very embodiment of the evil he’d sworn to destroy?

Michael: Dad, this isn’t a movie. In the future you may be right, but right now he hasn’t done anything to endanger the city or its people. He prevented a mass shooting at a Comic-Con formulated by a group of terrorists that somehow managed to slip under Aegis and Magna Tech’s noses. So many innocent people, whole families, could’ve died that day if he hadn’t been there. That action alone is enough to convince me he’s on our side.

Chase: You haven’t even met him. You can’t just trust him because he saved some people or beat up a few thugs. I already told you the power he possesses came from whatever it was that fell to Earth five months ago. He stole it and won’t let us try and figure out what it was.

Michael: Capturing him is not the answer. There’s another way.

Chase: Well, what do you suggest then? Surely, you’re not thinking we just walk up to him and ask him politely to turn himself in, are you?

Michael: ‘Course not. I was thinking more along the lines of working together with Chaos Man.

Chase: You can’t be serious!

Michael: He and Aegis both want the same thing, to protect the world and get rid of all remaining monsters. It makes perfect sense that we should join forces. Chaos Man would be a powerful ally. There may be threats to this world stronger than Aegis can handle. Having Chaos Man on our side would benefit mankind’s future and ensure another Monster War never happens.

Chase: That is ridiculous! Chaos Man cannot be trusted with Aegis. Letting him in would be like handing over control of a nuke to a child! As General, I cannot allow this… But as your father, I respect what you’re trying to do. You seeing the good in others was always a trait you inherited from your mother, that and your stubbornness.

Chase pauses and stands up from his chair. He slowly walks around the desk and leans against the opposite side of it so he can get closer to Michael. He was getting a little off track with their talk that he’d almost forgotten the main reason he’d been brought in. Deciding whether or not he should allow him to remain a soldier of Aegis or let him go.

Chase: …I meant what I said to you the day we reunited at Hillside. You have potential, Michael. You’ve proven yourself a capable man several times. Letting you go would be a great shame for both of us… I don’t do this for anyone, but just this one time, I am willing to let you off with a warning and allow you to remain in Wolf Squad and fight for Aegis. But I can’t restore your position as Squad Commander. You also won’t be involved in more missions involving Chaos Man because I already know you won’t follow orders to capture him.

Michael: That’s fine by me, Dad. I appreciate you giving me a second chance. I hope you won’t get into any trouble for it. But I still believe working with Chaos Man is a good opportunity for us. Just please don’t try to capture him again. Give me a chance to prove he can be a great ally.

Chase: Michael, I-

Chase was about to regretfully inform his son that he couldn’t agree to such a promise. But he and Michael were startled by the sudden blast of a loud alarm ringing all throughout the base. Chase quickly rushed behind his desk and pulls out his radio and responds to whoever was contacting him on the emergency channel.

Chase: Command, what’s going on?!

Command Centre: We’ve just received a distress call from Lion Squad. The monsters they’ve been sent to eliminate have summoned a Kaiju Class monster to their aid! It’s wiping out our fighter jets and tanks! They’re losing men fast!

Chase: I’ll send reinforcements to their coordinates at once. Tell them to hold on as long as they can and make sure the giant doesn’t reach any neighbouring cities. Out.

He cuts the connection with the Command Centre and sits back into his chair, leaning back as far as he can and covering his face, groaning with annoyance. Why now did they have to deal with a Kaiju Class monster? He thought all of the giant monsters had been wiped out during the war. If one was still hiding on Earth, why now did it choose to emerge?

Michael: What’s going on? What’s a Kaiju Class monster?

Chase: It’s the term for giant monsters. Most of them had been successfully eradicated during the Monster War, but apparently one survived, and it’s wiping out Lion Squad. I’m sending Wolf Squad to back them up with tanks and bombers. We gotta send everything we got at that beast before it reaches any bustling cities.

Michael: If you’re sending all of Wolf Squad, then let me go too.

Chase: No way!

Michael: You just said that I can still fight for Aegis!

Chase: Not against a Kaiju Class, just one is enough to take out an entire battalion of soldiers. If you go, you’ll surely be killed.

Michael: Please, Dad. I know I disobeyed your orders before, but I’m still a soldier and I want to fight.

Chase: Michael…

Michael: Trust me, Dad. I’ll be fine. I’ll keep my distance and focus solely on saving lives. I won’t fight the monster, I swear.

Unfortunately for Chase, time was of the essence, so he didn’t have the luxury of thinking through his answer. Every second they waste in his office means more deaths of good men and women fending off the Kaiju. Without thinking he agrees to Michael’s request and allows him to ride out with Wolf Squad.

Chase: Very well, Michael. Go with the reinforcements and help Lion Squad. But remember to keep your distance and your only objective is to provide medical aid to any injured soldiers. Is that clear?

Michael: Transparent, sir. I won’t let you down this time.

Chase: I hope you’re right… And please try not to get yourself killed.

Though he was walking out the door, Michael did catch that last piece of important advice. He will keep his promise of not engaging the Kaiju in battle. He can be overconfident in his abilities sometimes, as Alice used to painfully remind him of during their sparring sessions, but he’s not suicidal or stupid. He knows when he’s outmatched. All the more reason he’ll go with his secret plan. Find a way to contact Chaos Man and have him battle the Kaiju on their behalf. With his powers he can end the monster and prevent a substantial loss of life. It’s also his best chance to convince Chase that he can be an ally in future endeavours.

As he enters the hanger bay, he can see so many soldiers mobilising and running to their transport vehicles, gathering their bearings, and preparing for what may be their biggest battle since the Monster War. Michael joins up with the rest of Wolf Squad and boards one of the helicopters. The soldier sitting next to him looks at Michael with confusion about why he’s here. He was in the helicopter he was piloting when they were sent to contain Chaos Man. He thinks its strange that he is still here, let alone taking part in this mission.

Soldier 1: What are you doing here? You should’ve been courtmartialed.

Michael: I have my reasons. That’s all you need to know.

The solider rolls his eyes in response and faces forward. There was no point in arguing with him. The helicopters take off as soon as everyone was aboard and fastened in their seats, following the fighter jets far ahead while the ground forces take the tunnels that’ll lead them to the area of attack.

Around that same time back at the Monastery. Alex, back in his normal clothes, was sitting down on the porch of the shrine building talking to Omnius about his run in with the Crimson Nightshades and his surprising loss to Lukas and his psychic powers. Omnius seemed intrigued by his story but didn’t appear all that shocked about the prospect of someone else on Earth having superpowers like Alex, which got him curious as to why.

Omnius: …So, the other day was when you encountered the man with psychic powers?

Alex: Yes. He was powerful enough to hold me in place and even throw me across the motorway into a forest. I hadn’t ever considered the possibility of other people with superpowers in the world. You don’t seem shocked by this… Omnius, are there others out there like me?

Omnius: No. You are the only one who possesses Chaos Energy. But there are many people out there who have unique abilities of their own.

Alex: There are? For how long?

Omnius: Since the beginning of the Earth itself. In the old days, back when humanity was in its primitive age, there used to be people who could harness magic. I have had other students before you who were born with natural abilities, but none of them possessed psychic powers… From what you’ve described to me; I can only conclude that what you encountered was an Elemental.

Alex: An Elemental? What’s that?

Omnius: They’re a species of human that are born with the power to control an element.

Alex: Like fire, water, earth and air?

Omnius: Amongst many others, yes. Elementals can harness and manipulate their designated element any way they please. But that isn’t all they can do. They also possess the ability to summon an Animal Spirit that lays dormant within their souls until called upon to aid them.

Alex’s eyes widened a little with shock as he tris to picture what Omnius was describing to him. He pictured a silhouette of a man with his fist on fire and a ghostly wolf standing behind him. If there really were people like that in the world then he questioned why he’d never heard of them or people with magic before until now.

Alex: Hold up, if Elementals and Sorcerers have been around since the very beginning, how come I’ve never heard of them before? I don’t remember anybody mentioning them or seeing any news reports about them.

Omnius: Essentially, until a few years ago, just before the Monster War, Elementals have been kept in the dark from public eyes by your governments. This should come as no surprise to anyone, but Elementals are discriminated by most of humanity. Seeing them as a threat to their own existence for centuries. One of the world’s longest wars was against the Elemental Race. “The War of the Seven Continents” they called it.

Alex: Whoa, heavy… Still, getting back to the short Crimson Nightshade member. When I fought him, I didn’t see any Animal Spirits. And I don’t think psychokinesis counts as an element.

Omnius: Ah, but you are wrong, Alex. It is very rare, but the Element of Psychic is a real thing. And not all Elementals are capable of unlocking their Animal Spirits. It takes years of training for an Elemental to master that ability. Whoever this Lukas is, he must have trained hard to be strong enough to hold someone like you at bay for as long as he did. Despite the hate they get on a daily basis, Elementals are usually known to be more honourable than Humans. Hard to imagine someone like him to be serving with the worst kind of people.

Alex: Tell me about it. Looks like the Crimson Nightshades aren’t just all talk after all. They may end up becoming my first rivals. I’ll be ready for them next time.

Omnius: I’m afraid there won’t be a next time, Alex. Not until you’ve mastered the stronger abilities you have yet to perfect.

Alex turns to Omnius with surprise, remembering the one specific power he’d been occasionally returning to the monastery to train with.

Alex: Um, are you sure that’s necessary? It’s only two bandits and an Elemental. Seems a bit extreme to use that power against them.

Omnius: Oh no, I wasn’t referring to that… Until you arrived, I was considering whether now was the time to teach you the basics of using a weapon.

Alex: A weapon?

Omnius: It may be your best chance to best an Elemental in combat should the need arise for it… Come with me. There’s something I must show you.

Omnius stands up and grabs his staff leaning against the wall before turning himself around to enter the monastery. Alex curiously follows closely. They take a detour through the living room. A TV and Wi-Fi has recently been added to it despite Omnius’ initial protests. Alex convinced him to have them put in as it would help him keep tabs on what’s going on in the world by watching the news or reading posts online of potential dangers. That way, Chaos Man can offer assistance anytime. That and it gives him something to do whenever he’s not training or doing chores.

The wise middle-aged man guides his young apprentice into a room that Alex hadn’t seen before. It looked like every other mostly empty Japanese-styled room, but this one was filled with all kinds of bladed weapons and armours from various counties and ages, such as a shogun era samurai armour set, and a medieval knight’s armour, and roman armour to name a few examples.

Hanging on the walls were all kinds of weapons, various swords, shields, spears, bows and arrows, and many more. But all of it paled in comparison to the strange, glowing ice blue sword locked behind a glass case next to a cupboard. The blade was slowly flashing a light from within it, catching Alex’s eye.

Alex: Wow! That’s cool. Look at all these weapons. Some of these look really old too. Like they should be on display in a museum or something. Did you make any of these?

He asked as he looked over each of them a second time.

Omnius: Some of them. Most of the others I’ve collected throughout my many travels.

Alex: And that blue blade over there? Is that my sword?

Omnius chuckled to himself, amused by the thought of Alex wielding a sword like that. Not in a mocking way, but in a doubtful way.

Omnius: If this was going to be your sword it would’ve told us so… No, I have something else for you.

What did he mean by “would’ve told us”? Alex wondered. Was Omnius messing with him again? How can a sword decide who gets to wield it? It’s not alive… Or is it? He doesn’t get the chance to ask his mentor as he was rummaging through the top shelf of the cupboard next to the case containing the strange glowing blue blade and pulls out something small. He slowly turns to face Alex and reveals that sitting in his hand was a light blue/cyan emerald, roughly the size of his hand.

Omnius: This is your weapon.

Alex: A blue diamond?

Omnius: A Chaos Emerald. One of the seven pieces of the emerald that fell to Earth and granted you your powers. When you passed out in the crater, the original emerald shattered into seven parts and scattered themselves around the world. I found this one deep in the forest near the monastery the day after I dropped you off at the orphanage. I’ve been keeping it locked up in here, waiting for the right moment to give it to you. I believe now is the time.

Alex: A… Chaos Emerald? Wait a minute, how do you even know that’s what they’re called?

Omnius: The emerald told me, as silly as that sounds.

Alex: It… told you? So, this thing is alive?

Omnius: As alive as you and I. After the original Genesis Emerald crashed and transferred most of its energy to you, you’ve become the new Genesis Emerald. But your powers aren’t whole. There are still many secrets you have yet to unlock. I wanted to wait until your body’s grown strong enough to completely adapt the Chaos Energy before I could teach you how to unlock the powers of this Chaos Emerald. But now the time has come for you to use it.

Omnius holds out the cyan emerald to him. Alex slowly wraps his fingers around its smooth surface and brings it up to his face for a proper look over. On closer inspection it looked like a perfectly cut diamond. Then suddenly, he felt a strange sensation running through his whole body as he held the emerald. He could feel the Chaos Energy in his body resonating with the energy of the emerald. It was hard to explain, but to Alex, it felt like he was an incomplete jigsaw puzzle, and he’d just inserted another piece, feeling a little more complete.

As he stares into it, it starts to glow brightly, flashing a couple times, acting like it’s acknowledging Alex as it’s master. Alex shook when he felt a strange sensation, like feeling a sound more than hearing it, it felt like a distant voice in his mind telling him “Hello” in a high-pitched, faint sounding voice, like a discordant violin.

Alex: Ah! I-It spoke to me, s-sort of! You were right! It IS alive!

Omnius chuckles in response, expecting him to have that kind of reaction. Once he got over his initial response, Alex turns to Omnius again, clutching the emerald tightly in his hand.

Alex: But I don’t understand. You said this gem is my weapon, but how am I gonna wield an emerald as a weapon?

Omnius: Part of reaching your own full potential is understanding the emerald’s potential. Once it is in tuned with the focused heart, it’s secrets and powers can be unlocked. In other words, your Chaos Emerald can become your weapon itself.

Alex: Okay… how do I do it?

Omnius: Clear your mind. Concentrate on unlocking the emerald’s power. Imagine that you are holding a sword in your hand.

Alex nods and takes a few steps back, giving himself some room to attempt the process of turning the Chaos Emerald into his first weapon. He closes his eyes and holds the cyan emerald in front of him, taking up a swordsman’s stance. He felt silly holding it this way, but Omnius said to imagine he’s holding a sword so that is how he’ll do it.

Nothing was happening at first, prompting Alex to peek one of his eyes open to see if he was doing something wrong. But then the emerald started to respond to his wish and glowed brightly, enveloping Alex’s hands in a cyan coloured light. In a flash, the Chaos Emerald transforms into a cyan and gold longsword. It had a strange curvy shape and a star shaped hilt. Parts of the emerald were embedded in the centre of the hilt and base of the blade. The edges were cyan, and the middle was gold.

Alex immediately opens his eyes when his grip feels the thin, smooth handle of his new sword. He thoroughly looks it over from head to toe with bewilderment.

Alex: Whoa! Did I just do that?!

He loses himself in the excitement of magically forging his own weapon and starts swinging it around, getting a feel for it. It felt surprisingly light and easy to swing. Or perhaps it’s the fact that his new super strength makes everything feel light to him.

After having to duck to avoid his blind swinging, Omnius blocks the blade with his wooden staff which was surprisingly strong enough to stop his sword without getting a single scratch.

Omnius: Careful, Alex. You just unlocked its power. Remember that it IS a weapon and be mindful of that, or you might hurt yourself or me for that matter.

Alex: Hehe, sorry.

He says sheepishly whilst scratching the back of his head with embarrassment.

Omnius: It’s fine. You better put that away before you accidentally break something.

“Okay” Alex replied as he changes the Chaos Emerald back to its original form. He and Omnius soon leave the weapon’s room and wander into the living room area. Alex turns on the TV to check what’s been going on in the world since his last patrol over New London. It had been a few days since anything major had been reported that required his assistance. He surfed through the various news channels and watched a couple of minutes of each one in case they suddenly bring up something urgent.

Omnius: Wait, Alex. Go back!

Before Alex changed the channel, Omnius caught a glimpse of the Aegis symbol being displayed next to the anchor woman reporting in the studio. Alex quickly changes it back and turns up the volume so they can hear what’s going on.

News Reporter: This urgent news just in! A Kaiju Class monster has been detected in the mountain range of Lake District in Keswick. The Aegis military are on the scene now, trying to eliminate the threat, but it doesn’t look good on their end. We’re now going to take you live to the scene with Janet in the Channel 5 News copter.

The news then cuts to the reporter in the helicopter holding on to the handles above whilst trying to keep her cool as she reported the scene of the attack. The camera shows the giant monster battling Aegis tanks and jets who are pummelling it with heavy fire. The monster appeared to be some kind of giant earth golem with a couple rock spikes on it’s back, looking like it had mountains on its back. It had no facial features aside from four glowing red eyes. It stood on two legs and had one claw hand. The other was a curved stone blade which it used to swipe at the ground, kicking up dust and sending several men and tanks flying.

Janet: We just got an an anonymous tip from a caller who claimed that Chaos Man will soon arrive and assist the desperate soldiers against this monster, but so far nothing yet. Our sources say that this earth golem creature had been hibernating during the end of the war, disguising itself as one of the mountains in the district, regaining its strength until now… For all our sakes, I hope Chaos Man shows up soon. Not that I’m doubting Aegis’ accomplishments, but I don’t think even they area match for a beast that size.

Alex: Oh my god! Look at the size of that thing! No way Aegis can last long against that.

Omnius: Then I believe now is the perfect time to take that Chaos Emerald and put it to good use.

Alex: But I haven’t had any training with it yet… I don’t even know if I can take on something that big. This is beyond the usual crooks and small monsters I’ve fought.

Omnius: Some lessons are better learned in the field of battle. Just remember everything I’ve taught you and use your fear to give you the courage to raise your new sword against this great foe. Have faith in yourself, Alex, and you’ll be victorious.

Alex exhales a relaxing sigh and nods as he closes his eyes and forms his super suit around his body, transforming once again into Chaos Man. But as he admires his suit, he realises that there’s another problem. He has nowhere to keep the Chaos Emerald safe when he goes out on hero missions.

Fortunately, Omnius remains one step ahead of him and pulls out a gold and silver belt with seven emerald-shaped slots on it and had Chaos Man’s symbol in the middle where the clasp is.

Omnius: Here you go, Alex. I made this for you. A device that will contain the Chaos Emerald’s powers and it’ll be easy transport for all seven emeralds once you find and tame them. And like your Inhibitor Rings, it’ll automatically hide itself from others whenever you change back to your regular self.

Chaos Man: Huh, I didn’t include a belt in my final design.

He takes the belt from Omnius, slips it around his waist, and connects it at the front. He stands in front of the mirror in the corner of the room and checks how it looks on him from front to back.

Chaos Man: But it does look good on me. Matches my bracelets. And it’s a perfect fit too. Thanks, Omnius.

Omnius was pleased to hear that he liked it. When it came to designing the device, he took inspiration from Alex’s sketch book when he was designing costumes for himself before settling on the final design. The belt wasn’t part of it, but Alex was willing to make it work. He lowers the emerald to one of the slots and sparks of energy emerge from it, like it’s magnetically drawn to the empty slots of the belt. The Chaos Emerald somehow shrinks itself down as it embeds itself into the empty slot on front right side of the belt. Both Alex and Omnius were happy to see that it was working perfectly.

Chaos Man: Awesome! This’ll make carrying the emeralds easier for me once I find the rest of them… I better hurry and help Aegis, even though they tried to capture me before.

Omnius: No matter what people may think of you, you must always be willing to save them, even if they’ll never be thankful for your help. It’s the right thing to do, no matter what the cost.

Chaos Man: Yeah yeah, I know. I’ll see you later, Omnius. And thanks again.

Omnius: You’re welcome.

Chaos Man quickly takes flight and blasts off at top speed in the direction of the smoke rising from what he can assume are from exploding Aegis vehicles and such. Omnius heads back inside the monastery and continues to watch the news on the new TV, checking on Alex’s progress and taking notes on how well he’ll fair against the giant monster.

Chaos ensues in Keswick as the men and women of Aegis fight for their lives to prevent the golem’s rampage. But taking on a monster with earthy armoured skin wasn’t easy even with missiles. As well as its incredible healing factor, the monster can move terrifyingly fast for its size, easily able to defend itself and retaliate against their attacks. It even managed to catch a fighter jet out of the sky and throw it at the approaching tanks. By this point, more than half of the Lion Squad troops, along with a third of Wolf Squad, had been wiped out.

Michael was stationed in the rear of the battalion, keeping true to his word of only providing aid to the wounded and keeping a safe distance from the kaiju. Though how long that safety will last is dependent on whether Chaos Man shows up. The news helicopter was still hovering in place at a safe distance, documenting the whole thing.

Michael: Damnit! It’s been ages since I sent that tip to the news. He should’ve been here by now.

He watches as the monster continues to wipe out any soldiers approaching and lighting it up with heavy firepower. The situation only grows more dire with each passing minute. The soldiers were beginning to consider calling in a full retreat and send in the bombing squad. Michael overhears those orders from the new Wolf Squad Captain. He started getting memory flashes of the last time the bombing squad had been called in to deal with a serious monster threat. The day Alice sacrificed herself. If they make this call before the evacuation can be completed, even more people will die.

Michael: No no no! This is why we need to get Chaos Man to help. To prevent more incidents like… that. I can’t let it happen again. We need-

Michael was startled out of his current state of thought by the loud and intense roars of agony emanating from the giant monster. He and the other soldiers all turn in the direction of the titan and notice it was stumbling backwards, tripping over its own feet and falling over. The impact of its fall sends out a huge tremor that rattles the ground beneath their feet, knocking a lot of them off balance.

Lion Squad Captain: What happened?! Was that the bombing squad?

Wolf Squad Captain: Can’t be. It was moving too fast to be a missile. Too strong to be one of ours either.

Michael looks up at the sky around the vicinity of the fallen kaiju. He could barely see him from this distance, but he knew instantly who was responsible. There was only one person he knew who could fly unaided and wore a brightly coloured suit that made him stand out like a sore thumb.

Michael: Chaos Man! Finally.

Lion Squad Captain: What the hell is he doing here?

Wolf Squad Captain: He’s helping us, obviously.

While the monster was down, Chaos Man quickly approached the surviving soldiers and hovers a few feet off the ground around them. He was on guard, ready to react if any of them try anything with him like last time. Though they should know better that there are bigger things happening here than whatever beef they’ve got with him.

Instead of addressing them in his usual joking manner, Chaos Man takes things seriously with them. From above he could see the wreckage of the crashed fighter jets, the turned over tanks, not to mention all the soldiers lying dead on the field of battle. He knows they’ve suffered a lot of loses today. Lives that could’ve been saved had he arrived much sooner.

Chaos Man: I’m so sorry I didn’t get here earlier. I could’ve helped your men.

Lion Squad Captain: Nobody asked for your help! Aegis doesn’t need help from-

Michael: Don’t listen to him, Chaos Man! We do need your help!

Michael calls out as he pushes past the other soldiers to get his attention. Chaos Man spots him in the crowd and descends slightly to get a good look at him. He points the hero in the direction of the news helicopter that was now aiming its camera at Chaos Man as he talked to Michael, whilst keeping tabs on the downed monster.

Michael: Nobody blames you for the losses we sustained. Not even you can be everywhere all at once… Listen, we don’t have a lot of time. We can’t beat this thing on our own, and with that news helicopter over there, we can’t send in the bombing squad. Do you think you can hold it back for us? Give us time to evacuate the area?

Chaos Man gets a good long look at the soldier speaking with him and his eyes widen behind his dark blue mask. He recognised him immediately as his old friend, Michael Mercer. Someone he hadn’t seen in months, not since the day his father picked him up from the orphanage.

He then started to reminisce on a conversation he and Michael had in New London the day they first met Violet. He recalled him mentioning that Chase left him at Hillside House because his job was taking up too much of his time and responsibilities. Then he thought back later on that same day when Chase came back. He was wearing an Aegis uniform. He didn’t know who they were at the time, but now that’s he’s familiar with the organisation, he can deduce that joining them was the reason he took him away.

Chaos Man: Michael. So, this is what your dad had in mind for you when he picked you up. You’re one of them… Still, the fact that you stood up for me just now shows that you don’t see me as a threat like most of them do.

He then remembered his last encounter with Aegis in the ruins of Reading. When he was being pursued by their helicopters, one of them actually chose to let him go. He wondered if maybe there was a slight possibility that the one piloting that helicopter was Michael.

Chaos Man: So that was you who let me go. Even though we’re on opposite sides, we’re still friends deep down.

Michael: Oi, Chaos Man! I said can you hold it back for us?!

Chaos Man: Oh, yeah, of course. You can count on me, uhh, random soldier I’ve never met before.

As they were conversing awkwardly, the giant monster was getting close to recovering from its fall and getting back up on its feet again. A welcome chance to get himself out of this weird reunion between the two old friends. Chaos Man flies away from the soldiers and towards the monster, leaving Michael raising his eyebrow with confusion behind his glasses.

Michael: O…k? Weirdo… Is it just me, or is there something familiar about the way he acted just now?

The giant earth monster finally manages to pick itself back up after a few failed attempts and roars frustratingly as it stares down at its new, much smaller competitor. Chaos Man was just hovering in place at eye level with the kaiju. Though he wasn’t showing it, he was afraid to face this thing. But he remembered what Omnius taught him and steadied his breathing.

The monster wastes no time lunging its curved blade arm at him, hoping to swat him out of the sky. Chaos Man swiftly dodges up and over its blade and begins bombarding it with a flurry of Chaos Spears from the palms of his hands. Each strike caused more damage to it than Aegis’ bullets, bombs and missiles did. The creature was actually screaming in agony. A lot of the soldiers weren’t too happy with the way he was making them feel inadequate, but most were just pleased to finally take a breath and let someone else risk their life against this gargantuan threat. The cameraman in the news helicopter kept his camera focused on the hero as he battles the monster.

Janet: Just when time was running out for Aegis, Chaos Man answers our call and is now fighting the giant monster. This is a very big step from the usual monsters he’s dealt with. But I have faith he can win.

The Monster blocks the hail of Chaos Energy blasts with its sword arm before returning the favour with a couple of red energy shots coming from its four glowing red eyes. The lasers do hit Chaos Man, but he blocks them with his hands. Michael and the soldiers were both impressed and frightened by how much stronger he’d gotten.

Michael: Amazing…

Michael quietly commented as he watched the battle continue. He was confused to see Chaos Man back away from the kaiju when he clearly had it on the ropes. Why would he do that, he wondered. Chaos Man reaches down to his new belt and magnetically summons the cyan Chaos Emerald to his hand. He holds it out in front of the monster, putting it in full view of everyone. Michael couldn’t get a good look at what was in his hand, but he can see it was very bright and was responding to him.

Chaos Man: Alright, time to see what my new Chaos Blade can do.

Chaos Man repeats what he did at the monastery and the emerald transforms into his Chaos Blade, surprising Michael and the other soldiers watching. They all saw that he had something else in his hand before that sword just magically appeared.

Michael: He has a sword now?

The monster reels its sword arm back, preparing to attack him again, before lunging it forward. But for some reason, Chaos Man didn’t dodge it this time. Instead, to everyone’s shocking surprise, he raises his Chaos Blade up and blocks its strike singlehanded, stopping its attack.

Michael: What. The. Fuck?!

He said with completely dumbfounded, widened eyes and mouth. An expected reaction to seeing a man stop a giant monster’s weapon, the size of a skyscraper, with only one hand. Is it any wonder Aegis fears this man?

After swatting away the monster’s arm, Chaos Man flies up to the joints in its elbows where its flesh is exposed and proceeds to drive his sword into it, staining the blade amber with the blood of the beast, before he is successful in completely severing the blade arm from the monster’s body. The kaiju roars so loud and takes a couple steps back as it clutches its nub with its claw arm. It’s severed arm hits the ground with a deafening thud. Luckily nobody heard it as they’d already had their ears covered, trying to drown out the monster’s cries.

Once again, Chaos Man backs off and takes up a swordsman ready stance. He can sense the emerald resonating with him, telling him how to finish the monster off.

Chaos Man: Really? That’s a thing I can do? … Alright then, I’ll give it a shot.

The pain over the loss of its arm enraged the monster to the point of blindly charging at the multi-coloured hero, desperate to crush him like the annoying insect it viewed him as. Its huge footsteps causing miniature earthquakes with each step it took.

Solider 1: What is he doing just floating there?

Soldier 2: He looks like he’s getting ready to do something, maybe?

Soldier 3: Move, you idiot!

But Chaos Man didn’t run or put up any form of resistance. He maintained his composure and slowly raises his sword high over his head as he begins to glow softly. His breathing steady as he follows the instructions the emerald telepathically gave him. He exhales calmly and softly speaks out the name of his blade’s primary attack.

Chaos Man: Chaos… Slash!

He swings his sword downwards with both hands. The Chaos Blade glows brightly as it discharges a huge crescent wave of cyan Chaos Energy that almost towers over the giant monster’s upper torso. Michael, the soldiers and the reporters in the helicopter temporarily avert their eyes from the blinding light. Even the monster was blinded by the light and slightly turns its upper torso to the left since its “face” is fixed in its its body.

The Chaos Slash impacts the monster vertically in the centre of its rocky body, impacting it hard enough to crack the surface. It slices through the monster’s body, cutting it in half and finishing it off for good.

For a brief moment, there was silence as the spectators both on and above the ground take a moment to process what they’re seeing. The kaiju was frozen in place as it’s halves slowly slid apart from each other. The troops were too stunned to even think about moving back in case the monster topples forwards and crushes them. Fortunately, the monster’s body started to disintegrate, fading into black smoke and specs of ashes as the energy dissipated. Shocked wouldn’t be enough to describe Michael and everyone else’s expression towards what they’d all just witnessed. Even the news crew was at a loss for words. Aegis had lost so many good men and women trying to push back that monster, and then along came Chaos Man who killed it in a single strike. This demonstration may only increase their fear of him being a threat even further.

Lion Squad Captain: H-how is this possible? He killed that thing with one attack! All of our weapons did nothing, yet he managed to finish it off!

Wolf Squad Captain: I don’t know whether to feel relieved to see it dead or terrified of how powerful Chaos Man is. He may be even stronger than our scans originally predicted.

Michael: Don’t be afraid. If he hadn’t shown up that monster would’ve killed us all. Not matter what you, Dad, or anyone else thinks. In my mind, Chaos Man is a hero, not a threat.

The two captains' glance at each other, thinking about what Michael just said until the man of the hour descends upon their position. His Chaos Blade changes back to its emerald form and returns to its slot on his belt as he closes the gap between them. They were intimidated by his presence now after his demonstration of tremendous power. But Michael approaches him without fear and expresses his gratitude for his assistance.

Chaos Man: Are you all alright?

Michael: Yes, thanks to you. Thank you, Chaos Man… What is this strange feeling? Why do I feel like I know Chaos Man when I know this is the first time I’ve met him?

Chaos Man: You’re welcome.

He briefly shoots a glance over at the two dumbfounded squad captains before returning his attention back to his old friend.

Chaos Man: Hope that’s enough proof that tells you I’m one of the good guys and maybe you’ll think about not trying to capture me again… Anyway, I must be going now. You know, a hero’s work is never done.

Michael: Yeah, of course. See ya around, Chaos Man.

Chaos Man: Yeah, see ya, dude.

With his work here concluded, Chaos Man blasts off into the sky, passing by the news helicopter and giving the camera a wave before he disappears from sight. Once he was gone, the soldiers gather their bearings and take a moment to rest and calm themselves down after such a hectic battle. Michael pulls out his radio and contacts his father at HQ, informing him of the event that has transpired.

Michael: Come in, General. I am happy to report that the Kaiju Class monster has been terminated.

Chase: That’s excellent news, Son. I knew you could do it.

He says statically over the radio due to some interference. Though Michael can tell that there was an indication of relief in his voice, happy to hear his son’s voice and knowing that he is safe.

Michael: It wasn’t me who stopped it, sir. It was Chaos Man… We did lose a lot of good people today. But if it weren’t for him, we would’ve lost the whole battalion, including myself. Promise me you’ll keep that in mind the next time you think of him as a threat.

There was a long pause on Chase’s end, like he’s actually thinking about what he just said. When he finally did respond, he changes the subject and tone of his voice back to the usual seriousness of the General of Aegis.

Chase: Have everyone prepare to move back to base at once. There’s nothing more you can do there.

Michael: Understood. Out… Alright everyone, time to return to base! General’s orders!

The two captains nod and pass on those orders to the remainder of their troops to board any available transport vehicles and return to base. Michael climbs aboard the helicopter he arrived on and straps himself in. As he waited for takeoff, he thinks back to his final moments with Alice before she died, remembering what she told him about finding something to live for besides being a soldier. The reason he’s thinking about it now is because, after days of trying to figure out what it is he really wanted, he may’ve finally figured it out.

Michael: … I think I get what you meant now, Alice. I know now what I must do… Though I’m not looking forward to talking to Dad about it. Something tells me he won’t like it.

Back at the monastery in the peaceful mountains, Omnius was enjoying a cup of herbal tea as he watched Alex’s heroics on the new TV Alex installed in the living room some time ago. While he was usually against the idea of having technology in his traditional home, it did have its uses. At least he can keep up to date with all that is going on in the outside world and check on Alex’s progress, see if his training has yielded results.

He’d been paying close attention to Chaos Man’s battle against the giant earth type monster and how he utilised his first Chaos Emerald against it. Needless to say, he was impressed by his performance and how quickly he was able to tap into the emerald’s power.

Chaos Man soon lands in the grounds a few feet away from the front door slowly to avoid making a crater and damaging Omnius’ perfectly kept front lawn. He slides the door to the side and walks inside. His suit dissipates, changing him back into his regular clothes without his shoes on, as its tradition to remove them before entering a Japanese building. He approaches his mentor sitting cross legged on a cushion with his back turned to him.

Omnius: I see you have taken care of the monster.

He addresses his student without turning around.

Alex: Yes, the Chaos Blade worked. It was incredible!

Omnius: Is that what you’ve decided to call it?

Alex: Yeah, why not? Has a nice ring to it like Chaos Man. You were right, Omnius, about the emerald being alive. It told me how to use it and even told me the name of its primary attack.

Omnius stands up and switches off the TV before turning around to face Alex.

Omnius: I have been observing your battle on the news. It was an impressive display for your first time using the Chaos Emerald, but your execution still needs some work. Further training is required to help you control how much power you need to put into your attacks without going overboard.

Alex: I understand. But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.

Omnius: Then what is it?

Alex: My powers. These Chaos Emeralds. Where do they all come from? I need answers, and since you seem to know so much about them, I figured you might know where they came from. There has to be more to them than just being some random meteorite that happened to crash near me. Please tell me, Omnius.

Omnius lets out a soft but deep sigh in response to Alex’s demand for answers. He knew this moment was going to come sooner or later. He just wanted to wait until Alex felt he was ready to ask first rather than dump it all on him on Day 1 of his hero training.

He politely tells Alex to have a seat at the coffee table and wait for him as he leaves the room to go get something that’ll help with his explanation. Alex helped himself to a cup of tea as he awaited his mentor’s return. Omnius quietly re-entered the room with a dirty old scroll tucked under his arm. He takes his seat on the cushion across from Alex and carefully rolls out the scroll, flattening it out on the table. The paper was completely faded with tears all over the edges.

The scroll’s contents contain ancient texts that were in a language Alex didn’t recognise. But Omnius knew what it said, he’s had years to learn how to read this ancient tongue. Aside from a few texts, there were also faded drawings of what appeared to be two phoenixes with their wings stretched out to the sides, battling over four different shaped gemstones hovering a few feet above their heads.

Omnius: Everything you need to know about your powers, and where they came from, are all in this scroll. As I’ve mentioned earlier, the seven Chaos Emeralds are pieces of the Genesis Emerald that shattered when you absorbed most of its power. These scrolls depict that the Genesis Emerald is one of four powerful cosmic crystals that are the embodiment of reality itself. The Gems of Creation… Legends say that they were created at the same time as the two Celestial beings, Dark Gaia and Light Gaia. Both of them sought the gems for their own purposes. Light Gaia wanted to use them to create life, whilst his twin wished to destroy everything.

Omnius begins to delve into the story of the Celestial War, explaining how both sides created a grand army of Gods and Demons to fight back against the other, trying to claim the gems for themselves. Just possessing one of them would be enough to shift the balance of power in favour of whoever claimed it. During the first days of the Celestial War, the Gems of Creation were lost and scattered to the farthest reaches of the newly born universe.

Alex was thoroughly invested in this tale of legends and wondered if they may be more than just that. Gods? Demons? A war spanning millions of years? It would all sound made up to a regular person if they heard it. They’d call Omnius a lunatic even if he showed him real proof through this scroll. Millennials would assume he forged it. But Alex knows better than to assume he’s lying. What would be the point of that?

Omnius: …It was foretold that one day the Genesis Emerald would be found again. And my visions have predicted that it would be you who finds it. Now here we are. The emerald’s power has been reborn in you, and you hold its aspect of creation.

Alex: Aspect of creation?

Omnius: Indeed. Each gem maintains an aspect of creation itself. Order. Life. Death… And Chaos.

Alex: Let me guess, that’s mine.

Omnius nods and takes a sip of his tea, finishing off the last few drops before gently setting it back down on its coaster with both hands.

Omnius: You may hold the power greater than the Gods themselves, but don’t ever let that change who you are. Deep down you’re still only a Human. You must never forget that. A true warrior must never let their own power corrupt them.

Alex: I won’t forget, Omnius. No matter how tough the journey gets, I’ll always do my best to stay true to who I really am.

Omnius says nothing. He admires Alex’s determination to stay true to himself as a person, but it was easy to say those things then to act on such a promise. Time has a way of changing things, and he suspects there’ll be many changes to occur in Alex’s life as he grows as a person and a warrior.

For now, he will keep those thoughts to himself and stay focussed on the present and enjoy the simple things in life with his apprentice. Remembering his accomplishments with the giant monster, he decided to reward Alex with the promise of a freshly baked slice of apple pie. Alex beams with joy as he follows Omnius to the kitchen, excited to try some. But he was deprived of his reward when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. As he pulls it out, the screen displayed “Jackson Hills” as the contact and answers.

Alex: Hi, Jackson. How are-

Jackson: Alex, thank God! I need your help!

Alex: Whoa whoa, easy. What’s wrong?

Jackson: Jason’s missing!

To Be Continued