201 Shots

7 MONTHS AGO, year 3440 Alistor

The crisp winter air was refreshing with sweat sliding down his damp neck and forehead. Too bad the lab wasn’t air-conditioned, or have windows. But that was for good reasons, as it was underground, under a broken-down shack. Alistor and Demory, his “partner in crime” had found the shack, only clearing things up before stationing themselves with great technology. It was mostly for illegal research.

Alistor leaned against the door of the shack, quietly enjoying the wind breezing up around him, rustling his hair a bit.

If anyone found out that he and Demory were doing research on blood ties, plus trying to find a way to get into the banned planet of Drexlô and reported it to the Emperor… it would lead to execution, slaughtering by Emperor Larack of Neleria himself. Or, yet worse, Emperor Tilrion of Drexlô. Alistor knew he couldn’t let that happen, especially since he started this.

Alistor stared into the pond at his right. It almost looked like crystal glass, with the moon and stars reflecting on it perfectly. It only rippled when a breeze went above or past it.

It was unusual to have a pond or any sort of water-type in Ponforte Woods, located right next to the village of Nolgastia, the Village only welcoming riches.

The leafless trees above seemed to call to him, urging Alistor forwards. A forceful wind pushed the branches forwards and back. They looked like evil claws.

The Dark Kalla’s watched him, begging and daring him to take it. See it. One hissed, annoyed, flicking her tiny, rotting hand to get another wind to ripple the water again, push the metal forward.

Alistor’s eyes snapped to it. It looked like a normal scrap of metal, rusted and all. Except it was shaped like a perfect stick, almost looking like the shape of an Airflyer XX 200. The Kalla’s knew what the old 128 K.R Portal would do.

Alistor stared at it, squinting slightly. It was an extremely old model, made millenniums ago. But portals were only created millenniums ago- They were created a month ago, in Drexlô, November 12 14:24, R.H. They were only being showed and released for the public to use… Tomorrow, he realized. And he only knew this information to the amazing Mro-Pads, which could hack any computer system.

He straightened, pushing himself up. Snow and leaves crunched beneath his feet. He crouched down by the pond, reaching out to grab it. The wind seemed to be sucked away then, or maybe that was just him. He wrapped his hand around the portal, seizing it.

Maybe history was wrong. Maybe portals weren’t made millenniums ago but in 128.

Alistor shook water off it, running a finger over the “K.R”, which most likely meant Kröl-Rém, an old planet back in 86 to 337 before turning into Tréko, then in 1447, it turned into Aûlor.

He slowly stood up, cautiously examining it, then looking around. He didn’t even notice the Kallas.

The portal was rusted at the ends, around the words and over the “128 K.R”. It wasn’t very much dented, only in one spot, almost invisible. The rounded ends of it looked like squares. It looked worn in the mechanic mind.

Alistor wondered if it still worked. Probably not, but obviously worth a try.

He raised his hand that was gripped tightly around it, so his arm was straight forward. The words slipped past his lips easily- “Portal, Drexlô.”

He waited anxiously. Nothing happened. Alistor scowled, but mid-scowl, he realized it. Drexlô was a banned planet, even to Kröl-Rém, Aûlor. Even other planets, for absurd reasons, so he tried “Portal, Brîcon.”

Silence motivated him to throw the portal back in the water and stomp back to the lab. Instead, “Portal, Kröl-Rém!”

Wind stirred the continuous silence. Then, a shimmer of maroon-white mist appeared from the tiny, not-even-visible hole of the metal, but died away an instant later.

Alistor scowled- for real this time. He could work on it, but it would take years. Decades, even, with the state the portal was in.

Running his free hand through his hair, Alistor looked back at the shack, frowning. This would help him reach Drexlô... But what if it only set him back? What if something happened? It wouldn’t be worth it, then, but what if something didn’t happen? What if leaving the portal would only cause more struggles, and it could actually be easily fixed?

Deciding to take his dangerous chances, he headed to the lab, frowning.

It was odd- to find a portal out here when they were only created in Drexlô, and probably banned in any other planet. If anyone was found with a portal or any other device that allowed someone to communicate with other people outside the planet, they’d be beheaded by Larack’s guards in the Main Village square. Why the ruler would do that, Alistor didn’t know. Everyone knew that Larack would kill to get his hands on a device like this, and everyone also knew that the device would be publicly shut off and destroyed.

Alistor grunted as he heaved open the door. It was metal and good quality, but heavy. He stepped inside the hot entrance, shrugging off the jacket (which he honestly regretted wearing) as he started to descend the wooden stairs. Before, the doors were made of wood and would easily slide- too easy to get into. Although it did cost around two-thousand premmas to change the door and add a lock, it was worth it, as well as it being more secure.

The wooden stairs creaked silently beneath him. Really, it was creaking like hell, but the sound of Demory using the drill masked the noise.

Alistor planned to fix it, but it would be suspicious; people didn’t need to know they had an underground laboratory where they did illegal things. Far too suspicious, as it was far from Frolra Village and located in the Ponforte Woods.

At his coming footsteps (and the loud creaking), Demory stopped drilling, glancing over. His eyes were weary and tired from working all night, but a grin still slid on his face upon seeing Alistor return. Demory set down whatever he had been working on, spinning his chair to face his friend. He began talking. “Hey, Alistor. While you were out, I managed to fix your MroPad pretty easily-” He nodded over to the right “-Just an unnecessary chip blocking controls. It was overheating too, might have blown up.” Demory chuckled. His gaze suddenly dropped to the hand clutching the portal. Demory blinked. “Is that-”

Alistor cut him off. “Yes- I... need to contact Corey. Thanks for fixing my MroPad.” He managed a smile, grabbing it from the table. It slid over his sweaty hand as he headed for a free workspace, putting down the K.R portal, and began sending a direct message to Corey.

Each device had a message system, but MroPads especially. Even three planets away, the message could reach a person easily.

It was a simple message- just telling Corey to go to Ponforte. He didn’t know about everything- the illegal research, but he was about to. If Alistor was correct, Corey knew plenty about portals and devices like it. Hopefully, Corey would come by himself... and Alistor wouldn’t regret it.

He could already feel Demory’s eyes boring into the back of his skull.

But a ding set in the silence, and Alistor shuffled to read the simple message- Okay? Naër River.

Alistor reread the message. Why was Corey agreeing so easily? He was usually the one asking thousands of questions before saying yes to anything.

Naër River was east to the lab, less than five minutes to run to, and about seven to walk.

Alistor quickly shone a light down on the portal. He ignored Demory, who had walked up beside him. “Seriously?” came his harsh voice. “Now we’re keeping secrets or something?” Alistor winced at that but didn’t answer. Instead, he continued examining the portal for any more dirt hiding away.

Instead of finding dirt, he found searing hot pain.

Alistor yanked his hand back as it shot through his whole hand. “Oh- Crap!” He groaned, cursing.

Something seemed to be wrapping itself around him, dragging Alistor out of his own body. Or locking something in.

He clenched his jaw as Demory spun closer towards him, grabbing onto his friend’s shoulder, but froze with them skin to skin. A shudder ran through Demory, and he couldn’t keep in a scream. The pain for them both was almost unbearable as if someone was sticking a knife through them, and twisting, twisting, twisting.

The pain stopped an instant later but continued in a different way- as if they had grown into different bodies. The words “128 K.R Portal” disappeared, and in it’s place-not even rusted or dented-was “CONTAGIOUS BY THE TOUCH”.

It was engraved deeply, almost beautifully. A sort of rune was beside it in straight lines. The next sentence came quickly- “CONTAGIOUS BY THE BREATH”.

Alistor knew what it meant, but he didn’t know what the symbol-rune meant or was. He gripped his upper-arm, doubling over. He pulled his hands back, half gagging upon seeing it.

Scaly, slimy, and black, pointed hands greeted him. The portal had fallen on the floor, the hole where the maroon-white fog had come out was rushing through.

The metal door upstairs suddenly banged open. It would obviously be Corey- he knew of the shack, but he’d never been in it. How he knew that Alistor wouldn’t be at the River was something he couldn’t figure out.

As soon as Corey appeared, crawling and gagging, Alistor replayed the sentences in his mind.

Contagious by the touch... Contagious by the breath...

He did this. Alistor did this. Demory suddenly yelped at seeing himself. And the words once again disappeared on the portal. Alistor prepared for the worst, for the next sentence to come. Through the silence, a rasping breath whispered “Kaleidi” over and over. Alistor joined the chant, and the skin stitched back up.

Demory repeated the whisper, and in an instant, the Demory he knew was back. All muscles, long legs, tanned skin, light orange hair tied back and honey-coloured eyes. He watched Corey on the floor, clawing his throat and screaming as dark gray scales clawed over his light skin.

The portal ushered one more silent thing over and over- “Destroy Drexlô, Destroy Drexlô, Destroy Drexlô, Destroy... Destroy...”

It was a simple words that made Alistor question as he watched Corey. A roar erupted from his friend. “What have you done to my people?!” his stitched mouth screamed in a raspy voice. Demory merely glared.

In an instant, Corey had grabbed the portal, growling “I will destroy Drexlô for everything Tilrion did, and I will rule!” The last word came out stronger than the others as the monster inside took control, as everything ripped apart.

A single thought floated in Alistor’s mind. Demory knew.