ELIXA

CHAPTER 3

The glass cup clattered on his teeth as he took another sip. Colored lights animated the streets spreading out the vast body of darkness like moving galaxies. The hovering cars and hologram billboards were a testimony of his hard work and innovation. Single-handed, he had added life to the city and had placed the missing piece in the right place. It was thirty years now since the emperor and the firstborn had doubted his invention. They had called him mad and had almost exiled him from Bel Haven. Time flies. They had threatened his own existence, all because they were too poor in knowledge to see past their expectations. If they had exiled him, perhaps he would have returned and burned down Bel Haven to the ground. This magnificent city would have laid in ashes and dust, a foretaste of his consuming wrath.

But on second thought, that would have been a waste. With the increasing deforestation and lack of water, destroying this world would have been a total waste. Not to talk of the air. Bel Haven was hallowed with the finest. It was like nothing he had ever seen in the Nine Rings. Burning it down would be a squander of nature's goodness. Besides, he was here for a reason. He needed to find the missing piece. He needs to complete his dreams, and burning the city would only prolong his search, and that was something he didn't want to happen.

"Daddy, should I get you something to eat?"

The voice of his daughter mellowed his heart, and for the passing moment, he could see her face in the eyes of the robot, standing before him. Dorin had done a good job in upgrading Elixa. Now the memory of his daughter will not just be blank, but concrete. He could feel them. Elixa has been modified to take the shape of a loved one, to act like them, speak and walk like them. Still, they were not them. They were not human, just a fragment of what should have been. Even with the upgrade, it was not enough. He wanted the real thing. He wanted his daughter.

Claudius hissed and looked back into the room. There, standing in the doorway, was his daughter's memory, flashing out of Elixa's eyes. The thought of bringing her back has always been his greatest desire. It was the same reason he had invented Elixa at first. To alter the timeline and bring back people from the dead. While that was working, he needed more. He wanted something to make the situation permanent. A good way to merge the past, present, and future. A way to make life eternal. If he could merge the three timelines, then he would have the power of life and death. He was going to achieve his dream, and Elixa was going to be the masterpiece. 

The doorbell went off, just in time for Dorin to step in before the door slid back to its place. He must have applied the genetic hair cream, for his dark hair was shining unnaturally, but beautifully. Losing his spine from his L3 has not affected the boy in any way. As always, he still had that strong spirit about him. A spirit that was ready to do anything to please, Claudius. Of all the children Claudius had abducted, Dorin was his favorite. He was not just smart for his age, but also loyal to the core.

"Father," Dorin said and pushed a button on his wheelchair. It glided past the flower pot, to the view that looked out into the city, "It is done. The people really went into a frenzy about the upgrade, and we made more millions than we could ever imagine. All in one night. This is really amazing."

"That's good son," Claudius looked back at the city and took another sip from the glass. He frowned when he noticed that the cup was empty.

"What's wrong, sir? You look unhappy. If now is not the best time, I can come back" 

"What? No, Dorin. You have done well. I am just distracted by the news, that's all"

"What news?"

Claudius did not answer. He walked back into the room and refilled two glass cups with wine. He was running out of time and doing nothing was something that scared him the most. It was true that House Claudius was the most powerful in Bel Haven, but he still needed resources, and the resource he sought was one that money cannot buy. It was something else, an ingredient that would bring his daughter back. He had worked out the equations and there was a possibility that his theory was correct. All he needed was resources. And that brings him to his main problem. Every resource he needed was way beyond this world. If he didn't know correctly, he would have said that his mission was almost impossible.

"Haven't you heard?" Claudius handed the wine to Dorin and returned his attention to the city. He would have preferred the noise from the streets, that way, he could monitor the sound of his invention closely, and however, the glass on the balcony shut the noise, even though it had allowed the view.

"I have been too busy with the upgrade to care about the news," Dorin muttered as he took a sip, "Still, tell me what I don't know about this city."

"You will be surprised," Claudius smiled at the thought. He had been excited by the new himself. That had given him hope, at least. It was good to know that he was not chasing after the wind. "Something happened in Allen streets, today."

"Of course, I should have known. But let me guess. Some Garrisons were shot again. Ah, Allen Street is as profane as Ventra Street. The government should do something about those slums or else, a civil war might break out someday and we would have Outlaws running in the parliament."

"I wish I could say it's impossible." Claudius took another sip from the glass. Just then, an air shuttle glided past. The size was enormous, about six to five hundred feet long, with a height that was twice that of a three-story building. This was his invention, one which he had labored so hard to bring to completion. "It is something different, this time,"

"Different," Dorin chuckled and dropped the glass cup, "Tell me when something good has ever come out from Allen streets. It is always kill or get killed. One cop's death or individual. Drugs, rape, and so forth. The government really should consider that slum before the matter becomes worse"

"This is different, Dorin. The piece we have been looking for. All this while I have been searching in vain. But it seems the universe is playing the cards for me on this one"

That seemed to get Dorin's attention as he jerked from his chair and shifted his attention to his father.

"Yeah," Claudius continued, "but it is still under investigation, I am not certain yet, but I think it is what we have been looking for. If this had been a clean site and had nothing to do with the Garrison, I would have gone there myself. This is one disadvantage of being influential. The press is always in your nose, waiting to report your next move. Travailing quietly and peacefully has now become a problem. I remember those days when nobody gave a damn who I was." Claudius gulped the remaining wine angrily. He dropped the glass cup on the balcony and shifted the cuff of his white shirt. "Anyway, our eyes said that there has been a tornado."

"A tornado in Bel Haven?" Dorin chuckled, "That's hilarious"

"I said so myself until I learned that the tornado was not caused by nature. Some said it was caused by a boy, a mysterious boy from Allen streets."

"A boy?" Dorin laughed, "There is no way a human could have pulled a tornado. Unless the Silverton has suddenly jumped out from the stories to—

"That's it, Dorin." Claudius turns his attention away from the streets, "I think the boy is a Silverton."

Dorin laughed. Claudius could not say what was funny, but he was glad that the boy was happy, at least. The laughter was good in his eyes. Let him laugh for all he cared. If his theory was correct, then his quest to bring back his daughter from the dead was closer than he had expected.

"You are serious?" 

The question in Dorin's eyes made Claudius question if he had been right in picking Dorin as his CEO. The boy was suddenly behaving like a fool. With his level of smartness, he should know better that there are times when things just happen.   

"As I said," Claudius rested his hands on the Balcony, letting the ventilated air into every part of his body, "it is still under consideration, and since nobody had seen the boy, it is hard to certify the claims of the witness.

Dorin remained quiet for a while, processing the information. If there was a possibility that the Silverton was not a myth, then the shadow he had seen hanging on the wall must be…No, no way. They were all stories. The Silverton and the Darkeel. The Firebred and the Airno. There was no way all these things would be in existence.

"Do you believe in the stories," Dorin whispered.

"I believe in anything that can bring my daughter back from the dead. And right now, there is only one thing that is ruling my mind, and that's Elixa. So no, I don't believe in the stories. I believe in Elixa. I believe in myself."