Book 2, Chapter 92 - The Skull (2/2)

It sounded like it was coming from right next to his ear, like a gentle thunder. The sound of it was full of majesty and coercion, impossible to deny, that shook him to the depths of his soul. Its tremendous will washed over him, so powerful that even the mightiest warrior would be overcome with despair.

“Kneel!”

The command fell with the force of a mountain.

Cloudhawk couldn’t breathe. The will of this being completely overcame his defenses and spoke directly to the depths of his mind. He could feel it working to steal the strength of his legs and force him to the ground.

“Kneel!”

Another booming command ripped through his skull.

He was exhausted, drained, and covered in sweat. Cloudhawk’s mind was empty and absent any resistance. But there was something deeper, a tenacity in the depths of his heart that arose in defiance and anger. He didn’t know why, only that he would not kneel before this being. If he obeyed then he would truly be lost. He didn’t want to lose!

Fuck! Who the fuck are you? You think I’m going to kneel because you tell me to?

The beings of light stretched forth their hands at Cloudhawk, who refused to show obeisance. Within their palms the light gathered, an amalgamation of intense power. They held the orbs in their hands and repeated the command in a unified, world-shuddering voice. “Kneel!”

“You can all fuck right off!”

Thirteen beams of light fired toward him. An entire ocean would evaporate if set against such stupefying power.

Cloudhawk covered his face reflexively.

Seconds passed.

Nothing.

He slowly let his hands drop to find the illusion had disappeared. Oddball was anxiously flying circles overhead, probably thinking its master had lost his mind. Cloudhawk wasn’t entirely convinced he hadn’t. What was that? Some sort of test? He put it aside for the time being and began to explore his surroundings.

It was a secret chamber set deep inside the compound. Small, by comparison.

Set in the center of the room was a pedestal made from some kind of glittering crystal. The thing set on it was black as coal, and only seemed blacker against the shimmering material. It looked like a skull, a human skull. Boney sockets were pointed his way, and inside danced a pair of scarlet flames. The illusion had to have come from this thing.

Was some dead asshole’s bones that powerful? A treasure indeed!

Cloudhawk looked it over for a moment, reaching out with all his senses. Something still didn’t feel quite right.

There wasn’t a resonance. No resonance meant this wasn’t a relic.

Cloudhawk was afraid it was some kind of trap. Whatever this was, people were dying outside to protect it, and the Dark Atom was killing to get their hands on it. After what he just experienced, Cloudhawk wasn’t in a rush to assume anything either. He was weighing his options. After all, he still wasn’t even sure he wanted to grab this thing. Once he did things would get… awkward.

Snatching a treasure from the Dark Atom was like ripping food from a tiger’s mouth. Wolfblade would hunt him to all corners of the earth. To add to that, stealing from crack elysian veterans had to be a sin punishable by death. Even Skye Polaris wouldn’t be able to protect him. He’d probably cut him down himself.

Even if this thing was some unrivaled treasure, was Cloudhawk prepared to take it for himself?

Throughout his musings the phase stone had been growing hotter. Something in the back of his mind was urging him over and over again to pick the skull up. He grit his teeth and made a decision: he didn’t come down here for nothing. He wasn’t scared… just touch it, see what happens.

All the while the skull stared at him from its pedestal.

Cloudhawk picked his way around the crystal plinth, looking it over. When he got a better look at the skull he saw it was not quite what he thought. It was about twice the size of a typical human skull, although it was about the right shape. A mutant’s skull, maybe? That didn’t seem likely.

It was ink black from top to bottom. Smooth, reflective, and he could even feel a little warmth coming from it. It almost looked like a piece of art.

Could nature make something like this? The aura coming off of it so was strong, it made Cloudhawk’s hair stand on end. He felt like he was circling an ancient enemy, a discomfort that was written into his genetic code. The fires in its empty sockets had a sort of power, too. Somehow he knew that they’d been burning for hundreds of thousands of years. Inextinguishable.

If this was someone’s bones he didn’t want to know what they were like when they were alive.

On the other side of the door, Cloudhawk could hear that the fight was ending. No more hesitating. He picked up the skull.

The moment he touched it the inert remains started to quiver. Scarlet flames belched from its seven orifices like the clawing fingers of an evil spirit. They slithered up his arms, bloodthirsty and desperate to devour him whole.