Equilibrium

You could hear the boots hitting the metal floor of the ship. It was ensifer making his way to the command center of commander Rockwell's ship. He boarded the ship earlier. He was there with an ensemble of bodyguards. Afraid that even a fly would touch him, the people around him made sure nothing touched their lord.

The door went open

The command central was huge. There were many monitors for multiple parameters. Every monitor had it own small team consisting of two to four people.

At the center was table, it was a big table.

It had a hologram. Above it. Before Ensifer could make sense out of it, Rockwell swiped it up.

"Lord Ensifer, a high noble like you, what brings me this honor?" Rockwell was full of sarcasm.

"Save your energy, tell me what the hell is going on, why did the federation call me, instead of you? Why do I have to learn? You wage war against one of the origin planets from the damn federation! Do you know that we are so close to a total war with the federation?!" Ensifer slammed his fist on the table. The table cracked.

Rockwell didn't even flinch, nor did he make the effort to even stand up.

He held a charter and slid it across the table.

"Look for yourself."

Ensifer took it, and his expression changed slightly. He was nowhere near furious as before.

He looked pretty serious as he read the report.

"How many know about this?"

Rockwell pointed up, then at himself and then at last at Ensifer.

"Why would the high lord put someone like you in charge? This project is obviously too much for you. "

Ensifer seemed lightly annoyed that the high lord favored Rockwell.

"Lord Ensifer, do not pry into the mind of our lord, or else should I tell Bellum Inquisitio about it? You know I have loose lips, too." Rockwell giggled with a hint of malicious intent.

Ensifer snorted.

"You wouldn't even dare, not when the project is too important to fail. You know those fanatics better than I do, Rockwell. I mean, you were one of them. Do you think they will stop with me? They will drag everyone and anyone that had to do with me into it. Who am I to tell you? When you know it well enough, or should I remind you ab-"

"Shut up, right now. Another word, and I will drag you through hell myself."

Rockwell stared with wide open eyes and gnashing teeth at Ensifer. His aura was full of murder and blood. The people near him were slowly losing breath. It was suffocating, as huge pressure were down on them, some even caved in agony, lying on the floor.

Ensifer giggled in response and then abruptly stopped.

He came forward as the ensemble around him was ready to fight to the death.

"Rockwell, don't play games when you can't finish them. I am a lord under the high lord, one of the servants directly subordinated under our high lord. Control yourself this instant, or else I'll slaughter everyone on this ship. "

Ensifer was walking towards Rockwell like nothing.

"Try me." Rockwell just grinned provocative.

Just close before it escalated, someone came in in a rush.

He was panting like crazy and out of breath.

"S-sir, w-we have caught a message that was meant for the federation. The blue army is getting reinforcement from them. They are on their way towards earth. In the correspondence between them, it seems that the federation sent admiral Baaruk and an elder. We don't know which one. Awaiting your orders, sir!"

Rockwell was tapping his fingers on the table.

"They are faster than I thought, thats not very typical from them.

I thought we were having more time, they are even sending someone like admiral Baaruk huh, thats unexpected. I guess we made them nervous, huhuhu. " Rockwell was giggling, finding the situation amusing instead of terrible.

"Do you think it is something to laugh about?"

"Hm, you just had to ruin my mood. Tch. "

The soldier who brought the news was still standing there, nervously waiting for orders.

"Ah, that reminds me, soldiers take that man and throw him out."

He looked at the charter like his order didn't just end a mans life.

"S-sir? Commander?! Why, Sir?! I don't understand!?"

The soldier begged and cried as he got dragged away.

"That's the problem, you don't understand."

The soldier stopped fighting. He has lost his spirit. The door closed.

"Ensifer, take your fleet and hide behind the main belt. If they truly show up and decide to attack, we will pincer them and squash them like insects they are."

"Who do you think you are to order me?"

Ensifers' tone was ice cold.

"Ensifer, think again who put me in charge. Do you already forget why I am even here?"

Rockwell was holding the charter so tight it snapped.

Ensifers veins bulged, and his teeth were gnashed in frustration.

"This isn't over yet, men back to our ship!"

The door closed.

On the ship of the federation

"Elder Goodwill, please sit comfortably."

Admiral Baaruk helped the elder Goodwill sit down, carefully holding his arm and back.

Goodwill looked at Baaruk with such a gentle look that seemed to others that he was Baaruks' father.

"Thank you, ruki."

"Please stop calling me like that in front of others," Baaruk * sighed

He smiled lightly as he gave up, trying to correct him.

"Why! I can call you however I want you little shitter! Dont forget who raised you!" Goodwill hit him with a piece of bread on the head.

"Ah, please dont throw food!!!" Baaruk bend down and pick up bread pieces. He cleaned them up very well.

"Say Baaruk, how many years has it been since we met?" Goodwill smiled slightly.

"It was when I was 6 years old, I remember the day very firmly. It was you who saved me from Avarus Malum. It was you who took me in and raised me.." he was smiling as he recalled the time while picking up bread.

" My wife was so furious at me for bringing in a kid. She thought that I cheated on her and brought a bastard Hahahaha "

"Yeah, I remember that time. She threw all kinds of stuff at you. She got you good, though."

"Yeah, see..., I still got those scars from her! *sigh* dont underestimate a womans wrath haha, she finally calmed her down after I explained her the situation."

"Yeah, I remember that too well. She was crying and sobbing, holding me in her arms while you had to calm her down. " Baaruk was still smiling.

"It took me all night to calm her down. She treated you better than me !"

Baaruk laughed.

"You can't find fault with me here, I am a victim too! Everywhere I went, she followed. Even to school and later to my dates!"

"Hahaha, I remember that she asked me what to wear to have a disguise to follow you,"

"It wasn't funny, i had to explain why a crazy woman was following me!"

"She just wanted your best," he smiled at Baaruk, who threw the garbage away.

"I know, that's why I am not even mad."

"Come here,"

Baaruk looked at Goodwill with skepticism.

"*sigh* Come here, or I will throw my eggs at you."

Baaruk rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'm here,"

Goodwill patted Baaruks head, and he ruffled it slightly.

"I'm very proud of you, I know she would be too, if she was still around. We couldn't have kids, so when life brought you to us, we didn't question it. To us, it was fate answering our call. We got our son that we always wanted. We love you and will always love you. It doesn't matter if you are one of the best admirals of the federation or"

"Stop, what is this about?" Baaruk was unsure what Goodwill was trying to say here.

"*Sigh* Maybe I shouldn't have let you follow my footsteps, I should have allowed you to follow your own path."

Baaruk felt relieved.

"Father, if I didn't walk the path you set up for me, how can I walk the path that stays in front of me? A path is a path, because people with the same mindset are following it and treading on it, making it easier for others to walk the same path, so that that the path they once walked, gets easier and longer. So that one day it branches off and it begins a new."

Baaruk held Goodwills hands.

Goodwill looked pretty serious.

"Are you sure, my son?"

"Yes, since the time I looked up to you, I always wanted to be a person that can be a lighthouse in a stormy night. Like you were, I want to be like that too, i want to be a person, people feel safe around. The best way to do that is to be the best." Baaruk was pretty confident and smirked.

Goodwill looked up at the ceiling and snorted.

"You are one stubborn mule, just like your mum." Goodwill laughed.

"Take that back, im sure she will kick your ass,"

"When the time has come, she can kick my ass how many times she wants."

Suddenly, there was a knocking.

"Wait outside."

"Yes, sir!"

" Baaruk, this time is not like the other times. This time, nothing is surefire.., it's not too late to get another admiral."

"Father, none of my battles were surefire. Even if it's my sure death, I will face it. I am your son, after all."

Goodwill looked conflicted at Baaruk.

He didn't want his son to be in danger, but he was so proud to have him raised well.

'No matter what...I will protect you!'

In lugal kur kur

Raven was still asleep.

He found himself again in a space he once was. He saw the woman again. She was just standing there. Looking at something in the distance. He followed her view. But he couldn't see anything.

"W-what are you looking at?"

Without a word, she pointed straight ahead.

Raven tried his best to see what she saw, to no avail.

He tried harder, he concentrated more, and slowly, his golden hued eye began to resonate. Slowly, he could make out what she saw. They were clouds like a dark tidal wave, slowly making their way towards him. It got closer and closer. He turned to the woman, but she wasn't standing there anymore. He was nervous and decided to run, but the clouds came like a torrent and swallowed him. he tried his best to swim up and breathe. He couldn't. He felt, like he was slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the abyss. He was surrounded by pure darkness, no warmth. Nothing. Suddenly everything vanished. The woman was standing in front of him. She looked sad.

"I'm sorry, my dear raven, that I had to let you experience this. "

He took a big breather, checking his body. He was panting like crazy.

He was still sitting on the floor trying to catch a breath.

"What was that just now?!" Ravens voice quivered.

"This was just a glimpse of what is to come."

"A glimpse? "

"Yes, as you right now are not strong enough to wield your powers. Your soul is weak. It can break with such ease. I was afraid that you could not handle more. I showed what I could."

"A glimpse of what?"

"A glimpse of the future. A predestined fate that is cursed to happen. "

"This will be the future?! How ?! I don't understand!"

Raven slowly stood up. He calmed down.

"I am afraid, what do you want me to do?!"

"Raven, my dear raven. The darkness will come, it wont care for anything. Darkness comes, then light. I watched this cycle for eons. Im just a shell of my former self, I was the light that spread after darkness. I can't be the light anymore.."

She showed her fingers, and there were cracks forming like on porcelain.

Her hand looked brittle. Her little finger broke off to dust and vanished with the light.

"W-what happened?"

"Everything has its price, I paid mine."

"You...werent allowed to show me..."

Raven realized that she paid a price for his future sake as well as the universes.

"All things are in an eternal equilibrium. The scale of fate judged. So I obliged.

The forces of the universes were always in a perpetual cycle of light and darkness, life, and death. It was like a tug of war. But lately, the darkness and its entity are winning in strength. For every good there is bad, but now there is more evil and less and less good. It weakened me. My powers are not enough anymore. I myself feel the darkness slowly trying to corrode me, to corrupt me..."

"So? What can I do? Im just a small boy!"

"I already showed you my dear raven." She looked with so much love at Raven, like a patient mother pampering her child.

"I don't know if I'm strong enough to do what I have to..."

"Raven, my silly child, you are not alone on this journey."

Ravens eyes slowly widened in realization.

She kissed him on the forehead.

He woke up to a drooling Elisa on top of his chest.

He couldn't move. She was like a kraken.

He looked at her sleeping, and all his uncertainties vanished.

"I have to find that place, a place of total equilibrium..., but where do I start..?"