Chapter 1

Geng's entry cut through the silence and tension in the meeting hall. All her children, leaders and bodyguards alike, were like mirrored images of her as they stood in reverence of her presence. One could only identify them by their hair. Her assistant, Delenor –also one of her children– scurried after her as she made her way through the dim lit room and headed for the empty seat at one end of the conference table.

At least they haven't desecrated it yet, she thought. She sat down and nodded signaling the faction leaders to sit down. Her eyes darted around noting the grim expression on the faces of her children. She sat up and cut through the silence with her voice.

"It has come to my knowledge that the majority of you wish to go independent."

She leaned back then turned to Delenor, "tell them."

Delenor whispers to Gengs, "Mother, I don't think this is nice."

Gengs furrowed her eyebrows at Delenor, making her flinch.

"I… um… sorry," she turned to her siblings. "If any of you wish to go independent, you would have to challenge my authority over you by defeatinge in combat," Delenor pauses then swallows. "Here and now."

"Signed by Mother, herself."

All eyes turned to Gengs as she leaned on the armrest. The sound of her indexes taps on the table rang in the otherwise silent room. She rose to her feet and vaulted atop the table, her face darkened as it was well above the lintels of the windows.

"I repeat myself," she said as she walked on the table, her hands tucked in her pockets, her arms arched out underneath the red jacket she hung over her shoulders.

"If any of you wish to be independent, defeat my authority over you, otherwise, stick to my covert operations."

One of her sons, Vodtak, rose to his feet. Gengs spun on her heel to face him. He looked much like her, just a bit older. –Gengs looked like a sixteen year old–

"Well your covert operations, suck," he said as he adjusted his red coat. Geng leaned backward as her eyebrows arched.

"In the past, we conquered kingdoms, toppled empires, controlled governments with you at the helm. Then, we thought you were a strong leader. Up until you chose the path of cowardice."

Gengs noted the others as they nodded in agreement. Pretty fitting to follow after him, she thought. He was one of the oldest, she continued. She walked towards him.

"Then the stage is set."

"You show strength befo–"

Vodtak started before he was interrupted by Gengs, "I said the stage is set, defeat me and prove your authority greater than mine."

Vodtak gritted his teeth as his fist clenched.

"Your downfall begins," he flung a wind blade at Gengs. Gengs leaned far backward and it flew right above her face. Her jacket fell off her shoulder, leaving her t-shirt. She sunk the table into the ground as the rest of the twelve leaders got up. They stepped backward leaving the center of the room to the confrontation taking place.

Gengs flung out a long whip from thin air. This made use of the large space given for their confrontation. Vodtak sent more blades at her and she lashed each with the speed of practiced precision. She noted Vodtak taking advantage of her blocking time. He sidestepped then launched towards her with more wind blades gathered around his hands. Probably to give the hit directly.

Pretty smart, Gengs thought as she turned the ground to quick sand around him and sank him to knee level. But too slow, she continued.

Right then some wind blades came up from the ground below her. She sidestepped but one of the blades gave her a cut on her cheek. She healed the wound afterwards but it still hurt, despite looking healed. Her eyes widened.

Impossible, she turned to Vodtak, narrowing her eyes. She noted his smirk and furrowed her eyebrows. She extinguished her whip as she used the quick sand to wrap Vodtak's body. She hardened the sand, freezing Vodtak in place. She left only his head free but he still has his smirk on.

"Impossible," she held Vodtak's face with her hands. "What have you done?" she yelled at him

Vodtak grinned before he laughed, " You have no idea what is possible, Mother."

Gengs looked around and noted the other faction leaders gathering their blades of their respective elements and substances. Some smoke, others light, fire, earth and so on. Delenor, she thought. She scanned the room to find Delenor.

"Child get out of here."

The other faction leaders launched their blades at her from all angles, giving her no chance of dodging. Geng's efforts at blocking proved futile as blades of different kinds plunged into her body. She fell to the floor and struggled to get up after the attack. She glanced around to find Delenor had already gone. Good, she thought as she staggered up to her feet. She swayed as she motioned for them to hold on. Everyone stopped their reality projection and the room returned back to its original form. Even the table that disappeared earlier returned to its place. But Gengs still bled underneath her unscathed clothing.

The injuries are not supposed to go beyond the reality projection, she thought. They've done it.

"What have you done," she said. "What have you all done?" she swayed around as she rephrased.

"Nothing much, just achieved power," Vodtak replied as he stood to his feet.

She took a deep breath. These children don't know what they've done, she thought. But I cannot protect you any longer, she continued. She grinned as she manifested a huge metallic capsule about the size of a man's torso.

"Stop her–" Vodtak yelled as he launched more blades at Gengs. Others did the same with their blades in unison but were all too slow.

"I would never hurt you," Gengs said as she dropped the capsule. It cracks up with a bright flash of light.

"A mother won't hurt her children. If it is the freedom you want, you can have it."

___________________________

Delenor shielded the tablet with her body as she crashed to the ground outside. She got up and fled into the woods surrounding the building. Snapping twigs and crashing leaves accompanied her every step as she went past trees.

These were my last orders, she thought. Run.

She kept running, ignoring the bruises from her fall. She perceived a hint of smoke in the air.

Oh no, she thought but kept running. She didn't look back to see whoever it was. The smoke gradually filled the air and got too concentrated for her to keep running. She coughed as she inched forward in the forest. She fell to the ground and kept crawling to a tree. She coughed more as she got to the foot of the tree. Covering her nose was pointless, as it was a reality projection –directly into the mind–. She sat at the foot of the tree and held her cough. The huge figure with red hair, another mirror image of Geng's face walked passed.

"I thought I saw someone here."

The stopped walking and stood not too far from her hideout.

Please go, please go, she kept repeating in her mind as she could only deny her humanity that long. In the end she coughed. The glone turned and walked towards her. Her heart raced as she started taking deep breaths, and coughing as loud as ever. His head popped from behind the tree.

"There you are," he said and grabbed her by the throat. He held her to the trees trunk as he lifted her up, suffocating her alongside the smoke. Her lens fell from her eyes and her view became blurry.

"So here's the pet former boss kept close to herself."

Jealousy, that's their reason? She thought as she gasped for breath.

Only the boss is immortal, she thought as she let go of his hand that clenched her throat. She pulled a gun from her pocket and shot him in desperation. The grip on her throat loosened and she dropped to the ground. The smoke in the air disappeared as well. Now she could breathe. She clawed through the dried leaves till she felt the smooth surface of her glasses. She grabbed them and put them on. She got up and noted the body of the glone that lay motionless beside her.

Boss told me to run

She picked the tablet and ran farther into the forest, away from the Immortalis building.