65Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzcy2eavdODGleme – Kingdom of Protis – Small Town
As the starling officer pointed his weapon at Michael, he slowly raised his hands, willingly submitting to arrest.
The starling officer edged closer to Michael as a medical team could be heard arriving. He stepped back as they rushed into the building. The officer before Michael reached behind themself and pulled out a shackle. It was a special band of some kind. It was white and gold but had a sigil of a pair of black wings and a halo engraved on it.
"Stand still," the starling demanded as he clamped the shackle around Michael's bicep.
Michael immediately felt his power dampen significantly as he eyed the object curiously. It was an interesting device; however, he could tell that it wasn't meant to hold someone as powerful as him.
The officer pushed a button that summoned chains of yellow energy that restrained Michael's arms behind him.
"You won't be a problem now," the officer said cockily, pushing Michael forward toward the exit. "Look forward to a cozy cell...if you aren't sentenced to death," he chuckled.
Michael knew that he could easily escape before things went too far, but chose to go along with the imprisonment to avoid causing more trouble. As things were, his actions could have been adverse to Alissia's image. The possibility of it bothered him immensely. He'd need to properly explain things when he got the chance before this misunderstanding reached back to Cindar.
Once they were outside, Michael was encased in an indestructible shield that hovered above the ground. The two officers who arrived on the scene stood – one in front and one behind Michael. They opened their wings and began to flap for takeoff as Michael's capture capsule stayed between them during the transport.
Michael observed silently through a slight haze of intoxication as they flew to a nearby larger city. It was a beautifully designed city that was several times larger than the one they'd just left. There was a big difference in the quality here compared to the town as well. Gorgeous waterfalls fell from high-rising estates. Healthy, lush gardens gave class to the very grounds throughout the city. Grand golden statues stood in sight for everyone to see. Lavish towers grew even higher. There was even a humongous castle with a large halo hovering over it. The only similarity was the golden, net-like roots across the buildings and ground, though it was much more present here.
"Welcome to Protis City, vermin," his arresting officer nudged his capsule from behind. "The most beautiful thing you'll see before you die. Consider it a privilege."
They continued their transport until they arrived at a prison where Michael was taken to an isolated interrogation room where he was chained to a chair before a table. He'd been registered as inmate 777, designated to cell 0929, which made Michael chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Michael's arresting officer asked, irritated.
"*hic* everything. This entire situation," Michael replied, finding it difficult to suppress the humor that had arisen. It seemed he couldn't take things as seriously as he'd like to still due to being mostly inebriated.
"I apologize, forgive me." Michael tried his hardest not to smile as he raised a hand for them to give him a moment to gather himself.
"Do you not understand the situation you're in!? This is no laughing matter!" The officer slammed his fist on the table between them, denting it, but Michael disregarded him and looked around, trying to find a clock of some kind. "What? You got somewhere you need to be?"
"Yes *hic* actually, I do. I regret playing along with this now. Sadly, I can't simply break out due to the barriers of energy I sense around the prison. *hic* I need to find someone soon."
"And who would that be?" asked someone as they entered the room. It was a starling of higher rank than the officers. From what Michael could tell it was the warden.
"Hello," Michael smiled. "Could you free me?"
"Enough with the games. I want to know how you're associated with the Visionists."
"*hic* so would I," Michael replied with a pause. "Who exactly are the Visionists?"
"Okay...," the warden sighed. "Tell you what, I'm going to let this officer administers...insurance...to keep you honest as I ask you questions. Let's hope, for your sake, the pain surpasses your need to protect whoever your connection is."
"*Hic* you sure that isn't the job of the lie detectors?" Michael said, noticing the screen on the warden's hand-held device displayed his biometrics that were likely readings from the shackle.
"Let us begin." the warden ignored Michael and nodded to the arresting officer. "Who are you searching for?"
"Hm? *hic* I don't know," Michael shrugged honestly. "I'm looking for someone strong, I suppose."
The officer struck Michael in the face with a glowing fist. The blow was surprisingly hefty. Enough to make him bleed even. Michael smiled as the officer and warden watched in horror as his wounds close.
"Wha...?"
Knowing that when his body healed itself he would get a little more sober, he realized what he needed to do. He laughed in their vain efforts to purposefully antagonize the two.
"*Hic* Put your back into it. Maybe it'll stick next time," he mocked from his seat, earning an infuriated punch to the side of his head.
The Warden was visibly irritated that nothing seemed to faze Michael, but proceeded to question him about any connections to the Visionists. Each answer proved that Michael had no connection or any idea of who the group was but was still followed with a blow from either the warden or officer that Michael partially incited.
Once their lie detectors indicated that he was telling the truth, he was asked why he'd assaulted a royal after entering the planet illegally. Michael was sober enough by then to give a half-truth that he was searching for a strong starling to teach him.
That answer, though proven truthful, didn't interest them in the slightest, so Michael was then cleared to be imprisonment for both crimes unrelated to terrorism.
After the interrogation, Michael was instructed to change his zip-wear into that starling prisoner uniform, a thin, grey jumpsuit and was thrown in the population with higher threats as his passing hangover faded.
"Welcome home, parasite," the arresting officer pushed him into the gym den with the other criminals and shut the door behind Michael.
Michael was immediately grabbed by a large, male starling with golden locks who pinned him to the wall. The guy was dressed elegantly by prisoner standards. Michael noticed that most of the prisoners were, each had on the starling prison uniform – a grey thin jump suit with restricting golden chains – but they were nothing like prisoners he'd seen on Earth. Some of them had dyed their hair from their natural blond color, showcasing delinquency.
"What do we have here? You a klevonian?" the criminal demanded.
"Would you mind putting me down? I'd prefer not to cause any trouble," Michael requested politely.
"A klevonian not seeking a fight? Now I've seen it all!" the starling laughed followed by the echoes of his entourage. "From what I hear, you attacked a royal as soon as you got here. You won't be getting any leeway here, parasite."
Michael gave the group of starlings a disappointed looked. He really wanted to avoid unnecessary violence...
"I'm truly sorry, but it appears you aren't leaving me with any choice," Michael stated as he grabbed the starlings wrists and forcibly pulled them away from him. The starling tried to resist, but Michael was stronger.
"From what I can tell, each of you have been reduced to only being able to use your physical strength, courtesy of these shackles," Michael began, floating slightly as he held the large staring by one hand. The starling kicked and squirmed and used his other hand to try to peel off Michael's fingers as he hung from the wrist that Michael held tightly.
"Unfortunately, for those of you who think I'm an easy target, that restriction doesn't apply to me," Michael stated, crushing the guy's thick wrist in his grasp. The starling howled as his fellow inmates stepped back. Michael had initially attempted to burn him instead, but it became apparent that starlings had a natural resistance to the effects of light energy. "I acknowledge that your strength is not to be underestimated, but against me, you will lose. So, please, for all our sake. I wish to be left alone. Be sure to spread this to your friends."
Once everyone had witnessed Michael's performance he let the starling down gently on his feet.
"Dammit, you crushed my arm!" the starling gritted his teeth in pain.
"Yes, I'm truly sorry. I wished to avoid having to make an example out of you, but you did refuse to put me down," Michael replied, gently reaching out to his wrist. "Here, allow me..."
Michael's hands glowed white as he used his power to heal the starling who then stared at him in disbelief.
"The pain's gone...How? I've never seen anything like it..."
"Now that that's resolved, I only wish to go to my cell. Excuse me," Michael said, walking past them. Judging from their expressions Michael had just earned many of their respect.
"Hey, klevonian," the starling ringleader called out. "We'll make sure none of the other starlings bother you."
"That would be appreciated," Michael smiled back warmly then left them. Once he made it to his cell he sat on what was presumed to be his bed. He sat there for several hours as he tried to think of a way to get out of prison without it leading to an incident.
Eventually, he realized it had gotten late, or what was considered late on Gleme. Each of the prisoners were in their cells now. It was during this time that Michael first noticed the faint sense of life further beneath the prison.
More concerning, that life was fading.
Michael tried to approach his cell door but was repelled by an energy barrier. It was due to the shackle on his arm. He gripped the shackle and tried to forcibly remove it, but despite his efforts it refused to break.
"Hm, then a more extreme method is required," Michael said to himself as he sharpened energy around his hand and cut the arm with the shackle off.
The pain would have been blinding for most, but thanks to his higher tolerance, he simply grunted as he pushed his regeneration to quickly reform his arm. Then he used Streak, turning into light itself as he silently dashed out of his cell and raced around the prison in search of a path that led beneath it.
He ended up in a dungeon-like area that had many metal doors down a corridor. However only one of those doors held life behind them. Once he blurred further down the corridor and stood before the door he ripped it off its hinges only to find a naked, half dead female starling who was suspended by her tied wrists. Michael's heart broke at the sight of her. She so badly wounded her face was unrecognizable. If not for the curves of her body, he wouldn't have known that she was a girl.
"These animals," Michael felt a rage stir inside him.
"You really shouldn't have come down here, prisoner," Michael heard a starling prison officer state as he walked toward him with a mug expression. "Ohh, you're that klevonian. Today really isn't your day," he laughed.
Michael glanced at the insignificant officer, tempted to permanently silence the smug man in his rage, but restrained himself. Instead, he tightly bound the man in luminous threads before the officer could react. Thanks to the officer's resistance to his element, the officer only received lightly irritated marks where the threads touched his skin.
Michael swatted him aside in an attempt to knock him unconscious, but his blow sent the officer flying through a wall into the next cell.
"Hm." Michael looked at the officer, to make sure he still lived. Once he confirmed that, he turned his attention back to the girl without bothering to heal him.
"Let's get you better," Michael broke the chains suspending the girl and held her gently as she slumped to the floor. He began to heal her with his touch until there wasn't a single bruise or cut left.
He looked down at her sympathetically as her eyes fluttered open before closing again.
"Rest. I won't let anyone harm you," he whispered, vowing to protect her.
As she fell unconscious again he lifted her and made his way back to his cell where he placed her onto his bed, letting her sleep.
Hours later, she awoke abruptly.
"Where am I? How did I get here," the girl asked, collecting herself into a corner of the bed way from Michael.
"Relax, you've been through a great ordeal," Michael said soothingly. "I'm Michael. You're in my cell because I brought you here after I found you."
"Found me?" the girl thought as the memories of whatever she'd gone through came back to her. Then she looked at Michael with curiosity. "You saved me from that hellhole?"
"Unfortunately, I didn't save you, but I am the one who found you and brought you here..."
The girl stared at the floor as she undoubtedly spiraled through whatever torments she was forced through.
"How'd you manage to leave your cell?" She asked, changing the subject.
"I removed the arm with the shackle," Michael said too simply.
"You what?"
Michael stood and picked up his severed arm that laid on the floor.
"Is that...?"
"My arm," Michael said before using his power to eviscerate it. The shackle that was on it clattered against the floor as it fell. "I'm a klevonian, but I'm not like those you typically here about. You have nothing to fear from me" Michael said warmly.
"I suppose you did save me...," the girl relaxed. "So, what do you want then? You didn't go out of your way just to save a lost soul."
"Actually, that's exactly what I did," Michael let out a wholesome laugh. "You don't owe me anything."
"Actually, I do. You've saved me and I get the sense you'll continue to protect me. Since I'd rather not feel indebted, I need you to ask for something."
"Hm, how about you educate me then," Michael suggested, extending a greeting hand. "First, what's your name? Second, what can you tell me about starlings?"
The starling smiled and accepted the shake.
"I'm Nurana," she said before sharing what she knew about starlings.
According to Nurana, starlings have been around for a long time, but no one was allowed to speak of their origins. It was apparently a sore spot for many. However, all starlings' bloodline originated from one of the four original nations that were once ruled by the ancient, founding Monarch Families: the Protis, Fluzan, Brim, and Loing bloodlines. Those with tanned, olive appearance lived within the Kingdom of Protis. Those of dark skin gathered in the Kingdom of Fluzan. Those with patched skin (what Earth referred to as vitiligo) resided in the Kingdom of Brim, while the pale starlings called the Loing Kingdom home.
That was until most of the Monarch Families were wiped out. After their fall, the Protis Family was the last remaining Monarch Family and all starlings started to intermingle and live amongst one another as they did in current day.
Other than that all starlings were the same. They shared the same power and abilities but to varying degrees and were very capable even by cindarian standards.
"The tree: the one that can be seen from anywhere, what's its significance?" Michael asked next.
"That's the Tree of Origin," Nurana answered. "It's sacred to us. The Tree of Origin has always been there and is source of the source of our power. Even cutting its roots is punishable by death. That's why we integrate them into our lives and cities structure. If you ever want a closer look, you can go to The Garden; it's a great garden that surrounds the base of the tree. Just don't get too close since that's where our light fruit grow."
"The source of your power, I presume," Michael said, paying attention.
"Yup. Millions of tons of our special fruit grow within The Garden. They're bathed in light and star energy gathered directly from the Tree of Origins. When we eat them, the nutrients inside them bonds with our DNA and grants us long lives, boosts our body's ability to heal – though, not to the freaky level you can – and grant us the ability to channel star energy ourselves."
"Can you demonstrate for me?"
Nurana shook her head.
"Prisoners and the...unfortunate are often deprived of any light fruit to keep us weakened."
"That explains why I haven't seen anyone eat any while I've been here," Michael stated then looked at Nurana. "What about the Visionists? I was also confused for one upon my arrival."
Hearing their name, the girl tensed up and looked at him skeptically before relaxing again.
"That's not a name you want to be saying so casually. The Visionists are a radical, anarchic group that was founded by our princess long ago. It was her leading the Visionists who was responsible for murdering the Monarch Families before she was eventually forced into submission after a battle with the King. It was a large-scale battle that changed everything for us. Even the king was said to had changed after that day."
"Your King, he sounds strong."
"Undoubtedly," Nurana replied with certainty.
"I want to meet him," Michael declared. "But first I must figure a way out of my current predicament."
"Well, this is Protis City. I don't think it'd be difficult for someone like you to catch his attention. If you were mistaken for a Visionist that'd likely have reached him. The King has no tolerance for injustice, or anyone affiliated with the Visionists. They should be coming to get you soon to take you to him."
On cue, a starling officer banged on Michael's cell door.
"Alright, parasite, you've been summ—what the hell? Who is this and why is she here!?" he yelled as he tried to grab her, but Michael stepped in between them.
"She stays by my side," he insisted.
The officer clenched his weapon then noticed that Michael's shackle was gone and went on alert. His hands lit up and a golden disk floated around him.
"How'd you remove your shackle?" he demanded.
"By removing my arm," Michael said truthfully, leaving the officer bewildered.
"Dammit," he heard a familiar voice say from outside the cell. It was the warden, who stepped into view with the arresting officer from before. "Keep your weapons trained on him. And the girl. The royal is present for judgement."
They were then led to an open area with high walls where three figures sat at the top to observe everything.
"That's the royal presence of the King and Queen Protis, and their daughter, the princess, Sara," Nurana stated as she bowed and knelt alongside the warden and officers.
Michael showed some respect by bowing his head without lowering like the others. He observed each of them closely.
The King was a man with a mighty presence indeed. He worn a regal, white and golden gown. His long, blonde hair flowed with elegance and his distinguished skin shined in the sun. Behind him were his massive, pure white wings that fluttered slightly. Above him was a large halo that radiated with power.
On the opposite side of the King was his wife, the Queen, equally as elegant as her husband. Shat with a powerful presence. Her skin was a pleasant mesh of brown and peach as her vitiligo brandished itself before all. Her white and burgundy dress distinguished herself from the King enough for anyone's eyes to be drawn to her as her white energy gave her a slight aura.
Between them sat their daughter, the princess. Surprisingly to Michael, she looked like a nine-year-old child that that much younger than Nurana. She had tan skin like her father and wore a vibrant blue, white, and gold dress that went well with her long blonde hair and large blue eyes. Michael found it difficult to believe that this was the princess Nurana spoke of – the one responsible for killing so many of her own kind.
"Raise your heads," the King spoke.
Everyone did as he said as he raised a hand toward another prisoner.
"As for you; you have broken my heart. Your transmission to the Visionists within this city has been intercepted and reviewed. For your crimes against our people, and your aim to dismantle the peace..."
The prisoner was suddenly eviscerated on the spot as the King shot an incredibly powerful blast of energy at him.
"May the All-Father bless you in the afterlife," the King prayed then shifted his hand to aim directly at Michael.
Planet Calci
Za'Fia emerged from the spatial rift her key mark had created. Planet Calci...It was unbearably hot even to her. It may have been even hotter than the Hellhound District or Sector 01 of Forgeton.
"Planet Calci, what can I learn about this place," Za'Fia wiped sweat from her forehead and used her aether link to look up details about the planet. "Okay, part of the Infernal System...home to the fotians...extreme high temperatures, yeah that's putting it lightly...breathable air density is higher than Earths, probably lets fires burn brighter and longer...nothing else, huh."
Za'Fia put away her aether link and changed her zip-wear to have her in a bikini top and jeans as she tied her hair back. She sighed as she looked around.
"What hell have they sent me to...?"
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