Legends of Amacia The Awakening

Mysterious Stirrings

“What’s wrong?” Enoch asked, seeing Hanna’s strange expression.

“I don’t know,” Hanna answered, coming out of what appeared to be a brief trance. “For just a moment, I thought I heard someone or something call my name as if it were trying to get my attention. It didn’t feel human either, but neither did it feel dangerous to us or me. It felt vaguely familiar too.” A sigh escaped her lips as a worried smile crossed her lips. “Don’t worry,” she reassured. “We’re still safe for the moment. The Emperor hasn’t seen us yet. But still, something is amiss. I can feel it and it’s not what I just experienced.”

“What is it?” Josephine asked. “What are your instincts telling you?”

“I’m not sure,” Hanna admitted. “Something just doesn’t feel right. A shadow moves in the Darkness, refusing to let anyone see it.”

“Are we in danger?” Enoch asked.

“Not at the moment,” Hanna insisted softly, “...but I don’t think we should let our guards down either. The Darkness is treacherous and has many tricks it can use to slip into our midst. That spirit I felt on those drones and the tank is a prime example. It snuck in here and no one noticed until it grabbed the drones. I feel something is stirring in the Darkness that’s beyond the Emperor, something far older and fouler than he ever could be. I’ve felt it since I found the Bane, Hellion, and Ryu-Fudo’s gauntlets in the armory. And now, that feeling has ticked up a notch.”

“Can you elucidate on this?” Josephine asked softly. “Does it feel organic or artificial? Is it material or spiritual? Any thoughts you have about it may help to identify it.”

“I’m not sure I can,” Hanna admitted. “It feels like both and neither. It’s truly strange. Whatever this malice is feels like it’s stirring from a slumber that’s old as time itself. It’s not awake yet, only slightly stirring. And to make things even stranger, I feel like I know this thing somehow...like’s it’s an old enemy from another life or something. I don’t know why I feel that. But the sensation it gives me feels vaguely familiar. What could it be?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Enoch instructed. “We’ll deal with it if it fully wakes, though I hope it never does. I can clearly see how worried this thing has you. Are you sure this feeling isn’t something the Emperor is doing trying to divine your position?”

Hanna shook her head no. “No chance,” Hanna insisted. “I know the telepathic and spiritual imprint of the Emperor and the Black Prince because of their constant attacks on me. This is something completely alien to us humans, far older and much fouler than the Black Prince. I’ve never felt anything quite like it before, yet as I said before, it feels strangely familiar. What is this nameless terror stirring in the Darkness? I’m just happy it’s not fully awake. If this thing awakens, we’re all in deep shit. This much I’m sure of.”

“Is this the same feeling you had a few minutes ago when you thought someone called your name?” Electra asked.

“No,” Hanna reported. “Whatever did that didn’t feel dangerous to us, not like what I’m sensing in the background now. Whatever I’m sensing now is definitely dangerous to us, possibly to all forms of life. I pray it stays asleep and leaves us alone.”

“So do I,” Josephine agreed. “But we must not ignore this warning. The Almighty has seen fit to allow you to sense this thing when the rest of us haven’t. Has anyone sensed what Hanna is speaking about?”

“I haven’t,” Kida replied.

“Me neither,” Electra stated, “But I know better than to disregard Hanna’s intuition. She’s able to sense things no one else can. Have you felt this presence, Selina?”

“I can’t say that I have,” Selina admitted. “And I’m telepathically fused to Hanna. She’s sensing something on a wavelength that even I cannot sense. But I fully agree with you, momma. Hanna’s always been highly sensitive to things on the psychic and spiritual planes, even before we ever met. For some reason, she’s becoming increasingly responsive to the movements in the psychic and spiritual worlds. She can see and sense things none of the rest of us can feel.”

“I see,” Josephine stated with a sober smile. “It’s just as I thought.”

“What do you mean?” Hanna asked.

“Don’t worry,” Josephine reassured with a sweet smile. “It’s nothing bad. What I meant is that this heightened sensitivity may have come from what I did when I mutated you. Your power and instinct is growing exponentially now, which is allowing you to sense things on a level we cannot. It’s actually a good thing. With your heightened sensitivity, you can sense things at a much farther range and with much more precision. It’ll make it much harder for the Emperor to sneak up on you and us. I’m frankly astonished at how quickly you have grown and evolved since the mutation. I never dreamed you’d reach the level I see now. You’re sensing things that are hostile to us now at extreme range, much farther than you’ve ever done before. I am in awe at what your God did with you because of my little tweaks to your genetic structure. It makes me a believer in you God, Hanna, and in you.”

A smile crossed Hanna’s lips. “You humble me, Jo,” she replied softly. “That’s a good thing. This strange power I feel surging within me is a terrible burden. No one should wield the power I have at my disposal. Only the Almighty should have such terrible power. But as you so eloquently put, it does have an upside. You’re right in pointing out that it I can sense things at an extreme range now, both on this plane and on the spiritual plane. It does make it easier for me to know if the bad guys are up to no good, which is a tremendous plus for us. Therefore, I’m glad you remind me where this power originates. It keeps me centered and in check.”

“You’re welcome,” Josephine answered back. “It also makes me believe I did the right thing when I did what I did. I pray you don’t lose this valuable asset when we reverse your mutation. I feel you need it.”

A sigh escaped Hanna’s lips. “Don’t worry,” she said, touching Josephine on the hand. “If the Almighty wishes for me to keep and continue to grow in this strange power and ability, nothing will happen to it. I know that to the bottom of my feet. These strange abilities are something that’s apparently been hiding inside me all along. I just never knew they were there. The Almighty just decided to wake them up now. Still, I’d much rather be an ordinary girl with ordinary problems.”

“I know you do,” Josephine chimed, impressed with Hanna’s faith. “I wish I had your faith in the Ancient of Days. It’s refreshing.”

“That it is,” Enoch agreed. “But let’s get back to what you were sensing, Hanna. Since you’re the only one who is apparently able to sense this thing, can you tell us where it is?”

Hanna shook her head solemnly. “I’m not sure,” Hanna declared. “What I’m feeling from this hostile alien presence is extremely faint, and getting fainter by the moment. It feels like a ripple in a pond. I don’t know exactly where it originated, only that it came from somewhere to the east. Where it came from is impossible to tell with the faint pulse I felt.”

“Are you still feeling it?” Selina asked. “You said it was getting fainter.”

Hanna looked to the east with a puzzled expression. “To be honest, no,” Hanna admitted. “It’s gone now. I don’t understand it. Why did it vanish like that? It’s like an echo fading away. Did it go back to sleep or is it hiding somehow? I have no answers, only more questions.”

“But you know it’s dangerous to us,” Enoch declared.

“Absolutely,” Hanna insisted. “It may have been faint, but I know when something is hostile towards me. This thing, whatever it is, is very hostile towards not just me, but all life, and it’s not the Emperor or the Black Prince. This much I’m certain of.” She shivered, wrapping her arms around her torso to cut the increasingly cold sea breeze. “Man, it’s getting really cold out here,” she stated. “Can we talk about this inside?”

“Sure,” Enoch agreed. “But I don’t think we need to talk about it any longer. It’s given you enough grief. But if you feel this thing again, tell us. Okay?”

“Deal,” Hanna agreed as she suddenly yawned. “Oh, excuse me. Let’s get out of this wind.”

“Right,” Josephine stated. “We can’t have you catching a cold on the eve of your procedure, now can we?”

“No, we can’t,” Selina chimed. “Come on.” With that, the group left the top of the tower, going inside to their respective quarters.