Chapter Forty-Six

The Leap of Destiny

When history is being made, even the elements halt in their tracks to bear witness to the spectacle

Elisium

6L 1/1/1/3

"Jennifer told you that they will keep plotting against us till they are alive. Can you see it now or are you still blinded by your compassion?"

A raging fury was burning in Jennifer's eyes. She and David were looking towards the fields to try and gauge the destruction caused by the twin tornadoes, with their backs towards the surrendering soldiers of Aden, when the sounds of few simultaneous gunshots pierced the silence.

Jennifer turned around. Tens of bullets, aimed at her, stopped inches from her body, and limply fell to the ground. Presumably, a unit of Aden's soldiers had acted on its own and decided to take down their biggest enemy. They kept firing but nothing touched her. An invisible divine shield was protecting her from these attacks.

"The last thing Jennifer's dying father told her was to never drop her guard and she heeded to his advice. And now she will make you all pay for your deceit." Jennifer closed her eyes and her fingers started snapping. Her forehead radiated the darkest shade of pink. Whatever was about to come was going to be devastating.

"Jennifer has got bored burning them. Now it's time to bury them."

She opened her eyes and stretched her hands in front of her body. She glared at the ground and it began to shake. There had been constant tremors since the beginning of the loop, but this was something unprecedented. Waves rippled across the ground as if it was a choppy sea. Soldiers of Aden were tossed around as if they were caught in a tsunami. And then the ground caved in. Hundreds of Aden's soldiers and their vehicles were consumed by Elisium.

Jennifer was wild rage personified. She was hell-bent on burying every single one of them alive. This was a desperate moment and David rushed to his sister. He brought his lips near her ear and whispered a chant.

Her brother's voice reached Jennifer. She felt someone pulling her out of her trance. She wanted to stay there and punish the monsters who wanted to destroy her and her world, but her brother's voice kept tucking at her soul. There was a struggle going on within her, between Jennifer and the Super-Transitioner. There was excruciating pain and she thought her body will split in two, but a sudden bliss took over the agony and Jennifer finally passed out into the calm of nothingness.

***

James was sitting at Jennifer's bedside when she opened her eyes. He kissed her on the forehead. "Welcome back."

Her head was still throbbing. "What happened out there?"

"You were turning this whole world upside down when you suddenly collapsed."

"David chanted something into Jennifer's ears and she felt as if someone was trying to tear her apart." Jennifer had vague memories of what happened before she passed out.

James uncomfortably shuffled in his chair.

"Blurt out what you want to say. You look terrible when you try to hold back your thoughts." Jennifer teased her husband.

"To be honest, I think you went a little too far with your powers there. I don't know how David managed to do that, but if he hadn't reigned you in, only God knows what you would have done."

"Was Jennifer that bad?"

"You almost turned half of the Elisium upside down."

"Jennifer used those tornadoes to save our soldiers. And she buried those men, only after they tried to attack us after pretending to surrender. So, tell me where did she go wrong?"

"Can't blame you for your actions. The people of that world have broken our trust multiple times and today they did it again. But you can't punish everyone for the mistakes of a few. A line has to be drawn somewhere."

"The people Jennifer killed weren't some innocent clueless citizens. They were soldiers who voluntarily signed up for this mission. Elisians wanted their enemies to be annihilated so Jennifer can't understand what all this fuss is about?"

"Just to clarify, many of these soldiers didn't voluntarily sign up but were forced to join Aden's army. In war, there is no other option but to kill your enemies, however, you must also know when to stop." James paused for a moment to clear his throat.

"Just speak what you want to say."

"Jennifer, those who fight against oppression, when they stop reviewing their actions and start justifying them, they end up becoming tyrants themselves. There is a very fine line separating a true warrior and a heartless despot."

"And you think Jennifer crossed that line?" Jennifer asked although she knew the answer.

At that moment David entered the room and saved James from the awkwardness.

"How is my little sister doing?"

"Look who is asking. You almost split Jennifer in two, by whatever you whispered in her ears."

David had a sheepish look on his face. "Jennifer, you must understand..."

Jennifer cut him short, "It is okay brother. Jennifer's loving husband has already called her a tyrant..."

"I didn't say that," James interrupted Jennifer but she ignored him.

"Jennifer doesn't have an appetite for hearing something on similar lines from you. But can you tell her what did you whisper in her ears? Who taught you that?"

"Father taught me those words during his last moments. He said it might help me rein you in when nothing else works. Some old man, dressed in royal clothes, taught him those words in his dreams."

Jennifer guessed who the old man might be. "Grandpa Adam just can stop invading people's dreams. Now since you both are the ones closest to Jennifer, he may be visiting you anytime soon," she added with a smile. "Now dear brother, can you tell Jennifer what happened after she passed out."

"Christopher had already ordered his men to surrender before some of those fools tried to shoot you. In response, you buried about fifty vehicles and everyone around them. Once the others saw what happened to their comrades, no one tried anything stupid. From then on it was a smooth surrender."

"And what about those in the fields?"

"The twins killed hundreds and left thousands with fractured bones and broken limbs. Hundreds were blown away by our troops and the mines. Christopher and Brian are trying to ascertain the total damage but I think more than a couple of thousands are dead and many more heavily injured. Our medical units and theirs, are trying to patch up the injured, but none of them expected such mayhem. To say that they are overburdened will be an understatement."

"Where are we keeping the prisoners?"

"A large portion of the Ruins has been turned into a prison."

"Will we be able to look after so many prisoners? Won't they try and revolt if they get a chance?

David gave a gentle smile. "You have knocked every single ounce of the fight out of them. They neither have the will nor any strength left to battle against you. And when there is no hope or will, there is no chance of a miracle. Don't worry about them sister, they are going to do nothing."

David had a close look at her and a few wrinkles formed on his forehead. "I hope you will be fit soon. We have to leave for Aden as early as possible."

"Jennifer just has some weakness. A good night's sleep is all she needs. Her dear husband has a penchant for medicines as well. She is sure he will whip up some sort of concoction to fetch her a peaceful sleep."

"Okay. I will leave you lovebirds alone. Good night."

"Brother," Jennifer called David when he got up to leave. "Do you think Jennifer just lost it today? Got carried away by her powers. Is she turning into a blood-thirsty demon?"

David took his sister's hand in his. "Don't ever think like that. You did what was absolutely necessary. Wars can't be won without killing enemies and you just did that. And don't worry about getting carried away. I will always be there to drag you back if you go a little too far. Just toss away this guilt and unleash your fury to destroy the enemies. As for maintaining control, leave that on me. You do what you do best and I will take care of the rest." David gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her forehead.

Jennifer's face lit up. Those words had taken a lot of weight off her soul.

James brought a glass filled with some potion. "Time to sleep, my love."

Jennifer took the glass and drank it. Instantly, her muscles started to loosen up and her eyes became heavy. After the kind of day she had, she deserved a night of blissful sleep.

***

Aden

6L 1/1/1/6

It was a quiet morning, barring the thunderstorms and constant trembling of the ground, and Commander Kepler was having his morning tea inside his tent when one of his soldiers rushed into it. "There is some movement in the river."

Kepler quickly got up and sprinted towards the bank. "Tell everyone to keep their guns ready."

"Everyone is ready and in their positions sir."

Kepler reached the riverbank and saw a few soldiers of Aden's army emerging out of the water.

"Hold your fire. I am commander Simon."

"Show me your ID sir." Kepler requested.

Simon removed an ID from his pocket and handed it to Kepler. Kepler was about to check the ID but quickly stepped back when his eyes fell on the other officer coming out of the river. "Deputy HighCommander Alfred! I thought you were supposed to stay there and take over from HighCommander Christopher." Kepler asked furrowing his brow.

"Yes, that is true. But after the bloody battle there, I have a few things to discuss with our new king before I take over the reins. In the meantime, HighCommander Christopher is looking after that world for me."

"How did the mission go?"

"That is a very long story but for the time being, will you just ask your men to put down the damn guns and start making arrangements for the arriving troops?" Alfred suddenly raised his voice and started yelling. "Why the hell are they standing like statues when thousands of men are expected to arrive in the next few hours? Tell them to get moving and do the necessary preparations for the returning heroes."

Kepler flinched. "Why are you shouting? Politeness was never your forte but to be downright rude to one of your old friends is pathetic, even from your petty standards."

Alfred wasn't in a mood for a lecture on behavioral niceties. "You know what? After returning from a gruesome war our soldiers can at least expect a blanket and a warm cup of tea when they come out of this freezing water. Instead, what we have here is some morons pointing their guns at us. It will be much better for you if you don't irk me further and start doing arrangements to receive my men properly. The last thing you want is me reporting you to King Marcus when I meet him tomorrow."

Kepler decided not to test his temper any further. He rushed away and ordered his troops to take out blankets and start preparing tea and food for the incoming troops.

"Wow! you just blew him away," Smith whispered to Arnold.

"Just got a little rattled by that man. Going on the offensive looked like the best strategy there," Arnold replied with a sigh of relief.

Soldiers of Aden dropped their weapons and got busy in preparations to welcome the victorious troops. Since Arnold had blasted Kepler, Smith decided to be friends with him.

"Don't mind Alfred," Smith said to Kepler who was overlooking the arrangements, "you know how he is. Plus he is shaken by the events of the last couple of days. Lots of blood, dead bodies, very little sleep. I am sure you can understand his mental condition."

Kepler nodded.

"You seem short on hands. Why do you have just a handful of soldiers here? Where are the seven thousand men that King Marcus had kept behind to defend Aden."

Kepler looked over his shoulders and said in a barely audible whisper. "Our king is more worried about local enemies than the foreign ones. That idiot started an internal war by killing Paul and now half of Aden is against him. All he cares about is protecting Aurae and the rest of this world can go to hell. He just gave me seven hundred men to guard this entrance. Can you imagine that?"

Smith crinkled his nose. "You are lucky that we won there. Imagine what would have happened if enemies, and not us, came out of that river."

"That is the exact reason why I had kept my men ready to shoot. Our best chance was to kill as many enemies as we could inside the water. And your friend was shouting at me for doing what was the most logical thing to do."

"I again apologize on his behalf. But tell me one thing, you wouldn't have killed all the enemies inside the river. There must be some backup plan." Smith tried to get some more information.

"Even if they would have made out of the river alive, they wouldn't have gone too far. There are mines hidden all along the riverbanks. Most of them would have been blown to pieces before getting out of this area."

These hidden mines seemed like a standard practice of Aden's army. First Christopher and now Kepler had used the same tactic. "Have you disabled those mines? We don't want any of our men mistakenly stepping on one of those."

"I was just about to do that."

Kepler called a couple of his lieutenants and gave them the instructions.

By now hundreds of soldiers were pouring out of the river. There was a buzz of activity around the riverbanks. Soldiers of Aden were offering blankets, food, and a warm cup of tea to their returning companions. But with the arrival of larger units, discrepancies started to pop up. Two brothers in Aden's army came face to face with their counterparts from Elisium. Another soldier met the duplicate of his friend he had left behind in Aurae. There was a buzz amongst the troops and things quickly started to unravel. Kepler turned towards Smith for an explanation but found his gun leveled at his head.

"Ask your men to stand down. I think you are smart enough to understand what has just happened. I am Smith and not Simon. You are heavily outnumbered and your men don't even have their weapons on them. Thousands of Aden's soldiers surrendered in Elisium and we spared their lives. I promise the same here. I hate killing so please don't force me to do something I don't want to do."

Kepler's men had dropped their guards whereas his opponents were ready to attack. It was a hopeless situation. Kepler quietly asked his men to stand down.

This was the first truly non-violent surrender that was accomplished without firing a shot. Smith and Arnold had played their parts to perfection and skillfully outsmarted their opponents. This was a sweet victory for David's army.

Kepler's men were swiftly rounded off and locked inside their trucks. Soldiers of David's army kept arriving in large numbers. And finally, the stage was set for the arrival of the main hero.

***

On the other side, in another world, Jennifer, David, James, Jacob, and Joseph stood on the bridge of faith. They were amongst the last batch to depart for Aden.

Joseph looked towards the sky. "The weather looks relatively calm. These days were supposed to be the worst. They aren't quite living up to the reputation."

"When history is being made, even the elements halt in their tracks to bear witness to the spectacle," James said winking at his wife.

Jacob, as always, had an explanation. "Well, that is a great line. But I think the real reason for this calm is that the thunder-strikes, the twin tornadoes, and the massive earthquake drained all the energy out the atmosphere."

"You mean to say that Jennifer sucked the power out from the turn of the loop?" Jennifer asked.

"You know, you don't create energy. Your powers just help you harness it and divert it in a specific direction. Your rampage of a couple of hours even exhausted our mother nature. There were clear skies for hours after the tornadoes. Seemingly you wore out the elements and they too wanted a break," Jacob added with a smile.

James saw the lighter side of it. "Thankfully the battle was over before that or else my dear wife would have been in an embarrassing situation. Just imagine – she tries to move the earth, but it doesn't budge and instead tells her, 'just go to hell. I'm tired of shaking and need a break'."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Joseph brought their attention back to the situation at hand. "We must now concentrate on our next step. Hopefully, Smith and Arnold would have pulled it off. The first thing I don't want to see upon returning to my old world after seven long years is a heap of dead bodies."

Jennifer raised an eyebrow. "David, are you sure our staying behind was a good idea? Jennifer could have been of some help there."

"As per the info I got from Brian, the troops that were held behind in Aden, were to protect Aurae from the rebels, and not their entrance from us. So there shouldn't be too much of a problem even if our decoy plan goes awry."

Jacob had a different take on this decision. "Besides that, we can't push you in every situation. Once these days are over, you will only be present in one world. Our men must learn to take care of different scenarios. Smith and Arnold are senior commanders and they must be ready for such responsibilities."

Jennifer nodded.

"It is time to leap," David said looking at his sister.

David, Jacob, and Joseph jumped first. Jennifer and James climbed the railing and looked into the Abyss of Unknown.

A loop ago, a young Solomon leaped from this same spot and changed the fortunes of Aden.

His heiress was about to take a similar leap. A leap that was expected to stabilize the wildly swinging fortunes of the two Cosmic Sisters.

Tightly holding hands and looking into each other's eyes, Jennifer and James, took the plunge.

A plunge of faith.

A leap of Destiny.