Rise of the Arockalypse (Second Lordi Saga - Story 3)

Chapter 5 - Evolution or Damnation?

_ "Yes, of course I'm proud of her." Ava replied. "But...I'm afraid of the reactions it might elicit when it gets out, and it will get out if I ever had to train other meta-human children to master their powers."

_"What do you mean? Explain yourself." Ox asked, seeing her very concerned.

_ "To many humans, we monsters love war, and it is even claimed we were born for it." Awa explained, remembering the words to the White House assembly. "The media could take the scoop and loudly proclaim that we are training the young meta-human children to create a new army and impose our domination on the earth. This would only create more tension and conflict, and I don't want that."

_ "But... you still want to help them, don't you?" said Ox. "I know you, Awa. You have a big heart, and you can never bring yourself to give them up."

Awa sighed, nodding and rubbing her hand over her face. She felt like she was balancing above an ever-widening chasm, which would force her to choose which way to leap, to make a choice. Give up or continue? Fortunately, Ox was there to comfort her, kissing her forehead and letting her snuggle up to him.

_"I'm here, Awa. You won't be alone to manage this." said the minotaur.

_"I know, my great and strong hero." Awa replied in a loving tone and came to kiss Ox on the mouth to thank him for his unbreakable support.

But suddenly, as the couple were about to kiss again, a noise broke the peaceful silence of the forest, attracting the attention of the couple, who immediately recognized what it was... crying... baby crying!

Suddenly, Awa felt it thanks to her spirit, not far from there... sadness, distress, but also deep mental pain... Crossed by a bad feeling, Awa began to run towards the origin of the cries, immediately followed by Ox.

A few minutes later, they came in sight of a small bridge on a lonely road in the middle of the forest. Under this bridge was a river. But what caught the attention of the two monsters was the presence of a parked car, headlights on. A human woman, aged in her thirties, her face sunken with sadness, had approached the edge of the bridge, and holding in her hands something that she was about to throw into the river. A crying baby, wrapped in a blanket!

_ "No, stop, don't do that!" Awa yelled as she stepped forward.

The woman, surprised and terrified by the two monsters standing about twenty meters away from her, stepped back, holding the baby in her arms.

_ "Don't come near me..." moaned the weeping and trembling woman.

_ "Look, I don't know what you wanted to do, but it won't fix anything. So please calm down, we'll talk." Ox suggested calmly.

The woman, mentally broken and in great distress, then looked towards the child she was holding, looking at him with sadness, but also fear.

_ "I...I didn't want that..." she moaned, strangled by her distress. "I didn't want to give birth to this... This... This monster can't be my boy, I refuse him... It's you again, isn't it? You, the monsters... All... All those children who are born abnormal... It's you! You've cursed us all!"

These accusations filled with hatred and sadness shook the heart of Awa who could feel it a hundredfold because of her spirit.

_"Never... I didn't want that..." sighed the countess sadly.

_"I refuse to live in such a world..." breathed the woman, mentally damaged. "And my son will never live it too!"

On these words and under the horrified looks of the two monsters, she threw her baby over the bridge. Awa reacted immediately, levitating at full speed and came to catch the baby in her arms before he fell into the icy waters of the river.