Cantral The Entra

You are not favoured by the Universe.

"Haroc!" I shout and I fling my helmet to the ground. "Will you fight me?"

Haroc approaches, he sets a steady stride. "You wish to kill me?" He stops in my personal space and forces me to look up if I want to meet his eyes. I do.

"Yes." I stare at him, at his face behind his cracked visor.

Ships fly overhead. Entra and Oneeran, locked in their own battle. The Oneerans can't help me, they won't have chance, Haroc will have ensured that. His entra will have strict orders, he'll want this victory for himself and I hope his arrogance will be his downfall.

"I remember your face the day I first met you, so tiny, with huge black eyes," Haroc talks as he always does when he recounts this story. "Your hand reached out and you grabbed my finger—" he removes his metal glove and his hand touches my cheek "—and since that moment I have loved you. I thought you loved me too," regret seeps into his voice, "when did hatred bloom?"

Huge white birds perch on the trees around us, with circular black eyes, that bear witness to our exchange.

"I loved you, what choice did I have as a child? I feared you too," I say, the warmth of his hand spreads throughout me. "Hatred bloomed every time you killed someone, every time you invaded a planet, every time you hurt Fendan. What has all this death achieved?"

"We serve the Universe—"

"We have served her wrong! That is why she refuses us more entra, she wants us gone!"

"No!" Haroc roars and he drops his hand from my cheek.

"Then why can't we make more entra? Why after you have freed so much Energy?" I stare at Haroc. "Answer me!"

"Cantral," he whispers softly, "we will, soon. I promise you. We are not wrong, the Universe she speaks to me, she guides me."

We will, soon. We. I stare into his eyes. I'm a child again before this man. We. Would he forgive me for this? Would he take me back? Would he wrap his arms around me when all feels lost? Would he tell me stories and whisper how much he loves me before placing me in my incubation unit?

I look away, at the blue snow. Sometimes bad people can be kind. Bad people can love. They can manipulate. They can take your love and use it as a tool against you. That's all anyone is to Haroc, a tool. We're not people, we're things he can wield. We're things he can dominate.

"You're deluded, I see that now. If I allow you to continue, bodies will pile beneath you, and you will not have your entra. You'll have nothing." From a sheathed pocket in my suit, I retrieve a curved blade. "I Cantral of the entra, favoured by yourself, and the Universe, will Renew your Energy. I will return your soul to the Universe, I will ease her pain. Will you comply?"

I take a step back. I stand ready. My hands tighten around the hilt of my blade. Ready for anything. For movement, for attack. Ready to kill. I'm ready to kill Haroc.

There's a softness in Haroc's eyes and his head points to the ground. His hand opens and the blade he's holding drops. Snow cushions the sound of impact and conceals the blade from view.

Haroc's eyes meet mine. "Cantral, I have been deluded." A laugh comes from him, like a bitter chill and a tingle runs up my spine. I'm not ready.

He strikes like lightening; he grabs my arm and squeezes. A shriek comes from me, betrayed by my own lips, as my metal glove pinches my wrist. My hand opens of its own accord and my blade drops into the snow.

"You wish to Renew my Energy? Fight me with your hands, girl, and we shall see who the Universe favours, we shall see who she picks." He strikes again, a punch to my chest, that sends my flying back.