FRAGILE HEARTS

CHAPTER 7 : THE INFERNAL DEVICE

'You're kidding, right?' I asked her. I wanted to laugh but no, she looked as serious as a heart attack.

'No, I'm serious,' she said. 'Arithlis is being invaded by aliens. Not your typical aliens, but the fiery ones. I—I saw them from my lab. They want our hearts. They want to be as human as we are and they're experimenting. They called themselves as 'Neobrines'. As for hail-bloods, Wei-Jun, you and I have abilities. Yes, you've got to believe me!'

When I heard the piece of unwelcomed news, I was stunned. Yes, especially the part about me having powers.

Okay. I need to go back to sleep. I'm dreaming. Soon, this'll all be over.

Nigel, the good friend that he was, merely clasped my hand harder.

'You're a mad woman!' I screamed at her once I found my voice.

No. No. I shouldn't get angry. Anger leads to murder. I don't want to be like my Father.

'It's true what I say,' she said calmly, as if I hadn't just shouted into her face. 'Your ability is biological manipulation. You can not only shift your shape, but also the body of others. And also you can do some other tricks with your ability in micro level.'

'Whatever you're saying doesn't sound so truthful. What's micro level tricks, by the way?' I asked her with a confused look.

'Micro level tricks mean you have a very complex power. Something that can nearly destroy the world like something happened to homo sapiens centuries ago,' she stopped and cocked her head at us, as if asking if we understood.

Of course, I didn't. It's time to call the Dread Asylum. They'll escort her from my home.

At the continued perplexed looks that must have been mirrored on both our faces, she threw her hands up in despair.

'Why do you think Malaysia was plucked out of earth and was renamed Herowinth? During 2017's thermal pollution, most of the people died. Some did not. The pollution acted on the survivors as a vitamin boost. It changed their DNA pattern into a very peculiar one, giving them superpowers. An unfathomable ability of sorts. The authorities got scared and killed them off—thinking they're the cause of the thermal pollution—then lifted this whole country up into the sky. But some Hail-Bloods—mostly the ones who turned themselves invisible—lived in hiding and survived the massacre. And you're one of their heirs.'

What she had said was unbelievable, but something in her tone urged me to believe her. 'Fine, I believe you. But where did you get all of the information?'

'Internet, my friend. The Authorities might've deleted the ways of making Wi-Fi from our censored brains, but they had the last Wi-Fi modem in the National Library. I broke in and printed out the archives about it,' she said.

Breaking in some more. God. I'm dealing with a female terrorist here. I sighed.

I looked to Nigel, who gave me a reassuring nod.

'Dude, no matter what you want to be, I'll always be there for you. I always thought you were different from others, man. I should've realized it when you invented the Fashion Design Printer using centuries-old plan you found in your attic. Even then, I wondered if you had some sort of mutant powers like the ones we read about in the comics. I'm sure of it now,' Nigel said, placing his hand on my shoulder.

Nigel's reassurance was all I needed. I was touched. With tears running down my cheeks, I hugged him tight, knocking him out of breath. 'Thanks, man. But, aren't you sad that you don't have an ability, too,' I asked, wiping at my tears. Then it struck me how comical the situation was, so we ended up laughing, even Nephilia.

'Why would I need one, Wei-Jun?' Nigel laughed at me. 'I don't need superhuman powers when my best friend can save me from dangers!'

After we calmed down, I questioned her further. 'Guess you need help. Is that why you're here?'

'Yes, Wei-Jun. When the alien/man ordered cloaks from you, did it give you any intriguing devices apart from the cloaks? Try remembering.' Nephilia said.

I thought he really was a man though. Maybe these stupid aliens can shape-shift, too.

I searched back into my memories. The alien had given me blue silks, golden wools, rune patterns and... what else?

Nigel, who'd been standing beside me, suddenly rushed to the back of my house. As quick as a blink, he returned with a shiny needle in his hand.

Yes! That was it. The Needle! The alien had given me the needle and asked me to sew the cloaks with it. How could I have forgotten?

'Is that what you're asking for, Nephilia?' Nigel asked.

Nephilia promptly jumped up and down, her face turning dark grey and then pink.

'Yes, yes! An Infernal Device. One of the most powerful devices of the aliens.'

She must've learnt this from the National Library, too.

'Wei-Jun,' Nigel sighed. 'How could you have forgotten? You were talking about this two days ago.'

Indeed, I was. I was talking to Nigel about how the needle seemed rather different from my normal sewing needles. Nephilia took the needle out of Nigel's hand and examined it. 'Do you two have any idea how dangerous this needle is?'

We shook our heads. A 'NO' sign.

'This is the Seer Needle. This might be the cause of our destruction and the Neobrines' salvation. If you looked closely, you can either see the future of our world or the alien's planet. Using the needle to sew their cloaks makes them immune and allow them to manipulate your mind. This needle will only cause wrath and havoc among humans. We must destroy it,' she said.

'But why? Why would they want to manipulate my mind? Honestly, I am up to no good.' I stated the obvious.

'God, Wei-Jun. Don't you understand already? You're a biological manipulator! The aliens need our hearts to become humans. But, can they connect the hearts to themselves on their own? No. Never! So they need you for your skills. Only you can create new veins and arteries. Micro-level tricks, remember?'

She switched to Nigel. 'Hey Nigel Kwa! At least you understand, right?' Nigel nodded. 'You try to make him understand. He plays an important role in destroying this life-sucking evil Needle.' While she spoke, her finger was pointed right at me.

Then she pulled out a metal band and snapped it on my wrist. 'This'll activate your powers.' And just as she stated, I got a sudden injection of strength.

I wondered what biological manipulation I could do, and pointed my hand towards a dead ant.

You know what? Not only did the dead ant resurrected, it multiplied in size! Personally, I didn't believe in resurrection, but this made me think otherwise. Maybe, this power has been brewing inside me for so long.

I stood back in awe. I couldn't believe what Nephilia had been telling us was right.

I really am a Hail-Blood!

Before I could say anything more, there was loud beeping came from the town speaker, which channeled news from the authorities. A man's deep voice was heard.

'Attention, people of Arithlis. Herowinth is being invaded by aliens. This is not a test. Stay saf- Ahhhhh!,' the man screamed before completing his sentence. The beep went on for awhile, then completely silenced.

I just could not believe what I had heard.

'The end of Herowinth has just begun,' Nephiliamuttered ominously.