The Next Generation (FIRST DRAFT)

Chapter 30

“When will we know she’s going to be okay?” Ben asked after a while. 

    “Well, since you supers heal significantly faster than normal people, I’d say it won’t be much longer until we know,” Nox replied. “Maybe an hour or so?” 

    They sat in silence. 

    “Nox?” Ben asked.

    “Yes?”

    “If you don’t mind me asking, what even are you?”

    Nox looked down at the ground by where Ben was sitting cross-legged. He sighed. 

    “It’s time you guys know, isn’t it?” he said. 

    “What is that supposed to mean?”

    “Let me explain,” Nox said as he walked over to Ben and sat down next to him. 

    “Okay.”

    “In case you didn’t notice, Ben, I’m not human.”

    “You don’t say,” Ben replied sarcastically, giving Nox a deadpan look. 

    “In fact, I’m not even from Earth.”

    “Well, then what are you supposed to be? An alien?”

    Nox cringed. “Crude term, but I guess you could call me that.”

    “So you’re from another planet?”

    “Yes and no. It’s...complicated,” Nox replied. “I was from a planet once, but that day is long gone. I exist for one purpose and one purpose only now.”

    “And that is-?”

    “I’m here to protect this planet from a bigger threat.”

    “I think you are going to have to start at the beginning, Nox.”

    “If you say so,” Nox said before continuing. “Long ago, there were only two planets with life in the entire universe. They had formed early on and the life within evolved rapidly. These two worlds complimented each other in every way, one hot, one cold. One oceanic, one almost completely land. One good, one evil.

    “The two planets were sworn enemies. The life within the ecosystems were very similar in that they had taken the same forms. They competed constantly, always at war, always trying to outdo one another. Finally, one day, one of the planets took it too far. 

    “This planet that took it too far began to experiment on their own people. They created ‘monsters’, as you would call them. They were mindless creatures whose sole purpose was to destroy anything and everything that got in their way. These creatures took over their entire planet, turning every living creature into one of these monsters of the night. 

    “Seeing this, the other planet knew they had to do something. Taking notes from what the other people had done wrong, a brave scientist perfected what the other planet was trying to do. They changed the basics of what the people of the opposite planet were. Where the other planets had made creatures of darkness and destruction, this planet made their people into rays of light and hope, the only things that had the power to vanquish the threats. 

    “For millennia, the people fought the creatures of darkness, but seeing as we balance each other out, we could never truly rid ourselves of the darkness. No matter where we turned, the darkness was always still there. 

    “It was about this time that other planets started to form life much like our own planets had done so long ago. The people of light realized that this new delicate life was in danger. They began to assign the planets protectors to stop the darkness from feeding off of the new life.