Twenty seven years ago.
Bryalnus: Ferionus
I crept my way into the sunlight to regenerate, just for a moment. I had inched my way far enough out of the tunnel to engulf my entire body in the sun's glorious rays.
Slow and controlled movements, that's how we survived this guerrilla warfare. It was a risky move, regenerating on a sunny day like today, but I hadn't been able to recharge my coalesced energy for weeks now. If I was careful enough, everything should be fine.
My body was still caked in mud that I had been continuously applying, so my reflections were definitely dulled down. Unfortunately, that made it more difficult to collect the sunlight. It was a delicate balance.
The mountain landscape was rocky and dry, with various grey shrubs growing in light patches. It wasn't particularly beautiful in my opinion, but it was better than what we had been doing off and on for the past two months—which was hiding out underground. This particular opening in the ground was near the base of two mountains, the distinct 'V' shape where the two mountains met was not far down the slope from me.
The sun's rays felt so good.
I couldn't stay out in the light for long; the bright sunlight reflecting off my crystalline body easily jeopardized our cover. The mud didn't keep all reflections dulled unfortunately. If anyone were paying attention to light movements on the mountainside I would be done for. All it took was one stray pink reflection noticed by a squatter. I had to stay completely still to minimize reflection movement while I soaked in the light.
The war had only just started, and just like any war, it needed to end.
I was never much of a pacifist—I believed that sometimes war was just as important for a nation as peace was.
But this war was dumb. Our people as a species had become accustomed to war. We were too used to its presence to even realize there was a war going on. So we kept on fighting as the people continued to forgot about it.
I didn't even know which side I was on this time. That's how sad it was. I was just fighting.
I was the Captain Byralnus, leading troops into pointless wars.
Or more accurately, leading troops into pointless deaths.
I tried hard not to think about that. But sometimes the truth screams at you from inside your own head.
We were on Teius, the Ferionus home world. The warmth from this rocky planet's star warmed my core as it coursed through my transparent body.
That was it. I had had enough time in the light. I could feel the rush of energy inside me once again.
Now I needed to head back into the ground where it was safe.
I inched my way back under the safety of the darkness. It was a painfully slow process, but better than being killed. Or worse; taken alive.
The cave's shadow was already engulfing me, now only my feet were still bathing in the sunlight.
Suddenly a beam of light smashed into the cavern ground next to me, burning a hole though the solid rock and causing the surrounding stone to melt and crumble.
Someone had seen me.
I dove back into the cave. My time for using small and slight movements was over. They knew I was here now, and they would be coming to get me now.
The din from the beam was deafening and it echoed down the cave, reverberating off the walls like a ricocheting bullet. It was powerful. From the sound of it, the crystal's energy had been building up for several days in the sun.
I dashed down the cold passage, already missing the warmth from the star's rays. Up ahead I could see the silhouettes of four other Ferionus.
"Yerus!" I yelled as I sprinted deeper into the carved stone. "Nytonus! Dous!" I saw their mud encrusted crystal faces turn towards me with anxiety. There was no doubt they had heard the beam.
"Byralnus?" Called Yerus, his dirt covered translucent yellow body maintaining a defensive position. "What happened??"
I stopped in front of them, motioning for them to follow me. "They are here, they know we are here, we need to leave before they get off the mountain and find this passage!"
"How could you be so clumsy to let yourself be seen!?" Yelled Dous aggressively.
I gritted my teeth in frustration. "The point is that they found me, Dous!" I yelled at him, pointing back at the entrance of the cave. "And now they're going to find you and KILL YOU unless we all move, NOW!!"
Without waiting for a response I sprinted away from them, deeper down into the twisting network. Yerus and Nytonus were quick to follow close behind me. Dous grudgingly followed in the back.
"How are your energies?" I called to them in haste. "Yerus?"
"I'm almost empty Captain. I was going to regenerate after you were done."
I nodded. "Nytonus?"
"I have a fair amount of energy stored up from yesterday, Captain. I've been saving it." He said respectfully.
"Dous?" I called over my shoulder.
"I'm empty Captain." He said with disdain. "I too was going to regenerate after you were done."
"That's fine. We'll get another chance." I yelled to them as we twisted deeper through the tunnel. I was looking for a particular place, something I had seen when we had first made our way up. It was somewhere nearby.
We turned another corner and there it was up ahead: a low ceiling outcrop marbled with Favi stone.
"Stop here!" I shouted at them as we reached the passing. I nodded up at the rock laced with sparkling black veins. "If we knock down this Favi and block the passage, when they come and try to beam through it, the rock will scatter the light and they won't be able to cut all the way through. Not as easily at least."
Nytonus nodded in awe.
"It might not stop them, but it will definitely slow them down." I raised my fighting hand and caused it to grow in size with thick crystals, then slammed it up against the low hanging boulders.
The stone began to crumble and fall to the ground. I smashed my hammering hand into the hanging rock once again and watched as the rest of my team began to do the same with their fighting hands.
Soon the entire vein of shining black stone began to give way. Large chunks of loose boulders began to fall freely from the ceiling.
"Watch yourselves!" I warned. The others stopped smashing the rock and cautiously stepped back.
The largest chunk above the group hesitated in place as the stones around it fell. But it soon succumbed to gravity, smashing down into place with the rest of the stones and blocking the passage completely. A series of rocks continued to flow from above them into the heap, but soon the stones settled and the group was left in total darkness.
"Well done team." I complimented.
"Now we need to scout out for another place to regenerate." Sighed Dous, his transparent crystal hand sinking back to normal size.
Suddenly a small section of the pile of stones burst into flame, illuminating the tunnel with ferocity.
"What the..." exclaimed Yerus.
I knew exactly what was happening. I screamed. "No, NO!! DROP!! GET D—"
The brilliant beam slid through the rock, cutting through the stone like it was paper and filling the dark passage with intense light and a deafening din. The beam cut through the tunnel, carving straight through Nytonus's crystalline head as he stood in its path.
I dropped to the dirt floor, as did Yerus and Dous.
Nytonus's dead body hung on the beam of light that was now cutting through the walls of the tunnel behind them. The beam lasted for a few seconds, then soon wavered and disappeared.
"Get up let's go LET'S GO!!" I yelled, jumping back to my feet. Nytonus's body fell to the floor. He now had a gaping hole burned through his transparent head.
The other two bolted deeper down the passage, leaving me behind with the dead body.
I could hear the enemy's voices on the other side of the stone blockade. How had they pierced through the Favi so easily??
My body quivered in rage.
My mistake had led to the death of a good being. Nytonus was not only a good soldier, but a good Ferionus. I had seen so much promise in him.
I quickly folded my crystal Eye over my face and focused my energy. I wasn't leaving before I took some of their best beings too.
I shot my energy though the useless Favi stone. The brilliant beam condensed from my eye and carved through the rubble, pulsating with my fury and rage.
I heard them scream out in surprise on the other side as I caught a few of them, their howls only barely heard over the blat of my energy. I swept the beam from side to side along the blocked tunnel to take out as many as I could.
I wouldn't be able to sustain such a powerful beam for very long. But I was willing to exert all the energy I had left.
My energy fizzled to an end and I stumbled back, suddenly feeling lightheaded. The pile of stone was melted together now with a sweeping snakelike cavity from where the beams had burned though.
I didn't look through to the other side. The smell of burning crystal told me that I had made my mark.
I stumbled over to Nytonus's lifeless body and with the last of my strength rolled him onto my shoulder and carried him down deeper into the tunnel.
Pointless deaths.
The screaming truth was hard to swallow again.
I made a decision in that moment as I raced down deeper into the damp earthen tunnels, a dead body slung across my shoulder.
This was my last war. After this was all over, I would refuse to fight again.
I was sick of it.