The Wanderer - 265 (Patreon)

Chapter 265 – Monolith

[2009 – October – Saturday]

Listening to Jean's and Laura's slow and even breathing, their heartbeats not escaping my superior hearing while the warmth of their bare skin seeped into my form, I lay awake on the bed while it was getting even later.

Jean's weight on my chest and Laura's breath caressing my neck were tempting me to stay put and fall asleep as they had even if I had no need for such rest like a normal human.

Having just been intimate with Laura for the first time only added to the temptation, the developments of the night feeling almost surreal. Being with both of them had felt so right, the both of them being the most important people in my life.

I had not known how it felt to be accepted so wholeheartedly by another person in my past life, having no need to hide parts of myself in front of others.

Now, I knew how precious such a thing was and I was aware of the lengths that I would go to protect what I had been gifted. In fact, I was willing to war against reality and fate itself if I had to, which was the exact reason why I couldn't sleep.

Dispersing my form into formless dark smoke, I gently took hold of Jean and Laura with my mind and settled them on the bed in a comfortable position nestled against each other while I regathered my physical body at the foot of the bed.

My thoughts moved again as I slightly rearranged the blanket, hiding away their flawless bare skin and making sure that they wouldn't be cold while I was gone.

Watching them for a moment as they slept so peacefully, looking like a pair of sleeping beauties waiting for a fated kiss to awaken them, I wasn't sure if I could put into words how much they meant to me.

Boundless warmth and tenderness poured out of my heart and flowed through my veins and I didn't even dare to step closer to softly caress their cheek or brush through their hair for fear of disturbing them at this moment.

My dreams hadn't changed, I still yearned to explore the endless cosmos and see all the things that no human before and after me had ever seen and would ever be able to see. I yearned for an eternity of freedom granted to me by untouchable and absolute strength.

With an undying and inextinguishable desire, I yearned for this kind of freedom.

And yet, if these two little beauties asked me to stay with them and live an ordinary life, I wasn't sure that I could reject them. No, that wasn't true. I knew that I wouldn't be able to reject them.

This was my devotion to them, this was the ultimate proof of how important they were to me, how much I loved them. And strangely enough, I couldn't even feel bad about how Jean and Laura seemed to have become a flaw in my determination to strive forward and grasp my dream.

This kind of contradiction, this rather fundamental conflict, what other emotion but the deepest affection could be the reason for such? Love truly could drive a person crazy, make them willing to give up everything.

I wasn't sure if this was a weakness or not though. I only knew that I never felt more human than when I was with them, never felt more like myself.

On the other hand, though, I knew that they would never put me in such a situation, to force me to decide between them and my dreams. This, I believed with all my heart because I trusted them.

They knew me better than anyone else, loved me as much as I loved them. I simply did not believe that they could bear to ask me to give up my dream, to betray me so horrifically.

Pushing aside my wandering thoughts, the shadows in the bedroom came alive as they wrapped around my bare form like the most faithful servants, cladding me in a black suit and mantle while the warmth in my gaze slowly made way for endless coldness and wrath reawakened in my heart.

Anger so dreadful that I didn't dare let it seep into my presence and surroundings for fear of the fatal destruction that I might accidentally cause to this planet slowly coursed through my veins as I recalled the attack on Laura and the information that I had ripped from the minds of those assaulting her.

It had never been my intention to purge the countless organizations that had rather nefarious plans for this world from the face of this planet, their conflict and battles with the 'righteous' and 'lawful' organizations being of little interest to me.

But how could I let HYDRA go unpunished after they dared to attack my wild-hearted she-wolf?

If they thought that the eradication of an elite strike team was enough to calm the anger of a Realm Lord then they were mistaken, gravely so.

“Hu hu.”, a sudden small call drew my attention to the dresser on top of which Arya's little abode was placed, the little featherling quietly looking at me from the tiny hole that was the entrance of her home, her amber eyes filled with gentle closeness and predatory anger.

She seemed to have sensed my anger and was more than ready to 'join me in battle', her finger-sized stature forgotten in front of her mountainous courage and endearing naivety.

I didn't do anything to dampen her spirit though or remind her of the fact that she was just a mini-sized owlet that regularly got chased by coyotes and groups of foxes while playing around in the forest.

After all, she was still young and her fearless spirit deserved to be nurtured given the boundless future that awaited her at my side.

"Come then.", I quietly whispered, directing Arya's jump through the Darkforce Dimension with precision so that she landed on my shoulder, which she predictably used as an opportunity to snuggle close to my neck, hiding inside the collar of my shirt and nipping affectionately at my skin.

A moment later, the both of us vanished from the room like drifting smoke, silently and tracelessly.

…

[Lisbon, Portugal]

Having woken up early as he always did given the many responsibilities, investments, and schemes that demanded his attention every single day, Gideon Malick was savouring the ridiculously expensive brand of coffee beans while looking over his full schedule for the day.

As a businessman, influential political figure, member of the World Security Council, and most importantly one of the leaders of HYDRA, he didn't really have a 'private life'.

Every desire and ambition that he had was and should be of secondary importance when compared to HYDRA's oldest goal which was to ensure the return of their god and true leader, Hive.

As such, there were only a few pleasures that he allowed himself during his everyday life, which might very well be part of the reason that he was as successful as he was.

After all, being without morals didn't make a person successful, hard work, intelligence, and the right mindset did. Malick was very clear about this.

HYDRA's oldest goal hadn't been accomplished for centuries, which proved that ambition alone could not ensure success. Competence and careful planning were needed.

Malick had gone as far as to forbid himself from indulging overly in all areas of his personal life so as to not lose his discipline and sharp mind. And what he had accomplished throughout his life was proof that his method was not without results.

He wasn't a brave man but he was without a doubt a competent one. He had betrayed the traditions and beliefs of HYDRA to save his own life during the regular sacrifices over the years but that didn't mean that he was not doing his best for the organization.

On the contrary, he had brought HYDRA to greater heights than all the other leaders before him, using SHIELD and the World Security Council to hide in plain sight while expanding their influence many-fold.

Malick was even hopeful of being the one to complete the oldest goal of HYDRA as he could sense that the world was changing rapidly with the number of enhanced individuals increasing exponentially, creating a chaotic environment that acted as the most nutritious soil that would allow the seeds of HYDRA's plans and schemes to germinate and grow into full bloom.

The act of betraying his own brother all those years ago still weighed on him even now but he hoped, from the depths of his heart, that the glory of enabling Hive to descend on Earth would wash away his guilt and shame.

'Soon.', he promised himself as he pondered over details of a few meetings later in the day, knowing that the day of HYDRA's domination and Hive's return was not far off.

*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*

Suddenly though, he heard his phone ring and saw that it was his daughter's number, he was surprised for a moment as he knew of no reason why she would contact him but took the call nonetheless.

“Stephanie, what an unexpected surprise to hear from you this early in the day.”, Malick answered the phone in a measured voice, his tone regal and mostly neutral.

He wasn't one to express his emotions openly, even though he saw his daughter as his greatest accomplishment, his pride as a father surpassing even the pride he had in his own achievements. But naturally, he couldn't ever admit such a thing, his chosen path not allowing him to do so.

Unexpectedly, his daughter didn't reply as he had expected, instead, her voice carried panic and uncertainty as she stated: “It's gone, Father! The monolith is gone!”