Marno Ress was sixteen back then. He could actually recall a few basic things, like his parents' names and whatnot. He even remembered his school and a few of his friends, but that was pretty much it. Gull told him all about normal Aberrations, Garglings, Superiors, the Agency and its fighters.
"You're lucky I happened to find you. Most of us are... dangerous. We're enemies of mankind. You have to remember that. If you see any other Aberrations, run. Please. They won't treat you this way. To them, humans are nothing more than food. My team and I are simply different. We swore off preying on humans," Gull explained, a hint of sadness staining its voice.
"Then you're not humanity's enemies. Stop looking down on yourselves. You rescued me, didn't you? You're not to be held responsible for whatever mischievous deeds other Aberrations do, you know? I have to admit, though, your name is kind of strange, Gullinkambi," Marno said, beaming. "I'm no good when it comes to fighting, but maybe I'll become a scientist. I think I used to like those kind of things."
Gull smiled, bumping fists with the boy. The Superior asked Pik and Arago to wait there. It couldn't let Marno walk all the way to the Agency alone, especially at night. However, Gull couldn't risk getting too close to the building itself.
There weren't any guards around. The Superior hid behind a boulder, surveying the area. Marno slowly walked away from the large rock. Gull winced. Why was it feeling so sad, seeing him go? Suddenly, the boy turned around, waving cheerfully at the creature.
"I'll see you soon! Don't worry, we'll manage somehow. Everything'll be alright. Have faith in me! And in yourself!" Marno yelled, hoping the Aberration would hear him.
Gull returned his smile. He really was a good kid... One of the good kids whose world they'd destroyed.
*
Over the next years, Gull and Marno continued to talk with each other using Gull's telepathic abilities. Apparently, the Superior's power was infinite in terms of range, making it extremely convenient. The only downside was that, if it used that power to communicate with a human for too long, they risked going insane.
At the Agency, Marno had found out that he'd been asleep for almost two thousand years. No one had asked him where he'd come from, nor how he'd gotten there. Not because they hadn't cared, but because it hadn't mattered. All that had mattered was that he'd managed to survive... And that he'd managed to get to the Agency. Marno had become a scientist in no time. Putting the pieces together, he'd soon managed to discover the Superiors' secret. But he still hadn't been able to find out where they'd from. Superiors. The name given to a special type of Aberrations that emerged once every few decades.
"I don't think you'd keep it a secret from me, Gullinkambi. I'm sure you don't know much about it either... But Superiors have attacked the Agency in the past, over and over again. It's one of the theories I found while searching the base's records. Well, I say that, but I'm positive it's more than just a theory. They won't wipe humanity out, but they won't let us get anywhere either. It's like they're stalling for time. The oldest actual records I've managed to get my hand on are from around thirty years ago," Marno said, meeting Gull's gaze. Eighteen years had already passed since the Superior had saved his life. "How old are you?"
"The last wave of Superiors appeared thirty-two years ago. If I'm not mistaking, I'm currently eighty-five years old. Most of my teammates are younger. I can't say that we've never hurt humans in our lives." Gull sighed. "I'm not sure if what I'm about to say is true either, but... I don't think Superiors can be killed like normal Aberrations. The ones that appeared thirty-two years ago looked exactly the same as those that appeared at the same time as me. I recognized both their faces and their smell. This might be a coincidence, but what if all those Superiors the soldiers have killed over the years somehow managed to regenerate? I realize how stupid this sounds, but one of those Superiors was a close friend of mine. Kirru died when we were only thirty years old or so... At least, that's what I thought. A few years ago, I met a scaled Superior that looked just like my friend, but it didn't recognize me. After seeing the look in its eyes, however, I was sure of it. I was talking to Kirru. And I'm pretty sure Aberrations can't suffer from amnesia. My theory is that Superiors can somehow come back to life, perhaps losing their memories in the process. Their appearance and personality, however, seem to remain the same. Once again, I know this sounds crazy..." Gull's voice fell to a whisper.
"I believe you. I also came up with something along those lines. It just... makes sense. For now, we have no way of knowing if that's indeed the case. But we'll find out soon enough."
Karabell felt dizzy. Gull had suddenly moved on to the next memory. Its last meeting with Marno. It seemed to have taken place a few months prior to the Agency's destruction. Marno mainly talked about Karabell, praising his skills. The scenery flickered slightly.
"I'd like to meet the boy myself one day," Gull joked.
*
Karabell fell to his knees, struggling to catch his breath. Everything he'd just seen... It all felt way too real. Tears started rolling down his face.
"Marno was a person of the past, just like me. He just happened to wake up earlier. He was just like me," Karabell whispered, trying to stop those annoying tears from flowing. He'd told Gull to answer his question. And it had done exactly that. "This whole world is twisted. Neither humans nor Aberrations are at fault. It's just... We need to kill that thing, Gull. It's just like Frederick said. We must avenge our fallen comrades. Marno didn't die in vain."