"So, what do you think will happen?" Alex asked while sitting atop a large boar.
"You mean with those men? I'm sure that they will fail, I mean those who are getting brainwashed are so few. I think that after what they did and said, there is no way that they'll be elected back into their position of power." Tom said while handing Alex some cores, and materials for runes, and the rest of the pay for the beasts he had hunted.
Alex was finally experimenting with runes and his secret base was much more presentable.
"I'd say that it is quite the opposite. Have you seen how many adults and parents believe what they are saying? While a lot of students don't believe what they say, it doesn't change the fact that we won't even be able to take part in that vote. The good news is that the bigger towns and cities are comprised of a majority that is against the temple and they have more people that can vote on the matter." James said as he checked his blade.
He was ready to go out and hunt a beast to remove all of this pent-up anger.
Alex sighed internally. 'While it may be true that those who oppose are greater in number, the temple and its allies have put in a system that would counteract this. This system was called gerrymandering."
Alex had learned this term from history class long ago.
'We don't vote normally, different parts of the kingdom are split up into groups and those groups have representatives based on the number of people living in a town. Those representatives will give a vote depending on what the majority in an area had voted.'
'While it looks like a foolproof plan, I saw a flaw in the math that they were using and the temple saw that flaw too.'
'A minimum of one representative per town. No matter how small the town as long as it is an official town with its own form of government headed by the kingdom, then they are assigned a representative.'
What Alex didn't know was that the cities were also cut into sections very intricately. While there were a lot more who lived in the outskirts, they were clumped into larger groups and the less dense population was cut into smaller groups. This led to the smaller population having a greater say than the majority. Why? Because every smaller group was considered equal to a small town having a minimum of one representative. By the time the head representative of a city sent in the vote, the numbers were much closer than they should have been.
"Ready?" Taylor asked Alex.
Alex nodded.
The two of them headed back and began their night of training.
Taylor sat down and absorbed light mana from two halos while Alex sat with his eyes closed. The book of runes open and sitting next to him.
Alex was having difficulty concentrating for the first time in a while. His thoughts were jumping all over the place. He couldn't help but look up, towards the skies, towards what lies beyond.
'Are you there? are you even real? Is the creator of such a beautiful world happy with the ugly world that resides within it? If you were gone all of this time and returned now, would you consider the things being said by the temple as your own teachings?'
Alex's eyes burned as he fought the need to cry.
'All I have is doubt. Maybe you truly believe that I was born full of evil, that I and others like me should go through the things we have experienced. Maybe you believe that we should remain separated based on our ancestors.'
'Maybe we should give love up if we fall for someone of the same gender, that people like that are broken and need to be fixed or removed. Maybe it's fine to cosmetically change your appearance as long as you don't cross the boundary of gender.'
Alex paused and he thought to all of the pained souls.
'And that we should suffer in our misery for all eternity, for fighting fate, for not accepting what we are told, and for being different. But every time these thoughts come to my mind there is something within me screaming, no this isn't right. All we have is the word of some priests who set a bunch of laws long ago, saying it was all in your name. You may have your reasons for wanting such things done that way. But It is more than likely that those priests were power-hungry, what better way to gain power than the decree of god. Whatever the reason is behind all of this, I will follow my morals first and foremost because, at this point, what else do I have to follow.'
Alex felt a static energy wash over him as he finished his prayer if it could even be called that. The hair on his arms stood up as a comforting feeling washed over him before settling above his head. It was as if someone was patting his head but there was no one there.
The same feeling one felt when hearing a motivational speech, or when one came up with a strong conviction. Scientists had said that it was due to a large number of hormones flooding the body because of the strong emotions. The temple claims that it came from their god, that it was his spirit comforting his people.
Alex felt his head with one hand as the feeling subsided before he was finally able to focus on his training.
——————
"I'll see you tomorrow." Alex said to Taylor.
"See you." Taylor said with a wave.
Alex laid down in his bed and fell asleep almost instantly.
———
"Hello? Oh, it's him, it's him. Wake up you sleepyhead, the human that saved us is here." A voice said.
Alex opened his eyes he heard a voice in his room. He got up from his bed, only to realize his bed was in the middle of a dark field.
He saw a man shaking another man to wake him.
"What. Why can't you just let me sleep in peace and quiet? Whatever you are looking for, I don't have."
"Slo…. Sam, the human that freed us is here."
The second man sat up and looked towards where the first was pointing. "It really is him. How did he get here?"
"Do you guys know me?" Alex asked after hearing the men.
"Ahem, let us introduce ourselves. This is gree... Sir Greenwald, and I am Sir Sam." He elbowed Greenwald before whispering. "Why did you have to give me such a bad name?"
"I can change it if you bring me some blue flowers." The other man whispered back.
"How am I supposed to tell the difference, we are stuck in eternal darkness."
"You guys didn't answer my question." Alex said as he watched the two men quarrel.
"Ah, sorry about that. How would we not know you? You were the one who freed us from our shackles." Greenwald answered.
"We've been stuck for as long as we can remember, being used as tools."
"Oh, can you free our brothers and sisters? We would be forever grateful." Sam asked as the tired look left his eyes.
"I'm sorry I don't remember freeing you two. I don't even know of these siblings you speak of."
"Right, we should clear things up before we just ask for favors. You have been diving into memories a lot, right Alex?" Greenwald asked.
Alex nodded.
"Did you notice any that were different?"
Alex nodded again. Two strange ones occurred when he was about to break through, then there was the one where his dark affinity got a massive boost.
"Were you two responsible for the two from when I broke through?"
"Us? No that was all you. We haven't had any freedom to think for… for a very long time. Even now we are still only partiality free from the cage holding us in."
"You remember the memories right? You have used our abilities every since then." Sam asked.
"Your abilities?" Alex paused as he thought.
"The ability to feel people's emotions. Their greed, and the ability to tell when someone has no drive. Those are your abilities?" Alex's eyes widened as he realized what they were speaking about. He had thought that he had just gotten really good at reading people, or that he had unlocked a secret dark mage ability.
"Yes, those!" Sam said happily.
"It's not just greed, it's what people hope for, what people want. It's only greed when someone takes it too far. Which happens way too often nowadays. I'm sorry that I can't do anything to change that and it seems like you can't either." Greenwald said as he looked down a look of hopelessness filling his face.
"No, no, he has done it twice already. Who is to say that as he grows and learns more about darkness, that he won't have all seven of us free." Sam said while cheering his brother up.
"Look. That there is where we have been trapped all these centuries."
Alex looked up and saw seven dark stars filling the sky. Two of them were dimmer than the rest.
"Should I go see if I can free them." Alex asked.
"No! Don't go near them. You will be trapped before you knew it. I suggest that you just keep training and growing stronger. If it worked twice then it may work once again." Greenwald stopped Alex who had already lifted off the ground and was trying to head in that direction.
Alex stopped and returned to the ground.
"So where is this place? What is this place?" Alex asked the two.
"We're sorry but we can't tell you that. It's our creator's orders. Just know that we don't exist anywhere in your universe and that it was made by our master." Sam said and Greenwald nodded.
"Your master. Is this person god?"
"Our master was a god. Master has long since died." Sam said with a sorrowful voice.
'Master was dying when he created us. He told us that we were to act as the balance for darkness. Things were going great until we were cursed and trapped in those damn cages.'
"Gods can die?" Alex asked after hearing what he said.
"Everything has a beginning and an end. Master was older than the universe itself. Probably is still older, but we would never know." Greenwald answered.
Alex was shocked at what he had learned. He was about to ask another question but he felt himself waking up. His perspective changed as the two men got further and further away from him until it was only dark but he could feel the morning light on his eyelids.
He thought over what he had just experienced. 'There is something more to these dreams and memories. I'll do my best to help you I hope that once you are all free you can help me set the balance back to where it should be.
——————
'They are leaving tomorrow.' Alex thought while fastening the rune-covered sleeve on his arm.
He dressed himself while he finished drying his hair with a towel, leaving it be as it took its natural position.
Alex paused, he barely recognized himself as he looked in the mirror. He could be a model if he wasn't always wearing a heavy expression. He frowned slightly and a set of dimples appeared. He was always told he had the brightest of smiles.
He would have taken such things to heart if most of his smiles weren't forced.
His brown eyes and angular brows, adding to his dark expression.
He sighed and turned away from the mirror after shaving what little hair he had grown on his face.
Alex looked at the new boyfriend his mother had in the house before leaving.
He activated his new absolute invisibility as he headed to the school.
Taylor had long since told him that he suspected that his father was the one who brought the members of the temple.
He had returned from his 'work trip' on the same day that they had arrived.
Alex understood what he was doing, he just wanted to protect his son from what had been deemed as evil. he didn't blame him, everyone else was doing it. the people behind the actions of the masses were who he was looking forward to meeting.
Alex arrived at the school after ten minutes.
Many people were grouped up, the antagonization from the three men had had adverse effects. People were protecting each other by grouping up.
Clay climbed out of the bus and headed towards Alex. Not only him, Damon, Raven, and Darwin were there. They were some of the few people that Alex spoke to.
"Hey wait up!"
The group stopped as Taylor hopped out of his mother's car and ran up to the rest.
"Sorry I was late, my mom wanted to go get breakfast before dropping me off." Taylor said as he sipped the coffee his mother had bought for him.
"It's all good, your mom had her priorities straight breakfast is more important than school." Damon said while putting an earbud in his ear.
Taylor chuckled. "I don't think she would word it like that but sure."
The three of them headed off to the gymnasium ready for the three nuisances to leave.