Bor·bo·ryg·mi!
"Ahh!" Lucius groaned, holding his belly as it made the rumbling sound.
He felt a biting pain he could barely ignore. The feeling made him wish he could find any food, even if it was raw meat soaked in blood.
[Careful. We Xenovians are carnivorous by nature but with the power to Devour, I became something worse.]
Lucius nodded in acknowledgment as he began walking up the slope leading to the cave exit.
"What exactly happened to you?" Lucius couldn't restrain his curiosity anymore. "I have seen so much about royal Xenovian lineage, so how did someone with such status and power become a voice?"
[...]
Lucius was expecting an answer, but there was silence. This made him even more curious about the matter, but also frustrated because he had no means of forcing the voice to speak to him.
[I can't tell you that. At least not now…]
Lucius's face lit up as he heard the voice, thinking he would get an answer, but he was disappointed by the response.
"Can I ask why?" Lucius asked.
[Even though knowledge is power, it's best some knowledge is stored away until you are ready to receive it. If not, it will be counter-productive.]
Hearing this, Lucius couldn't help but nod in agreement. That's why the government usually hid some information from the people to prevent a nationwide panic.
"Okay, but I have the right to know what you want in exchange for the power you gave me. What is that?" Lucius asked suspiciously.
[Even that I cannot disclose yet. All I can say is that you will be going against the government of not this country but the leaders of the entire planet.]
Lucius could only sigh at this response and continued moving. Since the voice was unwilling to tell him anything, he saw no need to continue the conversation, so he walked in silence for a while.
[What are you planning to do?] The voice asked as Lucius drew closer to the edges of the mine.
"To save my sister… That's the main reason why I agreed to your offer in the first place.
[I see…] the voice gave a dry response that left Lucius a bit suspicious.
"You don't plan on stopping me?" he asked.
[Why would I?]
"Because it's dangerous and one man can't defeat a horde of beasts. I doubt you gave me this power just to have me die the same day." Lucius said.
[Let me explain something to you. Aetherium meteorites are an important resource to humans and beasts alike. The horde of beasts is made up of different beasts of various kinds who begrudging banded together to wipe out the human occupants of the state of Ohio. Do you think the government is going to give up such an important location to these beasts?] the voice asked, leaving Lucius stunned.
"Wait… Hold up! You are trying to tell me that this beast horde attack was a planned attack by animals?" he found it hard to believe this.
Images of beasts gathering to discuss the attack in beast sounds sounded so unreal to him.
[Foolish human, underestimating anything and everything will be your downfall]
[Before the night of the Blue Death, animals were smart, just not as smart as humans. Now they have been mutated and upgraded, do you really think they haven't gotten smarter?] the voice asked, causing Lucius to freeze.
"But why would they want this place so bad?" Lucius couldn't help but ask.
[I would have asked you if you have been living under a rock but considering where you have been living, it makes sense that you know nothing.]
"Can you just answer the fucking question without cursing?" Lucius rolled his eyes and began walking towards the exit of the cave.
[The beasts that attacked are no different from humans like you who failed to awaken abilities, but unlike humans' animals are far sturdier and resilient. By monopolizing the excavation site and exposing themselves to more Aetherium, they hope to force a second evolution, but this time they will awaken abilities.] the voice explained.
"Beasts can have abilities? The hell?" Lucius blurted out.
[Humans are nothing special.]
'Damn!' Lucius couldn't help but admit his pride was hurt by that statement.
"So you are saying the government must have dispatched reinforcements to reclaim the area?" Lucius returned to the main topic.
[The region has already been reclaimed while you were asleep. The only reason they are yet to come here is probably because they are counting their losses and dealing with the body of the dead.]
At that moment, Lucius walked out of the cave, and just as the voice had said, there were corpses littered everywhere and soldiers moving to every one of them, kicking them to make sure they were dead.
Seeing someone suddenly emerge from a cave startled them, and they all pointed their weapons at Lucius, who raised his hands in surrender.
"Don't shoot!" He screamed.
"A kid?" They were shocked because no one survived the massacre in the facility, so it was shocking to see a kid.
"It's a slave…" a cold voice rang, causing the soldiers to quickly form a neat line and a man walked through.
The man was an imposing figure, his broad shoulders and chiseled physique spoke of a lifetime of rigorous training the man had undergone. He wore a sleek, black battle suit like everyone else but without a helmet.
What caught Lucius's attention was a scar that ran jaggedly beneath his left eye, it gave the man an intimidating look that made would easily make any man quiver in fear.
The man walked up to Lucius, sizing him in silence and after a while, he turned around and began walking away.
"We don't need such feeble young men when we can ship able-bodied men from other territories to resume mining here… Kill him." the man said with a shoulder shrug.
'Just like that?' Lucius was stunned.
[Quickly tell them about your ability!] The voice in his head boomed as soldiers quickly turned to Lucius, pointing their guns in his direction.
"I AM A GUARDIAN!" Lucius screamed with his eyes shut tight.
His words made the soldiers freeze, and they directed their gaze to the man, who was also frozen at the spot. He slowly turned and looked at Lucius with doubtful eyes because only those with unique genes gain abilities and these genes are hereditary.
While there are occasions where people with powerless parents were born with abilities, it is an extremely rare occurrence. However, if what this kid is saying is true, then he will be rewarded handsomely for bringing in another guardian into the fold.
"What did you say?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I-I have a special ability." Lucius mustered as much courage as he could as he looked the man in the eye and spoke.
"Then prove it." The man said as he pulled out a handgun and aimed at Lucius. "You better not be wasting my time."
Only after seeing that he was going to be given a chance did Lucius let out a breath of relief. He slowly lowered himself to his knees and placed his hand on the ground.
At this moment he felt a call as if the earth was calling to him, and he accepted the call.
"Ooh?" the man's eyes lit up with a pleasant surprise as he watched as Lucius began absorbing the earth, coating his body with it. Soon Lucius's entire body was coated with earth, dust drizzling down his body and he stood up to meet the friendly smile of the man, a 180 degree change from his initial attitude.
"I am Sergeant Major, Skull. Welcome to America…" The man said as he put away his gun and towards Lucius with an outstretched hand.