United Against Hate: Chapter 28

Cancer thought that he had been sleeping and expected the usual dreams. But when he opened his eyes, he was in an empty place. The ground under his feet rippled as he took steps and geometric shapes floated in the sky. The air was clean for him and he felt comfortable in a way he hadn’t felt since he was a kid.

 “What is this? This doesn’t feel like a dream,” he said looking at his hands. They were his hands that was for sure. Looking around again he was shocked to see that the world had changed. Instead of being the blank space moments ago, it had become a small forest with a wide clearing. He had been there many times in the past with his father. They had gone to train and talk for years.

As he walked he felt the grass crunch under his feet and it just confused him more. When he walked to the center, the ground rippled though not as aggressively.

“My my. You’ve always been curious son.”

“And he’s always had this patience as well,” a second but identical voice said. “I believe he takes after myself in that regard.”

Cancer looked up and watched as the two goddesses manifested. They were exactly as he had seen them before, down to the same tone to their clothes and the veils that they wore on their faces. Cancer looked at them and lowered his head in deference.

“So polite too,” Omega pointed at him. “He definitely gets that from you.”

“Please raise your head, Cancer. You are our son, not our subject.”

He did so slowly and looked at the pair and then the area around him. It was different than the temple that they had been to before. This was almost like a reconstruction based on the castle proper instead of the remains.

“What is this? I didn’t think I see you all without the temple.”

“Well son this is not a normal situation,” Alpha said resting her hands at her waist. “This is something that’s very unique to each of our children as special points in their lives.”

“To offer a choice to them after they answer a very simple question,” Omega said to him. “What do you want most in the world son?”

“What?” Cancer asked entirely confused.

“We want to grant you what you want most in the world. Anything. Anything at all. We will make sure that you have the power to have it,” Alpha said as she looked at him earnestly.

Cancer looked at them. The mothers that didn’t raise him. The mothers that he refused to call mom and yet they were Goddess. They were above him and in his heart of hearts he felt a pull toward them. He couldn’t ignore that no matter how hard he tried.

“Anything I could ever want?” Cancer repeated and both of them nodded.

Before Cancer himself could answer though the air beside him shimmered. And out of it stepped Cancer, the life before his own, forever locked at an age similar to his own. That Cancer looked at Alpha and Omega with a sort of smug disdain that could only come from a family member. But he took a step forward and stood in front of his current reincarnation, almost protectively.

“Be careful Cancer. We wouldn’t be the first to fall for a trick such as meeting the goddesses,” the previous Cancer said his arms folded.

“Now son. Is that any way to speak to your mothers?” Omega asked tersely.

The previous Cancer scoffed, “After everything my successor has been through? I’m not taking any chances.”

Alpha paused and then looked at her sister, “This is. A surprise. We didn’t expect to see you again son. Let alone defending, yourself, like this.”

Cancer looked at his predecessor and this was one of the first times he’d seen him fully and not just a voice in his head. It was the first time that he’d really realized how young he had been. That Cancer was younger than he was now. When he imagined the man who had betrayed his family, caused a civil war, and killed his own best friend to be older. More like a villain. Not a young man who could have legitimately been his friend.

“Prove that you’re real,” the previous Cancer said again.

“What do you mean?” Alpha was confused but Omega knew better.

“Our son thinks that we’re not real. A trick created by Daze,” she placed a long finger against her cheek in thought. “But how shall we prove our existence to the son who is the most skeptical.”

“Stop that,” Cancer told them and glared at the goddesses. “I’m not your son. My mom is Leo. And I almost had to fight her. Hell Badou’ done more for me than either of you two have!” he shouted pointing at his predecessor. “Where were you when we were attacked at your temple! Where were you when my dad was killed?! Where were you when I was away from my family and alone!”

He didn’t realize it but the walls had vanished, disappeared back to the geometric plane that he had first arrived in. His predecessor was still there along with the goddesses. Cancer glared at them and ground his teeth together. “If you’re real. And you want to know what I really want. I want my dad back. I never want to make the same mistake that he did.” He looked at his predecessor. “I just want my family back. And I already know that I have to do it myself.”

Cancer turned around and swung his arm, his katar manifesting and tearing a rift in the ground of the place. “Let me out. Let me out of here!”

Light covered his eyes and he was truly blinded. When it died, he was sitting upright his katar in his hand. It was mid swing and his arm was held back. He stared at Leo, her eyes glowing. Cancer’s own eyes went huge and he gasped stumbling back in the bed of the tent, barely staying upright.

“Mom!” his katar vanished and looked at her then at the tent. “I’m. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean. It was a dream.”

“I know son,” she lowered his arm slowly and placed one of her hands over his. The glow of her eyes faded away and the hanging stars around them vanished. “I know what you went through Cancer. Come on. Let’s go for a walk,” she said standing slowly.

“What?”

She gave him a weary smile and walked toward him, taking his hand in her own. “Come on son. We have a lot to talk about.”

She walked out of the tent and after a few moments he followed her. The Free City was exactly as he remembered it. Always alive even now. A looming continental threat and most people didn’t even know it was coming. They just lived their lives day to day, with the tasks that they had to accomplish and the friends they made.

And even though this was her first time, Leo walked through it like she lived there. After everything she was exuding confidence. Just standing with her Cancer felt like they could do anything. They could fight Daze and win. But as he looked at her he felt all of his guilt coming back up.

They walked through the city until they found themselves at one of the gates. Leo looked up as she felt something watching over her. A pair of eyes she couldn’t focus on but were enamored with her. She knew that presence though. It was the same as what she felt from Badou when they fought. Another of the goddess’s children. Too many Gods for her tastes.

“You must have had the dream Cancer,” Leo said glancing over his shoulder as they walked. “To wake up as violently as that.”

“It was,” he frowned still feeling the plane underneath his feet. “I don’t know what to call it.”

“Were you in that realm? The place from the temple?” Leo asked slowing and turning to look at her son.

Cancer looked at her and nodded slowly. “It was like the temple at first. But then it turned into something similar to the castle. And then they were there. The goddesses. I can only imagine it was really them. But it didn’t feel real. I mean. Maybe it was them but.”

“So you did see our mothers. My mothers and technically yours as well. Above me.” Leo said almost thoughtfully.

“No!” Cancer almost shouted.

He looked down at the dry ground and Leo slowed to a stop. She paused in the road and looked back at her son. He glared at the ground and looked back at his mom. He glared shaking his head, “I only have one mom and that’s you. And if that was them, I don’t have any faith in Alpha or Omega. They weren’t there when I was lost in Xye. Or when I had to fight against you and Gem. They weren’t there to help me.”

Leo looked at her son and gave him a small smile as she squeezed his shoulder, “You sound like me, Cancer.”

“What do you mean?” he asked raising his eyebrows at her.

“When I first met Alpha and could remember it, I never acknowledged her as my mother. Because I never got to meet my real mom,” she looked up at the sky and let out her breath. “You know that most Zodiac are brought to be raised in the castle the moment they’re located. Most of them don’t remember their parents. But I wanted a mom growing up. And Alpha wasn’t that. Neither was Omega. When it came to the war neither of them helped us solve the problem or even win the war proper. So I understand son.”

“But you trust them now?” he asked confused.

“I do.”

“Why?”

“Because to the being in my soul, the Zodiac at my core, they are my mother. And part of me wants to be close to them. But beyond that, they helped me have the one thing I’ve always wanted.”

Cancer frowned harder, “What was that?”

She gave him a soft and kind smile, “You and your brother.”

They slowed at the front of a gate and were greeted by one of the guards. They didn’t hassle them at all as they walked into the desert together. The sun was peaking over the edge of the horizon, chasing away the coolness of the night. Cancer’s steps trudged through the sand and he couldn’t hold it back anymore.

“I’m sorry mom.”

“What?” she looked at him confused.

“Dad. Dad was killed. And I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t stop it. I’m sor-“

“Stop,” Leo said and her face was horrified. “Cancer stop.”

She crossed the distance to her son in a couple of strides and wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to her. Cancer could feel her shaking and he lowered his head. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry I almost drew my sword on you. I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner.”

“I couldn’t do anything mom,” Cancer mumbled as he cried. “I couldn’t stop it. I just. I just had to watch.”

“You shouldn’t have had to do anything,” Leo crouched down to her knee and looked at him, cupping his face in her hands. She reached down to her neck and raised Pisces’s pendent so that they could both look at it. “As your parents, our job is to protect you, Cancer. It’s not yours to rescue us. It is not and never would be your fault that Pisces is gone. He died to protect what was most important to us. Our son.”

Cancer looked at her and nodded quickly. He wiped at his eyes and shook his head, “I’m gonna get him back. We have a plan.”

“You have a plan? Who’s we?” she asked carefully.

“Me and Badou,” she immediately scowled at that. “I was with them for months. I can vouch for them. Badou and I have a plan on how to bring dad back to life.”

Leo’s eyes widened as she stared at him because that was a hope that she never once entertained. She had barely made peace with the idea that she wouldn’t see him again. That the next time Pisces was in her life was when he reincarnated. But she looked at Cancer and he was serious about this plan. She touched Pisces’ pendant for the barest of a second.

“Explain it son. Help me understand it because,” she waved her hand around. “I cannot wrap my mind around this.”

Cancer looked out toward the sky and was struck by the fact that the sky above their head was the same one he saw in Xye. The stars were slightly different but it was almost identical to what he remembered. They really did all share the same sky. For a moment he was back in that rice patty field with Badou talking together.

“We come from the same source. Us and Badou. We’re part of the same whole. Once Daze is dead, Badou and I are going to do a ritual. A ritual to pull him back from the other side. Where we come from. And we’d trade. A part of us each, to bring back dad’s whole.”

“You’re talking about necromancy?” Leo asked.

“More than that,” Cancer said looking back toward her. “The goddesses can’t help us. So we have to do it ourselves.”

Leo looked at her son and something about his gaze pained her. The responsibility that he had put onto his own shoulders. She shut her eyes tightly and let her breath out. “No Cancer. I won’t let you risk your life like this. I know you feel responsible for what happened with Pisces, but I know he wouldn’t want you to risk your life like this. We can find another way after this is all said and done.”

“What else can I do then mom? What can I do?” he almost shouted putting his hands on his head. “I was weak! I couldn’t help dad. I can’t get him back. I can’t do anything. I couldn’t even fight Daze off. All I did was wait for others to do it for me. I have to do something!”

Leo put a hand on his head and he paused looking at her. “Stop it, Cancer. No one could have convinced me not to kill the Great Leader’s host but you. You did your best to save Long before Daze figured out your ruse. You made allies out of enemies. You’ve done more than any could have asked of you in that situation son. Don’t berate yourself because you haven’t done it all. You’ve come this far on your own wits and thinking on your feet. Let us take some of the load off your mind.”

Cancer was unable to meet his mother’s gaze but he nodded slowly. His shoulders shook and she wrapped her arms around him again, brushing her fingers through his hair gently. “It’s alright Cancer. You’re with your family.”

He enjoyed the embrace and the sense of security that came with it. But he pulled back and looked at hers. Those weren’t just the eyes of her son. The son that was the little boy that he would always be in her heart. This was the man he was becoming. It wasn’t like the last Cancer. It was uniquely his own.

“You’ve decided something haven’t you.”

Cancer nodded slowly, “When the fighting happens. When its us against them, I want to help Badou. The five of them can’t take back their home on their own. I don’t know if Silva is going to help them. I can’t do a lot but at the very least they need at least one more person with them. And I want to help them. I genuinely do.”

Leo stared at him and she cracked a small smile. “You’ve made your choice Cancer. But as you are, you’re going to fail. You’re willing to put your life on the line for the people you care about. But that doesn’t mean anything unless you have the power son. Or believe in it.”

Leo spread her arm slowly and her pendant glowed, the light leaping from her neck to her palm. Her sword appeared and suddenly a pressure just existed on Cancer’s shoulders. The blade almost disappeared in the darkness of the night. But then there was more to it. She glowed with starlight, it dancing within her hair and her eyes. Cancer had seen this once before at the temple. When she and all of the other Zodiac, except his generation, had displayed the power.

It was radically different for it to be entirely directed at him. His entire life he’d been behind those flames. Felt them as warmth and protection from all the dangers of the world. But now it was staring down at him. The eyes, the fangs, and the claws of the lion were staring him down and he was scared.

“Don’t back down,” his predecessor said in his ears.

Cancer’s eyes widened and he remembered the words his mother had said to him. It wouldn’t mean anything if he didn’t believe in himself. His mind flashed back to the dream that he’d awoken from. The goddesses asked him exactly what he wanted and he told them what he wanted. The power to get his family back.

His fear vanished as confidence took its place. Energy wafted around him and for the first time, he felt the stars around him. As they twinkled around his fingertips, he felt the warmth of the starlight and it was like being in his bed back home under his blankets. He felt calm and he could focus. He knew what he had to do next.

His pendant rose off his chest and the stars gathered in both of his hands. He’d called his katars to life before but this was something entirely different. The power radiating off the weapons he called more than belonged to him, they were him. Leo walked forward quickly and swung the sword in a blur of movement.

He’d seen her move like this before and before he had always thought she was faster or stronger than possible. But right now, he could see her movements. He could guess at where she was going to swing. His mind was at ease and everything was clear for the first time since he was kidnapped. He thought and his body reacted, crouching, and raising both katars in a cross.

He heard the loud clang of the claymore getting caught between the weapons and his eyes widened. Leo stood over him pressing with all her might and though his arms shook he didn’t falter. Cancer looked at her face and expected the savage snarl of the Leo he’d seen in the fight against the daemons. Instead, it was the calm, focused eyes of his mother, looking at him approvingly.

“Remember this feeling Cancer,” Leo told him. “This isn’t just the power of the Zodiac. This is the power of the Cancer. Of you. You’ve never been weak son.”

Her sword vanished as did the stars of her constellation. Her hair settled and Leo was herself again. Cancer’s own power faded and he was just shocked at the fact that he still felt calm. Leo ruffled his hair and smiled at him. He looked at his hands confused, “The goddesses gave me this power?”

“It’s your power. They just helped you awaken it. They don’t care if you see them as your mothers right now. Or even ever. They just want you to be happy. Like I do.”

That made him almost regret how he treated them in the dream. They were ethereal beings that weren’t any more real than the visions he had of his predecessor. “They mean well but all they do is watch. They can’t act. It’s our world not theirs.”

“That’s right,” Leo looked at him again and she let out an even breath. “You truly wish to help them, Cancer.”

“I do,” he said and there was no hesitation in his voice.

Taking a deep breath Leo nodded back to him, “Okay. Just make sure you come home. No matter what happens we’re going back home together. All of us.”

“All of us,” Cancer repeated.

Leo wrapped her arm around his shoulders and squeezed it tightly, “I’m proud of you son.”