Chapter 77: Fury

    The rock crab, having had his fill of the feast, scuttled along the ocean floor, his movement lethargic.

    Once he''d started eating, he hadn''t been able to stop. There was something about the flesh that, with each bite, only increased his hunger, and that was the meat''s least remarkable aspect.

    He’d somehow consumed all of it in a single sitting, despite the body being many times bigger than his own.

    Even now, retreating to his favorite hiding spot for a good rest, he didn''t feel full.

    He did feel bloated, but it wasn''t with food. Each bite had brought with it a trickle of power that seemed to swirl through his body, circulating around each limb before eventually reaching his core. Then, it would get sucked into... something.

    That something was what felt distended—pushed to its very limits.

    He''d been vaguely aware of the void within his body over the last few days, but had never physically felt it as he did now.

    When sitting beneath the cool waters of the pond the sea snipper occupied, and trying to avoid the attention of his spiked leader, he''d experienced glimpses of the same sensation—a drop of essence, swimming through his body before settling deep within.

    If not for the time spent in the pond, and his burgeoning awareness, he wondered if he''d have been able to consume all of what he just had.

    With a shrug—a gesture he''d copied from his beloved leader—he continued his trek toward the crack in the earth. Why or how were irrelevant; the only things of consequence were that he had eaten the food, and what he would do with this overflowing power.

    Before he realized it, he''d arrived at the crevice, and a warm stream of water flowed out toward him.

    It was a stark contrast to the cool water of the bay; the heat called to him, and he slipped inside.

    His body held low, he crawled deep into the crack. He followed the winding path, passing many of the holes and corners he''d previously used to rest while letting streams of hot water pass by his trusty carapace.

    The heat beckoned him more than it ever had before, and he listened, following his instincts to crawl deeper and deeper.

    With each stretch of winding tunnel he traversed, the water grew hotter, the strength of the torrent increased. Though his passage slowed, it never stopped, and he crawled ever down.

    He was lost in a trance, his eyes unseeing, when a change in the surroundings arrested his attention.

    An orange glow came from up ahead, immersing the tunnel in a soft light.

    Gripped by curiosity, he took over the subconscious movement of his legs and scuttled forward, each step filled with intention.

    He rounded the corner, and he froze on the spot.

    A large cavern greeted him, filled with torrents of bubbles that swept up and into holes in the ceiling. His tunnel had come out halfway up the cavern''s wall, so he was spared any of the air.

    On the floor of the space, a carpet of black, orange, and red roiled. Sheets of black rock rose and fell back down, exposing the red and orange liquid beneath.

    No, not liquid... rock.

    He knew not how, but he could tell—it was super-heated rock. When the colored sections touched the water, they cooled, forming black sheets that hardened, then fell back and were consumed by the molten rock below.

    He spared the scene another glance, then he sat, wiggling his body to find a hold amid the black silt on the tunnel''s floor.

    He closed his eyes, bathing in the warmth.

    Within seconds, his awareness faded.

    ***

    The moonlight filtering down from above was a calming presence. A cool breeze suffused the entire area, and I focused on it as I cleared my throat.

    "The situation that predicates everything else is—was—my father."

    Maria didn’t respond for a long moment.

    "He''s passed?"

    I nodded softly.

    "He has. A blood illness."

    "I''m sorry, Fischer."

    I smiled at her, but it felt hollow.

    "Thank you. Our relationship was complicated, which only makes my feelings toward him more confusing."

    She chewed her lip, thinking before responding.

    "Why does he predicate everything?"

    "My father was a... singularly minded individual. His businesses—and his empire—were more important than everything else. Family included."

    "Your mother...?"

    "Left when I was still a baby—never knew her." I gave a half smile. "Pushed away by my father, no doubt."

    "Fischer... I''m so sorry."

    I''d been holding the tears at arm''s length, hidden behind a thin veil of bravado. With Maria''s words, a crack formed in the dam''s wall.

    I looked up at the moon as a single drop rolled down my cheek.

    "Oh, Fischer..."

    Faster than I knew she could move, she was beside me, a hand resting on my back.

    My lip quivered, and I took a deep breath, forcing it out through pursed lips.

    "Sorry." I let out a short laugh, shaking my head. "This is embarrassing."

    His powerful presence was gone, replaced by a skeletal frame. Despite his ‘perfect’ diet, extensive exercise regime, and all the money he’d thrown at stem-cell research and experimental procedures, the end of his life was mere hours away.

    The white walls of his suite felt suffocating in their brilliance, the antithesis of the man before me.

    “Why do you have that look in your eye, boy? It’s unbecoming of a wolf.”

    I set my jaw, tried to firm my emotions, but it only made him more scornful.

    He shook his head, a look of disappointment etched on his features.

    Then, he’d said the last four words he would ever speak to me.

    ***

    Those words made my soul burn with fury then, just as they did now, and I blinked as I returned to the present.

    I looked over at Maria.

    “Do you know what the last thing he ever said to me was?”

    My lip twitched, and I clenched and unclenched my jaw before speaking them.

    "Just don’t disappoint me. Not “I love you”. Not “I''m proud of you”. Not “be happy”. “Just don’t disappoint me”. And despite all that, even after he was gone, I just wanted to make him proud..."

    With the stopper removed on my anger and self-loathing, they poured out, flooding my body.

    I clenched my jaw, and unbidden, my lip curled into a half snarl.

    Maria''s hand still rubbed my back, but all the comfort it lent was gone.

    I got to my feet.

    "... Fischer?"

    I barely heard Maria; my legs moved, the growing outrage within demanding an outlet.

    "It''s okay, Fischer..."

    I shook my head, lost in remembrance.

    This is all we are good for, son

    I strode around the campfire, eyes unseeing, my body growing hot.

    I don''t regret your mother leaving. I did what I had to do, and she did what she had to do. Not everyone can handle a man''s greatness.

    My face convulsed, and a great well of darkness opened up in my core.

    Why do you have that look in your eye, boy?

    All the thoughts, all my emotions, every ounce of indignation swirled and built, climbing atop each other.

    Just don’t disappoint me.

    I couldn''t breathe. The condensing pit of darkness was cloying, choking.

    Just don’t disappoint me...

    "Fischer... you''re scaring me..."

    Just don’t disappoint me!

    Stumbling forward, I wrapped my arms around my core, fingers digging into my sides.

    My entire body tensed, trembled.

    All at once, I unraveled, and I sprung to my feet as the void within threatened to overflow.

    A scream tore from my throat, the raw bellow of a beast.

    All the pain, the anger, the loathing; everything exploded from the pit within, flying through my body, up my arm, and then out as I uppercut the air.

    A glistening line of thread extended from my hand, piercing through a trunk, branches, and leaves before going straight up into the sky.

    Then, the thread expanded; if not for my improved body, I wouldn''t have seen it.

    The thin line, in the blink of an eye, became wide as a car, perfectly cylindrical in its destruction. It resonated a blinding light, white as the walls of my father’s hospital suite.

    Fwoom!

    The forest tree the blast had hit was completely gone, providing a spherical window to the night sky.

    I blinked, not believing my eyes.

    Nothing remained of the trees, branches, and leaves affected; anything touched by the light had been removed from existence—nary a splinter remained.

    I bent and touched the trunk before me, only half a meter remaining where once had been a proud tree. The branches—those that had been outside of the blast—fell to the forest floor around me.

    A scrape sounded behind me, followed by a muffled thump.

    I whirled, seeing Maria on the ground, having tripped in her attempt to back away.

    Her eyes were wide, her face white, and she crawled back a step, getting further from me.