Chapter 7 #4
“The Orb of Power was created by the Unas, a now extinct race, as a clean source of energy that could power planets across the galaxy, but it was taken and harnessed in a more destructive way by a race hellbent on total galaxy domination. The Aaz’ax are a brutal and violent race, or at least their leaders were, and they needed to be stopped.
The Unas decided that the bad far outweighed the good and wanted to destroy it and the knowledge.
But when they realized destroying the orb would cause millions of worlds to collapse in on themselves, they found a way to hide that object away, never to see the light of day again.
By then, the Unas were all but extinct, wiped out by the Aaz’ax, but the Aaz’ax weren’t doing so well themselves.
Their women had been infected by a mystery virus.
Having no women to create mate bonds with meant no children were being born, so their race started to wither too.
The war that they had waged against one another had done nothing but bring them both to the brink of species annihilation. ”
William breaks off with a sigh. Heading to a wall, he pushes his hand against the surface and a door pops open.
When he reaches in and pulls out a bottle of water, I realize it’s a fridge.
He opens the bottle and takes a sip before continuing his story.
The other two brothers watch on in quiet solidarity, content to let him handle this.
“In a last bid attempt to keep the orb out of the hands of the Aaz’ax, the Unas roamed the galaxy in search of a soul pure enough to be responsible for it.
They landed on Skar and stumbled across an Adams ancestor.
Although he wasn't as pure as they had hoped, they’d run out of time, and he was a good, kind, and just man, who would defend his family to the death if needed, so they decided that was good enough.
The group combined their power and linked his blood with the orb, making it so that it could only be controlled by someone from his bloodline.
They then instructed him to create some kind of cover that would allow him to covertly move through the universe, helping people in need.
For the orb is so much more than a source of power.
It also heals, both living beings and lands.
No one but the Unas and our ancestor knew for sure where the orb ended up, and alien races have been searching for it for ages. ”
He puts down his bottle of water and grabs hold of my hands as if to emphasize the seriousness of the situation.
“If you choose to take over, you will be required to make a blood sacrifice to the orb, and it will become your responsibility. We are the current guardians of the orb and the circus, and you are the last of the Adams bloodline. If you choose not to do this, it will become our responsibility to search for a new family bloodline to carry this burden, and like the Unas before us, we will have to sacrifice ourselves to pass this on.”
“What do you mean by sacrifice?” I ask, a lump of worry in my throat. Nothing sounds good about that word.
“The orb will absorb us just like it did the remaining members of the Unas. We would cease to exist.” The lump in my throat grows at the thought of these men no longer existing. I’ve only just found them; to lose them again so soon would bring me no joy.
The silence is heavy when William finishes his story, and I don't know if I can take any more surprise revelations. After a few beats, the grandpas sigh.
John takes over. “Because of this, you are always going to be in danger. All the performers have sworn an unbreakable loyalty pledge to us, and they will protect you if needed. They believe it is protection for the circus and the tasks that we perform for the various nations throughout the galaxy, whether that be trade or negotiations. Nobody but the four of us know about the orb. Your parents and our wife also knew, but you cannot tell anyone. Once you take a mate and seal the mating bond, then you can share the information. From now on, you will need to be alert to the people you are surrounded with. Although all people who perform with the circus are vetted, you never know who you’re going to stumble across when off world. ”
Eric chimes in, speaking for the first time in a while.
Maybe he’s just more comfortable letting the other two take charge.
“It’s a good thing you became friends with Dylan.
He will protect you if needed, even more readily than the others might.
Get some rest, and we will see you in the morning for training.
” Eric leaves with William trailing behind him, but once again, John stops and pulls me into a hug.
“I’m so sorry that you have had all of this information dumped on you.
I’m sorry that your parents weren’t able to share all of it with you themselves.
Even though we don't know each other well, I can tell you they would’ve been so proud of you.
You’ve handled all the surprises with dignity while so many people would be curled up, rocking in a fetal position.
You’re a brave girl, Lila, and we couldn't be prouder that you are our granddaughter.” He kisses my cheek then leaves the room, perhaps sensing that I’ve justifiably hit and surpassed my limit for the day.
I throw myself backward onto the bed, looking at the ceiling, my mind a haze of information overload with one thought repeating over and over again.
Fuck!