Response

CHAPTER 8 – I

(Geryman)
What was that? Where did it come from?
It’s been with me my whole life
But why?
Plus something is different now
No longer latent potential
Afraid of everything that’s sure to come

Thrashing about, throwing everything in the room. Geryman was once again possessed by an out(in)side force that triggered his deepest being. It was similar to that time when he first grasped the letter written by Carenf. Now he was flooded with feelings of fear/angst/doom while the face of Carenf (which he had never seen before) now shown as clear as day before him. More bizarre still, he intuited that Carenf was struggling with the same torments. He was a human. A flawed-yet-good person. This other self was pure power. Malevolent. And hungry.

Out into the streets Geryman stumbled, pinballing off of pedestrians and brick. He had no destination. Looking to clear his head, get out of his skin, find some answers…he knew not where he was heading. Through alleys, around corners, up stairwells, across rooftops, traversing neighborhoods. Then he stopped. Looking up he found himself at opposing ends of a courtyard from Mariano. On behalf of his siblings, Mariano had done much to undermine Geryman’s mission. He rallied public opinion against his cause, inspired many to bring physical violence upon their city-mates, and on several occasions he killed partisans with his own hands. It was time to take him out.

Mariano turned toward Geryman. A look of found-fortune covered his face. He pulled a 16 inch blade from its sheath and confidently stepped toward Geryman. Acting as if with muscle memory, Geryman rose his hands toward Mariano. The seconds seemed like hours as he felt a force lassoing energy from Mariano back into himself. It was as if he was outside of his body, watching the slow motion display that played out before him. Mariano staggered, stumbled, fell to his knees. Visibly shrinking in the extremities, graying of the skin, hollowing of the eyes, he didn’t know what the hell was attacking him.

Inversely, Geryman’s arms bulged. His skin glowed. Breath was slow and deliberate. His eyes blinded his onlooker, but not because they were so luminescent. Rather, their blackness seemed to absorb all the light around them, leaving only darkness. Geryman confidently stepped forward and reached out his hands. Taking Mariano’s head into his possession, clasping at the ears, he simply looked into his victim’s eyes. As his whole essence evaporated, Mariano crumbled to the ground.

Give your best to every endeavor
Maximizing potential is paramount
Excellence is something to aspire to
Take satisfaction when you surmount