Interstellar: Exploring The Cosmos With My Anomaly System
Chapter 32: Father and Son

Chapter 32: Father and Son

The next day felt stagnant, the wind roaring against the huts in a wild outraged, as if even the gods despise today. Everyone carried stoic faces to mask their feelings, the hunters’ grip tightening on their lances as they got ready to guide the chief and his son.

Astra watched as everyone made way for them, a path outside the village, her eyes landing on Belk’s gaze—it was downcast, hooded in the shadow of sorrow.

"It might rain today..." She murmured to herself, looking towards the clouds, "Meaning the gunpowder will be useless..."

She bit her lip, her brow furrowing in concern for the future, only to be brought back by the sound of footsteps coming to a halt.

"What? Not going to tend to your stand?" Belk quipped, causing her gaze to snap to him. How could he crack jokes at a time like this—her hands turned into fists as she wiped her eyes. The boy took on more of a somber look on his face, realizing it might be a bit much.

"You better win this," Astra muttered, looking at him through her unshed tears. "If you ruin my plans cause of this, I’ll never forgive you!"

Her breath hitched on her own words, looking down to her tightening fists, the sound of the strain stretched between them. "I need you to promise me..."

"Sorry..." Belk smiled, his soft words causing her heart to drop as the wind picked up speed, those were not the words of confidence she wanted to hear, her breath picking up slightly in anticipation.

’Why, why now,’ She thought, raising her head slowly to see his somber almost sorrow–filled smile.

"But I can’t make any promises, not right now," His hand lightly pushed out towards her, his fingers folded to a fist.

Astra stared down to his hand in disbelief, biting her lower lip before colliding her fist with his.

"I’ll see you round, yeah?" Belk grinned, Astra nodding hesitantly, unable to look him in the eyes.

"Ready to continue?" Tanaka asked, waiting by his son’s side as he nodded, following his father through the gates once more.

Just as they met the gates, Vagnis stood ready by, giving Belk a soft nod before joining the hunters that would guide them.

Eventually they made it, their battle taking place on the hill side where the gunpowder was placed, and where it has been for generations...

Belk dropped his shirt and so did Tanaka, the man towering over the boy like a tidal wave that’s about to crash down upon him.

Celi sat by as everyone circled them, Astra watching as the fight commenced through her eyes. Curled up in the comfort of her hut, her toes digging into the bedsheets in anticipation as the pups played around her, oblivious to the weight of their situation.

"Are you truly prepared to lay down your life...for the good of this village, for the good of your people?" Tanaka questioned, his gaze narrowing towards the boy, who stood tall before him despite his size, the wind causing his unruly hair to flutter wildly, though the strands that hit his face never deterred his gaze, not even by a millimeter.

He only saw himself in the boy, though he stood much taller than him back then, facing death in the eyes with unwavering intensity, nothing but his passion backing him up along the way.

"Normally, we would fight bare handed," He muttered, his hands reaching out to grab a weapon from a hunter, a lance that looked as though it could pierce the heavens if it tried. Glimmering on the faintest of light that shined through the dense clouds.

"But since this is a battle of ideals, we fight with everything at our disposal," He smiled, pointing the lance straight at Belk’s unflinching face, the tip cutting his nose slightly as a bead of blood trickled down. "Wouldn’t you agree?"

"I wouldn’t have it any other way." Belk grinned, his hands balled into fists as his sides.

’I’m sorry, Aurelia...’ Tanaka grinned at Belk’s words but his mind continued on, pulling back to lance and getting into a stance. ’I promised to protect our boy, and here I am, making him think his life will be on the line.’

’Can I die in the same place you have? Can I fall, to the grave I dug for you...’

"You ready, Belk!" He roared, his voice piercing the very clouds that surrounded them, the wind only growing more furious, more demanding. Though no matter how much it blew, it couldn’t extinguish the fire of battle burning within them.

’Do I still deserve to rest by you...after all this time?’

"You’ll be a wonderful chief, and a great father to our child!" Aurelia’s voice echoed within his mind, only causing him to tighten the grip on his lance.

"Ready as I’ll ever be!" Belk shouted.

’Breaking traditions, With the power of science. A nice thought.’ Tanaka thought, shaking his head from the memories, his gaze focused on the boy before him, a boy much different than himself.

"Let’s begin!" Tanaka roared, his lace humming as it cut a crescent through the mud. Belk’s eyes tracked the attack, doubling back behind him as fast as he could, the tip of the lance nicking his heel crimson dashed across his opening a wound.

’Too slow!’ Tanaka thought, hissed, coaching his son within his own mind.

"Is that all?" Belk snorted, his voice laced with a bit of suspicion, the first bits of rain falling on his feet, a shower soon following. "Your traditions are a lot slower than I thought!"

Tanaka didn’t bite to the bait, instead feigning a left, he arced the lance horizontally whipping it with brutal force, causing the weapon to whistle the stick of the lance colliding against the boy’s ribs, sending him back and stumbling to the floor.

"Get up! Come on!" Astra murmured to herself, her fingers digging into her knee enough to create a shallow wound, her eyes darting the battlefield analyzing it, as if she could help, she wanted to help, she wanted to do something. "Don’t you want to go to space you—"

She couldn’t finish the sentence, as if just catching herself.

"You spout ideals but your science is nowhere to be found! Show me! Show me the dream you shared with your mother!" Tanaka cried, watching as the boy struggled, his gaze falling on his father as he began to walk closer, his guard completely open, his feet tapping against the wet stone mixed with mud caused by the rain.

’Come on...’ He thought, his grip tightening on his weapon ’Stand up, child!’

"Stand up, Tanaka!" His fathers words snapped back to bite him, their words mending together. "I will not leave my kingdom to the likes of you!"

"Not with someone who has no conviction!" He swung again, listening as the wood whipped against the boy’s skin, branding his shoulder. "No drive!"

"What are you fighting for!? This isn’t a game!" He paused, watching as his son remained standing despite the onslaught, his legs buckled from the weight of his struggle but not a peep escaped his lips.

"What am I fighting for?" he questioned, his gaze rising up to meet the eyes of his old man. "I already told you, I wanted to see the stars."

He took a step closer, not paying any mind to the distance, to the strategy, he doesn’t care about the people watching. "I’ve actually thought long and hard about it, about killing ya and all?"

"You insolent child— YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME?!" Both Tanaka and his father screamed, "You think this is enough to take my place?!"

The boy said no more, his hands dipping into his pouch, page in hand. "You forced me to learn sigils since I was a kid, I have to thank you—that helped me a ton,"

He flipped the page, roots ripping up front the ground and rupturing out with earth shattering force, Tanaka gritted his teeth, too caught up in the battle to back out now. His heels dug into the mud that entrapped him. Blitzing forward, his steps light and swift as the vines chased him down, falling upon him like rain.

Belk grinned but it soon faded as the image of his father appeared before him through the cage of vines, the shiver of death ran his blood cold as he stared at the force before him, his father’s fist digging into the boy’s jaw causing his body to skid back into the Aelvarian cage that surrounds them.

"Apparently I was wrong..." Tanaka muttered as his expression, whipping the blood off his fist caused it to splatter the floor. He watched his son struggle to stand, his fingers clawing into the mud that barely resisted him. Choking on the very blood that clung to his teeth.

The vines; lined with salt before hand, started to shift uncomfortably, shooting into the ground below him and into the chief, causing his mouth to hang open in shock, his hands immediately shooting for the vines, his muscles tightening around the stiffening roots.

"Your cheap tricks wont work!" He roared, pulling out the vine despite the blood that spewed from his open back, but they were relentless, seeking nutrients the only way they knew how.

The sigil soon ran dry, the vines crippling along with it, withering away with the wind, the boy still on the floor, seemingly unconscious. Tanaka’s eyes narrowed a gruffed sound escaping his lips as he stepped towards the boy.

He towers over him, stabbing the shaft into the boy’s shoulder, blood spewing wildly from the opened wound staining the father’s stone tipped blade. His eyes only narrowing further as the boy screamed in agony, his fingers continue to grate the muddy ground.

"Stand up..." He hissed, watching as the boy struggled to stand with the staff dug into him, deeper and deeper. "Stand!"

"War is ruthless, if you want to escape capture you must be willing to part with your arm!" Belk only cried louder, the image of the confident young man shattered and humiliated for the world to see.

Astra’s hand reaches to her mouth, muffling the soft cries that escaped from the sheer sight of it. Umi and Kairo whimpering in concern for her.

"Well!?" He cried, watching the trembling hand of his son slowly wrap around the blade. His breathing heavy, fighting against his father’s weak resistance, yet still keeping the pressure on his shoulder. "Would you rather die a coward!?"

Tanaka huffed, shoving him down back to the muddy earth, his hands slowly reaching for his pouch. A page with yellow powder lined slowly igniting, the flame weak and flimsy, carrying a smoke to the chief’s nose causing him to gag.

The man stepped back, his eyes irritated, causing him to stumble upon himself, barely standing up right thanks to his staff. "What the hell was that–!"

His head snapped to his son hardly getting up, his wounded hand limped by his side.

"You’re standing awfully close to the edge there..." The voice of his son laughed in his ear, his eyes jolting up to see his son getting up and walking towards him, his movements sluggish and hazardous.

"You’re holding out on me—" the boy muttered, his gaze half lidded as he approached closer and closer, his hand reaching into his pouch as Tanaka’s eyes flaring in anger.

"You dare insult me?! I wouldn’t be so foolish as to hold back in a fight!" He roared, cracking the lance down on the boy’s shoulder, watching as Belk’s gaze rolled back in his head before snapping forward, his knees buckling under the weight.

Belk grinned, his hand holding onto the lance as a clear liquid seeped from his palm.

’What is that...’ Tanaka muttered, his gaze snapping to the liquid in his palm, eyes narrowing as he then added a paper to the mix, a weird sigil drawn on it.

’That’s—!’ he gasped, his son smiling as the paper burst into flames.

"Animal fat," He smiled as the flames rapidly spread on the spear, "Not even water can smother this bad boy,"

Tanaka dropped the spear, stepping back slightly, the feeling of nothing below him caused his heart to sink as he slipped off the edge.

It felt as though time slowed, an eternity passing by, but...Tanaka closed his eyes, accepting his fate as the wind pushed against him, as if trying to take him to the top once more, but failing.

’Aurelia... I–’

"Not today!" Belk’s hoarse voice snapped through his peace, the boy jumping off the ledge with no hesitation and taking the hand of his father, their descent coming to a sudden halt.

"Belk... you—" His eyes fell onto the vine that wrapped itself around the boy’s leg, watching the strain on his son’s face as he kept him up.

"Just let me go—"

"Shut up!" Belk snapped, "I didn’t wait for today just to be cheated out of my victory!"

"Science will win without your pity!"

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