Chapter 44: The Cry of the World and the Returning Echo
After the restoration of the Heart of Life, the clear and urgent route that had fallen upon Kael's mind—Earth—was no longer a dilemma, but an inevitable task. The small, glowing seed given to him by the leader of the Guardians of the Forest was in his palm, while the Chitauri core and the Star Compass guided him in his heart and mind. This time, the journey was not like the chaotic drift of their previous escape from the planet. The Star Compass, enhanced by the purified energy it had drawn from the Heart of Life, carried Kael and Aslan safely and at incredible speeds along a delicate thread in the fabric of the universe toward Earth.
During the journey, Kael felt renewed not only physically but also spiritually. He had come to a deeper understanding of his potential as the Echo Carrier, and had strengthened his bond with the Chitauri core. He was no longer just a marksman, but also a conductor of universal energy, life, and hope. But in the back of his mind, the threatening message from Earth and Wesley's icy, blank stare echoed. The Lords of the Void had targeted Earth, and for Kael, this was a personal battle.
Aslan had noticed this change in Kael. He had become more determined, more focused, but also more mature with the weight of the burden on his shoulders. "Are you ready, Kael?" Aslan asked as their journey drew to a close. "No matter what, it is still our home."
"I am ready, Aslan," Kael said. "And I will not surrender our home to that darkness."
As they entered Earth's atmosphere, guided by the Star Compass, Kael and Aslan felt the "echo" that the planet was emitting. But this echo was different from what they remembered. It was clouded with fear, anxiety, and an undercurrent of suffocating dark energy. The ominous source in Fisk Tower was spreading like a poisonous fog throughout the city and perhaps beyond.
They landed in a secret location, in an abandoned industrial area just outside of New York. The city skyline could be seen from afar, and Fisk Tower stretched into the sky like a wound, while a dark vortex of energy at its peak seemed to swallow even the clouds.
Kael scanned the surroundings first. The Chitauri core was helping him analyze the density and spread of the Void energy in the air. This energy was clouding people's minds, feeding their fears and suspicions. There was a restlessness and tension in the city. The news reported rising crime rates, unexplained cases of mass hysteria, and strange energy fluctuations in certain parts of the city. Fisk, or rather the Void's order through Fisk, was slowly taking over the city.
"This is worse than I expected," Kael said, a look of concern on his face. "That energy source is poisoning the entire city. Whatever Wesley's intentions, this will end in disaster."
"What are we going to do, Kael?" Aslan asked. "Should we go straight to Fisk Tower?"
"No," Kael said. "We must observe first, and make plans. Wesley is no longer the Wesley we know. And attacking without understanding what that energy source is and how it works would be suicide." Kael touched the glowing seed the Guardians of the Forest had given him. The seed warmed slightly in his palm, as if it were responding to the Void energy around it. "Perhaps this gives us an advantage."
Kael tried to listen to his "echoes" on Earth using the Chitauri core. He searched for any sign of life, any trace of the small Echo members he had left behind. But all he could find was fear and uncertainty. There was no sign of the Nova Corps either; either they had withdrawn from the city or they too had fallen victim to this dark energy.
"We are alone, Aslan," Kael said. "But this has happened to us before."
Kael and Aslan began to move toward the city, blending into the shadows. Fisk Tower was their target, but to get there, they had to first understand this new and dangerous New York. Kael would have to use all of his abilities as the Echo Carrier—his flawless marksmanship, his manipulation of echo energy, the guidance of the Chitauri core, and now the hope whispered by that tiny seed of the Heart of Life.
As they approached Fisk Tower, they saw that the tower was surrounded not only by Fisk's men, but also by civilians and even police officers possessed by the Void, walking around with that familiar emptiness in their eyes. The city had fallen into a nightmare.
The vortex of dark energy at the top of the tower was now more clearly visible. It could be some kind of portal, or a passage through which the Lords of the Void could directly intervene on Earth. And the gatekeeper was the possessed body of James Wesley.
Kael took a deep breath. "We have to find a way in," he told Aslan. "And we must save Wesley from that darkness. If there is still anything left for him to save." As if in response to those words, the Life Seed in his palm flickered with an even brighter light. Perhaps hope could sprout even in the darkest place.