The Discovery of Manipo (Part 9)

The Coming Armageddon

The unexpected brightness of the vault's atmosphere did nothing to quell my disappointment in seeing Drew. Don't get me wrong; I thought he was a great fighter and an excellent fellow time manipulator, but I had hoped to see my dad, my mom, or both.

The vault ruled over a seemingly wide area with unnumbered safety deposit boxes lined along the walls. In its center was a rectangular surface space with a height greater than its width. I watched as Drew removed a random box onto the surface.

"They wanted to be here. Your parents," Drew had said.

I watched him in earnest, hoping he'd continue. Instead, he began studying me with his eerie blue eyes as though he were waiting for me to respond. I didn't. I wasn't ready to hear that something nefarious had happened to my parents. I wanted them to be alive. To continue to have hope that I would see them at least once.

"Listen. We don't have a lot of time. It won't take long for the Butler, the guy with the red eyes you just met, to breach the house. And there's something important that you need to know."

At that point, a few things came to mind. First, I couldn't help but notice that Drew's voice was almost divine and echo-like. Seriously, it felt like I was in one of those movies that transport the main protagonist to a place where they're told something important by a controversial character that stirs up the plot at a pivotal point in the story. The Matrix, when Neo talks to the Architect, and Harry Potter, when Harry converses with Professor Dumbledore, are just a few that come to mind.

Second, I wondered how Drew knew what was happening outside the vault, so I asked.

He said, "Never mind that." Then he opened the deposit box on the surface, and the vault space was transformed into a giant television screen. Again. I did not protest. I was curious about Drew's powers because, as far as I knew, he should've only been able to manipulate time. However, there was a great dissonance between the melancholy wreaking from his body language and the hurriedness in his voice. I had hit a sensitive subject.

"Though your curiosity is understandable. It was easily deduced that your desire to unravel the mysteries surrounding your origins would eventually lead you here - into a war from which there would be no escape. And since they now know that you're alive, you will have a constant target on your back because your very existence is an abomination and a threat."

"My existence is an abomination and a threat. Why? Who are they?

The room began transforming itself again into a ScreenX movie theatre, complete with all the furnishings. Drew and I were now on the same row, seated with two spaces between us.

"A few moments ago, you asked me how I knew what was happening in the outside world. Sorry for my rudeness, but thanks to someone I loved, I can tap into the memories and thoughts of all who enter this space. So, I know you're aware of the dispute that caused a rift between our families."

I watched as Drew leaned forward, his back arched, and his head turned toward me. Then I said, "You're talking about the co-mingling between bloodlines."

"Yes," Drew responded, putting his back against the seat again.

"The best place for me to start is at the beginning, where you bore witness to our shared legacy." The screen showcased the event where I watched the three men, Vega, Horacio, and Gravion, receive their powers for the first time under the Tree of Knowledge. As Drew continued, my eyes stayed glued to the screen.

"Vega, Horacio, and Gravion were gifted with their abilities when they ate the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The angels explained that a piece of fruit instantly crystallizes when it falls off the tree. After that, it became manipo, a name Horacio had come up with, given its ability to provide its consumers with various manipulative skills. On top of that, these powers could be passed on to the next generation through birth."

That made a lot of sense, so I thought.

Drew continued, "The angels also explained that Armageddon, the coming war, was fast approaching and that the good news gospel needed to spread to everyone before that time. However, some forces at work want to do everything they can to prevent the Word from reaching people's ears, such as David Jaakobah, the man responsible for stealing The Book of The Fallen. Within that book is ancient knowledge that provides its wielder with a way to open a rift that would bring the multiverse into existence. Various worlds and timelines are created, turning one path, one way, one timeline, one universe, into many. With such expansions, the enemy hopes to thwart the coming of the end. Matthew 24:14 says, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come."

"So, in other words, these forces working against Yahweh hope they can extend their time indefinitely by creating more souls—interesting plan," I said as I continued watching the screen.

"Interesting but futile. Yahweh's word has already been set in stone." Drew responded.

I barely knew of any Christian dogmas, let alone having a surefire belief in the existence of an unstoppable God. In my world, there was no such thing as Christianity, and religion was nothing but a shitshow. But what I did know was that David needed to be stopped. Even staring at a screen, his eyes fill me with such a nostalgic fear that my body shakes.

Drew continued, "With the information and gifts we received from the angels, we humbly embraced Christianity and combined our abilities to spread the gospel. To maintain a power balance between the families that would lessen the likelihood of corruption, the families agreed never to co-mingle. Of course, like many old stories, the agreed-upon settlement only lasted a while before a forbidden romance led to the coming birth of a child who would have the ability to manipulate time and gravity. Because of this sudden development, a huge argument broke out amongst the families, which resulted in a decisive duel between Eric and me. Thanks to my victory, the child's life was spared, but there was a doubling down on fraternization. Strict rules were established, but the child would eventually grow into a man who just happened to fall in love with a woman who could manipulate space. They managed to find ways to be together, and eventually, you were born, wielding gravity, space, and time.

Fearing what you would be capable of, a few members of each family had resorted to betrayal. They couldn't defeat your father independently, so they sought help from a nefarious group of mercenaries who called themselves "The Separators." They had an individual in their group who had the power to nullify abilities after seeing them only once.

With the help of our former comrades, they easily infiltrated this space, which used to be a front for one of our many underground shelters, and the onslaught commenced. We could do nothing. With our abilities nullified, we were utterly overwhelmed by powerless brutes skilled in various fighting styles. However, your mother managed to escape and get you to safety while I was sealed inside this vault, thanks to my fallen comrades."

Knowing that my mom could be alive filled me with relief and hope. I just knew we'd be reunited one day. And yet I felt horrible about my optimism, especially while watching my kin meet grisly ends. Several of Drew's family members used martial arts skills to delay the enemy. They gave Drew the time he needed to slip inside the vault, which made me think about how only time manipulators could access it.

"From my understanding, I was made to believe that only time manipulators would be able to find their way inside this space. So, why weren't the time manipulators who betrayed their families used to breach this place?" I asked.

"Because they were betrayed, too. It turned out that "The Separators" were aligned with David. So, they killed all of the time manipulators along with your dad. Without someone who could manipulate time, Yahweh's word would never be able to reach every corner of the multiverse."

Seeing my dad for the first time on screen was both exhilarating and saddening. I wanted to hug him and tell him I never blamed him or my mom for abandoning me. I held on to the hope that they loved me and had given me up for reasons beyond their control. I refused to believe anything else and was happy my hope hadn't been shattered.

Tears began falling from my eyes, and I turned to face Drew to see if he had noticed. He did. He had been staring, and when we locked eyes, I instinctively turned my attention back toward the screen while wiping my face with my hands. I was a bit embarrassed. I never really liked showing weakness, even if my tears were valid. Seeing my father in his final moments was hard. His martial arts skills were beyond impressive, but he was slowly being cornered in the same hideout Drew and Eric fought. Exhaustion appeared to set finally, and the man with the red eyes, now known to me as the Butler, stepped in to finish my father off like a coward. Tensions rose throughout my body, nearly choking me where I sat as I watched my father become overwhelmed. It became more challenging for me to breathe as my grip on my armrests grew tighter and tighter. These feelings intensified as the mortal blow was about to be delivered, and I just knew I couldn't handle it. Drew knew this, too, and made the television screen go white. My intensity subsided. I was relieved and even thanked Drew for what he had done.

Moments of silence lingered in the air afterward until Drew spoke up and said, "Listen. I am sorry about your dad. He was my mentor and a great man, but at least your mom is still out there. I'm sure you'll meet her someday."

Drew wasn't much of a comforting type, but he did have a point. My mom was still out there, and so was my dad's murderer. I needed him to pay, but with his nullification abilities, that wasn't going to be easy. There had to be a way to defeat him.

"Drew, does this place have a hidden weapon that can be used to fight against that Butler guy? I had asked with anticipated hope.

"No. This place does not," he responded, and I felt hopeless again. But then Drew spoke up and said, "However, you do." and I became overcome with bewilderment.