The Aeterna Empire

Chapter 12 - The Four Faces of Adam

I huffed painfully, feeling as well as hearing my ribs groan under the pressure of the man currently squeezing the life out of me. I didn't react immediately, perhaps out of instinctual politeness, but it quickly became apparent he wasn't going to stop until I was blue in the face and black in the ribs.

I squirmed my hand as best as I could with it tucked in under his bicep and patted him on the side. "Adam. Adam! Uncle! Aunt's Uncle! Let go!"

"Oh, that's what that means," Adam commented. He let me go and I fell to my feet, then to my butt before turning to a gasping fish on the floor. "Sorry about that."

"Ho-" I gasped and my voice cracked. Taking a moment longer to recover while the world spun, I sat up, then slowly stood as my breath returned to normal.

"How are you alive?" I asked. "I thought you were supposed to be dead."

Adam nodded, and said, as if it was normal, "The others wouldn't go so far as to kill me, no, that would be too painful for them to go through again; but they did bury me."

"Bury you?" Nothing of what he said made any kind of sense.

He continued, "When they saw you last, I didn't wake up but then they also expected you and actively made sure I wouldn't; but this time, you caught them off guard! Well done!" He congratulated me with a smack on the shoulder, which stung.

I rubbed my sudden bruise, and looked at him curiously, "I did? I mean I know I came unannounced but I wasn't planning to jump scare anybody. Wait, does this mean I have power over him?"

"Hm..." He bobbed his head in thought. "Not so much you, so much as remembering my promise I made to you. It could have been anyone for all the good it was, but I found in you a resolve to keep contesting him, which I turned into a power by my promise."

I stared at him. Even as I would later record these events, I still did not understand half of what he said.

Normally when I stare at people in open confusion, they explain themselves. Yet, it would seem Adam was quite an oddity as he nodded firmly, as if his explanation made absolute sense, because, of course, I should understand it. And he did not explain himself any further.

"So, my friend, as great as it is to see you, why are you here?"

"I came to parley with the Aeterna." I answered. "If I had known I would have this affect on him, to bring you back, then that would have tried to do it sooner, but, to be honest, I had no idea."

Adam sighed and rubbed his hair. "Then I am sorry to say this but... the Fourth neither parley's nor compromises. So far as he is concerned you either obey completely or not. There is no middle ground."

I nodded, "I remember, you told me something similar. Doesn't mean I shouldn't try. There must be a way to get through to him."

"His entire being is of single-minded purpose." Adam shrugged, "But just because everyone else failed doesn't mean you won't."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "You're really not that supportive."

He smiled, "So I've been told. Shall I let him out? The shock put him to sleep, but I can nudge him awake."

I huffed and thought about it a moment. No, if I had the opportunity for inside information, I needed to take it first. The first rule of any political, economical, or business engagement is to be prepared before sitting at the table. I thought myself the residential expert on Aeterna that might be on my side of the issue, which wasn't much at all to speak of, but here was one so intimate with the Aeterna they shared the same body.

"No, not yet. First, I need to know. Who is the Aeterna, and while I'm at it, who are you? How does this work between you? What drives him? If you say he is a being entirely of purpose, then what is that purpose? How can I help you fight him if I barely know what I am fighting or in what nature? Because, honestly, I haven't understood what you have said."